City To Offer £19million Misfit To Land Taiwo?

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Manchester City are set to continue their pursuit of Olympique Marseille defender Taye Taiwo, with the Premier League club ready to offer £19million flop Jo as part of the deal to land the Nigerian International, according to The Sun.



City are believed to have already failed with a £14million offer for Taiwo, but manager Mark Hughes is now ready to include Brazilian International striker Jo in part exchange for the versatile left-sided player as the former Blackburn Rovers boss looks to strengthen the squad at the Eastlands Stadium.

Jo, who was a club record signing before the arrival of Robinho at the Premiership club has failed to impress Hughes since his big-money move from CSKA Moscow, with the Brazilian only finding the net three times in thirteen appearances for the Blues since his move to England. Two of those goals coming against, European minnows Omonia in the UEFA Cup and now looks set to be shown the door by the Blues after just six-months at the club.

Should Taiwo arrive City, Jo’s compatriot Elano’s place could also be under threat, with 23-year-old Taiwo playing on the left and £12million signing from Chelsea, Wayne Bridge likely to occupy the defensive berth. Taiwo is also said to be a free-kick specialist and has been linked with Portsmouth and Sunderland in the past.

Taiwo has been at Marseille since joining from Lobi Stars in 2004 and has made 118 Ligue 1 appearances during his time at the Stade Velodrome, with Taiwo also scoring seven times in his 26 caps for Nigeria.

Everton To Swoop For Niang?

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Premier League club Everton are to turn to Senegal International Mamadou Niang at Ligue 1 side Olympique Marseille, when the transfer window reopens in January as manager David Moyes looks to add some much needed firepower to an injury ravaged frontline at the Merseyside club.

The Toffees had been heavily linked with a move for Brazilian International Vagner Love at Russian side CSKA Moscow, who reportedly almost joined the Premiership club on loan in the summer, but after making a fresh approach have been priced out of any opportunity to land the Brazilian striker by CSKA.



This has led Moyes to 29-year-old Niang, who has been at the Stade Velodrome since joining from RC Strasbourg in 2005, with the striker scoring 45 goals in 109 appearances during his time at Marseille. Niang has also scored 13 goals in 27 caps for Senegal.

Everton have a severe shortage of forwards at Goodison Park, with Yakubu and James Vaughan both out with long-term injuries and summer signing Louis Saha suffering from persistent hamstring troubles. In addition to this Victor Anichebe is out with a back problem, which means Moyes having to push midfielder Tim Cahill into a more forward role against Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday.

Whether Les Phoceens are willing to part with Niang remains to be seen, with the striker finishing as the second highest goal-scorer in the French league last season and was an integral part of the Marseille side, which finished 3rd and qualified for the Champions League.

Everton To Reignite Interest In Marseille's Cana?

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Everton are set to reignite their interest in Albanian International Lorik Cana at Ligue 1 side Olympique Marseille, with Toffess boss David Moyes still keen on Cana after being linked with the Marseille captain during the summer, according to The People.

Everton along with Premier League rivals Arsenal had been heavily linked with 25-year-old Cana during the summer, but Marseille stuck a £12million price tag on their captain, which cooled interest from the Merseyside club.

Cana had appeared to be off the radar of Everton after Moyes opted to sign Marouane Fellaini from Standard Liege, but is now believed to have sent his assistant Steve Round to watch the midfielder in action against Liverpool in the Champions League at Anfield last Wednesday, with a move to bring Cana to Goodison Park in January being mooted.

Cana has been at the Stade Velodrome since joining from Paris St Germain in 2005 and has made over 100 league appearances for the French side, with the central-midfielder being capped by Albania 31 times.