Manchester City confirm Clichy capture

Manchester City have completed the signing of Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy after the France international completed a medical in Manchester.Clichy joined the Gunners from Cannes in August 2003, and made 264 appearances in all competitions for the north London club.In 2004, his debut season, Clichy became the youngest player at the time to win a Premier League medal aged 18 years and 10 months.A statement on the Arsenal website read: "Arsenal Football Club can confirm that the transfer of Gael Clichy to Manchester City has been completed for an undisclosed fee."Clichy added: "I have had eight fantastic years at Arsenal and made many friends."I have so many great memories from my time at Highbury and Emirates Stadium. I would like to say thank you to everyone at Arsenal for all of their support and friendship. I also want to send a big thank you to all the Arsenal supporters, who have always been so good to me."

Gael Clichy on Verge of joining Manchester City

Manchester City finally began their summer's transfer business yesterday, moving towards a £7m deal for Arsenal's Gaël Clichy – yet another player who has been taken from under Liverpool's noses.

The deal had not been entirely concluded last night, with negotiations still to be concluded on both price and personal terms, a process rendered more difficult by the fact that the player is out of the country. But Clichy may well be the first player to arrive at Eastlands this summer and City's determination to go back to Arsenal – who have already furnished them with Kolo Touré and Emmanuel Adebayor in the past two years – suggests that Roberto Mancini has reservations about the £16m signing Aleksandar Kolarov, who was unconvincing at left-back in his first season after arriving from Lazio.

The move also comes as a blow to Wenger, who had declared hopes that he could persuade the 25-year-old Clichy to stay in north London where he falls out of contract next summer and had failed to agree new terms.

Roma offer Player Swap Arsenal's Gael Clichy

AS Roma are considering offering Montenegro international striker Mirko Vucinic to Arsenal in exchange for Gael Clichy.The French left back has been linked with an exit from Emirates Stadium recently, as his contract has just a year to run, and was rumoured to be the subject of a bid from Liverpool last week.Vucinic is unsure whether he will continue at Roma after the club's new owners looked to bring in a new era at Stadio Olimpico.The forward, at his best when cutting in from the left, is attracting a lot of interest from abroad, according to his his agent Alessandro Lucci."It's not news that two English clubs are interested in Vucinic, but it must firstly be understood whether the relationship with Roma is definitely over," said Lucci to Sky Italia."Only in that case will the alternatives be taken into consideration.

"For the moment we are only in the first phase. It's not the right moment to talk about Vucinic and other clubs.

"He feels good in Rome, he has friends and he has his home and the will to stay, but in football it happens that something can break."

Clichy is an excellent defender in one-on-one situations, tackling, and when tracking back thanks to his pace, but is prone to errors when his team employs the offside trap.

Both Roma and Liverpool clearly rate him though, and if no new deal is forthcoming at the Emirates Stadium, he may find his future elsewhere

Liverpool to Launch Adam and Dann Bids

Kenny Dalglish could take Liverpool's summer transfer spending to more than £35m by the end of the week should he lodge bids for both Charlie Adam and Scott Dann, but the Scot will face competition from Arsenal if he chooses to step up his interest in the Birmingham defender.Dalglish has already lavished £16m on the former Sunderland midfielder Jordan Henderson and is expected to lodge a formal offer of around £9m with Blackpool for their captain in the next 48 hours.Adam is known to be keen to move to Anfield and formal talks with the Bloomfield Road club are expected to start on Thursday.But the Liverpool manager faces a rather more complicated task in attempting to recruit the defensive cover he believes his squad requires, with Dalglish weighing up the merits of moving for Dann, a boyhood Liverpool fan, with the risk of missing out on a second defensive target in a week.Liverpool had hoped to beat both Arsene Wenger and Manchester United to the signature of Phil Jones -- although the Anfield club always feared losing out to the champions should they enter the race for the Blackburn player's signature -- but, since the completion of his transfer to Old Trafford, both Liverpool and Arsenal have been forced to examine alternatives.Top of the list both on Merseyside and in north London is Dann, with Wenger thought to be considering moving for the 24-year-old as well as Blackburn's towering Congolese international Christopher Samba as he seeks to add height and power to his side.Despite his childhood allegiance to Anfield, it is believed Dann is tempted by the prospect of Champions League football on offer at the Emirates, while Wenger believes he offers better value for money than Bolton's Gary Cahill and the same technical accomplishment.Liverpool are determined to infuse Dalglish's squad with a core of British talent and have identified Dann as a potential complement to Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel.The club are examining a number of other candidates -- including Lyon's Dejan Lovren -- but their hand may be forced by Arsenal's interest.Dalglish is also hopeful of concluding swift deals for Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy, Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing, Roma goalkeeper Doni and Ipswich striker Connor Wickham as he attempts to conduct the majority of his transfer activity before Liverpool return for pre-season training at Melwood on July 4.The Anfield club are also expected to sign Frenchman Sylvain Marveaux, the Rennes winger, on a free transfer.

Goalkeeper Pepe Reina has undergone surgery on a double hernia. However, the Spanish international is expected to be fit to return for the start of pre-season training

Arsenal Star Sparks Bidding War After Confirming Exit

Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy has sparked a bidding war for his services after he reportedly told the Gunners hierarchy he no longer wants to be at the club, with Arsene Wenger now set to cash in on a defender with just one year remaining on his contract.The long-serving Arsenal defender has been linked with a move away from the Emirates in recent months and with his contract expiring in the summer of 2012, this could be the last occasion the Gunners have to cash-in on the French full-back after he suggested he would not agree a new deal at the club."Will I prolong my contract? I don't know and I don't think about it," Clichy told French newspaper L'Equipe recently. "The season is still long. I will have time to think about it in the summer."
Since his comments were made, media reports have revealed that contract negotiations broke down repeatedly between Clichy and Arsenal, as he looks for an increase to his £50,000-per-week wage packet. A transfer to Italy may top his priority list, with the favourable tax incentives meaning he would effectively be earning more.

However, according to Talksport, Bayern Munich are said to be tracking Clichy and could bid in the summer as they attempt to fill the problematic left-back role at the club, whilst goal.com have exclusively reported that Inter Milan will also bid for the 25-year-old.

Bayern recently announced that manager Louis van Gaal will leave at the end of the season to be replaced by Jupp Heynckes who will be looking to bring new players into the club. According to goal.com, sources close to the French star have confirmed he will leave Arsenal in the summer, and Bayern Munich now seem to top the list of potential suitors.

Bayern finished third in the Bundesliga, 10 points behind champions Borussia Dortmund, and have consistently been linked with a move for a number of left-backs, including Everton's Leighton Baines and Newcastle defender Jose Enrique.

However, according to sources in Germany it now seems the Bundesliga side have turned their attentions to Clichy and are willing to pay around £7million for the experienced defender.

Clichy has been the first choice left-back at Arsenal since the departure of Ashley Cole to Chelsea in 2006, but in recent months has come under scrutiny for his performances as the Gunners have struggled defensively.

The north London club has highly-rated youngster Kieran Gibbs in reserve, with many suggesting the 21-year-old is ready to make the step up to first team football on a more regular basis.

Whether Arsene Wenger would be prepared to let Clichy leave the club may come down to whether the defender decides to sign a new contract. Wenger would not want Clichy to enter the final year of his contract when he would be able to leave the club on a free in the summer of 2012 - it is believed he will demand £5.5 million for the full-back, but increased interest may drive that price higher as the Gunners seek the best price.

Arsenal 5-0 Leyton Orient

Nicklas Bendtner's classy hat-trick booked an enticing FA Cup quarter-final at Manchester United as Arsenal swatted aside Leyton Orient.Marouane Chamakh slotted an early opener before Bendtner's superb header, then a curling finish, put Arsenal's second-string in command.Bendtner's cool third came from the penalty spot after Kieran Gibbs was tripped by Alex Revell in the box.Substitute Gael Clichy then lashed in low with 15 minutes remaining.League One Orient were routinely swept aside in this fifth-round replay, but Arsenal's crushing disappointment from Sunday's failure to collect their first trophy since 2005 - after losing the Carling Cup final to Birmingham - was hard to hide at a muted Emirates Stadium.The hosts initially looked like they lacked a spring in their step, but fears of further agony evaporated in the seventh minute with a goal of typical Arsenal quality.Irish debutant Conor Henderson - another ball-playing midfielder - probed for a gap through the back-line and the 19-year-old's deflected pass was pounced on by Tomas Rosicky, who sped to the byeline to clip a square ball through the legs of Charlie Daniels across the box.Moroccan striker Chamakh held his position to coolly side-foot the ball through the legs of Terrell Forbes from eight yards out, right into the corner of the net, for his first goal since the end of November.
Orient hit back soon after as Ignasi Miquel's poor headed clearance fell for Ben Chorley.
But his full-blooded volley was blocked by a crouching team-mate in front of Manuel Almunia, who nevertheless had it covered.Their best chance came when pacy Daniels twisted and turned down the left wing to whip in a dangerous low cross.Yet Revell misjudged his promising position in the area to put his point-blank snapshot wide from only six yards out.

Chamakh looked full of confidence after his smart opening goalBendtner had appeared marginally disinterested, but that changed during the course of an sparkling 20-minute spell from the Danish forward before half-time.His first goal, in the 27th-minute, was a superb effort as he leapt high to outmuscle Daniels before guiding a looping header past the reach of O's keeper Jamie Jones from a floated Gibbs cross.
With that, Arsene Wenger's team took complete control.The second from Bendtner was even better that the first. Pouncing on a loose ball, he stalked into the area while teasing the ball just in front of Andrew Whing to find a gap before curling a low shot perfectly past Jones into the far corner.The hosts remained in second gear after the break although Orient, with impressive Daniels a constant outlet down the right, did at least show a sense of adventure.

Abou Diaby should have added Arsenal's fourth in the 50th minute after he danced round a host of defenders on a charge towards goal.
But, after a fine one-two with Chamakh set him free inside the box, he dragged his low shot just wide.
It finally came in the 62nd minute when Gibbs shimmied his way into the area only to be felled by Revell, who looked uncomfortable defending.
Bendtner's penalty finish was true and unerring as he completed his hat-trick before being taken off, though not before nearly gifting a goal to the east Londoners as he dallied while covering at right-back.
One sour note was the withdrawal of Rosicky, who suffered concussion after a heavy collision.
The 75th minute coup de grace was inevitable as injury-hit Arsenal, who host Sunderland in the Premier League before facing Barcelona away in the Champions League, pushed forward in waves.
Emmanuel Eboue's testing ball across the box evaded O's defenders. Chamahk dummied and the ball just eluded substitute Jack Wilshere, but French left-back Clichy ran on to it like a stream train to propel a powerful low finish just inside the far post past overworked Jones.