Pandev nearing permanent Napoli switch

Italian TV station Mediaset reports that Napoli have agreed to sign forward Goran Pandev on permanent basis.

The Macedonian striker arrived to San Paolo on loan from Inter last summer and he enjoyed a promising campaign with the Azzurri.

He seems to have done enough to persuade the Napoli chiefs to try and make his loan deal permanent and Mediaset reports the transfer is close to being completed.

According to the source, Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis and Inter owner Massimo Moratti have agreed an €8 million fee for the 28-year-old.

The Azzurri are already preparing for life without Ezequiel Lavezzi, who is set to leave San Paolo this summer, with youngster Lorenzo Insigne and Goran Pandev set to vie for a starting berth.

Goran Pandev has scored 6 goals and produced 5 assists in 30 Serie A games last term, but he could face a tough challenge from Insigne, who bagged 18 goals in 37 Serie B games while on loan at Pescara.

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/pandev-nearing-permanent-napoli-switch/95566/

Inter hold Lavezzi hope

Inter have not given up hope of signing Ezequiel Lavezzi and are reportedly willing to offer Juan and Goran Pandev to Napoli in exchange.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is resigned to losing Argentina international Lavezzi but has repeatedly claimed that the player will only be allowed leave San Paolo if a club meets his 31-million-euro buy-out clause.

Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain appear willing to meet the asking price and Lavezzi’s agent has claimed that his client is bound for the Parc des Princes, but, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter are now trying to persuade Napoli to accept a player-plus-cash deal.

The paper claims that Inter have offered the Coppa Italia winners 20-year-old centre-back Juan on loan for a season and ownership of Goran Pandev, who is scheduled to return to the San Siro this season after a nine-month stay in Naples.

Tuttosport, meanwhile, has revealed that Inter have already drawn up a list of alternative transfer targets and among them is Catania’s Alejandro Gomez.

Lavezzi’s compatriot, who also played for San Lorenzo, is coming off the back of a fine second season in Serie A, the midfielder having scored four goals in 34 appearances for his Sicilian employers.

It is believed that Catania could be willing to sell Gomez for seven million euros, making him an attractive cut-price option for the Inter.

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/inter-hold-lavezzi-hope/95514/

Eriksson: England will progress ´easily´

Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson believes Roy Hodgson’s side should ‘easily’ qualify from their Euro 2012 group.

Eriksson feels that, even without the suspended Wayne Rooney, England should have no problem advancing from Group D, which also contains France, Sweden and co-hosts the Ukraine.

In his column for the Times of India, the Swede wrote: “Despite Rooney’s unavailability, I would think that England should easily reach the knockout stage from the group and their real test should start from there.

“However, how far England would progress in the competition would depend on whether their experienced midfield stays fit throughout the tournament and how soon Hodgson can put together a perfect combination on the field.

“He gets two friendlies to work out what he wants to do in Ukraine and has already got off to a solid start with a victory against Norway on Saturday. I wish him the best for the tournament.

Eriksson feels Hodgson will be under more pressure to succeed given England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008 and the fact they have never won the competition.

“I have been the manager of England at the World Cup in 2010 and I know the pressure the English team manager has to handle,” he wrote.

“The pressure would be all the more on Roy Hodgson, since England had failed to qualify for the last edition of the competition and the fans would be expecting that their star players would bring home the trophy that has eluded them since the start of the championship.”

Source : http://www.soccernews.com/eriksson-england-will-progress-%c2%b4easily%c2%b4/95385/