Mariga deal reported

Not one that has garned much attention amongst the bigger players in the media, but hat tip to Blue Days for bringing this one to attention.

It is being reported both on calcionews24.com and allafrica.com that we have agreed to a 10 million Euro deal to sign Parma's Kenyan international midfielder McDonald Mariga:

Parma have accepted a E10 million offer (about Sh722 million) from Manchester City for Kenyan international McDonald Mariga, according to reports from Italy and England.

Mariga had been linked with Italian champions Inter but Parma sporting director, Pietro Leonardi, apparently met with City on Thursday.

He was able to convince the English club over 22-year-old Mariga's E10m fee during a series of talks which untangled the move.

"Once the transfer is compelete, Mariga will become Kenya's richest sportsman and the first ever to play in the English Premier League.

City turned to Mariga after seeing negotiations stall with Real Madrid in their attempts to sign Fernando Gago. City were ready to bid £6million for Mariga, according to reports in Italy, and could offer Valeri Bojinov as part of the deal.

Interesting stuff and a move (if true) that has flown completely under the radar. From his bio on wikipedia it seems he is a tall, rangy midfielder who spent time in Sweden before his move to Parma.

One potential hitch with a deal could be his Kenyan nationality, which given their lowly standing in the world game may impact on the possibility of a work permit being granted.

If anyone knows anything further about him though please leave a comment below.

UPDATE: The Bluemoon twitter feed is also suggesting that the deal will go through.

Bojinov keen on Italy stay

Out of sight, out of mind he may be but Valeri Bojinov is impressing nonetheless during the 2009/10 season.

Faced with the prospect of little playing time after almost two full seasons blighted by injury, he joined Parma - who returned to Serie A at the first attempt - on the eve of the season and has played a full part in their surprising run that sees them currently in third place in the table.

Obviously revelling in being back on the field and it has again been reported that his preference is to remain in Italy beyond this season:

"Parma was my opportunity, I thank the chairman (Tommaso) Ghirardi, sporting director (Pietro) Leonardi, (Francesco) Guidolin and also (Cesare) Prandelli, who put in a good word for me."

Like many, I'd hoped that Bojinov's departure was not a permanent one, and that a season of regular football under his built could see him return to us next summer to re-start his City career. However, it is apparant that his time with us is all but over and the expectation is that his current move will ultimately be made permanent.

Bojinov joins Parma

Manchester City striker Valeri Bojinov is back in Serie A after joining newly-promoted Parma on loan.

The 23-year-old Bulgaria international endured an injury-hit spell at Eastlands, making just three Premier League starts in two years.

Bojinov did look a talented prospect when fit, but the summer arrivals of three big name strikers means his playing time would have been severely limited next season.

>>skysports.com

We are seeing more of these types of deal, where a loan is mutually beneficial to both sides.

Clearly his opportunities would have been limited during 2009/10, and the likelihood is that he is not entirely fully fit following his injuries.

From watching him during his time in Serie A, he is an absolute bull of a player so it is something of a surprise that he has been so fragile during his time with us, especially given how innocuous his injuries were.

I'm pleased this is a loan deal as it does still leave the opportunity for him to put his injury woes behind him, kick-start his career and return fully fit next summer. With a Parma side returning to Serie A and lacking strikers he should see plenty of action and the hope his he can get 25-30 games under his belt.

Bojinov set for Serie A return

Another story beginning to be widely reported this lunchtime is one that Valeri Bojinov is set to move back to Serie A with newly promoted Parma, with Bojinov's agent commenting:

"If City should be ready to release Valeri on loan, as I know they categorically ruled out a permanent sale, then the most logical solution would be Italy.

"He has received offers from Spain and Germany, but Valeri feels that he is Italian and would have no problems settling in."

Interesting that it may be a loan though rather than a permanent deal. If this was the case, I imagine we would be on the hook for the majority of his wage.

Corradi looking for long term Parma stay

Bernardo Corradi is overjoyed to be back in Serie A and
begs Manchester City to let him stay at Parma on a permanent basis.
“I know
everyone here, so it’s like returning to my family home and I am so happy to be
here again,” said the striker in his presentation Press Conference.
“When I arrived at Parma two years ago I knew it was a
one-season affair on loan and dreamed of winning back my place in the Italy
squad for the World Cup. Now my ambition today is to do so well that at the end
of the season I can ask Manchester City to leave me here
permanently.

-channel4.com

Ranieri resigns from Parma

From BBC Sport:

Claudio Ranieri has resigned as manager of Italian Serie A
side Parma.
The former Chelsea manager is expected to eventually take over
at Manchester City, who sacked Stuart Pearce at the end of the season.
The
56-year-old Italian took over the struggling Parma side in February and guided
them to safety, with a 12th-place finish.
His impressive stint has
reportedly convinced the City board he is the man to take over from Pearce.
A statement from Parma said: "Claudio Ranieri has informed the club of his
intention to leave his role as first-team coach.
"The club would like to
thank him for the precious work he carried out, which resulted in keeping Parma
in Serie A. We wish him success for the future."

What has been interesting in developments over the past day or so is the words that have come from the Ranieri camp - whilst never attributable to him directly, almost certainly done so with his consent:

"The Manchester City challenge reminds me of the
experience I had at Chelsea where without spending £1, we built a good team.
"I created the Chelsea miracle from nothing. My achievement convinced Roman
Abramovich to buy the club. Then, mountains of money came as well as a selection
of top players."

You do tend to forget that in the age of Mourinho and Abramovich, it was Ranieri who brought the likes of Cech, Cole, Lampard and Gudjohnsen to the club, whilst bringing through a young John Terry.

It seems a foregone conclusion that barring a miracle (we are talking about City here) things will be progressed along over the next week, and it is hoped that Ranieri will already be assessing the current squad with a view to reinforcing it shortly after his arrival.