AFP May 23, 2007
BERLIN (AFP) - French World Cup star Franck Ribery and Portuguese midfielder Ricardo Quaresma top the list of players Bayern Munich want to sign to reverse their fortunes after a poor season, a report said on Wednesday.
Bayern's bosses believe they can tempt Ribery, who is currently with French club Marseille, although the midfielder has said he would prefer a move to England or Spain, Sport-Bild magazine said, quoting club sources.
Although Bayern also pursued 24-year-old Ribery after he helped France reach the World Cup final in Germany last year, FC Porto's Quaresma is a new name on Bayern's list.
Quaresma, 23, is also attracting interest from the English Premiership and Spanish club Atletico Madrid.
Other targets are Arjen Robben, the flying Dutch winger who has struggled to hold down a first-team place at English Premiership giants Chelsea.
One barrier to recruiting big name stars is the fact that Bayern failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 11 years as they finished fourth in the Bundesliga behind newly crowned champions VfB Stuttgart.
Italian international striker Luca Toni is definitely expected to join Bayern from Fiorentina for a fee of around 18 million euros, the report said.
Toni's imminent arrival was confirmed by club president Franz Beckenbauer who said the transfer was "on the right tracks".
Ze Roberto, the muscular Brazilian midfielder who left Bayern in 2006, is expected to return to the Allianz Arena to fill the hole created by the departure of Owen Hargreaves to Manchester United.
And 21-year-old German international defender Marcell Jansen is almost certain to move to Bavaria after his club, Borussia Monchengladbach, were relegated this season.
However, Bayern's interest in Barcelona playmaker Deco has faded as the player has said he wants to stay at the Nou Camp. |