(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CSKA Lower Doumbia's Price; Wenger Interested In Konoplyanka

CSKA Moscow have reportedly lowered the asking price for their star striker Seydou Doumbia to £15 million and Arsenal are now preparing to begin transfer talks with the Russian club for the Ivorian's signature.

The proposal is a simple one. Roberto Mancini can swap one big striker for another. However, some logistics complicate matters quite a bit. Still, it is certainly worthwhile for Manchester City to explore whether or not they can swap promising Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko for Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Yohan Cabaye has said that moving to Newcastle has helped him in his International career with France. Yohan Cabaye challenges Carlos Tevez Yohan Cabaye moved to Newcastle for €5M last June, after playing at French club Lille since 2004, and we are hoping that his best pal, Mathieu Debuchy will be on his way to Tyneside this summer, to link up again with Yohan.

Yohan Cabaye has said that moving to Newcastle has helped him in his International career with France. Yohan Cabaye challenges Carlos Tevez Yohan Cabaye moved to Newcastle for €5M last June, after playing at French club Lille since 2004, and we are hoping that his best pal, Mathieu Debuchy will be on his way to Tyneside this summer, to link up again with Yohan.

Longest football bans: Joey Barton the latest in a conspicious list - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

The FA have slapped QPR midfielder Joey Barton with a 12-match ban following the temperamental midfielder's sending off against Manchester City on the last day of the Premier League season.

In the senselessness that is Joey Barton, the greatest tragedy is his thinking Twitter is some sort of substitute for actual therapy.

Barton receives a 12 match ban for going berserk on the Premiership's last day after Carlos Tevez elbowed him. In addition he's lighter by £75,000.

OTP brings you the Premier League bad boys who have picked up the longest bans (minus drugs bans). 1. Eric Cantona nine months The powers-that-be determined that a kung-fu kick on a supporter was to be frowned upon, no matter how to despicable the individual in question happened to be. Cantona effectively lost a [.

The FA has thrown the book at Joey Barton for his out-of-control temper tantrum against Manchester City on the last day of the season.

Barton has been given a huge 12-game ban and fined £75,000 for his antics.

The FA gave the QPR midfielder an automatic four-game suspension when he elbowed Carlos Tevez in the face.

Joey Barton is paying a hefty price for his actions during Queens Park Rangers' season finale against Manchester City.

Barton was fined £75,000 and banned eight games on top of the four he had already accrued for being sent off for violent conduct and for already having been sent off before during the season.

Big spending Malaga are set to splash the money this season with Manchester City strikers Emmanuel Adebayor and Edin Dzeko reportedly high on their wish list

Manager Manuel Pellegrini has told the club that he wants to bring in a quality striker to replace the retiring Ruud Van Nistelrooy and has targeted one of the two out of favor Man City strikers.

Courtesy of the Evansville Courier Press, May 20, 2012
As we come off perhaps the most exciting weekend in the history of the English Premier League a week ago, we need to look back on the Cinderella story and tremendous ascension of Manchester City.
Professional soccer – and specifically the EPL - continues to rise in popularity here in the United States, and the drama last weekend only added to that.

Dimitar Berbatov is leaving United this summer but insists he would never behave like Carlos Tevez has since leaving the club.

"Tevez did ​​it out of spite," Berbatov told BG TV. "But I wouldn't do something like that. I had the opportunity to sign for City but I chose United.

Patrice Evra has criticised former United team mate and best friend, Carlos Tevez, following his decision to hold up a 'RIP Fergie' poster last weekend.

"I was very surprised by Tevez's attitude against Sir Alex Ferguson," said Evra. "I'm not sure how the manager feels about it but I'm sure he won't be impressed.

- Year Flashback: QPR Honoured at City Hall
- See QPR History in Photos: Visit the truly-fascinating Bushman QPR Photo Archives
- Follow QPR REPORT on TWITTER!
- QPR REPORT MESSAGEBOARD - Visit the cutting-edge, football-only, QPR Report messageboard (and see items you won't usually read elsewhere_______________________________________________________________________________
- Birthdays Today for Ex-QPRs Clive Allen and Dexter Blackstock
- Premiership Club Finances & Losses: YEAR-OLD Article re Club-by-Club but will probably be in the ball-park of what finances will be again like this year.

Manchester City may not have enjoyed the most popular title celebration this week but that doesn't bother the club's players, who firmly believe that they can beat bitter rivals Manchester United to the crown next season.

Carlos Tevez stole headlines earlier this week when he held up a 'RIP Fergie' sign given to him by a fan during City's parade across Manchester.

The 2010-11 Premier League season ended in only the way it could — with as much drama as possible.

After nine months of ridiculous strikes (Tim Howard's jaw-dropper ring any bells?), calls for goal line technology, inter-squad brawls, racial abuse cases, and the most contested race for Champions League spots ever, we were treated to the most suspenseful coronation since 1989.

By Alan Duffy

Kenny Dalglish wasn't the only ex-Liverpool star having a hard day of it on Wednesday. While King Kenny was clearing out his office, poor old misunderstood intellectual Joey Barton was preparing to fight The FA over a violent conduct charge relating to his meltdown against Man City last weekend.

During City's title celebrations on Monday, true to blue form, Carlos Tevez was pre-occupied with thoughts of United, "begging" City fans to hand him an "RIP Fergie" poster.

"He was leaning over the side of the bus, obviously trying to reach for this poster and begging the crowd to pass it to him," said a City fan in the crowd.

Mancini, Carlos Tevez and Manchester City's European Dream - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Roberto Mancini's reward for guiding Manchester City to Premier League glory will be a new £20million contract.

Mancini, who has a year left on his current deal, will sign a new four-year agreement worth £5m-a-year.

Some Manchester City fans are no doubt still celebrating winning their first title in over 40 years, but the comments from Yaya Toure's agent could end the party atmosphere.

Toure's agent Dimitri Seluk's was interviewed on Spanish radio on Tuesday and this is what he had to say:

"Toure has done all he can do at City and needs new motivations.

Some Manchester City fans are no doubt still celebrating winning their first title in over 40 years, but the comments from Yaya Toure's agent could end the party atmosphere.

Toure's agent Dimitri Seluk's was interviewed on Spanish radio on Tuesday and this is what he had to say:

"Toure has done all he can do at City and needs new motivations.

Carlos Tevez made headlines yesterday by holding up a provocative slogan against Sir Alex Ferguson during Manchester City's title parade and now Samir Nasri has become the second Citizen to hit back at his former club.

Tevez's ill-tempered approach in mocking Manchester United was criticized throughout the media and although Nasri has not issued a personally offensive statement, his criticism of Arsenal's fans would only worsen his reputation among the Gunners faithful.

Photo: Nicolae Stoian

Philadelphia Union

On Sunday, Union sporting director Diego Gutiérrez was not wrong when he said of the Danny Califf trade rumors, "Whether he's here tomorrow or not—my guess is he will be." Did anyone think to ask him if Califf would still be a member of the Union on Tuesday?

By JOHN BOSCHINI

It looks like Mario Balotelli isn't going anywhere.

In a complete reversal from barely a month ago, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini confirmed that the unpredictable Italian striker will return to the Etihad next season. Mancini had suggested Balotelli would be sold in the summer after being sent off against Arsenal in April, but rumors over a swap deal with AC Milan for Zlatan Ibrahimovic were quickly squashed and now Mancini says Balotelli is "101 percent certain to remain with the club.

Roberto Mancini is used to confounding the critics. They said Sampdoria could never win the Scudetto but he teamed up with Gianluca Vialli to prove them wrong. Then his own Serie A colleagues questioned his coaching credentials so he delivered silverware with every single team under his control. And now, in the most dramatic fashion, he has silenced those who thought he was not.

Holding up that sign earned Carlos Tevez a slap on the wrist. It's all a bit ironical considering Tevez's own career was almost over 6 months ago after he refused to play Bayern.

An enraged Mancini vowed he would never play for City as the club readied his transfer in the January window.

Over 100,000 people turned out for Manchester City's open-top bus title celebrations today and you just knew that Carlos Tevez or Mario Balotelli would do something to put the attention and focus of everyone on themselves and not the team.

With Balotelli back in Italy for medical checks after being named in his country's provisional squad for Euro 2012 that left Tevez to turn the focus on himself and he did not disappoint, holding up a cardboard tombstone which read 'RIP Fergie'.

TweetCarlos Tevez has sparked controversy after unveiling a poster with the message RIP Fergie scribbled across it during Manchester City's Premier League trophy parade. The banner was handed to Tevez by a Manchester City fan during Monday's open-top bus parade through the streets of Manchester. It was of course a cheeky reference to Sir Alex [.

Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez has once again courted controversy after displaying a gravestone-style banner proclaiming 'RIP Fergie' during his side's Premier League victory parade this evening. During the open-top bus tour, the Argentine held aloft the jibe at his former manager. While undeniably morbid, the banner is perhaps not quite as sinister as it [.

At current pace, the Manchester Derby could settle right below Clasico levels in a few years time. The spending and success on the blue side of town will only breed animosity, while history still remains firmly in the red half of town.

Plus Carlos Tevez will be involved* and nothing fans the flames like a sign celebrating Fergie's ultimate demise.

At current pace, the Manchester Derby could settle right below Clasico levels in a few years time. The spending and success on the blue side of town will only breed animosity, while history still remains firmly in the red half of town.

Plus Carlos Tevez will be involved* and nothing fans the flames like a sign celebrating Fergie's ultimate demise.

By Alan Duffy

Oh dear. Never the shy, retiring type, ex-United star Carlos Tevez has rubbed some bitchy salt into Fergie's wound by holding aloft an "R.I.P. Fergie' sign during Man City's victory parade through Manchester.

Apparently it's a riposte to Sir Alex's famous answer to the question "would United ever go into a Manchester derby as underdogs?

Probably not Carlos Tevez's brightest moment here with the Argentine striker snapped holding up a "R.I.P. Fergie sign at the parade of Man City's Premier League trophy tonight in the streets of Manchester.
I mean its understandable that City are excited and want to celebrate, but to make a sign like this, and then for a professional to actually hold up the sign in front of thousands of City fans?

Man City held their bus parade through Manchester on Monday to celebrate their first league title in 44 years and during that parade, Carlos Tevez held up a presumably fan-made sign depicting a tombstone that read "RIP Fergie."

It's unclear how Man City edging out Man United to win the Premier League title on the final day of the season would kill Sir Alex Ferguson (a man who has won 12 league titles with United), but Tevez -- who played for Ferguson before joining City -- seemed to enjoy it.

Man City 3-2 QPR was an eventful game to say the least. Manchester City won their first Premier League title in almost 40 years but the game will also be remembered for the actions of a former Man City player. Joey Barton, who left the club in 2007, has been an enigma his whole career. There's no doubt that Barton is a talented midfielder with a terrific range of passing combined with the work rate and determination that every captain should possess but his temperament has never improved with age.

As the Guardian points, Joey Barton's hysterics gave City the extra time they desperately needed to transformed their fortunes. Conversely, Barton going neanderthal also sank United's Premiership hopes. If I were him, he would be well advised to steer clear of anything movable that Sir Alex could get his hands on.

Some thoughts then:

Manchester City look a good team to me, but not as good a team as they should be. Carlos Tevez could have had this league sewn up some time ago, and the fact that they needed the 95th minute of the last game of the season suggests some under-achievement. They'll win the next few though I imagine.

Some thoughts then:

Manchester City look a good team to me, but not as good a team as they should be. Carlos Tevez could have had this league sewn up some time ago, and the fact that they needed the 95th minute of the last game of the season suggests some under-achievement. They'll win the next few though I imagine.

A Dramatic End to a Crazy Season - originally posted on Soccerlens.com

Yesterday, this year's roller-coaster Barclay's Premier League season came to a dramatic end following an astonishing afternoon of football.

Below is a round-up of how the points were shared and the significance for the teams involved.

You're looking at the two men who effectively won the Premiership title for Manchester City last night. And really, if it wasn't for Edin Dzeko and Kun Aguero's pulsating goals in the last five minutes a heart-stopping moment for fans of football it would've been a different story.