10 Of The Most Ridiculous Transfer Rumours …Ever

1. Ronaldinho to Blackburn – 2011:

After the Venky’s took control of Blackburn in 2010 they talked of taking Rovers into the Champions League and back to the top of English football. Their grand scheme included bringing in some of the biggest names in world football and quite unbelievably Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho was one of their targets.  It was a sensational proposal that inevitbaly never mateirialised as Rovers offered the money but the Brazilian wasnt ready to swap stylish Milan for bog standar Blackburn.

 2. John Terry to Man City – 2009:

When Sheikh Mansour took over at Eastlands every top player under the sun was linked with a move to City and Chelsea captain John Terry was probably the most outlandish of all. It showed City’s ambition but even a proposed £200,000 a week wasn’t enough to tear Terry away from his beloved blues.

 3. Carlos Puyol/ Steven Taylor swap deal – 2010:

It was one of those rumours that you had to read twice just to check that it had actually been printed. The thought that Puyol would leave Barcelona after just winning the Champions League to sign for newly promoted Newcastle is pretty extraordinary. However if you throw in the fact that magpies defender Steven Taylor was reportedly headed in the other direction it defies belief that this kind of transfer rumour was even conceived in the human mind.

4. Cristiano Ronaldo to Man City – 2012:

Cristiano Ronaldo has always stated that it was his dream to play for Real Madrid and it was the main reason behind his world record transfer to the Bernebeu in 2009. So after a brilliant 2011/12 season in which he helped Madrid claim back the La Liga title, why would Ronaldo ever want to ditch his dream role in Madrid and head back to Manchester to join his former teams rivals. This unlikely turnaround of desires coupled with the astronomical fee of £120million certainly signaled that this rumour was born out of a City fans fantasy rather than hard evidence.

5. Jay Bothroyd to AC Milan/Juventus/Inter – 2010:

It only took a premature England call up and a handful of goals in the championship to cast Jay Bothroyd as the star of a fantasy transfer to the creme de la creme of Serie A in 2010. The former Cardiff striker looked like he was about to hit the big time in Italy but had to settle for a supporting role at QPR instead as this rumour was clearly a work of fiction.

6. Steven Fletcher to Real Madrid – 2012:

I bet when Sunderland signed Steven Fletcher from Wolves this summer they didn’t realise that it was from right under the nose of Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho. Well, Martin O’Neill didn’t know because this rumour was probably untrue, Mourinho was apparently keeping an eye on Fletcher for the Real Madrid B team so there was at least some believable aspects to the story.

7. Wayne Rooney to PSG – 2012:

There are so many unbelievable aspects to this transfer that there would be too many to list. Besides the obvious problems of United not wanting to sell and anything other than the Premier League is a step down, there is also the fact that  Wayne Rooney would have to learn french.

8. Iker Casillas to Man City – 2012:

This rumour is another that will make you do a double take as certain sections of the Spanish press believe that because Casillas doesn’t exactly see eye to eye with manager Mourinho, he is ready to jump ship and join Man City. None of this rumour seems realistic as City don’t need a goalkeeper and Casillas doesn’t need to move.

9. David Beckham to Blackburn – 2012:

Although all of David Beckham’s previous transfers have been pretty sensational, a move to Blackburn Rovers under the tumultuous ownership of the Venky’s would have topped the lot. Beckham has stated on my occasions he is committed to his contract at LA Galaxy and it seems like this transfer rumour was plucked out of the stratosphere.

10. Alessandro Del Piero/Filippo Inzaghi to Watford – 2012:

When the Pozzo family added Championship side Watford to their portfolio of clubs around Europe and appointed Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola as manager, there was a new found optimism surrounding the club. But even the most optimistic of hornets fans probably couldn’t believe that they were about to sign Alessandro Del Piero and Filippo inzaghi to complete a trio of Italian striking legends. Obviously this was a rumour that came about with the whirlwind of the takeover rather than reality, but it will have given some Watford fans a brief moment of ecstasy.