The Sweeper: Manchester City have first option on Jovetic

Mar 9, 2013 10:30:00 AM

The Premier League champions, who are planning an eco-friendly training ground, struck a deal with Fiorentina last summer as part of Matija Nastasic's €15.2 million transfer

THE

SWEEPER

TIDYING UP ALL THE LOOSE STORIES IN FOOTBALL THIS WEEK

Man City have first option on Jovetic

Stevan Jovetic is expected to be on the shopping list of a number of European big hitters this summer as Fiorentina prepare to cash in on their prize asset.

But Manchester City are in pole position to capture the Montenegro international if they follow up their interest in the forward with a firm move.

The Sweeper understands that the Premier League champions negotiated first option on Jovetic when they bought his former team-mate Matija Nastasic on deadline day last August for €15.2 million.

City pursued Jovetic as part of a double swoop last summer but Fiorentina held on to the 23-year-old fans’ favourite amid fears of a huge backlash from supporters if they sold him.

It is understood that Jovetic agreed to remain in Florence for another season on the proviso that he can leave in the forthcoming summer.

Arsenal have been linked with a move for the £25m-rated forward but, contrary to reports, The Sweeper has learned that the Londoners have not yet formalised their list of striker targets.

The Fiorentina No.8 has scored 11 league goals this season but has not been able to live up to his form of last season.

- Wayne Veysey

Manchester City go green to beat FFP

Manchester City are looking to boost their attempts to comply with financial fair play by teaming up with an energy partner in the coming months.

The Premier League champions want their new, state-of-the-art training centre to be eco friendly and are even looking to generate electricity by including wind turbines at the £100 million facility.

Chelsea recently hooked up with Russian company Gazprom but City are eyeing an even more lucrative long-term deal for the Etihad Campus.

- Greg Stobart

Arsenal face missing out on millions from new Emirates deal

Arsenal will not just miss out on a Champions League windfall of a minimum £25 million from Uefa if they fail to clinch a top-four spot this season.

The Gunners, who are fifth in the Premier League, also face being squeezed by the £150m, five-year sponsorship deal with Emirates that has been partially front-loaded to ensure there is additional money to invest in the summer.

The Sweeper understands that one of the clauses in the Emirates agreement is that Arsenal will miss out on a few million pounds each season if they are not competing in Europe's elite competition.

Not that the Gunners could be sheltering in the poor house. With £123m sitting in the bank – an estimated £90m of which could be spent on transfers and salaries – plus the Emirates deal and a new £20m-a-year kit manufacturing contract on the horizon, Arsenal will be one of the most cash-rich clubs in Europe this summer.

- Wayne Veysey

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Champions League final - LIVE!

German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.

11:08 PM BST

Right, that's just about it from me, folks. Thank you so much for all your contributions. We hyped this one up. We said it was going to showcase everything that is great about German football. And you know what? It delivered. It was an absolutely absorbing final between the continent's top two sides, a fitting conclusion to what has been a fantastic tournament. Impossible not to feel so, so sorry for Dortmund but they need only to look at what Bayern have done tonight, lifting the trophy just 12 months after throwing it away, to see that it's possible to bounce back from this kind of devastation.

But Bayern deserve this. They've paid their dues and nobody can dispute that they are the best team in Europe. Bayern, we salute you. Over to everyone else now to try to come up with a way to beat this most wonderfully balanced of sides! But, until next season, good night - and good luck.

11:00 PM BST

Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp has finally faced the press and, judging by his comments, is a tad upset with perhaps something other than the final scoreline.

"First and foremost, congratulations to Bayern Munich because they won so it's not important to speak about what happened in the game," he told ITV1. "After the game you have to respect the result and that's what we do now.

"I didn't see (Robben's) goal. It was a free-kick and we were not in the right formation at that moment. It was late in the game and it has been a really hard season for us. But Bayern Munich had to fight too. We deserved to be in the final and we showed this tonight."

10:56 PM BST

Sir Alex Ferguson also has a new job... Well, kind of. The former Manchester United boss was entrusted with the honour of presenting the man of the match award after the game and relished the task: "It's my first job since I retired and it's a pleasure!"

Robben humbly received his accolade before commenting: "I think it’s such a shame a world-class trainer is leaving the game." Quite.

10:51 PM BST

Heynckes, class act that he is, was also quick to empathise with a devastated Dortmund.

"I told their players: I know your disappointment after losing a final. I lost a final to Liverpool, too.

"During the first half we had trouble to get into the game. At half-time a adjusted our play. I think both teams felt pressure. If you see that you have a 25-point-lead in the league, it is normal you are the favourite. But after 30 minutes we freed ourselves.

"Over the past year, we improved and improved. We improved and modified so many details. I was stricter and I have to say that the players followed me and there is harmony in the dressing room."

10:48 PM BST

And finally we get to hear from Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes, who will be replaced by Pep Guardiola this summer.

The big news is, though, that he seems to have a job lined up for himself, which restores one's faith in our fickle game, given the man is now a two-time Champions League winner!

"The decision on what I will do after the DFB Pokal match (against Stuttgart next saturday) was already taken last June? Retire? No, you will learn that after the DFB Pokal final."

Inside Goal.Com

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Pep has a lot to live up to after Bayern win
The Catalan coach was appointed in January with a view to getting the best out of the Bavarians' golden generation. But just four months on, they are already European champions
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Top 10 Champions League Final Moments
As Europe braces itself for an all German classic at Wembley on Saturday, Goal.com takes a look back at some of the iconic moments in the history of Uefa's showpiece event since its rebranding in 1992.