June 1 Florentino P?rez is re-elected Real Madrid president charged with £250 million and a mandate to create a second gal?ctico era. The club target Kak?, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Villa and Franck Rib?ry.
June 9 Real break their own world record, paying AC Milan £56 million for Kak?. The Brazil forward accepts a five-year deal worth about £9 million net a year, five months after turning down a move to Manchester City.
June 11 Sir Alex Ferguson is faced with a mind-boggling offer of £80 million for Cristiano Ronaldo, six months after the Manchester United manager had said of Real that he “wouldn’t sell that mob a virus”. Ferguson suggested that Real would have to climb over his dead body before he sold, but the offer is too good to refuse.
June 14 Michael Owen’s management company advertises its client with a 34-page brochure. Wasserman Media Group says: “Were it not for an unhappy spell at Real Madrid and two injury-scarred years at Newcastle, he would be valued in the priceless figures that only match-winning goalscorers justify.”
June 15 How much? The Times breaks the story that Liverpool’s £18.5 million offer for Glen Johnson has been accepted by Portsmouth. The right back signs a four-year deal.
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July 1 Manchester City kick off their summer spending spree by buying Gareth Barry for £12 million from Aston Villa. A year earlier, the midfield player had to crawl back to Villa Park when Liverpool failed to conclude his transfer.
July 2 Eyebrows are raised as Owen joins Manchester United on a free transfer, an astounding turnaround in fortunes for him. He signs a two-year contract.
July 14 Carlos T?vez had declared in April that he would not think of any team except Manchester United, but when they are unwilling to pay £25.5 million for his services, he crosses the divide and joins Manchester City. Many City fans claim sole rights to supporting a club from Manchester.
July 23 With Tottenham Hotspur and Harry Redknapp willing to sign just about any former player, rumours abound that the club are to move for Peter Crouch. The manager, though, plays down the interest. “I like Crouchy but he’s not a priority,” he says. Four days later, Crouch joins Tottenham.
July 27 Darren Bent is withdrawn from Tottenham’s pre-season tour to China moments before the plane is due to take off. He receives a message that the club is close to agreeing a fee with Sunderland.
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July 30 Bent’s frustration at not being able to leave Tottenham boils over on Twitter, the social networking site. “Seriously getting p***** off now,” was the message posted, followed by “It’s so frustrating hanging round doing jack s***,”, and more stringent criticism of Daniel Levy, the chairman.
August 2 Redknapp keeps fans and the media on their toes. “Signing [S?bastien] Bassong? Not true,” he says. “He’s a player that I was interested in. He has a good future but the chairman has not made an offer.”
August 6 Bassong joins Tottenham from Newcastle.
August 15 Mark Hughes hits backs at David Moyes, his Everton counterpart, over his pursuit of Joleon Lescott. “I’m not surprised he feels aggrieved, you are when a big club tries to sign one of your players,” he says.
August 25 The football world is in shock when Sol Campbell signs a £10 million contract with Notts County. “When Sven [G?ran Eriksson, the Notts County director of football] first contacted me, I thought I was the victim of a prank,” he says. “And it’s not about money.”