Cannavaro makes the move back home.

Fabio Cannavaro has left Spanish giants Real Madrid to return home to Italy and play for his old side, Juventus. The Italian club has signed a one year contract for the side he left in 2006, after Juve were relegated automatically to the second division of Italian football.

This earnt him a massive amount of criticism at the time for effectively jumping ship on a team he was meant to completely represent. However, hopefully these feelings can be eradicated by the fact he has returned and will most likely retire at the club where he played his best football.

The move probably comes at the right time for both teams as well. Madrid will be looking to make big changes this summer and as Cannavaro is getting on in age, a valuable space in the playing squad has been created. Juve have just sacked their manager and look like they will be facing Champions League qualifiers in August.

The Italian side probably needed a lift after all of the negative news that has been coming out of the club over the last week and this could well be the signing that ignites inspiration from within. Whatever has happened in his absence, Cannavaro will want to walk straight back into Juventus and put things straight.

His return carries with it an additional pressure. Due to the way Cannavaro actually left the club, a lot of people will be looking in his direction when it comes to big games. Fans may think this is virtually his club but whether he still has the hunger and desire is questionable.

Speaking in the Italian media, Cannavaro seems relatively happy. He said: “I am happy to be back in Turin and to have the opportunity to again wear the black and white jersey.”

In his short spell at Madrid a lot of Cannavaro’s frailties were exposed. It was quite clear that he was unable to cope with the technical and high paced football, exposed even further by Liverpool when Madrid lost 4-1 at Anfield. The much more relaxed style of the Italian game should suit him better, after all this is where he was brought up and learnt his art.

The decision may well further his career by a couple of seasons. The lack of physicality in Italian football is one of the main reasons Paolo Maldini has probably been able to play for so long. If it were another highly rated and fast paced European league he had moved to then his body would have told him a lot more quickly that it was time to pack it in.

However, for every Juve supporter across Europe, for now they should rejoice in this news. It is a small positive to a club that has been struggling to make strides this season and a club that has all too often under achieved. Although Cannavaro is clearly not as good as he once was, there can be no doubt around the fact that he will kick the club into shape.

Franck Ribery looks set to get a transfer from Bayern Munich

With each day that passes the future of gifted Bayern Munich star, Franck Ribery, looks more and more set in stone. For a long time reports from all over Europe have been popping out with rumours of reported bids and planned coups to take the Frenchman into the squad of another massive club.

Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Lyon and Real Madrid among others have all said to be interested in his services and fresher strong rumours have emerged this morning that he will move to Italy when the transfer window opens this summer.

Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan is said to be intensely frustrated at his side’s failure to make vast steps in Europe this season and Ribery has been targeted to secure UEFA Champions League success for next year.

Inter are supposedly ready to offer 40 million Euros plus a possible player exchange in order to make the move a reality, but Ribery’s future is still greatly unclear. A number of other clubs would be willing to match or even better this price.

Ribery has consistently said in Germany that he is satisfied and happy to be playing in Munich. He has been instrumental in the progress they have made this season and despite a European thrashing at the hands of Barcelona, Munich have been noted as a rapidly developing side.

He has made just fewer than 30 appearances for Munich this season scoring 11goals and not to mention has become one of the first names to go down on the French international team list every time a France game comes around. Many England fans will remember he scored in their victory over the English in Fabio Capello’s second game in charge.

If Ribery moves to Inter this summer then he would look set to form an attacking partnership with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and possibly Diego Milito as well who has also been linked with the Italian outfit. Inter are a side packed with no end of talent and experience but they are missing a piece in the jigsaw.

It is unlikely that Munich will let him leave with out a fight. For any club who are faced with the prospect of having to sell one of their best players the option is quite simple; if you are going to let him go then you sell him to the highest bidder.

Real Madrid have cash in the bank as their Ronaldo quest seems to have stopped so the fire power that could come from elsewhere, besides Inter, could be enough to sway the German club to listen to other offers. Especially considering Madrid’s European fragility this year.

Munich would do very well to Get Ribery signed on for even longer than his current contract runs for. They have regular European football guaranteed and Ribery has settled in the country. Munich have a strong case for persuading him to stay but it is likely that the glitz and glamour of moving to a bigger European club may be too hard to say no to.