11/07/2007 56 Echo stjohnson 11/07/2007 ECHO Wed july11

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TERRYS VIEW ON SALE

CLUB RECORD FOR STAR

WHOS NEXT FOR CITY?

Pages 54-55

CITY SELL CHOPS

Jones: 5m fee is good business
Terry Phillips
Chief Sports Writer

CARDIFF City have sensationally agreed to sell Michael Chopra to Sunderland for a club record 5m, we can reveal. The striker, considered the crown jewel of the Bluebirds team, is flying out from Citys pre-season camp in Portugal today to hold talks with Sunderland manager Roy Keane about personal terms. I am sorry to see him go, everybody in the camp is, City manager Dave Jones told the Echo. But at the end of the day there is a

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price for every player. The money could go on to make us stronger. This is good business for us and after all, we are in a business. And for Michael it means Premiership football we cannot stop him. We wish him all the best with Sunderland. It will be a major surprise if the deal does not go through smoothly and it significantly improves the chances of Robbie Fowler coming to Ninian Park, with City now in position to meet the financial requirements of an 8,500-a-week wage packet for

the former Liverpool striker, plus bonuses. The Chopra package was dramatically put together late last night. City initially rebuffed an offer of 3m for the player, but when another call came back upping it to 5m, manager Dave Jones and chairman Peter Ridsdale decided it was too good to turn down. City will rake in a huge 4.5m profit on Chopra having signed him from Newcastle for just 500,000 last year. And the funds will be put towards team strengthening. Fowler remains the number one target, but Jones now has ammunition to look elsewhere if the ex-England star turns City down.

Bellamy can take Hammers to a new level Gabbs

DANNY Gabbidon believes 7.5m new signing Craig Bellamy can propel West Ham United towards European football. The Welsh captains transfer from Liverpool to Upton Park was sealed yesterday. It means Bellamy will now join Wales vice-captain Gabbidon as well as international team-mate James Collins in the claret and blue strip.

Mark Bloom
Its a great signing for the club and shows that this coming season will be dramatically different to last, where we escaped relegation by a whisker, said Gabbidon. Craig is a tremendous player and excites people and he will be a great addition to the club. He is the type of player who can

push the club to the right end of the table, hes an intelligent player and that will rub off on everyone. Id rather have him on board than play against him. Gabbidon says Bellamy can be the fulcrum of the team from now on. He added: He will no doubt take us to a different level.

He gives us a different option going forward which was perhaps missing last term. Both me and Ginge (James Collins) have already taken some stick over the last couple of days from the London lads. We are already known as the Welsh Mafia.

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