Summer Transfer Rumours: 10 Most Ridiculous Gossip Stories so Far

The football rumor mill is in full swing, as fans and pundits across the world haphazardly throw out player names and destinations for this summer's transfer window.

Titles, cups and relegation are yet to be decided, but most of the talk in the coming weeks will focus on who is changing clubs in the summer.

Most of these proposed moves are nothing but idle chatter from agents looking to make themselves an extra buck or two.

Some of this gossip is so far-fetched that it will be remembered for how ridiculous it seemed. Anyone remember the talk of Samuel Eto'o moving from Barcelona to Uzbekistan a few years back?

Here is a look at some of the more ridiculous transfer gossip so far:

Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester City

Cristiano Ronaldo is about to do the unthinkable and leave Real Madrid for Manchester City, if the rumors are to be believed. 

The gossip about Ronaldo has picked up steam in recent weeks, but none of it addresses the elephant in the room.

Why would the second-best player in the world want to join Manchester City?

Yes, they will offer him a lot of money, but is probably not enough to convince him that his future lies in playing alongside a midfield pairing of Nigel de Jong and Gareth Barry. 

Some other reasons for a move have been suggested, but the thought of Ronaldo opening next season in the blue half of Manchester seems absolutely ludicrous.   

Ridiculous Meter: 7/10—Carlos Tevez and Owen Hargreaves have made the jump across Manchester in recent times, but Ronaldo will not. City will make a push for Ronaldo but will probably have to settle for Michael Owen.   

Fernando Torres to Anzhi Makhachkala

The Fernando Torres to Anzhi Makhachkala rumor is not ridiculous in the traditional sense. 

Torres is playing at the level of a mid-table Russian club, so a possible transfer would be a decent match. 

It is ridiculous because Anzhi already have Samuel Eto'o. A Torres-Eto'o partnership up front seems to be a recipe for disaster. 

Eto'o and Torres are far too similar, and while adding Torres would draw the team short-term recognition, it would not help the team win many games. 

Ridiculous Meter: 5/10—The allure to play with a 38-year-old Roberto Carlos will be hard for Torres to turn down, but the deal just makes no sense for all parties involved, bar Torres' agent. Dimitar Berbatov seems like a perfect fit for the Dagestan outfit, however.   

Neymar to Stay in Brazil

Brazilian wonder kid Neymar has been linked to just about every club in Europe since busting onto the scene a few years ago.

It looked like he decided his future was at Real Madrid in November, but than it appeared Barcelona had won the race for his talents. 

The latest gossip has him wanting to stay at Santos until 2014.

That does not make any sense. The big European clubs always get the players they want, especially from South America.

Neymar turning down the international superstardom and money that comes with a move to one of the biggest clubs in the world would be puzzling.

Ridiculous Meter: 8/10—Not many players turn down both Barcelona and Real Madrid. Ronaldinho has a better chance of resigning for Barca than Neymar has of staying at Santos, regardless of what he says to the contrary.  

Arsene Wenger to Spend Big for Olivier Giroud

Arsenal fans hope this is the year manager Arsene Wenger finally buys some world-class players.

The gossip of late is that the Frenchman is preparing a £50 million bid for Montpellier striker Olivier Giroud. That is ridiculous for countless reasons.

Wenger has never been willing to part with that kind of cash, and why he would spend big on an unproven striker is anyone's guess.

Giroud has played well this season but could easily be another striker who scored loads of goals on an overachieving team in Ligue 1.

Bafetimbi Gomis and Jimmy Briand have not exactly taken France by storm after making the step up in competition.

Ridiculous Meter: 9/10–There is a better chance of Nicklas Bendtner scoring 50 goals for Arsenal next season. Wenger is more likely to spend the £50 million on trying to find some sort of reverse aging process for Dennis Bergkamp and Tony Adams than on buying Giroud. 

Hulk to Chelsea

Hulk is a good player with an awesome nickname, but words can hardly describe the gossip about a possible £85 million move to Chelsea.

Cool nickname aside, Hulk would probably be a decent player but worth nowhere near that kind of money. His performance against Manchester City in Europa League should attest to that.

Chelsea would probably move a few more shirts with the deal, but as a player, Manchester City fans were probably spot on with their assessment of the striker.  

Ridiculous Meter: 6/10–Newcastle United's Jonas Gutierrez is known as Spiderman, but it seems unlikely Hulk will be joining the superhero contingent in England unless Porto lower their asking price...or he gets really, really angry. 

Stephen Ireland or Michael Ballack to New York Red Bulls

The New York Red Bulls seem to believe they need more moody players with a European pedigree, in the mold of Rafael Marquez, on their team.

Enter Stephen Ireland, a once-promising talent who has regressed so far that at 25 years old he is considering a move to MLS, and Michael Ballack, an over-the-hill midfielder who is being forced out of Bayern Leverkusen.

The Red Bulls are looking for a big name attacking midfielder but can only sign one of their targets. New York seemed to have made Aston Villa man Ireland their preferred option.

This led Ballack's agent to lash out at Ireland for being a no-name in the Irish Sun, and he said the team was foolish not to pursue Ballack.

The situation became more ridiculous when Ireland claimed things were going well at Villa and the club claimed to have no knowledge of Ireland's move to New York.

Ridiculous Meter: 10/10—Players fighting over a move to an average MLS team is just about as ridiculous as rumors and gossip can get.   

Roger Johnson to Stay at Wolves

Staying in the Midlands, Wolves probably wish the New York Red Bulls, or any team for that matter, wanted to take Roger Johnson.

The former Birmingham defender has had a horrible season at Wolves, leading the club to the bottom of the Premier League table.

Things have only gotten worse for Johnson, as not only the fans but also the players have turned on him. Johnson got into a spat with goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey during the team's most recent loss.

The Wolves captain was also fined earlier this month for showing up to training drunk. 

Despite all that, there is still talk the player could stay at the club. It is outlandish that such a thing would even be suggested. 

Ridiculous Meter: 7/10—Wolves are a mess and look a certainty for relegation, and the gossip that Johnson is staying put is only fitting after the team's joke-like season. 

Theo Walcott to Chelsea

It is hard to see Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger giving up on Theo Walcott.

It would be even harder for Wenger to sell him to Chelsea and see him finally blossom into the player everyone thinks he should be.

Wenger letting Walcott make a switch to Stamford Bridge is out of the question. Walcott may frustrate fans, but at this point Arsenal have invested too much in him to give up now.

It would also mean Wenger would have to admit he was wrong about Walcott, and that is something the stubborn Frenchman is unlikely to do.

Ridiculous Meter: 4/10—It is not out of the question, but something about it seems implausible. Then again, so did Yossi Benayoun's loan move to Arsenal, and that still happened.   

Gareth Bale to Spain

Gareth Bale has been rumored to be leaving Tottenham for Spain, with Barcelona and Real Madrid interested in the player.

Bale is a good player but has been nowhere near the level he was last season. His constant wandering into the middle of the park this season has unbalanced Spurs in several games. The Welshman could use another season or two perfecting his game at Spurs.

There is also the minor detail that Bale is unlikely to be in the starting XI for either of the Spanish giants. Being a squad player is hardly in Bale's best interests at this stage of his career.

Spurs may be tempted by a big money offer for Bale, but there is little reason for him to go to Spain or for Barca and Madrid to want him.

Ridiculous Meter: 7/10—This is a move that does not make sense for any of the parties involved. Jermaine Pennant was the last British winger in La Liga, and it looks like he will keep that honor for the time being. 

Alessandro Del Piero to Anywhere but Juventus

Alessander Del Piero is Juventus.

It is unlikely he will stay in Turin after this season, even after showing flashes of what has made him a legend at the club in recent weeks. His destination remains unknown.

Arsenal, Liverpool and QPR have all shown an interest in the Italian, but he also has options to play in China, the US and the Middle East.

There is something about Del Piero leaving Juve that seems surreal. It is ridiculous that the two will split after such a long and fruitful relationship.

Real Madrid pushed Raul out, and seeing him in a Schalke shirt seems wrong. It will be the same when Del Piero suits up for another team next season.

Ridiculous Meter: 10/10—It is hard accept Del Piero will not be at Juventus. It just seems wrong.