Danny set to step into Arshavin’s shoes

Mourinho dismisses reports on Inter Milan bid for Russian

Former Sporting midfielder Danny is reportedly a 12.5m euro target for Zenit St Petersburg to replace star player Andrei Arshavin.

Meanwhile, Inter boss Jose Mourinho has rubbished rumours that Arshavin could be headed for the San Siro.

Strong performances in Zenit’s successful Uefa Cup run last season, as well as an impressive showing at this summer’s European Championships, has seen Arshavin become the focus of interest of many of the continent’s top clubs, with the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea and Arsenal all linked to the 27-year-old.

Although no deal has yet been reached with any club, Zenit appear to be preparing for Arshavin’s departure, and manager Dick Advocaat is believed to have identified Dynamo Moscow’s Portuguese playmaker Danny as a replacement.

“I am waiting for the negotiations to finish, we’ll see what happens,” Danny said of his potential move to Russia’s richest club. “I’m fine at Dynamo, but any player would like to play for Zenit. They are the Russian champions, they always fight for the title and they won the Uefa Cup.

“To represent Zenit would be a big step in my career, they play the best football in Russia and few players wouldn’t like to wear the shirt of such a great club. However, if my departure does not materialise, I will continue to defend Dynamo with the same endeavour as always.”

Consistent performer

Danny, 24, began his career at Maritimo, before moving to Sporting in 2002, where he found opportunities difficult to come by. A move to the Russian capital in 2005 proved the springboard for the Venezuelan-born midfielder’s career, and Danny has been a consistent performer for Dynamo during what has been an erratic few years for the club.

With regard to Arshavin’s likely destination, it appears that Italian champions Inter are out of the running to sign the talented forward. The Nerazurri are currently being linked with several players after the appointment for former Porto and Chelsea manager Mourinho, but the Portuguese appeared to distance his club from Arshavin by publicly questioning the player’s ability to perform at the highest level.

“Arshavin is a fine player, but is he mature enough to play in one of Europe’s top countries?” Mourinho is quoted as telling the Daily Mail. “He showed a lot of inspiration at the European Championship against Sweden and Holland, but he seemed to absolutely switch off in the next match against Spain.

“At Inter we are looking for players who are capable of playing to the highest standards not for two or five games in a row, but for the entire season.”