Your Monday Transfer Papers: Forlan Denies TFC Move, Notable European Switches.

Could Diego Forlan soon be wearing red in MLS? (Guardian.co.uk)

I don't do transfer gossip here on the blog, and there's a reason for that: so much of it is total BS.  Generally I try to stay away from transfers altogether until a player is officially unveiled by his new club.  Last night, MLS social media exploded prior to the end of the weekend's matches with a report from The Globe and Mail that Uruguayan star Diego Forlan was set to join Toronto FC and could be on the pitch for the Reds this week against Sporting KC.

Not so fast, my friends.  Multiple sources, including the Toronto Star, have now confirmed that Forlan, his current club, and his agent have all denied that this was the case.  Forlan himself cited his remaining contract and his desire to stay in Brazil through the 2014 World Cup.  Indeed, a switch to TFC might severely hamper Forlan's usefulness to his national side.

What I personally find hilarious is the reaction to this denial by various MLS fans and outlets.  "Oh, they're just denying it because they want more money.  He's definitely coming, this happens all the time." It smacks of the same line that was put out about Frank Lampard, who was supposedly a done deal to come to the Galaxy.  Now, I'm not saying this isn't the case, maybe he does show up, but you know what else happens all the time?  Transfer gossip gets blown out of proportion by media outlets and ends up being total BS.  In fact, I'd say this probably happens a lot more than players issuing false denials.  Perosnally, I don't think Forlan does that much for TFC if he does show up, but we'll wait and see.  Don't put all your eggs in the red basket just yet.

That being said, a couple of notable moves have gone down today in Europe.  First off, Barcelona striker David Villa will moving to Atletico Madrid, where hopes are that he can replace the goals taken away by the recently departed Falcao.  Villa was always likely to be deemed excess by Barca since the arrival of Neymar, and Barca's website has confirmed that the deal is worth up to 5.1 million euros.

Another Champions League caliber attacker is on the move today on the continent.  German international Mario Gomez has left Bayern Munich to join Italian Serie A side Fiorentina.  Bayern confirmed the departure today, saying it was the "player's wish to go to Florence."  The deal is set to be worth about 16 million euros.  Personally I think it's a great move for Fiorentina.

Italian Match Thoughts: Inter Milan vs. Fiorentina

I'll be the first to admit as an Inter supporter that there hasn't been too much to cheer about with the Nerazzurri this season. Despite the early coaching change, they've been mired in the bottom half of the Serie A table all season. Now, maybe things are looking up just a bit. Inter won passage into the knockout round of the Champions League, and have strung together a couple of wins in Serie A. One of those came against Fiorentina last weekend at the San Siro.

Really this game was all Inter. Fiorentina never did muster much of a fight, but they did outlast a furious storm from Inter in the opening minutes. Giampaollo Pazzini got one of the best chances in the game in the 4th minute. Coutinho put a great ball in for him and he sliced a shot through at the 'keeper, who barely held on. Pazzini tried again with two headers in the 10 and 18th minutes, both of which narrowly missed wide.

After that it looked like Pazzini was going to be in the goals for Inter. He finally found the back of the net in the 41st minute. Coutinho again put in a ball for him, a ball that honestly wasn't as good as the 4th minute chance. However, Pazzini got to it and just managed to tap it past the 'keeper to make it 1-0 to Inter, which held until the interval.

The traffic in the second half wasn't quite one way like the first, but Inter wrapped up the three points fairly early on. In the 49th minute, two Fiorentina defenders collided going for the ball. That left it easily for Yuto Nagatomo, who calmly tapped it by the thunderstruck 'keeper to make it 2-0 Inter and seal the three points.

That win took Inter a ways from the relegation zone. Then on Tuesday they beat Genoa 0-1. That result puts them all the way up to 7th in the crowded Serie A table.

Match Thoughts: Fiorentina vs. AC Milan

Last week AC Milan destroyed Inter in the Milan derby to regain their confidence. This week, they looked to build on their momentum with an away match to Fiorentina. The Rossoneri hadn't lost at Fiorentina in six years, and last year took the same fixture by winning 2-1. Milan was also bolstered by the return of Ibrahimovic to their lineup after a three match ban.

All in the all the match was very entertaining and both clubs produced a wide open game and a couple of chances in the first 5-7 minutes. During this time, Seedorf smashed a shot on target, forcing the Fiorentina keeper to save, and it was a preview of things to come.

In the 8th minute, Seedorf struck again. He engaged in some brilliant 1-2 passing with Ibra, which resulted in Seedorf hammering a shot into the top corner of the net to give Milan a 1 goal lead. The Rossoneri weren't done though.

Fiorentina put their best stretch of the match together from about the 18th to the 24th minute, and saw about 5 minutes straight possession in the Milan defensive third. In the 24th, they had a free kick in a promising position not too far outside of the 18, but they tried a training ground type play that backfired badly and wasted the chance.

The rest of the first half was all Milan, as they put on a clinic up front, tearing the Fiorentina defense to shreds. They got several nice balls in and a few shots on goal. Finally in the 41st, they got a string of good passes from Ibra to Boateng to Pato, which resulted in Pato tapping in Milan's second goal and sending them to the half up by two.

Fiorentina tried something different in the second half, bringing in Babacar off the bench. He did succeed in sparking them a bit, but he squandered a chance in the 47th minute when he refused a pass on a counter and selfishly smacked his shot off target.

In the following minutes, Ibrahimovic had a few chances to finish off the match, but was consistently off target. Despite Milan controlling the match for the first hour plus, the Viola were starting to wake up.

In minute 73, Seedorf and Comotto went down in the Milan penalty area. Fiorentina screamed for a penalty, but the ref wouldn't have it. On replay, it looked like Comotto actually was the one who hauled Seedorf down by the arm, but still, the Viola felt hard done by. They did strike finally in the 79th minute as Vargas scored off of a rebound given up by Abiatti.

The final ten minutes weren't really as exciting as you might think. However, in the 87th minute, Ibrahimovic said something that was apparently way out of line to the 4th official, and was shown a straight red card. Despite winning the match 2-1, Milan will have to wait and see how many matches Ibra will miss now, and whether that haunts their run for the Scudetto.