July Football gossip 2007

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Tuesday's 03rd July 07 gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Barcelona will make a £12m bid for England and Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard. (The Sun)

Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres has cut short his holiday to clinch a move to Liverpool. (The Sun)

Arsenal will raid Dinamo Zagreb again and make a bid for their £5m-rated midfielder Ognjen Vukojevic. (The Sun)

Chelsea are set to offer £14m for Sevilla's Brazilian right-back Daniel Alves. (Various)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is ready to swoop for Preston's David Nugent after the striker's move to Sunderland collapsed. (Various)

Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce is keen to tempt Barcelona's former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen back to England. (The Sun)

Charlton will bid £2m for Southend striker Freddie Eastwood. (Various)

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is watching AZ Alkmaar right-back Gretar Steinsson. (Various)

Sunderland manager Roy Keane have agreed a £5m deal with West Brom for defenders Paul Robinson and Paul McShane. (Daily Mirror)

West Ham are leading the chase for Fenerbahce £5m-rated midfielder Stephen Appiah. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is eager to complete a £6m deal for Auxerre defender Bakari Sagna. (Various)

Tottenham are interested in signing Dinamo Zagreb's 21-year-old right-back Vedran Corluka. (The Times)

Portsmouth and Birmingham are in competition to sign Arsenal defender Johan Djourou on loan. (The Times)

Everton will step up their interest in Wigan left-back Leighton Baines, despite the Latics insisting he is not for sale. (The Times)

Arsenal still want to bring Bolton's Nicolas Anelka back to the club, but Valencia are also keen. (Various)

Birmingham have held talks with Celta Vigo's Daniel De Ridder. (The Times)

Everton manager David Moyes is considering launching a bid for Manchester United pair Alan Smith and Kieran Richardson. (Various)

Liverpool are on the verge of signing Manchester United left-back Gabriel Heinze. (Various)

Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce is closing in on Marseille's 28-year-old Senegal international defender Habib Beye. (Daily Mail)

Everton boss David Moyes is ready to pay £4m for Sheffield United's Phil Jagielka and will also bid for West Brom's Jason Koumas. (Daily Mail)

Wigan are also keen on signing Koumas and will offer £5m for him. (Various)

Chelsea have made a £13m move for Lyon's France international winger Florent Malouda. (Daily Star)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is set to spend £30m on Jermain Defoe, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Nigel Reo-Coker and Jussi Jaaskelainen. (Daily Star)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane is interested in signing Italian keeper Morgan De Sanctis from Udinese. (Daily Star)

Steven Naismith has set Kilmarnock a 48-hour deadline to agree a £1.5m transfer that will get him a move to Rangers. (Scottish Daily Express)

Osasuna player of the season and Iran international, Javad Nekounam, has turned down an offer from Ibrox following a £1m bid. (Scottish Daily Express)

Borussia Dortmund's Swiss striker Alexander Frei is still on Celtic manager Gordon Strachan's radar after missing out on Maceo Rigters. (Scottish Daily Express)


OTHER GOSSIP
Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is in secret talks with Spanish club Recreativo Huelva in case the deal to become manager of Manchester City collapses at the last minute. (Daily Mirror)


AND FINALLY
Everton's official website had the club's fans in raptures after announcing the signature of Argentine superstar Juan Roman Riquelme, ony for disappointment to hammer home when it was revealed the story was untrue and had been part of some test data which had been displayed in error.

 

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Wednesday 04th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Chelsea have told Barcelona that Frank Lampard is not for sale after rejecting a £12m bid from the Spanish club. (Daily Star)

Portsmouth are set to sign Rennes midfielder Arnold Mvuemba after agreeing a £2.5m fee with the French club. (Various)

Sunderland hope to sign Manchester United midfielder Kieran Richardson for £2.5m, despite interest from Everton. (Daily Mail)

Chelsea have been told they will have to offer £20m if they are to have any chance of landing Sevilla full-back Daniel Alves. (Daily Mail)

Rangers have started fresh talks over their bid to land Kilmarnock striker Steven Naismith. (Daily Record)

Wigan have made a £2.5m bid for Fulham midfielder Michael Brown. (Daily Mirror)

VfB Stuttgart are set to swoop for Watford striker Tamas Priskin. (The Sun)

Jermain Defoe's future at Tottenham is in doubt after the striker, who has been linked to Aston Villa and Portsmouth, refused to start talks over a new five-year contract. (Daily Star)

Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre is wanted by Bordeaux. (Various)

West Brom striker Diomansy Kamara's move to Fulham has collapsed, meaning Heidar Helguson, who has been mooted as a makeweight in a £5m deal will stay at Craven Cottage. (Daily Express)

The likelihood of Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze moving to Liverpool has receded because the Old Trafford outfit are understood to be uncomfortable with selling the Argentine to one of their biggest rivals. (Daily Telegraph)

Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse is close to a permanent deal with Marseille, despite interest from West Ham. (Daily Telegraph)

Everton are set to step up their interest in Sheffield United utility player Phil Jagielka following the confirmation of the Blades' relegation to the Championship. (The Times)

Real Madrid are interested in Lyon winger Florent Malouda, who is being targeted by Chelsea, as well as Blues winger Arjen Robben. (The Independent)

Reading are still interested in Nantes midfielder Emerse Fae. (The Times)

Striker Jeremie Aliadiere has vowed to prove Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger wrong after leaving the Gunners - where he made only 19 starts in almost eight years - for Middlesbrough. (Various)

Liverpool striker Peter Crouch has been assured he has a future at Anfield, despite the impending arrival of Fernando Torres from Atletico Madrid. (Various)

Liverpool have agreed to compensate Stockport after 14-year-old goalkeeper Ben Robinson quit the League Two club's school of excellence to move to Anfield in June. (The Sun)

Wolves have had a £900,000 bid for striker Matt Fryatt turned down by Leicester. (Daily Star)

Wycombe are shelving their plans to sign QPR's Tommy Doherty after the midfielder was hit by appendicitis. (Various)

Crystal Palace have issued a hands-off warning to Leicester and their other Championship rivals over England Under-21 midfielder Tom Soares. (Various)

Real Sociedad Mikel Alonso, who is the brother of Liverpool's Xabi Alonso, has joined Bolton at their pre-season training camp in Austria. (Daily Star)


OTHER GOSSIP
Former Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder has warned his successor Sam Allardyce that ex-Magpies striker Alan Shearer will be waiting in the wings if the ex-Bolton boss is not successful at the club. (Daily Mirror)

The Arsenal board want manager Arsene Wenger, who has 12 months left on his current contract, to sign a new deal by the end of the week. (The Sun)

Former Arsenal midfielder Ray Parlour has warned the club that Wenger is irreplaceable. (Daily Star)

Newcastle could be without Geremi, who signed for the Magpies from Chelsea this week, for up to six games early next year because the midfielder may be on African Cup of Nations duty with Cameroon. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs, 33, is determined to hang on to his place in the team, even though he knows the "finishing line is approaching" in his career. (The Sun)

Sunderland manager Roy Keane has appointed former Manchester United team-mate Raimond van der Gouw as his goalkeeping coach. (Various)

Sheffield Wednesday will not have to re-lay their pitch after tests confirmed it was not contaminated by the flood water that covered the Hillsborough surface last week. (Various)

Former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Steve McManaman may be given a senior role at Birmingham if Carson Yeung's takeover bid succeeds. McManaman has been appointed to the board of Grandtop International Holdings, the company used by Hong Kong businessman Yeung as a vehicle for his buy-out proposal. (Daily Mail)

Rangers midfielder Andrew Shinnie, 17, has agreed a new three-year deal with the club. (Daily Record)

Reading hope to extend the contracts of defender Nicky Shorey and striker Leroy Lita. (Daily Telegraph)


AND FINALLY
Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has told manager Sir Alex Ferguson he will shave off his hair if he does not score 20 Premier League goals next season. In the 2006-2007 campaign, the Portuguese star won a £400 bet with the United boss after scoring 17 times in the top flight, beating his 15-goal target. (The Sun)

Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce has banned mobiles on the club's week-long training camp in Austria. He said: "There will be no distractions. We will be totally focused." (The Sun)

 

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Friday 06th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
West Ham are interested in signing Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy but want to secure him for less than the Reds' £10m valuation. (Various)

But Sunderland manager Roy Keane is also ready to swoop for the Welsh striker and is ready to offer Liverpool £6m for him. (Daily Star)

Newcastle could land Barcelona's Eidur Gudjohnsen, who is happy to work again with boss Sam Allardyce. (The Sun)

Manchester City want £9m-rated Toulouse striker Johan Elmander. (The Sun)

Fulham are set to sign Leeds striker David Healy for £2m. (Daily Mirror)

Derby boss Billy Davies wants to sign Sheffield United defender Claude Davis, who he managed while he was in charge at Deepdale. (Various)

Tottenham reserve goalkeeper Tommy Forecast is set to join Gillingham on loan. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool are still after new faces, with Roma's Alessandro Mancini, Porto's Ricardo Quaresma and Man Utd's Gabriel Heinze on the wanted list. (The Sun)

Arsenal's £6m deal for Auxerre's Bakari Sagna may be off after current Gunner Matthieu Flamini said he is happy to play right-back. (Various)

Manchester City are ready to spend £8m on Bayern Munich's 25-year-old striker Roque Santa Cruz. (Daily Star)

West Ham will make a £16m double swoop for Liverpool strike pair Djibril Cisse and Craig Bellamy. (Daily Mail)

Birmingham midfielder Stephen Clemence is wanted by Championship sides Charlton and Southampton. (Daily Mail)

Bolton midfielder Idan Tal is set for talks with Israeli champions Beitar Jerusalem. (Various)

West Ham striker Bobby Zamora is a transfer target for Reading, who are ready to pay £2.5m. (Telegraph)

Wigan are ready to pay £4.5m to secure the services of West Brom midfielder Jason Koumas. (Telegraph)

Chelsea have moved closer to completing deals for Lyon winger Florent Malouda and PSV Eindhoven's Brazilian defender Alex. (The Guardian)

Wigan are set to make a £3.2m bid for West Ham striker Marlon Harewood and are also close to signing Fulham's Michael Brown. (The Guardian)

Derby are hoping to beat West Brom and Rangers to the signature of Blackburn defender Andy Todd. (The Guardian)

Portsmouth are close to clinching a £7m deal to sign Preston striker David Nugent. (The Times)

Middlesbrough goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer could be heading for German side Bayern Munich. (The Times)

Everton have stepped up their interest in signing West Brom midfielder Jason Koumas. (The Times)

And Toffees boss David Moyes is also ready to raid Manchester United for striker Alan Smith and midfielder Kieran Richardson. (The Times)

Manchester City might be able to tempt Middlesbrough to sell striker Yakubu Ayegbeni - for £12m. (The Times)

West Ham have bid £8m plus Yossi Benayoun for Djibril Cisse, but he is keen on Marseille. (The Times)

Aberdeen and Falkirk are still in the chase for Manchester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who has admitted his future is uncertain. (Daily Record)


OTHER GOSSIP
Arsenal have rejected Real Madrid's claims that they held talks with Arsene Wenger over their managerial vacancy. The Gunners have said the reports are completely untrue. (Various)

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has warned manager Jose Mourinho that off-the-field squabbles must end. And he has also hinted that Mourinho will be seen as a failure if he does not lead the Blues to the Premier League title this season. (Various)

Arsenal have handed Gilberto Silva the captaincy following the departure of Thierry Henry to Barcelona. (Telegraph)

Former Fulham boss Chris Coleman says he can be a trail blazer for foreign managers abroad after being appointed as Real Sociedad boss. (Various)


AND FINALLY
Birmingham's prospective new owner Carson Yeung will urge manager Steve Bruce to sign payers from Hong Kong once he gets control of the club. Hong Kong businessman Yeung believes Hong Kong players need more opportunities. (Daily Mirror)

 

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Saturday 07th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Liverpool are set to recoup much of the £21m they spent on Fernando Torres with the sales of Craig Bellamy and Djibril Cisse. (Daily Mirror)

Bellamy is set to go to West Ham for £9m, while fellow striker Cisse is expected to join Marseille for £8m. (The Sun)

West Ham were said to be keen on Cisse too. (Daily Telegraph)

Chelsea have offered £4.7m for Feyenoord's Holland Under-21 international Royston Drenthe.

Tottenham are set to rekindle their interest in Barcelona winger Ludovic Giuly. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle and Everton are keen to land Fulham left-back Franck Queudrue. (Daily Mirror)

Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka is reported to have said that he would find a move to Valencia "very tempting". (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland are set to lodge a third bid for £5m-rated Wigan defender Leighton Baines. (Daily Mirror)

Middlesbrough keeper Mark Schwarzer is wanted by Werder Bremen. (The Sun)

Former Liverpool keeper Jerzy Dudek wants to join Sven-Goran Eriksson at Manchester City. (The Sun)

Wigan are on the brink of signing West Brom midfielder Jason Koumas for £5m after Albion had rejected a £4m bid from the Latics. (Daily Mail)

Celtic are lining up a bid for Fulham's Moritz Volz and are ready to offer several big hitters such as Jiri Jarosik, Thomas Gravesen or Bobo Balde in a bid to land him. (Scottish Daily Express)

Rangers hope to snap up experienced keeper Roy Carroll next week as boss Walter Smith goes on a signing frenzy. (Daily Record)


OTHER GOSSIP
West Ham striker Carlos Tevez has been ordered to start pre-season training with the club, despite agreeing a £60m deal to go to Man Utd. (Daily Mail)

However, it is understood the Hammers have given Tevez the green light to make his £38m switch. (The Sun)

Tevez, set for a £21m move in this paper, says he wants to become United boss Sir Alex Ferguson's star "pupil". (Daily Mirror)

Of course, perhaps Tevez is not going anywhere. (Daily Star)

Arsenal midfielder Gilberto Silva has criticised Chelsea's Didier Drogba for stating that the Gunners are out of the title race. (The Sun)


AND FINALLY
Manchester City welcomed new boss Sven-Goran Eriksson with open arms, but they may have to brush up on the spelling of their new boss after a club-produced placard read "Erikkson". "KK" has been and gone already City fans.

 

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Sunday 08th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
West Ham striker Carlos Tevez says his agents have told Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson he is joining the Premier League champions. (The People)

The Hammers have evicted Tevez from his London apartment, despite claims they want him to stay. (News of the World)

Liverpool have offered nearly £14m for Porto winger Ricardo Quaresma. (NotW)

Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher is prepared to quit the England team after being left out of the Euro 2008 qualifier in Estonia. (Mail on Sunday)

Sweden's Christian Wilhelmsson will be Sven-Goran Eriksson's first signing as Manchester City manager. The Nantes winger will cost £500,000. (NotW)

Eriksson will not sign Michael Owen from Newcastle or do a loan deal for LA Galaxy's David Beckham. (Sunday Mirror)

City are eyeing West Brom's Hungarian playmaker Zoltan Gera. (People)

Eriksson is keen on Middlesbrough striker Yakubu and will cough up £12m. Yakubu is keen on City. (Observer)

City and Blackburn are going head-to-head in a £4.5m battle to sign Bayern Munich's Paraguay international striker Roque Santa Cruz. (The People)

Everton defender, midfielder, skipper and general utility man Phil Neville has snubbed City's overtures. (Mail)

So Eriksson has turned his attention to West Ham's Paul Konchesky. (Mirror)

The Swede also plans a swoop on neighbours Manchester United for striker Alan Smith and midfielder Kieran Richardson. (People)

And he made an audacious late attempt to hijack Liverpool's move for Spain striker Fernando Torres. (Mirror)

Torres also rejected a big-money offer from Inter Milan. "From a little boy I was always a Liverpool fan." (NotW)

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry says the striker's arrival persuaded manager Rafa Benitez to stay. (People)

Robbie Fowler could sign for Leicester. If the striker moves he will be joined at the Foxes by former Charlton defender Talal El Karkouri. (People)

Cardiff also want former Reds striker Fowler on a one-year deal. (NotW)

Midfielder Owen Garvan has walked out on Ipswich which could spark interest at Manchester City, Fulham and Everton, who have previously been keen. (People)

Newcastle's new owner Mike Ashley has set his heart on seeing Raul and Deco sporting the black and white. (NotW)

Feyenoord have signed Nuri Sahin, which looks like paving the way for Royston Drenthe to join Chelsea. (People)

Tottenham are still keen on Chelsea's Shaun Wright-Phillips. (Mirror)

Lyon's Florent Malouda has sealed his move to the Blues which means Arjen Robben can join Real Madrid. (NotW)

Defender Andy Todd will follow in father Colin's footsteps and sport Derby County colours. (People)

The Rams want Monaco striker Mohammed Kallon for £1.4m. Middlesbrough and Wigan are also tracking him. (NotW)

Wigan are planning a busy week. They will sign West Brom's Jason Koumas, West Ham's Marlon Harewood and Fulham skipper Michael Brown. (People)

Midfielder Lee Hendrie is mulling over a move to Middlesbrough. (NotW)

Sunderland are set to sign Boro goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer. (People)

But they face competition from Bayern Munich for the Australian. (NotW)

Boro will bring in Sheffield United striker Rob Hulse. (People)

And coming through the door at Bramall Lane is Thomas Gravesen. The Blades will offer Celtic more than £3m for the teak-tough Danish midfielder. (People)

West Brom striker Kevin Phillips will link up with former boss Bryan Robson at Sheffield United. (NotW)

Charlton are planning to beat the Baggies to the signature of Fulham striker Heidar Helgusson, who has been told he can leave the Cottage. (People)

While former Addicks front man Kevin Lisbie is wanted by Reading. (People)

The Royals are also lining up a move for Nantes midfielder Emerse Fae. They asked about him in January and will soon get their man for £2.5m. (Various)

Belgium's Philippe Leonard is desperate to leave Feyenoord for Blackburn after a January move collapsed. "I was ready to swim the Channel to join." (NotW)

St Etienne defender Fousseni Diawara will join Birmingham for £2m. (Various)

Arsenal will finally complete a £7.5m deal for Auxerre defender Bakary Sagna this week. (Mirror)

Forward Jose Antonio Reyes has come to London to beg Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger to let him leave the club and join Real Madrid. (NotW)

Gunners midfielder Cesc Fabregas could still sign for Real Madrid this summer, according to his agent. (NotW)

Hibs are set to sell David Murphy this week in a £500,000 deal to either West Brom or Nottingham Forest. (Sunday Mail)

Celtic have turned down the opportunity to sign Craig Bellamy from Liverpool. (Sunday Mirror)


OTHER GOSSIP
Arsenal have offered manager Arsene Wenger a £14m four-year deal with an annual end-of-season get-out clause. (NotW)

Middlesbrough's Jeremie Aliadiere is angry with Wenger for wasting eight years of his career. "He would not talk to me," said the striker. (Various)

New Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra expects the club to be pushing for a Champions League place within three years. (Sunday Telegraph)

Liverpool are set to unveil plans that will make their new stadium the biggest in British club football. (Mirror)

Sam Allardyce expects Alan Shearer to succeed him as Newcastle boss. (People)

Former Torquay and Brentford boss Leroy Rosenior says there is a "glass ceiling" in English football when it comes to black managers. (Various)

MK Dons have agreed to give all the silverware they won as Wimbledon to AFC Wimbledon. (Sunday Express)

David Beckham may be big business in America, but Chelsea are not. More than 30,000 tickets remain unsold for their pre-season Stateside tour. (Various)


AND FINALLY
Abel Xavier has had trouble getting in touch with new LA Galaxy team-mate David Beckham. "His mobile's always off," said the defender. (NotW)

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has been caught "playing away". (NotW)

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has been voted the bloke women would least like to snog. (People)

 

[McFLY]

Monday 09th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
West Ham have made a £5.5m bid for West Brom striker Diomansy Kamara. (Daily Mirror)

Real Madrid want to sign Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas. (Daily Star)

Southampton defender Chris Baird is set to join Sunderland in a £3m switch. (The Sun)

Manchester United striker Alan Smith, who has been linked to Middlesbrough and Everton, wants to hold talks with manager Sir Alex Ferguson this week before deciding whether to leave the club. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea winger Arjen Robben will fly out for the club's pre-season tour of the United States but still wants to join Real Madrid. (Daily Mirror)

Striker David Nugent has returned to Preston but his future is still in the balance after he stalled on a £6m move to Portsmouth. (Various)

Manchester City hope to snap up Charlton winger Jerome Thomas for £1m. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez says he would be happy with his squad - if West Ham midfielder Yossi Benayoun becomes his final signing of the summer. (Daily Star)

Though Benitez has actually made a bid of about £6.75m for highly-rated Dutch Under-21 international winger Ryal Babel . (The Independent)

Coventry want to sign Julian Gray after the midfielder was released by Birmingham. (The Sun)

Sheffield United are set to sign Cameroon right-back Jean-Joel Perrier after he was snubbed by Celtic, where he had a spell on loan from Rennes. (Daily Mirror)

Toulouse are about to bid for Celtic midfield misfit Thomas Gravesen. (Daily Express)

Hibernian boss John Collins ran the rule over Cameroonian defender Thierry Gathuesi, 25, and an unnamed striker during Saturday's 3-2 defeat by SV Vocklabruck in Austria. (Daily Record)


OTHER GOSSIP
England manager Steve McClaren will hold talks with Jamie Carragher to try to persuade the Liverpool defender not to retire from international duty. (Various)

New Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is set to snub former England Under-21 boss David Platt as his number two and appoint Swedish friend and television pundit Hans Backe - after being turned down by Sweden assistant manager Roland Andersson. (The Sun)

Eriksson is set to appoint Backe as his assistant at Eastlands but Platt could still be given a role. (Daily Mirror)

Rangers are poised to offer Scotland striker Kris Boyd a contract extension. (Daily Express)


AND FINALLY
Arsenal have been planning for life without striker Thierry Henry, who has joined Barcelona, but no player had been given his old number 14 shirt. Fans have suggested retiring the number to mark the Frenchman's contribution to the club. (Daily Express)

 

[McFLY]

Tuesday 10th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Chelsea Arjen Robben's lawyer is in Spain to hold talks with Real Madrid, who still want to sign the winger. (The Sun)

Liverpool are set to sign Ajax winger Ryan Babel after returning with a £13.5m bid on Monday night on the back of having a £10m offer rejected. (The Sun)

Fiorentina are ready to sign Freddie Ljungberg from Arsenal for £5.5m. (The Guardian)

Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas will turn his back on a £27m move to Real Madrid, even though he is a top target for new Madrid boss Bernd Schuster. (Daily Star)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is ready to make an £8m bid for Spurs striker Jermain Defoe. (Daily Star)

Arsenal are poised to launch a £13m bid for Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins this week. (The Independent)

Newcastle have emerged as rivals to Liverpool in the race to sign Manchester United Gabriel Heinze. (Daily Star)

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes wants Bayern Munich striker Roque Santa Cruz. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth will complete the signing of Preston striker David Nugent on Tuesday. (Various)

Chelsea misfit Khalid Boulahrouz is poised to join Sevilla in a cut-price £3.5m deal. (Daily Mirror)

New Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is to make Swede Christian Wilhelmsson his first signing. (Various)

Everton are mulling over the possibility of making a bid for £6m-rated Wigan defender Leighton Baines. (Daily Express)

Celtic have rejected a £1.5m approach from Fulham for left-back Lee Naylor. (Daily Mail)

St Etienne have launched a bid for Sochaux midfielder Guirane N'Daw after Celtic had an offer of £2.2m rejected. (Daily Express)

Celtic target Rod Fanni has been told by Nice that he is not for sale unless clubs meet their £3.4m valuation. (The Herald)

Sheffield United boss Bryan Robson is ready to offer Celtic £3m for midfielder Thomas Gravesen. (Daily Mirror)

Gretna have signed 19-year-old goalkeeper Nathan Wright from Darlington. (Various)

Leicester look set to land a £2m double swoop to sign Stephen Clemence and DJ Campbell from Birmingham. (Daily Star)

Leeds striker Robbie Blake is in talks with Burnley about a £500,000 return to Turf Moor. (Various)


OTHER GOSSIP
Arsenal defender William Gallas has demanded crunch talks with Gunners manager Arsene Wenger over the failure to bring in a big name to replace striker Thierry Henry. (Various)

New Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has pleaded with fans not to compare him to former Old Trafford captain Roy Keane. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is set for a row with new director of football Avram Grant - as the Portuguese manager does not want Grant sitting in the dug-out during matches. (Various)

Meanwhile, Grant insists that his appointment has been done with Mourinho's blessing. (The Guardian)

LA Galaxy boss Alexi Lalas has warned David Beckham to concentrate on football, not showbiz, when he begins playing for the club. (Various)

Dundee have revealed that they turned down new Real Madrid boss Bernd Schuster when he wanted to become boss at Dens Park in 2000. (Various)


AND FINALLY
Sven-Goran Eriksson is to call on the advice of mystical gurus and introduce yoga to Manchester City's training regime. (The Sun)

Manchester United players are making plans to keep Charley in the Big Brother house - so that they can keep ribbing her cousin, team-mate Kieran Richardson. (Daily Star)

Rangers skipper Barry Ferguson says Jean Claude Darcheville impressed his new team-mates with some swanky sleight-of-hand magic tricks. (Daily Record

 

[McFLY]

Wednesday 11th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Arsenal could yet bid £13m for Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins and trigger his release clause. (Daily Express)

Chelsea want Sevilla to accept their £14m bid for Daniel Alves - or they will turn to Tottenham's Pascal Chimbonda. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal have sealed a £6m swoop for Auxerre defender Bakari Sagna. (The Sun)

Real Madrid are edging closer to a deal for Chelsea's Arjen Robben after his contract negotiations were on the verge of collapse. (Daily Star)

Aston Villa are weighing up a £3m raid for Norwegian international defender Brede Hangeland. (The Sun)

Sunderland have put in an improved bid of £5m for Wigan left-back Leighton Baines. (The Sun)

Everton are ready to bid £3m for Manchester United and England winger Kieran Richardson. (Daily Mirror)

Wigan boss Chris Hutchings wants West Ham to forget their end-of-season row over the Carlos Tevez affair and sell them Marlon Harewood. (Daily Star)

Trevor Sinclair is set to sign a one-year deal with Cardiff City. (Daily Mirror)

Harry Redknapp has finally persuaded Preston striker David Nugent to sign for Portsmouth. (Daily Star)

Hearts have rejected a bid of more than £5m from Sunderland for goalkeeper Craig Gordon. (Daily Record)

Wigan are nearing the £2m transfer of forward Lee McCulloch to Rangers. (Various)

Celtic have turned to Creteil right-back Jerome Perez as a replacement for Jean-Joel Perrier Doumbe. (Daily Express)

Stephen Hughes has rejected a transfer to Hearts or Motherwell to remain with Leicester. (Daily Express)

Leicester have joined the race to sign former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler. (Daily Mirror)

Bolton have pulled out of a deal for winger Wayne Routledge because Tottenham were asking for £3m. (Daily Express)

Norwich hope to bring in Czech striker David Strihavka, who plays for Banik Ostrava. (Daily Telegraph)

Newcastle are in talks with Marseille captain Habib Beye over a £2m move. (Daily Star, Daily Mirror)

Ipswich are set to bring back striker Pablo Counago, two years after they released him. (Daily Star)

Birmingham want Spurs midfielder Hossam Ghaly to replace Leicester-bound Stephen Clemence. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool are lining up a £600,000 double swoop for Millwall's teenage starlets Preston Edwards and David Amoo. (Daily Star)

West Brom are involved in a three-way fight with Southampton and Charlton to land Norwich midfielder Youssef Safri. (Daily Mirror)

Kilmarnock have taken former Tolouse keeper Damien Rascle on trial. (Daily Record)

Gretna have given a trial to former Sunderland and Wrexham goalkeeper Michael Ingram. (Daily Express)


OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester United are ready to call in Fifa and the Football Association to force through their signing of West Ham striker Carlos Tevez. (Various)

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has told his team-mates not to blow the Premier League in the first two months of the season. (Daily Star)

Chelsea's Jose Mourinho has stirred the tension with Manchester United by questioning United's summer spending spree. (Various)

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce has held initial talks with the club about extending his contract at St Andrews. (Daily Telegraph)

Derby have called in football ambassador Craig Brown to try and save Claude Davis' £3m transfer from Sheffield United - he needs a work permit but did not play in 75% of Jamaica's games last year. (Daily Star)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane says he is ready to join the Premier League's big spenders. (Daily Star)

Charlton's Luke Young is expected to leave the club this summer to move back into the Premier League - but he will cost £3m. (Daily Mirror)

New Scottish FA chief executive Gordon Smith is to order an inquest into the disappointing performance at the Under-20 World Cup in Canada. (Daily Express)

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood says Scotland's youngsters were hampered by having Tommy Wilson as coach in Canada. (Various)

Retired Chris Sutton is set to be offered a coaching job at Wycombe by former Celtic team-mate Paul Lambert. (Daily Star)

MK Dons boss Paul Ince has begged striker Izale McLeod not to quit the League Two club. Leicester want him for £800,000. (Daily Mirror)

Colin Hendry wants to make James Grady his assistant manager at Clyde. (Daily Record)

Roy Hodgson could go back to Inter Milan as head of international relations. (Daily Mirror)


AND FINALLY
Birmingham boss Steve Bruce says he would be on £5m a year if he were still in his pomp as a player at Manchester United. The Blues boss is baffled by how high wages are in football. (Daily Star)

 

[McFLY]

Thursday 12th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Chelsea are closing in on Sevilla's Daniel Alves after the Brazilian star admitted: "I want to join them." (Daily Mirror)

Real Madrid will test Arsenal's resolve by flying into London with a £20m offer for midfielder Cesc Fabregas. (Daily Star)

Manchester City are close to landing Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg in a £6m deal. (The Sun)

Manchester United's Gabriel Heinze says he is flattered by Liverpool's interest in him but he will not make a decision until the Copa America is over. (Daily Star)

West Ham face competition from Monaco for the signature of Cameroon midfielder Achille Emana, 25. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle are set to welcome Aldo Duchser - the man who injured David Beckham prior to the 2002 World Cup - for a trial at St James' Park. (The Sun)

Marseille captain Habib Beye has turned his back on a move to Newcastle, instead choosing to stay in France. (The Sun)

Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce has told Bolton to forget about moving for Charles N'Zogbia. (Daily Star)

West Brom are lining up a £1m bid for Portuguese midfielder Filipe Teixeira. (Daily Star)

Spend-crazy Birmingham are closing in on a deal to sign St Etienne star Pascal Feindouno. (Daily Mirror)

Reading boss Steve Coppell is ready to launch a £2.5m bid for Arsenal right-back Justin Hotye. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal are ready to spend £2m on 21-year-old Caen striker Yoan Gouffran. (The Sun)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane is going back to Manchester United to sign midfielder Kieran Richardson for £5.5m. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham have made an offer for 16-year-old Gabi Misa, the Celta Vigo midfielder who is also wanted by Valencia. (The Times)

West Ham striker Marlon Harewood is set to seal a £3.5m move to Birmingham after passing a medical at St Andrews on Wednesday. (The Sun)

Actually, Wigan are going to get Harewood for £3.7m - and his arrival will push Henri Camara closer to the exit door. (Daily Mirror)

Hull are poised to sign Ipswich striker Alan Lee, 28, in a £500,000 transfer. (Various)

Luton have taken former Everton and West Ham midfielder Don Hutchison on trial. (Daily Star)

Liverpool have offered up to £4m for Manchester City midfielder Michael Johnson. (The Times)

Fulham have matched Sunderland's £3m bid for Southampton defender Chris Baird. (The Sun)

Wolves are lining up a £1.5m raid on Premier League neighbours Aston Villa for defender Liam Ridgewell. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane has been told by Hearts he will have to spend £10m on goalkeeper Craig Gordon. (Daily Star)

Hearts number two Stevie Frail admits Gordon could well leave before the start of the new season. (Daily Record)

Charlton's Dennis Rommedahl has attracted interest from Spanish club Getafe, managed by his fellow Dane Michael Laudrup. (The Times)

Barnet have taken full-back Jakub Bures on trial from Czech side SK Dynamo. (Daily Star)

Bournemouth have taken former Arsenal trainee Lee Canoville on trial after he was released by Boston. (Daily Star)

Celtic have taken Italian midfielder Andrea Capone on trial and they could sign him on a Bosman free transfer. (Daily Record)

Celtic are lining up a bid for 17-year-old Real Salt Lake midfielder Freddy Adu. (The Sun)

New Hertha Berlin goalkeeper Jaroslav Drobny says he turned down Celtic when he was leaving Bochum this summer. (The Sun)

Hibernian could sign Thierry Gathuessi from Sete after the defender impressed on trial. (Various)


OTHER GOSSIP
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has warned new technical director Avram Grant he will have no power over team affairs at Stamford Bridge. (Various)

Newcastle striker Michael Owen has committed his future to the St James' Park club. (Various)

Boss Sam Allardyce has handed a reprieve to Spanish misfit Albert Luque and ordered him to prove his worth at the club. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea left-back Wayne Bridge could miss the start of the season with a hip injury. (Daily Mail)

Manchester City defender Micah Richards has told Sven-Goran Eriksson to sign Jermain Defoe from Tottenham. (Daily Express)

Djibril Cisse says he refused to sign for Bolton because they are a third-rate club. (Daily Mirror)

Wigan want to open talks with left-back Leighton Baines - a target for Sunderland - over a new long-term contract. (The Sun)

Ireland's richest man Sean Quinn could be set to buy Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday. (Various)

West Ham target Stephen Appiah has blasted Fenerbahce for blocking his £5m move to Upton Park. (The Sun)

Middlesbrough have been told to cough up £4m for AZ Alkmaar's Icelandic defender Gretar Steinsson, 25. (The Sun)

David Nugent wants his £6m move to Portsmouth to turn him into an England regular. (Daily Star)

Cash-strapped Bury are making plans to buy back Gigg Lane from the proceeds of Nugent's move to Portsmouth. (Daily Mirror)

Peter Reid is understood to be heading a consortium looking into a takeover of Championship club Burnley. (Daily Mail)


AND FINALLY
Premier League clubs have splashed £284m already this summer - their biggest spree ever, more than double at the same stage last year and almost three times of that in 2005. (The Sun)

 

[McFLY]

Friday 13th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has snubbed a £21.5m move to Spanish giants Real Madrid. (The Sun)

Man City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson will take on Sunderland's Roy Keane to try and sign £5.5m Man Utd winger Kieran Richardson. (Daily Mirror)

West Ham striker Marlon Harewood will rush through his £3.7m move to Wigan on Friday. (Daily Mirror)

Fulham are on the brink of signing Leeds striker David Healy for about £2m. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal are mulling over whether to apply for a work permit for their 18-year-old Mexican striker Carlos Vela, who has been on loan at Spanish side Salamanca. (Daily Mirror)

The Gunners are also set to sell Jose Antonio Reyes to Real Madrid for a cut-price £6.5m. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce will hold talks with striker Obafemi Martins on Friday to try and stop him leaving - Arsenal are said to be interested. (Various)

Leeds chairman Ken Bates wants to buy Bolton's Slovakian centre-half Lubomir Michalik - in a move that will astound the club's creditors. (Daily Mirror)

Bristol City have signed Wolves winger Michael McIndoe for an undisclosed fee. (The Sun)

Sheffield United hope defender David Sommeil will join French side Valenciennes. (Daily Mirror)

Ipswich have rejected a £600,000 Hull bid for striker Alan Lee. (Daily Star)

Chelsea are poised to lend Scott Sinclair to Cardiff - in order to land teenage sensation Aaron Ramsey. (Daily Mirror)

Former Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek is to sign a one-year deal at Real Madrid. (Daily Mail)

Aston Villa are ready to move for Tottenham defender Anthony Gardner - but have been told to stump up £3m for him. (Daily Mirror)

Charlton boss Alan Pardew is battling with Leicester for Birmingham striker DJ Campbell. (Daily Star)

Leicester chairman Milan Mandaric is planning a triple swoop for Birmingham's Stephen Clemence (£750,000) and DJ Campbell (£1.75m) and MK Dons striker Izale McLeod (£1m). (Daily Express)

Portsmouth are ready to let Cameroon international Rudolphe Douala leave to join French side St Etienne. (Daily Mirror)

Fulham are set to follow up the capture of Chris Baird by bringing in West Ham left-back Paul Konchesky for about £2m. (The Sun)

MK Dons have taken Newport striker Matt Prosser, 20 and Eastwood Town's Lindon Meike, 19, on trial. (Daily Star)

Former Sunderland midfielder Tommy Miller is considering a move to either Ipswich or Preston. (Daily Mirror)

Mansfield have offered Matt Piper, 25, the chance to rebuild his career. (Daily Star)

Burnley's Garreth O'Connor is training with Bournemouth with a view to rejoining his old club on loan. (Daily Telegraph)

Wolves have approached Chelsea to sign 19-year-old defender Michael Mancienne on a long-term loan next season. (Daily Mail)

Rangers new signing Lee McCulloch has told Steven Naismith not to give up on his dream of leaving Kilmarnock for Ibrox. (Daily Record)

Thomas Gravesen's agent has warned Sheffield United they will have to pay top dollar to lure the Dane from Celtic. (Daily Record)

Dundee are set to hand a trial to Portuguese striker Andre Martins. (Daily Record)

Rangers will hand a trial to Australian superkid David D'Apuzzo, 18, next week. (Daily Record)


OTHER GOSSIP
Stoke are planning to charter a plane to Austria for fans to see their friendly with Real Madrid in Irdning on 27 July after learning the Spanish champions were staying nearby. (Daily Star)

Bolton's Nicky Hunt could face a three-match Premier League ban after being sent off in the Peace Cup in Seoul. (The Sun)

Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker says they can gatecrash the Premier League's top six this season. (The Sun)

Dutch coach Marco van Basten reckons Liverpool have signed the "new Thierry Henry" in Ryal Babel. (Daily Star)

Preston midfielder Paul McKenna faces surgery on a groin problem and could be out until October. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth new boy John Utaka snubbed a last-minute move to Manchester City - despite being offered an extra £20,000-a-week at Eastlands. (The Sun)

Robbie Fowler has asked Cardiff for 48 hours to chew over a move that could cost them a £1.5m-plus wage. (Daily Mail)

England defender Nicky Shorey is still waiting for Reading to offer him a new contract. (Daily Star)

Southampton are the target of a multi-million takeover bid from Dubai Holdings - the Arab group which tried to buy Liverpool. (Daily Mirror)

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes claims David Bentley is already benefiting from his England Under-21 snub in the summer. (Daily Star)

PFA chief Gordon Taylor believes Premier League stars deserve their massive wages. (The Sun)

Chelsea's 17-year-old striker Ben Sahar will not be forced to return to his native Israel for national service. (Daily Mail)

Everton boss David Moyes believes the Premier League's big-spenders are making it difficult for them to sign new players. (The Sun)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp says he is only six games from the sack after spending £22m this summer. (Daily Star)

Colchester defender Wayne Brown has asked to leave the club. (The Times)


AND FINALLY
Spurs target Kevin-Prince Boateng's favourite television show is kids' programme SpongeBob SquarePants. (The Sun)

Getafe have apologised for any offence cause by the use of Biblical references in their new television advert to attract season ticket-holders for next season - but they have refused to pull the advert.

It depicts Jesus Christ on the cross, Moses in the wilderness and Adam in the Garden of Eden, among others, and all are shown refuting their devotion to God saying they would only sacrifice themselves for their team.

 

[McFLY]

Saturday 14th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
AC Milan are waiting for the green light from Chelsea to buy back striker Andriy Shevchenko for £15m. (Daily Star, Daily Express)

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will hold crunch talks with Sheva next week before deciding whether to let him go back. (Daily Mirror)

Carlos Tevez will be unveiled as a Manchester United player on Thursday. (Daily Mail)

Spurs target Curtis Davies is pleading with West Brom not to price him out of a move to the Premier League. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is hot on the trail of Manchester United's £8m striker Alan Smith. (Daily Star)

Middlesbrough will turn their attentions to Everton striker James Beattie after failing to land Smith. (Daily Star, Daily Mail)

Boro boss Gareth Southgate is ready to move for Charlton right-back Luke Young. (The Sun)

Southgate is interested in Preston right-winger Simon Whaley, too. (Daily Mail)

Boro are bracing themselves for a £10m bid from Manchester City for striker Yakubu. (Daily Star)

Arsenal's Freddie Ljungberg will not join Manchester City - he says he could never play for another Premier League side. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane has won the race to sign Kieran Richardson from Manchester United for £5.5m. (Various)

Manchester City are lining up a £3m swoop for Tottenham central defender Anthony Gardner. (Daily Mail)

Sven-Goran Eriksson may also be set to swoop for Barcelona's French flier Ludovic Giuly and Thiago Motta, who has been allowed to leave Barca. (Daily Mail)

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce is targeting Arsenal left-back Armand Traore. (Daily Mail)

Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez remains confident of signing QPR winger Lee Cook after making a final offer of £2.2m. (Daily Express)

Spurs are set to sign Leeds whiz-kid Danny Rose, 17, in a shock £1m deal. (Daily Mirror)

Ex-Hearts keeper Antti Niemi has told current stopper Craig Gordon to join Sunderland. (Various)

Leeds have sold Robbie Blake to his former club Burnley for £250,000. (Daily Star)

Southampton boss George Burley wants to replace Chris Baird with unwanted Reading defender Sam Sodje for £1m. (Daily Mirror)

Eric Djemba-Djemba is quitting Aston Villa to join French side Lille on loan. (The Sun)

Cardiff boss Dave Jones is eyeing Blackburn outcast Francis Jeffers as Michael Chopra's replacement. (Daily Mirror)

Cardiff have rejected Liverpool's £1m bid for 16-year-old midfielder Aaron Ramsey. (Daily Star)

Sheffield United will this week decide whether to sign trialist Jean-Joel Perrier-Doumbe, 28. (The Sun)

Abebayo Akinfenwa's move to Swindon could collapse because of doubts over his recovery from a broken leg. (Daily Star)

On trial centre-back Tamas Vasko, 23, will play for Southampton against Eastleigh on Saturday. (The Sun)

Frustrated Hearts striker Calum Elliot could return to motherwell this season, but Gretna are also keen to secure the player on a loan deal. (Daily Record)

Kilmarnock striker Steven Naismith is heading for a bitter bust-up with mentor Jim Jefferies over Killie's refusal to let him move to Rangers. (The Sun)


OTHER GOSSIP
Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas snubbed a deal at Real Madrid that would have put him on a par with legendary club captain Raul on £100,000-a-week. (Daily Star)

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has claimed Arsenal will be better off without striker Thierry Henry. (Various)

Ferguson also says Jose Mourinho's dig at United's spending shows the Chelsea boss is feeling the pressure. (Daily Star)

United could be charged with "tapping up" Tevez if they continue to push for the Argentine's £35m transfer without the agreement of the Premier League. (Independent)

Newcastle defender Steven Taylor will be rewarded with a long contract to ward off interest from Chelsea. (Daily Mirror)

Striker Kanu is poised to agree a new deal to stay at Portsmouth. (The Sun)

Former Portsmouth striker Svetoslav Todorov has blamed Harry Redknapp for forcing him out of Fratton Park. (Daily Star)

Wembley groundstaff are laying a new pitch for the Community Shield contest between Manchester United and Chelsea on 5 August. (Various)

Scott Parker is favourite to be named West Ham's new captain. (The Sun)

Czech winger Libor Sionko admits he faces another season at Rangers - because no-one wants to sign him. (Daily Record)

St Mirren have appointed Grant Cassidy as their new video analyst. (Daily Record)


AND FINALLY
Supporter John Mayall is taking Manchester United to the County Court over their scheme to charge season-ticket holders for all cup games. (Daily Mail)

 

[McFLY]

Sunday 15th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Newcastle made an audacious enquiry about Barcelona superstar Ronaldinho - but were put off by the £58m asking price. (News of the World)

David Beckham will not go on loan to an English club during the MLS off-season because he is accompanying his wife on the Spice Girls tour. (Various)

Liverpool will not sell Peter Crouch for less than £20m. (News of the World)

But that may not put off big-spending Manchester City, whose new manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is keen to land the 6ft 7ins hitman. (Sunday Mirror)

Liverpool will continue their shopping spree with the £15m capture of Roma's Alessandro Mancini. (Sunday Mirror)

Man Utd are desperate to block Liverpool's move for Gabriel Heninze even though the Reds are willing to pay the £6m asking price. (Sunday Mirror)

Turkish club Besiktas have lodged a £3m for West Ham misfit Carlton Cole. (News of the World)

Newcastle have opened talks with Fulham over £3m-rated defender Franck Queudrue. (News of the World)

Birmingham are keen to sign Tottenham midfielder Hossam Ghaly for £1m. (News of the World)

Real Zaragoza are poised to sign Manchester United's Gerard Pique for £4m after his successful loan there last season. (News of the World)

Leicester and Watford are battling it out for the £2m signature of Birmingham striker DJ Campbell. (Sunday Mirror)

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill plans to spend £25m on signing Shaun Wright-Phillips, Jermain Defoe and Luke Young this week. (Sunday Mirror)

Everton have made a surprise enquiry about Portsmouth's veteran defender Sol Campbell. (People)

Blackburn are in talks with Everton over their former striker James Beattie. (People)

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is preparing a cut-price bid for Tottenham striker Mido. (People)

Chelsea are monitoring Fabio Cannavaro's situation after new Real Madrid boss Bernd Schuster told Italy's World Cup-winning captain he can leave. (The People)

Tottenham are set to beat Celtic to the punch to steal American wonderkid Freddy Adu. (People)

Sunderland manager Roy Keane is planning to swoop for Celtic defender Bobo Balde. (Sunday Mail)

Shaun Maloney is poised for a sensational return to Celtic after an unsettled spell at Aston Villa - although Keane is also eager to bring the Scot to the Black Cats. (Sunday Mirror)

Rangers are weighing up a swoop for Venezuela's Copa America star midfielder Ricardo Paez. (News of the World)


OTHER GOSSIP
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will head to Barcelona next summer, taking Cesc Fabregas with him. (People)

Although it is also claimed the Arsenal boss is close to agreeing a new deal at the Emirates stadium. (The Sunday Express)

John Terry and Frank Lampard have told manager Jose Mourinho they will not leave Chelsea. (News of the World)

Lassana Diarra has rejected Chelsea's offer of a new deal. (Sunday Mirror)


AND FINALLY
David Moyes is upset with his bosses after they turned down his request for a new Mercedes. The Everton boss argued that Andy van der Meyde has a Ferrari even though he's not a first-team regular but his complaints fell on deaf ears. (People)

 

[McFLY]

Monday 16th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Arsenal are set to smash their transfer record with a £15m swoop for Argentine striker Rodrigo Palacio, who plays for Boca Juniors. (The Sun)

Striker Marlon Harewood has agreed a move to Wigan after being told he can leave West Ham. (Daily Mirror)

Real Madrid have tabled a £13.5m bid for Chelsea winger Arjen Robben. (The Sun)

Manchester City striker Darius Vassell is set to be allowed to leave the club for about £1.5m following the arrival of Sven-Goran Eriksson as manager. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United are so confident of signing striker Carlos Tevez from West Ham that they have booked a medical for the Argentine on Wednesday. (The Sun)

Hearts keeper Craig Gordon wants to join Sunderland. (Mirror)

Charles N'Zogbia will tell Newcastle he wants to leave, with Fulham and Bolton in the market for the winger. (Mirror)

Curtis Davies has resigned as West Brom captain after the club turned down his transfer request. (Mirror)

Portsmouth are giving a trial to Brazilian striker Geovanni Mauricio, a former Barcelona player. (Mirror)

Middlesbrough and Blackburn are preparing to swoop for Everton striker James Beattie but could be put off by the £4m price tag. (Daily Mail)

Alan Smith will join Manchester United on their Asian tour despite doubts over his future. (Independent)

Newcastle will open talks with Fulham defender Franck Queudrue on Monday about a £2m move. (Daily Mail)

Sunderland could move for Celtic defender Bobo Balde. (Daily Mail)

Manchester United's decision to block Gabriel Heinze's move to Liverpool has revived Real Madrid's interest in the Argentine. (Daily Mail)

Newcastle are also hopeful of signing left-back Heinze and the club are also hopeful of holding on to Obafemi Martins. (Daily Telegraph)

Getafe are close to wrapping up a £1.5m deal for Charlton winger Dennis Rommedahl. (Daily Mail)

Chelsea will open negotiations with Sevilla over Daniel Alves when they return from their US tour. Sevilla want £20m for the right-back. (Guardian)

Striker Kanu is ready to commit himself to Portsmouth for the forthcoming season. (Guardian)

Jermain Defoe will turn down a move to Aston Villa because he wants to fight for his place at Tottenham. (Guardian)

But Aston Villa are hopeful of tying up a deal for Charlton defender Luke Young. (Times)

Middlesbrough and Portsmouth are battling it out to sign Preston winger Simon Whaley. (Times)

Sheffield United will need to pay £1m to land Kevin Phillips from West Brom. (Times)

But the Blades will miss out on Celtic midfielder Thomas Gravesen, who has opted to stay put. (Times)


OTHER GOSSIP
Chelsea defender Wayne Bridge faces a lay-off of at least three months after emergency surgery on a fractured pelvis. He does not know when he suffered the injury but it may have occurred during England's Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia in June. (Various)

Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt has warned that manager Rafael Benitez's summer spending spree will go to waste unless the club make a strong start to the season. (Various)

West Ham are prepared to argue their case for receiving a fee for Carlos Tevez in the courts. (Guardian)


AND FINALLY
Britain's number one doubles player Jamie Murray is hopeful of getting to the final at this week's Countrywide Classic tennis event so he will be around to see David Beckham make his LA Galaxy debut against Chelsea on Saturday. (Sun)

Chelsea's new link-up with Disney will involve the Blues having a presence at Disneyworld in Florida. Chelsea's business affairs director Paul Smith told BBC Five Live: "We will not only have the branding of the key Disney events but we will be sending over coaching staff to hold clinics and seminars with US coaches in the key parts of the season, leading eventually to a permanent Chelsea feature in Disney in Orlando."

 

[McFLY]

Tuesday 17th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester United will defy the Premier League and push ahead with the signing of Carlos Tevez this week. (Daily Star)

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has rocked the club by admitting he could leave Stamford Bridge. (The Sun)

The Blues have admitted they are in no rush to sign up Frank Lampard, John Terry and Arjen Robben. (Various)

Real Madrid have claimed they will sign Robben within the next 48 hours. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is keen to land Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. (Daily Mirror)

Spurs are closing in on the £12m signing of Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips. (Daily Mirror)

Bulgarian winger Martin Petrov will be Spurs' priority signing this summer. (The Independent)

Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze was given a clause in his contract allowing him to leave for £6m. (Daily Mirror)

Andy Cole has been told he can leave Portsmouth for free - with Hull leading the chase for his signature. (Daily Mirror)

West Ham have made an audacious move to sign Bayern Munich striker Roque Santa Cruz from under the noses of Manchester City. (Daily Mirror)

Derby are in talks to sign Portsmouth defender Andy Griffin. (Daily Mail)

Marlon Harewood became Aston Villa's second summer signing after manager Martin O'Neill hijacked his move to Wigan. (Various)

Pompey boss Harry Redknapp has ordered Kanu to decide his future by Friday or face being shown the door. (Daily Star)

Robbie Fowler is ready to snub a move to Leicester after agreeing to join Cardiff. (Daily Star)

Motherwell boss Mark McGhee has stepped up his bid to sign Celtic's Adam Virgo and Leicester's Stephen Hughes. (Daily Record)


OTHER GOSSIP
Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce has claimed he has missed out on all his top targets because of the club's takeover. (Various)

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck has written off last season as a "disappointment" and told manager Jose Mourinho he wants the next three Premiership titles. (Daily Mirror)

Ryan Giggs says his place at Manchester United is under threat after their summer additions. (Various)

Bolton skipper Kevin Nolan has taken a swipe at former boss Sam Allardyce by claiming the players were behind the club's recent success. (Daily Mirror)

Southampton are in such a mess that executives have quietly sounded out former club chairman Rupert Lowe about a return. (Daily Mail)

Everton are giving their fans the chance to vote on the proposal for a move from Goodison Park to a new stadium in Kirkby. (Various)

Former Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello could be about to join David Beckham in Major League Soccer. (Various)

Rangers number two Ally McCoist is heading to Montenegro to watch FC Zeta and FBK Kaunas for a Champions League spying mission. (Daily Record)


AND FINALLY
Chelsea have been winding up David Beckham by saying they will kick lumps out of him when they play his new club LA Galaxy this weekend. (The Sun)

But Beckham is in doubt for the game as he failed to complete his first training session because of his long-running ankle injury. (Daily Mirror)

French coach Raymond Domenech has branded Julien Faubert 'unspeakably stupid' for signing for West Ham. (Various)

 

[McFLY]

Wednesday 18th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Real Madrid will lure Arjen Robben to Spain by offering him a six-year deal worth £24m. (The Sun)

The Spanish club has offered Chelsea a £14.5m plus players deal for the Dutch winger. (Various)

Sunderland will smash the British transfer fee for a goalkeeper on Wednesday by paying Hearts £9m for Craig Gordon. (Daily Mail)

Freddie Ljungberg wants a £6m pay-off from Arsenal before he leaves the Emirates Stadium. (Daily Star)

Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins has rejected a £13m move to Arsenal and will stay in the north-east. (Daily Express)

Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon does not want the club to sell Shaun Wright-Phillips to Spurs - as he fears the north London club will be title rivals in seasons to come. (The Sun)

Everton will complete the signing of Switzerland international Johann Vogel on Wednesday. (Various)

Liverpool will try to hijack young England star Danny Rose's £1m move from Leeds to Spurs. (Daily Mirror)

Charlton want to sign Spurs misfit Danny Murphy. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester City and Manchester United are battling to sign Argentine goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo. (Daily Star)

Birmingham will secure striker Mido from Spurs this week on loan - with a view to a £5m permanent deal. (Various)

Chelsea are still interested in signing Tottenham defender Pascal Chimbonda, and could offer Glen Johnson as part of any deal. (Various)

West Ham and Manchester City will have to match £5.5m offers from Sevilla and Galatasaray for Bayern Munich striker Roque Santa Cruz. (Daily Mail)

Derby, Cardiff and Preston all want to sign Blackburn striker Francis Jeffers. (The Sun)

Derby boss Billy Davies will sign Ipswich's Welsh international goalkeeper Lewis Price. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal teenagers Fran Merida and Varlos Vela are to join Primera Liga side Almeira on a season-long loan. (Daily Mirror)

Reading are close to signing Danilo Gerlo after making a £750,000 bid for the River Plate defender. (The Times)

Watford are closing on a £2m deal to re-sign their former striker Heidar Helguson from Fulham. (The Sun)

Sheffield United boss Bryan Robson has made a £1.5m bid to sign Thomas Gravesen from Celtic. (Daily Mirror)

Sheffield Wednesday have weighed in with a £2m bid for Southampton striker Grzegorz Rasiak. (Various)

Charlton are closing in on a £1.5m deal for MK Dons striker Izale McLoed - with Leicester also interested. (Various)

Middlesbrough and Manchester City are in the running for Charlton's £3m-rated defender Luke Young. (Daily Mirror)

Charlton will offload former Chelsea and Millwall midfielder Jody Morris. (Daily Express)

Hull City are ready to make a shock bid to sign former England striker Andrew Cole. (The Sun)

Ipswich are set to sell Gavin Williams to Stoke for £400,000. (The Sun)

Dundee United boss Craig Levein is trying to sign Leicester City's Mark de Vries for a third time on a loan deal. (Scottish Sun)


OTHER GOSSIP
Former West Ham midfielder Yossi Benayoun says the Hammers' nightmare season was caused by too much change on and off the field. (The Sun)

Former Man City midfielder Joey Barton has hit out at his treatment at the club towards the end of the season. (Various)

Celtic midfielder Scott Brown is convinced he will form a good midfield partnership with Massimo Donati - even though the Italian does not speak much English. (Daily Record)

West Brom are set to reveal that Jonathan Greening has signed a new three-year deal with them. (Various)


AND FINALLY
Anyone feeling that there has been over-exposure of David Beckham of late might want to avoid US telly coverage of LA Galaxy matches. Cameras will be allowed into the dressing room, meaning that Goldenballs could provide viewers with more than they bargained for, if he's not careful. (Daily Star)

Beckham's salary at LA Galaxy is 503.9 times bigger than the lowest-paid member of the squad, goalkeeper Lance Friesz. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill persuaded Marlon Harewood to join his side, rather than Wigan, with a last-ditch personal phone call to the striker. (Various)

 

[McFLY]

Thursday 19th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has made Bolton's Nicolas Anelka his number one target as a replacement for striker Thierry Henry, who has joined Barcelona. (Daily Express)

Portsmouth striker Lomana LuaLua is a target for Wigan. (The Sun)

He is also being lined up by West Ham. (Daily Telegraph)

Bolton are closing in on Sweden winger Christian Wilhelmsson, who plays for Nantes. (The Sun)

West Ham are lining up a £5m swoop for wanted Reading defender Nicky Shorey. (Daily Express)


Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is ready to fork out £10m for Olympiacos and Mexico forward Nery Castillo. (The Times)

Manchester City have made an inquiry about promising Romanian striker Ciprian Marica. (The Independent)

Birmingham have made an approach for West Brom's £2.5m-rated left-back Paul Robinson. (Daily Mail)

DJ Campbell is set to choose Watford over Leicester when he leaves Birmingham City. (Various)

Fulham have signed Lee Cook from QPR for £2.5m and have handed the 24-year-old a four-year deal. (Various)

Everton will sign South African Steven Pienaar and Swiss Johann Vogel in the next 48 hours. (Daily Mirror)

Pienaar, 25, is already a Toffees player after signing for the club on Wednesday night. (Daily Mail)

Sunderland are preparing to table a £9m bid for Hearts' Craig Gordon - which would be a British record fee for a goalkeeper. (Daily Telegraph)

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes has turned to West Ham's Bobby Zamora in his search for a new striker. (Daily Mirror)

Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro turned down the chance to join Chelsea. (Daily Telegraph)

Chelsea are prepared to up their offer for Spurs full-back Pascal Chimbonda to £8m. (The Times)

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says he wants Arjen Robben to stay, despite the attentions of Spanish giant Real Madrid. (Daily Mirror)

Jose Antonio Reyes fears that a Robben move to Madrid will scupper his hopes of landing a permanent switch to the Spanish capital. (Daily Express)

Championship side Hull will attempt to sign Andy Cole, who may be leaving Fratton Park. (Daily Telegraph)

Cardiff are closing in on Robbie Fowler after chairman Peter Ridsdale improved his offer. (Daily Mail)

Falkirk will find out by the end of next week whether they will get on-loan keeper Kasper Schmeichel back from Manchester City for the new campaign. (Daily Record)

Sheffield United boss Bryan Robson last night dropped his interest in Thomas Gravesen after running out of patience with the Celtic flop. (Daily Record)

Roy Keane has slapped in a £2m bid in an attempt to prise Bobo Balde away from Celtic. (Scottish Sun)


OTHER GOSSIP
Chelsea captain John Terry has agreed a new £6.8m contract with the Premier League club, which will make him the highest paid player in England. (Various)

Terry has given the Blues an injury scare after breaking his toe on the pre-season trip to the United States. (Various)

Mourinho has welcomed Tottenham into the Premier League's big time, saying they are one of five title contenders, with Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. (The Sun)

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar has hinted that he may quit at the end of the season if he repeats the mistakes he made towards the end of the last campaign. (Daily Express)

Sheffield United have been approached to manage operations at struggling Hungarian side Ferencvaros. (The Guardian)

Michael Owen has put himself in the frame to become the next Newcastle captain, following the departure of Scott Parker. (Various)

Dimitar Berbatov's long-term future at Tottenham depends on the North London club qualifying for the Champions League next season. (Daily Star)


AND FINALLY
Ipswich have ordered prankster Gavin Williams to pay £3,000 in costs after he trashed a team-mate's car. He also signed himself as Pele on first-team shirts to be given to charity. (The Sun)

 

[McFLY]

Friday 20th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
West Ham will swoop for £4m-rated Newcastle winger Kieron Dyer after new signing Julien Faubert was ruled out for six months. (Various)

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has refused to sell Arjen Robben to Real Madrid. (Various)

Robben will instead sign a new five-year contract with the Blues worth £80,000 a week. (Daily Express)

However, sources close to the winger say Robben will be presented as a Real Madrid player on Monday. (Independent)

Manchester City are close to completing £12m signing of Middlesbrough striker Yakubu. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland hope to open talks with Wigan defender Leighton Baines on Friday over a £6m move. (Daily Mirror)

But the Black Cats will not increase their £8m offer for Hearts keeper Craig Gordon. (Daily Record)

And Bobo Balde says he has no intention of leaving Celtic, despite a £2m bid from Sunderland for the defender. (Daily Record)

West Brom manager Tony Mowbray has dropped his interest in full-back David Murphy because of Hibernian's "ridiculously high" asking price. (The Scotsman)

Everton have stepped up their bid for Manchester United's Alan Smith after seeing James Vaughan ruled out for three months. (Various)

Middlesbrough have had a £6m bid for Smith accepted but the player is reluctant to move there. (Daily Star)

Arsenal are closing in on a deal for South American teenagers Angel Di Maria and Pedro Silva. (Daily Express)

But Arsenal's teenage goalkeeper, Vito Mannone, will today leave for Gretna. (Various)

Gretna striker James Grady has rejected an offer to be player-assistant manager of Clyde. (Various)

Sevilla have told Portsmouth Fredi Kanoute will cost £8m. (Daily Mirror)

Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka has turned down a move to Lyon. (Sun)

Fifa will decide whether West Ham should release Carlos Tevez from his contract so he can join Manchester United. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool will turn their attentions to £7m-rated Juventus left-back Giorgio Chiellini after Man Utd snubbed their offer for Gabriel Heinze. (Daily Star)


OTHER GOSSIP
Stan Kroenke is stepping up his bid to complete a £650m takeover of Arsenal and will bring back ex-vice-chairman David Dein. (Various)

Owen Hargreaves could miss the whole of Man Utd's Far East tour because of tendonitis in his knee. (Daily Star)

The Scottish Football League will today announce a three-year sponsorship deal with soft drinks company Irn-Bru. (The Sun)


AND FINALLY
Chelsea stars Frank Lampard and John Terry chatted with Paris Hilton, Serena Williams and actress Tara Reid at a team party in Los Angeles on Thursday.

 

[McFLY]

Saturday 21st July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Portsmouth are preparing a £12m "swoop" for Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe. (Daily Star)

Middlesbrough are on the verge of signing Luke Young from Charlton but have ruled out selling Yakubu to Manchester City. (Various)

Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce will talk to Kieron Dyer about speculation linking the midfielder with a move to West Ham. (Various)

Celtic have launched a £2m bid for Paris St Germain defender Bernard Mendy. (Daily Record)

Gabriel Heinze could go to court over Manchester United's refusal to let him join Liverpool. (Various)

Boss Sammy Lee has told Nicolas Anelka he can leave Bolton if a Champions League club comes in for him. (Daily Star)

Tottenham have failed with a £4m bid for Hertha Berlin's 20-year-old midfielder Kevin Boateng. (The Sun)

And Curtis Davies' move to Spurs is on hold because of West Brom's £8m valuation of their defender. (The Sun)

Manchester City will beat Tottenham to the signature of Atletico Madrid's Martin Petrov for £6m. (Daily Mirror)

Wigan are set to sign Fulham's Michael Brown in a £2.5m deal in the next few days. (Daily Mirror)

Birmingham will go back to Tottenham, just days after agreeing a fee for Egyptian Mido, to also sign his compatriot Hossam Ghaly. (Daily Star)

Derby are set to sign Portsmouth defender Andy Griffin in a £500,000 deal. (The Telegraph)

Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez is waiting to learn if his offer for Cork City forward Rory O'Donovan has been successful. (The Telegraph)

Manchester City want Liverpool's Peter Crouch and/or Bayern Munich's Roque Santa Cruz. (The Telegraph)

Middlesbrough claim they are still in with a chance of landing Manchester United striker Alan Smith in a £6m deal. (The Telegraph)

Sunderland have failed to sign Bobo Balde from Celtic. (The Telegraph)

West Ham are ready to splash £26m on Roma winger Mancini, Barcelona striker Eidur Gudjohnsen and Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer. (Daily Express)

Rangers are prepared to make a final £1.5m offer for Kilmarnock's Steven Naismith, but it's a take-it-or-leave-it offer. (The Sun)


OTHER GOSSIP
F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is about to join the battle to buy Arsenal. (Various)

Fifa are still waiting to receive a formal request from either West Ham or Manchester United regarding the Carlos Tevez transfer. (The Sun)

Jose Mourinho says his Chelsea players will go easy on David Beckham if the Englishman makes his LA Galaxy debut against them on Saturday. (Daily Express)


AND FINALLY
John Pantsil missed West Ham's pre-season tour of Austria because he destroyed his passport by leaving it in his trousers when they went through washing machine. (The Sun)

Sam Allardyce's innovative training methods at Newcastle have led to problems. His vibrating muscle toner machines give players an uncontrollable urge to visit the toilet. (The Sun)

 

[McFLY]

Sunday 22nd July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg is poised for a £3m move to West Ham. (Various)

Promoted Birmingham are to make a club record £10m swoop for Middlesbrough striker Yakubu. (News of the World)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is chasing Porto's Portugal right-back Jose Bosingwa for £3m. (Various)

Wigan are lining up a £700,000 move for Paris St Germain defender Sammy Traore. (News of the World)

Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce wants Norwegian centre-half Brede Hangeland from FC Copenhagen. (Various)

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp is to offer £4m for Hamburg striker Jose Paulo Guerrero. (People)

Newcastle are targeting Real Madrid striker Julio Baptista, who was on loan at Arsenal last season. (Sunday Mirror)

Werder Bremen want Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka after Arsenal's interest stalled. (Sunday Mirror)

West Ham are poised to make a bid for Portsmouth striker Lomana LuaLua after he moved down the pecking order at Fratton Park. (Sunday Mirror)

But Hammers boss Alan Curbishley may step up his interest in Newcastle's Kieron Dyer after the Hammers lost 2-0 to Lazio on Saturday. (Sunday Mirror)

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is still confident he can sign Carlos Tevez, despite the legal wrangles delaying his move from West Ham. (Daily Express)

Norwich are ready to launch a £500,000 bid to lure unsettled Derek Riordan away from Celtic. (Sunday Mail)

Arsenal are set to beat West Ham to the signature of Fenerbahce midfielder Stephen Appiah. (News of the World)

Bulgarian midfielder Martin Petrov has issued a come-and-get-me plea to Tottenham. (News of the World)

Derby boss Billy Davies is poised to sign Slovakia star Dusan Svento in a £1.3m deal. (News of the World)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is chasing Porto's £3m-rated right-back Jose Bosingwa and Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen. (News of the World)

Everton have given a week's trial to Marseille youngster Ahmed Yahiaouri with a view to signing the midfielder on a permanent basis. (People)

And Toffees boss David Moyes has been told he will need to pay £8m to sign Portsmouth's Matty Taylor. (People)

Bolton boss Sammy Lee is keen on highly-rated Real Madrid midfielder Esteban Granero. (People)

Sunderland and Birmingham are battling it out to lure former Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron back to the Premier League. (People)

Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka may get his wish for Champions League football next season as German side Werder Bremen are keen on him. (Sunday Mirror)

Celtic are interested in striker Santi Ezquerro, who is hoping to leave Barcelona. (Various)

Paris St Germain full-back Bernard Mendy says he would welcome a transfer to Celtic. (Various)

Steven Naismith says he is frustrated by Kilmarnock failing to come to agreement with Rangers for his transfer to Ibrox. (Sunday Mail)

Gretna are hoping to sign Scotland Under-20 striker Calum Elliot on loan from Hearts. (Scotland On Sunday)


OTHER GOSSIP
Arsenal have told Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone they are not interested in his takeover bid. (Various)

New Scottish FA chief executive Gordon Smith has opened the door to Scots being part of a British Olympic football team. (Scotland On Sunday)

The Scottish Football League wants to play games on Friday to attract a TV deal but is facing police opposition. (Various)

Top surgeon Dr Richard Steadman says Celtic's John Kennedy is the most courageous man in world sport after three years out with cruciate ligament damage. (Various)


AND FINALLY
Former Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock has been approached by the BBC to take part in the new series of Strictly Come Dancing. "I cannot dance so I'll probably look like a plonker, but I never say never - I'm game for anything," said Warnock. (People)

David Beckham is set to earn a mouthwatering £250million from his United States adventure with Los Angeles Galaxy over the next five years. (News of the World).

But Chelsea skipper John Terry insists he would never move to America for the big bucks like his England team-mate Becks. (News of the World)

 

[McFLY]

Monday 23rd July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
West Ham, Tottenham and Manchester City will bid for Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer this week. (The Guardian)

Aston Villa remain keen on Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen. (Telegraph)

Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg is set to join West Ham for either £3m (Daily Mail), £3.5m (The Sun), £4m (Daily Express) or £5m. (Daily Mirror)

Birmingham are close to completing a £3m move for Tottenham's Egyptian midfielder Hossam Ghaly. (Mirror)

Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson wants Sevilla's Serbian defender Ivica Dragutinovic. (Mirror)

Portsmouth striker Kanu is set to join Espanyol after failing to agree a new deal at Fratton Park. (Mirror)

Sunderland have taken Trinidad & Tobago defender Silvio Spann on trial and could sign New Zealand star Jack Pelter. (Telegraph)


OTHER GOSSIP
Bernie Ecclestone and Stan Kroenke will join forces to launch a bid for Arsenal. (Daily Mirror, Telegraph)

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has warned that selling the club to a billionaire sugar-daddy could spell disaster for the Gunners. (Daily Star)

Ryan Giggs and Wes Brown will both be offered new deals by Manchester United when their current contracts end next summer. (The Sun)

Manchester United have still got money to spend this summer according to chief executive David Gill. (Daily Star)

United have not begun discussions on who will replace Sir Alex Ferguson when he decides to retire. (The Guardian)

Chelsea new-boy Steve Sidwell is relieved he didn't seriously injure David Beckham when he tackled him on his LA Galaxy debut. (Daily Star)

John Terry is confident David Beckham will be ready to play in England's autumn Euro 2008 qualifiers. (Various)

William Chang, part-owner of the San Francisco Giants baseball team and MLS side DC United, is looking to invest in a Premier League club. (The Times)

Rangers star Kevin Thompson could be out for three weeks after collapsing during Saturday's pre-season game at Falkirk. (Daily Record)

Hearts head coach Anatoly Korobochka and his assistant Stevie Frail are still waiting to learn if they have a future at Tynecastle. (Daily Record)


AND FINALLY
LA Galaxy have a section of English-style fans called the LA Riot Squad who sing terrace songs. (Independent)