July Football gossip 2007

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Tuesday 24th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester City have agreed a £10m deal with Olympiakos for Mexico striker Nery Castillo. (Daily Mirror)

City also want Bayern Munich striker Roque Santa Cruz, but face competition from Blackburn, Porto and Galatasaray. (Daily Mirror)

And at least two players from the Thailand national team are set to join Manchester City. (Daily Star)

Kieron Dyer will stay at Newcastle - for now - because of Joey Barton's injury. (The Sun)

West Ham, Manchester City and Tottenham are set to formalise their interest in Kieron Dyer this week. (The Times)

Everton are one of several English clubs chasing Rosenberg striker Daniel Braaten. (Daily Telegraph)

Watford have told Fulham and Portsmouth they will have to pay £5m if they want forward Hameur Bouazza. (The Sun)

Juventus are set to bid £3m for Arsenal defender Phillipe Senderos. (Mirror)

Bolton are in talks about signing Werder Bremen's Sweden winger Christian Wilhelmsson. (Mirror)

Leicester are set to sign MK Dons striker Izale McLeod. (Daily Mirror)

Ex-Charlton midfielder Zheng Zhi says Newcastle and Birmingham want to sign him on loan from Chinese side Shandong Lueng. (Daily Star)

Blackburn striker Jason Roberts has pledged his future to the club and says team-mate Benni McCarthy is also staying at Ewood Park. (Various)

Hull have launched a £600,000 bid for Sunderland striker Stern John. (Star)

Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele has turned down offers from Villarreal, PSG, Olympiakos and the MLS to stay at Stamford Bridge. (The Guardian)

Nantes have told Manchester City they want £2.7m for midfielder Emerse Fae, who is also wanted by Reading. (Times)

Wigan and Mallorca both want Toulouse winger Fode Mansare. (The Times)


OTHER GOSSIP
Liverpool expect Gabriel Heinze to challenge his contract with Manchester United in the High Court within the next fortnight. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal shareholder Danny Fiszman says the Gunners' board are determined to resist any takeover attempt. (Various)

Kanu has agreed a new contract that will keep him at Portsmouth. (The Sun)

Reading defender Nicky Shorey will sign a new contract with the Royals this week. (Daily Star)

Andrei Shevchenko will have a place in a three-pronged Chelsea attack next season alongside Didier Drogba and Claudio Pizarro. (Daily Telegraph)

Steve Naismith's agent says Kilmarnock's refusal to accept a bid for him from Rangers has made the striker ill with worry. (Daily Record)

Rangers trialist Joseph Lapira broke down with a calf injury minutes into his first training session with the Ibrox club. (Daily Record)

Livingston will offer a contract to former Hibs full-back Craig James this week. (Daily Record)


AND FINALLY
Leighton Baines' £6m move from Wigan to Sunderland is being held up as his wife is due to give birth to their second child. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has promised to be "more mellow" this season. (Guardian)

Celtic star Shunsuke Nakamura says special germanium baths to soften his skin have helped his play. (Record)

 

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Wednesday 25th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Everton boss David Moyes has made a shock bid to hijack Wigan defender Leighton Baines' move to Sunderland. (Daily Mirror)

Wigan boss Chris Hutchings will move for West Brom's Paul Robinson if Baines leaves the club. (Daily Mail)

Martin Petrov's switch to Tottenham from Atletico Madrid has moved closer after he was allowed to fly to London for talks. (The Sun)

Man City are in talks with Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian midfielder Elano over a £7m move. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane is to switch his attentions to Middlesbrough goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer. (Daily Star)

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes is trying to push through a £4.5m deal for Bayern Munich striker Roque Santa Cruz. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle are in talks for West Brom defender Curtis Davies, but their £6m offer is still £2m short of the Baggies' valuation. (Daily Mail)

Bolton boss Sammy Lee has talked Swede Christian Wilhelmsson into joining for £2m from Nantes. (Daily Mirror)

Man City want Juventus left-back Giorgio Chiellini and midfielder Manuele Blasi. (Guardian)

Plymouth have put striker Cherno Samba on the transfer list. (Daily Mirror)

Birmingham have joined Newcastle in the race to sign China's captain Zheng Zhi from Shandong Luneng. (Guardian)

Aston Villa and Newcastle will slug it out over Danish defender Brede Hangeland. (Daily Mirror)

Norwich and Watford could battle it out for the services of Leicester striker Matty Fryatt. (Daily Mirror)

French defender Frank Signorino, a £1m-rated left-back, is a target for newly-promoted Birmingham. (Daily Mirror)

Fulham's Michael Brown is set to move to Wigan on Wednesday. (Daily Star)

Luton defender Leon Barnett has finalised a £2m switch to West Brom. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool have made a swoop on Real Madrid for 20-year-old midfielder Javi Garcia. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal are chasing 17-year-old Spanish full-back sensation Alberto Morgado. (Daily Mirror)

Oldham are lining up a move for veteran former Sheffield United defender Alan Wright. (Daily Star)

Charlton are set to make former Barnet midfielder Dean Sinclair their latest signing. (Daily Mirror)

Dundee United are on the verge of signing Polish keeper Grzegorz Szamotulski on a six-month loan deal from Sturm Graz. (Daily Record)

Hibs and Hearts have both been linked with moves for Rosenborg striker Daniel Braaten. (Daily Record)

Hibs have also renewed interest in Cork City striker Roy O'Donovan. (Daily Record)

Spanish midfielder Ruben Palazuelos has signed a four-year deal with Hearts, according to his agent. (Daily Record)


OTHER GOSSIP
Man Utd assistant Carlos Queiroz says their title win last season was "important for the game as a whole". (Various)

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says Liverpool's spending spree has put them under massive pressure to win the Premier League. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth's David James wants to be inspired by David Beckham's international comeback to make his own. (Various)

Steve Bruce reckons Birmingham's signings of Mido and Hossan Ghaly from Spurs will help them beat the drop. (Daily Mirror)

Andy Cole is ready to leave Portsmouth after being dumped for their trip to Hong Kong. (The Sun)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill reckons new signing Marlon Harewood lost a lot of confidence during his last season at West Ham. (Daily Mirror)

Reading have sold all 18,000 available season tickets. (Daily Star)

West Ham boss Alan Curbishley has told new signing Craig Bellamy to do his talking on the pitch. (The Sun)

Reading's Nicky Shorey will snub West Ham and Newcastle to sign a new contract with the Royals. (Daily Mirror)

Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson tips striker Dong Fangzhou to make an impact at Old Trafford this season. (Daily Star)

Man City striker Bernardo Corradi has blasted former boss Stuart Pearce for lacking leadership. (The Sun)

Striker Chris Iwelumo hopes joining Charlton will boost his chances of winning a Scotland call-up. (Daily Record)


AND FINALLY
Everton striker James Vaughan was so upset by his dislocated shoulder that he was thinking of giving the game up at the tender age of 19. (Daily Mail)

 

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Thursday 26th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
West Ham have bid a club-record £12m for Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka. (Daily Mail, Independent)

Ronaldinho admits he would like to have Frank Lampard as a Barcelona team-mate - but boss Frank Rijkaard does not expect it to happen. (Various)

Real Madrid are still confident of signing Chelsea's Dutch winger Arjen Robben. (Various)

Birmingham's £9m joint move for Mido and Hossam Ghaly has collapsed over a last-gasp cash row. (Various)

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is prepared to wait a year to seal the £30m deal for Carlos Tevez. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United are letting England striker Alan Smith talk to Middlesbrough about a £6m transfer. (Daily Mirror)

Nantes' Belgian striker Luigi Pieroni is heading for talks with Middlesbrough and Blackburn. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa have ruled out a move for Chelsea's Shaun Wright-Phillips. (Daily Express)

Manchester City are in talks with Serbian giant Nikola Zigic over a £13m move. (The Sun, Daily Mirror)

City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson has made an increased £6m bid for Atletico Madrid winger Martin Petrov. (Independent)

Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce will not let Kieron Dyer go on the cheap and is demanding £6m for the midfielder. (Daily Star)

Derby's new £3m Jamaican defender Claude Davis has won his appeal for a work permit. (Daily Mirror)

Pompey defender Sol Campbell is a target for Spanish club Villarreal. (Various)

Everton have been told they will have to pay £6m for Wigan defender Leighton Baines. (Daily Mirror)

Striker Nathan Ellington has urged West Brom to play him or sell him. (Daily Mirror)

Hull have failed with an ambitious attempt to lure Italian legend Christian Vieri to the club. (Daily Mirror)

Sheffield Wednesday are closing in on a £2m move for Southampton's Grzegorz Rasiak. (Daily Mail)

QPR are lining up a £350,000 move for Charlton's Simon Walton. (Daily Mirror)

Luton are set to move for Arsenal's Joe O'Cearuill. (Daily Mirror)

Motherwell look set to miss out on Celtic misfit Adam Virgo after the Parkhead club insisted they match his £5,000-a-week wage packet. (Daily Record)

Gretna are set to sign Derry City defender Darren Kelly. (Daily Record)


OTHER GOSSIP
The Premiership war of words has started early, with Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson telling Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho to shut up and labelling him a fool. (Various)

Liverpool are considering ditching the name Anfield and selling the naming rights for their new stadium for £100m. (Daily Star)

Reds boss Rafael Benitez has been told it is time to deliver some trophies. (Daily Mirror)

The Premier League has assured West Ham they are highly unlikely to face any further punishment - even if Carlos Tevez and Kia Joorabchian win their High Court battle. (Daily Express)


AND FINALLY
Millionaire footballers have invented a new drinking game with only one rule - whoever brings the least amount of money on a night out has to buy ALL the drinks. (Daily Star)

About 1.5m people watched David Beckham's debut on ESPN, which is 50% higher than the record for a game featuring an MLS team.

 

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Friday 27th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester City are closing in on the signing of Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer for £4.5m. (The Sun)

Sven-Goran Eriksson has also enquired about West Brom's £9m-rated centre-back Curtis Davies. (The Sun)

And he will also turn his attentions to Juventus' full-back Giorgio Chiellini, Nantes midfielder Emerse Fae and Olympiakos striker Nery Castillo. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United expect Carlos Tevez to have signed for them in time for the opening game of the season. (Daily Star)

Aston Villa are ready to rival Everton for Manchester United's England striker Alan Smith. (Daily Mail)

Man Utd have admitted defender Mikael Silvestre may leave following a £3m offer from Lyon. (Daily Mirror)

Cardiff plan to sign Middlesbrough goalkeeper Ross Turnbull, 22, on loan. (The Sun)

Bayern Munich have cleared Roque Santa Cruz to speak to Blackburn - and three other clubs - about a £4.5m move. (Daily Mirror)

Middlesbrough are preparing to revive their interest in Spurs striker Mido after he rejected Birmingham. (Daily Mail)

Wigan have made a shock £1.5m bid for Bolton defender Abdoulaye Faye. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is ready to block Sol Campbell's hopes of a move to Villarreal. (Daily Star)

West Brom have made a renewed bid for Stoke defender Carl Hoefkens, 28, after a £750,000 bid was rejected. (The Sun)

Sheffield United will make a £4m bid for Everton striker James Beattie. (Daily Mirror)

Crystal Palace are lining up a loan deal for Benfica defender Jose Fonte. (The Sun)

Lyon have made an £8m move for Arsenal misfit Jose Reyes. (Daily Mirror)

Derby boss Billy Davies has offered Patrick Kluivert a trial at Pride Park. (Daily Mail)

Wolves, Charlton and West Brom are tracking Spurs' £1m defender Phil Ifil. (Daily Mirror)

Midfielder John Viafara is poised to quit Southampton for West Brom. (The Sun)

Bolton chairman Phil Gartside wants £13m for Nicolas Anelka, with West Ham interested. (Daily Mirror)

Slovakian Dusan Svento has been asked back for a further trial by Derby manager Billy Davies. (Independent)

Ipswich are to extend the trial of Le Harvre defender Arsene Menessou. (The Sun)

Bristol City have tabled a fourth and final bid of £1.2m for mercurial Swansea striker Lee Trundle. (Daily Mirror)

Barnsley have offered a trial to Brazilian defender Dennis Souza. (Daily Star)


OTHER GOSSIP
Spurs' Ledley King is a doubt for England's next two Euro 2008 qualifiers after being ruled out for the first month of the season with knee surgery. (The Sun)

Brazilian midfielder Lucas claims he turned down moves to Manchester United and Everton before joining Liverpool from Gremio. (Daily Mail)

Gilberto Silva will miss the start of Arsenal's season after being given an extended break following the Copa America. (The Sun)

West Ham's £7m midfielder Scott Parker is struggling to be fit for the start of the season with a knee injury. (Daily Star)

Midfielder Sean Davis' hopes of leaving Portsmouth have been hit by a knee injury. (Daily Mirror)

Europe's big guns have snubbed Uefa president Michel Platini's plans to alter Champions League qualification. (The Sun)

Derby boss Billy Davies is fuming after learning he faces an FA disciplinary hearing which could see him banned from the touchline for the start of the Rams' campaign. (Daily Mirror)

Sheffield United plc chief Kevin McCabe has bid to buy Hungarian club Ferencvaros, which is £5m in debt but owns valuable land. (Daily Star)

Desperate Kilmarnock striker Steven Naismith has slammed in a transfer request as he continues to try to leave the club. (Daily Record)

Hearts are on course to play in front of their biggest-ever home crowd when they host Barcelona at Murrayfield on Saturday, with 51,000 tickets already sold. (Daily Record)

Falkirk trialist Roel Buikema has rejected a permanent deal at the club. (Daily Record)


AND FINALLY
Sir Alex Ferguson has told new signing Nani to stop his acrobatic back-flip goal celebration. (Various)

Jonathan Woodgate has been voted in Spain as the worst signing of the 21st century. (The Sun)

 

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Saturday 28th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Chelsea are closing in on Sevilla's 25-year-old Brazilian right-back Daniel Alves. (Daily Mirror)

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate will step up his bid to sign striker Alan Smith when Manchester United return from their tour of Asia. (The Sun)

Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez is on the verge of capturing Republic of Ireland B international striker Roy O'Donovan from Cork. (Daily Mirror)

Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster could make an offer for Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack. (Daily Mail)

Aston Villa are to battle with Newcastle for FC Copenhagen centre-half Brede Hangeland and Porto right-back Jose Bingwa. (Daily Mail)

West Brom boss Tony Mowbray could be poised to launch a raid for Celtic striker Derek Riordan. (Daily Record)

Celtic could be closer to snapping up out-of-favour Barcelona striker Santi Ezquerro. (Daily Record)

Hull are poised to sign striker Richard Cresswell from Leeds in a £700,000 deal. (The Sun)

Tottenham have joined West Ham in showing interest in Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer. (Daily Mirror)

Everton boss David Moyes has offered Wigan £4m plus a squad player for defender and lifelong Toffees fan Leighton Baines. (Daily Mirror)

That could lead to Wigan boss Chris Hutchings taking Lee Carsley from Goodison Park, although the midfielder previously snubbed the Lactics when a free agent a few months ago. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea could be ready to go back to Tottenham for French full-back Pascal Chimbonda. (Daily Mirror)

Mikael Silvestre has snubbed a move to Newcastle because he refuses to play with Joey Barton, who had a training ground fight with his good pal Ousmane Dabo at Manchester City. (The Sun)

Arsenal new boy Eduardo da Silva, who signed from Dynamo Zagreb in July, has had his request for a work permit turned down by the Home Office. (The Sun)

Carlos Tevez's controversial move to Manchester United will finally go through next week. (Daily Star)


OTHER GOSSIP
Birmingham boss Steve Bruce has told major new shareholder Carson Yeung he won't be bullied into buying any Chinese players he feels are not up to the rigours of the Premier League. (Various)

Former West Brom striker Lee Hughes will resume his career at Oldham when he is released from prison next month following a conviction for causing death by dangerous driving. (Daily Star)


AND FINALLY
How much will England captain John Terry earn in his new five-year Chelsea deal? Well it could be £35m (Sun, Daily Express), £35.1m (Daily Mail), £34m (Daily Star)

France striker Thierry Henry insists he will miss hearing the boos from the Tottenham supporters this season after quitting English football with Arsenal for Barcelona. (The Sun)

 

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Sunday 29th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Real Madrid expect to land Chelsea winger Arjen Robben for around £21 million this week. (Various)

Arsenal could be ready to make an £11 million bid for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Luka Modric. (News of the World)

Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson wants Nigeria international left-back Taye Taiwo from Marseille. (News of the World)

Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce is trying to sign Abdoulaye Faye from his former club Bolton Wanderers. (People)

Portsmouth midfielder Sean Davis could be in for a return to Fulham as a replacement for Michael Brown, who is poised to join Wigan. (People)

Aston Villa defender Liam Ridgewell is a transfer target for Birmingham, Fulham and Bolton. (News of the World)

Tottenham are ready to splash out £8 million on Swedish midfielder Kim Kallstrom from French champions Lyon. (Sunday Mirror)

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has refused to rule out a move for former Gunners striker Nicolas Anelka from Bolton. (Various)

But they will need to get their skates on as Valencia are set to trump the Gunners with a £13m bid. (Sunday Mirror)

Arsenal are poised to sign Chelsea's 22-year-old French midfielder Lassana Diarra this week. (Sunday Mirror)

Manchester United's Ryan Giggs will be offered another one-year contract at the end of the season and then asked to become an ambassador for the club when he eventually retires. (Sunday Mirror)

Newcastle will table a £3m offer for Fulham's giant Papa Bouba Diop while there is doubts over landing Norwegian centre-half Brede Hangeland from FC Copenhagen. (People)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane hopes to strike a loan deal with his former club Manchester United for goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak. (People)

Chelsea have put a £27m price tag on Germany midfielder Michael Ballack to try and frighten off Real Madrid. (News of the World)

Egyptian midfielder Hossam Ghaly expects to complete his move to Birmingham from Tottenham this week. (News of the World)

Wigan striker Henri Camara could be on his way to either Portsmouth or Bolton. (People)

Rangers are poised to swoop for Argentina full-back Diego Placente - and could land the Celta Vigo player for nothing. (Sunday Mail)

And the Ibrox club are also targeting Lens striker Daniel Cousin for £1.5m after failing to get the towering hitman on loan. (Sunday Mail)


OTHER GOSSIP
New Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is hoping to lure Kevin Keegan out of retirement to become the club's director of football. (Various)

And Arsene Wenger is considering hiring former Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder as Arsenal's sporting director. (Mail on Sunday)

Chelsea have awarded Frank Lampard a pay rise to take him close to John Terry's £130,00-a-week, without the need to sign a new contract. (News of the World)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane says he wants to stay at the club beyond the two years he has left on his contract. (The People)


AND FINALLY
Lee Bowyer says he would welcome former Newcastle team-mate Kieron Dyer joining West Ham - even though the two had an infamous on-field bust-up in 2005.

David Beckham's 12 touches of the ball in his short debut for LA Galaxy were captured by an incredible 19 cameras. (Sunday Express)

 

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Monday 30th July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Winger Arjen Robben has been told to sign a new Chelsea contract this week or be sold to Real Madrid. (Various)

Real have increased their offer for Robben by £6m to £20m. (Daily Mail)

Manchester City have agreed a £7.4m deal for Brazil midfielder Elano and he will complete his move from Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday. (Daily Star)

Valencia are ready to pay £13m for Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka, who could be tempted by the lure of Champions League football. (Daily Star)

Newcastle have made a surprise £6m bid for Manchester United striker Alan Smith. (Daily Mail)

Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is considering a £7m move for Smith. (Telegraph)

Sheffield United's bid for Everton's James Beattie is likely to collapse over the striker's £40,000 a week wages. (Daily Star)

West Ham have told Carlos Tevez's agent he can have him for £6m - the minimum the Premier League will allow the club to be paid for his registration. But Joorabchian looks set to go ahead with his High Court action. That could wreck Manchester United's chances of signing the striker before the transfer window shuts on 31 August. (The Sun)

Joorabchian has offered only £100,000 to West Ham because he is so confident of winning a court case. (Daily Star)

Reading want to sign Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Glenn Whelan in a £1.4m deal. (Various)

Bolton could move for Hull goalkeeper Boaz Myhill with uncertainty over Jussi Jaaskelainen's future. (Telegraph)

Arsenal's £8m-rated midfielder Jose Antonio Reyes is set to sign for Atletico Madrid. Real Madrid, where the Spaniard spent last season on loan, are unwilling to pay more than £5m. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane has admitted he is interested in Cork City striker Roy O'Donovan. (Independent)

Everton and Manchester City will battle it out for the signature of Leighton Baines after Wigan indicated their willingness to sell. (Daily Mirror)

But they could face competition from Manchester United, if they sell Gabriel Heinze. (Telegraph)

Portsmouth striker Lomana Lua Lua is being targeted by Sevilla and Espanyol. (Daily Mirror)

Derby are close to securing a £500,000 deal for Portsmouth defender Andy Griffin. (Telegraph)

Celtic have offered Jim O'Brien as part of their bid for Kilmarnock striker Steven Naismith. (Daily Record)

Rangers will sign Hibernian right-back Steven Whittaker for £1.75m this week. (Various)

Lens striker Daniel Cousin says he could be a Rangers player within 48 hours. (Daily Record)

But Rangers value Gabon international Daniel Cousin at less than the £1.5m being demanded by Lens. (Daily Express)

Rangers have decided not to bid for Argentine left-back Diego Placente, who wants to leave Celta Vigo. (Daily Express)


OTHER GOSSIP
Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce would not welcome the return of Kevin Keegan to St James' Park in the role of director of football. (Various)

Celtic keeper Artur Boruc will miss the start of the season with a shoulder injury. (Daily Record)


AND FINALLY
A bemused Ronaldinho was given a bizarre gift during his visit to Scotland with Barcelona. One fan offered him an 'Instakilt' - a beach towel which doubles a kilt. (Daily Record)

 

[McFLY]

Tuesday 31st July gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Everton have accepted a £4m offer from Sheffield United for James Beattie. (The Independent)

Bolton will start a bidding war for defender Abdoulaye Faye after deciding to cash in on the contract rebel. (The Sun)

And Newcastle are leading the chase for the versatile giant. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland have rejoined the race to sign Manchester United striker Alan Smith. (The Sun)

But Middlesbrough are close to winning the battle after offering Smith a massive £60,000-a-week contract. (Daily Mirror)

Although Everton are said to be favourites to pip Newcastle to the signing of Smith. (Daily Mail)

West Ham are lining up a £17m move for Barcelona's Eidur Gudjohnsen and Smith. (Daily Express)

The Hammers are also being linked with a £10m double deal for Gudjohnsen and Kieron Dyer. (Daily Mirror)

West Ham boss Alan Curbishley also inquired about Middlesbrough's Yakubu. (The Times)

Spurs are set to tie up the signing of £4.5m Hertha Berlin midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng this week. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham are in talks about signing Dynamo Zagreb right-back Vedran Corluka. (The Times)

Winger Seol Ki-Hyeon is ready to leave Reading for Fulham in a £1m switch. (Various)

Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez is making a £3m bid for Newcastle's Charles N'Zogbia. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle have told striker Obafemi Martins he can leave if they find a suitable buyer. (The Independent)

PSG defender Boukary Dreme is attracting interest from Magpies boss Sam Allardyce. (The Times)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is considering making a £3m bid for FC Copenhagen defender Brede Hangeland. (The Independent)

Liverpool's Anthony Le Tallec has been offered to Fulham, West Ham and Birmingham. (The Times)

Robert Pires wants Bolton forward Nicolas Anelka to join him at Villarreal in Spain. (The Sun)

Wigan have told Everton they must stump up £6m for left-back Leighton Baines. (The Sun)

The Latics expect to agree a deal for West Brom defender Paul Robinson. (The Times)

Juventus have joined the race for Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze. (Daily Mail)

Barcelona star Deco has told Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho he would like to work with him again. (The Sun)

Serie A side Napoli have expressed an interest in Manchester United's Giuseppi Rossi. (The Independent)

Southampton are poised to swoop for Norwich's Youssef Safri and could offload Jhon Viafara to West Brom. (Daily Mirror)

US teenage star Freddy Adu has signed for Benfica for £1.5m. (Daily Mirror)

Leeds boss Dennis Wise wants Newcastle's Tim Krul on loan. (Daily Mail)

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes has joined the race to sign Hibernian right-back Steve Whittaker. (The Independent)

Austria Vienna have boasted that they tricked Rangers into paying an inflated price for striker Filip Sebo. (Daily Mirror)

Celtic have held initial talks to extend midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura's contract with the Scottish champions. (Various)


OTHER GOSSIP
Sam Allardyce has held clear-the-air talks with Newcastle chairman Chris Mort over their lack of transfer funds. (The Sun)

Former Liverpool star Steve McManaman has written off the club's title hopes this season. (Various)

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is ready to smash through the £50m barrier in his summer spending spree. (Daily Star)

Premier League chief Richard Scudamore could be summoned to the High Court to give evidence over the Carlos Tevez saga. (Various)

Chelsea's Brazilian star Alex was barred from entering Britain by immigration officials. (Various)

Holland want Tottenham boss Martin Jol to take over as national boss after Euro 2008. (Daily Express)

Sir Trevor Brooking has warned that failure to qualify for Euro 2008 would severely hinder England's footballing progress. (Various)

LA Galaxy boss Frank Yallop believes Real Madrid's treatment of David Beckham's ankle injury has ruined the start to his American adventure. (Daily Express, Daily Star)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp has played down reports of a major bust-up with striker Andy Cole. (Daily Express)

Chelsea's gruelling pre-season programme has taken its toll, with another six players added to their growing injury list ahead of the Community Shield. (Daily Mail)

Middlesbrough star James Morrison has turned his back on England coach Steve McClaren by choosing to play for Scotland. (Various)

Austria Vienna have boasted that they tricked Rangers into paying an inflated price for striker Filip Sebo. (Daily Mirror)

Celtic have held initial talks to extend midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura's contract with the Scottish champions. (Various)


AND FINALLY
Former Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock claims he and his family were reduced to tears by a foul-mouthed tirade by actor Sean Bean. (The Sun)