June Football gossip 2007

[McFLY]

Sunday 24th June gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Arsenal will bid £10m to sign former striker Nicolas Anelka from Bolton to replace Thierry Henry. (Various)

Tottenham are on the verge of signing Charlton's Darren Bent for a club record £16m. (Various)

Birmingham will capture Scottish striker Garry O'Connor after he meets with manager Steve Bruce later this week. (The People)

But O'Connor's move to Birmingham has been put on hold because of a disagreement over a £135,00 extra payment to Lokomotiv Moscow. (News of the World)

Rangers are poised to beat Roma and Tottenham to the signature of Bordeaux midfielder Julien Faubert. (Sunday Mail)

But Bordeaux insist that Rangers have not been in touch about Julien Faubert and that they want to keep the winger. (News of the World)

Rangers have had an increased offer of £1.5m for Scotland midfielder Lee McCulloch rejected by Wigan. (Sunday Mail)

Shakhtar Donetsk defender Razvan Rat says Rangers and PSV Eindhoven are considering a transfer bid. (News of the World)

Chelsea are lining up an £18m bid for 17-year-old Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato. (News of the World)

Blackburn have rejected Coventry's approach for unsettled striker Francis Jeffers. (The People)

Portsmouth are winning the race to sign Preston striker David Nugent after offering him £10,000 more a week than Sunderland. (The People)

And Pompey boss Harry Redknapp is also set to sign full-back Martin Cranie from Southampton. (The People)

But Redknapp faces competition from Premier league rivals Bolton for the signature of Atletico Bilbao striker Ismael Urzaiz. (The People)

Everton will swoop for Fulham's Papa Bouba Diop. (The People)

Manchester United have accepted a £6m bid from Middlesbrough for striker Alan Smith. (The People)

However, Boro face competition from Portsmouth, who are lining up a £3.5m bid for Smith. (Sunday Mirror)

Derby boss Billy Davis is chasing Sheffield United defender Claude Davis and is ready to pay £3.5m. (The People)

Aston Villa are set to cool their interest in West Ham midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker as the clubs are 'poles apart' in their valuation. (The People)

Portsmouth striker Andy Cole is wanted by Nottingham Forest. (The People)

Manchester City defender Micah Richards has pledged his future to the club despite interest from Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool. (The People)

Liverpool have rejected the chance to re-sign Michael Owen, who was offered by Newcastle in exchange for John Arne Riise and Craig Bellamy. (Various)

Middlesbrough will move for Barcelona's Argentine international forward, Javier Saviola. (The People)

Sevilla are seeking £8m for Freddie Kanoute, who is wanted by a trio of Premier League clubs. (The People)

And Portsmouth are ready to hijack Newcastle's move for Kanoute by bidding £8.4m for him. (News of the World)

Manchester United will again bid for Atletico Madrid's £27m-rated striker Fernando Torres. (Sunday Mirror)

But they face competition from Liverpool, who are ready to pay £25m for the Spain international. (News of the World)

Fulham and Blackburn are battling it out to sign Espanyol defender Juan Velasco. (Sunday Mirror)

Arsenal are interested in 22-year-old Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani. (Sunday Mirror)

Sunderland want to sign Liverpool keeper Scott Carson, possibly on a season-long loan deal. (Various)

But Sunderland will this week make a £3m move for Hearts and Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon. (Sunday Mail)

Manchester City striker Georgios Samaras is wanted by his former club, Heerenveen, but only at a cut-price £2m. (News of the World)

Reading are battling to keep striker Leroy Lita, with Sunderland and Portsmouth ready to pay £5m for his services. (Sunday Mirror)

West Ham are prepared to spend £11m to sign Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips. (News of the World)

Meanwhile, West Ham striker Marlon Harewood is wanted by Birmingham, Fulham, Portsmouth and Aston Villa. (News of the World)

Aston Villa midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba is wanted by Benfica. (News of the World)

Celtic are battling it out with Monaco for the signature of Nice's £3.5m rated defender, Rod Fanni. (News of the World)

New Motherwell manager Mark McGhee wants to take Celtic defender Adam Virgo to Fir Park on loan. (Various)

Celtic will move for freed Hibernian midfielder Michael Stewart if they fail to land Sampdoria's Gennaro Delvecchio. (News of the World)

Bolton striker Henrik Pedersen is wanted by Preston, who are resigned to losing forward David Nugent. (News of the World)

Dundee United are poised to exploit a transfer-market loophole to sign Oldham striker Chris Porter for nothing. (Mail on Sunday)

St Mirren look set to move for Rab Douglas should the goalkeeper agree a compensation package with Leicester. (Various)


OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester City's Bernardo Corradi is desperate to leave the club and return to Italy's Serie A. (Sunday Mirror)

Bolton winger Ricardo Vaz Te will ask boss Sammy Lee to be allowed to leave the club. (Sunday Mirror)

Arsenal will offer manager Arsene Wenger a new three-year contract in the next few days. (The People)

But departing striker Thierry Henry insists Wenger will not sign a new deal. (News of the World)

And both Real Madrid and Barcelona want to lure Wenger away from the Emirates Stadium. (Sunday Express)

Manchester City will turn to Celtic boss Gordon Strachan if they fail to lure Sven-Goran Eriksson to the Eastlands hot-seat. (Sunday Mirror)

John Toshack could quit as Wales boss to take up the role of sporting director at real Sociedad. (Various)


AND FINALLY
Charlton are set to close down their entire women's set-up - the second biggest in the country - following the relegation of the men's team from the Premier League, in a cost-cutting exercise.

 

[McFLY]

Wednesday 27th June gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Parma have made a bid, thought to be £6m, for Manchester United striker Giuseppe Rossi. (The Guardian)

Liverpool's record £25m bid for Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres is being held up by the striker's £2.5m pay-off clause. (The Sun)

West Ham striker Carlos Tevez is likely to leave for Inter Milan this summer. (Daily Mirror)

Thaksin Shinawatra has set his sights on bringing Shaun Wright-Phillips back to Manchester City when his takeover is complete. (The Sun)

Preston striker David Nugent could have to wait until Christmas to get his dream move to Everton. (The Sun)

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes is pulling out of a deal for Roma's Shabani Nonda and will offload Francis Jeffers to Ipswich. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea defender Wayne Bridge will snub a move from Stamford Bridge as he expects to be number one left-back at the club next season. (Daily Star)

Tottenham will listen to offers for Jermain Defoe once they complete the signing of Charlton's Darren Bent. (Daily Mirror)

Charlton are refusing to budge on their asking price of £17m for Bent. (The Independent)

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce is lining up a double swoop for Arsenal's Mathieu Flamini and Celta Vigo's Daniel de Ridder. (The Sun)

Bruce is close to signing French star Olivier Kapo from Juventus. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane is plotting a swoop for West Brom defenders Paul McShane and Paul Robinson. (The Sun, Daily Mail)

Keane is close to agreeing a £1m move for Aberdeen skipper Russell Anderson. (Daily Record)

Dutch star Ryan Babel will snub a move to Arsenal this summer to stay at Ajax, but has admitted he is tempted by a move in the future. (Various)

Fulham are ready to battle with Reading to sign Didier Digard. (Daily Express)

Fulham made a £4.5m offer for West Brom's Diomansy Kamara after Heidar Helguson snubbed a swap deal. (Daily Mirror)

Reading have offered Leroy Lita has been offered a new £20,000-a-week contract to keep him. (Various)

Wigan are ready to sell striker Lee McCulloch to Rangers - as long as they agree to take defender Andy Webster too. (Daily Mirror)

Rangers must fork out £1.5m up front, plus another £500,000 in add-ons if they are to sign Kilmarnock's Steven Naismith. (Daily Record)

The Gers fear their chances of signing Bordeaux's Julien Faubert are no better than 50-50. (Daily Record)

Crystal Palace's move for Benfica defender Jose Fonte is in jeopardy after interest from Steaua Bucharest. (Daily Mail)

Wolves are close to a £500,000 deal for Crystal Palace defender Darren Ward. (Daily Mirror)

Bolton have emerged as favourites to sign Sheffield United's Phil Jagielka. (Daily Star)


OTHER GOSSIP
Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has admitted he does not know whether Arsene Wenger will stay at the club. (Daily Mirror)

But Wenger's good friend Max Hild, his former boss at Strasbourg, says that he will remain at the north London club for life. (The Sun)

Former Fulham boss Chris Coleman has had talks about becoming the new Real Sociedad coach. (Various)

Hong Kong billionaire Carson Yeung Ka-Shing is closing in on his takeover of Birmingham. (The Sun)

Newcastle's new owner Mike Ashley is ready to invest £50m in transfer cash to trigger the club's revival. (Daily Mirror)

Alan Curbishley's future as West Ham boss could be in doubt despite him leading them to Premiership safety last season. (Daily Star)

Sven-Goran Eriksson has agreed to take the Manchester City job and prove his critics wrong. (Daily Express)

Eriksson has agreed a three-year deal worth £3m a season - making him one of the Premiership's highest paid managers behind Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho.

City fans have been rushing to snap up season tickets with the prospect of Eriksson to splash £50m of the new owner's money. (The Sun)

Eriksson will have to wait until next week to be named as Stuart Pearce's successor. (Daily Star)

Thai prosecutors are stepping up their bid to derail Shinawatra's £81.6m takeover bid. (Daily Telegraph)

Officials from the Premier League, FA and Football League have agreed to meet sports minister Richard Caborn for talks over foreign ownership of clubs. (Various)

Chelsea want Portsmouth's technical director Avram Grant in place as their sporting director in time for their pre-season trip to LA. (the Sun)

Everton's plans to move to a new 55,000-seater stadium in Kirkby have been hit by protests from local residents. (Daily Mail)

Bolton's new arrival Bierim Dzemaili has been ruled out until 2008. (Daily Mail)

West Ham are still waiting for almost £1m in compensation over the injury to Dean Ashton while on England duty. (The Guardian)


AND FINALLY
David Beckham is being urged to cut short his holiday to help the LA Galaxy, who have slumped to second bottom of their division. (The Sun)

Sheffield Wednesday's pre-season plans are in doubt because of the flooding at Hillsborough. (Daily Express)

Uefa has admitted English football fans are unfairly targeted by foreign riot cops. (The Sun)

 

[McFLY]

Thursday 28th June gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will make a £13m bid for Newcastle striker Obefemi Martins. (Various)

Chelsea have had a £12m bid for Lyon midfielder Florent Malouda rejected. (Various)

Sven-Goran Eriksson will make Middlesbrough striker Yakubu his first signing. (Daily Mirror)

Barcelona are ready to make a £15m bid for Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard. (The Times)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane wants Kieran Richardson from Manchester United. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano has pleaded with Argentine international team-mate Carlos Tevez to join him at Anfield. (Daily Star)

Rangers target Julien Faubert has gone on strike at Bordeaux after the French club refused to sell him. (Daily Record)

West Ham are willing to pay Carlos Tevez £115,000 a week to keep him at the club for another year. (Daily Mail)

Martin O'Neill is to launch a fresh £8m bid for West Ham's Nigel Reo-Coker. (Various)

O'Neill may have to fight off an attempted hijack of the move by prospective Man City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson. (The Times)

West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is looking at Bolton's Kevin Nolan as a possible replacement for Nigel Reo-Coker. (The Sun)

Shaun Wright-Phillips will reject a move to Man City if Sven-Goran Eriksson takes over. (Daily Mail)

Andy van der Meyde is likely to be kicked out of Everton after reportedly criticising coach David Moyes on Dutch TV. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland have had a £3m bid for Wigan defender Leighton Baines rejected. (Daily Mail)

Arsenal and Tottenham are battling to sign Lyn Oslo's Norwegian striker Chinedu Ogbuke. (Daily Mirror)

Spurs are close to securing a deal to sell Reto Ziegler to Sampdoria for £1.4m. (The Times)

Celtic plan to make a £2m swoop for Watford defender Dan Shittu. (Daily Mirror)

Reading's Nicky Shorey will snub Newcastle and West Ham by signing a new contract at the Royals. (Daily Mail)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is interested in signing West Ham's £3m-rated striker Marlon Harewood. (Various)

Bristol City will confirm the signing of Hibernian's Northern Ireland winger Ivan Sproule on Thursday. (Daily Mirror)

Lee McCulloch is tipped to complete a move from Wigan to Rangers for £2.5m. (The Times)

Nigerian international midfielder Oneykachi Okonkwo is being watched by Premier League new boys Birmingham and Derby. (The Sun)

League One Nottingham Forest have slapped a £1.5m price tag on wing wizard Kris Commons. (Daily Star)

Former Brentford striker Lloyd Owusu is keen on a move to Yeovil. (Various)


OTHER GOSSIP
Real Madrid will sack coach Fabio Capello on Thursday because club chiefs blame him for David Beckham's exit. (Daily Mirror)

Prospective Man City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has taken his holding in the club to 65% (The Sun)

Barcelona financial director Ferran Soriano claims Thierry Henry first contacted the club over a move back in May after David Dein left the Emirates Stadium. (The Sun)


AND FINALLY
David Beckham and Kate Moss are going to be godparents to the newborn son of ex-Hollyoaks lovely Davinia Taylor. (Various)

Supporters of Atletico Madrid have staged a demonstration in the streets of the Spanish capital to protest about the possible sale of striker Fernando Torres to Liverpool. (Various)