June Football gossip 2008

[McFLY]

Saturday 21st June gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
Cardiff City are preparing to table a fresh bid for Rangers striker Kris Boyd. (PA Sport, 0945)

New Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho, is ready to approach FC Porto with an offer for winger Ricardo Quaresma, a former target of Tottenham. (AFP, 1039)

Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o has not passed a medical at Emirates Stadium prior to a proposed move to Arsenal, according to his agent. (setantasports.com, 1226)

Brazilian club Portuguesa have turned down an Arsenal bid for their highly-rated striker Diogo. (Sky Sports, 1300)

Dutch midfielder Orlando Engelaar is being tracked by both Everton and Newcastle but face competition from German side Schalke. (Sky Sports, 1300)

Striker Marlon Harewood has revealed his desire to stay at Aston Villa - despite attracting interest from a host of clubs. (PA Sport, 1441)


CRISTIANO RONALDO GOSSIP
Cristiano Ronaldo may have to face the 'hairdryer treatment' from Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson in a one-on-one meeting before he can force through a move to Real Madrid (Daily Mail).

Senior Manchester United players have been bombarding Ronaldo with text messages and phone calls urging him to stay at Old Trafford. (Daily Mirror)

Real Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder has urged Ronaldo to come to the Bernabeu, believing he can help the Spanish champions win a 10th European Cup. (Daily Star)

Ronaldo had already decided to quit United and join Real Madrid before last month's Champions League final. (The Sun)


TRANSFER RUMOURS
Tottenham are preparing a double swoop on Spain, with their targets being £10m Argentine hitman Diego Milito from Zaragoza and Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. (Daily Star)

Barcelona claim they have agreed a stunning £25m deal to sign Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor. (Daily Star)

George Boateng says the chances of him being at Middlesbrough next season are no better than 50/50. (Various)

Tottenham are heading a list of clubs interested in Germany striker Lukas Podolski, who plays for Bayern Munich. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is leading the chase for Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips after being thwarted in two previous attempts. (Daily Express)

Villa are also in the running for Blackburn winger David Bentley but the England man is more likely to go to Chelsea or Tottenham. (Daily Express)

Roma have been linked with Manchester United duo Louis Saha and Mikael Spaletti. (Daily Telegraph)

Barcelona's former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen is wanted by both West Ham and Portsmouth. (Daily Mirror)

Hull City face competition from Italian side Sampdoria in their bid to sign Paris St Germain's Bernard Mendy. (Daily Mirror)

West Brom expect to finally agree a new contract next week with Kevin Phillips to stop the striker leaving on a free transfer. (Daily Mirror)

Veteran Czech striker Jan Koller has snubbed a move to Birmingham and is off to Russian club Krylia Sovetov Samara. (Daily Mirror)

Hibernian forward Clayton Donaldson could return to England, with Darlington linked with the former York City target man. (The Sun)

Swindon have failed to prise defender Scott Cuthbert away from Celtic. (The Sun)

Aberdeen are leading the chase for RKC Waalwijk defender Tim Bakens. (Daily Express)

Fiorentina have ruled out the sale of Argentina midfielder Mario Santana to Tottenham. (Independent)

Another Aston Villa target is Newcastle star James Milner - once Gareth Barry leaves for Liverpool. (Daily Mirror)

Queens Park Rangers and Coventry City are interested in signing Moritz Volz, who has a year left on his contract. (The Times)


OTHER GOSSIP
Paul Ince has been given special dispensation to become the next Blackburn manager. (Various)

Former England boss Sir Bobby Robson has praised Steve McClaren for accepting the position of manager of Dutch club Twente. (The Times)

Nigel Pearson has vowed to lead Leicester back to the Championship after being appointed the club's sixth manager in Milan Mandaric's 16-month reign as chairman. (Daily Telegraph)

Former Fulham manager Jean Tigana has ruled out the possibility of becoming the next boss of France - if Raymond Domenech is sacked. (Daily Mirror)


AND FINALLY
Germany coach Joachim Low was not allowed any contact with his team before the quarter-final win over Portugal because of his touchline ban but revealed he was still able to make mobile phone calls to the bench. (Daily Mirror)

 

[McFLY]

Monday 23rd June gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
West Ham have slapped an £8m price tag on defender Anton Ferdinand, who is reportedly a target for Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill. (Press Association, 2053 BST)

Shola Ameobi looks poised to move to West Brom after sources close to the player indicated the Newcastle striker was keen to play under Tony Mowbray. (Press Association, 1627 BST)

Poland midfielder Mariusz Lewandowski, 29, has told the Evening Times he would love to play for Celtic. (Press Association, 1530 BST)

Tottenham appear to have little hope of signing David Villa from Valencia after the Spain striker referred to Premier League rivals Liverpool and Chelsea as potentially attractive destinations. (Daily Mail, 1357 BST)

AC Milan's vice-president Adriano Galliani has reiterated the club's position that Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor is their only transfer target this summer. (Various)

Espanyol's Pablo Zabaleta is unlikely to move to Manchester City because the Premier League club have cooled their interest in the player, according to his agent. (BBC Sport, 1356 BST)

Netherlands international Orlando Engelaar will consider a move to the Premier League if his club FC Twente cannot reach an agreement with Schalke, who he has agreed personal terms with. (BBC Sport, 1230 BST)

Russia playmaker Andrei Arshavin has told Spanish newspaper AS he has had offers from clubs in England and Germany but admitted "what I really want is to play in the Spanish League, in the Primera Division." (Press Association, 1036 BST)

Juventus are set to make their first official move for Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso this week after the player hinted he fancied a move to Italy. (Liverpool Daily Post)

Tottenham hope to finally end their search for a new goalkeeper this week by securing a £10million deal with PSV Eindhoven for Heurelho Gomes. (Daily Mail, 1010 BST)


CRISTIANO RONALDO LATEST
Real Madrid have told Manchester United they will pay "whatever it takes" to get Cristiano Ronaldo but the Spaniards will make no approach until United say they are willing to sell. (Various)

Ronaldo is expected to issue a statement on Monday or Tuesday to confirm his intention to move to Madrid. (Various)

Former France captain Zinedine Zidane, for whom Real paid a record £45m fee in 2001, has said Ronaldo would be an ideal signing for the Spanish champions. (The Independent)

Outgoing Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who is taking over as Chelsea manager, has warned Manchester United that Ronaldo will "fulfil his dream whatever the difficulties". (The Guardian)


TRANSFER RUMOURS
Barcelona midfielder Deco is set to become new Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari's first signing in a £12m deal. (The Sun)

But Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has told Scolari to forget signing the Portugal midfielder as he is ready to sanction a £20m bid for Russian playmaker Andrei Arshavin. (Daily Star)

Russia's sports minister Vitaly Mutko has said it would be Arshavin's "dream" to play for Barcelona but revealed it was unlikely the Catalans would be able to improve on the Zenit St Petersburg player's £50,000-a-week, plus bonuses, salary. (The Guardian)

Bolton chairman Phil Gartside has revealed the club are close to paying a record fee for a forward. Manchester United striker Louis Saha is a target. (The Times)

Everton boss David Moyes wants to sign Tottenham striker Darren Bent for around half of the £16m Spurs spent on the former Charlton player a year ago. (Daily Mirror)

Bent could be making way for the arrival of David Villa as Spurs have reportedly offered Valencia £20m for the Spain striker. (Daily Telegraph)

Brazil playmaker Ronaldinho, who has been told by Barcelona that he is free to leave, has admitted he would love to play in the Premier League but refused to say whether he fancies Manchester City or Chelsea. (Various)

The transfer of Brazilian striker Jo to Manchester City has hit a few contractual snags as the CSKA Moscow player is subject to the same ownership issues as Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez. (The Times)

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp is ready to pay £2m for Tottenham defender Younes Kaboul. (Daily Mirror)

Midfielder Michael Ballack, who has one-year remaining on his Chelsea contract, has said he would like to see out the rest of his career at Stamford Bridge. (Various)

Birmingham City insist James McFadden will not be leaving the club, despite reports that the striker does not want to play in the Championship. (Various)

Former France and Tottenham coach Jacques Santini has put his name forward to become the next manager of Hearts. (Daily Express)

Anderlecht are poised to step up their interest in Hibernian striker Abdessalam Benjelloun (Scottish Sun)

Jean-Claude Darcheville has vowed to fight for his place in the Rangers team, despite the arrival of Kenny Miller, Andrius Velicka and Kyle Lafferty. (The Independent)

Burnley boss Owen Coyle is hoping to sign Scunthorpe striker Martin Paterson, Norwich midfielder Darel Russell and Hearts winger Andy Driver. (Daily Mirror)

Rangers have offered goalkeeper Allan McGregor a lucrative five-year deal worth around £20,000 a week. (Daily Record)

Aberdeen are on the verge of sealing a deal to sign out-of-contract Dundee United midfielder Mark Kerr. (Daily Express)


OTHER GOSSIP
When asked to explain how England beat Euro 2008 semi-finalists Russia 3-0 at Wembley last autumn, their coach Guus Hiddink mischievously replied: "England had a good day that day, their only one." (Various)

Restaurants in Basle sold out of food 45 minutes before Holland's quarter-final match with Russia on Saturday as there were more Oranje fans in Basle than residents. (Daily Express)


AND FINALLY
Alena Seredova, the wife of Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, has admitted she has a crush on two of her husband's team-mates.

"I get emotional every time Gigi makes a save," said the Czech model. "But a woman must admit that the two sexiest players in the national team are on the bench - Fabio Cannavaro and Marco Borriello." (The Times)

 

[McFLY]

Tuesday 24th June gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
PSG have been linked with the captures of France legends Ludovic Giuly, Claude Makelele, Robert Pires and Lillian Thuram. (skysports.com 1135 BST)

Real Madrid intend to announce the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo on 7 July. (Marca 0819 BST)


CRISTIANO RONALDO LATEST
Real Madrid say they will not pay the £80m figure that has been estimated for the Manchester United star. (The Sun)

United's threat to let Ronaldo 'rot' in the stands can't happen as Fifa rules state players can rip up their contracts if they don't play a certain amount of games. (Various)

Ronaldo is dreading returning to Manchester and facing manager Sir Alex Ferguson. (Daily Mirror)

The Portuguese winger has delayed a foot operation to go on holiday, further delaying his return to England. (The Independent)


TRANSFER RUMOURS
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is demanding £50m to secure the transfers of David Villa, Daniel Alves, David Silva and Gareth Barry. (The Mirror)

Jose Mourinho has cut short his summer holiday to personally take charge of Inter Milan's pursuit of Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard. (The Sun)

AC Milan are ready to call off their pursuit of Emmanuel Adebayor after Arsenal rejected the move. (The Star)

Arsenal could move for Valencia midfielder David Silva if as expected Alexander Hleb moves to Barcelona. (The Sun)

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has failed with a £9m bid for Liverpool striker Peter Crouch. (Daily Star)

Tottenham defender Michael Dawson is a £4m target for Newcastle. (Daily Mirror)

Spurs are targeting PSV Eindhoven keeper Heurelho Gomes who would cost around £10m. (Guardian)

Tottenham could also bid £9.6m for Brescia keeper Emiliano Viviano as they look to replace Paul Robinson. (The Times)

Also at White Hart Lane, winger Aaron Lennon may swap Tottenham for Newcastle. (The Guardian )

Spurs manager Juande Ramos will pay £8m for Seville winger Diego Capel. (The Independent)

Fulham could trade midfielder Jimmy Bullard for Middlesbrough defender Luke Young. (The Times)

Boss Roy Hodgson is also keen on bringing Liverpool defender Steve Finnan back to Craven Cottage. (The Times)

Newcastle's Shola Ameobi is expected to move to West Bromwich Albion for £2.5m. (The Times)

Aston Villa are keen on out-of-favour Everton striker Andy Johnson and are ready to table a £7m bid. (Daily Star)

Bolton manager Gary Megson is ready to smash the club's transfer record with the signing of Toulouse striker Johan Elmander. (The Sun)

Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun could be on his way out of Anfield, with Portsmouth keen on the Israeli. (The Sun)

Steve Sidwell is demanding a Chelsea pay-off before joining Aston Villa. (Daily Mirror)

Premier League new boys Stoke are lining up a bid of £2m for Morocco striker Bouchaib El-Moubarki. (Daily Mirror)

New Blackburn Rovers manager Paul Ince could raid his old club MK Dons to sign captain Keith Andrews. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa have had a £15m bid for David Bentley rejected by Blackburn Rovers. (Daily Mail)

Poland midfielder Mariusz Lewandowski has given Celtic the green light to fight it out with Everton and Fulham for his signature. (Various)

Burnley are preparing an increased bid for Dundee midfielder Kevin McDonald after failing with a £400,000 offer. (Daily Star)

The Turf Moor club are also stepping up their bid to sign Celtic forward Derek Riordan (Scottish Sun)

Birmingham will swoop for Hibs striker Steven Fletcher if James McFadden moves on. (Daily Record)


OTHER GOSSIP
New Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has cancelled the clubs pre-season tour of Switzerland preferring instead to take the club on a gruelling training camp. (Daily Mail)

Roberto di Matteo could take his first steps into management having been linked to the vacant post at MK Dons. (Daily Mail)


AND FINALLY
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is being lined up by Westlife to replace band member Brian McFadden. (The Sun)

 

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Latest transfers speculations Wednesday 25.06.08

Latest transfers speculations Wednesday 25.06.08

All the latest football gossip

Wednesday's gossip column

Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill is reported to be lining up a move for Tottenham’s £5m-rated goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

Wesley Sneijder has ruled out a move to Manchester United as part of the deal that brings Ronaldo to Real Madrid, saying he wants to stay at the Bernebeu.

Barcelona have made the capture of Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor their top priority.

Tottenham are preparing to bid £20m for Valencia striker David Villa.

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has already seen the personal terms of his Real Madrid contract.

Real Madrid hope to announce the signing of Ronaldo on 7 July.

New Blackburn boss Paul Ince has slammed Ronaldo for 'souring' United's success of last season.

Harry Redknapp says he won't be held to ransom by Liverpool in his pursuit of striker Peter Crouch.

Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan is hoping to sign Switzerland striker Eren Derdiyok from FC Basel for £6m.

Sunderland could launch a bid for Sheffield United's £5m-rated striker James Beattie

Lukas Podolski has asked Bayern Munich if he has a future at the club. Tottenham are said to be interested in the striker.

Middlesbrough have tabled a £3.5m bid for Reading midfielder James Harper.

Arsenal have identified Real Mallorca striker Daniel Guiza as a replacement for Barcelona target Emmanuel Adebayor.

Mallorca themselves are keen on Portsmouth midfielder Pedro Mendes.

Bordeaux have conceded defeat in their attempts to sign Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre.

Tottenham are closing in on PSV Eindhoven keeper Heurelho Gomes.

Chelsea striker Ben Sahar is set to join Portsmouth on loan.

Derby will launch a £500,000 raid on Cardiff for defender Darren Purse.

Highly rated Chelsea midfielder Jimmy Smith could join Sheffield Wednesday on loan.

Wigan forward Antoine Sibierski has been told he can leave the club on a free transfer.

Stoke are closing in on Jamaican midfielder Rudolph Austin who is currently at Portmore United.

West Brom boss Tony Mowbray is closing in on a £5m double deal for Newcastle's Shola Ameobi and Swansea's Ferrie Bodde.

Bolton hope to secure the record signing of Toulouse's Johan Elmander before the end of the week.

Paul Ince has warned interested clubs that striker Roque Santa Cruz is not for sale.

Portsmouth are preparing a bid for Reading defender Nicky Shorey.

Rangers have accepted a £300,000 offer from Norwich for midfielder Alan Gow.

Lazio and Lecce are trying to pinch Manchester City striker Georgios Samaras from under the nose of Celtic.

Rangers are not prepared to meet Fulham's £4m asking price for midfielder Steven Davis.

Malmo have cleared the way for ex-Rangers forward Jonathan Johansson to leave Sweden and join Hibernian.

Darlington and Oldham are interested in Hibs striker Clayton Donaldson.

Huddersfield may win the race for out-of-contract Dundee United midfielder Mark Kerr.

Other gossip other than transfer news.............

Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz has not ruled out replacing Luis Felipe Scolari as Portugal's national boss.

The Premier League will have its youngest referee with 25-year-old Stuart Attwell set to take charge of games next season.

Work has finally begun on Liverpool's new stadium in Stanley Park.

Germany keeper Jens Lehmann says he would 'give his life' to reach the final of Euro 2008.​