May Football gossip 2008

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Monday 05th May gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Arsene Wenger is prepared to pay £12m to bring Portsmouth midfielder Niko Kranjcar to Arsenal as a replacement for Alexander Hleb. (Daily Mirror)

Wenger is also interested in signing Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins for around £15m.(Daily Telegraph)

Juventus are reportedly interested in signing Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso. (Daily Telegraph)

Wolves' Welsh international goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey is a £5.5m target for Everton. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini is in Italy finalising his free transfer to AC Milan. (Various)

Newcastle are lining up a £4m bid for Fulham midfielder Steven Davis who has impressed while on loan at Rangers this season.(Daily Mirror)

Kevin Keegan is also keen to bring Everton striker Andrew Johnson to St James' Park. (Daily Mirror)

Nottingham Forest winger Kris Commons will join rivals Derby County on a free transfer in the summer. (Various)

Derby striker Robert Earnshaw could head in the opposite direction for £1.5m. (Daily Mail)

Sunderland manager Roy Keane will re-launch a £5m bid for midfielder Stephen Hunt if Reading are relegated. (Daily Mirror)


OTHER GOSSIP
Frank Lampard is set to sign a one-year contract extension to stay with Chelsea. (Daily Express)

Manchester United's players will each pocket a £250,000 bonus if they win the double. (The Sun)

Stoke City's promotion to the Premier League will earn the club between £50m and £60m.

Stephen Warnock and Matt Derbyshire have been offered new four-year deals to stay at Blackburn. (The Sun)


AND FINALLY
Survivors of the Munich air disaster will be invited to the Champions League final as guests of Man Utd. (Various)

 

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Tuesday 06th May gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
Thierry Henry has insisted he will stay for at least another year with Barcelona, despite a mixed first season in Spanish football. The former Arsenal striker has been linked with a return to the Premier League. (Le Parisien, 1118 BST)

Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has indicated he would be interested in signing Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, but has said "it has to be the player who makes the first step because we don't want conflicts with any team". (Press Association, 0943 BST)

The agent of Porto right-back Jose Bosingwa has dismissed rumours the player has agreed terms with Manchester United. The 25-year-old Portugal international has been linked with a move to Old Trafford ibut Rui Neno insists no club has yet matched Porto's 30m Euros (£23.6m) valuation of the player. (Press Association, 0431 BST)

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Portsmouth will offer Liverpool striker Peter Crouch a £4m annual salary and will pay a transfer fee of £8m for the England player. But Newcastle, Manchester City and Middlesbrough are also keen and keeping an eye on developments. (Mirror)

Portsmouth defender Noe Pamarot is wanted by Celtic, who are prepared to pay £2m for the 28-year-old. (The Sun)

Wigan manager Steve Bruce is interested in signing Bolton's Ricardo Gardner this summer. (The Sun)

Aston Villa, Sunderland and Middlesbrough have all been warned off making a move for Sheffield United striker James Beattie. (The Sun)

Emerse Fae wants to leave Reading after the club fined him for refusing to play in a reserve match. (The Sun)

Sunderland manager Roy Keane has told his players that no-one's future is safe at the club. (The Sun)

West Ham manager Alan Curbishley is set to bid £3.5m for Wolves winger Michael Kightly. (Mirror)

Arsenal midfielder Alex Hleb wants to leave the club, which will alert Inter Milan. The Belarus international has questioned the Gunners' ambitions. (Independent)

AC Milan midfielder Gennaro Gattuso could be a target for Arsenal, but the 30-year-old's age and high wages count against him. (Independent)

Liverpool defender John Arne Riise has been told he can find another club. He has been offered to Aston Villa as part of a deal for Gareth Barry. (The Sun)

Midfielder Barry is set to turn down a record pay offer from Villa in order to seal a move to Anfield. (Independent)

Liverpool have checked on Barcelona's French left-back Frank Abidal and are also pursuing Borussia Dortmund's Phillip Degen. (Daily Express)

Real Madrid have reportedly held talks with Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho over a summer move to the Spanish giants. (Telegraph)

Wigan boss Steve Bruce has told Stoke they will need to pay £300,000 to sign on-loan keeper Carlo Nash on a permanent basis. (Daily Express)

West Brom striker Kevin Phillips has hinted he may be ready to leave the club, despite their promotion to the Premier League. (Various)

Tottenham keeper Radek Cerny claims QPR have offered him a contract. (Mirror)

Striker Bobby Zamora could be set to leave West Ham, which will alert Middlesbrough and Blackburn. (Mirror)

Bolton manager Gary Megson is ready to spend £9m on St Etienne striker Bafetimbi Gomis. (Daily Star)

Birmingham's 22-year-old Dutch under-21 international winger Daniel de Ridder is wanted by Feyenoord. (Daily Star)

Derby striker Kenny Miller is set to leave the club and return to Rangers, who will pay £2m for him. (Daily Star)

Portsmouth want Southampton winger Nathan Dyer. (Daily Star)

Ipswich are preparing a £1m bid for Leicester's Northern Ireland defender Gareth McAuley. (Daily Star)

Burnley manager Owen Coyle is hoping to talk striker Andy Cole out of retirement with the offer of a one-year contract. (Mirror)

Nottingham Forest want Coventry striker Leon Best. (Daily Star)

Leeds boss Gary McAllister wants to take Manchester United defender Craig Cathcart, 19, on loan. (Daily Star)

Hull are keen on 24-year-old German full-back Jan Tauer, who plays for Swedish side Djurgarden. (Daily Star)

Hereford and Luton are interested in Sheffield United keeper Ian Bennett, whose contract is up and the club and is set to leave. (Mirror)


OTHER GOSSIP
Leicester chairman Milan Mandaric will fly to England from America this week to sack manager Ian Holloway. (The Sun)

The Premier League is printing two sets of league winners' medals and will have two trophies available for Sunday's title finale - the one at Stamford Bridge will be a replica - so they are ready to hand silverware to either Chelsea or Manchester United. (The Sun)

Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan believes there is a lack of competition in the Premier League and says it is "in danger of becoming one of the most boring leagues in the world". Keegan predicts the top four this season will dominate again next season. (Various)

Newcastle striker Michael Owen has yet to be offered a new deal and Keegan admits he is frustrated not to have tied the England player to the club, after asking the board to do so six weeks ago.(The Sun)

Bolton captain Kevin Nolan says the club should not waste their time trying to persuade want-away striker El-Hadji Diouf to stay, saying "it's not the be-all and end-all". (The Sun)

Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has revealed he was close to tears at the Emirates on Sunday against Everton as he made his final appearance for the club. "The club and supporters will always stay in my heart." (The Sun)

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is on the verge of confirming plans for a 50,000 capacity stadium to be built next to their current White Hart Lane home. (Daily Mail)

Wigan manager Steve Bruce will jet off to Africa this week on a scouting mission for new players. (Daily Mail)

Fulham winger Clint Dempsey has extended his contract at the club but fellow American Kasey Keller looks set to leave. (The Sun)

Norwich striker Darren Huckerby has told the club he wants a new deal sorted out by the end of the week. (Various)

The Scottish Premier League is expected to perform a u-turn and extend the season by a week - and postpone Saturday's fixture against Dundee United - to ease Rangers' fixture congestion as they bid to win the league title, the Scottish Cup and the Uefa Cup. (Various)

Rangers are locked in talks which could see the Scottish Cup final moved to a Wednesday to ease the club's fixture backlog. (Daily Express)

But The Herald says Rangers will be forced to fulfil their fixture schedule of seven games in 17 days.

Celtic's loan striker Georgios Samaras says he is willing to put his club before country and miss a Greece friendly ahead of the Euro 2008 finals. (Daily Express)

Davie Irons has begun a clear-out at Morton with five first-team players released and a further four urged to find new clubs. (The Scotsman)

St Johnstone hope to retain former Chelsea midfielder Jody Morris beyond the end of the season. (Daily Record)


AND FINALLY
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has urged striker Wayne Rooney to start a family with fiancee Coleen McLoughlin to ensure their marriage remains a happy one. "Having a family helps," he said. "It gives you something to work together for." The canny Scot added: "They have to remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint." (The Sun)

Former England manger Sir Bobby Robson has been given the freedom of Ipswich. The 75-year-old has been recognised for leading Ipswich Town between 1969 and 1982, when he guided them to glory in the FA Cup in 1978 and the Uefa Cup in 1981. (The Sun)

A father and son scored 60 goals between them this season as strike partners for their team, Nimbin United. Doug Rowe, 34, and 17-year-old Doug Jnr. shot the club to a league and cup double in Southampton. Doug Snr. said: "He knows to make sure I get the most goals or he'll be doing the washing up at home." (Mirror)

 

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Wednesday 07th May gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
Middlesbrough midfielder Fabio Rochemback, a free agent, is set to meet with former club Sporting Lisbon to discuss a move back to Portugal.

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has admitted keeping Liverpool-target Gareth Barry will be his top priority this summer.

Everton have joined Roma in the race to sign the Spanish winger Joaquin from Valencia.

Scotland forward James McFadden has vowed to remain at Birmingham even if they are relegated from the Premier League on Sunday.

El Mundo Deportivo is reporting that Chelsea are in negotiations with Real Madrid and Spain defender Sergio Ramos over a move to Stamford Bridge.

Sheffield United chairman Kevin McCabe does not expect James Beattie to leave the club after scoring 22 goals in his first season at Bramall Lane.

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Striker Peter Crouch is demanding showdown talks with boss Rafael Benitez after admitting he cannot take another season spent on the Liverpool bench. (Mirror).

Everton boss David Moyes is lining up a £3m bid for out-of-favour Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell. (Various)

Moyes is also prepared to pay £4m for American midfielder Michael Bradley from Dutch side Heerenveen. (Mirror)

Manchester United will sit down with Wigan next week to thrash out an £8m deal for midfielder Wilson Palacios. (The Sun)

And there could be more business between the two clubs, with United looking to offer striker Louis Saha and cash in exchange for Ecuador winger Antonio Valencia. (Mirror)

The Latics, meanwhile, are looking to reinforce their attacking options by making a £4m swoop for Egypt striker Amr Zaky after boss Steve Bruce watched the 25-year-old score twice for his club Zamalek on Monday. (Various)

Sol Campbell's Portsmouth career appears to be over with boss Harry Redknapp eyeing Benfica defender Luisao as a replacement. Pedro Mendes is also likely to leave Fratton Park. (Various)

Another player leaving Portsmouth could be Lassana Diarra, with Tottenham said to be confident of signing the former Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder. (Guardian)

Tottenham boss Juande Ramos will attempt to lure West Ham's England's Under-21 defender Anton Ferdinand to White Hart Lane in a £6m deal. (The Sun)

The Spaniard will shell out another £6m on Birmingham winger Olivier Kapo, if the Blues are relegated on Sunday. (Mirror)

But Spurs could be set to lose star striker Dimitar Berbatov, who was conspicuous by his absence at the launch of the club's new kit on Tuesday night. (Various)

Mathieu Flamini will be joined at AC Milan by Barcelona full-back Gianluca Zambrotta with the Italian set to sign for £5.5m. (The Sun)

Sunderland are leading the race to sign Carlton Cole from West Ham but Celtic and Middlesbrough are also interested in the former England Under-21 striker. (Mirror)

Martin O'Neill could turn to Stephen Carr, who has been released by Newcastle, after being priced out of a move for Porto full-back Jose Boswinga. (Mirror)

Ivan Campo will be one of several players to leave the Reebok Stadium as Gary Megson sets about a clear-out at Bolton. (The Mirror)

One player who could be arriving at Bolton is Sheffield United defender Chris Morgan in a £1m deal. (Daily Star)

Watford could be the destination for out-of-favour Fulham defender Moritz Volz. (Daily Star)

Cardiff winger Peter Wittingham will be targeted by newly-promoted Nottingham Forest as a replacement for Derby-bound Kris Commons. (The Sun)

Sunderland and Wolves are to scrap it out for Barnet's £1m-rated winger Albert Adomah, who only arrived from Harrow in January. (The Sun)


OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester City have offered Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari over £3m a year to replace manager Sven-Goran Eriksson at the City of Manchester Stadium. (Various)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is considering reporting Real Madrid to Fifa for allegedly tapping up midfielder Cesc Fabregas. (Various)

The Frenchman has also advised striker Emmanuel Adebayor against leaving Arsenal, telling him he could end up a "nobody" by doing so. (Daily Star)

Kevin Keegan's relationship with his employers at Newcastle has reached breaking point following disagreements over transfer targets and amid private concerns that executive director Dennis Wise is being lined up to succeed him as manager. (Daily Mail)

Portsmouth midfielder Richard Hughes, a friend of Avram Grant's, says the Israeli would be happy to step down as Chelsea manager and let Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard take over at Stamford Bridge. (Various)

Former Tottenham manager Martin Jol is set to replace fellow Dutchman Huub Stevens as boss of Hamburg next season. (The Sun)

Brian McBride will be offered a new one-year deal with Fulham but the 35-year-old American striker may still opt to join Columbus Crew in the States. (Various)

Brazilian Lucas will deliver Rafael Benitez a blow ahead of next season by announcing his intention to join team-mate Javier Mascherano by competing at the Olympics in Beijing in August. (Independent)

Michael Owen is ready to commit his future to Newcastle by signing a new contract at St James' Park. (Various)

Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has been snubbed by Barcelona, who he was tipped to take over if Frank Rijkaard departs. (Independent)


AND FINALLY
Injured midfielder Harry Kewell will have cost Liverpool £157,554 per game when his Anfield career comes to an end this month. Kewell, who was signed by Gerard Houllier from Leeds in 2003, is one of several players heading for the exit door. (Various)

Footballers from outside the EU could be banned from playing for British clubs if they can't prove they can speak English under new Home Office rules. (The Sun)

With owner Roman Abramovich prepared to fork out almost £14.2m in incentives, the Chelsea players will pocket nearly £600,000 each in bonuses if they win the Premier League and Champions League Double. (Mirror)

Harry Redknapp is predicting the day when 20 billionaires are slugging it out for Premier League dominance, insisting it will take £150m to shatter the big four's monopoly. (Daily Express)

A Rangers-supporting father of four has vowed to do housework for a year after his wife spent her £600 savings on a Uefa Cup final ticket for him. (Daily Record)

 

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Thursday 08th May gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
Reported Manchester United target Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is ready to shun the attention of several of Europe's top clubs for the chance to work under incoming boss Marco van Basten and Dennis Bergkamp at Ajax. (Ajax Life, 1146)

Manchester City are favourites to seal a deal for Barcelona's Mexico starlet Giovani Dos Santos, the player's father has confirmed. (TEAMtalk, 1133 BST)

Sweden midfielder Freddie Ljungberg's West Ham career appears to be all but over after he was offered £3m to quit the club. (Clubcall, 1059 BST)

Former Tottenham boss Martin Jol has emerged as Hamburg's first choice to replace Huub Stevens as coach. (German newspaper Die Welt, 1017 BST)


TRANSFER RUMOURS
Kevin Keegan has been summoned to London on Friday for showdown talks with angry Newcastle owner Mike Ashley. (Daily Mail, The Sun)

Real Madrid are steeling themselves for a major attempt by Chelsea to sign their international defender Sergio Ramos for £50m. (Daily Express)

Although the Blues are apparently only going to offer £20m for Ramos. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea are ready to reignite their interest in Manchester City defender Micah Richards. (The Sun)

Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra is lining up a British record offer of £32m for Dimitar Berbatov. (Daily Mail)

But Berbatov is more likely to end up with Manchester United, who are prepared to pay twice the £10.9m they could have signed him for two years ago. (Daily Mail)

Manchester United are ready to turn to long-term target Klaas-Jan Huntelaar if Spurs are successful in creating a big-money auction for Berbatov. (Daily Express)

Manchester United also retain an interest in Lyon's Karim Benezma. (Daily Express)

Spurs have taken steps to replace Berbatov by opening talks with Barcelona over Samuel Eto'o. (Daily Mirror)

Alan Pardew wants Norwich midfielder Mark Fotheringham to help lead Charlton back to the Premier League. (Daily Express)

Manchester City are set to sign Mexican wonder-kid Giovanni Dos Santos from Spanish giants Barcelona. (Daily Mirror)

Togo striker Emmanuel Adebayor has told Barcelona to forget about signing him because he wants to make history with Arsenal. (The Sun)

Portsmouth and Newcastle are fighting it out for Barcelona striker Eidur Gudjohnsen. (The Sun)

Kevin Keegan could lure West Bromwich Albion's Zoltan Gera to Newcastle. (Daily Mirror)

Thierry Henry could be on his way out of Barcelona whether he likes it or not. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea flop Juliano Belletti is on his way out of Stamford Bridge this summer. (Daily Mirror, The Sun)

Ajax are looking at Middlesbrough's Robert Huth, while Boro will release Fabio Rochemback next week. (The Sun)

Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi is set to snub a £4m move to Stoke, where he is currently on loan. (The Sun)

Martin O'Neill is determined to keep Gareth Barry at Aston Villa despite rumours of interest from Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal. (Daily Mail, Daily Star)

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been told by the club's owners the Glazers that he can go on a £40m buying spree. (Daily Star)

FA Cup finalists Cardiff have offered keeper Peter Enckelman a three-year deal to remain at Ninian Park. (Daily Star)

Sunderland are likely to be the first club to take advantage of Reading's relegation plight by prising Steve Hunt away from the Berkshire club. (The Independent)

Jimmy Calderwood is looking to add some firepower to his Aberdeen side and is tracking SK Slovan Bratislava striker Pavol Masaryk. (The Herald)

Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies hopes to agree a deal to keep midfielder Mehdi Taouil at Rugby Park. (The Sun)

Hibs boss Mixu Paatelainen says new signing David Van Zanten is the first of three or four he plans to make in the summer. (The Sun)

Sheffield United boss Kevin Blackwell has targeted ex-Manchester City winger Darren Huckerby after the 32-year-old was released by Norwich. (Daily Star)

Wigan are chasing Hamburg's Jose Paolo Guerrero and are prepared to smash the club record transfer in their hunt for a striker. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea are not after Lionel Messi but do want to sign France star Franck Ribery from Bayern Munich. (Daily Telegraph)


OTHER GOSSIP
Avram Grant expects to be endorsed by Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich as the manager for next season ahead of the Champions league final on 21 May. (Daily Express)

Wayne Rooney will be back to help Manchester United gun for the Premier League crown on Sunday. (The Sun)

Ex-Arsenal midfielder Steve Morrow is a contender to be Walsall boss. (Daily Star)

AND FINALLY
Spanish fans were gob-smacked as stars from relegated club Levante refused to play after their game against Deportivo La Coruna kicked off.

The Levante players, who were angry about not being paid, stood in the centre circle while a Deportivo player ran the length of the field before kicking the ball out for a goal kick rather than scoring.

The match then finally started properly, with Deportivo going on to win 1-0. (The Sun)

 

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Tuesday 20th May gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
Portsmouth have sounded out Tottenham about signing defender Younes Kaboul. (Setanta Sports, 1510 BST)

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has been linked with leaving the club but says he may still stay at Stamford Bridge next season. (Press Association, 1215 BST)

The agent of Liverpool's reported target Albert Riera of Espanyol said his player has not been in contact with any Premier League clubs, but is open to offers. (BBC Sport, 1025 BST)

West Ham are weighing up the double capture of Manchester United striker Louis Saha and Bolton winger El-Hadji Diouf. (The Guardian, 0945 BST)

Seville right-back Daniel Alves is hoping to stay in Spain next season, according to his agent. (BBC Sport, 0905 BST)


TRANSFER RUMOURS
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard will join Inter Milan after the Champions League final on Wednesday. (Various)

Barcelona and Manchester United are leading the chase for Seville right-back Daniel Alves. (The Daily Star)

Chelsea will appoint Guus Hiddink as Avram Grant's managerial successor for next season. (The Daily Star)

Newcastle want to offload Emre to Galatasaray and sign left winger Arda Turan from the Turkish club, while they are also eyeing Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez. (The Daily Star)

The Tyneside outfit are also ready to tempt Rangers with a £7m offer for defender Carlos Cuellar. (The Sun)

Arsenal are close to completing the £13.5m capture of Samir Nasri from Marseille. (Various)

But Gunners boss Arsene Wenger faces talks with Kolo Toure, who does not want to play second fiddle to William Gallas, while Sporting Lisbon's Miguel Veloso could be drafted in to replace Mathieu Flamini. (The Sun)

Or, Roma £12m-rated midfielder Alberto Aquilani is being tipped to come in to replace Flamini. (Various)

Arsenal are one of a number of clubs interested in Fiorentina keeper Sebastian Frey. (Mirror)

Croatian midfielder Ognjen Vukojevic says it would be "an honour" to play for Celtic after being linked with a move to the Glasgow club. (The Scottish Sun)

Liverpool are close to signing Udinese's £8m-rated left-back Andrea Dossena. (Various)

Juventus boss Claudio Ranieri is keen to take Chelsea left-back Wayne Bridge to Italy. (Daily Mail)

Everton boss David Moyes will sign a new contract after being given £20m to spend in the transfer market. (Daily Mail)

The bulk of those funds could be used by Moyes to beat Manchester City to the signature of CSKA Moscow striker Jo. (Various)

Tottenham will land Crystal Palace youngster John Bostock in a deal that could rise to £5m. (Daily Mail)

Blackburn are preparing an £11m raid on Espanyol to sign defender Marc Torrejon and striker Ferran Corominas. (Mirror)

Scunthorpe have rejected a £400,000 bid from Burnley for Martin Paterson. (The Daily Star)


OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez says Chelsea are under more pressure to win the Champions League than the Old Trafford side as he tries his brand of mind games. (Various)

John Terry wants to lead Chelsea to Champions League success to help him stake his claim to be England captain ahead of Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand. (The Daily Star)

Sven-Goran Eriksson has had a meeting with Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra but is still unclear about whether he will stay on as manager. (Various)

West Ham midfielder Freddie Ljungberg says he will be fit enough to captain Sweden at Euro 2008. (The Daily Telegraph)


AND FINALLY
Chelsea and Manchester United are each struggling to sell-out their allocation of tickets for the Moscow showpiece, despite the Luzhniki stadium's capacity being reduced to 69,500 from 85,000. (Times)

The Champions League final is causing things to get heated on the NBA scene. Cleveland Cavaliers star Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a Manchester United fan and accused Boston's Kevin Garnett of being a fake Chelsea fan. But Garnett said: "I straightened him out - I let him know I wasn't a fake fan." By the way, Boston have just beaten Cleveland 4-3 in the seven-match series. (The Daily Star)

Former Great Britain sprinter Darren Campbell has been helping train Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko but the Olympic 4x100m gold medallist is a Manchester United fan. (The Sun)

Lubos Michel, who ruled Luis Garcia's effort had crossed the line when Liverpool knocked Chelsea out of the Champions League before winning it in 2005, will referee the game in Moscow. He has since said of the Jose Mourinho-dubbed 'ghost goal': "If my assistant referee had not signalled a goal, I would have given a penalty and sent off keeper Petr Cech." (The Daily Telegraph)

 

[McFLY]

Wednesday 21st May gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
Arsenal have made an offer for Marseille playmaker Samir Nasri, according to the player's agent Jean-Pierre Bernes (La Provence, 1627 BST)

Tottenham distanced themselves from reports linking the club with a bid for Barcelona's Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o. (Press Association, 1623 BST)

Paris St Germain's teenage forward Gael N'Lundulu could be on his way to Portsmouth, with Harry Redknapp's FA Cup winners reported to have seen off competition from Arsenal, Man City and Everton in the chase to sign the 16-year-old. (Le Parisien, 1550 BST)

Florent Malouda's agent has denied that the Chelsea winger is on the verge of moving to Barcelona after the Catalan press claim that he met with Barca's sporting director Txiki Beguiristain about the France international's future.
(Setanta Sports, 1515 BST)

Manchester City are understood to be lining up a move for Espanyol's right-sided Argentine star Pablo Zabaleta, with his club looking for around £15m. (clubcall.com, 1340 BST)

Cristiano Ronaldo has indicated he wants to join Real Madrid but Manchester United do not want to let him leave. (Marca, 1300 BST)

Liverpool's Xabi Alonso could be on the brink of a £12m move to Juventus. (Press Association, 1300 BST)

Arsenal have clinched a £10m deal for Olympique Marseille star Samir Nasri, who could sign a four-year contract later today. (L'Equipe, 1210 BST)

Barcelona will reportedly tempt Inter Milan to sell key defender Cristian Chivu by offering the Italian champions their Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o in exchange. (Channel Four - Football Italia, 1025 BST)

Highly-rated Dutch forward Klaas Jan Huntelaar has admitted Ajax will have the final say on whether he moves on this summer. "I am playing in the Dutch squad and the rest is not in my hands," he said. (Setanta Sports News, 0925 BST)

Everton boss David Moyes is being linked with a summer swoop for CSKA Moscow midfielder Dudu, who has been on loan at Valencia. The Brazilian would cost around £8m. (clubcall.com, 0850 BST)


TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester United have made bids for French youngsters Jeremy Helan and Darnel Situ. Helan is a 15-year-old Rennes left-back, and one of the most sought after teenagers in European football, while French Under-16 captain Situ could also make the switch to Old Trafford from Lens. (Daily Mail)

West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is ready to sell Dean Ashton and Anton Ferdinand in a bid to fund moves for Everton striker Andrew Johnson and Newcastle defender Steven Taylor. (Daily Mirror)

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson wants to bring back old boy Steve Finnan from Liverpool, who are believed to be willing to sell him for £2m. (Daily Mirror)

Middlesbrough and Bolton are back on the trail of Sporting Lisbon striker Simon Vukcevic. (Daily Mail)

Tottenham manager Juande Ramos has targeted Real Zaragoza's £10m-rated striker Diego Milito after failing with an audacious bid to land Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o. (Daily Mirror)

Spurs boss Ramos is also keen on Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano from his old club Seville. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has lined up former France goalkeeper and long-serving Bordeaux number one Ulrich Rame to act as cover for Pepe Reina. (Daily Mail)

Liverpool are also interested in 20-year-old Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik and Espanyol's £6m-rated winger Albert Riera. (Daily Mail and The Sun)

Manchester City have offered £12m for Zenit St Petersburg striker Andrei Arshavin. (The Sun)

Wigan winger Luis Antonio Valencia will snub interest from Manchester United and Liverpool to stay with the Lancashire club for another season. (Various)

Steve Sidwell will complete his £5m move from Chelsea to Aston Villa before the end of the week. (Various)

Northern Ireland striker Warren Feeney is set to leave Cardiff City for League One Millwall.(Various)

League One champions Swansea City are set to swoop for Southend midfielder Mark Gower. (vitalfootball.com)

Rangers are weighing up a summer move for Hearts left-back Lee Wallace. (The Sun)

Oldham Athletic will sign former Gretna goalkeeper Greg Fleming on a three-year deal. (Daily Express)


OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester City have stepped up their attempt to lure Luiz Felipe Scolari to the club, with another approach to the Brazilian coach, but their £3.2m-a-year offer falls short of the £3.9m Scolari is thought to be holding out for. (Times)

Former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who retired from playing in 2007 because of injury problems, will be in charge of the club's reserve side next season. (Daily Mirror)

Steve Coppell has taken a £500,000-a-year pay cut to stay on as Reading manager next season as he bids to return the Berkshire club back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. (Various)

Edgar Davids will leave Ajax when his contract expires on 30 June, with Dutch and foreign clubs reportedly interested in signing the midfielder. (The Independent)

After resigning as Wycombe manager on Tuesday, Paul Lambert is reported to be in the frame for both the Leicester job, and the Motherwell job - should Mark McGhee leave for Hearts. (Various)


AND FINALLY
Bristol City are paying for their players to tour Wembley stadium ahead of Saturday's Championship play-off final. "Some of the lads have not been there before so it will get rid of some of the early excitement," said manager Gary Johnson. (Times)

We all know about famous modern managers refusing to speak to television stations because of perceived wrongs in their coverage - but what about Stockport boss Jim Gannon? He, reportedly, is not cooperating with Sky before the club's play-off League Two play-off final against Rochdale because of a nine-month customer relations dispute over his defective Sky box. (Daily Mail)

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien will not take a penalty if the Champions League final against Manchester United goes to a shoot-out. Last time he took a spot-kick, which he missed, his mother Aba was rushed to hospital with a suspected heart attack. (Various)

Manchester United have been kept on British time since they arrived in Moscow for the Champions League final, choosing to ignore the three-hour time difference in the Russian capital. (Daily Mail)

Uefa president Michel Platini has branded Manchester United "unethical" because of the £1bn debt. (The Sun)

 

[McFLY]

Thursday 22nd May gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
Real Madrid boss Bernd Schuster tells Spanish television he believes Cristiano Ronaldo will play for the club at some point in his career. (Press Association, 2330 BST)

Portsmouth trio Sean Davis, Lauren and Milan Baros may leave the club during the summer. (Sporting Life, 1530 BST)

Liverpool target Albert Riera wants to leave Spanish club Espanyol. (Goal.com, 1500 BST)

An agreement has been reached between Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid and now the Spanish club have to convince Manchester United to sell. (Spanish sports paper Marca, 1350)

Tottenham are weighing up a possible move for Lyon keeper Gregory Coupet. (Teamtalk, 1130 BST)

Frank Lampard will open fresh talks about a new contract with Chelsea after England's upcoming friendlies. (Press Association, 1115 BST)

AC Milan want one striker from Chelsea's Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto'o of Barcelona, Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor or Palermo forward Amauri. (Reuters, 0945 BST)


TRANSFER RUMOURS
New European champions Manchester United have held talks with the owners of Carlos Tevez about turning the striker's loan into a permanent £20m move. (The Daily Express)

Liverpool want £16m from Juventus for midfielder Xabi Alonso, but will call off any deal if they fail to land Aston Villa's Gareth Barry. (The Sun)

Villa are ending their plans to sign keeper Scott Carson after failing to agree a fee with Liverpool. (The Daily Telegraph)

Reds boss Rafael Benitez is closing in on Andrea Dossena as Tottenham and Juventus enter the race for the Udinese full-back. (The Daily Star)

Arsenal face competition from Marseille for the signature of Lyon winger Hatem Ben Arfa. (The Daily Star)

Marseille's interest in Ben Arfa could scupper Arsenal's deal for Samir Nasri as the two French clubs may do a swap. (the Daily Telegraph)

Meanwhile, Arsenal want to add Frenchmen Clement Chantome, from PSG, and Laval's Francis Coquelin to their ranks. (Various)

The Gunners have been linked with midfielder Alberto Aquilani, but says he wants to stay at Roma. (Independent)

Premier League newcomers West Brom and Stoke have both set their sights on Reading defender Ibrahima Sonko. (The Sun)

Tottenham are set to offload midfielder Hossam Ghaly to Blackburn. (Various)

Wolves are to test the resolve of fellow Championship side Burnley with a £4m bid for striker Kyle Lafferty. (The Daily Mirror)

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is favourite to win the race to sign Cardiff City's Aaron Ramsey as the newly-crowned Champions League winners are prepared to loan the teenage sensation back to the Championship club next season. (The Western Mail)

Cardiff City full-back Tony Capaldi has been linked with a move to Championship rivals Wolves and Coventry City. (Various)


OTHER GOSSIP
Former Chelsea boss and current Juventus manager Claudio Ranieri has warned Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra not to sack coach Sven-Goran Eriksson. (The Daily Star)

Portsmouth assistant boss Tony Adams is set to extend his deal with the FA Cup winners. (The Daily Telegraph)


AND FINALLY
Chelsea had to wear their new kit for the Champions League final because of commercial influences. But the Blues had yet to win in the new shirt having only worn them in one match, the 1-1 draw against Bolton, and superstitious players wanted to wear the old one. (The Daily Mail)

 

[McFLY]

Sunday 25th May gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
Sven-Goran Eriksson is set to accept an offer from the Mexican FA to coach the national side. (Mexican newspaper La Jornada 2017 BST)

Portsmouth's Pedro Mendes has been linked with a move to Spanish Primera Liga side Mallorca. (IB3 Television 1630 BST)


TRANSFER RUMOURS
Clubs in the USA's MLS have turned down the chance to sign Chelsea striker Andrei Shevchenko. (Mail on Sunday)

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba is holding out for a move to AC Milan or Inter Milan despite Real Madrid being interested. (Mail on Sunday)

Arsenal are to begin negotiations for St Etienne duo Mouhamadou Dabo and Blaise Matuidi and Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez. (Mail on Sunday)

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez will listen to offers for Alvaro Arbeloa, Jermaine Pennant and Steve Finnan as he looks to raise funds for new signings. (Mail on Sunday)

Xabi Alonso, Peter Crouch, Scott Carson and John Arne Riise are also available as Benitez hopes to raise £50m in sales to bolster the £20m he has been given to spend by the club's owners. (News of the World)

West Brom boss Tony Mowbray is set to pay £3.5m for Aston Villa striker Luke Moore and £2.3m for Hearts hit-man Roman Bednar. (News of the World)

Barcelona striker Thierry Henry was set to join Manchester United for £10m until the Spanish side's new boss Pep Guardiola blocked the move two weeks ago.

Cruzeiro striker Marcelo Moreno is weighing up a move to Tottenham or Shakhtar Donetsk, according to his father. (The Observer)

Arsenal, Portsmouth, Liverpool, Everton, Manchester City, Tottenham and Middlesbrough are all interested in Valencia midfielder Edu. (Sunday Mirror)

West Ham are leading the chase for Everton striker Andy Johnson. (News of the World)

Hearts are lining up a bid for Paris St Germain's veteran goalkeeper Jerome Alonzo. (News of the World)

Rangers have been monitoring Watford central defender Danny Shittu. (News of the World)

Norwich City are the latest club to approach out-of-contract Aberdeen midfielder Barry Nicholson. (News of the World)

Burnley star James O'Connor has agreed a move to Sheffield Wednesday. (News of the World)


OTHER GOSSIP
Sir Alex Ferguson has set the date for his retirement as Manchester United boss and will quit in three years. (The Mail on Sunday)

Real president Ramon Calderon has responded to criticism from Ferguson over Cristiano Ronaldo. "Real Madrid have conducted themselves exquisitely in this whole affair with Ronaldo. We have always said that he is a player who has a contract and that Manchester United is not a selling club. That's everything."

Chelsea skipper John Terry has not slept properly since his spot-kick miss in the Champions League final. (Various)


AND FINALLY
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez will not use the number seven in his squad next year because of the pressure it puts on players to live up to previous incumbents like Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish. (News of the World)

 

[McFLY]

Monday 26th May gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Chelsea will continue to pursue the players sacked boss Avram Grant wanted to sign this summer - and will pay up to £50m for Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. (Daily Mail)

Grant also wanted AC Milan midfielder Kaka and Chelsea could offer Didier Drogba, Ricardo Carvalho and cash to secure him. (Daily Mail)

Arsenal want to seal a £11m deal for Marseille playmaker Samir Nasri before he plays for France in Euro 2008. (Various)

Newcastle, Manchester City and Arsenal all want Thierry Henry but new Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola will not let him leave. (Daily Star)

Manchester City are to hold talks about signing Barcelona star Giovanni Dos Santos on loan. (Daily Mirror)

Coventry City are closing in on a £1.5m deal for transfer-listed Wolves striker Freddy Eastwood. (Daily Telegraph)

Barcelona want to sign Chelsea forward Florent Malouda. (Daily Telegraph)

Hull City boss Phil Brown wants to sign former Bolton midfielder Ivan Campo, who he worked with when he was assistant boss at Wanderers. (Daily Mirror)

Watford striker Nathan Ellington is set to join Derby for £2m. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth could sign Lyon striker Sidney Govou for £7m and Lazio midfielder Gaby Mudingayi for £8m and are also watching PSG star Amara Diane. (Daily Mirror)

Veteran Rangers defender David Weir will head back to England and could join Burnley after being told he will not be a first-choice at Ibrox next season. (Daily Record)

Dynamo Kiev look like beating Celtic in the race for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Ognjen Vukojevic. (Daily Record)

Rangers hope to make Steven Davis's loan move from Fulham permanent and could offer Daniel Cousin as part of the deal. (Daily Record)

Motherwell boss Mark McGhee will seek assurances from Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov about interference on team selection before he considers taking charge at Tynecastle. (Daily Record)

Filip Sebo is set to leave Rangers to join Valenciennes after scoring five goals in 11 starts during his time on loan at the French club. (Daily Record)


OTHER GOSSIP
The consolation for sacked Chelsea boss Avram Grant is that he will replace Sven-Goran Eriksson as Manchester City manager. (Daily Star)

Eriksson is set to become the new coach of Mexico. (Various)

Leicester chairman Milan Mandaric will hold talks with former Derby boss Billy Davies about becoming the next manager of the Foxes. (Daily Telegraph)

Blackpool boss Simon Grayson is also an option for the Foxes following their relegation to League One. (Mirror)


AND FINALLY
Rochdale boss Keith Hill, who hopes to triumph in Monday's League Two play-off final, is known affectionately by Dale fans as 'Baldy Mourinho'.

 

[McFLY]

Tuesday 27th May gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Tottenham's Portuguese defender Ricardo Rocha has said he would welcome a return to Benfica in the summer. (Press Association, 1505 BST)

Cameroon international midfielder Achille Emana, who plays for French club Toulouse, is a target for Newcastle. (Press Association, 1503 BST)


CHELSEA MANAGER LATEST
Inter Milan are set to part company with coach Roberto Mancini who has been linked with the vacant position at Chelsea. (La Gazzetta dello Sport, 2000 BST)

Didier Deschamps says he is on a four-man short-list to replace sacked manager Avram Grant. (Various)


TRANSFER RUMOURS
Sir Alex Ferguson wants to spend his £50m summer transfer budget within the next fortnight, with Micah Richards and Sevilla's Brazilian duo Luis Fabiano and Daniel Alves top of his wish-list. (Daily Mirror)

If Frank Rijkaard takes over at Chelsea he will attempt to bring in strikers Samuel Eto'o and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for a combined £50m. (Daily Star)

Real Madrid are prepared to pay an estimated £150m to secure the services of Cristiano Ronaldo. They will pay Man Utd £39.8m as well as offering Robinho, Sergio Ramos and Mahamadou Diarra in exchange and will pay the Portuguese winger £7.6m a year. (Daily Express)

Blackburn midfielder David Bentley has snubbed a new contract at Ewood Park clearing the way for Tottenham and Chelsea to launch £15m bids. (Various)

Jose Mourinho will become manager of Inter Milan in the next 48 hours and wants to make Frank Lampard his first signing. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester City are on the verge of smashing their transfer record to sign Brazilian striker Jo from CSKA Moscow in a deal worth around £18m. (The Times)

Arsenal are lining up a £20m move for Real Mallorca striker Dani Guiza, 27, and Real Madrid midfielder Ruben de la Red, 22. (Daily Star)

Arsene Wenger has said Samir Nasri could complete his move to the Emirates in the next week, while the Gunners are also monitoring Saint Etienne midfielder Blaise Matuidi. (The Times)

Man Utd full-back Patrice Evra, who only has one year remaining on his contract, is a target for AC Milan. (The Times)

Bristol City defender Liam Fontaine has emerged as a shock £1m target for Liverpool. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa are interested in Manchester City's £4m-rated defender Richard Dunne. (Daily Mail)

Villa boss Martin O'Neill is also keeping tabs on Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell and Man Utd goalkeeper Ben Foster. (Daily Mail)

Tottenham must pay at least £4m for 20-year-old Norwegian striker Tarik Elyounoussi. (Daily Mirror)

Lazio's Swiss midfielder Valon Behrami has also been linked with a move to White Hart Lane and is valued around £9.6m. (The Times)

Spurs are favourites to sign Barcelona's Giovani Dos Santos after discussing a £7m deal. (Daily Mail)

Man City have also held talks to sign the Mexican midfielder. (Daily Telegraph)

Middlesbrough will fund a £3m move for Heerenveen's American midfielder Michael Bradley by selling George Boateng. (Daily Star)

Boro are also considering a move for Wolves' £5m-rated goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey as main target Paul Robinson looks set for Man City. (Daily Mail)

Lyon winger Sidney Govou and Lens defender Nadir Belhadj are targets for Portsmouth, while Sol Campbell looks set to stay at the club. (Daily Star)

West Brom look set to complete a £3.5m deal to sign Aston Villa striker Luke Moore. (Daily Mirror)

Rangers will increase their offer for Burnley's 20-year-old striker Kyle Lafferty. (The Independent)

Celtic will battle it out with their Old Firm rivals for Lafferty. (Daily Record)

Norwich are leading the race to sign Leeds striker Jermaine Beckford but Ipswich, QPR and Reading are also interested. (Daily Star)

Nottingham Forest are ready to swoop for Leicester midfielder Matt Oakley. (Daily Mirror)


OTHER GOSSIP
Man Utd assistant manager Carlos Queiroz wants reassurances he will succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford or he will leave the club. (Daily Star)

Arsenal director Danny Fizman insists Arsene Wenger has said there is no limit on the money available for new signings. (Various)

Hull midfielder Jay-Jay Okocha has shelved plans to retire following the club's promotion to the Premier League. (Various)

Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard has urged the club to spend big in order to close the gap on the top four. (The Independent)

Leeds Chairman Ken Bates could sell the club after they failed to gain promotion to the Championship. (Various)

Dwight Yorke has been asked to come out of international retirement to make a one-off farewell appearance against England on Sunday. (Daily Mirror)

Former Stevenage manager Peter Taylor is been lined up to take over as boss of Wycombe Wanderers. (Daily Mirror)


AND FINALLY
David Beckham spent 40 minutes on hold after phoning a paralysed British BMX rider to wish him well. When Stephen Murray eventually got to the phone the pair spent half an hour chatting. (The Sun)

BBC pundit and former Chelsea and Newcastle midfielder Gavin Peacock is moving to Canada after Euro 2008 to study religion as he prepares for a career in the church. The 40-year-old will begin a three-year masters course in Divinity in July with the aim of becoming a pastor, vicar or minister depending on which denomination he chooses to follow. (The Times)

 

[McFLY]

Wednesday 29th May gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
FC Twente chairman Joop Munsterman has revealed former England head coach Steve McClaren has asked for a "guided tour" of the Eredivisie club. He insisted no discussions had taken place regarding the club's coaching vacancy. (Press Association, 1553 BST)

Tottenham are being linked with Nice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and Sevilla winger Diego Capel. AC Milan and Lyon are also interested in the 21-year-old Lloris, with the Italians in pole position to sign the Frenchman. (Press Association, 1551 BST)

Manchester City are still pursuing Barcelona's Ronaldinho and will make a decision by 15 June, according to Thaksin Shinawatra's advisor Pairoj Piempongsant. (Reuters, 1337 BST)

Piempongsant has also revealed that Sven-Goran Eriksson's future at the club will be decided by the same date. (Reuters, 1337 BST)

Juventus president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli has said the club are cautiously optimistic of reaching an agreement with Liverpool to sign Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso. (Press Association, 1320 BST)

Barcelona are also interested in signing Gunners striker Emmanuel Adebayor, but will move for Tottenham's Dimitar Berbatov if they fail in their bid for the Togo international. (El Mundo Deportivo, 1317)

Arsenal's Alexander Hleb is set to join Barcelona after having talks with the Spanish club before Belarus' friendly in Germany on Tuesday. (El Mundo Deportivo, 1309)

Bolton's El-Hadji Diouf could be set to leave the Reebok Stadium for Marseille for upwards of £4m, but the Senegal international would prefer to stay in the Premier League. (Manchester Evening News, 1215 BST)


CHELSEA MANAGER LATEST
Roberto Mancini's agent claims the Italian has left Inter Milan amid reports that Jose Mourinho will take over the club. Mancini is one of the favourites to succeed Avram Grant at Stamford Bridge. (Press Association, 0433 BST)


TRANSFER RUMOURS
Real Madrid have joined Inter Milan in the race to sign Arsenal's £15m-rated midfielder Alexander Hleb. (Various)

Liverpool hope to complete the signing of Italian full-back Andrea Dossena this week for £6m, but competition from Fiorentina and Juventus could push the price up to £8m. (Various)

Peter Crouch has told Rafa Benitez that he will stay at Anfield to see out the remaining year of his current contract in protest at his £15m price tag. (Daily Star)

Tottenham have won the race to sign Barcelona wonderkid Giovani Dos Santos and will arrive at White Hart Lane in a £12.5m deal. (Daily Star)

New Hamburg boss Martin Jol has said he will do all he can to keep hold of Chelsea target Rafael van der Vaart. (Daily Mirror)

Sir Alex Ferguson will fly out to Portugal's Euro 2008 training camp in Switzerland to persuade Cristiano Ronaldo to stay at Manchester United. (Daily Mirror)

Bolton have been told they will need to pay at least £16m for Sporting Lisbon's Miguel Veloso. (The Sun)

Arsenal and Newcastle are tracking 19-year-old Swiss striker Eren Derdiyok. (The Sun)

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is also considering a move for Paris St Germain star Clement Chantome. (The Sun)

Roma's Alberto Aquilani, also a target for Arsenal, has opened the door on a move to England by demanding showdown talks with the Serie A club. (Various)

Getafe's Argentine defender Daniel Diaz has said he would welcome a £3m move to Tottenham. (The Sun)

Another Spurs target, Marcelo Moreno, must decide whether to go to White Hart Lane or Shakhtar Donetsk after both clubs had a £4m bid accepted by Cruzerio. (Daily Mirror)

Wigan manager Steve Bruce is lining up a £3.5m bid for Newcastle's Charles N'Zogbia. (Daily Mirror)

Bruce is also hoping sign Honduran pair Hendry Thomas and Maynor Figueroa on loan with a view to a permanent deal. (The Sun)

Ghana defender John Mensah could also be on his way to the JJB Stadium and is valued at £7m by his club Rennes. (The Times)

Lyon's French striker Sydney Govou has said he would be interested in a move to Portsmouth. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle are lining up £6m-rated Cameroon midfielder Achille Emana to replace Joey Barton at the club. (Daily Star)

Aston Villa are planning up a £2m move for Chareloi striker Mouhamadou Habib as a replacement for Marlon Harewood who is wanted by Stoke, Fulham and Rangers. (Daily Mirror)

Derby will have to go to a tribunal if they want to sign 20-year-old winger Steve Davies from Tranmere. (Daily Mail)

Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock wants to sign defender Jose Fonte on a permanent deal after he impressed on loan from Benfica. (The Sun)

Charlton are preparing a bid for Blackpool's Wes Hoolahan, who is being tracked by a host of other Championship clubs. (Daily Express)

Barnsley and Nottingham Forest are battling it out for Derby defender Lewin Nyatanga. (Daily Star)

Sheffield Wednesday want to sign Hamilton Academicals' £500,000 striker Richard Offiong. (Daily Star)

Georgios Samaras is keen to make his loan move from Manchester City to Celtic permanent before he plays for holders Greece at Euro 2008 next month. (The Sun)

French defender Miguel Comminges will complete his move to FA Cup finalists Cardiff City when his Swindon Town contract runs out this summer. (Various)


OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson will be sacked on Sunday and will take over as the new manager of the Mexican national side. (The Sun)

The US Soccer Federation have said they would be open to the idea of staging the Community Shield in America. (Various)

Arsenal are bracing themselves for tough contract talks with Cesc Fabregas after it emerged that his new agent is Darren Dein, son of former vice-chairman David Dein. (Daily Telegraph)

Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will take over at Inter Milan after Roberto Mancini was sacked by the Italian champions. (The Sun)

Aston Villa's American chairman Randy Lerner will move to the West Midlands next season and will have a more hands-on role with the club. (The Guardian)

Dundee United manager Craig Levein is top of Vladimir Romanov's wanted list to return to Tynecastle as Hearts manager. (Daily Express)

Massimo Donati's agent wants to talk to Celtic about his client's future after he claimed that the midfielder is wanted by several Serie A clubs in his native Italy. (The Sun)


AND FINALLY
According to a recent poll most England football fans will back Italy at this summer's Euro 2008 Championships, followed by Spain and France. (The Sun)

Basketball star Kobe Bryant believes David Beckham is already helping football make its mark in America. (The Sun)

The leader of Liverpool City Council has said there remains a possibility that Liverpool and Everton could share a stadium. (The Guardian)

Relegated Birmingham City are to introduce a singing section at St Andrews next season after fans contacted the club with ideas. A club spokesman said: "One that stood out was having an area of the ground designated for supporters who like a good old sing-song."

St Mirren midfielder Stephen O'Donnell has joked that he will forgive cousin David Clarkson for pulling out of being his best man if the Motherwell striker scores a debut international goal for Scotland. (Daily Record)

James McFadden is likely to stay with Birmingham despite the St Andrews' side's relegation from the Premier League earlier this month. (The Herald)

 

[McFLY]

Thursday 29th May gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
Cristiano Ronaldo could make a definitive step in forcing his exit from Manchester United by putting himself on the transfer list. (Spanish sports paper Marca, 0815 BST)


CHELSEA MANAGER LATEST
Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is still in contention to take over at Stamford Bridge. (Daily Express)


TRANSFER RUMOURS
Jose Mourinho will raid his former club Chelsea to sign Frank Lampard, Ricardo Carvalho and Didier Drogba when he is confirmed as Inter Milan boss. (The Sun, The Independent)

Chelsea's England wide-man Shaun Wright-Phillips is a £10m target for Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp. (The Sun)

Cardiff City have rejected offers from Arsenal and Liverpool for highly-rated teenage midfielder Aaron Ramsey. (The Guardian)

Arsenal have sealed the signing of midfielder Samir Nasri from Marseille for £12.5m. (Daily Telegraph)

Tottenham are on the verge of signing Sevilla winger Diego Capel after agreeing to match an £11.5m buy-out clause. (Daily Mail)

Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso is on the verge of joining Juventus for £16m. (Various)

West Ham could sign striker Davide Lanzafame, 21, on loan from Juventus for next season. (The Independent)

Aston Villa will launch an £8m bid to sign England's rising goalkeeper Joe Hart from Manchester City. (Daily Star)

Hull will make their first signing since winning promotion to the Premier League by completing the £750,000 capture of on-loan Derby midfielder Craig Fagan. (The Sun)

Middlesbrough are set to bid £2m for Sheffield United midfielder Stephen Quinn. (The Sun)

Stephen Simmons is in talks with Dundee after the midfielder rejected a new contract at Dunfermline. (Daily Record)

Cardiff midfielder Peter Whittingham is on his way to Nottingham Forest. (The Sun)

Barcelona are ready to move for Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb. (Various)

Arsenal are leading the race to sign Wolves's highly rated goalkeeper Wayne Hennessy. (Daily Mirror)

Everton, Newcastle and Middlesbrough are also in the chase to capture the keeper. (Daily Star)

Charlton and Crystal Palace will battle it out to sign Blackpool winger Wes Hoolahan, who is available for a cut-price £250,000. (Daily Star)

Rangers will sell Filip Sebo to French club Valenciennes for £1m. (Daily Record)

Wolves have tabled a £1m bid for Peterborough hot-shot Aaron McLean. (The Sun)

Hearts have rejected a £500,000 bid from Burnley for winger Andrew Driver. (Daily Star)

Sunderland manager Roy Keane wants to sign Newcastle's Damien Duff, Reading's Stephen Hunt and Aiden McGeady of Celtic. (Daily Mail)

Norwich and Crystal Palace are keen to sign Arsenal youngster Gavin Hoyte, 17, on a season-long loan. (The Sun, Daily Star)

Coventry City want Derby defender Dean Leacock. (Daily Star)

Rangers striker Daniel Cousin is close to agreeing a move to England, according to the player's agent. (Various)

Georgios Samaras wants to clinch a permanent deal at Celtic after a successful loan spell with the Scottish champions last season. (Various)

Rangers manager Walter Smith could make a move for Watford defender Danny Shittu. (Daily Record)

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood wants to strike a permanent deal for defender Alan Maybury after the 29-year-old spent the second half of last season on-loan at Pittodrie from Leicester City. (Various)

Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson is attracting interest from Rangers. (Daily Mail)

Liverpool's Adam Hammill could be set for a return to Scotland with Aberdeen interested in signing the former Dunfermline player on loan. (Daily Star)

Rangers could miss out on midfielder Steven Davis, who had a loan spell at Ibrox last season, with four English clubs also keen to sign the Northern Ireland international. (Daily Mail)

Queen's Park midfielder Alan Trouten is on the verge of signing for Partick Thistle. (Daily Express)


OTHER GOSSIP
Dean Ashton has agreed a new five-year contract at West Ham and will almost treble his salary. (Daily Star)

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie has warned the club they face losing their best players unless they alter their wage structure. (Various)

Mark Beevers has snubbed a £2m move to Chelsea in order to stay with Sheffield Wednesday. (Daily Star)

Wycombe are set to appoint former England caretaker boss Peter Taylor as their new manager. (Daily Star)

Hearts want Kilmarnock boss Jim Jefferies to become their new manager after missing out on Motherwell's Mark McGhee. (Various)

Meanwhile, Tynecastle director Sergejus Fedotovas says the Edinburgh club hope to have their new manager in place within a month. (The Herald)

An Italian consortium led by Rome lawyer Angelo Massone and Glasgow-based football agent Tommaso Angelini are close to concluding a takeover deal for Livingston. (Varoius)

Rangers midfielder Thomas Buffel is likely to leave Ibrox on a free transfer this summer. (Various)

Meanwhile, two other Rangers midfielders, Brahim Hemdani and Alan Gow, have been told to find new clubs. (Daily Record)


AND FINALLY
Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra decided to sack manager Sven-Goran Eriksson because he believed the Swede would be willing to quit the club for Chelsea. (Daily Express)

 

[McFLY]

Saturday 31st May gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP
Inter Milan winger Luis Figo claims his club have already told him Jose Mourinho will be in charge of the Italian giants next season.

"Everyone knows that Mourinho is coming to Inter, the club have informed me of this too," Figo told Portuguese newspaper O Jogo. (PA Sport 2015 BST)

Real Madrid sporting director Predrag Mijatovic insists they have no agreement in place with Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo about a possible move to the Spanish champions. "He is an objective, but we cannot do anything if his club do not want to part with him. Until this time we do not have anything with the player," he said. (Diario de Noticias, 1325)

Jose Mourinho is close to being named the new boss of Inter Milan following the release of pictures of the Portuguese coach meeting with Inter president Massimo Moratti in Paris on Friday. It is claimed that the meeting was held to discuss transfer targets, most notably a £25m bid for Barcelona's Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o. (Gazetto dello Sport and agencies, 1055)

Newcastle's Turkish international midfielder Emre will sign a three-year deal with Istanbul side Fenerbahce next week. (FP TV, 1045)


CHELSEA MANAGER LATEST
Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari claims Chelsea have made no contact with him over their managerial vacancy after being heavily linked with the club. (PA Sport)

Chelsea are prepared to wait until after the European Championship to get their new manager. (Daily Express)

Carlo Ancelotti is emerging as a leading choice to be Chelsea manager - to help the club's bid to sign Brazilian superstar Kaka, who is valued at around £50m. (Daily Star)


TRANSFER RUMOURS
Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp is on the verge of hijacking central defender Richard Dunne's £5m move from Manchester City to Spurs. (The Sun)

And Liverpool have finally backed down over their £15m asking price for striker Peter Crouch... paving the way for the England international to join Portsmouth next week. (The Sun)

Pompey are also believed to be at the front of a queue of clubs hoping to sign Khaleem Hyland, after the 18-year-old has pitted his wits against England's midfield for Trinidad & Tobago on Sunday evening. (The Times)

Sunderland are plotting a £4m swoop for unsettled Aston Villa striker Shaun Maloney. (Daily Mirror)

Savvy defensive midfielder Yaya Toure - younger brother of Kolo - could be joining Arsenal as part of the deal that takes Alexander Hleb to Barcelona. (Daily Star)

Liverpool are ready to unload left-sided attacking full-back John Arne Riise with Newcastle likely to target the Norwegian. (Daily Star)

Spurs boss Juande Ramos has put £12m-rated Paraguay striker Oscar Cardozo at the top of his hit-list of replacements for Dimitar Berbatov. Ramos is sending one of his top spies to watch the powerful Benfica hitman, 25, in action for his country against France on Saturday evening. (Daily Mirror)

Rangers are tracking Le Mans right-back Jean Calve and Monaco left-back Jeremy Berthod. (Various)

Cristiano Ronaldo's godfather, Fernao Sousa, has claimed that the Manchester United winger has already decided to move to Real Madrid - but will not say so until after Euro 2008. (The Guardian, Daily Express)

But Ronaldo has given his present club a boost by talking of going on to establish himself as a genuine Old Trafford legend in the mould of David Beckham or George Best. (Daily Mirror)

Relegated Reading have joined Championship rivals Derby County in the race to sign Swansea City's Dutch midfield enforcer Ferrie Bodde. (Derby Evening Telegraph)

FA Cup finalists Cardiff City are hoping to sign Wales rookie Ched Evans on loan from Premier League Manchester City next season. (South Wales Echo)

Middlesbrough midfielder George Boateng claims he is attracting interest from both sides of the Old Firm. (Daily Mail/Daily Mirror)

Aberdeen face competition from Plymouth to sign defender Alan Maybury, who had a loan spell at Pittodrie last season. (Daily Mail/Daily Record)

Dundee United manager Craig Levein wants to take Rangers pair Charlie Adam and Alan Gow to Tannadice on loan next season. (Daily Express/Daily Star)

Swedish side Djurgardens are also keen to strike a loan deal for Gow. (Daily Express/Daily Star)

West Bromwich Albion may bid to sign Dundee midfielder Kevin McDonald. (Daily Record)

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan is considering a £5m move for Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland. (Daily Mirror)


OTHER GOSSIP
David Beckham is the shock contender to captain England in Sunday evening's international friendly against Trinidad & Tobago as boss Fabio Capello continues his auditions. (Various)

Owner Milan Mandaric is lining up Chelsea coach Steve Clarke as the new Leicester manager. (Daily Mirror)

Patrice Evra is close to ending the uncertainty over his future at Manchester United after reaching an informal agreement over a new five-year contract. The French international full-back, 27, is in line to earn more than £60,000-a-week plus bonuses though manager Sir Alex Ferguson is still keen to sign defensive reinforcements. (The Times)

Arsenal's Croatia striker Eduardo Da Silva - who suffered a badly broken leg against Birmingham in February which was expected to sideline him until next year - expects to be back in August after positive treatment in Brazil. (Daily Mail)

Southampton's decision to replace manager Nigel Pearson with former Netherlands defender Jan Poortvliet has been condemned by Saints fans. (Daily Mail)

Manchester City could be set to play their Uefa Cup first qualifying round home leg at Preston's Deepdale ground. City need a different venue to give their Eastlands pitch extra time to recover from summer events such as boxing and pop concerts. (Daily Star)

And manager Sven-Goran Eriksson is set to be sacked early next week by owner Thaksin Shinawatra with a £1m pay-off. Becoming the new Mexico coach is a serious possibility for the Swede. (Various)

Arsenal are hoping to transform their team off the pitch this summer by bringing in Premier League boss Richard Scudamore as their new chief executive. (Daily Telegraph)

Former Man United striker Dwight Yorke will make a surprise appearance in the friendly international against England according to Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation press officer Shaun Fuentes. Yorke had not yet trained with his team-mates and his presence will run counter to views expressed earlier this week by coach Francisco Maturana, who declared: "This is not an exhibition match." (Reuters)

Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc says he would a consider a move away from the Scottish champions. (Various)

AND FINALLY
Currently training with England's squad of multi-millionaires in the Caribbean, goalkeeper Joe Lewis began his season trying to get a game on loan at Morecambe in the Blue Square Premier. He earns £60,000-a-year - half of what Rio Ferdinand gets per week. (The Independent)

Jose Mourinho insists he was never the 'Special One' - just great. The former Chelsea boss said: "The story of the 'Special One' has stuck and that's not a bad thing. But I am not special. I think of myself as a great manager. I only have strengths. If I have a weakness I try to hide it." (Daily Express)