Thursday's gossip column


TRANSFER GOSSIP 

Manchester City are setting their sights high, with Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery, Barcelona striker Thierry Henry, Chelsea skipper John Terry and Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz all transfer targets. (The Times) 
Liverpool may make a £9m bid for Valencia centre-back Raul Albiol if Daniel Agger refuses to sign a new deal to keep him at Anfield. (Various) 
Real Madrid's Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart says he would like to join Chelsea, if his compatriot Guus Hiddink stays on as manager. (The Sun) 
Hiddink, meanwhile, has urged Chelsea to bid for Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. (Various) 
AC Milan are lining up a £15m summer bid for Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy. (Various) 
Everton defender Joseph Yobo will be offered a new £6m contract in the hope of fending off interest from Arsenal and Chelsea. (Daily Mirror) 
Wigan are interested in signing Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton and will move for him at the end of the season. (The Sun) 
Tottenham midfielder Tom Huddlestone has alerted Aston Villa, Newcastle and Everton by admitting he has concerns about his future at White Hart Lane. (Daily Mail) 
Jeremie Aliadiere will quit Middlesbrough if they are relegated and the striker could make a shock return to Arsenal. (Daily Mirror) 
Boro defender Emanuel Pogatetz also says he will leave the club if they are relegated. (The Sun) 
Blackburn defender Andre Ooijer has confirmed he will return to PSV Eindhoven next season. (Various) 
Birmingham striker Kevin Phillips is wanted by Australian side Perth Glory. (Daily Star) 
Arsenal's highly-rated young midfielder Mark Randall is wanted on loan by Blackpool. (Daily Mirror) 
Ipswich and Watford are keeping tabs on Barnet striker John O'Flynn. (Daily Star) 
Bristol City striker Dele Adebola is a target for Sheffield United. (Daily Mirror) 
Celtic are weighing up a £2m summer swoop for highly-rated 23-year-old Espanyol midfielder Jordi Gomez who is currently on loan at Swansea City. (Various) 

OTHER GOSSIP 

England boss Fabio Capello has branded striker Wayne Rooney a "crazy man" after the striker's red card in Manchester United's defeat by Fulham. (Various) 
Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia is considering an application for a British passport that would allow the Spaniard to play for England. (Various) 
Tottenham left-back Gareth Bale has revealed he is having extra coaching in how to become a better defender. (Various) 
Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon is set to for showdown talks with manager Ricky Sbragia over his future. (Daily Star) 
Uefa says it will bring match fixing charges against a European club within days. (Various) 
Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun is set to anger his employers by risking his fitness to play for Israel on Saturday. (Daily Star) 
Former Portsmouth boss Tony Adams is hoping to rebuild his managerial career by landing the top job at Dutch side Sparta Rotterdam. (The Sun) 
Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has vowed to stay as manager of Inter Milan for the next four or five years, quashing speculation he wants to return to the Premier League. (The Telegraph) 
Leyton Orient chairman Barry Hearn believes up to a dozen cash-strapped clubs will go into administration in the next year. (The Sun) 
Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has admitted he will be sacked as Mexico boss if they lose to Costa Rica on Saturday. (Daily Mirror) 
 
AND FINALLY 

Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand insists footballers do not have a flash lifestyle, despite their huge salaries. "Our lives are quite boring", he insists. "I spend a lot of time watching Coronation Street and Eastenders." (Daily Star) 
Chelsea and Russia boss Guus Hiddink showed that managing two sides simultaneously can be confusing when he referred to Arsenal's Andrey Arshavin as a Chelsea player. Hiddink only has the midfielder under his charge with the international team. (The Sun)
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