Thursday's gossip


TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United are planning a £12m January swoop for Benfica's Argentine winger Angel Di Maria, who impressed in the Europa League against Everton last month. (Daily Mirror)  
Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City are weighing up a January move for CSKA Moscow winger Milos Krasic. (Daily Mail)
German side Hertha Berlin are trying to sign former England defender Sol Campbell, 35, on an 18-month contract. (Daily Mail)
Arsenal's teenage Spanish striker Fran Merida hopes to sign a new contract with the Gunners despite interest from Atletico Madrid and a host of other La Liga clubs.(The Sun)
Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce hopes to strike a cut-price £4m deal for Nacional Madeira midfielder Ruben Micael. (Daily Mirror)
Hong Kong striker Chan Siu-ki is set to begin a trial spell with Tottenham. Chan has scored 22 goals in 27 appearances for his club, Hong Kong champions South China. (Daily Mail)
Bolton are ready to launch a £4m bid for Newcastle United striker Andy Carroll, who Wanderers boss Gary Megson sees as a long-term replacement for Kevin Davies. (The Sun)
Notts County have joined Ipswich and Coventry in the race to sign Sheffield Wednesday defender Richard Wood, who is out of contract at the end of the season. (Daily Star)
Norwich and Bournemouth are competing for the signature of Cambridge United striker Chris Holroyd. (Daily Star)
Notts County have handed a trial to 31-year-old former Porto, Deportivo La Coruna and Juventus defender Jorge Andrade. (Daily Mail)

OTHER GOSSIP

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez insists he does not fear for his job despite the Reds' hopes of progressing in the Champions League looking unlikely following Wednesday's draw with Lyon. (The Sun)
Newcastle United's revenue was halved from £100m to £50m following their relegation from the Premier League last season.(Daily Mirror)
The Magpies will not receive a penny in extra sponsorship before the end of the season as a result of renaming their stadium. (The Times)
Manchester United's Scotland midfielder Darren Fletcher hopes a pain-killing injection will allow him to delay an ankle operation until the end of the season. (The Sun)
But Fletcher's United team-mate Rio Ferdinand is out for up to six weeks after finally admitting defeat in his battle with a long-standing back injury. (The Sun)
Ferdinand could still face Chelsea on Sunday but, if he does miss out, the defender will not be considered for England's friendly with Brazil on 14 November.(Daily Mail)
Manchester United defender Patrice Evra admits he has a miserable record against Chelsea, saying "every time I play them something bad happens" and is determined to triumph in Sunday's Premier League showdown at Stamford Bridge. (Daily Mirror)
West Ham striker Carlton Cole and Aston Villa front-man Emile Heskey are both doubtful for England's game with Brazil after picking up injuries in the Hammers' 2-1 win over Villa on Wednesday - and their absence could mean a recall for Manchester United's Michael Owen. (Daily Mail)
Chelsea defender Jose Bosingwa is facing a knee operation which could keep him out for up to a month. (Daily Express)
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce believes key midfielder Lee Cattermole can return from a medial ligament injury a month sooner than expected - and could be back in action by Christmas. (Daily Star)
Hull City owner Russell Bartlett has been forced to pay his own money into the club to fund the Tigers' day-to-day trading. The Tigers, who have an annual wage bill of £38m, are struggling to meet their financial commitments.The Guardian)
Portsmouth have described the tax evasion charge facing their chief executive Peter Storrie as "a joke" and have vowed to fight it. (Daily Mirror)
Former Notts County defender Sol Campbell has hit back at claims that he walked out on the Magpies halfway through a training session, saying he had a hamstring injury when he left the League Two club in September. (The Sun)

AND FINALLY

Cardiff City have been warned not to stay overnight in Swansea ahead of Saturday's South Wales derby. Bluebirds boss Dave Jones said: "The police have advised us to stay out of the Swansea area in case fans set off fire alarms to try to wake us up." (The Sun)
Derby defender Jay McEveley has revealed how he cheated death two weeks ago when his heart stopped for two minutes during a routine operation to repair a fractured cheekbone. (Daily Star)
Burnley defnder Tyrone Mears, who faces his first club Manchester City on Saturday, could have been a rugby league star and signed a contract with Warrington Wolves before switching his attention to football. (The Sun)
Celtic boss Tony Mowbray has dismissed statistics showing his side are the most shot-shy team in the Europa League with just 13 shots in their three matches so far. Mowbray said: "My first reaction is to say I'm not interested in what Uefa's computer shows up." (Daily Record)
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