Sunday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish has admitted that his chances of signing Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko are all but over. (Sunday Mercury) 
Middlesbrough are bracing themselves for a second, take-it-or-leave-it £7m bid from Manchester City for winger Adam Johnson. (Sunday Sun) 

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Spurs striker Robbie Keane could be on his way to Sunderland after Black Cats manager Steve Bruce made a £9m offer for the Tottenham forward.(News of the World) 
Keane's arrival at the Stadium of Light could signal the departure of Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones to Liverpool. (Sunday Mirror) 
Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun is set to quit Liverpool after becoming disillusioned with life at Anfield. (News of the World) 
Wolves' £4m bid for Stephen Hunt has been rejected by Hull City who say the winger is staying put. (Sunday Mirror) 
Wolves and Fulham are battling it out to sign Egypt striker Mohamed Gedo, who has impressed at the Africa Cup of Nations.(Sunday Mirror) 
Manchester United striker Michael Owen could be on his way out of Old Trafford in the summer having failed to impress manager Alex Ferguson.(Sunday Mirror) 
Manchester City are set to pip Inter Milan to the signing of Parma's £7m midfielder McDonald Mariga.(Mail on Sunday) 
Sunderland are poised to sign Crystal Palace defender Nathaniel Clyne.(Sunday Mirror) 
Wigan look to have won the race to sign Crystal Palace's £2.5m-rated striker Victor Moses.(Mail on Sunday) 
Thierry Henry looks set to leave Barcelona in the summer with the Spanish giants tracking Valencia's David Silva or Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery to fill the left side of their attack. (Mail on Sunday) 
Arsenal manager has revealed he has £30m to spend with Valencia's David Villa and Bordeaux's Marouane Chamakh on his wish list.(Mail on Sunday) 
Wenger is also keeping tabs on Real Madrid winger Pablo Sarabia, who is a free agent at the end of the season. (News of the World) 
Both of Barcelona's presidential candidates have put Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas top of their wanted list.(News of the World) 
Tottenham are trying to sign Manchester United keeper Ben Foster after a move for Portsmouth stopper Asmir Begovic fell through on Saturday. (News of the World) 
Fiorentina are lining up a loan move for Tottenham striker Roman Pavlychenko.(News of the World) 
West Ham are interested in taking Spurs right-back Alan Hutton on loan. (News of the World) 
Rangers have rejected a £3.5m offer from Sunderland for Algeria defender Madjid Bougherra. (News of the World)
Celtic have upped their bid for Preston North End central defender Sean St Ledger by a third to £3m. (Sunday Mail) 
Cardiff City sources say Celtic will have to pay more than £5m if they want striker Ross McCormack. (News of the World/Sunday Herald)
Cardiff City striker Ross McCormack says he would be interested in a switch to Celtic should the club he supported as a boy make an approach. (Sunday Mail) 
Celtic are locked in talks with Real Mallorca over the transfer of defender Ivan Ramis after increasing their offer to £2m. (Sunday Mail)
Celtic are closing in on a loan deal for Fulham forward Diomansy Kamara, who worked with manager Tony Mowbray at West Brom. (Sunday Mail)


OTHER GOSSIP

Juventus have agreed terms with Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez for him to manage the Serie A club next season. (The Independent) 
Manchester City defender Wayne Bridge is set to give up his England career following the John Terry allegations. (Sunday Mirror) 
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is set to ignore interest from Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid and sign a new four-year contract worth £24m in the summer.(Sunday Express) 
Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin Van der Saar is closer than ever to his club after he was allowed three weeks off to care for his wife after she had suffered a brain haemorrhage just before Christmas.(Sunday Mirror) 
Portsmouth narrowly avoided becoming the first Premier League club to go into administration after raising vital funds from the sale of defender Younes Kaboul to Tottenham on Saturday.(Sunday Mirror) 
But Pompey chief executive Peter Storrie has revealed that the cash-strapped club are only weeks away from going bust.(News of the World) 
Striker Robin van Persie is to hand Arsenal's title push a boost with a return to fitness from his ankle injury in March rather than April or May as feared. (Mail on Sunday) 
West Ham midfielder Kieron Dyer has been given a month to prove his fitness or face being forced into retirement.(News of the World) 

AND FINALLY

Wayne Rooney is at the centre of a legal battle over his future earnings and will appear in court on Monday to defend himself against a multi-million-pound lawsuit. (Sunday Mirror)
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