Thursday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Barcelona are weighing up an increased offer for Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas and would like to sign the Spaniard before the Gunners' Champions League match at Celtic on Tuesday to avoid him being cup-tied for the European competition.(The Sun) 
Tottenham are considering a £5m move for Crystal Palace forward Victor Moses.(Daily Star) 
West Ham and Fulham are set to battle it out for Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh after Arsenal called off their chase for the highly rated Moroccan. (Daily Mirror) 
Fulham also face a fight with Everton for the signing of Middlesbrough midfielder Gary O'Neil.(Daily Mirror) 
Manchester United are hoping to hijack Bayern Munich's £5m move for FC Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer, who has received rave reviews from United scouts.(The Sun) 
Argentine defender Renato Civelli, who broke off discussions with Blackburn over a Bosman transfer after failing to agree terms due to his excessive demands, wants to re-kindle the move because he is desperate to play in the Premier League.(Daily Mirror) 
Portsmouth are closing in on the signing of former Middlesbrough midfielder Bolo Zenden.(Daily Star) 
Fulham are closing in on a deal to sign Mark Viduka after the former Newcastle striker flew into London for talks on Wednesday night.(Daily Mail) 
Real Madrid striker Alvaro Negredo is keen to join Hull.(The Sun) 
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is considering a move for Celtic's Scottish international midfielder Scott Brown.(The Guardian) 
Burnley boss Owen Coyle hopes to clinch the £2.8 million signing of Reading's Cameroon defender Andre Bikey on Thursday.(Daily Mirror) 
Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce is on the verge of bringing Paris St Germain midfielder Jerome Rothen to Ewood Park for £2million.(The Sun) 
Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is keen to make 20-year-old Serbian striker Nemanja Matic his fourth signing since taking the reins at Stamford Bridge in a £4million deal.(Daily Mirror) 
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is putting a move for French midfielder Mohamed Diame from Spanish side Rayo Vallecano on hold because of a heart scare in his medical.(Daily Mirror) 
Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne is set to sign a new four-year deal at Stamford Bridge before then joining Premier League newcomers Wolves on loan for the season.(The Times) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester City have demanded to see the medical records of Joleon Lescott before making a new bid for the Everton defender. (Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard believes Manchester City could be Premier League title challengers this season.(The Sun) 
Similarly, Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill feels that City can challenge for the title, conceding that the Eastland outfit's summer spending spree has created a Premier League "big five".(Daily Mirror) 
Carlo Ancelotti claims the English core of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole at the heart of his Chelsea team will help him recapture the title for the Stamford Bridge outfit.(Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool midfielder Lucas believes he is the man to fill the shoes of recently departed Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso.(Daily Express) 
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has insisted the Reds have not taken a gamble in signing injured midfielder Alberto Aquilani, arguing that his ankle problem means he was cheaper.(Daily Mirror) 
Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed has given manager Roy Hodgson a license to spend as the Cottagers go in search of Europa League success.(Daily Express) 
Sulaiman Al Fahim has promised to be at Fratton Park for Portsmouth's season opener even though his proposed takeover of the club has yet to be completed.(Daily Mirror) 
Barcelona midfielder Alexander Hleb, who has recently joined German side Stuttgart on a season-long loan, admits he made a mistake in leaving Arsenal last summer.(Daily Mirror) 

AND FINALLY

While Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole were lining up for England in Holland on Wednesday night, the first screening of a film they jointly funded, Dead Man Running, starring 50 Cent, was showing in Central London. (The Guardian)
Arsenal striker Nicolas Bendtner hopes that a change of squad number from 26 to his lucky number 52 will improve his fortunes in front of goal.(The Sun) 
However, Bendtner's decision to change number has not got off to the best start as he faces a £10,000 bill from Arsenal after offering to reimburse fans who bought replica shirts bearing his old number. (The Guardian)
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Friday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United's interest in Gremio's Douglas Costa is cooling after the Brazilian club demanded £20m for the teenage forward.(The Times) 
Manchester City have tested Everton's determination to hang on to defender Joleon Lescott by submitting a £15m bid to Goodison Park. (Various)
City will make a £30m move for Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan if they fail to agree personal terms with Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor. (Daily Mail) 
Real Madrid are confident that an improved bid of around £32m will be enough to prise Spain midfielder Xabi Alonso away from Liverpool.
If Alonso does depart for the Bernabeu, Valencia midfielder David Silva would be top of Reds' boss Rafael Benitez's shopping list. (Daily Mirror) 
Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal has told clubs in pursuit of midfielder Franck Ribery that it is now too close to the start of the season for the France midfielder to leave. (Daily Telegraph)
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has denied that there has been any approach for winger Ashley Young after rumours that Tottenham and Chelsea were mulling over £25m bids.(The Times) 
Fulham manager Roy Hodgson has entered the £12m race for Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch.(The Sun) 
Hodgson is also considering a move for Columbia international forward Fredy Montero who plays for Major League Soccer side Seattle Sounders. (Daily Star) 
Tottenham are poised to add to their forward line with the signing of Real Madrid's Alvaro Negredo.(The Sun) 
Spurs are also holding out hope of landing Real Madrid and Netherlands striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar despite Stuttgart already having had a £17m bid accepted for the player. (The Times) 
Sheffield United pair Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker, both right-backs, will move to White Hart Lane in a deal worth a total of £8m after Tottenham stole a march on Everton who were also interested.(The Independent) 
Leeds' highly-rated midfielder Fabian Delph (on photo) has attracted an offer from Tottenham, but is also being chased by Fulham.(The Times) 
Arsenal will attempt to lure defender Brede Hangeland from Fulham with the offer of Philippe Senderos as part of a deal worth around £10m. (Daily Star)
Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh has claimed that a move to Arsenal would be "perfect". (Daily Mirror) 
Portsmouth centre-back Sylvain Distin is ready to take a pay-cut in order to seal a £2m move to Aston Villa.(The Sun) 
Chelsea have told Portugal international defender Ricardo Carvalho that he will be staying at Stamford Bridge after a possible move to Inter Milan fell through.(The Sun) 
Carvalho could be joined by Serbia midfielder Nemanja Matic who is close to tying up a £5m move from MFK Kosice to Chelsea.(The Sun) 
Blackburn are ready to splash £2.5m on Rapid Vienna forward Erwin Hoffer as a replacement for Roque Santa Cruz. (The Sun) 
Valencia targetman Nikola Zigic is also in Blackburn's sights, but there are 15 clubs in the hunt for the Serbia striker according to his agent.(The Independent) 
Wigan Athletic are in negotiations with Crystal Palace over a possible switch for £5m-rated midfielder Victor Moses.(The Times) 
Midfielder Dean Whitehead could be on his way from Sunderland to Stoke in a £5m switch. (Daily Star)
Birmingham are keen to sign £5m-rated midfielder Craig Gardner from Aston Villa ahead of their return to the Premier League. (Daily Star) 
Hamilton's 18-year-old midfielder James McCarthy is set to sign for Wigan after turning down a move to Wolves. (The Sun) 
Sporting Lisbon are back in talks with Manchester City over a possible loan move for striker Felipe Caicedo.(The Sun) 
Sheffield Wednesday forward Marcus Tudgay is ready to to submit a transfer request to try and force through a £2m move to Burnley. (The Times) 
Sunderland's attempts to sign defender Nathaniel Clyne from Crystal Palace have been frustrated with the Eagles holding out for £5m. (The Sun) 
Out-of-contract winger Jerome Thomas could be thrown a Premier League lifeline by Hull City after an ill-fated spell at Portsmouth. (Daily Mirror)
St Johnstone manager Derek McInnes is hopeful of bringing former Millwall colleague Filipe Morais to McDiarmid Park. (Daily Record) 

OTHER GOSSIP

LA Galaxy and England midfielder David Beckham has revealed that he would only move back to the Premier League with Manchester United. (Various)
Beckham also believes that John Terry will not turn his back on boyhood club Chelsea to move to Manchester City. (Various) 
Chelsea's Joe Cole will miss the start of the season after the midfielder underwent surgery on his troublesome knee. (Various)
Former Middlesbrough boss Bryan Robson has turned down an offer to coach Iranian Premier League side Persepolis Theran to stay as a Manchester United ambassador. (Daily Mail) 
Striker Carlos Tevez has revealed that big-spending Real Madrid made an approach for him before he finalised his move to Manchester City.(Daily Telegraph) 

AND FINALLY

Oasis's Noel Gallagher does not want Chelsea captain John Terry at his beloved Manchester City. "He's got funny eyes and he's a cry baby," he said. (Daily Mirror)
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Saturday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

AC Milan are targeting Real Madrid striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Sevilla's Luis Fabiano.(Reuters)


TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester City are ready to make Chelsea defender John Terry the highest paid player in the Premier League by offering the England captain weekly wages of £300,000.(The Sun) 
Meanwhile, Real Madrid are ready to move for fellow Blues defender Ashley Cole who has rejected a new deal at Chelsea.(The Sun) 
Chelsea are preparing a big-money offer for Wolfsburg's goal sensation Edin Dzeko. (Daily Mirror)
Out-of-favour Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko has been offered a deal by Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev.(The Times) 
Liverpool will insist on taking Real Madrid striker Alvaro Negredo in a swap deal before allowing midfielder Xabi Alonso to move to the Bernebau.(Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool are being put off by Udinese's £18m asking price for Swiss midfielder Gokhan Inler. (Daily Mail) 
Tottenham striker Darren Bent has opened talks with Sunderland and is on the verge of a £10m move to the Stadium of Light.(The Sun) 
Sunderland's £9m keeper Craig Gordon says he is ready to stay at the club and fight for his place after falling out of favour last season.\(The Sun) 
The Black Cats are battling it out with Arsenal for the £12m signature of Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh.(Daily Mail) 
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he will not stand in striker Emmanuel Adebayor's way if he wants to quit the Gunners.(The Sun) 
Gunners striker Robin van Persie is set to end speculation linking him with a move away from Arsenal by signing a new contract that will keep him at the club until 2014.(The Independent) 
Manchester City striker Felipe Caicedo is wanted by Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon. (The Telegraph) 
Everton defender Joleon Lescott could be forced into handing in a transfer request if he is to get his £15m move to Manchester City. (Daily Mirror)
Everton are ready to end the stand-off between themselves and Cardiff City and move for £5m-rated midfielder Joe Ledley.(The Sun) 
Portsmouth are set to make a £7m bid for Olympiacos's Argentine midfielder Fernando Belluschi. (Daily Mirror)
Blackburn are set to move for veteran 35-year-old Italian striker Christian Vieri. (Daily Mirror) 
Blackburn have also inquired about Paris St Germain's £2.5m-rated left-winger Jerome Rothen. (The Times) 
Bolton are closing in on West Brom defender Paul Robinson and Swansea midfielder Ferrie Bodde. (The Sun) 
New Wigan manager Roberto Martinez says he has no plans to sell star midfielder Lee Cattermole, who is being targeted by Liverpool and Tottenham.(The Sun) 
Newcastle have been told they must sell striker Obafemi Martins and defender Babricio Coloccini to help smooth the sale of the club. (The Times) 
Meanwhile, Birmingham City are considering a loan bid for midfielder Joey Barton.(The Times) 
Defender Lucas Neill is ready for a U-turn and could return to Upton Park and sign a new contract at West Ham. (Daily Mail) 
Birmingham are interested in Middlesbrough striker Jeremie Aliadiere who is available for around £3.5m. (Daily Mail)
Reading are set to launch a £1m bid for Nottingham Forest striker Nathan Tyson. (The Sun) 
Wolves have dismissed speculation linking them with a £1.5m move for Leicester City striker Andrew Keogh. (The Independent) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Malaysian media mogul Ananda Krishman has been revealed as the billionaire who is hoping to buy Newcastle United.(The Sun) 
Argentine striker Carlos Tevez has vowed he will shout in Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson's face if he scores against the Red Devils next season. (Daily Mirror) 
Former West Ham striker Tony Cottee has rejoined the club as an ambassador charged with raising the Hammers' profile at home and abroad. (The Independent) 

AND FINALLY

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has suffered his first injury before the new season has even begun. Rooney suffered cuts and bruises to his head after slipping on the deck of his luxury yacht in St Tropez. (Daily Mirror)
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