Monday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti has told Sky Italia that he hopes coach Fabio Capello can break his England contract after the World Cup to join the Champions League winners. Moratti also ruled out Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez as a possible successor to Real Madrid-bound Jose Mourinho at the San Siro. "I've always thought Rafa Benitez was good but he is tied to Liverpool," he said. (Reuters)


TRANSFER GOSSIP

Chelsea have paved the way for midfielder Joe Cole's departure from Stamford Bridge by formalising their interest in Liverpool's Yossi Benayoun. (The Guardian) 
Benayoun is confident the move will go through and claimed that Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti "wants me for next season". (The Daily Telegraph) 
Rangers are still waiting to see if Liverpool will make an improved offer for 18-year-old defender Danny Wilson after the Ibrox club rejected an initial £2m bid from the Reds.(Daily Mail) 
Blackburn are considering a swoop for Rangers striker Kris Boyd, who is set to leave the Scottish Premier League champions as a free agent.(The Sun) 
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is reportedly interested in signing £12m-rated teenage Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic.(caughtoffside.com) 
And the Red Devils have contacted Brazilian side Santos about the possibility of taking 20-year-old midfielder Paulo Henrique Ganso to Old Trafford.(Daily Mail) 
Arsenal have joined Aston Villa in the battle to sign Wigan's Colombian striker Hugo Rodallega, who the Latics value at £10m.(Daily Mirror) 
The Gunners have made an inquiry about the possibility of signing England midfielder Joe Cole from Chelsea. The Stamford Bridge outfit, meanwhile, remain interested in acquiring Shakhtar Donetsk's £15m-rated Croatian right-back Darijo Srna. (Daily Mail) 
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is also targeting Ajax's 22-year-old right-back Gregory van der Wiel, the young player of the year in the Netherlands, because out-of-favour Habib Beye and Luke Young, who is eyeing a move to West Ham, are set to leave Villa Park this summer.(Daily Mirror) 
Villa and Sunderland have joined Birmingham in the race to sign Fulham striker Bobby Zamora. (The Sun) 
Neil Lennon will be promoted from interim boss to permanent manager at Celtic on Tuesday and will immediately set his sights on acquiring Hull playmaker Jimmy Bullard, Cardiff's midfielder Joe Ledley and Stoke wide man Liam Lawrence.(Daily Record)
Paddy McCourt, though, may be on his way out of Parkhead, with Premier League new boys Blackpool interested in the 26-year-old Northern Ireland midfielder.(The Sun) 
Barcelona will renew their chase of Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano. However, their big-money pursuit of Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas could scupper their plans to sign the Argentine, who the Reds value at close to £30m.(Daily Mail) 
Bordeaux ace Yoann Gourcuff, France's first-choice playmaker in the World Cup, is being lined up as a £21.8m replacement for Fabregas at the Emirates. (The Sun) 
Manchester City are considering a move for 21-year-old Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez, who made his senior debut for Spain in their 3-2 World Cup warm-up victory over Saudi Arabia in Austria on Saturday.(Daily Mail) 
Fulham could snap up versatile Hungarian international midfielder Daniel Tozser from Belgian club Racing Genk for about £2.5m.(Daily Mail) 
Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, 19, is a £1m target for French team St Etienne. (The Sun)

OTHER GOSSIP

Former Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate and ex-Milton Keynes Dons boss Paul Ince are both in contention for the managerial vacancies at Portsmouth and Notts County.(Daily Mail) 
Russia's 2018 World Cup bid chief Alexei Sorokin has branded fans of rival bidders England "the utmost hooligans". In the wake of ex-Football Association chairman Lord Triesman's controversial claims that Russia was involved in bribing referees, Sorokin said his bid team "are in a state of information war" with England.(Daily Mirror) 
Inter Milan owner Massimo Moratti will make a formal approach to Fabio Capello's representatives on Monday, just as the FA holds emergency talks with the England manager in a bid to shore up the Italian's future. (Daily Mail) 
Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni claims he turned down the chance to become Celtic boss three months ago. (Daily Express) 

AND FINALLY

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard is keen to retain penalty-taking duties for England, despite missing from the spot against Japan on Sunday.(Daily Mirror) 
Millwall chairman John Berylson has revealed his debt of gratitude to former Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, who convinced Kenny Jackett, the man who guided the Bermondsey side to promotion to the Championship, to become Lions manager when the pair were working together at Eastlands.(Daily Mirror)

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Monday gossip

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Arsenal have ruled out a January move for Real Madrid's Ruud van Nistelrooy. Robin van Persie, Nicklas Bendtner and Eduardo are all injured and Gunners manager Arsene Wenger has said that although he needs a striker, it won't be the former Manchester United star.(Daily Mirror)
Wenger could move for Barcelona striker Bojan Krkic with the Serbian-born star struggling to make the first team at the Nou Camp.(Daily Star)
Tottenham are battling to secure the services of Ivory Coast striker Seydou Doumbia from Swiss side Young Boys of Berne.(Daily Mirror)
Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish is keen on taking on Fulham left-back Paul Konchesky.(Daily Mirror)
Kris Boyd fears that every goal he scores before the new year will be his last for Rangers because of uncertainty over player futures during the January transfer window. (The Sun)

OTHER GOSSIP

Stoke City striker James Beattie was involved in a bust-up with manager Tony Pulis at Arsenal over the weekend following an argument about the players' Christmas party. After their 2-0 loss to the Londoners, it is reported the row started in the dressing room at the Emirates Stadium when the team were told they would have to train on Monday and not have the day off.(Daily Mail)
Cristiano Ronaldo has expressed his apologies after his sending off in Real Madrid's 4-2 win over Almeria. After scoring, then missing a penalty before receiving a second yellow card, he said: "I have my flaws too, but I am a professional who doesn't like to miss or lose."(Independent)
Celtic midfielder Landry N'Guemo is hoping that Cameroon coach Paul Le Guen, the former Rangers manager, allows him to play in January's Old Firm derby before joining his national squad for the African Cup of Nations. (Various)
The African Cup of Nations could be crucial to the 3 January Old Firm derby, with Algeria coach Rabah Saadane wanting Rangers defender Madjid Bougherra to report for their training camp on 27 December. (Daily Mail)

AND FINALLY

Wayne Rooney has revealed he missed the World Cup draw! England's top striker was busy catching up on some rest following the birth of his son in November. "I laid down on my bed to watch the draw on TV and fell asleep," said the 24-year-old.(The Sun)
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