Monday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Chelsea will make a £33m bid for Valencia striker David Villa - but the Spain international would prefer a move to Manchester United.(Daily Mirror) 
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has identified Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer as the candidate he believes is best qualified to succeed Edwin van der Sar at Old Trafford.(Daily Mail) 
Manchester City manager Mark Hughes is keen to sign Osasuna's £10m-rated right-back Cesar Azpilicueta. (Daily Mirror) 
City winger Robinho could be on his way to Barcelona after Hughes attended Barca's draw with Osasuna on Saturday and met with club president Joan Laporta and sporting director Tiki Beguiristain.(El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish)) 
Coventry striker Leon Best, whose contract ends next summer, is a target for Middlesbrough manager Gordon Strachan.(Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Former Liverpool midfielder Ronnie Whelan believes Reds manager Rafael Benitez's days at the club "have got to be numbered".(Various) 
Benitez's future at Anfield will be determined over the next three games amid growing concern from potential investors over Liverpool's worst sequence of results for more than 50 years.(Daily Mail) 
Injury problems mean Benitez could be without 12 players for Wednesday's critical Champions League meeting with Lyon. (Daily Express) 
The Football Association are examining the situation of Werder Bremen forward Aaron Hunt, who was born in Germany and has represented them a Under-16, Under-17 and Under-21 level but would qualify to play for England through his English mother.(Daily Mail) 
Arsenal striker Robin van Persie is desperate to face former team-mate Emmanuel Adebayor, who was banned for three matches after catching the Dutchman with his boot earlier this season, when the Gunners meet Manchester City in the Carling Cup quarter-finals.(The Sun)  
Hull manager Phil Brown will be given 90 minutes to save his job after new chairman Adam Pearson told him he will be in charge for Sunday's match against Stoke. Brown's side are currently third from bottom in the Premier League.(Various) 
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is confident his side can still finish in the Premier League's top four this season despite being brushed aside by Arsenal on Saturday.(The Times) 
Portsmouth have denied a report that the £15m loan provided to the club by Balram Chainrai has effectively given the Hong Kong-based businessman control at Fratton Park.(The Times) 
Crystal Palace players have been left waiting for their wages for the second time in four months. (Daily Star)
Midfielder Alan Smith has revealed how an angry meeting of Newcastle players after the club's pre-season defeat at Leyton Orient, at which want-away stars were told to leave, was "a massive turning point" for the Championship club.(Daily Mirror) 
Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson was called to a meeting with his bosses on Sunday night as fears grew that he would be sacked for his side's poor start to the Championship season.(Daily Mirror) 
Dennis Wise is the favourite to replace Russell Slade, who was sacked as Brighton manager on Sunday.(Various) 
But former Reading manager Steve Coppell is understood to be Brighton's top target to replace Slade.(The Times) 

AND FINALLY

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has splashed out on a new car for his girlfriend Melanie Slade's 21st birthday - upgrading her Volkswagen Beetle for a £140,000 Ferrari.(The Sun) 

Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Danny has recovered from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament sustained in May but the club's insurance policy has prevented him from playing. The terms of the policy mean that he is not permitted to play within six months of sustaining his injury.(The Independent)

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Monday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Manchester City could be on the verge of establishing a link with French side AC Arles-Avignon which would see City loaning young players to the Ligue 2 outfit in order that they receive game time.(The Sun) 
Yossi Benayoun's agent maintains the midfielder is happy at Liverpool and not planning a summer exit to Manchester City. "It is a great compliment that there is interest from high level teams across Europe, but Yossi is very happy at Liverpool and only in the summer agreed a new four-year contract," said Ronen Kastav.(Virgin Media) 

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is once again preparing to raid former club Portsmouth to sign England keeper David James for £1m in January. Since taking over at Spurs, Redknapp has signed Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch and Niko Kranjcar from Pompey.(The Sun) 
European champions Barcelona are closing in on a January swoop for Manchester City forward Robinho, with sporting director Txiki Begiristain saying that the Brazilian is "a very interesting footballer and could play for us in the Champions League".(Daily Mirror) 
Former Arsenal defender Sol Campbell - who left Notts County in September after only one game - wants a short-term loan move to a Championship club to earn a Premier League return in January. (Daily Mirror) 
Stoke are lining up a move for Huddersfield's highly-rated goalkeeper Alex Smithies, but they may have to part with £3m in order to land the 19-year-old. (Daily Mirror) 
Manchester City are planning a shock January raid for Liverpool's Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun. (Daily Mail) 

OTHER GOSSIP

England coach Fabio Capello was refused a handshake by referee Damir Skomina after subjecting the official to a four-minute rant in the tunnel in the aftermath of England's 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Ukraine on Saturday. Capello was incensed by the decision to send off Robert Green and the confusion caused by the ref's original incorrect decision to dismiss Rio Ferdinand in the 13th minute of the match in Dnipropetrovsk.(The Sun) 
Striker Emile Heskey concedes he may have to leave Aston Villa - for whom he has started only one Premier League game this season - in January to keep alive his hopes of a place in England boss Fabio Capello's squad for the 2010 World Cup finals.(The Sun) 
Chelsea and England defender John Terry has admitted he sledged former Blues teammate Andriy Shevchenko prior to the striker's penalty miss for Ukraine in their 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory over England on Saturday.(The Sun)
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is unlikely to escape a touchline ban, despite apologising to referee Alan Wiley for questioning the official's fitness.(Daily Mirror) 
Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo is confident he will be back on the pitch sooner than expected despite being told he faces around a month on the sidelines. Ronaldo limped out of Portugal's 3-0 World Cup qualifying victory over Hungary on Saturday and medical tests indicated he would be out of action for "three to four weeks". (Press Association)
Former Leeds boss Dennis Wise, who until earlier this year was executive director of football at Newcastle, and ex-Chelsea striker Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink are set to make dramatic returns to football - with non-League Chalfont St Peter and Woking respectively.(The Sun) 
Ipswich midfielder Owen Garvan says he fears he has played his last game for the club after revealing that manager Roy Keane has not spoken to him in recent weeks. Garvan has not featured at all in the last eight games for Ipswich, who sit bottom of the Championship without a league win yet this season.(Daily Mirror) 
Hong Kong tycoon Carson Yeung's new Birmingham regime begins today following his takeover at St Andrews and the new ownership team will sit down with Blues manager Alex McLeish this week to discuss their working relationship and potential transfer targets.(Daily Mirror) 
Tyneside businessman Barry Moat is set for crunch talks with Newcastle chiefs on Tuesday over his proposed £100m takeover of the north-east club.(The Sun) 
Liverpool owner Tom Hicks will allow co-owner George Gillett to sell his 50% stake in the club should the latter find a buyer. American Hicks, who is not interested in selling his own 50% stake in the club, has the right of veto over any proposed sale of Gillett's shares but he is willing to forgo this.(The Times) 
Huddersfield manager Lee Clark says he has no intention of selling star striker Jordan Rhodes, who has scored 11 goals since joining from Ipswich in the summer. "There is no price on Jordan's head," said Clark. "I don't have to worry about him being sold because we have a very wealthy owner."(Daily Mirror) 

AND FINALLY

Argentina coach Diego Maradona celebrated his side's last-minute winner against Peru in the crucial World Cup qualifier in Buenos Aires with a jubilant belly slide. Martin Palermo's goal, which secured a 2-1 win over Peru, lifted Argentina to fourth place, with a game to go in the South American group, from which the top four qualify.(Daily Star) 
The internet coverage of England's match with Ukraine - the first national team match to be shown exclusively online - has been hailed a success by Kentaro and Perform, the companies behind the transmission, after nearly half a million people subscribed to the programme. (The Guardian)
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Monday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Cesc Fabregas says he has no intention of leaving Arsenal, despite continued rumours linking him with Barcelona.(The Sun) 
Aston Villa, Hull and Wolves are all keen to sign Sol Campbell - if his bid to overturn rules preventing him from joining another team before January is successful.(Daily Mail) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Portsmouth have received a £5m emergency loan from Saudi tycoon Ali al-Faraj, who is keen to buy the club, but former owner Alexandre Gaydamak could block any deal using clauses he negotiated when selling to Sulaiman al-Fahim.(The Times) 
Meanwhile, former Portsmouth boss and current Spurs supremo Harry Redknapp will face more questions over transfers he conducted at Pompey, as part of a long-running investigation into various deals.(The Times) 
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson can expect a lengthy touchline ban after he questioned the fitness of referee Alan Wiley following Saturday's 2-2 draw with Sunderland.(Daily Mail)
Dennis Wise, who lost his job at Newcastle United in April, has rejected suggestions he forced then-manager Kevin Keegan to sign Uruguayan Ignacio Gonzalez to keep South American agents happy.
"The long-term idea was we would have first option on all the best young South American kids and that was important to the club. Mike Ashley (Newcastle's owner) knew all about it and it was fine," Wise is quoted as saying.(The Sun) 
Wise also believes Ashley will retain ownership of Newcastle until at least next summer, despite recent attempts to find a buyer.(Daily Mail) 
David Sullivan, who is set to stand down as a director of Birmingham City, has denied planning a move to buy West Ham United.(Daily Mail) 
Aston Villa midfielder James Milner has called on his club's supporters not to target abuse at former Villa star Gareth Barry, who returns with Manchester City on Monday.(The Guardian) 
Notts County are ready to appoint David Platt as their new manager, after current boss Ian McParland's side managed only a draw at Cheltenham.(Daily Mirror) 

AND FINALLY

France boss Raymond Domenech is the subject of a new, chart-topping track entitled Je Kiffe Raymond (I Fancy Raymond).
The song, by former porn actress Catherine Ringer, includes the line: "If he attacked my penalty areas, I would be without defenders."(The Times) 
Barcelona midfielder Xavi has hit out at opposing sides for being "boring" in the defensive tactics they employ.
Xavi was upset as opponents Almeria parked the proverbial bus at the weekend, adding: "I have never been marked like that. It was obsessive."( Daily Star)
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Monday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

Blackburn will renew their interest in Schalke's German striker Kevin Kuranyi this summer after provisionally lining him up in January as a potential replacement for Roque Santa Cruz. (Daily Mail) 
Loan striker Jay Simpson will not remain with West Brom next season as he wants to return to parent club Arsenal to fight for his place. (The Sun) 
Hearts midfielder Bruno Aguiar has hinted he may leave Tynecastle under freedom of contract at the end of the season. (Scottish Daily Express) 
Celtic target Jordi Gomez, currently on loan at Swansea from Espanyol, will wait until the summer before deciding his next move. (Scottish Sun) 

OTHER GOSSIP 

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes claims he was right to rest Brazilian striker Robinho for the side's 3-1 home defeat to Fulham after fans subjected the Welshman to chants of "you don't know what you're doing". (Various) 
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has fired a warning to Chelsea that the Reds are ready to pull-off another sensational European comeback in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday. (Daily Express) 
However, Chelsea's players are planning to convince temporary manager Guus Hiddink to stay with the Blues beyond the end of the season by winning all their remaining games, says midfielder Michael Ballack. (Daily Express) 
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is also targeting a 100% winning run-in to the season for his side in a last-ditch bid to claim a top-four finish after Sunday's 3-3 draw with Everton extended their run without a win to 10 games. (The Times) 
Newcastle caretaker boss Alan Shearer was unhappy with the lateness of Obefami Martins' withdrawal from the squad for Saturday's 1-1 draw with Stoke because of a sore groin, after the striker had trained the two previous days. (Various) 
Teenage striker Federico Macheda's stunning start to his Manchester United career is set to be rewarded with a new £10,000-a-week contract this summer. (Daily Mail) 
Former Newcastle executive director Dennis Wise is poised for a swift return to football as manager of QPR after holding talks with Hoops co-owner Flavio Briatore and chairman Gianni Paladini. (Various) 
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola is set to sign a new four-year deal with the club, doubling his salary to around £1.5m-a-year in the process. (Daily Star) 
Wigan striker Amr Zaki faces further disciplinary action after being spotted coming out of a Manchester nightclub in the early hours of Friday morning - just 13 hours before the Latics were beaten 4-1 by Arsenal. (Daily Mirror) 
Rangers playmaker Pedro Mendes has been branded a diver by furious Motherwell defender Brian McLean. (Various) 
Scotland legend Kenny Dalglish has urged Barry Ferguson to grow up and apologise to Rangers boss Walter Smith. (Scottish Sun) 
Hibs defender Ian Murray reckons the SPL split is 'crazy' and would like to see it abolished as of next season. (Various) 
Watford manager Brendan Rodgers says a new pitch rather than new players would help him develop his desired passing game at Vicarage Road. (Daily Express) 

AND FINALLY 

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp says Russian striker Roman Pavlyuchenko will have to work harder to improve his English after revealing his translator gets in the way during training sessions. (Daily Telegraph)
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Tuesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas has conceded he spoke on the phone with former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon.(Skysports)

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is preparing an £18m bid for Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry has conceded he may have to consider his future if the club do not secure Champions League football by finishing in the top four of the Premier League this season. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth striker John Utaka is set for a return to France, with Bordeaux lining up a £7m swoop. (Daily Star)

Hertha Berlin are only prepared to pay £4m for on-loan Liverpool striker Andrei Voronin, if the German club qualify for next season's Champions League. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland have joined the race for Millwall defender Zak Whitbread. (Daily Star)

Nottingham Forest are preparing a £1m bid for MK Dons midfielder Peter Leven. (Daily Star) Leicester are preparing a £2m swoop for Swindon's star striker Simon Cox. (Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP 

Newcastle's interim manager Joe Kinnear, who is recovering from a triple heart bypass operation, insists he still has a future at the troubled club. (The Sun) 
Executive director of football Dennis Wise is set to leave Newcastle in a summer shake-up at St James' Park. (Daily Mirror) 
Up to 11 of Newcastle's top earners will be axed from the club, including Michael Owen, Joey Barton and Damien Duff, if the Magpies are relegated this season. (Daily Mirror) 
Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho has admitted he would be interested in taking over from Sir Alex Ferguson - when the Manchester United boss decides to quit Old Trafford. (The Guardian) 
Hull say they will call a truce with Arsenal over the alleged spitting incident with Cesc Fabregas, if the Gunners apologise. (The Sun) 
QPR manager Paulo Sousa looks set to be demoted in a new-look shake-up at the Championship club. (Daily Mirror) 
Players from the Sheffield United squad relegated from the Premier League in 2007 are pursuing £5m in compensation over the Carlos Tevez saga. (The Guardian) 
Chelsea's out-of-favour winger Florent Malouda has pleaded with the club to keep him at the end of the season. (Daily Express) 
Scotland boss George Burley could be about to drop five players for the match against Iceland with goalkeeper Allan McGregor, Gary Teale, Christophe Berra, Graham Alexander and Kenny Miller's places all under threat. (The Sun) 
 
AND FINALLY 

Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has spent £100,000 on his 10th wedding anniversary, also hiring X-factor singer Laura White for the party (The Sun) 
Former Poland goalkeeper Jan Tomaszewski believes the blunders by Celtic's Artur Boruc against Northern Ireland were a 'punishment from God' for starting a 'religious war' in Glasgow. (The Sun)