Sunday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

England midfielder Joe Cole is poised for a summer move to long-time admirers Manchester United if there is no agreement on a new contract at Chelsea.(Sunday Express) 
Manchester City are planning to take striker Gonzalo Higuain away from Real Madrid this summer after the Argentine international turned down the La Liga club's latest improved contract offer. (News of the World) 
Liverpool will offer Fernando Torres substantially greater rewards on his image rights to fend off bids from Manchester City and Barcelona. (News of the World) 
Everton plan to splash the cash this summer by offering current Goodison Park stars improved contracts, as opposed to spending their money on big name transfers.(News of the World) 
Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas has started taking Italian lessons as he prepares for a move to Inter Milan in the close-season.(Sunday Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Portsmouth fans are lining up launching a new side to groundshare with Havant & Waterlooville if their club go under. (The Observer) 
Wayne Bridge will not end his self-imposed England exile, dashing manager Fabio Capello's hopes of changing the Manchester City defender's mind before the World Cup.(Sunday Mirror) 
Capello will tell the seven players who have failed to make his final 23-man World Cup squad the bad news at a sudden-death team meeting in Austria following the friendly against Japan in Graz on 30 May.(News of the World) 
European football chiefs have vowed to ban clubs who consistently make a loss and only survive because of subsidies from their billionaire owners.(Daily Mail) 
Liverpool will delay talks over a new contract with defender Jamie Carragher, who has just over a year left on his current deal, until next year. (News of the World) 
Fabio Aurelio, though, is unlikely to remain at Anfield beyond the summer when his deal expires after a season dogged by injuries. (News of the World) 
Manchester United defender John O'Shea is poised to make a miraculous return to action, possibly within the next couple of weeks, after originally being ruled out for the remainder of the season with a blood clot last November.(News of the World) 
Manchester City striker Robinho, now on loan at Brazilian side Santos, has taken a swipe at Eastlands manager Roberto Mancini, claiming the Italian "has a lack of ability". (Sunday Mirror) 
City are set to unveil plans for a £50m training ground as part of a £500m development of the land surrounding their Eastlands stadium. (Sunday Mirror) 

AND FINALLY

A new Premier League-endorsed scheme aimed at teenage football talent hopes to eradicate the 'spoilt rich kid' image of England's top footballers following the recent headline-grabbing antics of Ashley Cole and John Terry.(News of the World) 
England striker Peter Crouch has ruled out marrying girlfriend Abbey Clancy this summer because "the World Cup is the most important thing".(News of the World)

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Sunday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Arsenal and Liverpool are in the chase for midfielder Rafael van der Vaart although both are some way away from Real Madrid's valuation. AS (in Spanish) 
Manchester City have been linked with a move for Boca Juniors midfielder Juan Roman Riquelme. (IM Scouting) 

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is hoping a £10m bid will be enough to reunite him with Chelsea playmaker Joe Cole. Redknapp gave Cole his debut in senior football during his time at West Ham. (Sunday Mirror) 
Spurs midfielder Jermaine Jenas is being considered by Aston Villa as a replacement for Gareth Barry, who moved to Manchester City earlier this summer. (News of the World) 
Portsmouth are willing to sell midfielder Niko Kranjcar should any other club match their £8m valuation of the Croatia international. (Sunday Mirror) 
Burnley are to offer Newcastle midfielder Nicky Butt a route back into the Premier League with a two-year deal at Turf Moor. (News of the World) 
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is ready to dip into the Championship again with a £3.5m bid for Bristol City midfielder Marvin Elliot. (News of the World)
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez's summer spending is over after being informed that there is no more money left for him after the capture of defender Sotiros Krygiakos. (Mail on Sunday) 
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill wants to reinforce his defence with the capture of Manchester City's Richard Dunne for £6m and Portsmouth's Sylvain Distin for £4m. (Sunday Express)
Villa are also locked in discussions to swap defender Luke Young for Hull centre-back Michael Turner. (Sunday Mirror) 
David Beckham's contract with LA Galaxy contains a get-out clause that he could activate at any time. (Sunday People) 
Fulham defender Brede Hangeland has said he is flattered to be linked with a host of top clubs but he will stay at Craven Cottage for the time being. (Various) 
Everton and Blackburn face competition from Spanish side Sevilla in the chase for the signature of 24-year-old SK Brann winger Erik Huseklepp. (News of the World)
Leicester striker Matty Fryatt has come into the sights of Hull City manager Phil Brown as he looks to bolster his strike force. (News of the World) 
Tottenham are weighing up moves for Celtic midfield pair Scott Brown and Aiden McGeady, with the Parkhead club valuing them at a total of £10m. (News of the World) 
Stoke will attempt to lure Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones to the Britannia Stadium with a £12m bid. (Sunday Express) 
Striker Henri Camara, who has been without a club since leaving Wigan last season, could be snapped up by Portsmouth. (News of the World) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea captain John Terry has dismissed his long-term agent Aaron Lincoln. His decision comes after a summer of speculation linking the defender with a big-money move to Manchester City. (The Sunday Times)
Everton are likely to report Manchester City to the Premier League over their persistent pursuit of defender Joleon Lescott. (Various) 
Chelsea are facing a Football Association investigation after a training ground friendly against United Arab Emirates side Al Hilal erupted into a mass brawl. (News of the World) 
Portsmouth have been forced to renegotiate payments to other clubs and agents with Sulaiman Al-Fahim's protracted takeover still not finalised. (The Mail on Sunday) 
David Gold and David Sullivan will attempt to buy West Ham after agreeing to the £80m sale of Birmingham City to Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung. (News of the World) 
Arsenal are keen to improve the terms of midfielder Cesc Fabregas's current Emirates contract, worth around £90,000 a week, to ward off interest from Barcelona. (News of the World) 
The pitch at Wembley Stadium will be relaid for a sixth time since the venue reopened in 2007 after the U2 concerts held at the venue over the weekend damaged the surface. (Sunday Express)

AND FINALLY

Neighbours of Wayne Rooney and wife Coleen are unimpressed with the couple's redesigned home and gardens. The Prestbury property has their initials inlaid in the entrance hall's marble floor. (The Mail on Sunday)
Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand says his annual goal-scoring contest against brother and Sunderland centre-back Anton will "probably" take place again this season. Last term's rivalry ended in a draw with neither sibling registering a single strike. (The Independent on Sunday) 
Just six days ahead of the start of a new season, no British broadcaster has secured the rights to screen Spanish football. BSkyB's deal to show La Liga expired in the summer and the satellite giant is reluctant to meet the £15m-a-season asking price. (The Sunday Times)
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Tuesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Tottenham and Manchester City will offer England midfielder David Beckham a chance to return to the Premier League from the United States when Los Angeles Galaxy's Major League Soccer season finishes in October.(The Sun) 
Manchester City's Brazilian midfielder Elano, 28, could move on a season-long loan to German club Cologne or Inter Milan after being told not to join the club's pre-season tour of South Africa.(The Independent) 
And City are still confident they can complete a deal for Chelsea defender John Terry, with the Eastlands outfit ready to up their offer to £40m for the 28-year-old. (Daily Star) 
Everton defender Joleon Lescott will plead with manager David Moyes to allow him to speak to Manchester City over a move, with City expected to make an improved £18m offer for the England international. (The Times) 
Everton are on the verge of signing Sweden international midfielder Rasmus Elm, 21, from Kalmar. (Daily Mirror)
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill wants Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas in a £10m deal.(The Sun) 
And 26-year-old Jenas is also a target for Inter Milan who will use some of the £40m they expect to receive from Barcelona for striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.(The Guardian) 
Aston Villa midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker is a £3m target for Championship side Middlesbrough. Boro would also consider taking the 25-year-old as part of a a swap deal for Turkish striker Tuncay Sanli, who they value at £5m.(Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham look likely to miss out on Real Madrid's Dutch striker Klaas Jan-Huntelaar who is set for £18m move to Stuttgart. (Daily Mirror) 
Bordeaux's Morocco international striker Marauane Chamakh, 25, has given up hope of signing for Arsenal but will still consider a switch to the Premier League with Sunderland, Blackburn, Tottenham and Fulham all interested.(Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool defender Andrea Dossena is being targeted by Italian side Napoli. (The Times)
Bolton manager Gary Megson has made a £2m bid for Hull midfielder Sam Ricketts, 27. Full story: (Daily Star) 
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce will end his interest in Wigan midfielder Lee Cattermole after failing with a £6m bid. (Daily Star)
And Sunderland expect to find out on Tuesday whether they have been successful in their £12m bid to sign Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch. (The Telegraph) 
Portsmouth want Espanyol's former Liverpool defender Steve Finnan, 33, to replace Glen Johnson. (Daily Mirror)
Birmingham have lined up a £4m offer for Reading's 27-year-old winger Stephen Hunt. (Daily Star) 
Leicester boss Nigel Pearson wants former Reading striker Leroy Lita. The 24-year-old is a free agent. (Daily Star)
Glasgow Rangers Algerian international defender Madjid Bougherra has snubbed a £4m move to Bordeaux and will only leave the Scottish side for a team in the English Premier League. (Daily Record) 


OTHER GOSSIP

League Two side Notts County are lining up a move for former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson after the club was taken over by a Middle Eastern consortium. (The Sun) 
Frank Lampard has backed his new Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti to be as successful at the club as former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho. "I don't think Ancelotti will have any issue with stepping out of Mourinho's shadow whatsoever," he said. (Daily Mirror) 
Portsmouth's £60m takeover by United Arab Emirates businessman Sulaiman Al Fahim should be completed on Tuesday - preventing Pompey from becoming the first Premier League club to go into administration. (Daily Mirror)

AND FINALLY

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson believes Cristiano Ronaldo's love for the club could result in the winger returning to the club in the future. "He may come back, you never know... He loved United," said Ferguson. (The Sun) 
Meanwhile, Ferguson has claimed Argentine striker Carlos Tevez was "not worth" the £25m Manchester City paid for him. (The Guardian)
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Saturday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Manchester City are being linked with Peruvian forward Roberto Merino, a player nicknamed 'the Maradona of the Andes'.(Setanta Sports) 

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Chelsea are weighing up an English record £40m bid for Valencia's highly-rated Spanish international forward David Villa. (Independent) 
Real Madrid are set to beat Chelsea to the signing of France international midfielder Franck Ribery for £60m. (The Sun) 
AC Milan are ready to rival Real for the signing of Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo as a replacement for Kaka, should the Brazilian move to Madrid. (The Sun) 
Tottenham have offered David Bentley plus £8m for Aston Villa winger Ashley Young. (The Sun) 
Villa, though, are interested in taking £10m-rated midfielder Jermaine Jenas from Spurs, and are also keen on Serbian defensive midfielder Nenad Mililjas, who had been interesting Premier League new-boys Wolves.(Daily Mail) 
Barcelona plan to capitalise on the financial problems at Liverpool with a £20m raid for Argentine midfielder Javier Mascherano. (The Sun) 
The Reds are also set to miss out on their top summer target - Valencia's Spanish midfielder David Silva - because of the budget constraints imposed on manager Rafael Benitez, with Real Madrid favourites to land the player. (Various)
One man who appears to be on his way out of Anfield is Italian defender Andrea Dossena, who is a target for Juventus.(Daily Telegraph) 
Manchester United's hopes of landing Lyon's £30m-rated striker Karim Benzema have been increased after the president of the French club, Jean-Michel Aulas, said the player was not "untransferable". (Daily Express) 
Birmingham have been told they must pay £4m if they want to lure defender Scott Dann from Coventry, who have also rejected a £1m bid from the Blues for winger Gary McSheffrey. (Daily Express) 
England winger Stewart Downing can leave Middlesbrough if the club receive an acceptable offer according to club chief executive Keith Lamb.(Daily Express) 
Stoke are set to join the race to sign Manchester City defender Richard Dunne, who is also being tracked by Tottenham.(Daily Mail) 
The Potters are set to give Liam Lawrence a new deal but have turned down Glenn Whelan's demand for a pay-rise.(Daily Mirror) 
West Ham have targeted full-backs, Rennes' France international Rod Fanni and Middlesbrough's Matthew Bates, as replacement's for Lucas Neill, who has rejected a new one-year deal at Upton Park.(Daily Telegraph) 
Hull manager Phil Brown is keen to sign Manchester United strike-dup Manucho and Frazier Campbell, both of whom have had recent loan spells at the KC Stadium.(Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

England manager Fabio Capello says he "does not recognise himself" in the description given of him by Carlo Ancelotti and called for some respect, after the new Chelsea coach described his former AC Milan boss as "surly" and having no dialogue with his players. (Various)
England captain John Terry has urged Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher to reconsider his decision to retire from international football. (Various) 
West Ham striker Carlton Cole has sought advice from Chelsea front-man Didier Drogba in his quest to become an England regular. (Daily Star) 
England fitness coach Massimo Neri is a target for new Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara as he looks to build his back-room staff. (The Times) 
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger turned down the opportunity to become the manager of Real Madrid, despite three meetings with the Spanish club. (Daily Mirror) 
Roberto Mancini and Slaven Bilic top the shortlist for the manager's job at Portsmouth after Paul Hart - who took temporary charge last season - was told he wouldn't be offered the job.(Daily Mirror) 
Prospective new Wigan boss Roberto Martinez can be a great success at the JJB Stadium according to former Latics manager Ray Mathias. (Daily Express) 
Manchester City's Brazilian midfielder Elano has delivered an ultimatum to the club, demanding they offer him a knew lucrative contract or let him leave.(Daily Mail) 

AND FINALLY

England boss Fabio Capello says England are the Rafael Nadal to Spain's Roger Federer because of their athletic, physical prowess in contrast to the European Champions grace and guile. (Various)
Theo Walcott has confessed he grew a moustache and a designer beard because he was sick of Arsenal players calling him "Sweet Little Boy".(The Sun)
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Sunday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

Manchester City have made John Terry their number one summer transfer target, and will bid £20m for the Chelsea skipper. (Sunday Mirror) 
Arsenal are ready to offload striker Emmanuel Adebayor to AC Milan this summer. (News of the World)
Manchester City's wealthy owners are lining up a stunning double swoop for Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho and Barcelona winger Lionel Messi. (The People) 
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has turned down a £40m offer to become Real manager and will sign a new deal with the Gunners. (News of the World)
Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy is set to become the subject of a £15m bid from Real Madrid. (The People) 
Middlesbrough wing Stewart Downing is back on Liverpool's wanted list, and could move to Anfield for £12m. (News of the World)
 Arsenal are chasing 19-year-old defender Mamadou Sakho, who is currently playing for Paris St Germain. (Sunday Express) 
Tottenham are ready to make a £9m bid for Lille midfielder Michel Bastos. (News of the World)
Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins will be offered a deal with Inter Milan should the Magpies suffer relegation from the Premier League. (The People) 
Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure is a £25m target for Manchester City. (News of the World)
Manchester City defender Micah Richards will be the biggest name in Mark Hughes' summer clear-out, with Joe Hart, Darius Vassell and Benjani also included. (News of the World) 
Aston Villa are again poised to bid for Richards as boss Martin O'Neill looks to replace Martin Laursen. (Sunday Mirror)
Villa will make a £10m bid for Fulham defender Brede Hangeland. (News of the World) 
Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has denied speculation that he is off to Real Madrid in the summer. (Sunday Mirror)
Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas is wanted by Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan. (News of the World) 
Tottenham midfielder Tom Huddlestone could be on his way to German side Bayern Munich, who are set to name former Spurs boss Martin Jol as their new manager. (The People)
Newcastle are keen on West Brom midfielder James Morrison. (News of the World) 
Bolton are ready to snap up Lyon striker Sidney Govou, who has refused a new contract with the French club. (Sunday Mirror, News of the World)
Everton are one of the clubs interested in signing Dynamo Kiev striker Ismael Bangoura. (News of the World) 
Wigan are tracking Getafe winger Joffre Guerron as a replacement for Luis Antonio Valencia. (The People) 

OTHER GOSSIP 

Former England manager Steve McClaren is a leading candidate for the Sunderland manager's job. (The People, Sunday Express) 
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is set to be rested for the vital clash with Newcastle after picking up a hamstring injury during the week. (Various)
Newcastle forward Michael Owen will be dropped to the bench for the game with Liverpool even though manager Alan Shearer will play three strikers at Anfield. (News of the World) 
Birmingham manager Alex McLeish will quit the club whether they win promotion or not. (The People) 
Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne will be offered a new four-year deal in the summer. (News of the World) 
Former Barcelona manager Louis van Gaal has revealed to his AZ Alkmaar bosses that Sunderland want him to replace Ricky Sbragia. (Mail on Sunday)
Portsmouth will appoint Paul Hart as their full-time manager after he guided the club to Premier League safety. (News of the World) 
 
AND FINALLY 

It is nearly 10 years since goalkeeper Jimmy Glass scored the goal that kept Carlisle in the football league and a lot has changed for the now 35-year-old. 
After spending time as a computer salesman and moving to France, he is now a taxi driver in Poole but admits he has left the world of football behind. "Most of my Saturdays now are spent running little old ladies from their care homes to the hairdressers." (The Independent)
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