Friday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manager Rafael Benitez intends to take striker Fernando Torres with him to Juventus if he opts to leave Liverpool and take charge of the Italian club.(the Sun) 
Manchester City are lining up a £50m bid for the Spain international and could offer an incredible £200,000 a week to lure him to Eastlands.(Guardian) 
But Benitez says Torres, who is 12 months into a four-year contract at Anfield, is not for sale.(The Times) 
Juventus are hoping to lure Arsenal right-back Bacary Sagna to the Stadio delle Alpi if the Gunners sign Ajax defender Gregory Van der Wiel.(Daily Mail) 
The Italians are also considering using goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and midfielder Felipe Melo to lure Robin van Persie to Turin.(Daily Mirror) 
Meanwhile, the Gunners have joined a growing list of Premier League clubs interested in the signature of Everton teenager Jack Rodwell. However, the Merseyside club are set to increase the midfielder's wages to ensure he stays at Goodison Park.(The Times) 
Manchester City are keen to tie up a deal for Germany international Mesut Ozil before the 22-year-old Werder Bremen midfielder has the chance to make a name for himself at the World Cup.(The Independent) 
Brazil striker Luis Fabiano has hinted Manchester United would be his destination of choice if he leaves Sevilla in the summer.(Daily Express) 
Hamburg defender Jerome Boateng is set to join brother Kevin-Prince, the Portsmouth midfielder, in English football with a move to Manchester City.(Daily Mail) 
West Brom are preparing a move for out-of-favour Stoke striker Tuncay, but will face competition from Fenerbahce.(Daily Star) 
Newcastle manager Chris Hughton has warned fans it will be difficult to recruit big names to St James' Park in the summer.(Daily Mirror) 
Manchester United want to beat local rivals Manchester City to the signing of teenage Nigerian midfielder Ramon Azeez.(Daily Mail) 
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart, who has spent this season on loan at Birmingham, is a £10m target for Arsenal.(Daily Star) 
Blackburn striker Jason Roberts is seeking to clarify his future at Ewood Park as boss Sam Allardyce targets a move for Lech Poznan striker Robert Lewandowski.(Daily Mirror) 
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is eyeing a move for Cardiff striker Jay Bothroyd after long-term target Roman Pavlyuchenko rediscovered his form at Tottenham.(Daily Mail) 
Caretaker manager Neil Lennon has told Celtic's board that he would like to sign two strikers, one of them being Scunthorpe United's Gary Hooper, who has been targeted by Wolves and Hull City. (the Times) 
Rangers' hopes of signing James McArthur were dealt a blow when it emerged that Birmingham City are showing an interest in the Hamilton Accies midfielder. (The Herald)
Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish has rejected speculation linking his club with Dundee United's Garry Kenneth, but Blackpool are keeping tabs on the defender. (Daily Record) 
Aberdeen have made contract offers to Kilmarnock forward Kevin Kyle and to Dons on-loan Plymouth attacker Steven MacLean. (the Press & Journal) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Everton manager David Moyes has rejected speculation that he may be in line to take over from Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson when the Scot retires.(Daily Record) 
Tottenham and England winger Aaron Lennon could be set to return from a four-month injury lay-off against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday. (Daily Mirror) 
England boss Fabio Capello is desperate to take Tottenham's Ledley King to the World Cup despite the defender's recurrent injury problems.(Daily Mirror) 
Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies will quit the City Ground and take up the reins at Celtic if his Championship side fail to win promotion to the Premier League. (Daily Mirror) 


AND FINALLY

France legend Zinedine Zidane will be the star signing in this year's Soccer Aid football match on 6 June at Old Trafford. The former Real Madrid star will be among a group of stars playing for the Rest of the World team against a team of celebrities.(the Sun)
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Thursday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic has re-stressed his loyalty to the club in the face of renewed speculation linking him with a move to Spain. "I will repeat for the 100th time: my contract with Manchester is until the summer of 2012 and I want to stay at Old Trafford until the last day," Vidic told Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti. (Agence France-Presse)

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TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United are ready to make a summer move for England midfielder Joe Cole if he cannot resolve his contract dispute at Chelsea.(Daily Express) 
Birmingham claim they have reached an agreement with Manchester City for goalkeeper Joe Hart to remain on loan at St Andrew's next season.(The Sun) 
Bayern Munich look set to beat Chelsea to the signature of CSKA Moscow's Serbian winger Milos Krasic.(Daily Mail) 
Chelsea have been told that defender Neven Subotic will cost them "a lot of money" by the Serbian's club Borussia Dortmund. (The Sun) 
Spanish newspaper AS has reported that Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano - a target for both Chelsea and Manchester City - will cost 30m euros, in line with a release clause in his contract.(imscouting.com) 
Antonio Caliendo, the agent of Inter Milan's Brazilian full-back Maicon has opened the door to a summer move to Manchester City, saying: "(City boss Roberto) Mancini has always expressed his desire to have Maicon." (Daily Mail) 
Manchester United defender John O'Shea is a summer target for Spanish champions Barcelona, according to Spanish newspaper Sport.(imscouting.com) 
Crisis club Portsmouth will ask the Premier League to let them sell some of their players now - despite the transfer window having closed - in a bid to pay their bills. Pompey are understood to have debts of around £60m and last week survived a winding-up order by providing the High Court with a detailed statement of their finances. (Daily Mirror) 
Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar has dismissed rumours that he is set to quit the club, saying that Merseyside feels like home.(The Sun) 
Newcastle will attempt to hijack West Brom's bid to sign Wigan midfielder Jason Koumas, who has been told he can leave the DW Stadium.(The Sun)

Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones has hinted that he would jump at the chance to join Liverpool this summer.(The Sun) 

Arsenal are set to lose 18-year-old striker Gilles Sunu to Bordeaux for a pittance this summer. The player is unsettled at the Emirates and out of contract at the end of the season.(Daily Mirror) 
Brighton boss Gus Poyet has opened talks with QPR to bring striker Rowan Vine to the Withdean Stadium on an extended loan.(The Sun) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Midfielder David Beckham, currently on loan at AC Milan from Los Angeles Galaxy, has backed Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney to fire England to World Cup glory this summer. Rooney scored twice in the San Siro on Tuesday as United secured a 3-2 Champions League last-16 first-leg lead over Milan.(The Sun) 
Notts County's new owner Ray Trew may put the club into administration in the next 48 hours after discovering the full extent of the financial problems at Meadow Lane.(Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko has launched a stunning verbal attack on Harry Redknapp and accused the Spurs boss of "making fun of me". The Russian has struggled to nail down first-team football under Redknapp and added that he does not think he has a future at White Hart Lane.(The Sun) 
Alan Curbishley could take over as QPR manager now he has settled his financial dispute with former club West Ham.(Daily Mail) 
Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is discussing a new contract after guiding the club to eighth in the Premier League.(Birmingham Mail) 
However, McLeish will not sign a new deal unless he is given full control of transfers by owner Carson Yeung.(Daily Mirror) 

AND FINALLY

Sunderland striker Darren Bent has stopped using social networking site Twitter as it distracts him from playing.(The Sun)
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Sunday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will make a £20m bid for Sevilla's Luis Fabiano when the transfer window opens in January. (The People) 
The Scot will also try to sign Valencia playmaker David Silva in January for £25m. (News of the World) 
Ferguson may eventually try to sign West Ham goalkeeper Rob Green as a replacement for Edwin van der Sar.(Sunday Express) 
David Beckham is close to announcing that he will return to AC Milan in January as he looks to play in Europe to secure a place in Fabio Capello's England World Cup squad. (The Mail on Sunday) 
Everton boss David Moyes will try to sign Dutch forward Rafael van der Vaart from Real Madrid in January. (News of the World) 
Celtic are on the trail of 17-year-old Derry City midfielder star Darren McCauley, but will have to fight off Blackburn Rovers to secure his signature. (Sunday Mail) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Kevin Keegan takes Newcastle to court this week over his £10m compensation claim after he left as the club's manager last September.(News of the World) 
Meanwhile, Chris Hughton has been told he will remain in charge of the Championship club for the rest of the season.(News of the World) 
Liverpool will sign a new shirt sponsorship deal worth £80m with London-based bank Standard Chartered. (Sunday Express) 
Championship club Swansea have accused Manchester City of poaching 15-year-old Emyr Huws. (The People) 
Carlos Tevez's long-time advisor Kia Joorabchian has denied reports the Argentine striker could end up costing Manchester City £47m. (The Observer) 
Arsenal are set to offer French defender William Gallas a new contract.(News of the World) 
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is the leading contender to coach the Great Britain football team at the 2012 Olympics in London. (Sunday Mirror) 
England could lose out to Mexico on their preferred training complex at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus in Rustenburg for the World Cup in South Africa.(The Mail on Sunday) Meanwhile, Capello claims that his dream final at the World Cup would see his England team play Italy. (Various) 
And he claims that anything less than reaching the final will be a failure for his team. (The Mail on Sunday) 
The Football Association is yet to decide whether to allow the England players to twitter during the finals. (News of the World)

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AND FINALLY

Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper reckons a book about his career at the club would sell more copies than one written by Harry Potter author JK Rowling.(News of the World)
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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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Friday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Former Liverpool and Newcastle striker Michael Owen will have to take a 50% pay cut - to £50,000-a-week - and pass a stringent medical before making a shock move to Manchester United.(The Sun) 
Actually, Owen could be offered a basic wage of a paltry £20,000-a-week, with performance-related bonuses taking him close to the £110,000-a-week he earned at Newcastle.(Daily Mail) 
Chelsea are the only club to have submitted a formal bid, of about £40m, for Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery - but the French international wants to join Real Madrid.(Daily Telegraph) 
Real Madrid have put their bid for Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso on hold, until mid-July when his former club Real Sociedad will no longer be entitled to a percentage of the fee.(The Sun) 
Liverpool are steeling themselves for two bids worth nearly a combined £60m from Real Madrid and Barcelona for Alonso and his fellow midfielder Javier Mascherano. (Daily Telegraph)
Manchester United will make a £16m move for Sevilla's 28-year-old Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano, but face competition from AC Milan.(Daily Mirror) 
Barcelona have risked the wrath of Arsenal by making an approach for midfielder Cesc Fabregas.(The Sun) 
Portsmouth defender Sol Campbell is considering a shock move to Championship club Newcastle United.(Daily Star) 
Chelsea are close to signing Man City youngster Daniel Sturridge and and CSKA Moscow left-back Yuri Zhirkov.(Daily Telegraph) 
AC Milan could make a remarkable £12m bid for Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch if they fail to sign Arsenal's Emmanuel Adebayor.(The Sun) 
Fulham are also keen on Pompey's giant hitman, preparing a £10m bid.(Daily Mail) 
Aston Villa are weighing up a potential £8m bid for 22-year-old Swedish striker Marcus Berg, who impressed at the recent Euro Under-21 Championship.(Daily Star) 
Tottenham will have to pay £12m to sign Lille's 25-year-old Brazilian midfielder Michel Bastos.(Daily Mail) 
Goalkeeper Kelvin Davis, 32, will seal his move from Southampton to West Ham on Monday.(The Sun) 
Hull boss Phil Brown could be set to offer veteran midfielder Dietmar Hamann a 12-month contract after he was released by Manchester City.(Daily Mirror) 
West Brom have rejected a £2m bid from Fulham for captain Jonathan Greening. (Daily Star) Everton are set to raid Leeds to sign highly-rated defender Luke Garbutt in a £1m deal. (Daily Star)
Wolves will complete the £2m signing of Sunderland defender Greg Halford, 24, on Friday. (The Sun) 
Stoke are set to make a £5m bid for Manchester City's Zimbabwean striker Benjani.(Daily Star) 
Watford have accepted a £1.8m bid from Sheffield United for their player of the year Tommy Smith, 28. (The Sun) 
Nottingham Forest are set to sign Preston's Paul McKenna and QPR's Lee Camp in the next 48 hours. (Daily Star)
Norwich are close to signing Crystal Palace striker Alan Lee, 30, in a deal which could take goalkeeper Stuart Nelson, 27, the other way. (Daily Star) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is hoping to sell the club to a Malaysian group - after a secret trip by the prospective buyers on Thursday. (Various)
Ipswich boss Roy Keane has told Bristol City manager Gary Johnson to "mind his own business" after Johnson said he thought the Tractor Boys would sign Lee Martin from Man Utd. (Daily Mirror) 
New West Brom boss Roberto di Matteo insists he will decide on signings, not sporting director Dan Ashworth.(Daily Mail) 

AND FINALLY

In four years at Newcastle, Michael Owen started 65 games and scored 30 goals. He is reported to have cost the relegated club an eye-watering £41m in fees and wages. (Various)
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USA 2-3 Brazil

Brazil denied the United States a shock victory by coming back from two goals down to win the Confederations Cup.
A Clint Dempsey flick and a Landon Donovan strike on the counter put the US into a surprise 2-0 half-time lead. 
Luis Fabiano pulled one back for Brazil before Kaka was denied an equaliser when his header was wrongly judged not to have crossed the line. 
Luis Fabiano's headed second levelled matters before, five minutes from time, Lucio nodded in a corner to win it. 
After upsetting the odds so spectacularly with their 2-0 semi-final victory over Spain, the US almost tore up the script again, against opponents who had beaten them 3-0 in the group stage of the competition. 
Predictably, favourites Brazil had the lion's share of possession, but the incisive football was played by the American underdogs throughout the first half.

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USA coach Bob Bradley:

"That defeat really hurt. 
"I'm extremely proud of my players, but it still feels pretty lousy to let this one get away. 
"I hope though that people around the world see we have good team and great players and it is a big step forward." 

Brazil coach Dunga:
"Even after we went 2-0 down the team was still sure of itself. We told them at half-time to play down the wings, keep patient. 
"We did that, we have been together for 29 days and we were determined to win it. 
"It is very difficult to overcome a 2-0 deficit, it is not easy, but if you have committed players who never give up then you have a chance and we came back in the second half. We showed a high level of professionalism." 

USA: Howard, Spector, DeMerit, Onyewu, Bocanegra, Dempsey, Clark (Casey 88), Feilhaber (Bornstein 75), Donovan, Davies, Altidore (Kljestan 75).
Subs Not Used: Guzan, Califf, Wynne, Pearce, Beasley, Adu, Torres, Bradley, Robles. 
Booked: Bocanegra. 
Goals: Dempsey 10, Donovan 27. 

Brazil: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio, Luisao, Andre Santos (Dani Alves 66), Ramires (Elano 67), Felipe Melo, Silva, Kaka, Luis Fabiano, Robinho.
Subs Not Used: Victor, Juan, Kleber, Miranda, Josue, Julio Baptista, Kleberson, Alexandre Pato, Nilmar, Gomes. 
Booked: Felipe Melo, Andre Santos, Lucio. 
Goals: Luis Fabiano 46, 74, Lucio 84. 

Att: 62,000 
Ref: Martin Hansson (Sweden).
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