Wednesday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Germany captain Michael Ballack insists his international career is not over despite missing the World Cup after injuring his ankle playing for Chelsea in the FA Cup final. "I won't let my international career come to an end because of a foul like this," said the 33-year-old (Press Association).
Tottenham have joined Arsenal in the chase for Dynamo Kiev's Senegalese defender Pape Diakhate.(goal.com) 

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United are prepared to allow Anderson leave Old Trafford in a player-swap-plus-cash deal to land £38m-rated Benfica winger Angel di Maria.(Daily Mail) 
Manchester City have entered the race to sign Bayern Munich's £50m-rated winger Franck Ribery. Barcelona and Real Madrid have dropped out because of the player's personal problems, thus leaving City and Manchester United as the only serious interested parties.(Footylatest.com) 
Ajax have told Manchester United that it will cost £35m to persuade them to sell Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez this summer.(Daily Mirror) 
The potential stumbling block surrounding the return of Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona could involve the transfer fee, with Arsenal not prepared to accept less than £50m.(Footylatest.com) 
Barcelona are ready to spend £70m to thwart Chelsea's interest and bring Liverpool's Spanish international striker Fernando Torres to the Nou Camp.(Daily Express) 
Manchester United are set to table a bid of £20m for Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell, with boss Sir Alex Ferguson hoping his offer will see off Chelsea, who are reported to have tabled a bid of £16m.(Footylatest.com) 
The agent of Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has quashed reports that the 32-year-old Italy star is heading for a Premier League club this summer. (The Sun) 
Liverpool are preparing a double swoop for Manchester City's Stephen Ireland and Chelsea's Joe Cole. The Anfield club are confident they have sufficient funds to finance both fees, and hope to persuade Cole to take a lower wage.(Footylatest.com) 
West Ham have rejected bids from Fulham, Birmingham and Stoke for striker Carlton Cole as none of their offers matched the Hammers' £15m valuation.(Daily Telegraph) 
Beaten League One play-off side Huddersfield are keen on Falkirk midfielder Scott Arfield and Rangers defender Steven Smith.(Daily Record) 
Celtic are interested in signing defender Sol Campbell, who is a free agent after his deal at Arsenal expired, although the Gunners are thought to be keen to keep hold of him. (The Sun) 
Veteran midfielder Nick Barmby, 36, is close to agreeing a one-year contract extension with Hull (The Sun). 
But Jimmy Bullard could be leaving the KC Stadium for a season-long loan at Celtic.(Daily Star) 
Bolton have seen off competition from Blackburn, Wolves and Greek champions Panathinaikos to win the race to sign Ivory Coast striker Aruna Dindane after his loan spell at Portsmouth. (The Sun) 
Hearts are interested in taking Burnley's former Rangers striker Steven Thompson back to Scotland after his contract with the Turf Moor club expired.(Daily Express) 
Newcastle boss Chris Hughton says he expects to have money to spend in the summer but has ruled out making wholesale changes to the squad that won the Championship this season. (Daily Express) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Juventus are set to confirm Luigi del Neri as their new manager after running out of patience with Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez.(Daily Telegraph) 
Owen Hargreaves wants showdown talks with Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson to know what he told England boss Fabio Capello about his fitness, after the midfielder was left out of the England World Cup squad.(The Sun) 
Sunderland have passed on the chance to sign striker Benjani on a permanent basis after his loan spell from Manchester City came to an end.(Daily Star) 
Chelsea's Michael Ballack is considering legal action against Portsmouth's Kevin Prince-Boateng over the challenge in the FA Cup final that ruled the Germany captain out of the World Cup.(Daily Express) 
Uefa president Michel Platini says England's 2018 World Cup bid can survive the embarrassment of the Lord Triesman affair.(the Guardian) 
Nottingham Forest boss Billy Davies will hold crisis talks with club owner Nigel Doughty on Friday after discussing his potential availability for other jobs in television interviews.(the Guardian) 
Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart has been told by England boss Fabio Capello that he has an equal chance of being first choice keeper at the World Cup as David James and Robert Green.(Daily Telegraph) 

AND FINALLY

Rotherham striker Drewe Broughton could need to find a stand-in best man for his summer wedding as first choice, West Ham defender Matthew Upson, could be at the World Cup with England. (The Sun)
Welshman Ryan Giggs says he will be cheering on England at the World Cup but says Spain are overwhelming favourites to win the tournament.(Daily Star)
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Wednesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Liverpool are on the verge of a deal to sign Milan Jovanovic on a free transfer in the summer after further talks with the Standard Liege and Serbia striker. (The Times) 
Arsenal are set to beat Tottenham in the race to sign centre-half Stefan Savic from BSK Borca after the 19-year-old Serb completed a 10-day trial with the club.(Daily Mirror) 
Barcelona vice-president Alfons Godall has stepped up the pressure on Arsenal by insisting that Gunners midfielder Cesc Fabregas will end up at the Nou Camp "sooner or later".(The Sun) 
Manchester United are still interested in Racing Santander midfielder Sergio Canales, who is also wanted by Real Madrid. (Daily Mail) 
Birmingham did not sign striker Roman Pavlyuchenko during the January transfer window because Tottenham increased their asking price to £12m at the last minute.(Daily Star) 
Manchester City are lining up a summer bid for Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez.( imscouting.com) 
Cash-strapped Portsmouth have replaced Tottenham-bound Younes Kaboul with former Spurs defender Ricardo Rocha.(Daily Mirror) 
Pompey are also closing in on deal for Serbia defender Dusko Tosic.(Daily Mail) 

OTHER GOSSIP

England manager Fabio Capello is expected to retain Chelsea defender John Terry as his captain when the pair meet on Friday, unless there are more allegations about his private life.(Daily Mirror) 
However, Capello is concerned that more revelations will come out this weekend and will delay making a decision on Terry's captaincy until Sunday at the very earliest.(The Independent) 
And senior officials at the Football Association have told Capello that Terry should not continue as England skipper.(Daily Telegraph) 
Chelsea are ready to give Terry some time off to get him out of the media firing line, while the club employed extra security to control members of the paparazzi outside the team hotel for the Premier League match with Hull on Tuesday evening.(The Times) 
Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr have less than six months to secure the £100m investment demanded by their creditors or they run the risk of being forced to put the club up for sale.(The Times) 
And Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has been asked about his future plans by Real Madrid.( imscouting.com) 
Former Portsmouth owner Alexandre Gaydamak will not force the cash-strapped club into administration despite Pompey missing a deadline to pay a £9.5m instalment on the £30m he claims he is owed.(The Guardian) 
Manchester United defender Gary Neville has been frozen out at Old Trafford following his touchline gesture to Manchester City's Carlos Tevez during last month's Carling Cup semi-final first leg.(The Sun) 
Stoke midfielder Matthew Etherington insists he is winning his fight to overcome a gambling addiction and has been given a pay rise by the club to help him pay off debts that spiralled to £800,000.(Daily Mail)
Tottenham defender Jonathan Woodgate is concerned that he may have to quit football as he battles to overcome the long-term groin injury that has restricted him to only three Premier League games this season.(Daily Mirror) 
Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves, who has been out injured since September 2008, could make a return to the squad for the Champions League tie with AC Milan if he completes a week of full training.(Daily Mirror) 

AND FINALLY

Burnley boss Brian Laws says he felt like X-Factor judge Simon Cowell as he auditioned new players to come to the club during the January transfer window.(Daily Mirror) 
Carlos Tevez says the infamous 'Welcome to Manchester' poster, which caused so much controversy following his move from United to City over the summer, is now on a wall at his home in Argentina. (The Sun)
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Tuesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Chelsea are planning a January move for West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green as manager Carlo Ancelotti has lost patience with Petr Cech.(Daily Express) 
Tottenham winger David Bentley, who was left out of the squad that played Wolves at the weekend, wants Spurs to let him leave in the January transfer window.(The Mirror) 
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez will try and exploit the uncertainty at West Ham by making a £6m bid for midfielder Scott Parker.(The Sun) 
Barcelona could make a shock £3.5m move for Crystal Palace forward Victor Moses in the new year. The 19-year-old has also attracted the interest of Sunderland, Wigan and Tottenham. (Daily Star) 
Arsenal and Manchester United have been warned off signing Standard Liege's £15m midfielder Steven Defour in January, although the player's agent says he would be interested in coming to England.(The Sun) 
Real Madrid want to sign Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho and could use striker Ruud van Nistelrooy as bait. (Daily Star) 
Manchester United have been linked with moves for AC Milan striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Cardiff defender Adam Matthews.(Daily Mail) 
Stoke manager Tony Pulis is preparing to make a £4m offer for Newcastle forward Andy Carroll.(Daily Mirror) 
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce has told striker Benni McCarthy that he can leave Rovers in the new year. (Daily Telegraph)
And Allardyce has been given permission to sign Chelsea striker Franco di Santo on loan for the rest of the season. (Daily Mirror) 
Charlton midfielder Therry Racon is wanted by West Brom, Leicester and Nottingham Forest.(The Sun) 
Reading midfielder Brynjar Gunnarsson wants to leave the club in January.(The Independent) 
Coventry manager Chris Coleman is lining up a £1m move for Nottingham Forest midfielder Lewis McGuigan.(The Sun) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti will drop some of his star players for Wednesday's home game with Portsmouth following the 3-3 draw with Everton at the weekend. Defender Ricardo Carvalho and midfielder Michael Ballack are in the firing line.(The Sun) 
David Gold and David Sullivan have pledged a £25m January transfer kitty as part of their £50m takeover of West Ham.(Daily Mirror) 
However, the Icelandic bank that controls West Ham is set to reject the bid from the former Birmingham owners.(The Independent) 
The city of Liverpool could lose out in the race to host 2018 World Cup matches, with Milton Keynes a possible inclusion in England's final bid to Fifa.(The Times) 
Chelsea have turned down Portsmouth's request for more time to pay the £750,000 owed from Glen Johnson's move to Fratton Park.(The Sun) 
Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho has been accused of "physical and verbal aggression" towards a journalist after Sunday's 1-1 draw at Atalanta.(The Times) 
Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves is on the verge of making a comeback from two knee operations, but is struggling to overcome the psychological hurdle of playing again for the first team.(The Sun) 

AND FINALLY

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Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher admits his side need divine intervention to help their title ambitions following another defeat at the weekend. "We've got to get through it and, as I'm doing, pray to God that at the end of season there will be something worthwhile for what we've gone through," he said.(The Independent)

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Friday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano is a target for Juventus and the Italian club are preparing a £23m January transfer window bid for the Argentine.(The Sun) 
Portsmouth want to bring striker Amr Zaki, who was on loan at Wigan last season, back to the Premier League.(The Sun) 
Fulham are ready to make a £2m move for Legia Warsaw midfielder and Poland Under-21 international Ariel Borysiuk.(Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

England striker Wayne Rooney will be "not bothered" if former Manchester United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo does not qualify for the 2010 World Cup with Portugal. (Daily Mirror) 
Former Portsmouth boss Tony Adams insists the return of Avram Grant as the south coast outfit's director of football is good for the club. (Daily Express) 
Marcel Desailly claims England are missing a star striker, but in his former AC Milan boss Fabio Capello have a manager capable of leading them to 2010 World Cup glory.(Daily Mirror) 
David Beckham will attend the 2010 World Cup draw in December to help improve England's bid to host the 2018 tournament.(The Sun) 
Saudi Arabian businessmen are targeting takeovers at up to 10 clubs in the Premier League and Championship.(Daily Mail) 
Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves claims he is over the knee injuries which have seen him out of action for more than a year.(Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher admits he needs to improve after a start to the season which has seen some of his performances criticised.(Guardian) 
England centre-back Gary Cahill diplomatically said "everybody makes mistakes" referring to Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill's decision to offload him to Bolton for £5m in January 2008.(Independent) 

AND FINALLY

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand and keeper Edwin van der Sar will join chef Marco Pierre White in a special episode of Hell's Kitchen, helping cook a three-course meal for guests.(The Sun) 
Coach Fabio Capello has invited striker Michael Owen - and every other player selected by him during his time in charge of England - to Wembley for the World Cup qualifier against Belarus next Wednesday.(Guardian)
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Thursday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Liverpool's Dutch winger Ryan Babel wants to join Ajax on loan as he says being left out of the team at Anfield could cost him a place at the World Cup. (The Sun) 
Spartak Moscow were put off buying Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko on deadline day because Spurs wanted almost £4m more than they paid for him a year ago. (Daily Star) 
West Ham are looking at strikers Mark Viduka and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who are both available as free agents (Daily Express).
They also tried to sign Benjani from Manchester City on deadline day but could not track down his agent (Daily Mail). 
Hull are also interested in signing former Celtic striker Vennegoor of Hesselink (Daily Mirror).
Middlesbrough striker Afonso Alves has not yet joined Qatari club Al Saad but remains hopeful as their transfer window is still open until 15 September. (The Guardian) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Injury-plagued Owen Hargreaves has been named in Manchester United's Champions League squad. (The Sun) 
Portsmouth goalkeeper David James has been told to keep his mouth shut and carry on playing after complaining that being at the Premier League's bottom club could cost him a place at next summer's World Cup. (Daily Star) 
Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner turned down Barcelona, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich to sign a new deal at the Emirates, says his father, who is also his agent. (Daily Mirror) 
New Aston Villa signing Richard Dunne says he believes the team is good enough to earn a Champions League spot. (Daily Telegraph) 
West Ham's business strategy under their former Icelandic owners was "fundamentally flawed", says the club's finance director. (The Guardian) 
Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon says many players would consider the two-match ban given to Arsenal's Eduardo for diving a price worth paying for the potential rewards a dive may bring their team (Various). 
Accrington must pay a back tax bill of £308,000 in the next eight weeks or they face a winding-up order (Daily Star).
Barnsley are interested in MK Dons' boss Paul Ince as their next manager (The Sun). 

AND FINALLY

New Bolton signing Ivan Klasnic has had two kidney transplants (The Times) 
Injury-prone Celtic defender Mark Wilson says he cannot believe the club gave him a new deal after his injury record (Daily Record). 
Scotland assistant coach Terry Butcher (on photo-right) says their vital World Cup qualifier against Macedonia on Saturday is a bigger game than England's 1990 World Cup semi-final against West Germany. (The Guardian)
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Wednesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Liverpool will reluctantly sell midfielder Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid in the next few days. Although manager Rafael Benitez wanted £35m for the 27-year-old, the fee is likely to be under £30m.(Daily Express) 
Everton defender Joleon Lescott is ready to tell manager David Moyes that he wants to join big-spending Manchester City.(Daily Mirror) 
Middlesbrough have received a £9m offer for Turkish striker Tuncay. Aston Villa, Everton and Tottenham are also interested in the 27-year-old.(Daily Mail) 
Stoke have joined the list of clubs chasing Tottenham striker Darren Bent.(The Sun) 
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has made a cash-plus-player deal offer for Hull centre-half Michael Turner. Pascal Chimbonda has been offered to Hull manager Phil Brown. (Daily Mirror) 
AC Milan and Inter Milan are both interested in Manchester City midfielder Elano.(The Sun) 
Portsmouth are talking to winger Stephen Hunt over a £3.5m transfer after Reading dropped their asking price.(Daily Mail) 
Bolton defender Nicky Hunt has been told he can leave the Reebok Stadium following the arrival of Sam Ricketts. (Daily Mirror) 
Chelsea are lining up a swap deal with AC Milan in order to land midfielder Andrea Pirlo. As part of the package, striker Claudio Pizarro and defender Michael Mancienne would head to Italy.(Daily Star) 
Utility player Emmanuel Eboue is set to become the latest player to leave Arsenal by signing a five-year deal with Fiorentina. (Daily Mirror) 
Portsmouth want to take Wigan forward Amr Zaki on loan. (Daily Mirror)
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce has made a £1.7m bid for Celta Vigo's Algerian striker Kamel Ghilas.(The Sun) 
And Allardyce has been given the all-clear by Chelsea to sign striker Franco Di Santo on loan. (Daily Mirror)
West Bromwich Albion are interested in Wigan forward Marlon King. (Daily Mirror) 

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OTHER GOSSIP

It looks like Alan Shearer will not be Newcastle manager for the new season as BBC presenter Gary Lineker says the former Magpies and England striker will once again be joining him on Match Of The Day.(The Sun) 
Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has suffered another setback in his recovery from knee surgery and could be out until Christmas. (Daily Mirror)
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Thursday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Notts County looks set to be taken over by a Middle Eastern consortium in a multi-million pound deal. (BBC Sport website) 

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester City believe they are close to the £20m signing of Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o. (Daily Mail) 
City are also battling it out with rivals Manchester United for the signature of Argentine forward Carlos Tevez, who has been on a loan deal at Old Trafford. (Daily Express) 
Tevez will decide in the next seven days where his future lies, after United made a final take-it-or-leave-it offer to the 25-year-old. (Daily Star) 
Chelsea have made a last-ditch £70m offer for AC Milan forward Kaka.(Daily Star) 
The Blues are hopeful that Kaka's personal demands may also price Real Madrid out of the market. (Daily Mirror) 
However, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has admitted that Madrid are favourites to land the Brazil star. (The Independent) 
But new Chelsea manager and former AC Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti has not given up on signing Kaka and even phoned the Brazilian and begged him not to join Real. (The Sun) 
However, Chelsea have denied making a world record £73.5m bid for the Brazilian but say they still expect to make a major signing this summer. (Daily Telegraph) 
If Chelsea miss out on Kaka then that acquisition could be his AC Milan team-mate Alexandre Pato and will offer £38m for the 19-year-old.(Daily Express) 
However, Chelsea could also go after Samuel Eto'o after he was made available by Barcelona president Joan Laporta.(The Independent) 
The Blues are also targeting Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery and Valencia forward David Villa. (The Guardian) 
Chelsea have opened talks with Portsmouth to sign right-back Glen Johnson in a deal that could be worth £17m. (Daily Mail) 
Blues midfielder Deco is on the verge of a move to Inter Milan on a free transfer. (Daily Mail) 
Arsenal are closing in on the £10m signing of Ajax centre-half Thomas Vermaelen.(The Sun) 
The Gunners are keen on Juventus and Italy central defender Giorgio Chiellini. (The Times)
But Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor could be on his way to AC Milan with the Italian side set to bid £15m for the Togo international. (The Sun) 
AC Milan and Barcelona are lining up Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic in a £25m deal. (Daily Mail) 
Real Madrid have tabled a £20m bid for unsettled Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso. (Daily Mail) 
Liverpool, meanwhile, are interested in Middlesbrough forward Tuncay. (The Mirror) 
Reds boss Rafael Benitez has also met with Valencia forward David Silva this week and is keen to bring the Spaniard to Anfield. (The Mirror) 
The Merseyside club have also offered Portsmouth £2m for defender Sylvain Distin. (The Times) 
Aston Villa have bid £7m for Atletico Madrid midfielder Jose Manuel Jurado. (The Times) 
Villa are also interested in bringing former Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb back to the Premier League from Barcelona in a £10m deal. (Daily Star) 
Newcastle midfielder Kevin Nolan is attracting interest from Bolton, Blackburn and Hull. (The Guardian) 
Tottenham defender Chris Gunter is wanted by Newcastle, Middlesbrough and West Brom. (The Guardian)
Manchester United trio Fraizer Campbell, Danny Simpson and Darron Gibson have been placed on the transfer list at Old Trafford. (Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is to make a fresh £5m bid for Manchester City centre-back Richard Dunne.(Daily Mail) 
Manchester City midfielder Elano has issued a come and get me plea to Serie A champions Inter Milan. (The Sun) 
Defender Lucas Neill has severed his ties with West Ham and is set to link up with old Blackburn boss Mark Hughes at Manchester City. (Daily Express)
Former Manchester United striker Alan Smith is set to sign for Blackburn in a £2.5m deal. (Daily Star) 
Arsenal utility player Emmanuel Eboue says he is unsure whether he will be at the club next season. (Daily Express) 
Birmingham hope to sign Ecuador centre-back Giovanny Espinoza after landing compatriot Christian Benitez in a club record fee. (Daily Mirror) 
Wolves are preparing a £2.6m deal for Red Star Belgrade midfielder Nenad Milijas. (The Sun) 
However, Aston Villa are also interested in Serbian star Milijas.(The Times) 


OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has risked his England future after his late withdrawal through injury ahead of the World Cup qualifier in Kazakhstan. (The Mirror) 
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan says Swansea boss Roberto Martinez is his first choice to replace former manager Steve Bruce. (The Sun) 
Stoke manager Tony Pulis hopes to appoint Sheffield United number two Sam Ellis as his deputy at the Britannia Stadium. (Daily Mirror) 
Watford manager Brendan Rodger is on the verge of becoming named as the new boss at Reading. (The Sun) 
West Brom are targeting Preston boss Alan Irvine as their new manager if Tony Mowbray takes over at Celtic. (The Mirror) 
However, West Brom have denied that Celtic have made an approach for Mowbray. (Daily Telegraph) 
Burnley's Owen Coyle and West Brom's Tony Mowbray are in a straight fight for the Celtic manager's job. (The Herald)
Celtic have launched a last-ditch attempt to secure Roberto Martinez, but the Swansea boss is 90% certain to go to Wigan. (Daily Mail) 
Irish billionaire Dermot Desmond will today be urged to finance compensation for Tony Mowbray or Roberto Martinez as manager. (The Sun)


AND FINALLY

Meanwhile United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has vowed that he will play again, despite rumours that he will be forced to retire following a succession of knee injuries. (Daily Mirror)
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