Monday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Arsenal are prepared to let midfielder Cesc Fabregas leave for Barcelona if the Catalan club double their offer to £60m for the Spanish midfielder.(Daily Mail) 
Barca are also keen to take Arsenal left-back Gael Clichy to the Nou Camp next season.(Mirror) 
Real Madrid are considering an offer of £40m for Fabregas in an attempt to sabotage Barcelona's efforts to sign the 23-year-old Spain international.(Footylatest.com) 
But Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard is the preferred transfer target for Real Madrid fans, according to a poll in Spanish newspaper Marca. (Footylatest.com) 
Meanwhile, Real midfielder Lassana Diarra is a £24m transfer target for Manchester United.(Caughtoffside.com) 
Chelsea's out-of-contract midfielder Joe Cole would be better off moving to Manchester United than Arsenal, says former World Cup winner and Blues defender Marcel Desailly. (FourFourTwo.com) 
Manchester City will present a final £27m bid to Aston Villa for midfielder James Milner but the Midlands club are holding out for £30m.(Daily Star) 
French champions Marseille are keen to take striker Roque Santa Cruz off Manchester City's hands, with the Eastlands outfit prepared to part with the Paraguayan for £8m.(Daily Mail) 
Arsenal have made a fresh £8m bid for Lorient centre-half Laurent Koscielny.(The Sun) 
West Brom have entered the race to buy Norwegian teenage striker Marcus Pedersen from Stromsgodset, with Sunderland, Blackburn, Bolton, Everton and Fulham also keeping tabs on the highly rated 19-year-old. (Daily Mail) 
Birmingham will increase their offer for Palermo striker Fabrizio Miccoli after the Premier League's club initial £3.4m bid was rejected by the Serie A side. (Daily Mail) 
Tottenham are preparing a £16m bid for Porto's Colombian striker Radamel Falcao. (Footylatest.com) 
Spurs outcast Giovanni Dos Santos is a target for Spanish club Sevilla, along with Mexican compatriot and Arsenal striker Carlos Vela.(Mirror) 
German side Wolfsburg are ready to spend up to £20m to take Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov away from Manchester United.(Footylatest.com) 
Roy Keane's future as Ipswich Town manager is in doubt as former club favourite and ex-Celtic boss Tony Mowbray and Steve Cotterill have been linked to the Portman Road job. (Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Former Liverpool favourite Robbie Fowler believes Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is the ideal man to take over at Anfield following Rafael Benitez's departure. (The Sun) 
Slovenia midfielder Robert Koren says his team will not be scared of England in their final Group C match on 23 June in Port Elizabeth. (The Sun) 
The referee who will officiate England's opening World Cup match against the United States, Carlos Eugenio Simon, was suspended by the Brazilian Football Association last season amid accusations of being "unambiguously inconsistent, unfair and inequitable".(The Times) 
The Football Association has sought safety assurances from local organisers that England's friendly match against South African side Platinum Stars on Monday in Lesetlheng will be free of crowd trouble following a stampede at a similar game in Johannesburg that resulted in 15 people being injured on Sunday. (The Independent) 
Platinum Stars defender and former Tottenham Hotspur Mbulelo Mabizela says his side "will get stuck in" against England at the Moruleng Stadium. (Daily Telegraph)

AND FINALLY

Brazil president Lula da Silva says Argentina manager Diego Maradona's policy to allow his players to have sex with their partners in South Africa will undermine their chances of winning. "I want to see the Argentines arrive staggering and exhausted to their games," he said.(The Guardian)

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Friday's gossip

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United turned down the chance to sign Valencia striker David Villa. With United burdened by debts in excess of £700m, the £40m fee quoted by the Spanish side will have to be lowered if a deal is to be done.(The Guardian)
Manchester City are planning a surprise move for Bayern Munich striker, and Manchester United conqueror, Ivica Olic after the Croatia star impressed boss Roberto Mancini.(Daily Mail)
Mancini made the trip to Anfield on Thursday night to take a look at Benfica left winger Angel di Maria as he considers whether to bid for the Argentina international.(Daily Mirror)
Aston Villa midfielder James Milner is a summer target for Manchester United with Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema also in Sir Alex Ferguson's sights.(Daily Mirror)
Bordeaux striker Maroaune Chamakh's move to Arsenal is all but done, with the Morocco international expected to sign a four-year deal at the Emirates.(Daily Mail)
AC Milan's France midfielder Mathieu Flamini, 25, has quashed speculation linking him with Lyon and Manchester City - saying he wants to remain with the Italian side.(goal.com)
Birmingham midfielder Sebastian Larsson is attracting interest from Newcastle and Sunderland with Tynesiders' boss Chris Hughton weighing up a £2m bid.(The Sun)
But Larsson may be persuaded to stay and try and force his way back into the Birmingham starting line-up with a one-year contract extension on the table at St Andrew's. Defender Liam Ridgewell has been offered another two years.(Daily Mirror)
Tottenham are weighing up a move for Real Madrid midfielder Guti with the 33-year-old former Spain international expected to be available on a free transfer this summer.(Daily Mail)
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler, 34, will join Sydney FC after the financial collapse of his current club North Queensland Fury.(Daily Mail)
Sporting Lisbon are lining up a move for Chelsea goalkeeper Hilario.(Daily Mail)

OTHER GOSSIP

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has said that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson failed to accept defeat like a gentleman after his side's Champions league quarter-final defeat to the German side.(The Sun)
United right-back Rafael da Silva was left in tears after his dismissal reduced Ferguson's side to 10 men early in the second half.(The Sun)
Defeat against Hull at the weekend could spell the end of Brian Laws' tenure as Burnley manager.(Daily Mail)
Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are considering standing aside as co-chairman of the club. British Airways chairman Martin Broughton has been sounded out about the role.(Daily Telegraph)
American billionaire Stan Kroenke could launch a bid to take full control of Arsenal if he decides to sell his shareholding in American football franchise the St Louis Rams.(The Independent)
Striker James Beattie has suffered another snub at Stoke with teenage rookie Louis Moult ahead of him in the pecking order for this weekend's clash with Wolves.(Daily Mail)
Rangers chairman Alastair Johnston says keeping manager Walter Smith at Ibrox next season is a "high priority" but admits he can not guarantee the former Everton and Scotland boss money to spend on new players in the summer.(Daily Record)
Arsenal striker Robin van Persie could make his return from a serious ankle injury in Wednesday's derby against Tottenham.(Daily Mirror)

AND FINALLY

On-loan Celtic striker Robbie Keane's top-of-the-range Range Rover was seized by police after a worker at the garage it was being repaired in took it for an unauthorised late-night spin.(Daily Record)
Ipswich manager Roy Keane says he can feel the presence of legendary Nottingham Forest boss Brian Clough every time he returns to the City Ground.(Daily Mail)
After their loss to Manchester United in the Carling Cup final at Wembley in February, manager Martin O'Neill has demanded Aston Villa change their suits, their hotel and stay in London one night rather than three ahead of the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea.(Daily Mirror)
Notts County striker Luke Rodgers could be lining up alongside Barcelona striker Thierry Henry next season if both complete expected summer moves to Major League Soccer side New York Red Bulls.(Daily Mail)
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Wednesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Real Madrid director general Jorge Valdano says the £35m figure they have been quoted for Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso means they are close to pulling out of any deal to sign him.(Independent) 
The Spanish club have spent about £170m this summer but the £69m asking price for Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery is one step too far and could open the door for Chelsea to sign the French international.(Guardian) 
But Real Madrid have agreed a deal with Ribery and he will become a galactico next summer.(Independent) 
Wayne Bridge gave Manchester City reason to believe they could sign Chelsea captain John Terry when he signed for them from the Stamford Bridge club in January 2009. City are now preparing a third bid for Terry.(Independent) 
Terry is upset Chelsea have not been in contact with him since City's recent £30m bid for him and wants talks with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.(The Sun) 
Arsenal's desire to sign combative midfielder Felipe Melo (on photo) from Fiorentina could result in them trading Emmanuel Eboue and Philippe Senderos as part of any deal. (Daily Express) 
Everton have tabled a £13m bid for Standard Liege midfielder Steven Defour after having an initial £9m offer rejected by the Belgium outfit.(Independent) 
Tottenham will fight it out with Sunderland to sign Republic of Ireland central defender Richard Dunne from Manchester City.(The Sun) 
Spurs also want Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross and are prepared to offer £2m plus midfielder Didier Zokora into the deal.(The Sun) 
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler's stint in Australia could be a short one as Tranmere boss John barnes wants to make a move for his former Anfield team-mate. (The Sun) 
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has told Egyptian striker Amr Zaki to forget any thoughts about a return to the club because of his lack of discipline.(The Sun) 
Latics boss Roberto Martinez will try to sign striker Jason Scotland from former club Swansea.(Daily Star) 
West Brom have put a £4m price tag on midfielder Jonathan Greening, who is courting the interest of Fulham.(Daily Express) 
Newcastle winger Jonas Gutierrez is set for a move to Roma but, while the Italian club want him on loan, the Magpies want to get back the £5.2m they paid for the Argentine.(Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Bordeaux boss and ex-Manchester United defender Laurent Blanc says midfielder Gabriel Obertan, who the French club are set to sell to the Old Trafford outfit, has a lot to learn.(Daily Star) 
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba says his behaviour after the Champions League defeat by Barcelona was not "right" and still bothers him.(Daily Mirror) 
The uncertainty surrounding Newcastle's ownership could spark a player revolt at the Tyneside club.(Daily Telegraph) 

AND FINALLY

Real Madrid's club shop sold nearly 3,000 club Cristiano Ronaldo shirts in the first two hours on Tuesday and were all-but sold out by closing time. Kaka sold just 600 on the first day after his unveiling.(Independent) 
Arsenal fans have launched their own Michael Owen-style brochure in a send up trying to sell striker Emmanuel Adebayor to any interested club.(Daily Mirror)
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Tuesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is preparing to make a £20m raid for Real Madrid's Dutch striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar. (The Sun) 
Meanwhile, Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce has launched an ambitious bid to sign one of Real Madrid's other Dutch strikers, 33-year-old Ruud van Nistelrooy. (The Sun) 
Real Madrid have made a cut-price £5m offer for Liverpool's Spanish full-back Alvaro Arbeloa.(Daily Mirror)
And the Spanish side are believed to want any move for Liverpool's Xabi Alonso sorted out in the next fortnight. (Press Association) 
Liverpool are close to signing 16-year-old Esbjerg midfielder Nikolaj Kohlert on a three-year deal. (Daily Telegraph)
Chelsea will make one last attempt to sign Bayern Munich's French midfielder Franck Ribery. (Daily Star) 
And Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti will consider making a bid for Real Madrid's Dutch forward Wesley Sneijder if he misses out on Ribery.(Daily Telegraph) 
Manchester City will turn their attention to Everton defender Joleon Lescott after losing out in their bid to sign Chelsea captain John Terry. The Eastlands club had made an initial offer of £15m but will now up that. (Daily Mirror) 
Going in the other direction could be City's Brazilian striker Jo, with Everton boss David Moyes ready to take him to Goodison Park on a season-long loan deal. (Times) 
Aston Villa and Sunderland lead the race for Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch. However, Pompey are unlikely to recoup the £12m they spent on the 28-year-old. (Various) 
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce also hopes to land Tottenham striker Darren Bent for £11m. (Daily Star)
Bruce also wants Manchester City defender Richard Dunne in a £4m deal. (Daily Mail) 
However, Bordeaux have refused to sell Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh to Sunderland because the French club's president Jean-Louis Triaud does not think the Black Cats are "a big English club". (The Sun) 
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is also ready to swoop for Fulham defender Brede Hangeland, 28, for £9m. (Various) 
And Villa are also preparing a bid for Sporting Lisbon's 23-year-old midfielder Miguel Veloso after Bolton had an £8m bid turned down. (Daily Mirror)
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is waiting to see if Manchester City's Welsh striker Craig Bellamy becomes available once the Eastlands club's spending spree is over. (Various) 
Spurs are close to agreeing a deal to sell midfielder Didier Zokora to Spanish side Sevilla. (Daily Mirror)
And Lazio have made an offer to sign Spurs' midfielder Adel Taarabt. (The Times) 
Swedish striker Marcus Berg is a target for Aston Villa, Everton and Tottenham. The 25-year-old's club FC Gronigen value him at £5m. (Daily Telegraph)
Bolton boss Gary Megson will turn his attention to West Brom's Jonathan Greening if his £3.5m bid for Swansea midfielder Ferrie Bodde is turned down.(The Sun) 
Blackburn are interested in Le Mans defender Gregory Cerdan who would cost the club £2m. (The Times)
Fulham are ready to bid £500,000 for MK Dons' 25-year-old defender Dean Lewington. (Daily Mirror) 
South African midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi is being tracked by Portsmouth and Fulham. The 24-year-old plays for the Golden Arrows. (Daily Telegraph)
Burnley want Valencia's Spanish Under-21 international Stephen Sunday on a season-long loan deal. (Daily Mirror) 
Wolves have ended their interest in defender Matt Mills after failing to meet Doncaster's £3m asking price. (Daily Star)
Middlesbrough's Turkish striker Tuncay has sparked a scramble for his signature after the £7m-rated star insisted he wants to play in the Premier League. (Daily Mirror) 
Leicester have had a £1.5m offer for Peterborough striker Craig Mackail-Smith refused. (Daily Star)
Sheffield United have made an improved offer of £2m for Manchester City striker Ched Evans. (Daily Mail) 


OTHER GOSSIP

Middlesbrough have been thrown into turmoil after Egypt striker Mido, striker Afonso Alves and Turkey forward Tuncay failed to turn up for the start of pre-season training. (Daily Mai) 
New Wigan boss Roberto Martinez plans to hold talks with defender Paul Scharner but will not beg the 28-year-old Austrian to stay. (The Sun) 
Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce wants former Sunderland manager Ricky Sbragia to quit his backroom role at Sunderland and join him at Ewood Park. (Daily Mirror)
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler insists his move to Australia was not for a "holiday"' as his latest injury threatens to rule him out of North Queensland Fury's A-League opener next month. (Townsville Bulletin) 

AND FINALLY

Former Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo was saved by Spanish police after his Real Madrid presentation in front of 80,000 fans at the Bernabeu almost ended in a riot as dozens of fans ran on to the pitch.(The Sun)
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