Friday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Chelsea's Joe Cole, 28, will seek a move away from the Premier League if he cannot agree a new deal with the club this summer - with Serie A giants AC Milan and Inter Milan both keen on the England midfielder.(goal.com) 
Denmark defender Simon Kjaer, who has been linked with Manchester United and Liverpool, is likely to move to Juventus if he chooses to leave Champions League chasing Palermo.(imscouting.com) 
Real Madrid officials have met with the representatives of Wolfsburg's Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko, 24, who has been watched by Manchester United and Chelsea.(imscouting.com) 

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Real Madrid are ready to make a £30m bid for Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard.(Daily Mirror)
England midfielder Joe Cole, 28, wants to join Champions League qualifiers Tottenham when his Chelsea contract ends this summer, despite interest from Manchester City and Liverpool.(the Sun) 
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp will be given a £40m transfer kitty for the summer - and Manchester United's former Spurs midfielder Michael Carrick is on the wanted list along with Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy.(Daily Star) 
Fluminense hope to agree a deal with Chelsea midfielder Deco, 32, who wants to leave Stamford Bridge.(Daily Mail) 
Arsenal are eyeing Villarreal's Spanish goalkeeper Diego Lopez, 28, who cost £5m from Real Madrid.(the Sun) 
Sunderland have joined the chase for Estudiantes' Argentina striker Mauro Boselli, 24, with Wigan, Blackburn and Birmingham also monitoring the situation for the £8m-rated player.(Daily Mail) 
Blackburn and Aston Villa have joined Wigan in the race to sign Sporting Gijon defender Roberto Canella. (Daily Mail) 
Aston Villa want to sign Crystal Palace's 19-year-old defender Nathaniel Clyne to replace Luke Young who is eager to return to London. (Daily Mirror) 
Fulham have enquired about striker Frederic Piquionne, 31, who is on loan at Portsmouth from Lyon and will be available for £4m. (Daily Mail) 
Bolton are favourites to sign Ivory Coast forward Aruna Dindane from Portsmouth for £2.7m. (Daily Mirror) 
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez will offer Swansea £2.5m for midfielder Darren Pratley.(the Sun) 
And the Latics are also set to win the race for Hamilton midfielder James McArthur in a £1.2m deal.(Daily Mirror) 
Wolves could launch a £1m bid for Dundee United striker David Goodwillie. (the Sun)
Hull midfielder Dean Marney, 26, is poised to join Burnley in a £1m deal.(Daily Mail) 
Meanwhile, Hull are also ready to sell £2m-rated defender Kamil Zayatte to French side St Etienne. (Daily Mirror) 
 
OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester City will give boss Roberto Mancini the cash to launch another major assault on the top four after City's Abu Dhabi owner Sheikh Mansour backed the Italian to remain at Eastlands.(the Sun) 
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez will hold further talks with the club hierarchy to resolve his future after both parties exchanged "issues of concern" at a meeting on Thursday. (the Guardian) 
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is due to receive a seven-figure bonus and an improved contract after guiding the club into the top four in the Premier League. (the Guardian) 
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is set to axe eight players including George McCartney and David Healy in a summer clear-out. (Daily Mail) 
Hopes of a fans takeover at Manchester United have suffered a blow after it emerged the Glazer family rejected a £1.5bn Middle Eastern-takeover bid last year.(Daily Telegraph) 
Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has denied suggestions he is prepared to leave Anfield and insisted he wants to see out his career with the club.(Daily Telegraph) 
Rangers defender David Weir has been named Scotland's player of the year four days before his 40th birthday - but says he does not know if he has a future at Ibrox.(the Times) 
Fifa has warned Brazil it is "not on the right path" with its preparations to host the 2014 World Cup.(Daily Telegraph) 

AND FINALLY

Frank Lampard will let Didier Drogba be Chelsea's penalty-taker against Wigan on Sunday in order to help the Ivory Coast striker win the Golden Boot ahead of Manchester United's Wayne Rooney. (the Sun)
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Thursday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has sanctioned a £50m bid for Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. (Daily Mirror) 
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has been assured that he will keep his job, despite a clear-out of the playing staff that will result in midfielders Joe Cole and Deco heading through the Stamford Bridge exit.(Daily Mirror)
Celtic's hopes of hanging on to on-loan striker Robbie Keane may be over, with Aston Villa targeting a £9m summer move for the Tottenham player.(Daily Mirror) 
Alternatively, Villa could make a move for Wigan's £15m-rated forward Hugo Rodallega.(Daily Mail) 
Juventus president Jean Claude Blanc has quashed Arsenal's hopes of reviving a bid for midfield anchorman Felipe Melo. (The Sun)
Celtic may be interested in signing QPR's Argentine midfielder Alejandro Faurlin in the summer.(Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko wants to help Spurs secure a Champions League place but admits he may not be at the club next season.(Daily Mail) 
Palermo centre-back Simon Kjaer has invited Liverpool and Manchester United to make a big-money approach to back up their reported interest.(Daily Mail) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Liverpool winger Albert Riera has hit out at manager Rafael Benitez and said: "His dialogue with the players is practically zero." Riera also branded the Reds a "sinking ship".(Marca in Spanish) 
In the wake of their Champions League defeat by Inter Milan, Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich challenged his players to prove they are worth their pay packets and threatened manager Carlo Ancelotti with the sack unless he wins the Premier League title.(Daily Mail) 
The Glazer family are weighing up another round of refinancing to stave off the challenge to their ownership of Manchester United posed by a group of businessmen dubbed the Red Knights.(The Times) 
Liverpool's American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks have been given three weeks to decide whether to accept an investment offer of £100m from the New York-based Rhone Group.(The Independent) 
Prospective Portsmouth owner Rob Lloyd remains optimistic he can clinch a deal for the troubled club, despite administrator Andrew Andronikou's doubts over the group he fronts.(The Telegraph) 
Celtic could play Scotland in a testimonial match at Parkhead on 16 May for injured Hoops defender John Kennedy. (Daily Record) 
West Ham risk upsetting some of their big-name players after withholding image rights payments as part of a tax investigation.(The Guardian) 
Aaron Lennon could give Tottenham and England a welcome boost by returning from his groin injury for the game against Chelsea on 17 April.(Daily Mail) 

AND FINALLY

Fulham forward Bobby Zamora believes that age is catching up with Juventus defender Fabio Cannavaro and that he might find some success against the 36-year-old in their Europa League second-leg match on Thursday evening.(The Independent) 
Reading defender Matt Mills has apologised to Reading fans after making an abusive gesture at them in reaction to barracking during the Royals' 1-0 win over QPR on Tuesday.(The Sun) 

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Sunday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester City are favourites to beat off neighbours United and Tottenham by signing Chelsea's Joe Cole on a free transfer in the summer.(Sunday Mirror) 
Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard is heading towards the exit door at Anfield after becoming fed up with their poor form. Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Manchester City wait with their cheque books at the ready.(Mail on Sunday) 
Tottenham have moved closer to sealing the biggest deal of the January transfer window by holding direct talks with Palermo about £11m defender Simon Kjaer.(Daily Mail) 
Argentina winger Angel di Maria has said 'no' to a move to Manchester City after a £38m bid was made for the 21-year-old at Benfica.(Sunday Mirror) 
Sunderland winger Kieran Richardson is wanted by Birmingham as part of Alex McLeish's Blues revolution.(News of the World)
Ruud van Nistelrooy will snub a move back to the Premier League and instead join Galatasaray in a £4m deal.(Daily Mirror) 
Sunderland want Portsmouth midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng, but the £7m price tag may put them off with manager Steve Bruce unlikely to pay more than £5m.(News of the World) 
Manchester United keeper Ben Foster will be sold as the Old Trafford club wait to see what happens with Schalke's Manuel Neuer. (Sunday Express) 
While Sunderland and Stoke are considering a £4m move for the United and England keeper.(Mail on Sunday)
Portsmouth are hoping their transfer embargo is lifted this week to enable them to snap up Spurs midfielder Giovani dos Santos on loan.(News of the World) 
Wolves have bid £6.5m for Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson - but other clubs, including Chelsea, are monitoring the former England Under-21 star.(Daily Mail) 
Newcastle are lining up a loan move for Arsenal teenager Jack Wilshere for the remainder of the season.(Daily Mirror) 
New Bolton boss Owen Coyle has his eyes on Stoke's 25-year-old defender Andy Wilkinson.(News of the World)

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester United could be in line for a £1.2bn takeover after efforts by the Glazers, United's owners, to attract Middle East investment.(Sunday Express) 
The West Ham takeover saga is set to be resolved by Tuesday, with David Sullivan and David Gold now poised to seize control of the club.(News of the World) 
Liverpool and Manchester United would be banned from the Champions League if Michel Platini's "Financial Fair Play" criteria for European club competitions was introduced, according to senior sources within Uefa. Manchester City and Chelsea would also be at risk, despite their owners having paid off their debts recently.(The Times) 
Manchester United will decide on Monday whether striker Dimitar Berbatov needs an operation on his injured knee.(News of the World) 

AND FINALLY

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has been approached about a coaching role at Old Trafford before stepping into the hotseat to replace Sir Alex Ferguson.
Guardiola's agent Jose Maria Orobigt said: "A club has contacted me but there have been no discussions over money or the sporting project. Anything like that is up to Pep."(News of the World)

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Wednesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Liverpool are hoping to land Real Madrid's Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, 33, on a six-month loan deal.(Daily Mail) 
Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic is a £20m target for Real Madrid, with the Spanish giants set to make a move for the Serbian international at the end of the season.(The Sun)
Vidic could cost Real Madrid £30m, with United interested in replacing him with Everton's Jack Rodwell, 18, and Porto's Bruno Alves. (The Times) 
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson could line up a January move for goalkeeper Hugo Lloris - but he will have to pay Lyon £20m for the France international.(Daily Mirror) 
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger revealed he is an admirer of Manchester City striker Craig Bellamy but the Frenchman doubts the Eastlands outfit would sell the Welshman as they do not need the money. (The Independent) 
However, Wenger will step up his bid to sign 15-year-old QPR striker Raheem Sterling. (Daily Mirror) 
Palermo defender Simon Kjaer has rejected a £12m move to Manchester City - although Eastlands boss Roberto Mancini has denied he is interested in signing the Dane.(Daily Mirror) 
West Ham United's sporting director Gianluca Nani insists they are not interested in signing Fiorentina's Romanian striker Adrian Mutu.(The Independent) 
Everton will face competition from Arsenal and Manchester United to sign 17-year-old Belgian winger Maxime Lestienne. The Excelsior Mouscron star has been offered a trial after being recommended by Toffees midfielder Marouane Fellaini.(The Sun) 
Birmingham City are preparing a £3.5m deal to turn goalkeeper Joe Hart's loan move from Manchester City into a permanent one.(Daily Mirror) 
Meanwhile, Birmingham manager Alex McLeish is also planning a £2m move for Blackburn striker Benni McCarthy.(The Sun) 
Burnley are close to signing Algeria captain Yazid Mansouri for £1m from French club Lorient. The 31-year-old midfielder will spend most of January at the African Cup of Nations.(Daily Mail) 
Sheffield United boss Kevin Blackwell wants to sign Greg Halford on loan after the versatile wide man fell out of favour with Wolves manager Mick McCarthy.(Daily Mirror) 
Wolves are weighing up a £1.5m bid for Derby County winger Kris Commons. (Daily Mail) 
Newcastle will offer Leeds £1.25m for striker Jermaine Beckford, who can leave on a free transfer in the summer.(The Sun) 
Middlesbrough boss Gordon Strachan is planning to offer Celtic £6m for centre-back Stephen McManus, midfielder Barry Robson and Australian striker Scott McDonald.(The Sun) 
Meanwhile striker Scott McDonald insists he would be happy to finish his career at Celtic, despite reports linking him with a move to England. (The Herald) 
Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies is lining up a £750,000 move for Swansea's Spanish midfielder Andrea Orlandi. (Daily Star) 
Sochaux chief Alexandre Lacombe has confirmed he is planning a January swoop to bring Rangers striker Kris Boyd to the French outfit. (The Mail) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack expects to agree a new two-year contract extension to take him to June 2012 - and beyond his 35th birthday.(The Telegraph) 
Chelsea have put youth talent scout Gary Worthington on gardening leave - in a bid to stop him moving to rivals Manchester City. (Daily Mirror) 
London-based financial company Intermarket will submit a bid to take control of West Ham United on Monday.(The Telegraph) 
Former Stockport and Motherwell boss Jim Gannon is in the frame to replace Alan Irvine as Preston North End boss. (The Times) 
Alternatively, Preston may opt for former Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson.(Daily Mail) 

AND FINALLY

West Ham right-back Julien Faubert has revealed Tottenham fans and players have been "taking the mickey" out of him in the street. Faubert, who was in the West Ham side beaten 2-0 by Spurs on Monday, lives in an area where many Tottenham fans and players reside. (The Sun)

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