Tuesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Chelsea will match Manchester City in the battle for Liverpool's £50m-rated striker Fernando Torres. (the Sun) 
And Chelsea will make a £20m move to take Tottenham's Croatia midfielder Luka Modric to Stamford Bridge, allowing Portuguese midfielder Deco and out-of-contract winger Joe Cole to leave. (Daily Star) 
Manchester United hope to sign Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema for £25m and could use defender Nemanja Vidic as a £10m makeweight in a deal for the France star.(the Sun) 
But Manchester United will not break their wage cap for Benzema, whose wage demands are almost £200,000 a week. (the Independent) 
Meanwhile, left-back Patrice Evra could leave Manchester United this summer, with Real Madrid and Inter Milan ready to pay £18m for the 28-year-old France international. (the Sun) 
And Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is planning a summer clear-out, with striker Dimitar Berbatov, midfielder Michael Carrick and midfielder Anderson all likely to be shown the door. (caughtoffside.com) 
Manchester City are weighing up an offer for Sunderland's £20m-rated striker Darren Bent as manager Roberto Mancini looks to shake up his forward line for next season.(caughtoffside.com) 
William Gallas could quit Arsenal on Tuesday if the France defender rejects the club's offer of a new contract. (the Sun) 
Meanwhile, newly promoted German Bundesliga side St Pauli are poised to offer Arsenal defender Sol Campbell a lucrative one-year contract. (Daily Mail) 
Tottenham are considering an £18m bid for Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano as Spurs manager Harry Redknapp targets a world-class forward to boost the club's chances in the Champions League next season.(Daily Mail) 
Tottenham will sign Portsmouth goalkeeper David James on a free transfer this summer.(Daily Mirror) 
Bolton are lining up a £4m bid for Portsmouth defender Nadir Belhadj, 27. (the Sun) 
Blackburn are weighing up a £6.5m move for Bordeaux's Brazil winger Wendel.(Daily Mail) 
Wolves hope to sign Ivory Coast striker Aruna Dindane, 29, for £4m from French side Lens, once he has played in the FA Cup final for Portsmouth, where he is on loan. (Daily Mirror) 
Wolves are also set to pip West Bromwich Albion to the £2m signature of Belgium midfielder Jelle van Damme, who plays for Anderlecht. (Daily Mail) 
Middlesbrough boss Gordon Strachan is ready to make a move for Rangers' Scotland midfielder Kevin Thomson, 25. (Daily Record) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Juventus are on the brink of ditching their plans to lure Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez and are turning their attention to Sampdoria coach Luigi Del Neri. (Daily Mail) 
A Chinese multi-millionaire internet gaming tycoon from Shanghai has held provisional talks about buying Liverpool, although no offer has yet been tabled by Zhu Jun, founder of The9 Ltd. (the Independent) 
Wolfsburg expect to name former England boss Steve McClaren as their new manager. McClaren led FC Twente to the Dutch title this season. (Daily Mail)
Real Mallorca manager Gregorio Manzano is the surprise new candidate to replace Gianfranco Zola at West Ham. (Daily Mirror) 
Former Arsenal defender Tony Adams has agreed a three-year contract to manage Azerbaijan side Qabala FC. (the Guardian)
Hull chairman Adam Pearson will wait a month before appointing a new manager at the club. Iain Dowie had a contract until the end of the season but would like the job on a permanent basis.(the Guardian) 
Coventry, who sacked manager Chris Coleman last week, will make a move to take Paul Hart from Crystal Palace to replace him.(Daily Mirror) 

AND FINALLY

Chelsea captain John Terry received a single-word text message from former Blues boss Jose Mourinho after winning the Premier League title, it read: "Champagne." (the Guardian)
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Thursday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Ajax striker Luis Suarez has become one of Chelsea's key targets in the January transfer window. The club are preparing a spending spree that will see them through a potential transfer ban in the summer as punishment for the Gael Kakuta affair.(The Independent) 
Liverpool are targeting Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko in a surprise January move that could result in Reds forward Ryan Babel heading in the opposite direction. (Daily Mail) 
Full-back Andrea Dossena may have played his last game for the Anfield club, with Roma ready to take the Italy international back to Serie A in January. (The Times) 
Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure has ruled out a move to the Premier League, insisting he is happy at the Nou Camp.(The Sun) 
Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce is interested in signing former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistlerooy.(The Sun) 
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill has warned Fenerbahce that striker John Carew is not for sale.(The Sun) 
Tottenham striker Robbie Keane will not be allowed to leave White Hart Lane for Celtic in January. (Daily Express)
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson is keen on Rangers midfielder DaMarcus Beasley.(Daily Mirror) 
The Cottagers are making a £1m move for teenage striker Raheem Sterling from neighbours QPR.(Daily Mirror) 
Sunderland are tracking Belgium Under-21 goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.(The Sun) 
Watford want to keep on-loan Arsenal midfielder Henri Lansbury for the rest of the season but they will ask the Gunners to pay half of his wages. (The Sun) 
Doncaster midfielder Brian Stock is a £1.5m target for Reading manager Brendan Rodgers. (The Sun) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is ready to commit himself to another 12 months at Old Trafford if the 39-year-old Dutchman, who is under contract until the summer of 2010, is offered a new deal. (The Sun) 
Portsmouth may have to sell their top players in the new year unless they can find £18m by the start of January to service outstanding debts. (The Sun) 
Former Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate and ex-Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson are favourites to replace Jim Magilton if the former Northern Ireland midfielder parts company with QPR.(Daily Telegraph) 
MK Dons boss Paul Ince and former Charlton and West Ham manager Alan Curbishley are also in the running to take over at Loftus Road if Magilton departs. (Daily Star) 
Former Reading manager Steve Coppell is another in the frame. (Daily Express)
Paul Sturrock's future as Plymouth boss will be discussed at a board meeting on Thursday, with former England striker Paul Mariner, who is head coach at the club, set to replace the Scot. (The Sun) 
Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson's future as director of football at Notts County may be decided on Thursday, with the League Two club on the brink of new ownership.(Daily Mail) 
Eriksson is set to launch a takeover bid for Notts County after owners Munto Finance put the club up for sale.(Daily Mirror) 
Former Portsmouth manager Tony Adams is set to become the new boss of Major League Soccer side New York Red Bulls and is keen for Barcelona striker and former Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry to join him. (The Sun) 
Scottish Football Association chief executive Gordon Smith has quelled speculation that they are lining up Dan Petrescu as the next Scotland boss, revealing that the former Chelsea player has not even been selected for an interview yet.(The Times) 

AND FINALLY

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has signed a lucrative new deal - as a children's author. The 20-year-old England international has been signed by a top publisher after he wrote two stories for fun about a hero schoolboy, who happens to be a soccer wonderkid. His tales are poised to go on sale in April. (The Sun) 
Germany could gain a crucial advantage over their 2010 World Cup rivals after the new Adidas Jabulani ball, which will be used at the finals, was introduced into the Bundesliga last weekend. (The Sun) 
Oldham will charge just £2 for fans to watch Saturday's League One clash against Exeter.(The Sun)
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Wednesday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United are edging closer to signing Valencia forwards David Villa and David Silva, with the Spanish club willing to listen to offers. With winger Cristiano Ronaldo offloaded in the summer, Sir Alex Ferguson has cash to spare and the United manager is willing to pay £40m for the duo.(Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool are keen on securing the services of Sampdoria midfielder Koman Vladimir. The Hungarian star is currently on loan at Bari and is valued at £4m.(Daily Mirror) 
Italian side Juventus are all set to make a £6m bid for Manchester City full-back Pablo Zabaleta in January.(The Sun) 
Birmingham City are favourites to sign Rangers striker Kris Boyd, who is out of contract at the end of the season. (Daily Star) 
Leicester City chairman Milan Mandaric has told free agent Edgar Davids he has 24 hours to decide on joining. The Dutch midfielder recently held talks with the Championship side over a possible move.(Daily Mirror) 
Bolton and Celtic are considering a swoop for FC Utrecht's Dutch striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel. (The Sun) 
QPR are targeting 22-year-old Gillingham's £1m-rated striker Simeon Jackson. (Daily Star)

OTHER GOSSIP

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez has suggested that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has too much power and leads a number of Premier League bosses in ganging up on Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez. (The Sun) 
Argentina boss Diego Maradona has tipped Angel Di Maria to be the country's next footballing hero. The 21-year-old Benfica striker was watched recently by Chelsea scouts and Maradona said: "Angel has the quality to be a worldwide superstar."(Daily Mirror) 
Tottenham defender Ledley King is hoping to open up talks on extending his deal at White Hart Lane. The club captain's contract expires at the end of the season and Spurs have an option of a one-year extension. (The Sun)
Hull manager Phil Brown is mulling over selecting striker Jozy Altidore after the 19-year-old American was fined for revealing on social networking site Twitter that he was dropped for the match against Portsmouth for being late. (The Sun) 
Former Portsmouth manager Tony Adams is targeting a return to management and is one of 50 applicants attempting to land the post at League Two outfit Aldershot.(Daily Mirror) 
Former England under-21 boss Peter Taylor is close to linking up with Roy Keane at Ipswich as first-team coach. Taylor, who recently left his post as Wycombe manager, has been recruited by the Tractors boss to improve on their winless start to the season.(Daily Mail) 

AND FINALLY

Manuel Pellegrini's role as Real Madrid coach is under threat after a 4-0 defeat in the fourth round, first leg of the Copa del Rey to Alcorcón from regional Second Division B, Group II. Pellegrini said: "There are no explanations. Alcorcón played very well. We hope our fans can forgive us after this defeat."(The Guardian)
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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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Monday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Hull striker Daniel Cousin could be on his way to Burnley after the player's agent claimed an approach for a loan deal had been made. (Press Association) 
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has ruled out the possibility of Robinho joining the European champions. (Press Association)

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Tottenham, Sunderland and Stoke are locked in a three-way battle to sign Portsmouth goalkeeper David James before the transfer deadline. (Daily Mirror) 
Spurs will offer £8m to capture both James and Pompey midfielder Niko Kranjcar. (Daily Mail) 
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is still hopefully of concluding deals to bring Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh and Inter Milan's former Gunners midfielder Patrick Vieira to the Emirates. (Daily Mirror) 
West Ham and Wolves are both in talks to sign Valencia's 6ft 7in Serbian striker Nikola Zigic. (The Sun) 
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill wants to sign either Matthew Upson or James Collins from West Ham before Tuesday's deadline. (Daily Mail) 
Stoke are keen on bringing Manchester City winger Martin Petrov to the Britannia Stadium, but could face competition for his signature from Tottenham. (Daily Star) 
Everton are weighing up a move for Coventry goalkeeper Keiren Westwood. (The Sun) 
Sunderland are in talks with Hull over a £9m swap deal for defender Michael Turner. The transfer could see Frazier Campbell move in the opposite direction. (Daily Mirror) 
Portsmouth are hoping to sign Aston Villa left-back Nicky Shorey. (The Sun) 
Everton's £6m-move for Atletico Madrid defender Johnny Heitinga is in danger of collapsing over the player's large wage demands. (Daily Mirror) 
Blackburn have turned down a bid from Olympiakos for Norwegian winger Morten Gamst Pedersen. (The Sun) 
Newcastle's Andy Carroll could be set for a surprise exit from St James' Park with Bolton and Wolves keen on the young striker. (Daily Mirror) 
Bolton are hoping to complete the loan signing of Nantes' Crotian forward Ivan Klasnic on Monday. (The Sun) 
Nottingham Forest are keen to sign Sunderland defender Nyron Nosworthy on loan. (Daily Mirror) 
Wolves boss Mick McCarthy is battling to rush through a loan deal for Rapid Vienna striker Stefan Maierhofer. (Daily Mirror) 
Derby defender Jordan Stewart is in talks with Sheffield United over a possible move to Bramall Lane. (Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea defender John Terry will become the highest-paid player in the country after agreeing a new £8m-a-year deal with the London club. (The Sun) 
Former Portsmouth boss Tony Adams has emerged as the top target to fill the hot seat at Championship side Barnsley. (The Sun) 
Everton manager David Moyes has vowed to axe some of his Goodison flops following their poor start to the season. (The Sun) 
The FA are to clamp down on footballers who goad rival supporters following a number of incidents this week of players criticised for celebrating in front of opposition fans. (The Sun) 
Fulham manager Roy Hodgson says he would love to coach Great Britain's 2012 Olympic team. (Daily Mirror) 

AND FINALLY

Arsenal's Arsene Wenger wasn't the only manager sent to the stands over the weekend. Former England boss Steve McClaren, now with FC Twente in Holland, suffered the same fate in his side's 1-1 draw with Feyenoord on Sunday. (Daily Star)
Tranmere manager John Barnes (on photo) and his number two Jason McAteer have been nicknamed "Dumb and Dumber" by their own players. (The Sun)
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