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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Saturday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP 

AC Milan's Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho has claimed Manchester City want to sign him this summer. (Daily Mirror) 
Liverpool will not be following up their interest in Valencia's David Silva unless the asking price comes down from £30m. (The Times) 
Winger Ricardo Quaresma wants to make his loan deal at Chelsea a permanent move from Inter Milan. (Daily Mirror) 
Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart expects to join Chelsea this summer. "I hope the signing will be closed soon," said the Dutchman. (Daily Mail) 
Bayern Munich boss Uli Hoeness is expecting a "brutal fight" to keep midfielder Franck Ribery, with Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea all chasing the Frenchman. (Various) 
Arsenal are trailing Cameroon youth goalkeeper Tangouatio Thierry after watching him in an Under-17s tournament. (Daily Mirror) 
Manchester City and Tottenham are interested in signing Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro when his contract ends at Real Madrid in the summer. (Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP 

Guus Hiddink looks likely to continue his dual role as Chelsea and Russia coach beyond this season after the Russian Football Association said it is happy to discuss the idea. (Various) 
Alternatively, Chelsea are set to ask Hiddink to stay on as director of football rather than manager. (Various) 
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed that former Gunners striker Thierry Henry rejected the chance to join Manchester City from Barcelona last summer. (The Times) 
Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has dismissed speculation that his position is in jeopardy and insists he will be "driving the club forward at pace". (Daily Mail) 
Middlesbrough captain Emanuel Pogatetz has denied reports he wants to leave the club, insisting he wants to sign a new deal. (Various) 
Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky has admitted for the first time that he feared he would never play football again because of his knee injury. (Various) 
Uefa president Michel Platini has vowed to block the Premier League's plans to play competitive matches outside of England. (The Times) 
 
AND FINALLY 

Such is the interest in the late Brian Clough in the wake of The Damned United film that three books about the legendary manager fill the top spots in the latest best-seller list for football books sold on amazon. (Daily Mail)

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