Newcastle are close to buying highly-rated Croatia midfielder Luka Modric from Dinamo Zagreb for about £12m. (Various)

Tottenham and Manchester City have been sounded out about signing Brazil superstar Ronaldinho after his move to AC Milan collapsed. (Daily Mirror)

But Milan still want Ronaldinho despite Barcelona's £40m asking price - and the player wants that move too. (Guardian)

City are also considering a move for Bolton striker El-Hadji Diouf. (Various)

But they face competition from Valencia, who will bid £5m for the Senegal international. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez spoke to owner Tom Hicks on Wednesday and listed his transfer targets, which include Aston Villa's Gareth Barry. (Star)

But Villa boss Martin O'Neill is ready to smash Villa's pay structure to keep hold of his player. (Various)

Real Madrid have added Chelsea centre-back Ricardo Carvalho to their wanted list, along with his Blues team-mate Didier Drogba. The Spanish giants also hope to lure Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United. (Star)

606: DEBATE
Who should your club buy and/or sell this summer?

Chelsea and Liverpool are set to battle it out for the signature of Blackburn winger David Bentley. (The Times)

Arsenal midfielder Matthieu Flamini is on the verge of leaving to join Italian giants Juventus. (Independent).

And the Gunners' midfield could be further depleted by the departure of Alexander Hleb to Inter Milan. (The Guardian)

Arsenal are interested in signing PSV Eindhoven goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, Lyon winger Hatem Ben Arfa and Valencia striker David Villa. (Daily Star)

Tottenham are also in the race for Gomes. However, the £10m price tag could put off both clubs. (Express)

Spurs' other goalkeeping targets include Espanyol's Carlos Kameni, Villarreal's Diego Lopez, Manchester United's Ben Foster and Udinese's Samir Handanovic. (Express)

Sporting Lisbon want Middlesbrough midfielder Fabio Rochemback. (Various)

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is tracking Argentine international Maxi Rodriguez. (Daily Mirror)

Marcus Bent will seek a permanent switch to Wigan, where he is on loan from Charlton, if the club stays in the Premier League. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle want Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell, who is also being chased by Blackburn and Sunderland. (The Sun)

Tottenham are interested in Real Madrid's Esteban Granero and Chelsea's Tal Ben Haim. (Daily Express)

Chelsea could move for Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, although his team-mate Mario Balotelli is being considered as an alternative.

But Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda, Frank Lampard, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Tal Ben Haim could all leave Chelsea in the summer. (Independent)

Goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini may also join the exodus from Stamford Bridge. (Independent)

Derby manager Paul Jewell is interested in signing Everton midfielder Lee Carsley. (Independent)

Celtic are considering a move for tough-tackling Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Ognjen Vukojevic. (Daily Mail)

St Mirren are leading the chase for soon to be out-of-contract Falkirk captain Jack Ross. (Daily Express)

Crystal Palace insist youngsters Lee Hills, Victor Moses, Sean Scannell and John Bostock will not be sold if the club fails to win promotion. (Various)

Plymouth defender Paul Connolly will move to Charlton in the summer after seven years at the club. (Various)

Oldham are monitoring teenage Wigan striker Chris McCaughtrie, who will be allowed to leave the club on a free transfer. (Daily Star)

Cardiff and Coventry are competing for the signature of Oxford defender Luke Foster. (Daily Star)



Back to top

OTHER GOSSIP
Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks held talks with manager Rafael Benitez on Wednesday and believes the Spaniard is happy at the club and will agree a new contract. (Various)

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Pepe Reina says if Benitez leaves the club he is likely to follow him. (Independent)

Former Newcastle and Bolton boss Sam Allardyce is being chased by Portuguese giants Benfica. (Daily Mail)

Derby manager Paul Jewell will appoint Chris Hutchings as his number two after losing Stan Ternent to Huddersfield. (Daily Star)

Portsmouth striker David Nugent has begged manager Harry Redknapp to put him in the starting line-up for the FA Cup final against Cardiff after he scored his first goal for three months while playing for the reserves. (Mirror)

West Brom striker Kevin Phillips says speculation he has rejected a new contract and will leave the club in the summer is "nonsense".

Sheffield Wednesday will be saved from financial meltdown next week when a foreign consortium takes over the club in a £40m deal. (Various)





AND FINALLY
Liverpool defender John Arne Riise has been so distraught after his own goal against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final that he has refused to speak to his family about it. The Norwegian ignored calls from his brother before finally sending a text saying he wants to be left alone. (Various)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hit back at fans who have turned on him after the club's third season without a trophy. "When people say you don't know what you are doing, that is disrespectful," he said. (Daily Star)

The Beckhams have moved three places up the Rich List following their relocation to the USA, which has netted them £13m. The couple are now worth £125m and are the 616th-richest Britons. Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney and Coleen McLoughlin are the richest celebrity pair under the age of 30 with £35m. (Daily Star)

Everton striker Andy Johnson is set to leave Goodison Park and West Ham, Manchester City and Newcastle could be interested. (News of the World)


Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp has been given the green light to make a £7m summer swoop for Liverpool striker Peter Crouch. (Sunday Express)

Pompey are also targeting Rennes' Ghana defender John Mensah, who would cost £5m. (Sunday Express)

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes would rather let David Bentley rot in the reserves than sell him to Liverpool in the summer. (News of the World)

Tottenham boss Juande Ramos will make a big-money bid for West Ham goalkeeper Robert Green. (News of the World)

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson wants Werder Bremen goalkeeper Tim Wiese. (News of the World)

Arsenal have joined Chelsea and Liverpool in the race for Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry. (The People)

Chelsea are willing to pay £35m to sign Atletico Madrid's Argentine wonderkid Sergio Aguero. (Daily Star Sunday)

CSKA Moscow striker Jo has agreed an annual salary of £3.5m with Manchester City, who are set to pay £18m for the Brazilian. (Mail on Sunday)

Middlesbrough have emerged as the favourites to sign £5m-rated Chelsea midfielder Steve Sidwell at the end of the season. (Mail on Sunday)

Chelsea are to offer Bayern Munich Florent Malouda, plus £10m, in a bid to sign Franck Ribery. (The People)

Middlesbrough are planning to bid £3m for Derby midfielder Giles Barnes and Fulham ace Steven Davis, who is on loan at Rangers. (News of the World)

Reading hope to sign £3m-rated Metz striker Rudy Gestade in the summer. (News of the World)

Bolton are set for a summer tug-of-war with Middlesbrough over Crewe striker Nicky Maynard. (News of the World)

Barcelona are planning an audacious £30m bid for Arsenal's Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas. The Catalan club may offer Samuel Eto'o, Deco, Eidur Gudjohnsen or former Gunner Thierry Henry in a part-exchange deal. (Daily Star)

Henry will be allowed to leave Barcelona and the France striker could return to the Premier League with a move to Chelsea. (Daily Express)

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp will bid £8m for Liverpool striker Peter Crouch. (Various)

Brazil stars Kaka and Ronaldinho could be on the way to the Premier League after quizzing Tottenham defender Gilberto about life in England. AC Milan's Kaka and Barcelona's Ronaldinho are targets for Chelsea and Manchester City respectively. (Various)

Tottenham look set to miss out on Valencia striker David Villa as Real Madrid have made a £24m bid for the Spain international. (Various)

Real Madrid have also made a move to sign Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien and will pay £25m for him. (Mirror)

Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra is lining up a £10m swoop for Porto's Portugal international centre-back Bruno Alves. (Mirror)

AC Milan's Gennaro Gattuso wants to join a Premier League club. (Various)




OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester United assistant boss Carlos Queiroz is being lined up by Portugal to take over from Luis Felipe Scolari as the national coach. (Daily Star)

Scolari remains tight-lipped about his future, but it appears Manchester City's chances of capturing him to replace Sven-Goran Eriksson are slim as the Brazilian is reluctant to move away from Portugal. (Various)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane is considering handing his veteran player Dwight Yorke a coaching role at the club, as he believes the striker-turned-midfielder could one become a good manager. (The Sun)

Ryan Giggs can beat Sir Bobby Charlton's record 759 appearances for Manchester United if he plays in the Champions League final in Moscow as statisticians have found the former England midfielder missed one of the matches credited to him. (The Independent)

United may be without Wayne Rooney in Moscow as the striker is struggling to overcome the hernia injury he suffered in his side's 2-1 defeat at Chelsea. (Various)

The SPL could face legal action for extending the season. The league season will finish four days later than planned now that Rangers have reached the Uefa Cup final and players who have incurred losses for cancelled holidays have approached the PFA Scotland, who are taking legal advice. (The Sun)

Falkirk manager John Hughes says he would not last long as Hearts boss under Vladimir Romanov's regime and believes caretaker manager Stevie Frail should be given the job on a permanent basis. (Daily Record)

As he preprares for a Scottish Cup Final appearance against Rangers, Queen of the South manager Gordon Chisholm says he was ready to walk away from football altogether before he was given a last chance in management with the Palmerston club. (Daily Record)



AND FINALLY
Blackburn striker Benni McCarthy has called former team-mate Robbie Savage "the worst player I have ever seen in my life", ahead of the Derby midfielder's return to Ewood Park on Saturday. "He has no skill at all," added McCarthy. (Various)

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has authorised a record-breaking £80m move for Barcelona maestro Lionel Messi. (News of the World)

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will make a £25m bid for England defender Micah Richards. (News of the World & People)

Liverpool will offer Cardiff £3m for teenage midfielder Aaron Ramsey but Manchester United are preparing a £10m package for the Wales Under-21 star. (News of the World)

Newcastle and Sunderland want Manchester City's £5m-rated defender Richard Dunne and £8m-rated midfielder Stephen Ireland. (Daily Star Sunday)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has the green light to splash £15m on Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins. (News of the World)


Manchester City midfielder Michael Johnson has emerged as a summer target for Tottenham and Arsenal. (News of the World)

Coventry boss Chris Coleman is set to raid his old club Fulham for veteran striker Brian McBride. (News of the World)

Liverpool and Spurs are chasing Colchester winger Medy Elito, 17. (News of the World)

Michael Tonge plans a £4m move to Blackburn if Sheffield United fail to win promotion to the Premier League. (News of the World)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane hopes to persuade Kenwyne Jones to stay at Sunderland after knocking back an initial enquiry from Liverpool. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United are also interested in the striker. (News of the World)





OTHER GOSSIP

World Cup winner Zinedine Zidane is the sensational name in the frame to take over as boss of QPR. (People)

Arsene Wenger's transfer kitty has been slashed to £25m, meaning the Arsenal manager will only be able to sign three or four players in the summer. (Mail on Sunday)

Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano could miss the start of next season after being called up Argentina for the Beijing Olympics. (Various)

Two FBI agents were at Old Trafford on Saturday as part of an expensive review of the club's security after reports of threats against some of Manchester United's players. (Sunday Express)

Former England manager Sir Bobby Robson will present the FA Cup to the winners of this month's final between Portsmouth and Cardiff at Wembley. (Various)

A lack of finances could see Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra reverse his plan to sack manager Sven-Goran Eriksson. (Sunday Express)

Benfica are set to abandon a move for the former England coach because of his huge wage demands. (News of the World)

But the Swede has already told his City players that he will definitely be leaving the club at the end of the season. (Observer)

Everton will pocket £1.5m should Manchester United complete the Premier League and Champions League double courtesy of a lucrative clause in the Wayne Rooney transfer deal between the two clubs nearly four years ago. (News of the World)

Arsenal will reward Bacary Sanga with an improved contract after the right-back's outstanding first season in English football. (Observer)

Chelsea have registered their interest in a 13-year-old Roholla Iqbalzadeh, who is being labelled as a "mini Drogba". The striker was born in Afghanistan and was spotted playing for Mosjoen IL in a youth tournament in Norway. (Mail on Sunday)




AND FINALLY
Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed put his side's remarkable 2-0 win over Birmingham down to the promise of an extra-special hamper. "I promised them a hamper full of caviar and Viagra and I think it must have worked," said the Harrods boss. (Mail on Sunday)