can get better than harper we want attacking midfielders.. not defensive

Manchester United have made an official £20m bid for Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov (Sun, Star & Daily Mail).

- Arsenal have made a last-gasp bid to hijack Liverpool's stalled purchase of Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry (The Sun).

- Martin O'Neill is set to tie up USA No.2 goalkeeper Brad Guzan, 24, from MLS side Chivas after work permit problems were ironed out (The Sun).

- Wigan are the latest club linked with Everton striker Andy Johnson (The Sun).

- QPR have made an audacious bid for 32-year-old Real Madrid defender Michel Salgado (Daily Star).

- Premier League newcomers Stoke are ready to splash £4m on Reading striker Dave Kitson (Daily Star).

- Sunderland are targeting 6ft 5in Steaua Bucharest defender Dorin Golan for £2.5m (Daily Mirror).

hahahahahahaha

INTER WAIT FOR LAMPARD
FRANK LAMPARD will sign with Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan for FREE on January 1,' says the News of the World, who claim that a deal worth £160,000 a week is on the table for him to sign in Italy as soon as the clock ticks past midnight and he is free to sign for other clubs.

Lampard has apparently been told that Chelsea will not budge on an offer of £140,000 a week for four years, and that is just not acceptable to Lampard. One of his 'most trusted pals' said: "Even if Blues eventually crumble and come up with a new five-year deal, I'm sure Frank will tell them where to stick it - the damage is done."

Roman Abramovich is said to be ready to lose £16m over the next season 'on a matter of principle' rather than sell Lampard now - turning down a £10m fee and paying a disgruntled player £6.1m over the next season. Obviously the credit crunch is not really biting in west London...


BERBATOV OUT, SANTA CRUZ IN
Tottenham have already agreed 'in principle' to sell Dimitar Berbatov to Manchester United for £24m, with the Bulgarian set to sign a contract worth £80,000 a week, according to the News of the World. But the deal will not go through until Spurs find a replacement, with Juande Ramos determined not to be left short-handed.

That replacement is likely to be Blackburn's Roque Santa Cruz, though the Mail on Sunday also mentions the names of Spartak Moscow's Roman Pavlyuchenko and Espanyol striker Luis Garcia.

The same newspaper also suggests that Spurs will launch an £18m bid for Andrei Arshavin, but that's likely to be a waste of time as the Russian has made it clear that he a) wants Champions League football and b) quite fancies wither Barcelona or Arsenal.


AND THE GUNNERS WANT...
There's Saturday's rumour of a late bid for Gareth Barry repeated in the Sunday Express, who also throw in the name of £15m-rated Portsmouth winger Niko Kranjcar and dredge up another old favourite in Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins.

Martins' teammate Charles N'Zogbia also wants a piece of the action, telling the Sunday Telegraph that it would be a dream to play for Arsenal. Keep dreaming, boy.


JOHNNO TO THE HAMMERS
Last week the talk was that Andy Johnson would join Wigan because he did not want to uproot his young family, but the massive wonga probably on offer at West Ham could soften the blow of a move, we suspect. The Hammers are the new favourites to sign Johnson after a reported £11m bid, with neither Wigan, Sunderland nor Fulham likely to match that sum.

The Hammers could make room on their payroll by offloading Lucas Neill to Manchester City in a £1.6m deal, with Mark Hughes apparently ready to forgive the Austalian for walking out of Blackburn for nothing last summer.


GILBERTO TO TOFFEES
Everton need a defensive midfielder and maybe David Moyes has not been watching any football over the last two years, because according to The People he is hoping to persuade Gilberto Silva to move north rather than complete his expected move to Panathinaikos.

Moyes is also expected to miss out on Darren Fletcher, with the player himself saying he's not interested in leaving the ManYoo bench and Sir Alex Ferguson set to reject a bid in the region of £5m for the Scottish part-timer.


AND THE REST
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez wants to bring Albert Riera back to the Premier League and Anfield...Benitez is also set to move for Mallorca's £5m-rated star Borja Valero...Everton will this week complete the signing of goalkeeper Vladimir Stojkovic from Sporting Lisbon...Fulham are set to launch an ambitious swoop for Rangers' Carlos Cuellar...Mark Hughes could sign Brad Friedel for Man City from former club Blackburn...But he'll face competition from Aston Villa...Sunderland's Roy Keane has made an enquiry about Spurs star Steed Malbranque...Doncaster are keen to sign Darren Byfield, who has been released by Bristol City...Peterborough may be forced to slash their £3m asking price for Aaron McLean...Harry Redknapp has been told to raise his offer for £12m-rated Monaco ace Jeremy Menez...

Sulley Muntari is heading back to Italian football in a £12m deal with Juventus...Stoke are set to buy Scott Carson from Liverpool for £4m...Fulham are expected to make a £4m bid for Spurs' Jamie O'Hara...Blackburn target Jermaine Pennant has been given the green light to leave Liverpool...Blackburn are plotting a stunning £16m swoop for Valencia winger Joaquin...David Moyes is set to bid for Sheffield Wednesday defender Richard Wood...Hull are closing in on a £2m double swoop for Portsmouth defenders Djimi Traore and Noe Pamarot...Newcastle will offer Damien Duff to West Ham in a player-plus-cash bid for Anton Ferdinand..Aston Villa and Everton are leading the chase for Man City's Michael Johnson...Watford defender Danny Shittu will arrive in Glasgow today to complete a £1.5m move to Rangers.

CITY PROVE THEY ARE SERIOUS ABOUT RONALDINHO
Manchester City have made a £22million bid for Ronaldinho and are reportedly 'close' to reaching an agreement with Barcelona to sign the Brazilian superstar.

Following reports in Italy that AC Milan were on the verge of signing Ronaldinho, City are understood to have responded by making the 28-year-old an offer that would see him become the highest-paid player in the Premiership.

Yet, as The Times points out, 'although City are confident of concluding a deal with the Catalan club, Ronaldinho's arrival is by no means a formality. City fear that news of an impending deal may have been leaked by Ronaldinho's camp in an attempt to force AC Milan to bid for the player and match the contract offered by the Barclays Premier League club.'

And even the notoriously hard-to-please Daily Mail sounds impressed by City's attempts to sign the forward. 'The ambitious bid tabled for Ronaldinho, endorsed by Thaksin, is City's way of proving how serious they are about bringing in the Brazilian,' it reports.

'Their pay-as-you-play salary offer is being supported by at least one major sponsor, with Nike prepared to back the deal. Deal insiders say that Milan must still remain favourites, but City are refusing to give up the chase.

'They are refusing to be bullied out if it by Milan,' a source said last night. 'You have to admire their daring and their audacity. They still have hope that this could be possible.''


BENTLEY TO GET KEEPERS MOVING
David Bentley's proposed move to Tottenham could have a domino effect in the transfer market with the futures of Paul Robinson and Brad Freidel among those set to be determined whether or not Spurs and Blackburn can agree a fee for the England winger.

It's thought that Blackburn are demanding £17m for Bentley, a price that Tottenham will only meet if Rovers agree to accept Robinson as a £5m makeweight. Were the former England keeper to move to Blackburn then Friedel is expected to transfer to Villa after being offered a three-year deal by the Midlands outfit. Villa yesterday completed the signing of 23-year-old American 'keeper Brad Guzan, but he is expected to be Freidel's deputy next year. Scott Carson, who was between Villa's sticks last season whilst on loan from Liverpool, is thought to be heading to either Middlesbrough or Stoke.


ARSENAL DO BUSINESS ON HLEB
So is this why Samir Nasri's move to Arsenal took so long to complete? Just three days after the Frenchman was finally confirmed as a Gunner, Alex Hleb is expected to be unveiled as a Barcelona player. Anyone with a suspicious mind would wonder if the Nasri deal was deliberately delayed in order to soften the blow of losing Hleb.

According to The Sun, Hleb's £15m move to Barca has been finalised and the 'Catalan giants will pay the Gunners £12.5m up front for Hleb - with the remaining £2.5m based on appearances and trophies.'

With Nasri costing around £11m, Arsenal have effectively swapped the two players and used the surplus cash to recruit their only other summer signing - the £5m Aaron Ramsey.


SHEVA'S WAGES COULD HALT MOVE
Andriy Shevchenko's wage demands could scupper plans for him to move to Sampdoria on a season-long loan deal from Chelsea.

How do we know this? Because Sampdoria's general manager has said: "Sheva would be happy to join us, but there are problems around his wages."

Never let it be said that Transfer Gossip would knowingly lie to you.


AND THE REST
Everton are making a shock swoop for Switzerland's Euro 2008 right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner...Out-of-favour Spurs defender Younes Kaboul is wanted by Portsmouth...Franck Queudrue has been put on the transfer list by Birmingham...Cardiff will today complete the £1million signing of Marcus Bent...Plymouth have flown in Slovakia goalkeeper Lubos Hajduch who is available in a bargain deal...Bolton have rejected West Brom's offer of £1.25million plus Paul Robinson for wantaway defender Abdoulaye Meite...Barcelona will this week offer Samuel Eto'o plus £15million for Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor...Newcastle want to pip Portsmouth to the signing of Pablo Aimar after the south coast club baulked at the £7million asking price...James Harper's move to Middlesbrough could be haltered by Arsenal's insistence on taking 40 per cent of the fee...

...Steve Coppell wants to sell his star players now at Reading. James Harper is wanted by Middlesbrough and Bolton, Nicky Shorey has been coveted by Portsmouth, Fulham are keen on Dave Kitson and Sunderland want Kevin Doyle and Stephen Hunt...Everton have been linked with a move for Tottenham striker Darren Bent with Fulham the latest club to show an interest in Andy Johnson...Rangers have pulled the plug on their £1.5million move for Watford defender Danny Shittu...West Ham are eyeing a £1million move for Rangers goalkeeper Neil Alexander.

MANYOO CLOSE IN ON BERBATOV
Although Manchester United have denied reports that they have already reached an agreement to sign Dimi Berbatov from Tottenham, the Bulgarian striker is still expected to be unveiled as their player by the end of the month.

Berbatov has made no secret of his desire to leave Spurs this summer and is keen on moving to Old Trafford. United made a preliminary offer of £20m for the striker last week and are set to offer make an improved bid after Sir Alex Ferguson prioritised Berbatov's recruitment. Spurs' £30m valuation of Berbatov will not deter United, although it is thought likely that the Premiership champions will offer £28m up front with a further £2m dependent on appearances and various clauses.



ARSENAL VOICE BARRY INTEREST
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has confirmed that Arsenal have registered their interest in signing Gareth Barry.

Although Liverpool's made their first offer for Barry two months ago, his transfer to Anfield has still not materialised and he remains in limbo after being barred from training at Villa after telling a newspaper that he wanted to leave the club.





NEW DEAL FOR DROGBA
Here's some surprising news: The Sun says that Chelsea are to offer Didider Drogba a 'huge new deal to keep him at Chelsea for life'.

Hmm. We're not convinced, although it could be that Chelsea are minded to make the offer because they don't want to lose both Drogba and Frank Lampard in the same summer.

'Drogba, 30, is on around £70,000 a week and the new agreement could give him parity with Blues skipper John Terry - the club's highest earner with an estimated weekly salary of £130,000,' claims the newspaper.

The Sun also reckons that 'Drogba's fellow striker Claudio Pizarro is set to lead Scolari's Blues clear-out by quitting for Paris Saint-Germain. The Peruvian is one of seven players the new Blues chief wants to axe.


SPURS FIGHTING FOR BENTLEY
Tottenham are thought to have held talks with Blackburn Rovers yesterday over a deal for David Bentley but reports claiming that a £17million transfer has been agreed may prove premature after Rovers manager Paul Ince said he did not want to sign prospective makeweight Paul Robinson.

Although Ince confirmed in the aftermath of Rovers' friendly at Macclesfield - a game that Bentley missed due to a minor thigh injury - that Aston Villa had made a bid for the want-away winger, Spurs are at the head of the queue for the England international.




CRUZ IN DEMAND
Arsenal and Tottenham are set for a tug-of-war over Roque Santa Cruz after the striker informed Paul Ince, the new Blackburn Rovers manager, that he wants to leave for a bigger club.

Cruz was absent from Rovers' pre-season friendly at Macclesfield on Monday night having indicated that he was ready to leave the club. While pledging to have a "better season with Blackburn" next season if he stays in Lancashire after scoring 19 times during his debut campaign in the Premier League, the Paraguay international confirmed he was "motivated by the interest of other clubs".

That remark is likely to alert Tottenham and Arsenal, with both north London clubs preparing to sell their current centre-forwards.




BAGGIES IN FOR CARSON
West Brom could hijack Stoke's attempts to sign Scott Carson.

It was announced yesterday that the newly-promoted Premier League club had agreed a fee of £4m with Liverpool to sign the occasional England goalkeeper. However, Carson will meet with West Brom later today and may yet end up at the Hawthorns for the 2008/09 campaign.


KEANE KEEN ON NO-PRICE SAHA
Roy Keane is set to sign another of his former team-mates from Manchester United. According to the Mail, the Sunderland boss is poised to move for Louis Saha after the Premier League champions indicated they would let the forward go on a pay-as- you-play deal.

United are so keen on offloading Saha that they are reportedly ready to let him go for free, initially at least. 'The forward's £3.5m-a-year salary has scared off would-be suitors, but Keane believes the player would represent good value if he can be persuaded to take a pay cut to move to the Stadium of Light,' claims the Mail.

'The Sunderland manager is also weighing up a move for Tottenham's Steed Malbranque, and is keeping tabs on Andy Johnson. However, the striker favours a move to Wigan.'



AND THE REST
Hull are in talks with former Fulham goalkeeper Tony Warner...Manchester City are set to sell Georgios Samaras to Celtic in a £1million deal...Everton target Stephan Lichsteiner is trying to buy himself out of his contract at Lille...Charlton boss Alan Pardew is set to make a £1.25million bid for Heidar Helguson...Birmingham have stepped in to hijack Cardiff's move for Marcus Bent...Ipswich are set to clinch the signing of Kevin Lisbie from Colchester...Paul Dickov has been offered a surprise move to Leicester...Mark Hughes is ready to make an audacious bid to sign West Ham duo Lucas Neill and Craig Bellamy...Bristol City are on the verge of signing striker Emad Meteb for £1.5million...

...Birmingham have transfer-listed Olivier Kapo...Ben Thatcher is at Ipswich on trial...Birmingham have made a £1.5million bid for Ben Watson...Gilberto Silva is set to sign for Panathinaikos when he returns from his summer break....Brad Friedel is ready to agree a three-year deal to join Aston Villa from Blackburn...Romanian defender Dorin Goian is "determined" to join Sunderland...Bobby Zamora has had a medical at Fulham after they agreed a £6million fee with West Ham.

THE SUN REALLY ISN'T SHINING
Bizarre stuff in The Sun. Apparently blissfully ignorant of Rafa Benitez's cash shortage, the paper devotes its back page to the claim that Liverpool are 'willing to spend an incredible £20million on Robbie Keane this week' with the twist that this would make him 'one of the world's costliest players' in combined transfer fees.

Forget 'bizarre'. It's desperate, pathetically so.

To compound the sense of a newspaper out of touch with reality, their response to the news that Juventus won't be funding another bid for Gareth Barry by buying Xabi Alonso is to claim that - instead of nipping in to sign Barry - Arsenal will fund Pool's fifth bid for the Villa midfielder by buying Alonso themselves!

'Alonso's expected move to Juventus has fallen down although Arsenal are now on alert,' the paper assures its readers.

'A source close to Alonso said: "If the decision was down to Xabi, he would make the move because Arsenal's style is perfect for him."'

Riiiiigght.


ARSENAL TO BID FOR BARRY
Speculation is rife that Arsenal will make a move for Aston Villa's Gareth Barry in the wake of Gilberto Silva's anticipated departure from north London.

The Brazilian has agreed a three-year deal to join Panathinaikos and is due to arrive in Athens this evening for his unveiling. While Silva's value to Arsenal has diminished significantly in recent years, his exit leaves Arsene Wenger with a serious shortage of central midfielders.




CITY MISS OUT AS RONALDINHO JOINS MILAN
Manchester City must look elsewhere for a big-name summer transfer after they were edged out by AC Milan in the battle to sign Barcelona star Ronaldinho.

Blues owner Thaksin Shinawatra had targeted the two-time FIFA World Player of the Year as the marquee signing that would kickstart Mark Hughes' first season in charge at Eastlands but despite reportedly offering more than the £19.8million Barca have accepted from the Rossoneri, they have lost out.

According to Milan, they have reached an agreement in principle to sign the 28-year-old Brazilian on a three-year deal, subject to passing a medical later today and finally ending City's audacious bid for his services.




CHELSEA FRINGERS ON TRIAL
Chelsea are to use their four-match tour of the Far East as an audition for the fringe members of their squad to prove their worth, says The Times.

New manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed he intends on culling the bloated squad he inherited from the deposed Avram Grant by selling up to six players this summer. Even after selling Steve Sidwell to Aston Villa, Scolari is not short of options with Shaun-Wright Phillips, Juliano Belletti, Tal Ben-Haim, Claudio Pizarro and Andriy Shevchenko among those under threat. Wayne Bridge, however, will not be sold after signing a new four-year deal with the club.


TOTTENHAM: BERBATOV ISN'T FOR SALE
Tottenham Hotspur are so determined to retain Dimitar Berbatov that they have refused to enter into talks with Manchester United over the striker, according to reports.

Flatly contradicting previous claims that the two clubs are close to reaching an agreement to transfer Berbatov for a fee in the region of £30m, The Guardian claims that 'Tottenham indicated yesterday that they do not intend to negotiate with Manchester United or any other interested party.'




LENNON WON'T BE LEAVING
Tottenham and England winger Aaron Lennon insists he will not be leaving White Hart Lane this summer.

With Spurs reportedly keen to sign David Bentley from Blackburn, it has been suggested Lennon, 21, might have to make way.

Newcastle and Aston Villa have been linked with the former Leeds man but he says manager Juande Ramos has given him no indication that he is not wanted.




KAPO STILL HEADING TO WIGAN
Wigan are still hopeful of signing Olivier Kapo despite reports the £3.5million deal to take him to the JJB Stadium from Birmingham had broken down.
It is understood an issue has arisen between Kapo and Birmingham which has caused a delay, but the Latics are hopeful of signing the Frenchman in the next 24 hours.




AND THE REST
Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan is set to sign Argentine star Pablo Aimar in a £7million deal...Tony Pulis fears Stoke are losing the battle to sign Scott Carson from Liverpool...Hull are hoping to sign Manchester United striker Fraizer Campbell for £5million...Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill wants to sign Brad Friedel in time for him to make his debut in the Intertoto Cup tie with Odense, but faces a race against time to agree the fee...Chelsea defender Tal Ben Haim is set to accept an offer to move to Manchester City in a £5million deal...Phil Brown has broken Hull's transfer record to sign Plymouth's Peter Halmosi in a £2million deal...Blackburn defender Andre Ooijer is a shock target for Panathinaikos...West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is ready to make a second attempt to sign Leicester wonderkid Joe Mattock...

...Grimsby, Port Vale and Rochdale are all chasing Barnsley midfielder Simon Heslop...Ex-Derby midfielder Marco Reich is in talks with Walsall over a move to the Bescot...Stoke are poised to shatter their transfer record with the signing of Reading striker Dave Kitson for £4.5million. They also want Hayden Mullins...Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan is holding talks aimed at landing Nigel De Jong for £3million...Rudi Skacel is set for a £1million move to Ipswich...Birmingham have vowed Sebastian Larsson is going nowhere...Newcastle are ready to launch another raid on Liverpool for Emiliano Insua...

...Sheffield United have joined Wolves in the race for Fulham's Lee Cook...Nottingham Forest are ready to bid £700,000 for Carlisle striker Joe Garner...Lucas Neill moved to a step closer to joining Manchester City after West Ham agreed a deal with Lazio right-back Valon Behrami...Everton and Aston Villa are closely monitoring Michael Johnson's situation at Manchester City...Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is considering a move for Quinton Fortune...Middlesbrough have stepped up their pursuit of Reading midfielder James Harper...Anton Ferdinand has pulled out of transfer talks with Newcastle.

some intresting gossip in there lol

FERGIE 'ADMITS' HE'S IN FOR BERBATOV
According to The Sun, Sir Fergie has publicly admitted that ManYoo have bid for Dimitar Berbatov. But we'd be frankly shocked if you got here without seeing it splashed across the front page of F365... unless... you have the Gossip Column saved as your homepage! Do you? The Gossip Column would love that!




BUT WAIT - COULD IT BE MORE COMPLICATED?
Sir Fergie might not be getting this one easily - the Daily Mirror says Barcelona are going in for Berbatov as well, after missing out on Adebayor.

'The Gunners are holding out for £35m for the Togo striker while Spurs are willing to let Berbatov go for around the £24m that the Catalan giants are prepared to pay,' says the paper.

'Manchester United had been expected to tie up a move for Berbatov this week, but the Reds have left for their pre-season tour of Africa with Berbatov still at White Hart Lane.'

Could we end up with another Ronaldinho situation (not the current one, obviously) where a player chooses Barcelona and a certain red-nosed chap goes on an amusing rant about how they were scared to come to a big club? Let's hope so.

In an interesting twist, Carlos Tevez is also apparently in Barcelona's sights. And so is...


WHO'S LEAVING CHELSEA, THEN?
...Didier Drogba. Big Phil Scolari says he wants to trim his squad by another four or five players, and Barcelona are wondering if that includes the Ivorian - although Chelsea have apaprently turned down a swap deal involving Samuel Eto'o'o'o'o'o.

The Sun, though, think Claude Makelelelelele will beat him to the exit door. And the Gossip Column just wishes there was some way we could get Jeremie Alialialialiadiere into this section.


NEWCASTLE, THAT IS FRANKLY PATHETIC
We all know Keggy Keegle knows naff all about defenders or defending, but to offer a paltry £2m for Stephen Warnock in this day and age is frankly insulting. Still, if you believe the papers, that's what Newcastle have done.

Needless to say, Blackburn have told them to do one. The words, "Two million? I don't wipe my backside for two million," probably weren't used, but we can all pretend they were.


SUNDERLAND ARE GOING TRANSFER CRAZY
As well as chasing four Spurs players, Sunderland are closing in on the signing of Borussia Dortmund's Mladen Petric according to The Sun.

Maybe that means Andriy Voronin will be heading there - the word on the street is that a German club are going to pay £3m for him as Rafa scrambles round trying to make some money for Messrs Barry and Keane.


SPEAKING OF BARRY...
There hasn't really been any news on the Barry to Arsenal move, but someone with time on their hands has spun it into a story, which you can read here...


CARSON ON HIS WAY TO WEST BROM?
Whether you think Scott Carson rejected Stoke or Stoke rejected Scott Carson, he isn't going. So just where is he off to?

Despite apparent interest from Blackburn, the Liverpool third-choice keeper is on his way to West Brom according to The Daily Mirror and The Daily Star. Blackburn, meanwhile, are still trying to land Paul Robinson without giving Spurs David Bentley, and have offered £3.5m. Brad Friedel is still expected to sign for Aston Villa.


AND THE REST
Sir Alex Ferguson is trying to tempt his son Darren into making a quick profit by selling his Peterborough goalkeeper Joe Lewis for £3million...Wigan plan to test Everton's resolve with an improved offer for striker Andy Johnson. Latics have already failed with a £9million bid...New Blackburn boss Paul Ince hopes to pull off a £3.5million swoop for Chilean superstar Carlos Villanueva within days...Stoke boss Tony Pulis has shattered the club's transfer record by signing striker Dave Kitson from Reading for £5.5million...Premier League new boys Hull City have made a £3million bid for Wigan striker Marlon King...Derby are set to sign Rob Hulse from Sheffield United for £2million...Portsmouth defender Noe Pamarot has snubbed a £2.6million move to Premier League newcomers Hull City.

Inter Milan will make a move for Liverpool's Xabi Alonso if they fail in their bid to prise Frank Lampard away from Chelsea. (Channel 4 Football Italia, 1103 BST)


TRANSFER RUMOURS
Chelsea are set to sign AC Milan's world player-of-the- year Kaka for a world-record fee of €100m (£79.2m). (The Guardian)

New Chelsea midfielder Deco has pleaded with Frank Lampard to stay at the club to help them win the Champions League. (Various)


But Lampard appears to be on his way to Inter Milan after the Italian side revealed they have agreed terms with the England midfielder. (Various)

Didier Drogba also appears to be on his way out of Stamford Bridge after Barcelona made an enquiry for the striker. (Daily Star)

Sunderland have had a £23m bid for Younes Kaboul, Pascal Chimbonda, Steed Malbranque and Teemu Tainio accepted by Tottenham. (Various)

However, the deal could be jeopardised after Kaboul's agent said his client would not join Sunderland "even if there was an earthquake". (Various)

Chimbonda also looks set to snub the Black Cats in favour of a move to either Newcastle or Everton. (Daily Mail)

Gareth Barry has reaffirmed his desire to quit Aston Villa and join Liverpool. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa expect to sign Blackburn goalkeeper Brad Friedel next week as Rovers boss Paul Ince faces a tough task keeping hold of his players. (The Sun)

Middlesbrough have received a bid from Wigan for midfielder Lee Cattermole. (The Guardian)

The Latics are also close to completing the signing of Egyptian striker Amr Zaki on a one-year loan deal after he passed a medical. (Various)

West Ham are closing in on the signing of Switzerland right-back Valon Behrami for £5m from Lazio. (The Independent)

Premier League new boys Hull have tabled a bid for Wigan striker Marlon King. (The Sun)

Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp has admitted he needs to sell players in order to buy new ones. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea and Manchester United have renewed their interest in Falkirk midfielder Scott Arfield. (Daily Record)

Auxerre defender Gabriel Tamas has rejected Celtic's £14,000 per week salary offer as more talks are expected over the weekend. (The Sun)

Celtic target Vitorino Antunes has opted to move to Lecce from Roma on loan. (Daily Express)

Veteran Celtic defender Steven Pressley has joined Doncaster on trial. (Daily Express)

Celtic have taken 17-year-old Lecce goalkeeper Daniele Giordano on trial. (Daily Express)

Kaiserslautern are poised to make a big-money offer for Inverness striker Marius Niculae. (Various)

Motherwell will step up their bid for Celtic defender John Kennedy on loan after losing Brian McLean to long-term injury. (The Sun)

But Motherwell face competition from Norwich City for John Kennedy's services.

QPR manager Iain Dowie is expected to complete the signing of Ben Watson from Crystal Palace for £1.75m. (Daily Mirror)

Sheffield United have accepted a £2m bid from Derby for striker Rob Hulse. (The Sun)

Andy Dorman's agent says clubs from England and Scotland are interested in the St Mirren midfielder. (The Herald)




OTHER GOSSIP
Arsene Wenger has blamed Arsenal's lack of silverware last season on pure bad luck. (The Sun)

The Arsenal manager has also said that he will not "kill" the club's young players by bringing big names to the club. (Various)

Everton chairman Bill Kenwright will face disillusioned shareholders after they called an extraordinary general meeting to discuss the club's future. (Daily Express)

Rangers manager Walter Smith says he cannot afford to pay the wages required to sign top players this summer. (Various)


Back to top

AND FINALLY
A Sven-Goran Eriksson impersonator, Derek Williams, fooled the coach of Mexican club Pumas by pretending to be the Swede, who is now charge of the Mexican national team. (Daily Telegraph)