May Football gossip 2007

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Monday 21th May gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester United will turn their attentions to Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Tores, Sporting Lisbon winger Nani and Southampton defender Gareth Bale after capturing Owen Hargreaves. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea have entered the bidding to land West Ham striker Carlos Tevez, although the Blues will face competition from Real Madrid. (The Independent)

Manchester City defender Sylvain Distin will join Portsmouth this week after rejecting a return to Newcastle. (Various)

Everton will make a £4m bid for Sheffield United captain Phil Jagielka but face a battle with Wigan to land the midfielder. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea are set to win a battle with Bolton to sign 15-year-old Oldham striker Danny Philliskirk. (Daily Mirror)

Ipswich have had a £350,000 bid for Blackburn striker Francis Jeffers rejected. (Various)

Coventry hope to sign American goalkeeper Kenneth Kronholm from Dusseldorf. (Daily Mirror, Daily Mail)

Charlton are preparing a £2m swoop for Crewe striker Luke Varney. (Daily Mirror)

Juventus want Liverpool pair Xabi Alonso and Momo Sissoko and Newcastle forward Obafemi Martins after returning to Serie A. (The Independent)

Middlesbrough are in the hunt for Aberdeen skipper Russell Anderson. (Daily Record)

Newcastle, Bolton and Manchester City are keen on Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia. (Daily Mail)


OTHER GOSSIP
Captain Steven Gerrard and defender Jamie Carragher have agreed new five-year deals with the club. (Daily Mirror)

Gerrard will pocket an annual salary of £6m after signing the new deal, which is for three, four or five years depending on which paper you believe. (Various)

Chelsea captain John Terry has urged the club to sort out his future now. (The Sun)

Manager Jose Mourinho has been told by the board that Chelsea's season - in which the club won the FA Cup and Carling Cup - was not good enough. (Various)

Edwin Van der Sar will lose his status as Manchester United's first-choice goalkeeper to Ben Foster next season after being blamed for Didier Drogba's winner for Chelsea in the FA Cup final. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester City are expected to name former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri, who took charge of Parma in February, as their new manager within the next fortnight. (Daily Mirror)

Sam Allardyce will face a legal battle if he tries to take any Bolton backroom staff to Newcastle. (Daily Mirror)

Celtic boss Gordon Strachan hinted that he would be axing Danish midfielder Thomas Gravesen from their Scottish Cup final squad. (Daily Record)


AND FINALLY
Chelsea's stars enjoyed a £25,000 all-night bender at Frankie Dettori's Knightsbridge restaurant after the FA Cup final win. (Daily Star)

Left-back Ashley Cole was still hungry after the bash so he had a McChicken Sandwich in his cab.

A record-breaking 125,000 programmes were sold at the FA Cup final - netting the Football Association over £1m. (Daily Mail)

Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty scored the winning goal as his team won the Celebrity Soccer Six football tournament at West Ham's Upton Park ground.

 

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Tuesday 22nd April gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko has been told by Blues owner Roman Abramovich he can return to AC Milan and if the clubs sort out a fee the Stamford Bridge outfit will challenge Real Madrid for West Ham striker Carlos Tevez. (The Sun)

Everton want to sign Manchester United full-back Phil Bardsley, who finished the season on loan at Aston Villa. (Daily Mirror)

West Ham are planning a summer swoop for Fulham keeper Antti Niemi. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland are set to bring midfielder Gavin McCann back to the club from Aston Villa. (Daily Mirror)

Birmingham want to sign Liverpool keeper Scott Carson. (Daily Mirror)

Striker Marcus Gayle has joined AFC Wimbledon - six years after making the last of his 195 appearances for the original 'Crazy Gang' outfit. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is set to rip apart his squad so he can bring in big-name players - even if the Reds win the Champions League final. (Various)

Charlton's Darren Bent as well as Samuel Eto'o, Fernando Torres, Daniel Alves and Gabriel Milito are on Benitez's shopping list. (Sun)

Craig Bellamy, Sami Hyypia, Bolo Zenden, Harry Kewell and Mark Gonzalez are heading for the exit. (Independent)

Tottenham have joined the race for Hearts keeper Craig Gordon, casting doubt on Paul Robinson's future. (Sun)

West Ham want £2m-rated Middlesbrough defender Chris Riggott. (Sun)

Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood hopes to convince Dutch pair Jeffrey de Visscher and Robert Flik to move to Pittodrie. (Daily Record)

Chelsea are still considering whether to bid for Bolton defender Tal Ben Haim, who is also wanted by West Ham and Portsmouth. (Independent)

Arsenal have joined Tottenham and Manchester United in the chase for Southampton left-back Gareth Bale. (Guardian)

Portsmouth are set to snap up Newcastle reject Titus Bramble. (Daily Star)

Tottenham are close to landing Charlton striker Darren Bent for £10m. (Daily Express)


OTHER GOSSIP
Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce has held his first round of talks with Michael Owen and the England striker is impressed by the new boss. (Various)

None of the 'big four' clubs want to sign Owen. (Daily Express)

New Sheffield United boss Bryan Robson has already phoned Phil Jagielka, Paddy Kenny and Michael Tonge to persuade them to stay at the club. (Sun)

Former Blades boss Neil Warnock is tipped to take over as Northern Ireland manager. (Sun)

MK Dons boss Martin Allen will become the new manager of Leicester. (Daily Mirror)

West Ham midfielder Yossi Benayoun is poised to sign a new five-year deal at the club. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood is set to fly to America to hold talks with tycoon Stan Kroenke. (Daily Star)

Manchester City could keep Joey Barton despite his attack on team-mate Ousmane Dabo. (Daily Express)


AND FINALLY
Rino Gattuso has assured AC Milan his wife will not be supporting Liverpool in Wednesday's Champions League final. Mrs Gattuso, the sister of GMTV presenter Carla Romana, is Scottish but Gattuso says: "She would risk getting thrown out of the house if she supported Liverpool." (Sun)

Watford keeper Richard Lee has bought a machine that fires footballs at him for his garden as he bids to claim the number one shirt at Vicarage Road next season. (Daily Express)

 

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Wednesday 23rd May gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Birmingham and Fulham are in the chase for Antoine Sibierski after he rejected a new contract at Newcastle (Star).

Juventus look set to beat Rangers in the race to sign Bayern Munich's Peruvian striker Claudio Pizarro (Record).

Bayern Munich want Arsenal's Robin van Persie (Mirror).

Benfica are interested in Bolton striker El-Hadji Diouf (Mirror).

West Ham are poised to make an £8m offer for Barcelona's Eidur Gudjohnsen, but Manchester United and Sunderland are also interested (Express).

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate says he is "hamstrung" over possible summer signings until Mark Viduka decides whether he is staying or not (Times).

Birmingham, Stoke, Preston and Burnley are interested in Kris Commons after he rejected a new contract at Nottingham Forest (Sun).

Hermann Hreidarsson could join Portsmouth on a free transfer after a clause in his contract allowed him to leave Charlton following their relegation (Sun).

Tottenham have beaten Lyon in the race to sign France U21 captain Younes Kaboul from Auxerre (Mail).

Dunfermline's preparations for the Scottish Cup final have been rocked by a player bonus row. (The Herald)

Arsenal back-up keeper Mart Poom has turned down a move to Rangers. (Scottish Daily Express)

Aston Villa are considering a £1.5m bid for Kilmarnock forward Steven Naismith. (Scottish Daily Mirror)


OTHER GOSSIP
The London Development Agency has given its support to West Ham's plans for a new 60,000-seater ground next to West Ham tube station (Mirror).

West Brom captain Curtis Davies has ruled out the possibility of a shock return from a broken foot in time for the play-off final (Guardian).

Up to 5,000 seats at the Champions League final will be left empty because of the size of advertising hoardings used at the stadium (Times).

Duncan Revie has decided against tabling a bid for Leeds (Times).

Former Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock says he is "very disappointed" at plc chairman Kevin McCabe's comment that he was not good enough to keep them in the Premiership (Sun).

Warnock, Nigel Worthington and Martin Allen are on the short-list to be Leicester's new manager (Sun).


AND FINALLY
Andrei Shevchenko's American model wife has told an Italian fashion magazine "Milan is our city and where we want to be. It would be wonderful for him to go back and play with Ronaldo" (Mirror).

QPR have declined an invitation to play a pre-season friendly against a Chinese club side this summer following their notorious brawl with the Chinese Olympic squad (Guardian).


Liverpool keeper Jose Reina says he has not done any special research into Milan's penalty-taking technique ahead of the Champions League final (Sun).

Uefa says the new Wembley does not incorporate many of its requirements to stage a Champions League final, despite two meetings during construction to explain what they are (Times).

Uefa president Michel Platini has ordered that the trophy be presented in the old-fashioned way, by walking up to the guest of honour's box, rather than in a stage on the pitch (Times).

 

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Thursday 24th May gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Villarreal have joined Juventus in the battle to land Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze. (Daily Mirror)

Wales and Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs is understood to have told countryman Gareth Bale how good life is at Old Trafford in the hope that the Southampton defender will move to the Red Devils instead of Tottenham. (The Sun)

Tottenham are set to tie up a £10m deal for Bale. (Various)

Arsenal may be on the brink of selling midfielder Cesc Fabregas to Real Madrid. (Daily Star)

Liverpool failed with a last-ditch bid to sign defender Sylvain Distin, who has joined Portsmouth after leaving Manchester City as a free agent. (Various)

Aston Villa defender Jlloyd Samuel is on the verge of joining Bolton on a free transfer. (Daily Mail)

Watford have agreed a £500,000 deal to sign Crystal Palace winger Jobi McAnuff. (Daily Mail)

New Sheffield United manager Bryan Robson wants to sign Manchester United midfielder Kieran Richardson. (Various)

Sunderland are targeting Blackburn defender Andy Todd. (The Sun)

Leeds striker Richard Cresswell is set to join Leicester. (Daily Mirror)

Wigan striker Henri Camara wants to join Paris St Germain so he can be nearer his family. (The Sun)

Portsmouth are interested in Middlesbrough's out-of-contract striker Mark Viduka and defender Titus Bramble, who has been released by Newcastle. (Daily Express)

Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele, who has a year left on his contract, does not know if he still has a future at Stamford Bridge. (Various)

Makelele has been offered a two-year deal by Villarreal. (The Independent)

Wigan midfielder Lee McCulloch has his heart set on a move to Rangers. (Daily Express)

West Ham are watching Ecuador striker Carlos Tenorio, who plays for Al-Sadd in Qatar. (Daily Star)

Watford want to bring Fulham striker Heidar Helguson back to Vicarage Road. (Daily Star)

Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood fears Russell Anderson, who is being tracked by Middlesbrough, Everton and Sunderland, will leave because the board will be unable to come up with a deal to satisfy the club captain. (Daily Record)

Dundee United are closing in on Polish keeper Lucasz Zaluska, who plays for Korona Kielce. (Daily Record)

Wolves will check on Blackpool midfielder Wes Hoolahan in the League One play-off final against Yeovil. (Daily Mirror)

Crewe want to sign Liverpool striker Craig Lindfield, 18, on a 12-month loan deal. (Daily Star)

Macclesfield want to sign striker Steve Fletcher after holding initial talks with the former Bournemouth player. (Daily Star)

Motherwell have admitted defeat in their attempt to keep midfielder Kevin McBride, who has yet to agree a new deal, at the club. (Daily Record)


OTHER GOSSIP
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admitted "my heart is in two pieces" after Liverpool lost 2-1 at the hands of AC Milan in the Champions League final. (Daily Mirror, Daily Express, The Independent and The Times)

Reds manager Rafael Benitez says missed chances led to his side's defeat in Athens. (The Sun)

Benitez was furious that the referee did not play the full three minutes of injury time at the end of the match. (Daily Star)

Liverpool boss Benitez has pledged a drastic overhaul of his side following the defeat by AC Milan. (Daily Mail)

Benitez has called on Liverpool's new American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks to provide the financial muscle to propel the club forward. (The Independent)

Former England coach Don Howe said of Liverpool's performance in Greece: "They might have played quite nicely but they never really looked like they would score from open play because, for a start, they just weren't creative enough." (Daily Telegraph)

Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd was stunned when given news of the takeover bid by billionaire Mike Ashley as he lay in a hospital bed recovering from suspected pneumonia. (Daily Express)

Sam Allardyce has been assured his job as Newcastle manager is safe after Ashley launched the £133m buy-out bid. (Various)

Allardyce was stunned by the news of the takeover bid and said: "I am as shocked about this as chairman Freddy Shepherd. I will be talking to the chairman to see what it all means and we will go from there." (The Sun)

Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner, who was on loan at Birmingham this season, wants to force his way into the first team after agreeing a new five-year deal with the Gunners. (The Sun)

Former Arsenal defender Tony Adams, who is currently the number two at Portsmouth, has revealed he is desperate to manage the Gunners at some point in his career. (Daily Mirror)

Morecambe manager Sammy McIlroy has pledged his future to the Football League new boys after ruling himself out of the running to be Northern Ireland manager. (Daily Star)

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate may have to ask for more time to gain his coaching qualifications because of the newly recommended requirement of being enrolled on the Uefa Pro Licence course before the start of the season. (Various)

Fresh doubt has been cast over Manchester United's pre-season visit to Malaysia in July because the club need the Asian Football Confederation's permission to play - and it may not be forthcoming. (Daily Telegraph)

The former chairman and chief executive of British Aerospace, Sir Richard Evans, is an early front-runner to become the first independent chairman of the Football Association - if the Burns review goes through. (Various)


AND FINALLY
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will travel to Ghana next week to raise awareness for sports charity Right to Play. (Daily Mail)

Blackpool manager Simon Grayson has challenged club owner Valery Belokon to honour his promise and wear a tangerine suit, the club's traditional colours, in Sunday's play-off final against Yeovil. (Various)

Yoga fan Matt Oakley has promised to stand on his head at Wembley if the midfielder's Derby side win Monday's Championship play-off final against West Brom. (Daily Express)

There will be about 9,000 empty seats at Monday's Championship play-off final after the Football League and Wembley failed to reach a deal that would have allowed unsold tickets to be passed on to fans of Derby and West Brom. (The Guardian)

 

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Friday 25th May gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester United will offer £27.5m plus £11m-rated Louis Saha for Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov. (Sun)

Liverpool's summer transfer hitlist includes Samuel Eto'o, Carlos Tevez, Daniel Alves and Gabriel Milito. (Sun)

Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia's move to Fulham has fallen through over his wage demands. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland have made a £2m bid for Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, who has a year left on his current contract. (Various)

The Black Cats also want Barcelona's Eidur Gudjohnsen - but face competition from West Ham, Portsmouth and Newcastle. (Daily Star)

Real Madrid are planning a £15m bid for Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle will bid £5m for Leighton Baines - who believes he must leave Wigan to further his England ambitions. (Daily Star)

Chelsea have engineered an option to sign 20-year-old PSV defender Manuel da Costa before next May. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool will listen to offers for Craig Bellamy - who is wanted by Aston Villa and Blackburn. (Daily Express)

Chelsea have lodged a £10m bid for Tottenham defender Pascal Chimbonda. (Daily Mail)

Tottenham are in talks with Sporting Lisbon about signing £13.5m-rated winger Nani. (Times)

Arsenal have held talks with Atletico Madrid as they try to offload Jose Reyes. (Daily Mail)

West Ham are preparing a £5m bid for Reading defender Nicky Shorey. (Sun)

Watford are poised to sign Arsenal keeper Mart Poom. (Daily Mirror)

Rangers boss Walter Smith is looking to bolster his squad by signing PSV Eindhoven winger DaMarcus Beasley. (Sun)

Jean-Joel Doumbe says he is likely to sign a two-year deal with Celtic as the prospect of Champions League football is a big incentive. (Sun)

Kilmarnock have offered Ivory Coast star Aime Koudou a one-year deal to remain at Rugby park. (Sun)

Kilmarnock manager Jim Jefferies says he has not received any offers for striker Steven Naismith - despite speculation linking him with a move to one of the Old Firm clubs. (The Herald)

French midfielder Franck Ribery will join Bayern Munich this summer in a deal believed to be worth £10m. (AFP)


OTHER GOSSIP
The Glazer family are ready to listen to offers for Manchester United less than three years after completing their takeover. (Daily Mirror)

Celtic boss Gordon Strachan is in the frame for the Man City job. (Sun)

Freddy Shepherd will be ousted as Newcastle chairman in the near future by prospective owner Mike Ashley. (Independent)

Ashley intends to complete his takeover by the start of next season. (Guardian)

Gretna are in talks with Motherwell about offering a joint season ticket next season. (Daily Record)


AND FINALLY
Shrewsbury have had to have a new kit made for Saturday's League Two play-off final after their players threw their shirts and shorts into the crowd following their semi-final win over MK Dons. (Daily Star)

 

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Saturday 26th May gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Juventus are preparing a £17m bid for Chelsea's Frank Lampard. Juve also want Ajax's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Bayern Munich's Claudio Pizarrro. (Express)

The Italians are also keen on Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso and his Anfield team-mate Mohamed Sissoko. (Times)

However, Alonso could be heading to Barcelona as part of a £30m deal with Samuel Eto'o going to Anfield. (Mirror)

Sevilla's Daniel Alves and Zaragoza's Gabriel Milito will sign for Liverpool "within the next few days". (Mirror)

Arsene Wenger has rubbished reports he and Cesc Fabregas are set for summer moves to Real Madrid. (Various)

The Gunners are closing in on Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Moutinho. The 20-year-old will cost £15m. (Mirror)

Having beaten them to the signing of Gareth Bale, Tottenham are now set to challenge Manchester United in the race for Sporting Lisbon's Nani. (Mirror)

Tottenham are monitoring Michael Owen's return from injury with a view to bringing him to London. (Express)

Reading are back in for Sunderland midfielder Dean Whitehead after having a £2m offer turned down. Charlton and Portsmouth are also interested. (Times)

And the Royals are set to swoop for Liverpool centre-back Sami Hyypia after his move to Fulham fell through. (Star)

Portsmouth are also in the mix to land the veteran Finnish defender. (Mirror)

Pompey are up for signing anyone and everyone at the minute. They are battling it out with Everton to sign Charlton full-back Luke Young. £2m could seal the deal. (Sun)

And boss Harry Redknapp is confident of landing former Fratton Park favourite Yakubu and his Middlesbrough strike partner Mark Viduka. (Mail)

Pompey are also keen on West Ham's Marlon Harewood and Paris St Germain forward Bonaventure Kalou. (Times)

But Wigan and Aston Villa are also tracking West Ham's Marlon Harewood. (Times)

And West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is still hopeful of signing Viduka - as well as Newcastle midfielder Scott Parker. (Times)

While the Hammers have joined Blackburn and Aston Villa in the race to sign Liverpool's Craig Bellamy. The Reds want £12m for the striker. (Mail)

Nigel Reo-Coker has been told he can leave West Ham - so long as buyers cough up £8m for the midfielder. (Sun)

Matt Taylor is set to leave Portsmouth in a £5m move to Aston Villa. (Mirror)

Lyon want Chelsea's Portuguese right-back Paulo Ferreira. (Times)

Hibs will move for Chelsea reserve keeper Yves Ma Kalambay. (Daily Record)

Sheffield United have told Everton they will have to pay £6m if they want to sign midfielder Phil Jagielka. (Star)

Sunderland are set to offer £5m plus Stern John for Preston striker David Nugent. North End want £8m. (Various)


OTHER GOSSIP
Sevilla coach Juande Ramos wants to come to England next season and is on Manchester City's wanted list. (Mirror)

Former England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is 'keen' on the City job. (Various)

However, the odds have tumbled on former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier taking the City helm after he quit French club Lyon on Friday. (Sun)

Although Houllier's departure from the six-time French champions means he is now free to become Arsenal's director of football. (Mirror)

Micky Adams will take the helm at MK Dons after Martin Allen left the club to join Leicester. (Star)


AND FINALLY
Watford have secured a new sponsorship deal. They will bear the brand name Beko on their shirts instead of the names of their Turkish parent companies - Arcelik and Koc Holding. (Mirror)

 

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Sunday 27th May gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
David Beckham, who is leaving Real Madrid for LA Galaxy this summer, could play for Newcastle on loan next season, joining the Magpies in January after the end of the Major League Soccer season. (The People)

Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs is wanted by Tottenham manager Martin Jol to inject some experience into his side. (Sunday Mirror)

Liverpool have tabled a £5m bid for Portsmouth midfielder Matthew Taylor but face competition from Tottenham, Fulham and Aston Villa. (Sunday Mirror)

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez wants West Ham striker Carlos Tevez and is willing to offload forward Craig Bellamy to raise part of the likely £25m asking price. (The People)

Peterborough are set to sign the first player to have clinched a hat-trick at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium - Gunners teenager Jay Simpson, who scored the goals in the FA Youth Cup. (The People)

Crystal Palace striker Dougie Freedman is wanted by Carlisle. (The People)


OTHER GOSSIP
Liverpool's Jermaine Pennant was devastated to find that Real Madrid's David Beckham, Tottenham's Aaron Lennon and Blackburn's David Bentley were given the chance to play on the right wing for England by being included in the squad for the matches against Brazil and Estonia. (The People)

Parma coach Claudio Ranieri has accepted the Manchester City managerial job. (The People)

Liverpool's American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have held emergency talks with Rafael Benitez after the manager expressed concern over the direction the club was taking. (Sunday Mirror)

Yeovil's Paul Terry, brother of Chelsea's John, has praised the Blues for helping him recover from an injury that had threatened to rule him out of today's League One Play-off final against Blackpool. (Sunday Mirror)

Manager Sam Allardyce will be given only one season to prove he can bring back the good times to the Magpies, with a European place the target. (Sunday Mirror)

Brazil defender Alex will aim to show that he is been worth the three-year wait by Chelsea. The Blues defender has spent the time on loan while acquiring a work permit. (Sunday Mirror)

Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o would love to play for Liverpool, not least because of their "fantastic fans". (Sunday Mirror)


AND FINALLY
Stephen Bywater could be entrusted with a £60m penalty as the Derby keeper is likely to be the club's fifth penalty-taker - if spot-kicks are needed in Monday's Championship Play-off final against West Brom. (Sunday Mirror)

Former Reading midfielder Steve Sidwell will win Michael Ballack's Chelsea starting slot and then become a Chelsea legend, according to former Royals team-mate James Harper. (Sunday Mirror)

Sky Sports' Vinny O'Connor was embarrassed on Thursday during a live link-up with Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez. O'Connor's mobile phone rang and played the Z Cars theme - Everton's tune as they run on to the pitch. (The People)

 

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Monday 28th May gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze is close to a £5m switch to Real Madrid. (Sun)

Italian giants Juventus are leading the chase for Frank Lampard after his contract talks stalled at Chelsea. (Daily Mirror)

Carlos Tevez believes Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid are battling it out to sign him from West Ham. (Sun)

But Craig Bellamy insists he has no intention of quitting Liverpool if boss Rafa Benitez plots to use him as bait to land Tevez. (Sun)

Radostin Kishishev is set to be one of new Leicester boss Martin Allen's first signings. (Daily Mirror)

Nolberto Solano has revealed he wants to sign up for one more season at Newcastle under Sam Allardyce. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham are poised to make a £12m swoop for Portuguese wonder kid Nani from Sporting Lisbon. (Daily Mirror)


OTHER GOSSIP
Steven Gerrard has welcomed David Beckham's return to the England fold and believes it will be a big boost to the squad. (Sun)

But Beckham's future American employers Los Angeles Galaxy are to block any plans for him to go on loan to an English Premiership club next season in a bid to help him towards 100 England caps (The People)


AND FINALLY
Reading's Nicky Shorey will spend his honeymoon in Tallinn - and away from his new wife. (The Times)

The left-back gets married this Saturday but will be part of the England squad heading to Estonia for next week's Euro 2008 qualifier.

 

[McFLY]

Tuesday 29th May gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Liverpool will make a £10m bid for France and Lyon winger Florent Malouda. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze, who is wanted by Real Madrid, Villarreal and Juventus, is so desperate to leave Old Trafford he could invoke the new Fifa ruling and buy out the remainder of his contract. (Daily Mirror)

Leeds striker David Healy will join Fulham for £1m. (The Sun)

Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov, who has been linked to Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, will sign a new contract within the next fortnight after team-mate Robbie Keane penned a fresh £10m deal on Monday. (Daily Mirror)

Everton are set to make a £3m bid for Sheffield Wednesday defender Frankie Simek. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth have launched a £10.5m double swoop for Lyon's former Liverpool midfielder Alou Diarra and Rennes striker John Utaka. (Daily Mirror)

Sheffield United midfielder Phil Jagielka is set to tell the club he wants a move to Everton. (Various)

Dundee United and St Johnstone could move for Queens Park striker David Weatherston. (Daily Record)

Kilmarnock are interested in signing Queens Park goalkeeper David Crawford. (Daily Record)

West Ham midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker wants a transfer to either Arsenal or Manchester United. (The Guardian)

Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce is on the verge of raiding his old club Bolton to make defender Tal Ben Haim his first signing. (Mirror)

Middlesbrough will move for Fulham captain Michael Brown if they fail to land Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton. (Mirror)

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce is ready to pay £1.8m for Charlton winger Jerome Thomas. (Mirror)

Newcastle, Fulham, Reading and Wigan are fighting it out to sign Liverpool centre-back Sami Hyypia. (Mirror)

Celtic are lining up a shock bid for 31-year-old Swedish goalkeeper Rami Shaaban, formerly of Arsenal. (Scottish Daily Express)

Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez will be given a £10m war chest to sign Leeds' David Healy, QPR's Lee Cook and Aston Villa's Steve Davis. (Daily Mail)


OTHER GOSSIP
Former Chelsea manager Ruud Gullit wants to become the new manager of Manchester City. (Daily Mirror)

Derby manager Billy Davies could quit the club, despite leading the Rams back to the Premiership after a play-off final victory over West Brom. (Various)

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard has urged the club to re-sign Newcastle striker Michael Owen. (Telegraph)

Meanwhile, Liverpool forward Peter Crouch has been told he does have a future at the club. (Telegraph)


AND FINALLY
Chelsea forward Hernan Crespo, who is on loan at Inter Milan, has predicted that whoever buys West Ham striker Carlos Tevez will win the Premiership next season. (Daily Mirror)

 

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Wednesday 30th May gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is in the hunt for Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o and Ajax's Klass Jan Huntelaar. (Daily Star)

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez wants to make £12m Valencia winger David Silva his first summer signing. (The Sun)

The Reds are ready to offer Djibril Cisse in part-exchange for Benfica winger Simao Sabrosa. (Daily Star)

Liverpool hope to make Lyon midfielder Florent Malouda their first signing. (The Guardian)

Newcastle want Manchester City's Joey Barton and are prepared to let fellow midfielder Scott Parker move to West Ham for £8m. (Daily Mirror)

AC Milan want Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko to return to the club on loan. (Daily Mirror)

West Brom midfielder Jason Koumas may lead the exodus from the club after the failure to gain promotion to the Premiership. (Various)

Arsenal are targeting West Brom captain Curtis Davies. (Daily Mirror)

Coventry want to sign Ipswich striker Alan Lee in a £400,000 swoop. (Daily Mirror)

Kanu's dispute at Portsmouth has alerted Spanish La Liga clubs Osasuna and Espanol. (Daily Mirror)

Reading are keen on Luton's Leon Barnett but the Hatters are asking for £3m. (Daily Mirror)

Cardiff skipper Darren Purse, who has been linked with Wigan, Sheffield United and Charlton, is poised to sign a new contract. (Daily Mirror)

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy is lining up a £400,000 move for Nottingham Forest's out-of-contract winger Kris Commons. (Various)

Arjan de Zeeuw looks set to join Leicester after his release by Wigan. (Daily Star)

Wigan hope to convince Sami Hyypia to leave Anfield for the JJB Stadium. (The Independent)

Coventry are lining up a double swoop for Southend pair Jamal Campbell-Ryce and Luke Guttridge. (Daily Star)

Sheffield United midfielder Phil Jagielka is set to join Everton by the weekend. (Daily Mail)


OTHER GOSSIP
Reading defender Nicky Shorey is set to be drafted into the starting line-up for England. (Daily Express)

Ledley King could pip Michael Carrick for the holding role against Brazil on Friday. (The Independent)

Derby manager Billy Davies went to war with the club because of a dispute over bonus payments for players for gaining promotion. (The Sun)

Former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri is on the brink of accepting the Manchester City job. (Daily Mirror)

Ranieri held talks in London on Tuesday with representatives of the consortium trying to buy the club. (Daily Mail)

Or alternatively, Ranieri is ready to snub City's offer and stay at Parma. (Various)

Premiership referee Graham Poll, who is retiring a year earlier than planned, has accused the Football Association of failing to protect match officials from unruly players and managers. (Daily Mail)

Wales and Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs is to announce his retirement from international football. (The Sun)

Former Sheffield United manager Neil Warnock believes he is the fans' choice to become the new boss of Northern Ireland. (Daily Star)


AND FINALLY
Charlie Richardson, a female cousin of Manchester United midfielder Kieran Richardson, is to be part of the Big Brother television programme. (The Sun)

Former Coventry and West Brom striker Lee Hughes, who was jailed for six years in 2004, has agreed a deal with Oldham while still in prison. (Daily Mail)

 

[McFLY]

Friday 31st May gossip column

TRANSFER RUMOURS
Striker Mark Viduka, who is out of contract at Middlesbrough, has agreed to join Newcastle. (The Sun)

Newcastle midfielder Scott Parker is set to sign for West Ham. (Various)

Arsenal are ready to let Thierry Henry leave the club, with Barcelona set to offer £17m, plus forward Samuel Eto'o, for the France striker. (Daily Star)

Chelsea will sell Dutch defender Khalid Boulahrouz to Bayern Munich for £3.5m - half of what he cost a year ago. (Daily Mirror)

Celtic have told striker Craig Beattie he can leave as they edge towards a deal with Hibernian's Chris Killen. (Daily Record)

Goalkeeper David Marshall is also likely to leave Celtic, with Norwich his likely destination. (Daily Express)

St Mirren have given seven out-of-contract players until Saturday to accept new contract offers. (Daily Record)

Derby are targeting Aston Villa defender Lee Hendrie. (Various)

Wigan are taking on Everton in the battle to land Sheffield United captain Phil Jagielka. (Daily Mirror)

Ipswich have upped their bid for Blackburn striker Francis Jeffers to £500,000 from £350,000. (Various)

Burnley want to beat Southampton to the signature of Polish striker Marek Saganowski, who has been on loan at the Saints from Troyes. (Daily Mirror)

Nottingham Forest striker Grant Holt has put in a transfer request. (Various)

New Leicester manager Martin Allen may move for striker Izale McLeod from old club MK Dons. (Various)

Birmingham are considering a move for Middlesbrough utility player Stuart Parnaby. (The Sun)

Lee Camp's move to QPR is in doubt because of Derby's promotion to the Premiership, with the keeper - who had been on loan at Loftus Road - entitled to a pay rise if he stays with the Rams and the Championship side unable to match such terms. (The Sun)

Sheffield United boss Bryan Robson wants to sign midfielder Jason Koumas from his former club West Brom, plus Manchester United winger Kieran Richardson and Leeds striker David Healy. (The Sun)

QPR chairman Gianni Paladini has told Fulham it will take a bid of about £5m to land winger Lee Cook. (Daily Star)

Bolton defender Tal Ben Haim could follow former Trotters boss Sam Allardyce to Newcastle. (The Times)

Wolves are in pole position to sign Scunthorpe striker Billy Sharp, who is also wanted by Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich, after tabling a £2m bid. (Daily Star)

Blackburn face a battle to keep striker Benni McCarthy, who wants to play Champions League football. (The Times)

Reading want Watford defender Danny Shittu. (Daily Star)

Norwich, Nottingham Forest and Scunthorpe are battling to sign Rotherham midfielder Martin Woods. (Daily Star)

Southampton are weighing up defender Radostin Kishishev, who has been released by Charlton. (Daily Star)

Dunfermline will offer winger Owen Morrison a new contract on Monday. (Daily Express)

Tam McManus and Gary Mason will decide next week whether to stay with Dunfermline. (Daily Record)


OTHER GOSSIP
Brazilian legend Jairzinho has labelled England boss Steve McClaren's decision to recall Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham for the games against Brazil and Estonia "a joke". (The Sun)

Brazil playmaker Ronaldinho can't wait to wreck Beckham's return to the England side in Friday's friendly. (Daily Star)

Former England striker Trevor Francis, who played for Detroit Express in the North American Soccer League in the 1970s, believes Beckham will regret moving to the United States to join LA Galaxy. (Various)

The Football Association is ready to schedule England B games around the country instead of staging them at Wembley Stadium following the success of the recent game against Albania at Burnley. (Various)

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez will stay at Anfield after clear-the-air talks with owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett. (Daily Mirror)

Former Premiership referee Graham Poll has claimed that leading match officials have given up taking action against managers in the top flight because of the failure to hand out appropriate punishments. (Daily Mail)

An unnamed referee claims more match officials will follow Poll out of the game unless they receive significant backing from the Football Association. (The Guardian)

England and Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster may miss a large chunk of next season after undergoing knee surgery. (Daily Mail)

Parma boss Claudio Ranieri has agreed to become the new manager of Manchester City - if former Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's takeover goes through. (Various)

Middlesbrough defender Jonathan Woodgate insists he will be fit for next season after knee surgery. (Various)

The FA is to launch an audit of player moves after each transfer window - from the Premiership down to the Conference. (Daily Express)

Fulham and Wigan are angry that the saga over the ownership of West Ham striker Carlos Tevez will not be debated in full at the Premier League AGM. (Various)

Billionaire Mike Ashley, who is attempting a takeover of Newcastle, will meet with the Magpies board on Friday or send his representatives, although chairman Freddy Shepherd will be absent because of a spell in hospital with a punctured lung and pneumonia. (Various)


AND FINALLY
Graham Poll, who is set to retire as a professional referee, may continue officiating at grass-roots level after registering for next season with his local Hertfordshire Football Association. (Daily Express)

Partick Thistle chairman Allan Cowan has urged the club's well-heeled fans to help fund new players by contributing £100 a month. (Daily Record)

Police are to get tough with fans staying at the Holiday Inn that overlooks Norwich's pitch because they have been watching the matches for free. (Daily Telegraph)