Thursday Paper Talk

[Chelmsford_yid]

Chelsea are ready to pull the plug on the deal to sign Bolton defender Gary Cahill unless he agrees to join them on Thursday.
 Full story: Daily Mirror
Newcastle could be forced to wait to sign Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha because of the Eagles' continued involvement in the Carling Cup. They lead Cardiff 1-0 after the semi-final first leg so the Magpies could be forced to move in the summer.
 Full story: Evening Chronicle
Liverpool are also eyeing a move for the England youth international but he's been warned against leaving the club before a potential Wembley trip by his Palace team-mate Paddy McCarthy.
 Full story: Daily Mirror
Manchester United have told midfielder Darron Gibson he can leave Old Trafford and he has already held talks with Everton over a £2.5m move.
 Full story: Daily Mirror
Norwich City and Swansea are set to battle it out for the signature of Brighton midfielder Liam Bridcutt. The 22-year-old is expected to cost around £1m.
 Full story: talkSPORT
QPR boss Mark Hughes has made his first moves into the transfer market, making a bid for Chelsea defender Alex after having a £5m offer for Blackburn's Chris Samba rejected.
 Full story: Metro
Tottenham are also interested in signing the Blackburn defender and have made a £7.5m offer.
 Full story: Daily Mail
Chelsea are chasing £8m-rated Argentine winger Lucas Ocampos, 17, in the hope they can head off Manchester United's interest.
 Full story: the Sun
Aston Villa are set to miss out on the signing of Slovenian midfielder Armin Bacinovic as Chievo Verona are the favourites to sign him.
 Full story: talkSPORT
Bayern Munich are set to step up their interest in Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov.
 Full story: Inside Futbol
Ars*nal are set to make a £4.1m bid to bring Barcelona defender Eric Abidal to Emirates Stadium.
 Full story: Caught Offside
Chris Coleman is set to be named as Gary Speed's successor as Wales manager later this month. The former Coventry and Fulham boss is set to quit as manager of Greek second division side Larissa.
 Full story: Daily Mail
Sunderland star Lee Cattermole believes the emergence of James McClean could save the club a lot of money in the transfer market.
 Full story: Evening Chronicle
Swansea defender Alan Tate will hand manager Brendan Rodgers a huge boost by returning to action after breaking his leg in a golf buggy accident. He has not featured since the opening day of the season but is aiming to make up for lost time.
 Full story: South Wales Evening Post
Wigan midfielder Hendry Thomas has been urged to fill the void left by Momo Diame's departure for the African Cup of Nations.
 Full story: Wigan Evening Post
Wayne Rooney suffered a double blow at the recent Ballon d'Or awards. As well as missing out to Neymar for the best goal award he was beaten by a Portuguese youngster in the battle to be the best FIFA 12 player.
 Full story: Metro
 

[Chelmsford_yid]

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas is facing another test of his authority as Daniel Sturridge, 22, is becoming disillusioned with his lack of opportunities to play as a centre forward.
 Full story: the Times (subscription required)
Nigel de Jong, 27, is set to be sold by Manchester City at the end of the season after the midfielder refused to sign a new contract.
 Full story: the Sun
Manchester United have been angered by 21-year-old Danny Welbeck's contract demands - with the England striker holding out for a new £60,000-a-week deal.
 Full story: Daily Mail
Manchester United and Liverpool are set to miss out on Sao Paulo wonderkid Lucas, 19, as Inter Milan edge closer to a deal.
 Full story: talkSPORT
But Liverpool have agreed a £1m deal to sign 19-year-old Sporting Lisbon star Joao Carlos Teixeira, dubbed 'the new Deco'.
 Full story: Metro
Tottenham's Mexican attacking midfielder Giovani dos Santos, 22, is a target for Spanish side Villarreal.
 Full story: talkSPORT
Fulham have been told to match Fiorentina's £6.5m bid for Catania's former Barcelona striker Maxi Lopez, 27, or risk missing out.
 Full story: Daily Mirror
West Brom boss Roy Hodgson has turned down a loan bid for 30-year-old striker Peter Odemwingie.
 Full story: Express and Star
Birmingham want to re-sign Craig Gardner, 25, on loan. The midfielder moved to Sunderland from Blues in the summer but is homesick for the Midlands.
 Full story: Daily Mirror
Ars*nal boss Arsene Wenger is ready to make an £18m offer for 26-year-old Newcastle United striker Demba Ba.
 Full story: caughtoffside.com
QPR are considering a third bid for Blackburn defender Chris Samba, 27, although he is unlikely to offer more than £6m.
 Full story: the Independent
Nedum Onuoha is another QPR target with the club preparing to offer the Manchester City defender, 25, more than £80,000 a week.
 Full story: the Times (subscription required)
Aston Villa midfielder Fabian Delph, 20, is poised to return to Leeds on loan with Villa boss Alex McLeish confirming that the club has been contacted by United. Full story: Birmingham Mail
Rangers manager Ally McCoist wants to sign Trabzonspor's Polish striker Pawel Broznek on loan. Full story: Daily Mail
French forward Yann Kermorgant, currently with Charlton, has emerged as a target for Celtic. Full story: Daily Mail
QPR are beefing up security for their FA Cup tie against Chelsea, where Anton Ferdinand and John Terry are set to come face to face.
 Full story: Daily Mirror
Manchester City have warned their players not to become embroiled in a Twitter feud with their Manchester United rivals over City-related tweets by the likes of Wayne Rooney and Rio Ferdinand.
 Full story: Daily Telegraph
Manchester United striker Michael Owen claims he has not given up on breaking England's goalscoring record - even though he has played just 79 minutes in the Premier League this season.
 Full story: Daily Mirror
Manager Andre Villas-Boas will take his Chelsea players on a five-day trip to Majorca next week to boost team morale.
 Full story: Daily Mail
Ars*nal manager Arsene Wenger has been dealt a major blow ahead of Sunday's Premier League game against Manchester United, with striker Thierry Henry rated as 'doubtful'.
 Full story: Metro
Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, 39, is set to play into his 40s after signing a contract extension with them until at least summer 2013.
 Full story: Evening Standard
Former Celtic ace Shunsuke Nakamura proved he can still bend it like the best of them, by curling a free-kick through the window of a moving bus on Japanese television.
 Full story: Metro

[Chelmsford_yid]

Chelsea say Alex can go to Paris Saint-Germain but they will not pay the £83m asking price for Porto's 25-year-old striker Hulk. Full story: Daily Mail
However, the Blues expect to tie up the £8m signing of Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, 20, from Genk, while upping their £16.7m offer for Shakhtar Donetsk's 23-year-old Brazil midfielder Willian.
Full story: Daily Star
Willian is keen for the move to go through, saying: "They have a culture of winning trophies and that excites me."
Full story: the Sun
Rangers have rejected a £7m bid from West Ham for their 26-year-old top scorer Nikica Jelavic.
 Full story: Daily Record
Villarreal have offered £6.5m for Tottenham midfielder Giovani dos Santos but face competition from Spanish rivals Granada for the 22-year-old Mexican.
 Full story: Daily Mail
QPR manager Mark Hughes is ready to bid £4m for Wigan's 26-year-old Colombian striker Hugo Rodallega.
 Full story: the Sun
Wigan Athletic have made an offer for £700,000-rated Dutch striker John Verhoek, 22, who is on loan at ADO Den Haag from Rennes.
 Full story: Daily Star
Wigan also stress that they have only made an "informal enquiry" about Bristol City's Nicky Maynard, 25, and not an official bid.
 Full story: Daily Express
Newcastle are chasing a loan deal for Juventus winger Eljero Elia, 24, after missing out on him last summer.
 Full story: Daily Mail
Everton, Blackburn, Sunderland and Swansea are all after Sporting Lisbo's 22-year-old midfielder Adrien Silva.
Full story: talkSPORT
Bolton are preparing are bracing themselves for an approach from Premier League rivals Sunderland for club skipper Kevin Davies, 34.
 Full story: Bolton News
Manchester United and Liverpool are targeting Danish international defender Jores Okore, after FC Nordsjaelland admit that they will not stand in the 19-year-old's way if a bid does come. Full story: Inside Futbol
Israeli Premier League side MS Ashdod have confirmed that talks are taking place with Manchester City over a deal for 20-year-old midfielder Nir Biton after he impressed on trial.
 Full story: Metro
Stoke chairman Peter Coates says he is not expecting the club to bring in any players before Tuesday's transfer deadline.
 Full story: Stoke Sentinel
Liverpool and Queens Park Rangers may move for 30-year-old former Ars*nal midfielder Alexander Hleb, with Barcelona ready to make the Belarusian a free agent.
 Full story: Metro
Newcastle are believed to have made a tentative approach as to the availability of 22-year-old Burnley striker Jay Rodriguez.
 Full story: Lancashire Telegraph
West Ham are considering pulling out of their attempts to sign Nikica Jelavic, 26, from Rangers after the Scottish Premier League club rejected their £6m offer for the striker.
 Full story: London Evening Standard
Manchester United are looking at Vasco da Gama's 23-year-old central defender Dede.
Full story: CaughtOffside.com
Winger Theo Walcott lines up talks with manager Arsene Wenger 'within weeks' to discuss long-term Ars*nal future.
 Full story: Goal.com
Charlton vow to slap racist supporters with life-time bans after raids by police.
 Full story: Daily Mail
Manchester City are considering suing their unsettled striker Carlos Tevez over his plummeting transfer value.
 Full story: Daily Mirror
Ars*nal manager Arsene Wenger wants a ban on Premier League clubs loaning players aged over 21 to each other.
 Full story: Daily Mirror
Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers will not rule out another move in the January transfer window - but may have to wait for the players he wants.
 Full story: South Wales Evening Post
It seems Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has a new passion for music and is prepared to roll with it by purchasing a classic Oasis drum kit.
 Full story: Metro
 

[Chelmsford_yid]

Wigan are close to completing the loan signing of Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Joel, 22

Tottenham are close to signing Schalke's Germany international midfielder Lewis Holtby, 22, on a pre-contract deal.

Fulham are waiting on the results of a medical as they ponder giving Ghana international midfielder Derek Boateng, 29, a deal at Craven Cottage.

Midfielder Jermaine Jenas, 29, is heading back to Tottenham after making one start in three months during a loan stint at Nottingham Forest.

Ars*nal manager Arsene Wenger is reigniting his interest in Rennes midfielder Yann M'Vila, 22, with hopes of making him his first signing of the transfer window.

Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill is targeting Paris St Germain striker Guillaume Hoarau, 28, after he was told he can leave in January.

Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 31, says Manchester City should persist with his former Inter Milan team-mate Mario Balotelli, 22, because he can retain the title for Roberto Mancini's team.

Defender Rio Ferdinand, 34, says if Manchester United keep their "house in order", the Premier League leaders can ignore rivals Manchester City's title challenge.

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho, 49, could one day manage in the United Arab Emirates, according to his friend and Al Ahli manager Quique Sanchez Flores.

[Chelmsford_yid]

Manchester United are leading the chase for Crystal Palace's England winger Wilfried Zaha, 20, and hope to tie up a £12m deal.

Tottenham's hopes of signing Brazilian forward leandro Damiao 23, have suffered a blow after his agent said he expected him to stay with Internacional


QPR have made a £5m bid for West Brom's 29-year-old Swedish defender Jonas Olsson.

QPR boss Harry Redknapp also wants to sign Tottenham's William Gallas, 35, to strengthen his struggling defence.

£6m-rated England keeper Jack Butland, 19, says he will only leave Birmingham City for first-team football - not to be a reserve

West Ham are ready to move for Everton defender Sylvain Distin, 35, which could pave the way for 23-year-old centre-half James Tomkins to join Newcastle.

Ars*nal winger Theo Walcott, 23, has committed his future the club after agreeing terms on a new four-and-a-half-year contract.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers wants his scouts to make the most of the wealth of emerging talent on their own doorstep.

Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez says manager Roberto Mancini has fired up his strikers by praising Manchester United forward Robin van Persie.

Liverpool are preparing to offer former manager and player Kenny Dalglish another Anfield comeback, lining him up for a return to his role as a club ambassador.

Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor, 28, has hinted that manager Andre Villas-Boas is not happy that he has teamed up with Togo for the Africa Cup of Nations Cup.

Birmingham City's supporters trust has criticised the club's governance after City's 2011-12 accounts revealed a bizarre sponsorship arrangement, the club still owing £14m to Carson Yeung who is awaiting trial for money-laundering, and an unnamed director being paid £687,611.

Just nine days into the new year, Portsmouth's official calendar is already out of date, with just three of the 12 featured players still at Fratton Park.

[Chelmsford_yid]

Blackpool forward Tom Ince, 20, has seen his dream return to Liverpool put on hold - because the Seasiders are refusing to take Reds manager Brendan Rodgers' calls.

Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert may hijack Fulham's bid for Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk midfielder Derek Boateng, 29.

]Ars*nal are set to miss out on a deal for Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente, 27, with Juventus said to be in advanced talks over a transfer.

Manchester United will make a formal bid for Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha, 20, in the next 48 hours - but will play hardball with the Championship club by making a cash offer as low as £6m.

Stoke manager Tony Pulis has rejected a £3m offer from Swansea City for striker Kenwyne Jones, 28.

Andre Villas-Boas has attempted to bring forward the signing of Lewis Holtby, 22, from Schalke to this month's transfer window after losing the key midfielder Sandro to a long-term knee injury.
]Jose Mourinho has become football's most-wanted man, after old foe Pep Guardiola left Manchester City and Chelsea in the lurch.

Luis Suarez has admitted that he dived to win Liverpool a penalty against Stoke this season.

Former Aston Villa striker John Carew is embarking upon a new career... as an actor.

Ars*nal fans were tricked yesterday when a rogue supporter posted old Theo Walcott contract news on Twitter.

[Chelmsford_yid]

Harry Redknapp wants to sign Blackburn defenders Martin Olsson, 24, and Scott Dann, 25, to help QPR beat the drop.

Liverpool have stepped up their efforts to sign Inter Milan midfielder Philippe Coutinho, 20, after making an £8 million bid and hope to beat Southampton to the signature.

Captain Fabricio Coloccini, 31, has told Newcastle he does not want to play for them again.

New Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino insists he is not looking to sign players from former club Espanyol.

Liverpool are set to hold showdown talks with goalkeeper Pepe Reina, 30, who has been linked with Barcelona.

Ars*nal are lining up a £20 million move for Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic, 23.

Liverpool and Ars*nal are set for a summer transfer tussle over Swansea defender Ashley Williams, 28.

Crystal Palace have bid for Swindon winger Matt Ritchie, 23.

Nottingham Forest are close to signing Millwall striker Darius Henderson, 31.

West Brom defender Craig Dawson, 22, looks set to join Bolton while Fiorentina are closing in on Marcos Alonso, 22.

Bradford manager Phil Parkinson is understood to be on just £1,000 a week.

Chelsea defender Gary Cahill, 27, believes Ars*nal are no longer a threat to the Blues in the race for Champions League places and is more concerned with catching Manchester United in the title race.

Tottenham appear to have cloned Gareth Bale, in the form of spitting image youth teamer, Kenny McEvoy, 19.

[Chelmsford_yid]

Anzhi Makhachkala defender Christopher Samba, 28, is set for a staggering £100,000-a-week wage at QPR if a deal goes through.

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas is prepared to send defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto, 28, to Inter Milan in a swap deal which would take his former Porto defender Alvaro Pereira, 27, to White Hart Lane.

However, Villas-Boas has admitted that the club is unlikely to buy a striker before the transfer window closes

Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert is mulling over a move for Kenwyne Jones, 28, after the Stoke striker priced himself out of a move to Swansea.

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is ready to pull off a transfer coup by signing Republic of Ireland and Spartak Moscow winger Aiden McGeady, 26, for £5m.

QPR, Everton and West Ham have received a transfer blow after Toulouse ruled out selling midfielder Etienne Capoue, 24, during the current window.

Coventry City are considering a loan move for Manchester City winger Alex Henshall, 18.

Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says Europe's top leagues are considering changing the calendar so clubs can play in the summer.

England manager Roy Hodgson has decided Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling, 18, should play in this summer's European Under-21s Championship in June but wants to keep Jack Wilshere, 21, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 19, with the senior team as he prepares for the next World Cup.

Midfielder Lewis Holtby, 22, believes his decision to join Tottenham six months ahead of schedule will make it easier for him to reach his peak next season

[Chelmsford_yid]

Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel is wanted by former club Zenit St Petersburg. The Russian transfer window is open until 24 February and Zenit are keen to re-sign the Slovakia centre-back, 28, who they sold to the Reds in 2008.

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has raised doubts about his future at Anfield. The Uruguayan, 26, said: "We will see at the end of the season what Liverpool's position is - we're not the Liverpool of old."

But Suarez has also said that hearing the Liverpool fans sing 'You'll Never Walk Alone' makes him want to stay at Anfield for years to come.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is facing competition from Bayern Munich for Borussia Dortmund forward Robert Lewandowski, 24.

Corinthians midfielder Paulinho, 24, who has been linked with Chelsea as well as Inter Milan, will move to Europe this summer, according to agent Kia Joorabchian.

Ars*nal manager Arsene Wenger could return for Toulouse midfielder Etienne Capoue after failing with a move for the France international, 25, in January.

Chelsea could meet the £5m buy-out clause for Santos youngster Neilton, 19. The Brazilian teenager has been described as the "new Neymar".

Wigan midfielder James McCarthy has refused to rule out leaving the DW Stadium in the summer. Republic of Ireland international McCarthy, 22, joined the Latics in 2009 and has been linked with Ars*nal and Liverpool.

Ajax striker Viktor Fischer is set to disappoint Manchester United and Chelsea by signing a new contract with the Amsterdam club. The Denmark international, 18, had only made two Eredivisie appearances before playing in Ajax's 2-2 Champions League draw with Manchester City in October.

Vukasin Poleksic, the Montenegrin goalkeeper, 30, banned for two years for failing to report a phone call from a criminal gang asking him to help fix Debrecen's Champions League matches against Liverpool and Fiorentina in 2009, has revealed he could have joined Portsmouth in 2007. "It was a mistake because I got this punishment. Maybe, if I had gone there, who knows?" he said.

Cristiano Ronaldo has dismissed concerns about his ankle problem ahead of next week's last-16 clash with United and, after celebrating his 28th birthday on Tuesday, the Portuguese wants to emulate former team-mate Ryan Giggs, 39, by playing for another decade.

France's loss to Germany, a second successive home defeat, "did little to reassure" French fans ahead of the team's World Cup qualifier against defending champions Spain next month. However, coach Didier Deschamps said the defeat will "have no effect" on the team's mindset ahead of the game.

[Chelmsford_yid]

Manchester City are ready to begin a £60m-plus overhaul of their squad with summer moves for Napoli striker Edinson Cavani, 25, and Celtic midfielder Victor Wanyama, 21.
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[/size]Barcelona boss Tito Vilanova has made Chelsea's Brazilian defender David Luiz, 25, his number one summer target.[/color]
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[/size]Manchester City and Ars*nal target Stephan El Shaarawy, 20, is set to sign a new deal that will keep the striker at AC Milan until the summer of 2018.[/color]
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[/size]Sunderland are keen on Zambia international centre-half Stoppila Sunzu, 23, who is also attracting interest from Reading.[/color]
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[/size]Tottenham defender William Gallas, 35, looks set to leave the club when his current contract expires this summer, with manager Andre Villas-Boas believing that his squad has too many centre-backs.[/color]
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[/size]West Ham's hopes of landing Ivory Coast striker Wilfried Bony, 24, from Vitesse Arnhem, are fading after he signalled his desire to join a Russian club this month[/color]
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[/size]Liverpool have enquired about Sampdoria's 19-year old striker Mauro Icardi, who is also being watched by Tottenham and Manchester City, but looks poised to join Inter Milan.[/color]
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[/size]Liverpool tried to sign Hungary winger Balazs Dzsudzsak, 26, during the January transfer window but Dynamo Moscow refused to sell.[/color]
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[/size]Newcastle midfielder Cheick Tiote, 26, is set to be available for Thursday's Europa League tie against Metalist Kharkiv despite being arrested near Newcastle's training ground on suspicion of fraud.[/color]
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[/size]Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson hopes that ex-Man City midfielder Michael Johnson will "find himself again" after the 24-year-old's recent departure from the Etihad Stadium following a string of injuries and off-field problems.[/color]
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[/size]Former Ars*nal striker Thierry Henry, 35, says he would love to return to the club in some capacity when his stint in the MLS with New York Red Bulls comes to an end.[/color]
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[/size]Bradford City have been given permission by the Football League to have two mascots for their Capital One Cup final meeting with Swansea City later this month, meaning nine-year-old cancer survivor Jake Turton can lead his local team out at Wembley.[/color]
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[/size]Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has lent his voice to the city's new Metrolink route. Keeper Joe Hart, skipper Vincent Kompany and midfielder James Milner have also recorded passenger announcements for the tram service on matchdays.[/color]
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[/size]Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson is taking a keen interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers after his Birmingham-based sparring partner Joe Egan told him of comments from Wolves manager Dean Saunders likening the club's current plight to that of Tyson.[/color]

[Chelmsford_yid]

Manchester United have asked FC Porto if they would consider swapping Colombian forward James Rodriguez, 20, for out-of-favour winger Nani, 26
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[/size]Chelsea's Demba Ba, 27, is open to the club bringing in another striker in the summer and said it will bring the best out of him.[/color]
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[/size]Brazil legend Pele has urged Santos forward Neymar, 21, to snub any advances from Manchester City and join Barcelona instead[/color]
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[/size]City director of football Txiki Begiristain, meanwhile, has added Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus, 23, and Sevilla winger Jesus Navas, 27, to the club's summer shopping list.[/color]
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[/size]Borussia Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski, 24, could still sign for Manchester United this summer despite reports that the Poland striker is set for a switch to Bayern Munich.[/color]
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[/size]Arsene Wenger will be assured he is the man to revive Ars*nal's fortunes at a board meeting with the club's American owner Stan Kroenke on Thursday.[/color]
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[/size]Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery, 29, has ridiculed Ars*nal by declaring that it was "easy" to beat them in the Champions League on Tuesday.[/color]
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[/size]Match-fixing and bribery are endemic in Chinese football because of low player salaries and unchecked local government officials, according to the deputy editor-in-chief of a popular Chinese sports newspaper and a former professional footballe[/color]
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[/size]Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is drawing on the spirit of the 'ghost goal' - against Chelsea in the semi-final by Luis Garcia - that took the club to the 2005 Champions League final in a bid to turn around their Europa League tie against Zenit St Petersburg at Anfield on Thursday.[/color]
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[/size]Fifa's head of security Ralf Mutschke says the fight against match-fixing will ultimately fail without the full support of governments across the world[/color]
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[/size]A diamond-encrusted motorbike designed by Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, 27, has fetched £43,250 at a charity auction.[/color]
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[/size]Bradford defender Carl McHugh, 20, will be roared on by his own 111-strong fan club when he faces Swansea in Sunday's Capital One Cup final[/color]
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[Chelmsford_yid]

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, 26, has fuelled speculation linking him to German side Bayern Munich ahead of Pep Guardiola's arrival as the Bavarian side's manager by admitting he would not "automatically" reject an offer. Guardiola's brother Pere represents the Uruguay international.

West Brom manager Steve Clarke wants to keep on-loan Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, 19, at the Hawthorns for another season.

Manchester City's hopes of buying Napoli striker Edinson Cavani are looking increasingly thin with Real Madrid ready to offer significant competition in the race for his signature. The Uruguayan has been earmarked as a summer replacement for Mario Balotelli by the Premier League champions, but Madrid have already opened talks with the 26-year-old's representatives

Uefa president Michel Platini has called on the governments of Serbia and Croatia to address the problem of football violence. The two countries are due to meet in a World Cup qualifier in Zagreb on 22 March

Chelsea have brought in lawyers in a bid to get a billboard poking fun at struggling striker Fernando Torres, 28, removed from a site opposite Stamford Bridge

[Chelmsford_yid]

The Premier League leaders will apparently not rule out selling Rooney at the end of the season if the club can attract a bid of more than £20m.

But Manchester City have no desire to revive their interest in the England striker, with the player's reputed £300,000-a-week salary pricing them out of the market
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Tottenham are planning a "double your money" £8m-a-year deal in a bid to keep Gareth Bale, 23, at the club

[/color]Barcelona want Liverpool's Daniel Agger, 28, as they look to rejuvenate their defence.Manchester City assistant manager David Platt has watched Crystal Palace playmaker Jonathan Williams, 19City are also interested in Ars*nal's 21-year-old defender Carl Jenkinson.Everton have targeted Porto forward Christian Atsu and plan to make a move for the £10m-rated 21-year-old in the summerChelsea midfielder Yossi Benayoun will leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season. The 32-year-old has attracted interest from Russian sides Rubin Kazan and Lokomotiv Moscow.Queens Park Rangers lost £22.6m during their first season back in the Premier League, while debt is up from £56m to £89m.Former Brazil striker Ronaldo has called Sir Alex Ferguson "disrespectful" after the Manchester United manager referred to him as "the fat one" to distinguish him from Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo[Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez, 29, is back to his best and 100% committed to the club, according to the Argentina striker's team mate Pablo Zabaleta.Former Manchester United player Paul Pogba, 19, currently of Juventus, feels no sympathy for his former club after they were knocked out of the Champions League. Speaking a after the 2-0 win over Celtic, the Frenchman said: "Was I sad to see Manchester United lose to Real? No!"Spain's Technical Committee of Arbitrators has denounced the "handcuffs" gesture made by Barcelona's Gerard Pique after last week's defeat to Real Madrid. The centre-back was apparently protesting the referee's decision not to award a penalty to the Catalans in the final moments of the game.Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho says he will attend the final game of former Germany captain Michael Ballack, 36, due to be held in 5 June in Leipzig. The midfielder played under Mourinho during his time at Chelsea.n a rare gesture of mutual respect, rival fans were seen exchanging scarves across security barriers during last night's Champions League match between Juventus and CelticWales manager Chris Coleman, 42, came to the rescue of an elderly woman who had been reported missing from her home and could not remember where she lived.

[Chelmsford_yid]

Paris St-Germain could step up their interest in Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, 27, if Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 31, joins Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich in the summer

Carlos Tevez, 29, Gareth Barry, 32, Edin Dzeko, 26, and Samir Nasri, 25, all face uncertain futures at Manchester City with manager Roberto Mancini planning a summer clear-out

Swansea manager Michael Laudrup fears defender Ashley Williams, 28, could be tempted by Ars*nal at the end of the season.

Liverpool have been encouraged to renew their interest in Paris St-Germain striker Kevin Gameiro. Brendan Rodgers enquired about the French forward, 25, in January.

Cameroon defender Nicolas N'koulou, 22, who has been linked with a move to Ars*nal, is set to leave Marseille this summer.

Reading's players do not want former Swindon manager Paolo Di Canio to take over as Brian McDermott's replacement at the Madejski Stadium.

Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez has joked that the club's fans may even blame him for the Blues' fixture pile-up

Fifa President Sepp Blatter has told Kicker magazine of his opposition to the decision to host the 2020 European Championships in several countries, saying it will rob the tournament of its "heart and soul".

Along with Real Madrid and Barcelona, Malaga's qualification for the quarter finals of the Champions League means that Spain have three teams in the last eight for the first time in a decade.

Real Madrid and Spain keeper Iker Casillas has returned to training after suffering a fractured hand in late January.

Zenit St Petersburg coach Luciano Spalletti has pledged his future to the club, despite rumours that he is about to move on. "I want to make it absolutely clear that I will not leave even if we are eliminated from Basel," Spalletti said ahead of the Europa league match against the Swiss club who lead the tie 2-0 from the first leg.

Former Liverpool defender Djimi Traore, 33, did not manage a single league goal in his entire career in Europe but scored one of the goals of the season for MLS side Seattle Sounders.

[Chelmsford_yid]

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, 26, says he would consider any offers from Champions League clubs this summer.
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[/size]Chelsea and Real Madrid are the leading contenders to sign Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure after the 29-year-old told the Premier League champions he would buy out his contract and leave this summer if a new deal was not agreed by Saturday.[/color]
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[/size]Manchester City remain relaxed about Yaya Toure's situation and do not expect to have to meet his agent's deadline to keep the Ivory Coast international.[/color]
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[/size]Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is Real Madrid's top summer target and the Spanish side will make a £45m bid for the 24-year-old Argentine.[/color]
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[/size]Chelsea have held a secret meeting with Atletico Madrid over a summer move for their 27-year-old Colombian striker Radamel Falcao.[/color]
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[/size]The agent of Aston Villa forward Andreas Weimann has played down speculation that the 21-year-old could be set for a summer switch to Inter Milan[/color]
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[/size]Gus Poyet, 45, has been promised a large summer transfer budget to tempt him to leave Brighton and become Reading manager regardless of whether the club stays in the Premier League.[/color]
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[/size]Former Southampton manager Nigel Adkins, 48, has met with Reading to discuss a possible move to the Madejski Stadium[/color]
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[/size]Ars*nal manager Arsene Wenger will seek talks with England manager Roy Hodgson over his use of midfielder Jack Wilshere, 21, during the end-of-season internationals.[/color]
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[/size]Liverpool defender Daniel Agger, 28, has backed manager Brendan Rodgers to bring silverware to Anfield.[/color]
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[/size]Manchester City keeper Joe Hart has compared Manchester United to a "killing machine" as he described their relentless pursuit of a 20th domestic championship.[/color]
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[/size]Struggling Championship side Blackburn are to be ordered to pay £2m compensation next week by the High Court to Henning Berg, 43, who is one of the three managers they have sacked this season[/color]
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[/size]Manchester United have submitted a detailed case to Uefa in a bid to prevent Nani from getting a three-match Champions League ban at Thursday's disciplinary review into the controversial red card the 26-year-old was given against Real Madrid.[/color]
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[/size]England captain Steven Gerrard, 32, feels he's been cursed at tournaments - and is desperate to return from next year's World Cup in Brazil a hero.[/color]
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[/size]Ars*nal defender Thomas Vermaelen, 27, says he has made mistakes this season and deserves to be dropped.[/color]
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[/size][size=1.077em]The Football League is to examine a range of measures, including a potentially radical salary cap in the Championship, to offset the effect of vastly increased parachute payments for relegated Premier League clubs that it claims could undermine competition.[/size]