Thursday, May 28, 2009

Friday's gossip column

Transfers Other gossip And finally

BREAKING GOSSIP

1350 BST: Fulham's Norwegian defender Brede Hangeland maintains there are "no indications" he will leave Craven Cottage in the summer.

Arsenal are one of the clubs reported to be tracking the £8m-rated centre-half, but Hangeland said: "Speculation has become a part of daily life and at times it's quite tiring. Right now, there is no indication that I will change club." (Norwegian newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad)

1250 BST: Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness insists Chelsea's reported 50m euro bid to sign Franck Ribery would not come close to buying the French international.

"A figure like that doesn't even give you rights, at best, to one of Ribery's legs," Hoeness told the Bild newspaper, "For the moment, no club has made itself known to us."
(Full story: Bild newspaper)

1000 BST: Brazilian World Cup winner Leonardo is set to take over from Carlo Ancelotti as AC Milan coach next season.
(Full story in Italian: Gazzetta dello Sport)

0950 BST: Chelsea have signed Russian international midfielder Yuri Zhirkov for $30m from CSKA Moscow according to Russian newspaper Tvoi Den. The tabloid claims Zhirkov will join on a four-year contract. (Russian tabloid Tvoi Den)

"Yuri has signed the contract with Chelsea just a day or two ago," the newspaper quoted Zhirkov's agent as saying. "He will join his new team this summer."

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to throw Manchester United into turmoil and demand a move out of Old Trafford. The 24-year-old forward is a £50m target for Real Madrid.
(Full story: The Sun)

Although Ronaldo will go on holiday before making a decision on his United future.
(Full story: Daily Telegraph)

However, the prospect of Ronaldo joining Real Madrid may have receded with the Spanish side opting for the £40m signature of Bayern Munich winger Franck Ribery.
(Full story: Independent)

In fact, Real Madrid will reject Ronaldo this summer as club president elect Florentino Perez has targeted Milan forward Kaka and Ribery instead.
(Full story: Daily Express)

Ribery was Chelsea boss-in-waiting Carlo Ancelotti's first-choice summer signing, but the Blues have lost out to Real Madrid. Ancelotti may look to CSKA Moscow's Russian left-back Yuri Zhirkov.
(Full story: The Times)

Chelsea have been told they will need to put up £20m for AC Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo. Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti is keen to take the 30-year-old to Stamford Bridge when he is named Chelsea boss next week.
(Full story: Daily Telegraph)

If Manchester United do not complete the permanent signing of Argentine striker Carlos Tevez this summer they will turn their attentions to Lyon striker Karim Benzema and Wigan's Antonio Valencia.
(Full story: Daily Express)

Manchester City and Liverpool are among five clubs who are willing to meet the £25m price tag for Tevez.
(Full story: The Times)

Tevez said a tearful goodbye to his Manchester United team-mates before leaving Rome alone after the Champions League final.
(Full story: The Sun)

Paul Scholes must decide if the Champions League final is to be his final game for Manchester United. Stoke want the 34-year-old midfielder as a player-coach.
(Full story: Daily Mail)

Sir Alex Ferguson may ditch Nani and Ji-Sung Park as the Manchester United boss reshapes his squad while Polish goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak will also leave this summer. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry is holding out for a summer move to Arsenal. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is considering a £12m bid for the 28-year-old.
(Full story: Daily Star)

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson will try to bolster his defence by moving for AC Milan defender Digao, the younger brother of Brazilian forward Kaka. The 23-year-old has been on loan at Standard Liege. (Daily Mirror)

Bolton are lining up a £6m bid for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Miguel Veloso.
(Full story: Daily Mail)

Portsmouth defender Djimi Traore hopes to make his loan move to Birmingham permanent. (Daily Star)

Stoke boss Tony Pulis has lined up a £2m bid for 20-year-old Manchester City striker Ched Evans. (Daily Express)

Portuguese defender Nuno Valente will leave Everton this summer but the 34-year-old will play on for another year elsewhere.
(Full story: The Times)

Greek side Panathinaikos have bid £1.5m for Sunderland keeper Marton Fulop. (Daily Star)

Birmingham will step up their pursuit of Middelsbrough's David Wheater, 22, after the £6m-rated defender successfully came through a knee operation. (Daily Star)

Burnley boss Owen Coyle wants to sign Middlesbrough right-back Rhys Williams, who was a big hit during a loan spell with the Clarets. (Daily Mirror)

Middlesbrough utility man Matthew Bates will quit the club as the 22-year-old does not want to play in the Championship. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins is being linked with an £8m move to Italian side Fiorentina.
(Full story: Independent)

The Magpies have warned the clubs chasing defender Sebastien Bassong that they will not take anything less than £15m for him.
(Full story: The Sun)

Sheffield United have rejected a £2m bid from Aston Villa for defender Kyle Naughton. The Blades have put a £6m price tag on the full-back. (Daily Express)

West Bromwich Albion winger Chris Brunt is wanted by Rangers in a player-plus-cash deal that could see Barry Ferguson move to the Hawthorns. Brunt, 24, is also being tracked by Fulham.
(Full story: Daily Mail)

Huddersfield want to nab Stockport striker Oli Johnson from under the noses of West Brom and Fulham. (Daily Star)

Leeds have joined West Brom, Celtic and Leicester in the battle for Swindon striker Simon Cox. (Daily Star)

Celtic striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink has told PSV Eindhoven and Twente Enschede he is not ready for a return to the Netherlands. (Daily Mail)

Dundee have made a £100,000 take-it-or-leave-it offer for Partick Thistle midfielder Gary Harkins. (Daily Record)

OTHER GOSSIP

Former England and Mexico boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is favourite to become the new Portsmouth manager.
(Full story: The Times)

Alan Shearer is expected to discover today if he will become the permanent manager of Newcastle United.
(Full story: The Times)

Wigan manager Steve Bruce will be named Sunderland boss in the next 48 hours.
(Full story: Guardian)

The Premier League will test out its strengthened fit-and-proper-persons rules on Portsmouth's new owner Sulaiman Al Fahim.
(Full story: Guardian)

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic wants to be considered for the vacant managerial post at Sunderland. (Daily Star)

Former Celtic forward Paolo Di Canio wants to become the club's new manager. (The Sun)

Celtic target Tony Mowbray has reservations about the quality of the SPL and about the pressure of being an Old Firm manager. (Daily Mail)

Motherwell's Mark McGhee is now the favourite to be named manager of Celtic. (Daily Express)

Swansea have told Celtic and Wigan they would not welcome an approach for manager Roberto Martinez. (Daily Record)

Csaba Laszlo will not be quitting Hearts after the manager won his battle to persuade owner Vladimir Romanov to increase his summer transfer budget. (The Sun)

Former Aberdeen midfielder Lee Richardson wants to be the club's new manager after quitting Chesterfield. (Daily Express)

Jim Magilton, recently replaced by Roy Keane at Ipswich, is in the frame to become Aberdeen manager. (The Herald)

AND FINALLY

Everton's Marouane Fellaini believes his lucky hairstyle will help the Toffees defeat Chelsea in the FA Cup final.

The 21-year-old, who cost Everton £15m from Standard Liege last summer, has scored nine goals this season and he's hoping that his Afro-style hair will inspire him to add to that tally on Saturday at Wembley.
(Full story: Daily Mail)

Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura's toilet from his former home is being sold on the internet with the Japanese star poised to return to his homeland this summer. (Daily Record)

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