Paper talk (from england)

here's what the papers are saying today.....16/01/07

AS (MADRID)

Ronaldo, now surplus to requirements at Real Madrid, is hoping to join AC Milan. He starred for their city rivals Inter for five years between 1997 and 2002.

EL MUNDO DEPORTIVO (BARCELONA)

Inter Milan have closed the door on a potential swoop for Jose Mourinho by saying they'll renew the contract of current coach Roberto Mancini.

THE SUN

Andriy Shevchenko has been told he is too old for the Premiership - by Arsenal rival Alexander Hleb. Chelsea striker Sheva, 30, has flopped since his £30million arrival from AC Milan last summer. And Gunners midfielder Hleb, 25, rapped: "I would never have risked coming to England towards the end of my career. The older you get, the harder it gets."

Chelsea hope to sign Tal Ben Haim this week as a peace offering to Jose Mourinho.

Meanwhile the reigning champions want Frank Lampard and John Terry to sign new contracts this season - to stop them leaving with Mourinho.

Arsenal right-back Lauren has snubbed a £1million switch to struggling West Ham.

Manchester City have rejected a paltry takeover offer of £10million.

DAILY MIRROR

Watford winger Ashley Young has turned down a £10million move to West Ham - leaving Tottenham and Aston Villa in a transfer tug-of-war. Hammers manager Alan Curbishley had his bid accepted by Watford, and informed 21-year-old Young's advisers that a £50,000-a-week contract was on the table at Upton Park. But Young did not want to even talk to Curbishley. He is believed to fancy Spurs, who have so far been outbid by West Ham but are still very much in the hunt.

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce is flying in Cameroon right-back Jean-Joel Perrier Doumbe from Rennes for talks as he gets set to sell Tal Ben Haim.

Blackburn manager Mark Hughes is having talks with Belgian striker Emile Mpenza.

DAILY MAIL

Jose Mourinho's relationship with Roman Abramovich has disintegrated to such an extent that the Chelsea manager and the club's Russian owner are now refusing to talk to each other. Sources at the club insist a peace deal is being brokered by chief executive Peter Kenyon that should calm the situation between now and the end of the season. It will probably coincide with the arrival of a new central defender - Bolton's Tal Ben Haim and Deportivo La Coruna's Jorge Andrade are strong candidates - which should reduce the tension.

Sir Alex Ferguson will not pay more than £5.5million for Southampton defender Gareth Bale, one of his prime targets in the transfer window.

David Beckham's rift with Real Madrid deepened on Monday night when the club's president Ramon Calderon claimed he had been 'betrayed' by the former England captain's decision to join Los Angeles Galaxy.

DAILY EXPRESS

Jose Mourinho has held clear-the-air talks with Andriy Shevchenko in a bid to heal his rift with the £30million striker. An uneasy truce has been reached at Chelsea, with Mourinho prepared to give Shevchenko a last chance, in exchange for money being made available for Bolton centre-half Tal Ben Haim. The under-pressure Chelsea manager offered an olive branch to the Ukrainian, saying that when he is over his hamstring strain he will go back into the team, as long as he shows the right attitude in training first.

Everton are ready to launch a £5.5million bid to sign Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton.

DAILY STAR

Chelsea will solve their defensive crisis by landing Tal Ben Haim in the next 48 hours. But Jose Mourinho has been told he will not be able to sign a new striker to boost his squad.

THE INDEPENDENT

West Ham United have been frustrated in their attempts to sign Ashley Young - despite offering a record £9.65million for the 21-year-old.

DAILY RECORD

Paul Le Guen is lining up a move for Jeremy Clement after returning to football with PSG. The failed Rangers boss took charge in the French capital and immediately made the Ibrox ace his first transfer target.

Alex McLeish will open negotiations with the SFA during the next 48 hours about the vacant Scotland manager's job, but he's not yet the automatic choice to succeed Walter Smith.

Former Hibs boss Tony Mowbray is to re-open talks to take Easter Road pair Scott Brown and Kevin Thomson to West Brom for £4million.

Fulham are preparing a transfer-window bid for Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon, but Chris Coleman is unlikely to prise the stopper away from Tynecastle.

(I'l try and keep this up to date)

 

Mourinho and Abramovich relationship falling apart?? Who couldn't see that one coming?? Reminds me of the JJs (Jones and Johnson) down in Dallas in the 90's. Sooner or later the ego of the owner has to prove he is the reason Chelscum is winning, & he can plug any coach in and dominate. Josie's whining during the transfer window is like the rich kid who can't believe he's forced to drive a 1 year old BMW.

 

WEDNESDAY 17th JAN:

DAILY MIRROR
Andriy Shevchenko has urged Roman Abramovich to dump Jose Mourinho and install his former AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti as the new boss of Chelsea.

West Ham have launched a £4million bid for Birmingham central defender Matthew Upson, but City have told them to double the offer.

Tottenham are ready to table a £5million offer for Gabriel Heinze as soon as Manchester United land Southampton wonderboy Gareth Bale.

Blackburn defender Lucas Neill's move to Liverpool is in danger of collapse because of his wage demands.

Lyon have jumped to the head of the queue to take Lauren away from Arsenal.

Wigan boss Paul Jewell has branded as "derisory" a £750,000 offer from Rangers for Lee McCulloch.

Celtic goalkeeper David Marshall has flown in for talks with Norwich.

DAILY STAR
Chelsea have already made plans for life without Jose Mourinho by pursuing Spanish striker Fernande Torres. The Premiership champions are putting together a £20million summer move for the Atletico Madrid frontman against the Portuguese coach's wishes.

Manchester City are hoping Everton don't put their money where their mouth is over Joey Barton as a £5.5million bid would trigger a release clause in the midfielder's contract enabling him to talk to the Toffees. Barton, for his part, insists he wants to stay at Eastlands but "the word on Merseyside is that the Scouser fancies a move to his boyhood club".

Charlton striker Darren Bent has told West Ham they will join him - if they come up with a £100,000-a-week offer.

England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson won't be in Manchester United's good books after putting Owen Hargreaves in the £20million bracket.

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce has taken one of his biggest gambles with £2.2million move for Birmingham midfielder David Dunn.

Gareth Bale may stay at Southampton beyond the end of the season if George Burley's men are promoted back to the Premiership.

THE SUN
Tottenham are to make a £5million for Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze, but the move could hinge on the Red Devils successfully completing a £6million swoop for Southampton superkid Gareth Bale.

Joey Barton sparkled as Manchester City beat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 in the FA Cup, then insisted: I'm going nowhere.

Charlton are set to win the race for Sevilla striker Kepa Blanco, with the Spaniard's agent claiming he is "optimistic the deal will be completed this week".

David Dunn is joining Bolton from Birmingham after a last-minute swoop by his former side Blackburn ended in failure.

Arsenal midfielder Sebastian Larsson will make a £500,000 switch to Birmingham, where he is currently on loan, in the next 48 hours.

DAILY MAIL
Roman Abramovich has become so angry with Jose Mourinho that he is planning to stay away from Chelsea's clash with Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

Owen Hargreaves is in danger of missing out on his dream move to Manchester United after Germany midfielder Sebastian Deisler rocked Bayern Munich by retiring.

Wigan are hoping to lure midfielder Papa Bouba Diop away from Fulham initially on loan but with a view to a permanent move in the summer.

Leeds want to sign Portsmouth defender Andy O'Brien on loan to fill the gap left by Matthew Kilgallon's departure to Sheffield United. O'Brien was set to join Charlton as part of a swap deal involving Souleymane Diawara, but that has fallen through.

West Ham have made an audacious bid to gazump Manchester City and Charlton for Sevilla striker Kepa Blanco.

Portsmouth have joined Wigan and PSV Eindhoven in the race for £3million-rated Nigeria striker Edu, who plays for Lyn Oslo.

DAILY EXPRESS
Andriy Shevchenko wants AC Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti to be drafted in as the next manager of Chelsea.

Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton will want to speak to Everton if David Moyes triggers the escape clause in his contract.

Barnsley's proposed move for Port Vale striker Leon Constantine has collapsed after the former Southend frontman failed to agree terms with the Tykes.

Blackburn remain hopeful of re-signing David Dunn despite his move to Bolton appearing to be on the brink of completion.

DAILY TELEGRAPH
West Ham have not yet given up hope of convincing Ashley Young to move to Upton Park from Watford. The England Under-21 international turned down a £9.6million move to the Hammers on Monday and it is believed he has since snubbed a move to Aston Villa as he favours a switch to Tottenham.

Tottenham are closely monitoring Micah Richards' situation. The Manchester City defender has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea but their London rivals are thought to be plotting a £10million bid if the Blues cool on the move.

DAILY RECORD
Walter Smith hopes to land Middlesbrough defender Ugo Ehiogu in the next 48 hours having snapped up Everton's David Weir already.

Celtic hope a £500,000 bid sees them jump to the front of the queue of clubs chasing Burnley's Northern Ireland international striker Kyle Lafferty. The 19-year-old also interests the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.

Celtic have been given the go-ahead to move for Swiss starlet Zdravko Kuzmanovic after Serie A side Palermo stormed out of talks with the FC Basle midfielder's representatives. His father apparently demanded a £1million-a-year contract for the 19-year-old Switzerland Under-21 man.

Former Rangers striker Shota Arveladze reckons compatriot Gogita Gogua is a certainty to succeed with Hearts and has likened the Georgian to Gennaro Gattuso.

Steven Fletcher has urged Hibernian fans not to fret over the imminent departures of Scott Brown and Kevin Thomson.

Inverness have made a final 'take-it-or-leave-it' offer to striker Craig Dargo, who is out of contract in the summer.

THE GUARDIAN
Sources claim Manchester United are 90% certain they will be signing Gareth Bale from Southampton this month.

 

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THURSDAY 18th FEB

THE SUN
Andriy Shevchenko says he is sick of being Chelsea's scapegoat. The £30million striker has blasted claims he is a destabilising influence because of a supposed friendship with billionaire owner Roman Abramovich.

Sam Allardyce last night urged Jose Mourinho not to miss out on Tal Ben Haim.

Lucas Neill will sign for West Ham on a £50,000-a-week deal after delivering an amazing snub to Liverpool.

Portsmouth are closing in on Arsenal defender Lauren.

Watford have told Spurs they can sign Ashley Young - if they loan him back to the Hornets for the rest of the season.

Manchester United have failed with an £8m move for Southampton youngster Gareth Bale.

DAILY MIRROR
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has blasted Lucas Neill after he turned down Champions League football at Anfield to double his money at relegation-haunted West Ham. Charlton boss Alan Pardew will haul Dennis Rommedahl over the coals for apparently giving up on their desperate struggle against relegation.

Wigan have launched a £5m move for Papa Bouba Piop in a bid to beat relegation.

Out-of-favour Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie wants to go back out on loan after a successful spell at Stoke earlier in the season. Sheffield United will rival the Potters.

DAILY STAR
Contract rebel Gabriel Heinze insists he's staying at Manchester United, and that could scupper the Red Devils' move for Southampton's Gareth Bale.

Mido is set to be offered an escape from his Tottenham hell by Spanish aces Celta Vigo.

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has been told he's not special enough to win a public row with his mega-rich paymaster Roman Abramovich - by LMA chief executive John Barnwell.

Celtic boss Gordon Strachan is lining up a £1m swoop for Newcastle right-back Stephen Carr.

West Ham are set to beat Charlton to the signing of Seville striker Kepa Blanco.

DAILY EXPRESS
Jose Mourinho suffered a new blow last night when Chelsea refused to stump up just £2 million to sign Bolton defender Tal Ben Haim.

Manchester United last night received a double blow over transfer target Gareth Bale and loan signing Henrik Larsson. Southampton have slapped a £12m price tag on Bale, while Larsson's club Helsingborg insist he will rejoin them in March.

DAILY MAIL
Everton manager David Moyes is ready to move for Crewe defender Billy Jones after dropping out of the running for Sheffield Wednesday's Madjid Bougherra.

Reading will make a final £2m move for Colchester's Greg Halford after refusing to match the Championship club's £4m asking price.

THE GUARDIAN
Sven-Goran Eriksson is turning down jobs in the hope of succeeding Jose Mourinho as Chelsea's manager in the close season.

THE INDEPENDENT
West Ham United were last night completing the signing of Tottenham Hotspur's Calum Davenport for £3 million - with Benfica's Ricardo Rocha due to replace the 24-year-old at White Hart Lane.

THE TIMES
Manchester United's hopes of retaining Henrik Larsson for the final two months of the season appeared to suffer a serious setback last night as the chairman of Helsingborg, his Swedish club, tried to 'end all the speculation' by insisting that the original agreement will not be extended.

DAILY TELEGRAPH
Real Madrid were last night back-pedalling on their threat that David Beckham would never play for the club again after a vociferous show of support from his team-mates.

DAILY RECORD
Wigan's Lee McCulloch will ask for a transfer to realise his dream of playing for Rangers.

 

Nothing I'd like better than SGE taking over Chelskum... Oh, the SONGS!!!!

 

Thursday 25th Jan

6 days left in this season's 'boot sale'

Birmingham managing director Karren Brady has told West Ham that defender Matthew Upson, who has been the subject of three failed bids by the London club, is not for sale. (Various)

Tottenham have moved ahead of Manchester United in the £10m battle to sign Southampton's teenage defender Gareth Bale. (Various)

Everton are closing in on Sheffield Wednesday defender Madjid Bougherra. (Daily Star)

Striker Milan Baros, who moved to Lyon from Aston Villa this week, claims he missed out on a transfer to Chelsea because Blues winger Shaun Wright-Phillips did not fancy joining the Midlands club. (Various)

Newcastle are close to clinching a loan deal for Standard Liege defender Oguchi Onyewu (Various)

Portsmouth have been told they must pay £10m to sign Udinese midfielder Sulley Muntari after having a £7m bid rejected. (Daily Mail)

Everton are targeting Derby defender Dean Leacock. (Daily Mirror)

Southampton want Poland and Troyes striker Marek Saganowski to join the club on loan for the rest of the season. (Daily Star)

Crewe defender Neil Cox is wanted on loan by Macclesfield after being dropped by his club. (Daily Mirror)

Reading have had an improved £200,000 bid for Cork City defender Alan Bennett knocked back. (Daily Star)

Burnley want to snap up Sunderland defender Stephen Caldwell in a £400,000 deal. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland want to take Manchester United defender Danny Simpson on loan for the rest of the season. (Daily Mirror)

Middlesbrough midfielder Ray Parlour is negotiating a settlement to end his spell at the Riverside and become a free agent. (Daily Mirror)

NK Gorica's Jani Sturm has pleaded with Kilmarnock not to forget him after financial restraints meant that any transfer had to be put on hold until the playmaker becomes a free agent in the summer. (Daily Record)

Stoke want to sign Manchester United winger Lee Martin on loan. (Daily Mail)

OTHER GOSSIP
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has made Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini his number one target - if Blues boss Jose Mourinho leaves in the summer. (The Sun)

Blackburn striker Benni McCarthy, who played for Mourinho at Porto, believes Chelsea should sort out their problems or risk the wheels falling off if the Blues boss leaves this summer. (The Sun)

Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer has said that Michael Ballack, who left the German club to join Chelsea last May, has made a mistake by joining the Premiership club. (Various)

Chelsea are desperate to tie up captain John Terry's future after claims from manager Mourinho that the England defender could leave the club if he did. (Daily Star)

Multi-millionaire Brian Kennedy is the mystery partner of Graeme Souness in the former Newcastle manager's bid to buy Wolves. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes that Blackburn boss Mark Hughes could be a future manager at Old Trafford. (Various)

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo is set to land a new £100,000-a-week deal. (Various)

Liverpool winger Harry Kewell, who has not kicked a ball all season after developing septic arthritis in a foot, hopes to be fit to face Barcelona in the Champions League on 21 February. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry believes money was behind defender Lucas Neill's decision to reject the Merseyside club and join West Ham. (Daily Mail)

Peter Taylor has severed his links with the England Under-21 side to concentrate on his role as boss of Crystal Palace but plans are believed to be well advanced to appoint a current club manager in a part-time capacity. (Daily Mail)

Wigan fear that striker Henri Camara will be out for a further month after he damaged knee ligaments against Sheffield United before Christmas. (Daily Star)

Former Scotland striker Kevin Gallacher believes that the Tartan Army should shove negativity aside and welcome Alex McLeish as the new boss of their national side. (Daily Record)

AND FINALLY...
Manchester United's secret training sessions have been filmed by a specially adapted spy plane and the footage has been handed to a mystery client. (Daily Mirror)

Former Chelsea and Benfica defender Scott Minto, who retired last summer after a spell at Rotherham, is giving something back to his local community. He spends one day a week ferrying passengers to and from Rotherham hospice as a voluntary unpaid driver. (Daily Mail)

 

All the latest football rumours from today's newspapers.

Fulham's Papa Bouba Diop has snubbed a £4.4m move to struggling Wigan. (Daily Express)

Real Madrid will offer £35m to Man Utd in the summer for winger Cristiano Ronaldo. (The Independent)

Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy has urged former team-mate Ronaldo to join him in Spain. (Various)

Man City boss Stuart Pearce is ready to offer Sylvain Distin plus £3m for Spurs striker Mido. (Daily Mirror)

Inter Milan chief Roberto Mancini says he wants to become Chelsea's new boss. (The Sun)

Celtic have bid £4m for Hibs duo Kevin Thomson and Scott Brown - and will let them stay at Hibs until the end of the season. (Daily Record)

Arsenal have entered the race to sign £10m-rated Southampton teenager Gareth Bale. (The Sun)

Wigan boss Paul Jewell is ready to bring ex-Spurs man Thimothee Atouba back to the top flight in a shock deal from Bundesliga strugglers Hamburg. (Daily Mirror)

Birmingham boss Steve Bruce has rejected West Ham's £8m bid for Matthew Upson. (Daily Mirror)

Man Utd will have to wait until next week to discover if they can sign Owen Hargreaves from Bayern Munich. (Daily Star)

Newcastle misfit Albert Luque is wanted on loan by Spanish club Racing Santander. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal's on-loan striker Julio Baptista is desperate for boss Arsene Wenger to sign him permanently. (The Sun)

Man Utd winger Lee Martin is signing on loan from Stoke on Friday. (Daily Mirror)

Preston boss Paul Simpson wants Wigan's veteran keeper John Filan to replace unsettled Fulham target Carlo Nash. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal are trying to scupper Man Utd's bid for Deportivo La Coruna midfielder Aldo Duscher. (The Sun)

Watford's Aidy Boothroyd is ready to sign Ray Parlour from Middlesbrough. (Daily Mirror)

Luton expect to land Sheffield Wednesday striker Drew Talbot in a £250,000 deal on Friday. (Daily Mirror)

Dundee United defender David Proctor is set to leave the club after falling out of favour. (Daily Record)

QPR are to make a second bid for Nottingham Forest defender Danny Cullip. (Daily Star)

Bristol Rovers will make a £150,000 bid to sign Hereford striker Andy Williams. (The Sun)


OTHER GOSSIP

Didier Drogba has begged Roman Abramovich and Jose Mourinho to make their peace - or risk tearing Chelsea's season apart. (Various)

John Terry could be back for Chelsea for Sunday's FA Cup tie with Nottingham Forest. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea's secret shotlist of managers to replace Jose Mourinho includes Dutch legend Marco van Basten. (Daily Star)

England will recall Jonathan Woodgate for the February 7 friendly with Spain. (The Telegraph)

Robbie Savage has admitted that some people will see his broken leg from a challenge with Watford's Al Bangura and say "he had it coming". (Daily Star)

Man Utd's Gary Neville says he wants to help his side overhaul Liverpool's 18 league titles - United currently have 15. (Daily Mirror)

Man City boss Stuart Pearce and Bolton number two Sammy Lee are both in the running for the England Under-21 manager's job. (Various)

Milan Mandaric's £25m takeover of Leicester has been put on hold as his mother is unwell. (The Sun)

AND FINALLY...

Portsmouth goalkeeping coach David Coles won a competition among players in which they tried to kick a ball into a small trailer from 100 yards. But he had some inadvertent assistance - his attempt bounced off the head of an unsuspecting local photographer. (The Times)

 

Sunday 28TH JAN:


NEWS OF THE WORLD:

KIA Joorabchian has launched an ｣80million bid to take over Fulham.
Joorabchian, the Iranian-born businessman, and his financial backers turned to Fulham after losing out to Eggert Magnusson's consortium in the prolonged ｣100m battle to buy West Ham.

Joorabchian's supporters, including Israeli hotel and property millionaire Eli Papoushado, are intent on taking control of a London-based top flight club. Paul Aldridge, the former West Ham chief executive, is advising Joorabchian and his team. Sunday Mirror Sport understands talks with current owner Mohamed Al Fayed are under way. But both parties have agreed on absolute confidentiality.

Asked about the takeover talks, Al Fayed's spokesman said: "Fulham is not for sale. Mr Al Fayed is not for selling."

The Joorabchian camp will have to provide detailed proof of funding and hope to strike an agreed price with Al Fayed, who took over at Fulham in the summer of 1997.


John Terry will not quit Chelsea over Jose Mourinho's internal war with the Stamford Bridge hierarchy.

West Ham are ready to make an improved offer of £8million for Birmingham defender Matthew Upson.

Spurs are set to offer £4.5million for Everton striker James Beattie.

Wigan have enquired about Chelsea midfielder Geremi.

Fulham are desperate to off-load striker Collins John with Wigan, Charlton and Sheffield United all interested in loan deals.

Aston Villa have laughed off speculation over a £5million bid for Olof Mellberg from Levante.

Alan Curbishley is set to raid his former club Charlton to bring Jonathan Fortune to West Ham.

Fulham are edging ahead of Everton and Manchester City in the race to sign Matthew Etherington.

Alexandre Song is poised to leave Arsenal for Charlton this week.

Juventus star Manuele Blasi is a £3.5million target for Portsmouth.

Belgium hitman Emile Mpenza has travelled over for talks with Watford.

Massimo Maccarone has rejected the chance to talk with Birmingham and the Middlesbrough striker is set to return to Italy with Siena.

Bolton have made a £400,000 bid for Le Havre full-back Sally Sarr.

Nottingham Forest want to snap up Tottenham winger Mark Yeates on loan for the rest of the season.

Liverpool are set to sign Australian goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis who is only 16.

Southampton midfielder David Prutton is to reject moves to Leeds and Hull and will rejoin Nottingham Forest.

Watford and Sheffield United both want Colchester skipper Karl Duguid.

Reading have made a £1.5million bid to land Mark Little from Wolves.

Izale McLeod is on his way out of MK Dons with Manchester City and Bolton both interested.

Stoke want to re-sign their former captain Clive Clarke from Sunderland.

SUNDAY MIRROR:

West Ham will make an astonishing £17million beat-the-deadline move for Darren Bent this week.

Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to reject any offer from Manchester United to extend his contract.

Roman Abramovich wants Guus Hiddink and Frank Rijkaard to succeed Jose Mourinho at Chelsea.

Kia Joorabchian has launched an £80million bid to take over Fulham.

George Gillett is confident of completing a £500million takeover of Liverpool.

Watford have invited Belgium striker Emile Mpenza for talks.

Henrik Larsson will stay at Manchester United until the end of the season.

David Bentley's outstanding form with Blackburn has alerted Valencia.

Clinton Morrison has put Reading on red alert by admitting he is unhappy at Crystal Palace.

Middlesbrough have joined the chase for Celtic contract rebel Shaun Maloney.

Bolton's hopes of landing FC Zurich captain Blerim Dzemalli are being threatened by Juvenuts but Sam Allardyce may beat Watford to the signature of Keith Gillespie.

THE PEOPLE

Roman Abramovich is ready to pay an astonishing £11million to rid himself of Jose Mourinho.

Spurs want to end Peter Crouch's Merseyside hell and bring the striker back to London.

Edgar Davids' Tottenham career is over after a sensational bust-up with boss Martin Jol.

Sir Alex Ferguson still hopes Gareth Bale will choose Manchester United over Tottenham.

John Terry will sign his new Chelsea deal this week regardless of Jose Mourinho's destiny.

Newcastle are ready to make their first big move of the transfer window with a bid for Argentine defender Fabricio Coloccini.

Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce is making a shock double raid on Holland for international left-backs Tom De Cler and Edson Braafheld.

Wes Brown wants out of Manchester United but will have to wait until the end of the season.

West Ham are set to make a £2million offer for Portuguese defender Rolando.

Reading are set to make a shock move for Stoke captain Michael Duberry.

Aldo Discher has put Premiership clubs on red alert after admitting he is considering leaving Spain.

West Brom want to sign Portsmouth goalkeeper Dean Kiely on loan.

Leeds are trying to sign Belgium right-back Gilles De Cock.

Luton still want Southampton striker Leon Best.

Stoke are weighing up an approach for Trinidad & Tobago hot-shot Cornell Glen.

Charlton goalkeeper Thomas Myhre is in talks with Viking Stavanger.

David Prutton will rejoin Nottingham Forest from Southampton this week.

JLloyd Samuel's miserable spell at Aston Villa is about to end with Bolton leading the chase.

Karl Hawley's on-off move to Leicester will finally go through before the deadline.

THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

Frank Lampard will be at the centre of a transfer battle between the giants of Italian football after they learned he can leave Chelsea for £8million this summer.

SUNDAY MAIL

Hearts are desperate to sell Scotland stars Craig Gordon and Paul Hartley before the transfer window slams shut on Wednesday and are believed to be in talks with Rangers over a £1.25million deal for the latter.

Hibs are leading the chase to sign York striker Clayton Donaldson.

 

Hard to know what to make of this, the prospect of a new owner makes my stomach turn. Regardless if it would be positive or negative it makes you uneasy.

 

Monday 29th Jan

THE SUN

Stuart Pearce is locked in a war with Manchester City over the England Under-21 job.

Manchester United are set to make a second bid to land Gareth Bale before Wednesday's deadline.

Jose Mourinho warned his rivals not to try and take his job at Chelsea.

Manchester United chief executive David Gill insists the club won't sell Cristiano Ronaldo, even for £45million.

DAILY MIRROR

Stuart Pearce is at war with Manchester City over his decision to accept the England Under-21 job without their permission.

Jose Mourinho warned Roman Abramovich he will be an impossible act to follow if he is forced out of Chelsea this summer.

Tottenham are lining up a £3million swoop for Derby County's Giles Barnes but Edgar Davids looks sure to leave White Hart Lane before the transfer window closes.

DAILY STAR

Manchester United last night told Real Madrid £45million would not be enough to buy Cristiano Ronaldo.

The other Ronaldo should be an AC Milan player by tonight after summit talks in Madrid to settle the fee.

DAILY MAIL

Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce is last night at loggerheads with his own board over his desire to become the new coach of the England Under-21 squad.

Jose Mourinho has told managers who have been linked with his job at Chelsea that he will be an impossible act to follow.

Newcastle are on the verge of signing Ajax striker Ryan Babel in a £5million deal that will see Magpies misfit Albert Luque move the other way.

DAILY EXPRESS

Jose Mourinho claims his job is safe at Chelsea, and said he would be a hard act to follow if he did leave the club.

Arsene Wenger admitted he could be forced to make a late, late entry into the January transfer window marketplace as Arsenal's season was hit by yet more injury problems.

THE GUARDIAN

Chelsea may yet sign Tal Ben Haim, after the Bolton centre-half ruled himself out of the FA Cup tie at Arsenal with a calf strain, raising suspicions that he was protecting a move to Stamford Bridge.

Stuart Pearce's declaration yesterday that he had verbally accepted the position of England Under-21 manager was made to look clumsy and premature, perhaps embarrassingly so, by Manchester City.

THE INDEPENDENT

West Ham United were deciding whether to make a fourth offer for the Birmingham City defender Matthew Upson and whether to make an astonishing £14m attempt to prise Darren Bent from Charlton Athletic before the transfer window closes on Wednesday night.

 

Warnock on Brown

By ALAN BIGGS - The Daily Mail

Michael Brown is better off at Craven Cottage, says Warnock
Neil Warnock last night accused Tottenham of letting a fixation with big names blind them to Michael Brown's Premiership pedigree, as the Fulham midfielder prepares for a first return to Bramall Lane tonight.

Sheffield United's abrasive boss, cleared to stay on the bench and promising "business as usual", admits he would have loved to have restored Brown to a side that eventually won promotion without him.

"Unfortunately, we could not afford to match Fulham's deal," said Warnock, who now feels his protege ended up in the wrong hands when he sold him to White Hart Lane three years ago.

That cut-price £400,000 deal was forced by the imminent expiry of Brown's contract and the player's hunger for the top flight. But Warnock insists there is nothing cheap about the man Spurs jettisoned last season.

And it emerges that Brown left for Craven Cottage on his old manager's advice.

"The problem Michael had at Spurs was that they wanted too many big name players," claimed Warnock.

"I think he was good enough, but didn't really get the opportunities. The board wanted 'names' who I don't think were as good as Michael anyway.

"'I spoke to Michael and told him he was better off going to Fulham to get some games. I did speak to him again when he wasn't in the team, but he is back now and doing well.

"I don't think Chris Coleman would let him go, especially with Jimmy Bullard out.

"But I will always have a special place in my heart for Michael - he played a big part in a memorable season for us, getting to two Cup semi-finals and the play-off final. And I'm not surprised he has gone on to do well - he's Fulham's key player."

 

Tuesday 30th Jan

Cottagers keen on Etherington swoop

THE SUN

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has failed in a bid to sign Seville winger Antonio Puerta.

Fulham boss Chris Coleman is lining up a new bid for Preston keeper Carlo Nash.

Sheffield Wednesday will use £500,000 of the money made from selling Madjid Bougherra to sign Bradford's Jermaine Johnson.

Reading are close to completing a £750,000 move for Luton defender Leon Barnett.

DAILY MIRROR

Manchester United have pulled out of the race to sign Southampton whizzkid Gareth Bale, leaving Spurs as the left-back's likeliest destination.

Fulham could make a deadline-busting move for West Ham winger Matthew Etherington.

Charlton are trying to bring in France striker Peggy Luyindula on loan before the transfer window closes.

DAILY STAR

Manchester United have banned Cristiano Ronaldo from talking about Real Madrid, who are reportedly lining up a £35million summer move for the winger.

Portsmouth keeper Dean Kiely is set to complete a loan switch to West Brom.

Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce has refused to back down in his battle to take charge of the England Under-21s.

DAILY MAIL

Everton's bid to sign Manuel Fernandes from Benfica has been held up by doubts over who owns the player.

PSV are set to end Albert Luque's Newcastle nightmare by signing the forward on loan until the end of the season.

Reading face a race against time to tie up a £2.5million deal for Colchester full-back Greg Halford before the transfer window closes.

Portsmouth are tracking Lazio's Macedonia international striker Goran Pandev.

DAILY EXPRESS

Everton are poised to collect £2million when Wayne Rooney signs a new contract with Manchester United.

Spurs look set to clinch the signing of Gareth Bale after Manchester United's interest in the youngster cooled. The £10million deal will see Bale loaned back to Southampton for the remainder of the season.

DAILY RECORD

Rangers have failed with a £600,000 bid for Hearts midfielder Paul Hartley, and are now expected to up their bid to £750,000.

Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon has ruled out a move to Russia, where both Spartak and CSKA Moscow are keen on the Scotland international.

 

Wednesday 31st Jan:

THE SUN

Cristiano Ronaldo's agent says the Manchester United winger could still join Real Madrid in the summer.

Darren Bent will still leave Charlton in the summer, despite the club turning down an £18million offer from West Ham.

Birmingham winger Julian Gray has been told he can leave the club - either on loan or in a £500,000 permanent deal.

DAILY STAR

Gareth Bale has agreed to stay at Southampton for the rest of the season, but Arsenal and Manchester United will battle to sign the teenage full-back in the summer.

Steve Parkin has joined Hull as assistant manager to Phil Brown.

Fulham have agreed to loan striker Bjorn Runstrom to Luton for the rest of the season, who are also set to move for Dagenham and Redbridge forward Paul Benson.

DAILY MIRROR

West Ham target Matthew Upson plans to exploit new FIFA rules to buy himself out of his contract for just £1million at the end of the season.

Jose Antonio Reyes could return to Arsenal after Real Madrid warned they may not make the winger's loan deal permanent. If their threat is carried out, Julio Baptista will also have to go back to Real, despite stating he wants to stay in London.

Portsmouth have agreed an £8million fee with Udinese for midfielder Sulley Muntari, but the Senegal international will stay with the Italian club until the end of the season.

Harry Redknapp is also looking to rush through a deal for highly-rated Lyn Oslo striker Chinedu Ogbuke.

Liverpool are lining up a late treble swoop on the final day of the transfer window - defender Alvaro Arbeloa will join from Deportivo, Malaga midfielder Francisco Duran will sign and Javier Mascherano will also make the switch from West Ham, subject to FIFA dispensation.

DAILY EXPRESS

Watford are in negotiations to sign former Inter Milan striker Mohamed Kallon for £700,000 from Monaco.

DAILY MAIL

Tottenham have launched a shock bid to sign West Ham's Teddy Sheringham for a third time. Any deal depends on Mido securing a move to Manchester City.

City manager Stuart Pearce is also interested in Fulham's Dutch forward Collins John, and may seal a £3.25million move before the end of the transfer window.

Pearce could be a busy man on deadline day, as City are expected to hand Michael Ball a loan deal from PSV Eindhoven.

Watford have joined the race to sign Sunderland defender Stephen Caldwell - Burnley and Cardiff have already had £400,000 bids accepted for the centre-half, who is out of contract in the summer.

Luton have rejected a £3million bid for defender Leon Barnett from Reading.

DAILY RECORD

Shaun Maloney has signed a pre-contract agreement to sign for Aston Villa in the summer.

Scott Brown has withdrawn his transfer request at Hibs after failing to secure a move away from Easter Road. Team-mate Kevin Thomson secured a move to Rangers late on Tuesday night.

Thomas Buffel has rejected a move to Hannover and will stay at Rangers.

Craig Gordon says he will leave Hearts on his own terms after reported interest from West Ham, Arsenal and Fulham.