Summer Transfers
Discussion
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)
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)
West Ham United could be set to make their first major signings of the summer within the next few days.
Alan Curbishley - supported by the biggest transfer warchest ever handed to a United manager - is ready to begin spending the millions given him by Chairman Eggert Magnusson, who has been in negotiations with a number of targets during the past fortnight.
The main target appears to be Newcastle captain Scott Parker, who is ready to return to London after just a year in the North East where he has failed to settle.
Parker - who previously worked under Curbishley at Charlton - is expected to replace Nigel Reo-Coker, who could be heading to St James Park in a swap deal although a number of other Premiership clubs - including Tottenham and Everton - are keeping tabs on the wantaway United midfielder.
Another target - Manchester City's Joey Barton - is thought to want a move to London, giving the Hammers the lead over other potential suitors such as Newcastle. The Hammers are thought to be looking at both Parker and Barton, rather than one or the other. Both are likely to cost around £8m.
Meanwhile Charlton's Darren Bent is currently mulling over offers from both West Ham United and Tottenham. Although Spurs can offer European football, Bent is thought to favour a move to Upton Park on the basis that he will play more first team football.
The Hammers are said to have offered a cash plus player deal, with either Marlon Harewood or Hayden Mullins likely to move to the Valley in return for Bent and around £8.5m.
Other players also thought to be in the frame are Reading left-back Nickey Shorey, Middlesbrough's Mark Viduka and Monaco's Yaya Toure - younger brother of Arsenal's Kolo Toure.
Rumours linking the Hammers with moves for Chelsea's Claude Makelele and Charlton's Luke Young are thought to be wide of the mark.
Alan Curbishley - supported by the biggest transfer warchest ever handed to a United manager - is ready to begin spending the millions given him by Chairman Eggert Magnusson, who has been in negotiations with a number of targets during the past fortnight.
The main target appears to be Newcastle captain Scott Parker, who is ready to return to London after just a year in the North East where he has failed to settle.
Parker - who previously worked under Curbishley at Charlton - is expected to replace Nigel Reo-Coker, who could be heading to St James Park in a swap deal although a number of other Premiership clubs - including Tottenham and Everton - are keeping tabs on the wantaway United midfielder.
Another target - Manchester City's Joey Barton - is thought to want a move to London, giving the Hammers the lead over other potential suitors such as Newcastle. The Hammers are thought to be looking at both Parker and Barton, rather than one or the other. Both are likely to cost around £8m.
Meanwhile Charlton's Darren Bent is currently mulling over offers from both West Ham United and Tottenham. Although Spurs can offer European football, Bent is thought to favour a move to Upton Park on the basis that he will play more first team football.
The Hammers are said to have offered a cash plus player deal, with either Marlon Harewood or Hayden Mullins likely to move to the Valley in return for Bent and around £8.5m.
Other players also thought to be in the frame are Reading left-back Nickey Shorey, Middlesbrough's Mark Viduka and Monaco's Yaya Toure - younger brother of Arsenal's Kolo Toure.
Rumours linking the Hammers with moves for Chelsea's Claude Makelele and Charlton's Luke Young are thought to be wide of the mark.
lazyitus said:
cj_eds said:
Meanwhile Man Utd splash the cash on more talented youngsters - Nani and Anderson.
niceAlso in the news ..
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 S
horpe 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 S
horpe 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)
The Wiz said:
Wolves are in pole position to sign Shorpe striker Billy Sharp, who is also wanted by Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich, after tabling a £2m bid. (Daily Star)
Please, please please please...horpe striker Billy Sharp, who is also wanted by Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich, after tabling a £2m bid. (Daily Star)I don't know which I am reading the transfer speculation for more, who Wolves will bring in or who is leaving West Brom.
Sale now on at Tesco... 
Manchester United's summer shopping spree is set to continue with a move for Bolton's Nicolas Anelka. (Various)
And while one striker comes into Old Trafford, another could be on his way out. Tottenham want England international Alan Smith. (Sun)
West Ham are lining up a £5m bid for Joey Barton and want to pair him in midfield with Scott Parker. (Star)
Parker is set to become the highest paid player in West Ham's history when he joins from Newcastle. (Sun)
Nigel Reo-Coker has lowered his sights. After saying he would only play for a Champions League club the West Ham man now wants a move to Newcastle. (Sun)
But Aston Villa have emerged as Reo-Coker's most likely destination in an £8m deal. (Guardian)
And Villa are hoping to land West Brom full-back Paul Robinson. (Sun)
Villa boss Martin O'Neill says he will not be held to ransom by Liverpool over a fee for striker and new Wales captain Craig Bellamy. (Sun)
France international midfielder Florent Malouda has begged Lyon not to price him out of a move to Liverpool. The French champions want £17m. (Mail)
Chelsea's veteran midfielder Claude Makelele has been offered a two-year deal by Paris St Germain. (Various)
The Blues have agreed personal terms with Claudio Pizarro. Bayern Munich's Peruvian striker will join on a free transfer in a deal worth £50,000 a week. (Times)
And Chelsea are also hopeful of signing Benni McCarthy from Blackburn. (Times)
Derby County are eyeing a move for Aston Villa defender Liam Ridgewell and could get their man for £2m. (Mirror)
And Aston Villa will also let Steven Davis leave for £5m. Fulham are keen on the Northern Ireland midfielder. (Various)
In fact, new Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez is keen on a fair few players. Southampton have rejected a £2.5m bid for defender Chris Baird. (Sun)
The Cottagers are set to raid neighbours QPR for Lee Cook and Roy Jones. They have opened the bidding with a £1.5m combined offer. (Various)
And they want to sign Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson. (Mirror)
Portsmouth are eyeing Fulham midfielder Papa Bouba Diop in a £2.5m deal. (Mirror)
Having called time on his Celtic career, Neil Lennon will join League One outfit Nottingham Forest. (Various)
The Old Firm are going head-to-head for Robbie Fowler. Celtic have the edge over Rangers... at the moment. (Various)
Hearts are ready to sign up striker Craig Beattie, if Celtic are prepared to sell the 23-year-old. (Scottish Sun)
Rangers are tracking PSV Eindhoven's USA international winger DaMarcus Beasley. (Scottish Sun)
Derby County manager Billy Davies wants funds to sign goalkeeper Craig Gordon from Hearts. (Scottish Daily Express)
Defender Pascal Mendy is set to finally seal his move to Hearts. (Daily Record)
Crystal Palace want Teddy Sheringham. In order to fund the move manager Peter Taylor is listening to offers for midfielder Jobi McAnuff. (Star)
Former QPR midfielder Marc Bircham is keen on a move to LA Galaxy. (Star)
Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce is confident Mark Viduka's arrival on Tyneside will persuade Michael Owen to stay. (Mirror)
Middlesbrough are aiming to replace Australian Viduka with West Brom's Diomansy Kamara. Any deal is set to cost in the region of £5m. (Mirror)
And Boro are busy keeping tabs on defensive midfielder Marcelo from Corinthians. (Times)
OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester United's signing of Anderson is set to be probed by the Premier League. It fears the Brazilian's move could mirror Carlos Tevez's deal at West Ham that involved third-party ownership. (Mirror)
Freddy Shepherd is on the brink of relinquishing control of Newcastle to Mike Ashley. (Various)
Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari claims Roman Abramovich wants him to be the next Chelsea manager. (Sun)
Juventus hope to hijack Manchester City's move for Claudio Ranieri after top target Marcello Lippi turned down the chance to become boss. (Mirror)
John Brown is a top contender for the manager's job at Clyde. (Record)
Leeds boss Dennis Wise has offered to take a pay cut following the club's relegation to League One. (Various)
Wales boss John Toshack is relieved Ryan Giggs retired from international football as he was dreading telling the midfielder he was dropped. (Various)
John Terry will hand David Beckham the captain's armband if he reaches the 100-cap mark for England. (Various)
And Terry has called for England to turn Wembley into a fortress. (Various)
Brazil boss Dunga says the pitch at Wembley is sub-standard. "The grass comes off very easily," he said after a shortened training session. (Various)
Derby goalkeeper Stephen Bywater says he could be in contention for England's No 1 jersey next season. (Mirror)
"I grew up with a few of the lads like Paul Robinson, Rob Green and Chris Kirkland and they are good but I don't think they are anything special," he said. "I'm confident but not cocky."
Back to top
And while one striker comes into Old Trafford, another could be on his way out. Tottenham want England international Alan Smith. (Sun)
West Ham are lining up a £5m bid for Joey Barton and want to pair him in midfield with Scott Parker. (Star)
Parker is set to become the highest paid player in West Ham's history when he joins from Newcastle. (Sun)
Nigel Reo-Coker has lowered his sights. After saying he would only play for a Champions League club the West Ham man now wants a move to Newcastle. (Sun)
But Aston Villa have emerged as Reo-Coker's most likely destination in an £8m deal. (Guardian)
And Villa are hoping to land West Brom full-back Paul Robinson. (Sun)
Villa boss Martin O'Neill says he will not be held to ransom by Liverpool over a fee for striker and new Wales captain Craig Bellamy. (Sun)
France international midfielder Florent Malouda has begged Lyon not to price him out of a move to Liverpool. The French champions want £17m. (Mail)
Chelsea's veteran midfielder Claude Makelele has been offered a two-year deal by Paris St Germain. (Various)
The Blues have agreed personal terms with Claudio Pizarro. Bayern Munich's Peruvian striker will join on a free transfer in a deal worth £50,000 a week. (Times)
And Chelsea are also hopeful of signing Benni McCarthy from Blackburn. (Times)
Derby County are eyeing a move for Aston Villa defender Liam Ridgewell and could get their man for £2m. (Mirror)
And Aston Villa will also let Steven Davis leave for £5m. Fulham are keen on the Northern Ireland midfielder. (Various)
In fact, new Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez is keen on a fair few players. Southampton have rejected a £2.5m bid for defender Chris Baird. (Sun)
The Cottagers are set to raid neighbours QPR for Lee Cook and Roy Jones. They have opened the bidding with a £1.5m combined offer. (Various)
And they want to sign Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson. (Mirror)
Portsmouth are eyeing Fulham midfielder Papa Bouba Diop in a £2.5m deal. (Mirror)
Having called time on his Celtic career, Neil Lennon will join League One outfit Nottingham Forest. (Various)
The Old Firm are going head-to-head for Robbie Fowler. Celtic have the edge over Rangers... at the moment. (Various)
Hearts are ready to sign up striker Craig Beattie, if Celtic are prepared to sell the 23-year-old. (Scottish Sun)
Rangers are tracking PSV Eindhoven's USA international winger DaMarcus Beasley. (Scottish Sun)
Derby County manager Billy Davies wants funds to sign goalkeeper Craig Gordon from Hearts. (Scottish Daily Express)
Defender Pascal Mendy is set to finally seal his move to Hearts. (Daily Record)
Crystal Palace want Teddy Sheringham. In order to fund the move manager Peter Taylor is listening to offers for midfielder Jobi McAnuff. (Star)
Former QPR midfielder Marc Bircham is keen on a move to LA Galaxy. (Star)
Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce is confident Mark Viduka's arrival on Tyneside will persuade Michael Owen to stay. (Mirror)
Middlesbrough are aiming to replace Australian Viduka with West Brom's Diomansy Kamara. Any deal is set to cost in the region of £5m. (Mirror)
And Boro are busy keeping tabs on defensive midfielder Marcelo from Corinthians. (Times)
OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester United's signing of Anderson is set to be probed by the Premier League. It fears the Brazilian's move could mirror Carlos Tevez's deal at West Ham that involved third-party ownership. (Mirror)
Freddy Shepherd is on the brink of relinquishing control of Newcastle to Mike Ashley. (Various)
Portugal boss Luiz Felipe Scolari claims Roman Abramovich wants him to be the next Chelsea manager. (Sun)
Juventus hope to hijack Manchester City's move for Claudio Ranieri after top target Marcello Lippi turned down the chance to become boss. (Mirror)
John Brown is a top contender for the manager's job at Clyde. (Record)
Leeds boss Dennis Wise has offered to take a pay cut following the club's relegation to League One. (Various)
Wales boss John Toshack is relieved Ryan Giggs retired from international football as he was dreading telling the midfielder he was dropped. (Various)
John Terry will hand David Beckham the captain's armband if he reaches the 100-cap mark for England. (Various)
And Terry has called for England to turn Wembley into a fortress. (Various)
Brazil boss Dunga says the pitch at Wembley is sub-standard. "The grass comes off very easily," he said after a shortened training session. (Various)
Derby goalkeeper Stephen Bywater says he could be in contention for England's No 1 jersey next season. (Mirror)
"I grew up with a few of the lads like Paul Robinson, Rob Green and Chris Kirkland and they are good but I don't think they are anything special," he said. "I'm confident but not cocky."
Back to top
BARTON TO JOIN TOON WITH MORE TO FOLLOW
Newcastle are expected to announce the signing of Man Citeh midfielder Joey Barton later today.
Meanwhile, according to The Guardian, 'Sam Allardyce is also hopeful of fending off competition from Birmingham City and acquiring Mark Viduka on a free transfer from Middlesbrough this week.
'Yet, as ever, defence remains Newcastle's priority and the new manager intends to sign Tal Ben Haim, available on a free after allowing his contract to run down at Bolton. However, Allardyce's relationship with the Israeli international deteriorated markedly when he blocked Ben Haim's mooted move to Chelsea last January. Bridges may need to be rebuilt before any reunion takes place.'
AND AJ TO FOLLOW PARKER TO WEST HAM?
Barton is set to take Scott Parker's place at Newcastle with the midfielder poised to complete his move to West Ham today - becoming Alan Curbishley's first summer signing.
As in January, Curbishley has been given plenty of cash to spend by Eggert Magnusson. According to the back page of The Daily Mail, the Hammers will offer £13m for Andrew Johnson and tempt him south with the promise of £90,000-a-week wages.
'The England striker is aware of the interest and although West Ham expect Everton to rebuff their opening bid, the London club are prepared to go as high as £18m, which could prove too good to turn down,' it reports.
VILLA IN FOR ANOTHER MIDFIELDER
Despite plenty of gossip to the contrary, Aston Villa have yet to make their mark in this summer's market, with both Parker and Barton reputedly snubbing interest from Villa Park to move elsewhere.
So it is now being claimed that Martin O'Neill has set his sights much closer to home. 'West Bromwich midfielder Jason Koumas has revealed that Aston Villa have joined the race to sign him,' declares the Mail. 'Koumas, 27, is also a £6million target for Everton, Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland and Celtic following Albion's failure to return to the Premiership.'
Not that the Mail is necessarily a reliable guide - it claimed on Friday that Barton was joining West Ham.
ANOTHER SECTION ON HENRY
Talk of Thierry Henry leaving Arsenal will not quieten down until either he leaves Arsenal or the transfer window slams shut. The latest rumour, provided by The Sun, is that 'AC Milan are lining up a shock bid' for their columnist.
The Mail continues to maintain that Barca are on the hunt again, and 'are ready to make an official approach to Arsenal. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is on holiday so no decisions on the future of Henry, 29, will be made imminently, but it is believed that he would consider a bid of around £20 million.'
Back to The Sun. They reckon that 'Arsenal are close to signing Auxerre right-back Bakari Sagna for £6million.'
It sounds unlikely - the Gunners recently handed Emmanuel Eboue a new long-term contract, with another for his understudy, local boy Justin Hoyte. Another right-back is far from a priority, especially when that rancid piece of s**t less-than-perfect midfielder Alex Hleb is still considered a first-team pick.
If you are interested, the 24-year-old Sagna was 'recently voted France's best player in his position by his fellow players, was in the national squad for the first time for Saturday's Euro 2008 qualifying win over Ukraine.'
ANELKA UNLIKELY TO JOIN HEINZE AT MANYOO
Nicolas Anelka claims he has no plans to leave Bolton, but admits he "could not say no" to an offer from Manchester United.
For more on this story, click here.
Gabriel Heinze, however, is on his way out of Old Trafford. The left-back has held discusssions with Real Madrid about becoming Roberto Carlos' successor, but is now also thought to be wanted by Barcelona.
"When the internationals are over we'll see where I will play. I don't know if I'll play for Madrid or Barcelona," the Argentine is quoted as saying in The Sun.
INTERESTING STUFF FROM JOSE
Just a few days after saying that he was happy to work on a limited budget at Chelski, Jose Mourinho has announced he wants to sign a defender, a midfielder, and a striker.
In one respect, the quotes are confusing as they don't clarify whether or not Alex has already arrived from PSV. Chelski have always been deliberately vague over their ownership of the Brazilian defender, yet it is widely believed that he will move to Stamford Bridge from Holland this summer after a three-year placement with the Dutch champions. However, any such deal would only begin on July 1st - explaining why Mourinho stated he is still looking to sign a central defender.
As reported by The Independent: 'Asked how many newcomers might be joining Sidwell, Mourinho, in Africa on a charity mission with Chelsea, said:"I think three, and it is obvious a central defender because we have problems during the season with injuries in defence. A central defender, a midfielder and a striker."'
Does he mean another striker in addition to Claudio Pizarro, signed from Bayern Munich on a free transfer last week? Probably. Both Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou are expected to miss a large chunk of the domestic season due to next year's African Cup of Nations and Jose would understandably be reluctant to rely on just Andriy Shevchenko and Pizarro for a month.
"I will try to keep them [the African players] until the last moment, just before the competition starts, but they have the Fifa rules on their side so if they want to go a couple of weeks before the competition starts just to train we have to let them come," he said.
BUT WILL HE SIGN THE MAN THAT PLEATY CALLS SHIMBOMBA?
He certainly will if you believe The Sun, who are convinced that Spurs will be offered more money than they know what to do with for Pascal Chimbonda.
Spurs, they say, 'are turning to Portugal defender Jose Bosingwa as they prepare for life without Pascal Chimbonda.
'Spurs boss Martin Jol has targeted the versatile Porto right-back with a view to a £3million deal.
'Chelsea want Chimbonda and refuse to give up despite having a £10m bid knocked back last week.'
And having told us that 'a £3million deal' is in the offing, the rag then informs us:
'He is a free agent.'
Top work.
TODAY'S VICTIMS: WIGAN
Wigan have all but put pen to paper on a deal to take Titus Bramble to the JJB.
Sorry, Latics fans.
AND THE REST
Birmingham's veteran defender Bruno N'Gotty will join Leicester today on a free transfer...Wigan are close to snapping up Sheffield Wednesday's Northern Ireland international Chris Brunt in a £2million deal...Coventry are set to sign Crystal Palace full-back Gary Borrowdale for a fee that will be decided by a tribunal...Leicester have joined Southampton and Burnley in the race for Polish striker Marek Saganowski...West Brom full-back Paul Robinson wants to leave after the club failed to win promotion to the Premiership, with Sunderland ready to make a £2million bid...
...Newcastle are hoping to sign Paris Saint-Germain's Czech Republic defender David Rozehnal for £3m, which we could have told you earlier but forgot...Kilmarnock have rejected a £450,000 offer from Rangers for Steven Naismith, and will only sell for £1.5million...Celtic hope to tie up young midfielder Teddy Bjarnason on a two-year deal this week...Bolton are in talks with Antoine Sibierski...
Newcastle are expected to announce the signing of Man Citeh midfielder Joey Barton later today.
Meanwhile, according to The Guardian, 'Sam Allardyce is also hopeful of fending off competition from Birmingham City and acquiring Mark Viduka on a free transfer from Middlesbrough this week.
'Yet, as ever, defence remains Newcastle's priority and the new manager intends to sign Tal Ben Haim, available on a free after allowing his contract to run down at Bolton. However, Allardyce's relationship with the Israeli international deteriorated markedly when he blocked Ben Haim's mooted move to Chelsea last January. Bridges may need to be rebuilt before any reunion takes place.'
AND AJ TO FOLLOW PARKER TO WEST HAM?
Barton is set to take Scott Parker's place at Newcastle with the midfielder poised to complete his move to West Ham today - becoming Alan Curbishley's first summer signing.
As in January, Curbishley has been given plenty of cash to spend by Eggert Magnusson. According to the back page of The Daily Mail, the Hammers will offer £13m for Andrew Johnson and tempt him south with the promise of £90,000-a-week wages.
'The England striker is aware of the interest and although West Ham expect Everton to rebuff their opening bid, the London club are prepared to go as high as £18m, which could prove too good to turn down,' it reports.
VILLA IN FOR ANOTHER MIDFIELDER
Despite plenty of gossip to the contrary, Aston Villa have yet to make their mark in this summer's market, with both Parker and Barton reputedly snubbing interest from Villa Park to move elsewhere.
So it is now being claimed that Martin O'Neill has set his sights much closer to home. 'West Bromwich midfielder Jason Koumas has revealed that Aston Villa have joined the race to sign him,' declares the Mail. 'Koumas, 27, is also a £6million target for Everton, Blackburn Rovers, Sunderland and Celtic following Albion's failure to return to the Premiership.'
Not that the Mail is necessarily a reliable guide - it claimed on Friday that Barton was joining West Ham.
ANOTHER SECTION ON HENRY
Talk of Thierry Henry leaving Arsenal will not quieten down until either he leaves Arsenal or the transfer window slams shut. The latest rumour, provided by The Sun, is that 'AC Milan are lining up a shock bid' for their columnist.
The Mail continues to maintain that Barca are on the hunt again, and 'are ready to make an official approach to Arsenal. Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is on holiday so no decisions on the future of Henry, 29, will be made imminently, but it is believed that he would consider a bid of around £20 million.'
Back to The Sun. They reckon that 'Arsenal are close to signing Auxerre right-back Bakari Sagna for £6million.'
It sounds unlikely - the Gunners recently handed Emmanuel Eboue a new long-term contract, with another for his understudy, local boy Justin Hoyte. Another right-back is far from a priority, especially when that rancid piece of s**t less-than-perfect midfielder Alex Hleb is still considered a first-team pick.
If you are interested, the 24-year-old Sagna was 'recently voted France's best player in his position by his fellow players, was in the national squad for the first time for Saturday's Euro 2008 qualifying win over Ukraine.'
ANELKA UNLIKELY TO JOIN HEINZE AT MANYOO
Nicolas Anelka claims he has no plans to leave Bolton, but admits he "could not say no" to an offer from Manchester United.
For more on this story, click here.
Gabriel Heinze, however, is on his way out of Old Trafford. The left-back has held discusssions with Real Madrid about becoming Roberto Carlos' successor, but is now also thought to be wanted by Barcelona.
"When the internationals are over we'll see where I will play. I don't know if I'll play for Madrid or Barcelona," the Argentine is quoted as saying in The Sun.
INTERESTING STUFF FROM JOSE
Just a few days after saying that he was happy to work on a limited budget at Chelski, Jose Mourinho has announced he wants to sign a defender, a midfielder, and a striker.
In one respect, the quotes are confusing as they don't clarify whether or not Alex has already arrived from PSV. Chelski have always been deliberately vague over their ownership of the Brazilian defender, yet it is widely believed that he will move to Stamford Bridge from Holland this summer after a three-year placement with the Dutch champions. However, any such deal would only begin on July 1st - explaining why Mourinho stated he is still looking to sign a central defender.
As reported by The Independent: 'Asked how many newcomers might be joining Sidwell, Mourinho, in Africa on a charity mission with Chelsea, said:"I think three, and it is obvious a central defender because we have problems during the season with injuries in defence. A central defender, a midfielder and a striker."'
Does he mean another striker in addition to Claudio Pizarro, signed from Bayern Munich on a free transfer last week? Probably. Both Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou are expected to miss a large chunk of the domestic season due to next year's African Cup of Nations and Jose would understandably be reluctant to rely on just Andriy Shevchenko and Pizarro for a month.
"I will try to keep them [the African players] until the last moment, just before the competition starts, but they have the Fifa rules on their side so if they want to go a couple of weeks before the competition starts just to train we have to let them come," he said.
BUT WILL HE SIGN THE MAN THAT PLEATY CALLS SHIMBOMBA?
He certainly will if you believe The Sun, who are convinced that Spurs will be offered more money than they know what to do with for Pascal Chimbonda.
Spurs, they say, 'are turning to Portugal defender Jose Bosingwa as they prepare for life without Pascal Chimbonda.
'Spurs boss Martin Jol has targeted the versatile Porto right-back with a view to a £3million deal.
'Chelsea want Chimbonda and refuse to give up despite having a £10m bid knocked back last week.'
And having told us that 'a £3million deal' is in the offing, the rag then informs us:
'He is a free agent.'
Top work.
TODAY'S VICTIMS: WIGAN
Wigan have all but put pen to paper on a deal to take Titus Bramble to the JJB.
Sorry, Latics fans.
AND THE REST
Birmingham's veteran defender Bruno N'Gotty will join Leicester today on a free transfer...Wigan are close to snapping up Sheffield Wednesday's Northern Ireland international Chris Brunt in a £2million deal...Coventry are set to sign Crystal Palace full-back Gary Borrowdale for a fee that will be decided by a tribunal...Leicester have joined Southampton and Burnley in the race for Polish striker Marek Saganowski...West Brom full-back Paul Robinson wants to leave after the club failed to win promotion to the Premiership, with Sunderland ready to make a £2million bid...
...Newcastle are hoping to sign Paris Saint-Germain's Czech Republic defender David Rozehnal for £3m, which we could have told you earlier but forgot...Kilmarnock have rejected a £450,000 offer from Rangers for Steven Naismith, and will only sell for £1.5million...Celtic hope to tie up young midfielder Teddy Bjarnason on a two-year deal this week...Bolton are in talks with Antoine Sibierski...
Fittster said:
"West Ham United and Spurs are at the centre of a battle to sign Charlton's £17m-rated striker Darren Bent."
£17m for Bent! Surely that's way over the top.
Depends on the market. He's continously the best, (or nearly), performing English striker in the Premiership, and he'll only get better...£17m for Bent! Surely that's way over the top.
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