WEDNESDAY GOSSIP

Monaco are set to test Manchester
City's resolve to hold on to Belgian
defender Vincent Kompany, 27, in
January by making a £17m offer for
the player's services.(DAILY EXPRESS)

City are believed to be ahead of
Manchester United and Inter Milan in the race for Argentine midfielder Bruno Zuculini, 20, currently with Racing Club de
Avellaneda in his home country.
(SUN)

Stoke are plotting a January move for Dutch striker Luuk de Jong, 23, and manager Mark Hughes has not given up hope of getting a work permit for American forward Juan Agudelo, 21.(DAILY MIRROR)

Barcelona will attempt to sign Chelsea defender David Luiz, 26, in January for £29m.(DAILY STAR)

Arsenal face competition from
Liverpool for the signature of
Hamburg's highly rated Turkey
midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, 19.
(DAILY MAIL)

Newcastle United's 32-year-old striker Shola Ameobi, out of contract at the end of this season, is a January target for Hull City.
(SUN)

Tottenham new boy Erik Lamela, 21,could be set for an early White Hart Lane exit with Atletico Madrid
interested in taking the Argentine
former Roma winger on loan.
(FOOTY LATEST)

Barcelona striker Antonio Sanabria, 17, has decided to leave the Nou Camp and commit his future to Roma, even though Arsenal have made a major offer for him.
(INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TIMES)

OTHER GOSSIP
Ashley Cole has made more than 300 Chelsea appearances and has 106 England caps Chelsea and England defender Ashley Cole, 32, has told club and national bosses Jose Mourinho and Roy Hodgson he is not past his best.(metro)

Arsenal players have been put on a
security lockdown amid major Champions League safety fears and have not been allowed to leave their hotel in the run-up to the game against Napoli.(daily mirror)

Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain, 26, says he is desperate to put one over on Arsenal in the Champions League.(The times)

Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson says he fears crooks have attempted to fix Premier League matches for 10 years (Daily star)

Steven Gerrard hopes to be available for Liverpool again in around four weeks after suffering a hamstring injury that has ruled the Reds' 33- year-old captain out of the festive fixture programme.
(Guardian)

Blackburn must wait to find out whether striker DJ Campbell, 32, is guilty of spot- fixing before they can cancel his £25,000- a-week contract.(Daily mail)

FC Barcelona vice-president Javier
Faus says there is "zero chance" that the club will sell Lionel Messi, 26, but he also believes the Argentine superstar's contract won't be improved this season.
(Marca)

German club VfL Wolfsburg could be interested in signing Kevin De Bruyne if Chelsea decide to sell the 22-year-old Belgium midfielder.
(Kicker)

AND FINALLY
David Beckham says he still pines for Manchester despite his jet-set
lifestyle - with the 38-year-old
describing his spell at Manchester
United as the best of his career.
(Manchester evening news)

Chelsea captain John Terry, 33, who earns £170,000 a week, has been spotted bargain hunting in Poundworld.(Metro)