THURSDAY TRANSFER GOSSIP COLUMN

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Here are the latest transfer news for today,check'em out...

Newcastle, Everton, Stoke, West Brom, West Ham, Aston Villa, Swansea and Cardiff are monitoring the situation of
Wilfried Zaha, 21, at Manchester United.
(Daily Telegraph)

Chelsea join Manchester United,
Tottenham and Arsenal in pursuit of Inter Milan centre-back Andrea Ranocchi, 25.
(Daily Star)

Diego Costa has scored 22 goals in 21 games this season for Atletico Madrid Arsenal are tracking Atletico Madrid forward Diego Costa, 25, who has a £32m
release clause in his contract with the Spanish club.
(Daily Mail)

Real Madrid want to make a bid for Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, 26, next summer.
(Daily Star)

Manchester City and Arsenal have been sounded out by agents regarding Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas, 32
(Daily Mirror)

Swansea, Reading and QPR are
monitoring Manchester City midfielder Abdisalam Ibrahim, 22.
(Daily Mirror)

Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey, 30 is lining up a loan return to Fulham during the Major League Soccer off-season
(Daily Mail)

Swansea's Michu has called on his club to sign Liverpool's Spanish forward Iago Aspas, 26, on loan in January.
(Daily Mirror)

Other gossip

Former Tottenham boss Andre Villas- Boas, 36, did not approve four of Spurs' seven summer  signings and asked chairman  Daniel Levy not to buy them.
(Daily Mail)

Villas-Boas has emerged as a
contender for the vacant West
Bromwich Albion job, along with
former Liverpool coach Mauricio
Pellegrino and Martin Jol.
(Express and Star)

Ajax manager Frank de Boer, 43, is top of Tottenham's wanted list to become their next head coach.
Tottenham want Frank de Boer who has led Ajax to the Dutch title, to replace Andre Villas-Boas
(Daily Mirror)

Former Manchester United, Real
Madrid and LA Galaxy midfielder
David Beckham, 38, is making progress in his attempt to establish a new MLS team after Miami-Dade county commissioners voted unanimously in support of a new, privately funded stadium.
(ESPN)

Former Tottenham midfielder David Ginola has accused his old club's players of failing to understand the history of the club
(Talksport)

Manchester United should have signed Everton midfielder Ross Barkley, 20, rather than Marouane Fellaini, 26, this summer, according to the club's former striker Michael Owen.
(Metro)

Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel, 42, has dismissed reports ex-manager Andre Villas-Boas lost the dressing room, insisting none of the players wanted to see him leave.
(Fox Sports)

And finally
Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, 23, posted a video of Arsenal's fancy dress Christmas party, where midfielder Santi Cazorla, 29 came as video game character Mario and forward Lukas Podolski, 28 turned up as the Incredible Hulk. Szczesny went
as Robocop.
(Metro)

WEDNESDAY TRANSFER GOSSIP

Here are the latest transfer gossips across europe...

21-year-old Burnley striker Danny Ings as Brendan Rodgers looks to add cover for Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in January. The England Under-21 forward has scored 15 goals this season.
(Daily mirror.)

Manchester United manager David Moyes could include wingers Nani and Antonio Valencia in a potential bid for Galatasaray's Netherlands midfielder Wesley Sneijder, 29.
( Daily Express)

Porto will offer France defender
Eliaquim Mangala, 22, a pay rise to
block interest from Chelsea,
Manchester United and Manchester City. (Metro )

Dimitar Berbatov is keen to leave
relegation-threatened Fulham in January. The Bulgarian striker's contract expires in the summer but the 32-year-old wants to move on at the turn of the year,with Turkish side Trabzonspor interested.
(Daily Mirror)

Berbatov has scored one league goal this season Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois wants the promise of a fair opportunity of first-team football before he will agree to return to Chelsea. Courtois, 21, is in a third season on loan at Atletico Madrid and does not want to return to Stamford
Bridge to provide back-up to Petr
Cech. (Daily Mail)

Fulham's new manager Rene
Meulensteen wants to sign Dynamo
Moscow winger Balazs Dzsudzsak, 26, in a £11m deal.
(The Sun )

OTHER GOSSIP
Norwegian left-back John Arne Riise is hoping to prove himself at Fulham under new manager Rene Meulensteen after looking set to leave in January before Martin Jol's departure. (Sky Sports)

Roberto Martinez believes his team can reach the Champions League if they can get 71 points this season.(Daily Telegraph )

Mamadou Sakho could be drafted back into the Liverpool defence for the first time in a month against Norwich on Wednesday night. France centre-back Sakho, 23, joined the Reds for £18m from Paris-St Germain in the summer
and has not played since the 2-0
defeat at Arsenal on 2 November.
( Daily Mail )

Everton defender John Heitinga, 30, is a target for Sam Allardyce's West Ham. (The Sun )

Stoke manager Mark Hughes will be
given money to spend in January to
bolster his squad. City are currently
two places above the relegation zone. (The Guardian)

Former Hibernian and Falkirk boss John Hughes, 49, is expected to be appointed manager of Scottish Premiership side Inverness on a two-and-a-half-year deal to replace new Hibs boss Terry Butcher.
(Daily Record)

Real Madrid have rejected  claims that striker alvaro Morata, 21, could be set for a  loan move to Arsenal or Tottenham i n January .
(Marca)

Barcelona keeper target Marc-Andre ter Stegen, 21, says he will decide on his future at Borussia Monchengladbach in the coming weeks.(Marca)

AND FINALLY
Phil Neville is enjoying life as a
Manchester United coach so much he would like to sleep at the club's training ground.
(Guardian) 

UNITED TO OFFER NANI AND VALENCIA FOR SNEIJDER DEAL

Man United ready to offer Nani AND Antonio Valencia to sign Chelsea target Wesley Sneijder

DAVID MOYES is set to step up his
interest in Dutch midfielder Wesley
Sneijder by offering Galatasaray both Nani and Antonio Valencia in exchange in January.

Reports in Turkey suggest that
Manchester United will return for
Sneijder in January having missed out with a £6m bid for the 29-year-old over the summer. It is thought that United were willing to offer up to £12m for Sneijder - who has
also been linked with Chelsea - in the upcoming transfer window.
But it seems that they hope to tempt Galatasaray with players instead of cash. Both Nani and Valencia have been tipped to leave United after failing to win over
David Moyes this season.

         "I'm going nowhere,
         your going to keep
       seeing me in a red
        and yellow shirt"                             
-Wesley Sneijder

And with former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini at the helm in Istanbul, both players been linked with a move to Turkey.
Galatasaray's new transfer policy sees them trying to become younger and more home-grown but they could make an exception for Nani, 27, and Valencia, 28.
However, it seems that United still have some work to do to convince Sneijder to make the move.

The former Real Madrid star recently said: "I'm going nowhere, your going to keep seeing me in a red and yellow shirt."
Galatasaray would also have to offload at least one other foreign born player for the move to come off with the club already at the limit of overseas-born players allowed in their squad under Turkish Football Federation rules.

MOURINHO PLANS SHOCK £60MILLION SWOOP FOR FALCAO

Jose mourinho is ready to make a
shock move for Monaco striker
Radamel Falcao for a British record
£60million.

The Portuguese boss is losing patience with his strike force and is now prepared to vamp up his interest in the prolific Colombian star. The 27-year-old joined the tax-free French side in the summer but rumours have emerged that he is unhappy in Ligue 1 and wants a quick exit from the club. According to the Mirror , Mourinho and his
scouts will travel to Belgium to watch Falcao in action in the upcoming international friendly.
Mourinho specifically wants to monitor how he will compete against a strong Belgium defence in preparation for the Premier League.

The former Atletico Madrid striker is also available to play in the Champions League this season which provides Mourinho with
more incentive to break the bank.
The move comes after two failed bids for striker Wayne Rooney in the summer.

BENITEZ PLANS DOUBLE RAID ON PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYERS

Napoli manager Rafael Benitez is
preparing a double swoop on two
Premier League players as he looks to boost his squad this January.

SportsDirect News understands that the players topping Benitez's list are Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele. Benitez has been linked with several players for the right-back and central midfield positions, and some other England-based players could also be in for
consideration when the transfer window re-opens in the new year.

Azpilicueta and Dembele are his first choices however, and the latter in particular is thought to be available for the right price as he has failed to reach top form since moving to White Hart Lane last season. The Chelsea full-back, however, has found himself in the starting lineup a little more often of late, and has expressed his
happiness at Stamford Bridge and said that he is not looking for a move.

However, former Blues boss Benitez
worked with the Spaniard last season to good effect and may try to tempt him to make the move to Serie A.

ASHLEY COLE COULD BE HEADING TO MLS

Stamford Bridge full-back linked with MLS switch.

Chelsea veteran Ashley cole is reportedly considering a move to join Thierry Henry at the New York Red Bulls according to the Daily Mirror. The 32 year old England man isn't having the best of seasons and has been dropped by Jose Mourinho on a number of occasions and with his Blues contract coming to an end this summer and with no new deal on the table the offer of a fresh challenge may just tempt the
former Arsenal man.

Cole is into his eighth season at Chelsea and has racked up over 300 appearances for the club and won every available club honour in the process.

The New York Red Bulls have space for a designated 'marquee' addition and as such can offer Cole a competitive salary and probably a longer term contract than he is likely to receive in Europe. Such a move could however affect Cole's
position in the England national team squad but perhaps after the 2014 World Cup finals this will not be as much of an issue for the full-back.

Jose Mourinho has been linked with a number of potential left-back signings including Everton's Leighton baines and Southampton teenager Luke shaw.

DEFOE SET TO LEAVE SPURS IN JANUARY

The 31-year-old has struggled to cement a regular first-team place this season, with Andre Villas-Boas preferring to play Roberto Soldado as the lone striker.

Defoe has predominantly been used for the Europa League, and has broken Martin Chivers' long-standing club record of 23 goals in European competitions. But reports suggest that Defoe has put
paid to any hopes of staying in England by agreeing a four-year deal in which he will earn a princely sum of £90,000-a-week.

Jermain Defoe has played second fiddle to Roberto Soldado this season .Defoe has 'agreed' a four-year deal in which he will earn a
princely sum of £90,000-a-week
Reports also suggest a possible deal has been on the cards for a while, with Toronto prepared to top the £67,000-a-week Defoe currently pockets.

It is also thought that Defoe will seek talks with Roy Hodgson to ascertain the impact it could have on him making the England squad for the World Cup. Defoe has yet to open his account in thePremier League this season.

THURSDAY PAPER TRANSFER TALK

Here is a roundup of todays transfer rumours, Gossip and speculation from all today’s newspaper...

Arsenal midfielder  jack Wilshere is in a fresh club versus country row after picking up a knock in England’s defeat against Germany. (Daily Mirror)

West Brom risk losing manager Steve Clarke for nothing in the summer after failing to open contract talks with him. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea and Manchester United are locked in a transfer battle for Argentinian wonderkid Claudio Gabriel Nancufil, who is aged just eight(Daily Mirror)

Liverpool are preparing a £7million bid for Borussia Monchengladbach striker  Kotas Mitroglou . (Daily Mirror)

Joe Hart could be set for a Manchester City recall after impressing in England’s defeat to Germany. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United have agreed a new two-year deal with Michael Carrick. (Daily mirror)

DORTMUND SIGN FRIEDRICH

Borussia Dortmund reacted on their injury crisis by signing Manuel Friedrich until the end of the season.

After the loss of  Neven Subotic, Mats Hummels and Marcel Schmelzer due to injuries, Dortmund reacted with the
signing the 34-year-old Friedrich, who was out of contract since the summer,reports Xinhua .

"We are reacting on our injuries in the defence. Manuel Friedrich is equipped with a lot of experience and left a good impression in training," said Dortmund sporting director Micheal Zorc Wednesday.

The defender knows the Bundesliga as he played for Mainz, Werder Bremen and Leverkusen. He played for six years at
Leverkusen before leaving the club in 2013. He has also scored 15 goals in 247 Bundesliga matches.

"I am thrilled to take the field at the Signal Iduna Park with a jersey of Borussia Dortmund. I am really looking forward to a cool time in black and yellow," Friedrich said.

MOYES TURNS TO JUVE DEFENDER,BONUCCI

Manchester United are set to switch
their attention to Juventus centre-
back Leonardo Bonucci following news of Mats Hummels' injury.

Although the Borussia Dortmund
defender had been high on United boss David Moyes' list of targets to strengthen his defence, it seems unlikely that negotiations would run while he recovers from an ankle problem, which is expected
to keep him out until January.

With United keen to add a signing at the back following some below-par displays from Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic this season, SportsDirect News now understands that Juventus' Bonucci will be the main candidate for a defensive signing this season.

The likes of Ezequiel Garay and Phil
Jagielka have also been linked with moves to Old Trafford in recent times, and while the Red Devils will explore several options, they are keen to strike a deal for
Italian international Bonucci, whose status as a squad player for Juve could mean he is a realistic target.

Monaco have also been monitoring the 26-year-old ahead of the next transfer window, and their financial power will certainly provide stern competition for
United.

FULHAM TO CHASE AFTER UNITED'S ANDERSON COME JANUARY

Fulham are reportedly set to step up their bid to sign Manchester United midfielder Oliviera Anderson when the transfer window opens in January.

The 25-year-old Brazilian midfielder has struggled for regular first-team action during his six-year spell at Old Trafford
with chances further limited this term under Sir Alex Ferguson's successor David Moyes.

And Cottagers boss Martin Jol had already been linked with a possible swoop for Anderson before former United assistant
boss Rene Meulensteen became part of the Craven Cottage backroom team. It is thought the Dutchman is also keen to get Anderson on board and the player will no doubt be happy to be reunited with him at the Londoners with the promise of
regular first-team football.

The Cottagers are also being linked with a swoop to take United winger Wilfried Zaha to Craven Cottage so a double loan deal could be on the cards in the New Year.

ARSENAL SET FOR JANUARY STRIKER SIGNING

Arsenal are seemingly set on bringing in striking reinforcements in January as Arsene Wenger seeks to make the most of his side's excellent start to the campaign.

The fact that the Gunners opted to bring on sub-standard Dane Nicklas Bendtner as the North London club chased to get
something from their visit to Old Trafford is perhaps evidence of a lack of squad depth in the final third, clearly exacerbated by the loss of both Theo Walcott and Lukas Podoslki to injuries.

Arsenal are apparently 'closing in' on a deal to sign Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema according to the sunday mirror.
The Sunday Mirror believe that the North London side will make a £22m offer for the 25 year old French international as Arsene Wenger looks set to admit defeat
in the pursuit of Liverpool striker Luis Suarez who is apparently on his way to the Bernabeu in a £50m deal.

Benzema came in for a fair deal of abuse from his own supporters earlier this season but has experienced an upturn in
form in recent weeks, scoring four goals in his past four appearances, but the probable arrival of Suarez will clearly leave the former Lyon man out of Carlo Ancelotti's first team starting eleven and as such a move to join former team-mate
Mesut Ozil at the Emirates Stadium may prove tempting.

Arsene Wenger has been linked with an interest in Benzema for a fair few years and the Arsenal boss could well do with strengthening an attack that currently relies heavily on Olivier Giroud, with the
aforementioned injured pair Podolski and Walcott being used primarily in wide roles.

According to the Daily star, Arsenal are set to launch a £15m bid for Chelsea striker Demba Ba according to the daily star. The North London club are desperate to
strengthen an attack that relies heavily on Olivier Giroud with Dane Nicklas Bendtner currently Arsene Wenger's only back-up
option and as such a move for the 28 year old Senegal international would make a great deal of sense.

Though Chelsea would perhaps be against selling players to direct Premier League rivals a bid of this magnitude, more than twice the fee they paid for the former
Newcastle United man, for a player who is way down Jose Mourinho's pecking order could well be considered by the Stamford Bridge club.

Ba has barely featured for Chelsea this term and managed his first goal of the campaign against Schalke in the club's 3-0 Champions League win earlier this week.Prior to his move to West London Ba had netted 36 goals in 66 top tier appearances for Newcastle United and
West Ham and could perhaps be keen on a fresh chance having found himself behind Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto'o and Andre Schurrle in the Chelsea first team set-up.