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Footballers? They're bright ones, arent' they? My favourite one is that genial wit and "Spice Boys" member, Jason McAteer. There are a few of these out there about him, but the one I always remember is when a few of the lads went out for pizza and were asked if they wanted it cut into 4 or 8? Jason pipes up that he'd better have 4, as he'd never manage 8. True or not, I don't know, but I love it.

Thursday transfer gossip.

The Guardian has the 'news' that Man City are looking to sell Craig Bellamy now that the deal for David Silva has been made.

The Sun tells us that Man City have told Liverpool not to bother with a bid for Micah Richards. I'm just assuming that it's not limited to Liverpool, though.

Still at City (something tells me it's going to be City and Spurs heavy today) and The Telegraph says that they'll go back for Everton's Arteta if they can't get James Milner.

While The Mail has United looking at Philipp Lahm again. I'd take this signing over any other this season. We really do need a reliable right back and Lahm is about as good as a right back gets atm.

Also in The Mail and Inter have said that Mario Balotelli is not for sale and that Maicon is indespensible to the team.

Another Mail story and Chelsea haven't been put off by Torres' groin injury and are going ahead with a bid for him.

More Chelsea news and The Telegraph say that they think they'll be able to fend off the interest from Real for Ashley Cole, even if he wants to leave.

The Daily Mirror has West Ham in talks with Olympiakos about selling midfielders Alessandro Diamanti and Radoslav Kovac but want to keep midfielder Scott Parker and the owners have travelled to the south of France to try to push through a £12m deal for Nice striker Loic Remy.

Sunderland are putting together a deal for United striker Danny Welbeck and Manchester City defender Nedum Ohuoha. That's from The Mail.

The Mirror have Sam Allardyce looking to offload Jason Roberts to raise funds for a new forward.

Emiliano Insua is to join Fiorentina after they agreed a £5m fee with Liverpool for him.

The Mirror has David Moyes saying that he doesn't think that Everton will be signing any more players before the end of the transfer window.

They also have a story which says that Sven-Goran Eriksson turn down the chance of a return to the Premier League with Fulham and stay with the Ivory Coast.



The People's Republic of Clogher
It's funny how Bellamy has turned into a de facto wide man over the last season and probably given his top level career a new lease of life. He's perfect for playing on either side of a front three...

I can remember watching him quite a bit as a youngster when he was bought to replace Robbie Keane at Cov City. A wonderful little player back then with so much promise. It's a shame that he's so injury prone as that's bound to have affected his development.

It's also a shame that he appears to be an utter cock.
__________________
"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan



It's funny how Bellamy has turned into a de facto wide man over the last season and probably given his top level career a new lease of life. He's perfect for playing on either side of a front three...

I can remember watching him quite a bit as a youngster when he was bought to replace Robbie Keane at Cov City. A wonderful little player back then with so much promise. It's a shame that he's so injury prone as that's bound to have affected his development.

It's also a shame that he appears to be an utter cock.
Haha.

Bellamy is a tramp-stamped, mong-faced shitehawk of the highest order. And it looks like Spurs will be getting him! So YAY ****ing YAY. If anything was missing from last season, it was in-fighting with golf clubs and a streak of general ****ishness.

In the Currant Bun today though is the headline 'Luis Fabiano Urges Harry Redknapp to Sign Him'. Fabiano isn't adverse to being a bit of a tool either but Carlos Kickaball that he is, is certainly more interesting than Bellamy and Micah 'spitroast' Richards. I hope we can pull that off 'cos he is a 'triffic player and may give us the means to play 4-5-1, which now seems the way forward in both domestic and European competition.



The Press Association carries quotes from Sandro Rosell, he says there are currently no talks between the two sides over a deal for Spain midfielder.

"Arsenal feels very hurt by Barca," Rosell told Catalan TV3. "They don't want to listen to offers or sell and they are not putting the player on the market. There was a strong dispute a few months ago and they have not forgotten it.

"He will arrive, even if it is not now, it will be next year. We will see. One thing that is certain is that we will not go mad trying to sign him. No shareholder would pay 60 or 70m euros for him.

"We will not go all out for him. We would only pay his value in the transfer market."

BBC Sport reports that Man City have signed Manchester City Serbian left-back Aleksandar Kolarov, from Lazio for a fee of £16m

West Ham have made the signings of winger Pablo Barrera for £4m and Lyon striker Frederic Piquionne, who was on loan at Portsmouth last season.

The Daily Mail says United could lose Nemanja Vidic to Real Madrid. It's an old story, but it just won't go away.

The Mail also carries the story that Shakhtar Donetsk are looking at making a £20m bid for Robinho.

They also tell us that Spurs and Arsenal are in a bidding war over 17-year-old Ipswich striker Connor Wickham. £8m is the figure being bandied about.

In The Independent, Massimo Moratti (Inter Chairman) has hinted the club may be ready to sell forward Mario Balotelli if a club makes the right offer. Oh, cal suprise.

AC Milan are shopping Klaas-Jan Huntelaar around to Premier League clubs to raise funds for a move for Wolfsburg's Edin Dzeko.

The Sun says Aston Villa are thinking about making an £8m bid for Dinamo Zagreb striker Mario Mandzukic.

You know that running story about West Ham making a bid for Nice forward Loic Remy? Well, The Sun is still going with that. However, The Daily Mirror tells us that Liverpool may yet come in and make a bid.

The Daily Star says that Steve Bruce is close to taking Danny Welbeck to Sunderland from United on a 12-month loan deal.

However, Bruce will have to pay £10m for Stephen Ireland, says The Mirror.

They also say that Martin Jol has emerged as a late contender for the Fulham job.

Meanwhile, God himself (or Eric Cantona to the non-United fans) has told The Sun that he is "sure England will not qualify" for Euro 2012 or the 2014 World Cup because there are not enough English players competing in the Premier League.

The Mirror says that Robbie Keane will be sold to Villa, in order to make room for Craig Bellamy at Spurs.

The Mail has Portsmouth defender Tal Ben Haim set to become West Ham's third signing of the week. Avram Grant has been busy this week, hasn't he?

More from The Mail and Zenit St Petersburg want to sign Porto defender Bruno Alves amid fears Manchester United could make a move if Nemanja Vidic should leave Old Trafford.

Lastly, in The Telegraph, they tell us that Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed he twice turned down the chance to coach the England national team. Apparently he was first choice after Terry Venables and again, three years later, after Glen Hoddle.

“I was offered the chance to manage the England team on a couple of occasions but, of course, it was just out of the question. “It’s a poisoned chalice anyway. I think it’s a terrible job, plus the fact that I would have had a tremendous handicap being Scottish; no matter which way you look it, that’s important.” Fergie said.



Man City manager Roberto Mancini has added Attilio Lombardo to the coaching staff at the club. The 'Bald Eagle' was a former team-mate of Mancini's at Sampdoria. He'll meet up with another forrmer Sampdoria man on the coaching staff, David Platt.

Adriano Correia has made the move from Sevilla to Barcelona, signing a four-year deal with the Catalan club and will could cost them £11.5m.

Still at Barca and the Press Association carries quotes from Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic who says he is staying at Barcelona and has quashed speculation linking him with a move to the Premier League.

"I was a Barca player when I left [to go on holiday] and I'll be a Barca player when I go back," he said at a press conference to announce his return to the Sweden national team.

"I want to congratulate everybody that has used my name, because it's fun to have been at Chelsea, at Manchester City, without having been there."

The Sun brings good news to Arsenal fans by reporting that the club are winning their battle to keep Fabregas.

But they bring less welcome news for United fans. Yep, it's the Vidic story again. £18m is what they say Real will pay. I know he's not the player he was a couple of seasons ago, but I'd still want around £10m more than that for him.

The Daily Mirror say that Inter are hoping that United and City will create a bidding war for teenage striker Mario Balotelli. Good luck with that, Inter. If you want more than £30m, I think you may as well sell to City now.

The Mail bring us the news that Spurs' Giovani dos Santos is wanted by Sporting Lisbon on loan and could be used to bring forward Yannick Djalo to White Hart Lane in a £4.2m deal.

The Star says that Everton have been told to forget about a deal for Landon Donovan.

Sunderland are interested in signing both Danny Welbeck and Burnley winger Chris Eagles to the Stadium of Light. So says The Mail.

The Mirror tells us that Bolton have been given first option to take midfielder Jack Wilshere back to the Reebok should Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger send him out on loan again.

Also in The Mirror and they say that current Ajax manager (and former Spurs manager) Martin Jol has agreed a deal to take over as Fulham manager.



Hooray for Sunday! Bumper transfer gossip day.

Werder Bremen have said they're ready to listen to offers for German playmaker Mesut Ozil. That's from the Associated Foreign Press.

101greatgoals tells us that Harry Redknapp has confirmed that the club are on the verge of signing Croatia keeper Stipe Pletikosa from Spartak Moscow.

The Mail On Sunday bring us the, not unexpected news given the recent disclosure of Barca's finances, that they're about to give Arsenal a £40m "take it or leave it" offer for Fabregas. From what's been reported, I'd say that's their entire transfer budget for this summer. Looks like he's staying, Gunners fans as, by my prediction, that's £20m short.

The Sunday Mirror carries the news that Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelotti, has said that Ashley Cole's not going anywhere and that include Real and City. I've also read on the BBC website Ancelotti say that he's not interested in a £50m bid for Torres as they have enough strikers at the club.

That being the case, Real manager, Jose Mourinho, will now go for Patrice Evra at United. That's in the News Of The World, who also say that Vidic is also a transfer target for Real.

The Sunday Express say United are preparing a bid for Bayern Munich's Philipp Lahm and are prepared to offer forward Dimitar Berbatov in order to get him.

Will anyone decent leave Liverpool? Not according to the Sunday Times who say that Rafa Benitez will go for Dirk Kuyt. They also say he's looking at Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar. Frankly, I don't see either of these happening. Though I'd bite their hand off at the chance to get shot of Kuyt.

More from the Sunday Mirror, who say that Arsenal have had a £14m bid for Phil Jagielka turned down. However, it also says that they'll be back with a £16m offer.

Another story from the Sunday Mirror sees Newcastle making a sly bid for Mahamadou Diarra, who's said to have dropped out of favour at Real.

The News Of The World has Inter excited and ready to let Mario Balotelli talk to Man City, after City offered £20m. Looks like none of them know what the hell's going on with this transfer, either. Wasn't it reported during the week that City had already offered £28m? £2m less than United were prepared to offer? Anyway...

Also in the NOTW, though not really a story atm, is Joe Cole moving to Liverpool on a £90,000 a week, three year contract. I heard about this yesterday and later read that betting had been suspended on the Joe Cole move, so there really might be something behind it. Though I'm still having trouble seeing him that far north, maybe the 3 year deal is enough to do it?

Still with the NOTW and new manager, Roy Hodgson, has told Torres and Gerrard to make up their minds within the next two weeks whether they want to leave or not.

They also say that the Jimmy Bullard to Celtic move is back on, after he accepted a fee to leave Hull.

The Sunday Times say David James may move to Celtic on a free as a replacement for Artur Boruc.

Or Celtic may go for Crystal Palace's Julian Speroni, from the NOTW.

More NOTW rumours who tell is that Arsenal and Tottenham have will have to pay up £10m for Ipswich's 17-year-old striker Connor Wickham.

Spurs are also looking at Blackburn's 18-year-old defender Phil Jones.

The Daily Star On Sunday (that's a mouthful, isn't it?) says West Brom are lining up a £1m bid to sign Blackburn striker Jason Roberts.

The Sunday People reports that Stoke City are going to offer West Ham £8m for Carlton Cole.

The Daily Star On Sunday has the owners of the New York Yankees looking at buying Tottenham for £450m.

The Sunday Mirror says Fabio Capello believes his failure to convince Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes to come out of international retirement was a massive contributing factor to his side's dismal World Cup showing this summer.

The Sunday Mirror says that there are England players who want Capello sacked following the publication of player ratings website the Capello Index.

Ricky Hatton is reported to have given up his executive box at the Wastelands, after the club raised the price from £22,000 last season to £39,000 this season.

The Mail On Sunday tells us that it's that over one million World Cup seats went unsold in South Africa, with many locals unable to afford to buy tickets for the games.



I think you've all seen The Damned United, but did you see the documentary on last night on BBC2 Brian Clough: The Greatest Manager England Never Had?
was good.



I didn't see it last night, but I have seen it before. *in my best Jimmy Saville voice* As it 'appens, I recorded it and am watching it now.

Looks like, as usual, the bookies info was correct, as Liverpool have signed Joe Cole on a four year deal, subject to his medical.

Spurs have become my favourite Premier League team (after United, of course) as they've become the first Prem team to ban vuvuzelas from their ground. Well done you lilly whites.

The Daily Mail isn't letting go off the Fabregas story, even though it looks dead for another year. They say that Fabregas is refusing to give up "his dream" of going back to Barca, but may have to submit a transfer request to force it through.

The Sun says that Luis Fabiano will probably stay in Spain, even though there are a number of Premier League clubs who want to sign him. Obviously, not the right ones.

They also carry the obligatory "Loic Remy to West Ham" story and also carry the now also obligatory "Liverpool are also in for him" story.

The Mirror, however, carry a story that West Ham have turned their attention to Rosario Central's Argentine striker Milton Caraglio.

The Daily Mail say that Man City officials have travelled to Italy to seal a £35m deal for Inter's Mario Balotelli.

They also say that Newcastle want to sign Saint-Etienne's 23-year-old centre back Yohan Benalouane.

The Daily Mirror tells us that Chelsea's 18 year old defender Jeffrey Bruma, 18, will join Wolfsburg, managed by Steve McClaren, on a season-long loan deal.

Another Mirror story has Martin O'Neill ready to bid £10m for Celtic midfielder Aiden McGeady. And Marlon Harewood has been offered a two-year deal at Rangers, after being released on a free from Aston Villa.

Lastly, Joey Barton (remember him?) shows us his comedic skills by telling the Daily Mail that he is "as good as anyone in the country", including fellow midfielders Steven Gerrard of Liverpool and Chelsea's Frank Lampard.


The Daily Mail tell us that Martin Jol, who's expected to take over at Fulham, is interested in signing Spurs striker Robbie Keane, after being promised a £20m transfer kitty.



In some concrete news, Joke 'I don't want to leave London' Cole has joined Liverpool on a four year deal for an estimated £90,000+ a week. Oh well, he certainly isn't a player to be breaking the wage structure for and i'm not sure he'd get in ahead of Kranjcar anyway, let alone Modric. Hopefully we can put our energies into getting a top quality front man.

I'm glad we've banned the vuvuzela's as well, even if it is a little pointless. I'd like to see the reaction in my vicinity if someone started tooting that noise pollution pipe. Some guy in the Paxton brings an old wooden rattle to every game and gets enough grief for that. There would be a riot if he replaced it with a trumpet!

Nice to see Jol back in England as well. It'd be even nicer if he took Keane off our hands.



AC Milan owner, Silvio Berlusconi, has said that they'll never sell Brazilian forward Ronaldinho.

"Ronaldinho is not transferable and we're all in agreement that he will remain at Milan as long as he continues to play," said Berlusconi. "I've not spoken to him recently, but it is certain that we will be renewing his contract and that he'll stay (at Milan) as long as he continues to play.

"I consider him the best player of all time."
Contrary to newpaper stories today, the Blackpool City website says that the club isn't encouraging people to bring vuvuzelas to home games.

"We haven't really given any full consideration to vuvuzelas - we've had plenty of other things occupying the mind with a debut season in the Premier League to prepare for," said a club spokesman.

"Any decision will be taken in due course and in consultation with relevant supporter groups."
More denials to newspaper stories, this time from Man City, who've denied talking to Didier Drogba. Thierno Seydi suggested in a radio interview that Drogba could leave Chelsea before the transfer deadline and said there had already been talks with City. But a City spokesperson said: "There has been absolutely no contact. We have not spoken to him and there is no foundation to this." That's carried by the Press Association.

Even more wrong stories, this time the Martin Jol to Fulham story that's been knocking around for about a week. The Press Association says that Martin Jol is prepared to snub Fulham and remain at Ajax, providing the club allow him to strengthen the squad this summer.

"They (Fulham) were interested but in principle I will stay at Ajax," Jol told Amsterdam-based newspaper De Telegraaf on Tuesday.
However, this evening the BBC website has a story saying that Fulham are in talks with Ajax about negotiating a deal to let Jol take the job at Fulham and that Jol is "unhappy" at Ajax.

The Daily Telegraph tells us that Barcelona hope to talk with Arsenal to discuss the their grievances over their persistent pursuit of Fabregas before submitting a second bid in an attempt to bring him to the club.

The Times says that Arsenal's Eduardo is on the verge of a £6m move to Shakhtar Donetsk after undergoing a medical.

I can't believe he still hasn't gone to PSG, but The Sun today carries a story that Panathinaikos are offering William Gallas £25,000 a week and a £1m signing on fee.

The Guardian says with the signing of Joe Cole that Liverpool hope to persuade both Torres and Gerrard to stay. Latest reports tonight, again from the BBC website, suggest that Gerrard has told Liverpool that he's going to stay.

The Daily Mail says Sunderland are looking at bringing Titus Bramble to the club for £5m. While, The Sun, says that Sunderland are also favourites to get Sol Campbell on a free transfer.

Still with The Sun who say that Bolton and Sunderland are front runners for the signature of Algerian midfielder, Karim Matmou, for a fee of £6m.



The Mirror tells us that Manchester City are talking to Benfica and Brazil midfielder Ramires, after the deal for Villa's James Milner stalled. The story says he's rated at £30m, which is twice the value I remember stated a couple of weeks ago when this story first came about.

The Mail has City confident of signing Mario Balotelli for £23m, which is £7m less than they were reported to have bid a day or two ago. They really don't have a clue, do they?

The Sun has Fergie interested in signing Mezut Ozil from Wolfsburg. However, seeing as every media outlet, including The Sun, have been carrying stories with Sir Alex saying that he's happy with what he's got (ie. There's no more money for signings) I can't really see where this story is coming from.

The Sun also say that Spurs are now at the head of the queue for Real Madrid's free transfer, Raul. Again, it's almost as if they've not got a clue where he's going.

The Daily Mail says that Chelsea have had a £16.9m offer for 18-year-old Brazilian forward Neymar turned down by Santos.

The Express say that Barcelona star Xavi has told Arsenal they only have Cesc Fabregas "on loan" and that the Gunners captain will eventually return to the Nou Camp, where he started his career.

The Daily Express also bring us news from the transfer that never happens. Fulham's Mark Schwarzer has been offered a player-coach role to join Arsenal.

The Mirror say that Liverpool want £6m for David Ngog, to raise funds for other transfers.

The Daily Mail says that Roman Pavlyuchenko is on the verge of a season-long switch to Sporting Lisbon.

Back to The Mirror and West Ham are set to finalise a move for Lyon defender Francois Clerc, who is available on a free transfer.

Defender Tal Ben-Haim's proposed move to West Ham from Portsmouth is on the verge of collapse after he failed a medical.

Today's "Which former player will Jose take to Real" story says that Ricardo Carvalho is the latest Chelsea player to join him. At least this story has some backing to it, as Carvalho moved with Jose to Chelsea from Porto and there's been rumours about Chelsea selling him this summer for a while now. Who knows, maybe this one will actually go ahead.

The Mirror also brings us the news that Wolves, West Ham and Blackburn are all after City striker, Benjani, who's been released on a free.

Real midfielder, Mahamadou Diarra, has pledged himself to Real Madrid, killing any interest that Newcastle may've had in him. That's in The Independent.

Also in The Independent, news that Petr Cech could miss the first Premier League game of the season against West Brom, after suffering a calf injury in training on Tuesday.



Nope. I think if he were going to leave Liverpool, it would've been when Chelsea first came in for him. Had Real (or another big European club) made a move for him then, it's possible, but Stevie Me loves being the King of his Realm and I don't think he'd get away with half of what he does in, and for, Liverpool.

Also, I don't think being 'another' star in a team of stars is his thing at all.



I'm sorry to all American vistors to this thread, although i'm sure there aren't many, but this interview rivals the infamous Darren Huckerby one when he arrived Stateside.

http://www.thefinalthird.com/2010/07...thierry-henry/

"So Thierry, you've just won the World Cup?". Err no.

It's almost unwatchable from then on, seeing two shing-faced morning news presenters question someone they don't know about something they know nothing about. I'm all for showing that handball in the lead up to Gallas' controversial goal vs Ireland as an indicator of his abilities, this coming from a bitter Spurs fans who remembers him sprinting the length of Highbury to celebrate in front the lilywhites packing the away end, but of all the great moments in his career, and unfortunately there were many, I can't believe the editor picked that one to showcase to America.

As for the presenters and Henry trying to make out that racism is a massive problem in Europe while everything is squeaky clean in the States, well, words fail me. It's a full-on retard-fest all round.

I think Henry will make his debut tonight against Spurs, as we are doing one of those money-spinning yet horrendously impractical tours of the US for pre-season. Hopefully it's a little better than our last game against the San Jose...erm...EARTHQUAKES! but as long as everyone comes out unscathed, it really doesn't matter to me.

And for those curious about the Darren Huckerby interview. Here it is.




The Sun tell us that Chelsea hope to beat Barcelona and Bayern to the signature of defensive midfielder Ramires. Today, however, his price has dropped a third, to £20m.

More from The Sun, who tell us Fernando Torres has been in talks with Liverpool managing director Christian Purslow, though he's yet to give any sign as to whether he'll stay or not. I'd have thought that breaking down in the final of the World Cup, after only being on the pitch for about 10 minutes, was a pretty good sign that he's going nowhere this summer. Unless he goes to City. I can see City putting down £50m-£70m on a striker who's spent the last two years on the treatment table.

Today's "Mascherano Goes To Inter" story comes from The Guardian.

The Daily Mirror says that Roy Hodgson is looking at the possibility of signing City defender Wayne Bridge.

They also carry one of today's "Loic Remy To West Ham" story. However, the twist in today's story is that they're going to include Nabil El Zhar and Damien Plessis in a players-plus-cash offer. The other is from The Mail, who say that West Ham are in "pole Position" after making a £13m bid. Just where are the Hammers getting this cash from?

More from The Mirror, who says that Arsene Wenger thinks he can persuade Sol Campbell to stay at Arsenal and resist offers from Newcastle, Sunderland and Celtic.

Some stories from The Mail now. They say that Sunderland have joined 'the race' to sign David James.

And that Sevilla have made Everton a £9m bid for Mikel Arteta.

That Wigan are thinking about a £2m move for PSV defender Carlos Salcido, should Figueroa move to Liverpool, as has been rumoured.

Celtic Manager, Neil Lennon, has promised Hoops fans his summer signing blitz will kick into overdrive once he returns from the USA on Friday.

The Sun catch Harry Redknapp after a quick schmoke (apparently) as he tells them that he believes his side are capable of building on qualifying for the Champions League by winning the Premier League title.

Whereas, in The Express, he's in a better state of mind, when he tells us that it is only a matter of time before Manchester City's spending bags them the Premier League crown and that, if he could bring in four players of his choice, he would win the league.

Some quick news.

Martin O'Neil has said that he'll sell James Milner if he wants to leave.

Scottish defender Danny Wilson has signed for Liverpool. He's signed a three-year deal after a move from Rangers. The deal could be worth upto £5m, though Liverpool will pay £2m upfront with the rest dependent on clauses.

Chelsea defender, Alex, will be out for a month with a thigh strain and so will miss the first game of the season.

Martin Jol has turned down the chance to take over at Fulham, having decided to stay at Ajax.

Lastly, United's new signing Javier Hernandez, will have the name Chicharito - which means little pea - on the back of his shirt next season.



The People's Republic of Clogher
I've posted that Huckerby interview a few times here, it's a classic.

"He's a legend!"

Poor Darren. Bags of skill and pace but didn't have a brain in his head so the skill and pace only combined a couple of times a season.

As for Henry, if you're gonna retire from professional football then you're gonna have to put up with stupid interviews. I know he's a shadow of the player he was a mere two or three years ago but surely he could have found a club in a league where people at least know who he is? He doesn't need the money, does he?

Maybe it's true that the only other club who offered him a deal was West Ham and maybe he was being genuine when he said a few years back that the only English club he'd play for would be Arsenal. If that's the case, then respect to him, I suppose, but it's kinda cutting off your nose to spite your face.

As it stands, Henry is following in the footsteps of Georgie Best, Pele etc who went after one last big payday in the land where professional sportspeople are treated like gods. Except footballers.



The French Football Federation has said it will suspended all 23 members of France's World Cup squad for their next game, a friendly against Norway on 11th August.

Good news for United fans like me, as Nemanja Vidic has agreed a new "long-term" contract, according to United chief executive David Gill.

Goal brings us the news that AC Milan are 'very close' to completing a £12.5m deal for CSKA Moscow's Japan World Cup star Keisuke Honda.

Now a story from Italian Sky Sports (did you know such a thing existed? I didn't.) Anyway, they're saying that Inter have confirmed there is a "dialogue" with Man City about Mario Balotelli, and they are "waiting and considering" but have yet to take a definite decision on his future.

Still with Man City and The Guardian tells us that the club are about to make a £24m take it or leave it offer for James Milner.

Whereas the Daily Mail says that Milner is fuming and demanding talks with Martin O'Neill, after being accused of wanting to walk out of Villa Park. He says that he's never said he wants to leave and wants to know why O'Neill says he did.

The Mail also says that Blackburn have been unable to sign James Beattie, who's unwanted at Stoke. So the club that was 'supposed' to be looking at signing Raul, can't convince James Beattie to join?

The Sun says that Sol Campbell has signed an extension to his contract at Arsenal.

The Times says that West Ham has dropped their asking price for Carlton Cole... To £12m. Now that, if I remember correctly, is £2m more than the price they wanted earlier in the summer.

A story from the Daily Mirror, now, and French league winners, Marseille, are about to offer £8m for Wigan's Charles N'Zogbia.

They also say that West Ham have asked Algeria's World Cup goalkeeper Rais M'Bolhi to join their pre-season training camp in Germany.

And they have Luke Young going to Villa from Fulham, after reporting that he didnt' turn up at pre-season training in Germany.

The Independent have a story that I've not seen anywhere else. They say that some Fulham players want Cardiff boss Dave Jones to take over at Craven Cottage.

Sadly, for football journalists, Germany's Sami Khedira has said that the only club he's willing to join is Real Madrid.

Not £34m. Not £50m. No, Wolfsberg have no told Man City (apparently) that Edin Dzeko isn't available at any price. According to The Mail, anyway.

The Mirror has Chelsea in the market for a striker. It'll be no surprise to you that Mario Balotelli is the name mentioned. They also say that Franco Di Santo will be sold.

The Daily Express tells us that Sven-Goran Eriksson's agent has said that there's been no contact with Fulham about taking over at the club.

The Mirror say that Avram Grant wants Mikael Silvestre to come to West Ham.

Panathinaikos' reported offer of £25,000 a week and a £1m signing bonus apparently wasn't enough for William Gallas. The Mail says that Panathinaikos have stopped negotiations after refusing to meet his wage demands.

The Mirror says Stoke are stupid enough to pay £12m for Carlton Cole.

Lastly, Robbie Keane refused to answer questions about his future at Spurs, after scoring in the 2-1 win over New York Red Bulls.



It's Sunday (or, at least, it was) so it's another round of Sunday Bumper Transfer Gossip Day.

The Sunday Times goes back to a story that's almost as old as the hills. It's the one about David Beckham going to West Ham. This time, however, they've managed to tie in the 2012 Olympic bid, saying that they hope that, with Beckham aboard, they'll get to move to the Olympic stadium in 2013.

The Sunday Mirror says that Carlo Ancelotti has made it clear that Ashley Cole is going nowhere.

The News Of The World is carrying a story which has Spurs 'hijacking' Man City's deal for James Milner.

While The Mail On Sunday says that Jose Mourinho is to make one last-ditch attempt to sign Steven Gerrard and has instructed the Real Madrid hierarchy to offer £30m.

They also tell us that Man City is planning a player clear out and, if that wasn't news, it then goes on to mention all the names you'd expect to hear.

They also say that Arsenal are still interested in signing Phil Jagielka even though, they tell us, that they've already had a £10m bid turned down. It was £14m last time, wasn't it? They also say that Arsene Wenger has turned down the chance to sign David James, so he's off to Celtic.

The keeper that the NOTW say Wenger is after is Ajax and Netherlands keeper Maarten Stekelenburg.

Remember Loic Remy? Of course you do, there's been a bloody story telling us he's on his way to West Ham for the last two weeks. Anyway, the Mail says that he may not be coming to the Premier League at all (they use the words "denied a move to") because his former club, Lyon, have been given 48 hours to match any offer made by West Ham, Liverpool or Arsenal if Nice decide to sell. Is it me, or is this story falling away in a classic Fleet Street manner?

Stoke are looking into a £4m bid for Kevin-Prince Boateng from Portsmouth. That's from the Sunday Mirror.

The NOTW say that Wigan, Blackburn and Stoke are all after 24-year-old striker Mamadou Samassa, who's contract has run out at Marseille.

Back to the Sunday Mirror and Martin O'Neil will 'consider his future' at the club if they try to sell Ashley Young behind his back. Wouldn't that apply to any manager with any player? Unless it's in the contract, of course.

Roy Hodgson seems to be paving the way for Torres to leave Liverpool. He says there is nothing more he can do to keep him at Liverpool and is quoted as saying; "His beef is with the club and not me," Of course, he's also quoted as saying; "If he has problems with the club for things in the past, it is difficult for me to dismiss that." Doesn't that "if" sound a bit iffy?

The Sunday Mirror says that Harry Redknapp has asked the Spurs board to back him with funds in the transfer market, so that this opportunity to get Spurs amongst the Premier League elite isn't wasted. I don't know how much he's asking for but, according to reports, he's got a transfer budget of £40m. However, Chairman Levy won't break the club's pay structure.

There's stories about Fabregas. One says Wenger's going to have 'showdown' talks with him. The other that he's going to stay because, wait for it, the Arsenal fans mean so much to him.

The Mail On Sunday says Everton are looking to make Arteta the best paid Everton player ever, in an attempt to keep him at Goodison.

And a couple of the stories that interest me from the early editions.

The Telegraph has Newcastle hoping to sign Marseille winger Hatem Ben Arfa on a loan deal.

They also say that Harry Redknapp intends to name Robbie Keane in his 25-man Premier League squad despite persistent speculation that he's off to.. Well, anyone who can pay him enough.

The Mirror says David Ngog is putting off potential employers with his £40,000 a week wages.

They also have Sunderland and Blackpool in a race to sign Danny Wellback on a year loan from United.