Transfer talk

[Kbulldog3]

Im am going to try and update a list of transfer rumors every day i hear from english newspapers. Here is what I have for today.

Andriy Shevchenko might actuall come to Chelsea. According to the Independant, Chelsea's fourth move for the Ukrainian will be successful. Shevchenko himself is said to be warming to the idea of the massive wages on offer, while Milan would struggle to turn down a record fee.
Michael Ballack is already on his way, while Ashley Cole (available for £16m) could form the final piece of the jigsaw - though Bayern left-back Philipp Lahm is another name mentioned.

The club have said that there will be three players in and three out this summer, but William Gallas' desire to leave could see Chelsea chase Tottenham's Ledley King as well as his teammate Jermain Defoe. Spurs could be offered Wayne Bridge and Glen Johnson as makeweights in any deal. Eidur Gudjohnsen also looks set to leave.

Tottenham are set to make a £4m move for Wigan's be-gloved defender Pascal Chimbonda, according to the Daily Mirror.

Everton are back in the race to sign Blackburn and Manchester City Benni McCarthy...Everton are to hold talks with Wolves defender Joleon Lescott, who is also a target for Sheffield United...Fulham defender Niclas Jensen has been linked with a return to FC Copenhagen...Seville have made a £4m bid for Lauren, a guest of honour at the Andalucians' recent UEFA Cup tie with Schalke...Newcastle have handed Charles N'Zogbia a new three-year deal to ward off interest from Arsenal.

[Kbulldog3]

Here is my update for May 3rd.

Following The Independent's revelations on Tuesday that Chelsea want to sign just about everyone, on Wednesday they turn their attentions to Tottenham. Names mentioned include Lyon winger Hatem Ben Arfa (though Spurs want to pay only £1m and the French club want £3m), Bayer Leverkusen's Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov and Crystal Palace's Andy Johnson. Then there's Chelsea pair Glen Johnson and Wayne Bridge, Wigan defender Pascal Chimbonda and West Brom's Curtis Davies.
Meanwhile, The Sun says that Spurs are in a £6m battle with Liverpool to sign Charlton striker Darren Bent, who is said to be 'shell-shocked' by the departure of Addicks boss Alan Curnishley.

Leaving White Hart Lane are likely to be Stephen Kelly, Nourredine Naybet and Goran Buncevjevic (who are all out of contract), while they will listen to offers for Wayne Routledge and Andy Reid. Jermain Defoe could of course exit for Chelsea, Man Utd or Liverpool.

Half the Arsenal squad is bound for Spain, it seems, with the Daily Mirror claiming that Cesc Fabregas will be the subject of a £12m bid from Real Madrid this summer. They are also still pondering a bid for Ashley Cole, while Thierry Henry is obviously a target for Barcelona. And then there's Lauren, who looks likely to join Sevilla with the emergence of Emmanuel Eboue leaving his Arsenal future in doubt.

Wolves defender Joleon Lescott is on the verge of a £4m move to Everton...Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is ready to make a £2m swoop for Birmingham striker Emile Heskey...Sheffield Wednesday have been given the green light to sign Liverpool keeper Scott Carson on a 12-month loan deal...Former Nottingham Forest and Barnsley boss Paul Hart admits he is interested in the Millwall job...But Millwall want Gillingham boss Ronnie Jepson as their new manager.

[musicl]

The club have said that there will be three players in and three out this summer, but William Gallas' desire to leave could see Chelsea chase Tottenham's Ledley King as well as his teammate Jermain Defoe.King just signed a new 4 year deal with Spurs just a couple of days ago.

[Kbulldog3]

I didnt make that up about king that is what the paper said

[Kbulldog3]

Here is my update for May 4.

Spurs could be moving rapidly from being the team with the most central midfielders in the world to a team desperately short of star quality in the middle of the park going into whichever European competition they end up in next season.

Sir Alex Ferguson, says The Sun, sees Spurs lynchpin Michael Carrick as the answer to his own side's midfield problems, and is set to offer £10million to test the London club's resolve to hang onto their prize asset. But the more worrying thing for Spurs is that Carrick would probably jump at the move. The 24-year-old is halfway through a four-year contract at White Hart Lane, where he earns £15,000 a week - a figure that would increase dramatically at Man Utd.


Carrick, from Newcastle, is also thought to suffer from homesickness down in old London town, and would welcome a move back to the north of the country. And, perhaps most importantly, a move to Old Trafford would almost certainly see the midfielder become a regular in the England side. The issue may be out of Spurs' hands if Arsenal can win the Champions League, since Carrick would then almost certainly favor the move, which, if Fergie gets his way, would see Carrick partner AC Milan's Rino Gattuso in a new-look midfield.

In news that newspapers are sure to ignore all summer, Chelsea target Andriy Shevchenko has once again insisted that he wants to stay with AC Milan, saying "Every year I hear reports on Abramovich and Chelsea, but my wish is to remain a Rossoneri player until I am no longer able to give my very best for the team."


Meanwhile, according to the Daily Mirror, Chelsea have instructed three different agents to find a buyer for Asier Del Horno - even though they know they will lose more than half of the £8m they shelled out for the Spaniard. William Gallas is also set to leave Stamford Bridge, but Juventus believe they have beaten AC Milan to the signature of the French defender. And he'll have someone to sit next to on his flight over if Arsenal fail to win the Champions League, with the Mirror reporting that Thierry Henry is set for an unlikely return to Turin - who will match any wages offered to the striker by Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Portsmouth's on-loan midfielder Andres D'Alessandro wants Pompey boss Harry Redknapp to smash the club's transfer record to keep him at Fratton Park this summer, says the Daily Mirror. As part of the loan deal with D'Alessandro's club Wolfsburg, Pompey have first option on his signature if they match Wolfsburg's £5m valuation. That would not be a problem for Pompey, who are expecting a major summer cash injection from new co-owner Sacha Gaydamak - and D'Alessandro said yesterday "I would like to stay."

Birmingham midfielder Stan Lazaridis is flying down under for contract talks with Adelaide United...Sheffield United are poised to make a £400,000 bid for Wolves winger Mark Kennedy...Aston Villa flop Eric Djemba-Djemba is a target for Middlesbrough, Benfica and Sporting Lisbon...Derby have approached Cardiff boss Dave Jones to become their new manager.

[Kbulldog3]

sorry that i missed the friday update but here is saturday May, 6.

If the rumours are to be believed, Ashley Cole could have the pick of Real Madrid or Chelsea this summer, but now the Daily Mirror have thrown another possibility into the mix - Real left-back Roberto Carlos could make the move to Chelsea. But as Jose Mourinho thinks Asier Del Horno is too attacking for a full-back, let's just say we have our doubts...

Chelsea's Icelandic striker/midfielder Eidur Gudjohnsen is being linked with a summer move to Blackburn by the Daily Star, who claim that Rovers boss Mark Hughes spoke to Chelsea assistant Steve Clarke after the two sides met on Tuesday. Gudjohnsen seems set to leave the Blues this summer as the impending arrival of Michael Ballack would cut down his involvement once again.

[Kbulldog3]

monday may 8th

The papers are all in agreement that Ruud van Nistelrooy is on his way out of Old Trafford after Sir Fergie's remarkable comments in his programme notes - where he said "If there is a non-trier he deserves to be singled out" - and after Man Utd's victory over Charlton, where he said he would discuss the Dutchman's future with club directors this week.

The only point of contention is where the striker will be going. The Daily Star think he might be either joining his countryman Martin Jol at Spurs or replacing Alan Shearer at Newcastle. AC Milan are interested, but only willing to pay £8m, which may be less than Ferguson can get from either of those English clubs, with Newcastle in particular always happy to throw silly money around. The Daily Express name those clubs as well, but also link Van Nistelrooy with Real Madrid and his old club PSV Eindhoven - who Van Nistelrooy has always said he wants to finish his career with.


Perhaps the most intriguing possibility is Atletico Madrid. Ferguson is a keen admirer of Atletico's star striker Fernando Torres, who has said this season he may leave the Spanish club in search of Champions League football. If Atletico are resigned to losing their man, they might be willing to accept an offer of £5m cash plus Van Nistelrooy.

Liverpool are planning a club-record £14m bid for Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, according to The Daily Mirror. Wright-Phillips has made just 15 starts for Chelsea since Jose Mourinho bought him to stop anyone else doing so, despite costing the London club a whopping £21m, and Reds bosss Rafa Benitez is keen to lure him back to the north-west so that he can move Steven Gerrard back into the centre of midfield.


Chelsea would apparently be willing to cut their losses on Wright-Phillips and let him go for £7m less than they paid for him, but would not be willing to let him leave on loan.

Taking some time out from considering legal action, Spurs have beomce the first club to send enticing glances the way of Wigan's Pascal Chimbonda. Chimbonda, named in the PFA Team of the Year despite some remarkably average performances since the turn of the year, handed in a transfer request immediately after the Latics 4-2 defeat at Arsenal. The defender has also been linked with Man Utd and Liverpool, but may cost more than any of them are willing to pay, with Wigan asking £6m for the Frenchman - who only cost £400,000 last summer.

[silver bullet]

Interesting read, but I think this thread should be in the England forum.

[Kbulldog3]

well im not gonna move it now...here is tuesday may 9

Fulham boss Chris Coleman has told Chelski to name their price for Wayne Bridge, according to The Sun. The England left-back was unable to regain his place in the Chelsea line-up following an extended period out after injuring himself in last season's FA Cup game aganst Newcastle, and was loaned out to Fulham with a view to a permanent move. Now, with Asier Del Horno out of favor at Stamford Bridge and William Gallas likely to leave in the summer, Jose Mourinho seems less convinced that selling Bridge is the right thing to do - and, says the Daily Mirror, he has turned down an offer of £4m from Fulham for the defender.


However, Bridge is unlikely to be Chelsea's first-choice left-back going into next season, and may be unwilling to remain at the club as a back-up player. If he does make the short move to Craven Cottage, it will reignite speculation linking Chelsea with a move for Arsenal's Ashley Cole - believed to have a release fee in his contract that, while a large amount, would present no difficulties for billionaire Roman Abramovich.
Manchester United keeper Tim Howard will join Everton today on a season-long loan, according to the Daily Mirror. David Moyes is keen to clear out the veteran players littering his squad, and the recruitment of Howard could well signal the exit of Nigel Martyn - although the Mirror speculates that Moyes will keep the former England goalie on as cover. Sir Fergie rates Howard, and apparently sees the American as a long-term successor to Edwin van der Sar, but would be keen for him to gain experience by going on loan. Everton, on the other hand, would be hoping to make the deal permanent, and would happily pay £2m for Howard.

Arsenal are weighing up a summer move for Juventus defender Lilian Thuram...Peterborough want Lincoln City boss Keith Alexander as their new manager...Tottenham will try to wrap up the £8m signing of Bayer Leverkusen striker Dimitar Berbatov this week...West Brom are set to test the strength of John Hartson's resolve to see out the final year of his contract at Celtic...Motherwell number two Maurice Malpas will replace Terry Butcher as the new manager at Fir Park once Butcher has formalised his move to Sydney FC.

[Kbulldog3]

May 10....

It seems that Chelsea are refusing to give up on signing Andriy Shevchenko and are ready to offer Hernan Crespo in part-exchange, says the Daily Mirror. Roman Abramovich is said to be offering the Ukrainian a five-year, £120,000-a-week contract, though interestingly, reports suggest that Jose Mourinho is having little say in the deal. Perhaps Chelsea should try and tempt Milan with William Gallas, with The Sun saying a £4m bid for the Frenchman has been lodged and turned down.

Edgar Davids will leave Tottenham and return to Ajax this summer, says the Daily Mirror. The Dutchman wants to exit Spurs after they failed to clinch fourth spot and a Champions League place, and Martin Jol will apparently not be too sad to see him go. Elsewhere; the Daily Star say that Spurs have had a £2m bid for Wigan's Pascal Chimbonda rejected.

Just hours after Crystal Palace failed to return to the Premiership, The Sun are linking Andy Johnson with a £6m move to Everton. Johnson - on the stand-by list for the World Cup - has previously been linked with Tottenham and seems certain to leave Selhurst Park this summer. Meanwhile; James McFadden's Everton contract talks have broken down despite the Scot apparently being offered double his wages.

Manchester United's hopes of landing Lyon midfielder Mahamadou Diarra have been boosted after Real Madrid turned their back on the £25m-rated player...Luton boss Mike Newell has been interviewed over the Derby County job...Blackburn are keen on Derby keeper Lee Grant...Reading are lining up a £1m move for Hearts' Mirsad Beslija...Djibril Cisse is confident that he will still be a Liverpool player next season, despite reports of interest from Marseille and Tottenham.

[Kbulldog3]

thursday may 11

Ruud van Nistelrooy is demanding a £4.5million pay-off to leave Manchester United, according to The Sun. The Dutch striker is furious at the way he was denied a place in both United's game against Charlton and Roy Keane's testimonial, as well as the hatchet job that has been done on him since the weekend by Sir Fergie's allies in the media.

But despite that, Van Nistelrooy will not ask for a transfer - meaning that if they sell him, United will be obliged to pay him an amount equal to one year of his £90,000-a-week contract - severely reducing the £8m United were hoping to make from the sale. United's next targets, however, are likely to come on the cheap, with Sir Fergie looking to tie up a deal for Fluminese's 15-year-old Brazilian twins Rafael and Fabio - a left and right winger respectively - although the players will not be able to join United for another four years.


Fluminese boss Paulo Bhering said: "We are near an agreement. At the end of a three-year deal if United still decide to take them they'll have to pay a fee.

Everton are ready to offload Andy van der Meyde, just nine months after signing him from Inter Milan. The Dutch winger, who failed a medical before signing for the Merseyside club, has only manages seven starts in an injury-plagued season, and the Daily Mirror reports that David Moyes will accept offers as low as £1.5m.

Paul Jewell will make a record £5million bid for Crystal Palace striker Andy Johnson as he seeks to extend Wigan's spell in the Premiership to a third season, say the Daily Mirror. Jewell hopes that chairman Dave Whelan will provide the money to see off Everton in the race for the England stand-by man, who is keen to leave Palace after failing to fire them back to the Premiership. The move could be complicated further if, as the Daily Mail reports, Johnson wants a move to Tottenham.


Johnson might not be the only high-profile departure from Selhurst Park this summer, with the Daily Express and the Daily Mirror both reporting that departing Middlesbrough boss Steve McClaren has recommended that Iain Dowie replace him at the Riverside. Back in Wigan, Paul Jewell knows that he is likely to lose £3m striker Henri Camara, a target for Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp, and has told Pascal Chimbonda to stay away from a final training day.

A "source" close to Cardiff striker Cameron Jerome claims that Birmingham have no chance of signing him as "there are at least six Premiership clubs interested"...UEFA Cup winners Sevilla have joined Everton in the race to sign Wolves star Joleon Lescott. The defender favors a move to boyhood club Aston Villa, but David O'Leary must sell before he can buy...Charlton are to make a formal approach to Hull City for permission to interview Peter Taylor for the vacant manager's job at The Valley...Manchester City are considering a move for Manchester United midfielder Quinton Fortune, with Blackburn also interested.

[Kbulldog3]

friday may 12

Whenever it is that they stop embarrassing themselves and accept that the Premiership season finished on Sunday, Spurs are set to embark on one of the busiest summers in their history.


Having tabled a £10.7m bid for the Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov on Thursday, a trawl through Friday's broadsheets finds the club strongly linked with Craig Bellamy, Pascal Chimbonda and Lucas Neill.If the bid for Berbatov is successful then the Bayer Leverkusen forward will become the second most expensive player in the club's history. For Spurs' sake, it will be hoped that he fares rather better than Sergei Rebrov.


Rudi Völler, Leverkusen's sporting director, has already confirmed: "Tottenham have been in contact and are now prepared to pay the transfer fee. It is now Dimitar's decision but it hurts to lose such a class player."However, according to The Independent, 'Spurs will still face competition from Manchester United and Arsenal' for the striker's services. 'The 25-year-old is understood to be keen on Champions League football,' notes The Guardian. Jeez, Tottenham really will be feeling sick if they lose out to the Gunners twice in a week over the Champs League...


Meanwhile, The Times claims that Martin Jol is set to undertake a wholesale restructure of his squad. The newspaper claims that 'Jermain Defoe is likely to leave the club, probably for Liverpool, and Tottenham are not believed to be interested in signing Mido, the Egypt forward who has been on loan from AS Roma.'Their departures could prompt a bid for Bellamy, 'who has hinted that he would be willing to leave Blackburn, even though the club have also qualified for the Uefa Cup next season."His pace and versatility, allowing him to spearhead attacks as a lone striker, play on either flank or through the middle off a more deep-lying striker, are assets that Martin Jol prizes but the Spurs head coach will face competition for Bellamy who joined Rovers only last summer,' reports a concurring Guardian.


Both The Guardian and Times also link Spurs with both Chimbonda and Neill. Chimbonda remains Jol's first choice to replace Paul Stalteri but Wigan's demand for £6m could cause Jol to bid for the Blackburn right-back instead.

Man City want to take Shaun-Wright Phillips back to Manchester on a season-long loan, reports The Times.With Ian Wright finally seeing sense - a shame he never speaks it on the BBC - and advising his son to leave Stamford Bridge, Citeh are the favourites to re-sign the player they sold last summer to the Blues for £21m.While Chelski would prefer to offload SWP in return for a hefty wad of cash, they have been forced to acknowledge that, after a miserable season which culminated in the winger's omission from England's World Cup squad, he can only be sold for a cut-price fee.


'Chelsea have come to accept that it may be in their and the player's best interests to allow him to spend next season on loan at another Premiership club and then to review the situation in 12 months' time, although it may take some prompting on Wright-Phillips's behalf,' says The Times.

The Sun says that Chelski have bid £22million for Argentine striker Carlos Tevez. Jose Mourinho was in Brazil last week - remember that comment about staying in Brazil for a "few more days" on Sunday'sMatch of the Day? - to watch the 22-year-old.'Corinthians are desperate to keep Tevez - but his head has been turned by Chelsea's millions,' reports The Sun.So, too, has Michael Ballack's and once it has stopped spinning he will sign a £130,000-a-week deal with the Premiership champions, according to The Daily Express.

Arsenal's Robert Pires has rejected interest from Blackburn and Bolton to sign for Spanish side Villarreal...West Brom will rebuff attempts by Wigan to re-sign striker Nathan Ellington...Former Newcastle and Portsmouth winger Laurent Robert is wanted by new Rangers boss Paul Le Guen...Portsmouth skipper Gary O'Neill has promised to stay at the club despite interest from Liverpool...Ipswich are to target Colchester manager Phil Parkinson as successor to Joe Royle....Blackburn striker Paul Dickov has agreed a return to Manchester City on a one-year deal....

[Kbulldog3]

may 15

Chelsea - who are expected today to announce the signing of Michael Ballack - have bid £22million for Argentine striker Carlos Tevez. The 22-year-old Corinthians star left his club last night and returned to Argentina complaining of a knee injury, says The Sun, but 'that was purely a smokescreen so he could rubberstamp his move to the Premiership champs.' Corinthians are desperate to keep their young star, and Inter Milan have also been chasing him, but his heart is apparently set on a move to Chelsea, where he will presumably sleep on a big pile of money. Chelsea are desperate to sign a top-quality striker, and one piece of good news for the rest of the Premiership is that if they sign Tevez they may not sign Andriy Shevchenko. Oh, who are we kidding? They'll sign both...

According to the Daily Mirror, West Ham midfielder Yossi Benayoun is a summer target of Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez after his outstanding FA Cup final performance. Benayoun cost West Ham £2.5m last summer - and they would demand more than double that for the Israeli, with 'sources' saying that the midfielder would cost Liverpool £6m. Should Benitez decide to move for the man who gave his team such a torrid time in the final, however, that would not present a problem, with the Spaniard currently sitting on a transfer war-chest of £20m. Benayoun can play wide on both flanks or as an attacking central midfielder, and it is thought that Benitez would use him on the right and move Steven Gerrard back into the middle of midfield

Tottenham are on the trail of Swedish midfielder Kim Kallstrom, according to The Sun, with Martin Jol apparently weighing up a bid of £5m for the Rennes player. However, the French club are keen to hang on to the influential Swedish midfielder, with a spokesman saying "Everyone wants him to stay, the president, the coach and his team-mates. He is a good player and we need him." Despite that, it is believed the 23-year-old is keen on a move and Spurs - as always desperately short of midfielders - are keen to snap him up to aid their challenge for the UEFA Cup next season.

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is set to offer Everton striker Duncan Ferguson a chance to stay in the Premiership...Birmingham have slapped a £5m price tag on Liverpool target Jermaine Pennant...Wigan want to bring back striker Nathan Ellington from West Brom...Aston Villa will move for Milan Baros' international strike-partner Jan Koller, available on a free...Bayern Munich are ready to splash out £4m for Charlton right-back Luke Young after being given the nod by his England team-mate Owen Hargreaves...Huddersfield boss Peter Jackson has been earmarked for the Charlton job.

[Kbulldog3]

even on the day of the UCL final i managed to find something.

Chelsea's level of popularity is set to be handed an unexpected boost with news that Didier Drogba wants to leave. An unequivocal report in The Guardian claims that 'The striker is disillusioned with life at the Premiership champions and is unlikely to change his mind. Drogba is no longer prepared to tolerate the role he is given in Mourinho's highly pragmatic system. He no longer enjoys being used as a battering ram or being expected to track back and harry.' Diddums.

Hernan Crespo is also expected to return to Italy and the moves will prompt a major restructuring of the Stamford Bridge forward line. Milan's Andriy Shevchenko is widely expected to move to London, while Jose Mourinho is known to have recently watched Carlos Tevez in Brazil. A bid for Samuel Eto'o shouldn't be discounted either. It remains to be seen quite what both Shevchenko and Eto'o would make of battering-ram role demanded of Chelsea's single striker should they be lured to Stamford Bridge. Although Roman's millions are a hefty consolation, Drogba's dissatisfaction is hardly likely to prove enticing to either striker.


Meanwhile, reports in Spain continue to insist that Chelsea are on the verge of finalising a two-year deal with Roberto Carlos. The signing would be a clear flouting of Jose Mourinho's transfer policy - remember that stuff about Ashley Cole being too small, or his insistence that Chelsea wouldn't sign superstars? If Carlos does arrive at Stamford Bridge, the move would inevitably raise new questions about just who is in charge at the club...

Fernando Morientes has admitted he expects to be sold by Liverpool this summer. Quoted in The Independent, the under-performing Spaniard admitted: "I've been at Liverpool for a year and a half and with injuries and other things I've never felt right. I'll have to speak to the manager to see if he wants me but I can't stay if I don't play. I left Madrid because I didn't feel useful."


It's not been a good week for Morientes. Omitted from Liverpool's starting line-up in the FA Cup final, he was then omitted from Spain's World Cup 23.


'Darren Bent, Jermain Defoe and Craig Bellamy are all under consideration by the Liverpool manager', says The Indy. If F365 had any spare cash available, it would put a few bob on Defoe joining Pool this summer.

Bayer Leverkusen striker Dimitar Berbatov has confirmed reports that he is on his way to Spurs...Charlton have opened contract talks with skipper and West Ham target Luke Young...Plymouth boss Tony Pulis is set to be named as Stoke City's new manager 11 months after they sacked him...Bolton have made a club record £7m bid for Crystal Palace striker Andy Johnson to beat off competition from Wigan and Everton...West Brom tell Wigan they are wasting their time trying to re-sign Nathan Ellington from the Baggies...

[Kbulldog3]

may 18

Chelsea are set to conclude what most people would see as a great deal, according to The Sun, by swapping Asier Del Horno for Roberto Carlos plus £3m. Carlos confirmed yesterday that Chelsea had been in contact about the potential transfer. The Brazilian is well into his thirties, but has the advantage over Asier Del Horno that he isn't rubbish - so if Chelsea could secure a cash-plus-player deal it would certainly be seen as good business on the part of the London club.

For his part, Del Horno would welcome the move to Madrid. The Spaniard said last night: "They're a great team and everyone would like to play for them. They're a giant and just the thought of playing there makes me happy." Real are also keen on Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho, whose departure might see William Gallas remain at Stamford Bridge if he is offered a berth at center-back.


Meanwhile, Chelsea are reportedly set to make Joe Cole one of their top earners, and have offered the England midfielder an £80,000-a-week deal.

Spurs' summer dealings, which began with yesterday's capture of Dimitar Berbatov, look to be far from over. Martin Jol has a hefty transfer budget to spend after Spurs secured a massive sponsorship deal with Mansion, reports the Daily Mail, and plans to use the next part of it to attract West Ham's Paul Konchesky to White Hart Lane after failing to land Wayne Bridge and Juan Pablo Sorin.


Moving on swiftly, before the entire gossip column is just about left-backs, Martin Jol is also set to complete the signing of Carlton Cole from Chelsea, but the striker is only willing to make the move across London if he is guaranteed a place in the first team. That may be possible - Spurs are looking to next season without Jermain Defoe, who is reportedly keen to move to Anfield, but the clubs are yet to agree a transfer fee. Spurs want £15m for the England man, and although Rafa Benitez has offered Harry Kewell in a part-exchange deal, the White Hart Lane club are yet to be tempted.


Spurs would almost certainly look to use that cash to fund the £6m signing of Pascal Chimbonda from Wigan, and to move for Andy Johnson from Crystal Palace. Palace are resigned to losing Johnson, but are confident they can secure a fee of over £8m for the former Birmingham striker.

As they apparently have been since the end of the season, Aston Villa are on the verge of signing Newcastle winger James Milner in a £3m deal according to the Daily Star. The winger has said he wants to move, and was quite possibly Villa's best player in a disastrous season, while Newcastle are keen to sell - but this gossip column suspects the deal is being held up by Doug Ellis' reluctance to hand over any of the big wad of bank-notes under his bed until it is absolutely necessary.


While David O'Leary has been told that, other than the Milner deal, he must sell before he can buy, various newspapers are also linking the Villans with a bid for West Brom midfielder Zoltan Gera - who is also attracting attention from Everton and Manchester City. City are also set to swoop for unwanted Chelsea midfielder Jiri Jarosik and Birmingham defender Mario Melchiot, while, according to the Daily Mirror, Stuart Pearce has contacted Real Madrid about the possibility of signing Thomas Gravesen - but the Dane wants a move to Manchester United.

Portsmouth are preparing a double £3m raid for Toulouse duo Lucien Aubey and Silva Dos Santos...Crystal Palace have rejected Bolton's £7m bid for Andy Johnson...Released Sunderland defender Gary Breen is a target for Reading...Everton are ready to make a move for Porto's South African striker Benni McCarthy...Sheffield United want to sign Sunderland striker Jon Stead...Seville right-back Daniel Alves has admitted he would like a summer move to Liverpool.