[Role Model]

Originally Posted by BBC

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Manchester United will make a record-breaking offer for Lyon's French striker Karim Benzema in a deal that could top £30m. (The People)

Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb will join Barcelona this week in a £12m deal. (Sunday Mirror)

Newcastle and Manchester City are battling it out for Deportivo La Coruna's £10m-rated defender Fabricio Coloccini. (The People)

Arsene Wenger is ready to raid Hamburg for midfielder Piotr Trochowski to replace the departed Matthieu Flamini. (The People)

Newcastle want to hijack Portsmouth's bid to sign Liverpool's Peter Crouch and will offer £8m for the England striker. (The People)

Juande Ramos is planning a summer clearout at Tottenham with Paul Robinson, Darren Bent, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Gilberto, Younnes Kaboul, Adel Taarbet and Jamie O'Hara all set to be axed by the Spaniard. (Sunday Mirror)

Spurs are confident of signing 16-year-old Crystal Palace midfielder John Bostock, with the fee likely to be decided by a tribunal. (The Sunday Times)

Samuel Eto'o is believed to have asked Tottenham for an annual salary of £7.8m, three times more than any other player at White Hart Lane. (The Observer)

The north London club will turn to Argentina striker Diego Milito if Dimitar Berbatov leaves the club. (The People)

Spurs are also hoping to hijack Liverpool's bid for Blackburn winger David Bentley and are prepared to offer £7m plus Aaron Lennon and Hossam Ghaly. (The People)

Sampdoria's £4m-rated Argentine defender Hugo Campagnaro is wanted by both Tottenham and Aston Villa. (The People)

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson is considering a move for Palermo midfielder Mark Bresciano. (The Sunday Times)

Martin O'Neill has made a £7m bid for Newcastle's James Milner and is also keen to bring Greek right-back Giorkas Seitaridis to Aston Villa. (The People)

Djbrill Cisse could return to the Premier League after being left out of France's Euro 2008 squad. Newcastle, Blackburn and West Ham are in the running. (Sunday Express)

Hull want Portsmouth's David Nugent who is available for around £3m. (The People)

Rangers are lining up a bid for West Brom midfielder Jonathan Greening. (The People)

Newcastle are ready to snap-up highly-rated Carlisle goalkeeper Kieran Westwood and is also looking at the club's teenage striker Gary Madine. (The People)

Michael Mifsud looks set to leave Coventry with Sunderland, Rangers and Birmingham all interested in the £2m-rated striker. (The People)

West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand is set for a £6m move across London to join Tottenham. (Various)

Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is lining up a £3m swoop for Crystal Palace youngster Sean Scannell. (Sunday Mirror)

Queens Park Rangers are targeting an ambitious move for Aston Villa striker Marlon Harewood and want to pair him with West Ham's Bobby Zamora. (Sunday Mirror)

QPR are also planning to complete a Premier League hat-trick with the signing of Spurs defender Anthony Gardner. (Sunday Mirror)

Championship new boys Swansea City have been told they must splash out £235,000 to sign 30-year-old Granada striker Gorka Pintado. (News of the World)


OTHER GOSSIP

Arsene Wenger will leave Arsenal when his contract expires in 2011 to become president of French side Paris St Germain. (Sunday Telegraph)

Newcastle's players fear Kevin Keegan could quit St James' Park after being told he must trim about £10m off the club's wage bill to fund new players. (Sunday Mirror)

Manchester City have made the first move to persuade Mark Hughes to quit Blackburn, offering the Welshman £3m-a-year to move to Eastlands. (Mail on Sunday)

However, Brazil legend Zico has emerged as a strong favourite to replace Sven-Goran Eriksson in Manchester. (News of the World)

I'd mark. I can see him having a great European championship, thus if we want to sign him, it's clearly going to cost a shit load if we wait till afterwards, which now we'll have to.

[I luv Mickie James]

Its bull imo, wont happen, just cant see it.

[Role Model]

But the source is THE PEOPLE, how can you not believe it?

I can see us making a move for him however, but yeah that price-tag seems rather unrealistic.

[Rex Regum]

Poor source. From all other accounts Benzema will stick with Lyon next season, but I don't he'll be there any longer than that.

West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand is set for a £6m move across London to join Tottenham. (Various)

LOL. Unfortunately it won't happen, Ramos has more sense than that.

Newcastle and Manchester City are battling it out for Deportivo La Coruna's £10m-rated defender Fabricio Coloccini. (The People)

Villa, step up. It seems a steep price for a centre back, but he's worth it. He and Curtis Davies would make a beasty defence partnership for the long term.

[T-C]

Barca want Collocini as well.

Benzema would be ideal.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson insists the Glazer family share the club's determination to keep hold of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Real Madrid have angered United by their open admiration of Ronaldo, who scored 42 goals in all competitions last season, and some reports claim that the Spanish giants are close to agreeing a record-breaking deal.

However, Ferguson has warned Ronaldo that United's owners the Glazer family would rather drop Ronaldo - who has four years to run on his Old Trafford contract - than allow the Portuguese winger to join Real.

"I've had a couple of meetings with the Glazers," Ferguson - who paid Sporting £12million for Ronaldo in 2003 - said.

Attitude

"Their attitude is, 'to hell with them'. They'd sit a player in the stand, I'm telling you, absolutely no doubt about it, just to prove a point. Not to give in to these people.

"They've got balls, I can tell you. I've been delighted with them in that respect."

The Glazers took control at United in 2005 in an £800m deal and their arrival caused huge unrest among followers of the Red Devils

However, Ferguson is adamant that the Americans have been fantastic since taking over at Old Trafford.

"They've been good to this club, believe me," Ferguson added. "They have been brilliant owners."

Fair play to them.

[Enigma]

I doubt Benzema will leave this Summer, would be a great signing though.

[BreakdownV1]

Excuse my ignorance but isn't Benzema, once again, more of a creative player than a finisher?

[Emperor DC]

Hrm, Christiano Ronaldo has said he will make an announcment on his future in next two or three days. That was direct from Sky Sports who are notorious for having good sources, and getting a story correct before letting it out.

Makes me wonder. I know people say he won't go but why not just come out and say he is staying like he apparantly did last week? Why make all this hoopla if he was simpley staying?

[T-C]

He is playing the game to ridiculous degree.

If he does say he wants to go to Real Madrid he is a fool, and I would say the exact same thing if I wasn't a United supporter.

And Benzema plays a lot like the Brazilian Ronaldo used to, although he is obviously not as good.

[BreakdownV1]

I see I see.

In regards to Ronaldo, I wouldn't be that upset if he left for the simple fact we would get a ridiculous amount of money and able to splash on Messi/Benzema etc.

Ronaldo is a great player in that he is ridiculously fast and knows how to put away a chance. But let's not all get too into the hype...He gives the ball away a lot, struggles when man marked and has remained anonymous for 90 in these situations on more than one occasion.

He is part of a team that is constantly opening up other sides for him to gain chances. I really, really do not think Real's playes would selflessly create for him like the United team is so willing to do. I think Ronnie would be lucky to get over 15 goals in a season for them. Barcelona's traditional set up would suit him a lot better. and United's is tailor made for him, he'd be mad to leave.