Friday's gossip column
Last updated on .From the section Football
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Romelu Lukaku has demanded answers from Chelsea about why he has not featured in more games and wants to make a loan move to London rivals Fulham.
Barcelona have joined Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City in their pursuit of Athletic Bilbao's Fernando Llorente, 27.
Bundesliga duo Hamburg and Borussia Dortmund look set to compete with Manchester United for the signature of Basel midfielder Granit Xhaka, 19.
Tottenham Hotspur target, France forward Loic Remy, 25, has insisted he will make no decision on his future until after Euro 2012.
Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool are all watching Anderlecht's Matias Suarez, 23, according to the Argentine striker's agent.
Chelsea defender David Luiz has admitted that he is aware of growing interest in his services from Spanish giants Barcelona.
North East rivals Newcastle and Sunderland are to compete for the signing of Crystal Palace's 19-year-old striker Wilfried Zaha.
Meanwhile, Newcastle face competition from Stoke in the race to sign 24-year-old Olympiakos forward Kevin Mirallas.
OTHER GOSSIP
The Football Association fears Harry Redknapp has gone cold on the England manager's job and could be set to turn to caretaker boss Stuart Pearce.
Former goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel reckons Manchester City will finish second-best to rivals Manchester United in the Premier League this season.
Chelsea defender David Luiz has come out in support of manager Andre Villas-Boas after he was reported to have criticised midfielder Frank Lampard in a Portuguese interview.
Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has revealed that he is pleased with his progress following his ankle ligament injury and can now walk without the aid of crutches.
Italy boss Cesare Prandelli has warned Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli to grow up or risk wrecking his football career.
The Football Association have been accused of blanking John Terry, after his image was absent from England's programme for Wednesday's match against the Netherlands.
Aston Villa midfielder Stephen Ireland has been told by boss Alex McLeish to prove he can perform in the wake of Robbie Keane's departure back to LA Galaxy.
Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy has broken the record for the greatest number of high-intensity sprints performed in a football match.
Full Story: The Daily Telegraph
Meanwhile, Reds boss Kenny Dalglish believes captain Steven Gerrard can win 100 caps for England, despite losing out on the England captaincy to Scott Parker against the Netherlands. He currently has 90.
2008 FA Cup-winners Portsmouth are in danger of going bust before the end of the season with debts of more than £100m.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has admitted the club are attempting to increase goalkeeper David de Gea's weight by a stone.
Full Story: The Daily Telegraph
AND FINALLY
Maccabi Haifa goalkeeper Assaf Mendes brought new meaning to the footballing cliche 'wind in your sails' when his clearance was caught by a strong gust and flew into his own net.
On average, a footballer was transferred every 45 minutes in 2011 according to new Fifa stats. More than 11,500 transfers were registered between 1 January and 31 December 2011.
