Wednesday's gossip column
- From the section Football
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Manchester City could be about to make a bid for Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder, 27.
Manchester United are reportedly close to agreeing a £12m deal for Borussia Dortmund's 23-year-old midfielder Shinji Kagawa.
Manchester United have made initial enquiries about the availability of Manchester City's 24-year-old winger Adam Johnson.
Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill is also keen on Johnson and wants to give him the chance to rekindle his England career.
Manchester United and Manchester City both have their eye on Papiss Cisse, who scored 13 times in 14 games after joining Newcastle in January.
West Ham are pressing ahead with their bid to sign Jussi Jaaskelainen, 37, as rivals for his signature West Brom continue to search for a manager.
Rennes have told both Arsenal and Inter Milan they can forget about signing 21-year-old Yann M'Vila until after Euro 2012, with the want-away midfielder likely to attract more offers whilst in the shop window.
Real Madrid sensation Joselu, 22, could start a transfer battle this summer with six Premier League clubs desperate for his signature.
Everton are looking to lure Benfica forward Oscar Cardozo, 29, to Goodison Park this summer.
Andy Johnson could be the next big name to swap the Premier League for the Pro League after the Fulham striker's agent confirmed there is interest in the player from the United Arab Emirates.
Liverpool will have to act fast in a battle with Galatasaray if they want to resurrect their interest in Real Madrid's 29-year-old midfielder Hamit Altintop.
Ledley King becomes a free agent next month but is set to be offered a new 12-month contract at Tottenham when he sits down for crunch talks this week.
OTHER GOSSIP
Liverpool are hopeful of unveiling Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers as their new boss and Louis van Gaal as their director of football within days.
With Liverpool cooling towards Roberto Martinez, the Wigan boss has let it be known he'll consider the Aston Villa job.
Ex-Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola wants a face-to-face meeting with Roman Abramovich before deciding whether to take over as Chelsea manager.
Former Schalke boss Ralf Rangnick is a shock contender to take over at West Brom after Birmingham rejected their approach for Chris Hughton.
Brian McDermott will be given £15m to spend on transfers after the takeover of Reading by Russian tycoon Anton Zingarevich was confirmed
Martin Jol is making sure his Fulham squad don't enjoy an easy summer by sending his coaching staff to check on their fitness.
EURO 2012 GOSSIP
The family of England striker Danny Welbeck are likely to travel to Poland and Ukraine, despite increasing fears over racist-fuelled violence.
Full story: the Times [subscription required]
Manchester United forward Ashley Young, 26, feels like he has finally become one of England's main men after overcoming the disappointment of missing out on a 2010 World Cup spot.
Phil Jones is likely to get another chance to establish himself as England's first-choice right-back going into Euro 2012, as Roy Hodgson rates Glen Johnson an injury doubt for Saturday's friendly against Belgium.
Wolves utility man Kevin Foley, 27, admits he feels "betrayed" by Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni after being left out of his final 23-man squad.
Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel hopes to emulate father Peter, who helped Denmark secure a surprise European Championship victory 20 years ago, after his call-up to Morten Olsen's squad. Schmeichel junior, 25, who replaces injured Stoke stopper Thomas Sorensen, described his late addition as a "huge honour".
Full story: the Times [subscription required]
AND FINALLY
England fans will be hoping Andy Carroll is better suited to international football than he is schoolyard games, after the Liverpool striker failed to complete 60 seconds of 'the yes/no game'.