Friday's gossip column - transfers and rumours
Last updated on .From the section Football
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Real Madrid will not pay more than £27m for Luka Modric, 26, despite Tottenham revealing they will let the Croatian playmaker leave for £35m.
Spurs are eyeing Malaga's Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla, 27, as a replacement should Modric leave White Hart Lane.
Tottenham have also begun negotiations to bring Lyon and France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, 25, to White Hart Lane but the move has stalled as the French club are demanding £16m.
Manchester City and Zenit St Petersburg have been alerted to Martin Skrtel's possible disenchantment with Liverpool after the defender revealed that contract extension talks with the Merseyside club had stalled.
Full story: the Times (subscription required)
QPR are trying to secure a work permit for Junior Hoilett before signing the 22-year-old forward, who is out of contract at Blackburn.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will send his scouts to watch Brazilian midfielder Ganso, 22, in his country's London 2012 warm-up game with Team GB on Friday.
But Wenger will refuse to sell star striker Robin van Persie, 28, to rivals Manchester United.
However, Arsenal have lined up Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente, 27, if Van Persie leaves the club.
Qatari side Al-Sadd hope to beat Zenit St Petersburg to the signature of Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin, 31.
Chelsea are set to land another Hazard this summer as they look to sign Eden's younger brother Thorgan, 19, from French club Lens.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is hoping to sign midfielder Joe Allen, 22, from his former club Swansea for £15m.
Manchester City are willing to offer Birmingham midfielder Foday Nabay the most attractive package for a 13-year-old ever in British football as they bid to gazump Manchester United to his signature.
Leeds United are keen on Dundee United forward Johnny Russell and Hearts winger David Templeton. (Scottish Sun)
OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson says defender Rio Ferdinand, 33, will never play for England again following his omission from Roy Hodgson's Euro 2012 squad.
Emmanuel Adebayor, unhappy that Tottenham are asking him to take a £3m-a-year pay cut, is threatening to see out the remainder of his Manchester City contract.
Hugh Robertson has called on the Football Association to adopt a zero tolerance policy on verbal abuse, the Sports Minister citing evidence given in John Terry's recent court case as a reason why a line must be drawn.
Full story: the Times (subscription required)
AND FINALLY...
Barcelona striker David Villa, 30, has marked his return to training after a lengthy lay-off with injury by leaving keeper Jose Manuel Pinto with a bruised arm.
Liverpool striker Andy Carroll sneaked in a bit of pre-season training during his summer holiday in Brazil - by running on the beach with a boogie board under his arm.
Birmingham supporter Rob Shannon has not missed one of his team's matches for 38 years, seeing the Blues play 1,800 consecutive games since 1974. And he only missed one that year because he was too ill to get out of bed.
