Thursday's gossip column - transfers and rumours
Last updated on .From the section Football
.jpg)
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Chelsea are renewing their efforts to sign Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao, 26, after deciding to sell Daniel Sturridge, 23, to Liverpool.
However, Sturridge's £12m move to Anfield could be in jeopardy following a dispute between Chelsea and the player's advisors over agents' fees.
Schalke striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, 29, is set to sign a new contract and remain at the German club, despite interest in the Dutchman from Liverpool and Arsenal.
Anderlecht's 26-year-old Argentine midfielder Lucas Biglia, a target for Liverpool, has been told he can leave the Belgian club if they receive an offer of at least £8.35m.
England striker Andy Carroll, 23, wants to return to Newcastle after being told his Liverpool career is over. The Reds' £35m record signing is on a season-long loan at West Ham but has been told by manager Brendan Rodgers that he can leave in the summer.
Aston Villa are looking to sign Manchester City striker John Guidetti, 20, on loan for the rest of the season but face competition for the Swede from Sunderland.
Villa are also lining up a £1m move for Crystal Palace striker Glenn Murray, 29. With 20 goals this season, Murray is the Championship's top scorer and his former Eagles manager Dougie Freedman, now Bolton boss, is keen to take him even further north.
Adel Taarabt has pledged his future to QPR - despite interest from Barcelona and Russia's Anzhi Makhachkala. The 23-year-old Moroccan midfielder also insisted he plans to defy boss Harry Redknapp by going to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is in talks with Manchester United about signing the Old Trafford club's Chilean striker Angelo Henriquez, 18, on loan.
West Ham, Wigan and QPR are all competing to sign Salomon Kalou in January. The 27-year-old Ivory Coast striker left Chelsea in the summer for French side Lille but has been told he can leave next month.
Full story: Daily Star
West Brom have told Millwall and Brighton they want £1.5m for 21-year-old New Zealand striker Chris Wood.
Marseille striker Loic Remy, 25, has welcomed reported interest from Newcastle United, who are said to be considering a £10m move.
GLOBAL GOSSIP (sourced by BBC monitoring)
Brazilian striker Nene, 31, wants to be released from his contract with Paris St Germain to "follow a new career path".
Full story: L'Equipe (in France)
Juventus are interested in signing Corinthians striker Paolo Guerrero, 28, who scored the goal which beat Chelsea's in the Club World Cup final last weekend.
Full story: Tuttosport (in Italian)
AC Milan are keen to sign Momo Sissoko from Juventus. The former Liverpool midfielder, 27, is reportedly unhappy at being left out of Juve's starting line-up in the last three games.
Full story: Tuttosport (in Italian)
OTHER GOSSIP
Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas has had a lengthy meeting with his defenders over putting a stop to the number of late goals Tottenham have conceded this season.
Manchester City's Samir Nasri, 25, is struggling to be fit for any part of City's Christmas and New Year programme after the extent of the Frenchman's groin injury was diagnosed.
AND FINALLY
Sir Alex Ferguson told Harvard Business School that he had tanning booths installed at Manchester United's training ground to compensate for the lack of sun in Manchester.
Lionel Messi has finished third in a poll of Argentine journalists to name their country's best athlete. The Barcelona goal machine lost out to boxer Sergio Martinez and taekwondo fighter Sebastian Crismanich. Martinez beat Mexico's Julio Cesar Chavez Jr to win the WBC middleweight title while Crismanich won Argentina's solitary gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics.
Reading manager Brian McDermott almost missed watching his reserves play a behind-closed-doors friendly at Bournemouth when a steward failed to recognise him and refused to let him in. McDermott was eventually granted access in time to see his side win 3-0.
Comments
Join the conversation
"Adel Taarabt has pledged his future to QPR - despite interest from Barcelona." LOL! If Barca wanted you, who would choose to stay at QPR?
Ba won't be playing in the Africa Cup of Nations as Senegal haven't qualified.
Moussa Sissoko plays for Toulouse, Mohammed "Momo" Sissoko plays for PSG. They signed him from Juventus in the summer of 2011. I guess "you don't know nothing". Before making bold statements check Wikipedia
£25m for Carroll, yeah they'll all be willing to pay that. Best laugh of the week mate. They'll be lucky to get half that.
And @34 - to be fair, Liverpool only paid £35m for Carroll because Newcastle knew they had £50m from the Torres deal, and it was further inflated by deadline day desperation. Any other time of the year he'd have gone for a third of that.
Liverpool are going to lose an awful lot of money on that deal, will go down as one of the worst transfer gaffs ever but he hasn't even given him a go, and it seems to me that he's got a lot of what they need up front in some ways... even if just a plan B option
BR being stubborn, or is he just that bad in training!
there are more african cup of nations on the way, and you wouldnt want your best players leaving in january during this busy period. look at man city losing yaya and kolo. with both of them gone their team seems very thin
FSG are also coughing up cash for Sturridge in Jan, but somehow failed to provide funds for Clint Dempsey last transfer window?And why aren't clubs going in for Demba Ba???
ABSOLUTE STEAL AT 7.5MILL!
Still, they had his best years and sold him for a £23.5M profit (they also made about £20M on Alonso), so notwithstanding KD's profligacy they haven't done bad
GLOBAL GOSSIP (sourced by BBC monitoring)
or in plain English
Lazy hacks who can't be bothered earning their excessive pay.
BR probably doesn't like him because he has a bad attitude off the pitch.
Ameobi brothers up front!
@GKEV, your point isn't valid considering most players are exactly the same.When was the last time his knee played up?Agent and wage fees are astronomical these days, you only have to look as far as Downing and Joe Cole, 60k and 100k+ says it all...
I stand corrected :D