Wednesday's gossip column - transfers and rumours
Last updated on .From the section Football
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For updated transfer news and gossip throughout the day, read our breaking news service Sportsday Live.
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Arsenal are set to end their interest in Crystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha, 20, because 23-year-old Theo Walcott is on the verge of signing a new contract.
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew is lining up a £3m move for West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie, 31, as a replacement for Demba Ba, 27, who is eyeing a move to Chelsea.
Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas is still interested in Shakhtar Donetsk's attacking midfielder Willian, 24. The Spurs boss also likes Willian's fellow Brazilian Leandro Damiao - the 23-year-old striker plays for Internacional. Both players were linked with moves to White Hart Lane last summer.
Liverpool are close to finalising a deal that will bring Daniel Sturridge, 23, to Anfield from Chelsea for a fee of around £12m.
QPR manager Harry Redknapp has admitted he would like to see Joe Cole, 31, at Loftus Road if the right deal could be struck with Liverpool for the former West Ham and Chelsea midfielder's services.
Newcastle will move for West Ham striker Modibo Maiga, 25, if a proposed deal for Marseille's 25-year-old Loic Remy fails to go through.
Charlton midfielder Bradley Pritchard, 27, is being assessed by Aston Villa, Fulham and Reading.
Reading are in talks to sign attacking midfielder Tomas Rogic, 20, from Aussie club Central Coast Mariners.
Chelsea are ready to hand German midfielder Marko Marin, 23, to Bayer Leverkusen as a 'sweetener' before bidding for their winger Andre Schurrle, 22, in the summer.
Southampton manager Nigel Adkins is determined to keep hold of 17-year-old full-back Luke Shaw, who has attracted interest from Arsenal.
Plymouth Argyle's attacking midfielder Luke Young, 19, is being monitored by a number of Premier League clubs, including Arsenal and West Brom.
Southampton have rejected an offer from West Ham for 30-year-old striker Rickie Lambert, who has scored eight goals in 19 appearances for the south coast club this season.
GLOBAL GOSSIP (sourced by BBC monitoring)
German side Hannover 96 are interested in signing Arsenal defender Johan Djourou, 25.
Brazilian side Santos have offered AC Milan £5.7m for striker Robinho, 28, in a deal which will see the former Manchester City player earning £250,000 per week.
Full story: Tuttosport (in Italian)
Sevilla are the first Spanish side to make a move in the January transfer window, offering around £800,000 for Bosnian midfielder Miroslav Stevanovic, 22, from Serbian club FK Vojvodina.
Full story: Marca (in Spanish)
Sunderland striker Ji Dong-won, 21, has been loaned to German side Augsburg until the end of the season.
Full story: Le Equipe (in French)
OTHER GOSSIP
Sir Alex Ferguson, 71, has hinted that his 26-year tenure in charge of Manchester United is far from over.
Full story: Manchester Evening News
Everton boss David Moyes has revealed that the club's financial plight means he can hope for nothing more than a 'couple of loan deals' in this month's transfer window.
QPR boss Harry Redknapp says Chelsea are making a big mistake in not renewing Frank Lampard's contract which comes to an end this summer.
Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini says he is happy to stay at the club for the remaining three-and-a-half years of his contract.
Wolves manager Stale Solbakken has admitted that his side are in a crisis following their loss away to Crystal Palace on New Year's Day, a third consecutive defeat that saw the Molineux club slip to 18th in the Championship.
AND FINALLY
Former Knight Rider and Baywatch star David Hasselhoff met the Manchester City squad in the dressing room after watching the Premier League champions beat Stoke at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City have been accused of using underhand tactics to help them beat Stoke City - after being caught moving the advertising boards to stop the Potters from using their iconic long throws.
