Wednesday's gossip column: Football transfers & rumours
Last updated on .From the section Football
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For a list of confirmed transfers, check out our transfers page.
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, 31, is being lined up as a successor to Victor Valdes at Barcelona.
Romania striker Ciprian Marica's agent says the 27-year-old is close to joining Arsenal. Marica is a free agent after leaving Schalke. Shakhtar Dontesk, Lazio and Inter Milan have all been interested.
Manchester United are tracking Sheffield United defender Harry Maguire. The 20-year-old is valued at about £4m.
Full story: the Sun (requires subscription)
Middlesbrough are keen to take Norwich striker Luciano Becchio, 29, and defender Daniel Ayala, 22, on loan after missing out on both targets during the transfer window.
Aston Villa will listen to loan offers for Shay Given from Championship clubs but they have no intention of allowing the 37-year-old former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper, whose salary is £3m a year, to leave on the cheap.
Real Madrid have asked club ambassador Zinedine Zidane to placate out-of-favour goalkeeper Iker Casillas and prevent him leaving the club. Manchester City and Arsenal are both interested in the 32-year-old.
Barcelona forward Cristian Tello, 22, has revealed he rejected advances from Liverpool this summer, instead opting to fight for his place at the Nou Camp.
Oldham's 20-year-old defender James Tarkowski is attracting interest from Stoke and Newcastle.
Full story: the Sun (requires subscription)
OTHER GOSSIP
Wayne Rooney is targeting a comeback for Manchester United in the Manchester derby on 22 September. The striker is currently out of action after suffering a gash to his forehead during a training ground clash with team-mate Phil Jones.
Liverpool owner John W Henry insists finance will not be an issue once the club receive the green light for their planned £150m redevelopment of Anfield and squad strengthening will not be compromised by the project.
Full story: Liverpool Daily Post
Former England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce has criticised the commitment of Manchester United's Phil Jones, 21, and Arsenal's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 20, after they pulled out of the side's European Championship campaign earlier this summer. Pearce also attacked Real Madrid's Gareth Bale, 24, for the Welshman's decision to withdraw from the Great Britain side he led at London 2012.
Manchester United playmaker Shinji Kagawa, who has played just seven minutes for the Premier League champions this season, has voiced his frustration at his lack of playing time. "Please ask David Moyes why I am not in the side," the 24-year-old asked reporters in Yokohama.
AC Milan striker Stephan El Shaarawy believes the Rossoneri will be "too strong" for Scottish champions Celtic in the Champions League this season. "There is a lot of talk about their character and team spirit but that is not going to save them," said the 20-year-old.
Full story: Daily Record
AND FINALLY
Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has unveiled his managerial secrets in an interview with the Harvard Business School professor Anita Elberse, which appears in October's Harvard Business Review.
