Thursdays B****x
Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2014 7:33 amTHE BOLLOX
Premier League champions interested in Real Madrid star Isco
Manchester City are looking into the availability of Real Madrid star Isco, following the Spanish giants' big money signing of James Rodriguez from Monaco.
With Rodriguez now a Madrid player, after he completed his £63m move on Tuesday, Isco could find regular football hard to come by with the European champions.
Isco picked to join Real over City in 2013 and scored eight goals in 32 league appearances in his first season with them last term.
But now, his services at the Bernabeu may no longer be needed.
Isco played under Manuel Pellegrini during their time together at Malaga and the City boss is interested in bringing the Spaniard to the Eithad.
The 22-year-old would be a good replacement for Alvaro Negredo, who is set to be out of action for up to three months after having surgery on his broken metatarsal.
Any deal for Isco would be difficult though. City would have to do other business to satisfy the Uefa-imposed transfer cap and foreign quota limitations set upon them.
But, the quality of the player could persuade the Premier League champions into doing the legwork.
James Milner ignores transfer to force way back in to Manchester City team
• Midfielder started only 12 league games last season
• Gives himself six months to become first-team regular
James Milner, right, is still part of the England squad despite dropping out of favour at Manchester City. Photograph: Michael Mayhew/Sportsphoto/Allstar
James Milner’s future at Manchester City is unlikely to be resolved until the end of the year at the earliest. The England international is minded to see whether he can force his way into Manuel Pellegrini’s starting XI on a more regular basis before deciding whether to sign a new deal with the Premier League champions or join one of their rivals.
With Milner in the final 12 months of his contract at City, the 28-year-old is in a strong position and there are several leading Premier League clubs, including Arsenal and Liverpool, interested in signing him. However, he is settled in Manchester and in an ideal world would extend his stay with the club he joined from Aston Villa in a deal worth £26m four years ago. The one thing holding him back from committing to City at the moment is a lack of first-team action – Milner started only 12 league games last season.
In preliminary talks at the end of last season, City suggested that there was a four-year deal on the table and stressed that he was a valued member of the squad. The feeling is that Milner would have put pen to paper if that offer had been made 12 months earlier, when he had featured more frequently in the team, starting half of City’s Premier League games. But City delayed and Milner was not inclined to sign after a season when he was a bit-part player under Pellegrini.
It is understood that neither Milner nor his representatives asked to see what figures City had in mind when they proposed the new contract before the World Cup finals, such is the player’s desire to base his decision purely on football.
Milner will be 29 in January and, although he feels at home at City and loves playing for the club, the bottom line is that he wants to be sure that he spends the next few years of his career on the pitch. City are believed to be sympathetic to Milner’s position.
As things stand, City are not looking to offload him and the player has no intention of angling for a move. There is a queue of clubs ready to take Milner but he wants to have a crack at convincing Pellegrini that he is worth a place in the team. He is due to return to pre-season training on Thursday, after being given an extended break following his time away with England at the World Cup, and it is anticipated that he will hold talks with the manager during the coming weeks to discuss his situation and the new campaign.
At this stage all the indications are that Milner will use the first half of the season to see if he can play his way into the starting XI. If he succeeds in doing so, the midfielder is likely to sign a new contract with City. If nothing changes and opportunities remain limited, he will explore other options and is expected to leave at the end of the season, when he would be a particularly attractive free transfer.
He will be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club in January, although the more likely scenario if he chooses to leave the Etihad Stadium is that he will remain in the Premier League. Liverpool and Arsenal have made inquiries and would be leading contenders to sign him. One possibility that has been ruled out, because it is seen as being in neither City’s nor Milner’s interests, is a loan move – something that Aston Villa had explored.
Manchester City locked in racism row as Premier League champions support Patrick Vieira despite HNK Rijeka's claim that racial abuse allegations are false
Manager Ranko Buketa claims that ulterior motives were behind Vieira's decision to take the Elite Development Squad off during a match in Croatia
Manchester City are considering their next move in the wake of the racism row which blew up out of their elite development squad's friendly in Croatia.
City will continue to evaluate the situation now the EDS has returned home, as they were scheduled to do, but it is too early to say what their next course of action will be over racist abuse allegations made by 19-year-old French midfielder Seko Fofana after he was sent off.
It is understood that the club fully support EDS coach Patrick Vieira in making the decision he did but their opponents HNK Rijeka have denied any of their players are racist and claimed the City boss may have had ulterior motives.
Ranko Buketa, who was in charge of Rijeka's team on Tuesday, accused Vieira of trying to divert attention away from Fofana's red card.
"It looks like a move which is trying to hide a very ugly foul by the Manchester City player that resulted in exclusion, followed by a hasty and illogical decision of the coaching staff to withdraw the team from the field," he told the club's official website.
"Such an abrupt decision surprised us as it was made by responsible people at a respectable club like Manchester City."
In a further statement the club added: "Rijeka clearly and unequivocally reject any possibility that the players at the match against Manchester City participated in assaulting the rival players on racial, religious or ethnic grounds.
"We want to point out the fact that we mentioned at the game we had six players from the Nigeria squad, players who live and train together with our other players, who learned the Croatian language and who have never experienced any discomfort by team-mates - as they themselves can attest.
"We also want to point out that Rijeka, in co-operation with FARE, supports a campaign against racism and strongly condemns any incident of its kind.
"Because of this, we are surprised by the unpleasantly harsh and baseless accusations of which we are accused and that we completely reject."
Vieira has been praised for his actions by Piara Powar, executive director at anti-discrimination network FARE.
"We are not, in the short term, able to stop this sort of incident happening but to have someone like Patrick Vieira, with his status, do this makes the message very clear," Powar told Press Association Sport.
"The message it sends out is categorical. It is just the sort of thing which will create change.
"Rijeka are professing puzzlement as to why the team were taken off but I don't think Patrick would have done that without good cause.
"If it was bad enough to take the team off I would hope they would make a complaint (to FIFA). We will be alerting FIFA to this."
Manchester City coach and Elite Development Squad manager Patrick Vieira It is not the first time City's players have been involved in such incidents.
CSKA Moscow were ordered by UEFA to close part of their stadium after midfielder Yaya Toure was racially abused during a Champions League match in October.
Porto were fined £16,700 in April 2012 after their supporters directed racist chants at Toure and striker Mario Balotelli, who has since left the club, during a Europa League tie.
Youth team striker Devante Cole, son of former Manchester United and Newcastle forward Andy, was racially abused by players and supporters during a UEFA Youth League match against Atletico Madrid in February.
There has been no response so far from either FIFA or the Croatian Football Association.
Kelechi Iheanacho praised by Manuel Pellegrini after Manchester City win - but Nigerian sweats over work permit
Manuel Pellegrini paid tribute to Kelechi Iheanacho after he starred in Manchester City’s win over Sporting Kansas City but admitted that the Premier League champions may struggle to secure a work permit for the teenage Nigerian striker.
Iheanacho, 17, capped an impressive appearance by scoring the last of City’s goals in a 4-1 win at Sporting Park and Pellegrini is convinced he has a bright future in the game.
City beat a host of European clubs to sign Iheanacho after he scored six goals in seven games to claim the Golden Ball at last summer’s Under 17 World Championship.
Video: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... 4115820001
But Pellegrini is uncertain if they will now be able to secure the necessary paperwork so he can stay in England.
He said: ‘Kelechi is just 17 years old and he’s a very important player for us in the future. He demonstrated today what he can do in the future. It depends on the way he takes this profession, but I think he’s a good talent.
‘We’ve not decided yet (what the plan is for him) because it’s not easy. He’s just 17 and sometimes that’s the problem. We’ll see what he will do in the future. For the moment he will stay with us and we’ll see when we return to England what will happen with him. But he’s a very important player for the future for the club.
‘After the tour we will see what happens with him. There are a lot of things to arrange to play in England but he has an important future.’
Pellegrini played down fears over a knee injury to Samir Nasri but admitted that City’s World Cup players, who have just joined up with the squad in America, are unlikely to feature until the final game against Olympiacos.
He added: ‘Samir had a little problem the last game we played in Scotland. He worked yesterday and today with the physiotherapist and we’ll see during the week when he starts kicking the ball if he can play against Milan. I think for Liverpool he will be okay.
‘Five more players have arrived but they have just started working so they will not be considered for the next two games. Maybe for the last game against Olympiacos but not before because they have to do their pre-season.’
Pellegrini was satisfied with a comfortable win in the opening tour game. Bruno Zuculini, Dedryck Boyata and Aleksandar Kolarov were the other scorers against a Sporting side who made wholesale changes at half-time.
‘I think it was a really good game especially in the first 45 minutes when both teams had their best players,’ said Pellegrini.
‘It was very useful for us because Sporting Kansas changed 11 players for the second half so it was a very physical game.
‘The score doesn’t matter. It’s always important to win but I understand that Sporting Kansas have a very important game against Toronto at the weekend.
‘We have a lot of players who are not in our squad at the moment but it’s useful that the other players have a chance to demonstrate what they can do.
‘We have new players. Willy Caballero is good keeper and I know him. Zuculini is a young player who has come from Argentina and Fernando has more experience in Europe with Porto.’
Liverpool are ready to revive their interest in Chelsea's Ryan Bertrand, 24, as manager Brendan Rodgers steps up his search for a left-back. DSSC
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus, 25, and Southampton defender Dejan Lovren, 25, are among the other names Rodgers is chasing. Daily Mirror
Everton are closing in on 21-year-old midfielder Muhamed Besic, who starred for Bosnia at the World Cup. Daily Mirror
Tottenham are considering a bid for 29-year-old Aston Villa defender Ron Vlaar, with the London club prepared to offer Lewis Holtby, 23, or Michael Dawson, 30, in exchange. DSSC
West Brom are chasing Costa Rica World Cup duo Yeltsin Tejeda, 22, and Cristian Gamboa, 24. Daily Express
Another Real Madrid star who could be on the move is 21-year-old defender Raphael Varane, with Chelsea monitoring his situation. Independent
Crystal Palace are on the trail of Marseille midfielder Morgan Amalfitano, 29, who spent last season on loan at West Brom. Sun
QPR boss Harry Redknapp wants to strike a deal to sign former Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o and the 34-year-old striker's agent is flying to London to reach an agreement. Daily Mirror
Tottenham transfer target Davide Astori has shunned a Premier League move with the 27-year-old defender deciding to sign a three-year contract extension with Serie A side Cagliari. Daily Star
Liverpool are hoping to hijack Manchester United's move for Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal, 27, by matching their £42.5m bid for the player. Metro
Manager Roberto Martinez has confirmed Everton are close to completing a deal to sign Anderlecht striker David Henen, 18. TalkSHIT
AC Milan are chasing Arsenal forward Joel Campbell, 22, having already made contact with the London club over the Costa Rica international. Inside Futbol
Louis van Gaal is facing his first transfer setback as Manchester United manager with Borussia Dortmund warning him to forget about signing 25-year-old World Cup-winning defender Mats Hummels. Daily Express
Manchester United are being given the green light to sign Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria, 26, after the European champions signed Monaco midfielder James Rodriguez . Caughtoffside.com
Burnley have joined the race to sign striker Troy Deeney, 26, but Watford are holding out for £10m. DSSC
West Ham are ready to offload Ravel Morrison because the midfielder is not in Sam Allardyce's plans. Daily Mirror
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has told goalkeepers Thibaut Courtois, 22, and Petr Cech, 32, that they will both be staying at the club - whether they like it or not. Times
Arsene Wenger is ready to end his chase for a midfield anchorman and put his faith in England's Jack Wilshere, 22. Daily Mirror
Joe Cole believes Roy Hodgson should think twice about giving the England captaincy to Wayne Rooney, 28 - and says 24-year-old Jordan Henderson is a genuine contender for the role. Sun
Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta, 30, says it would be a "dream" if he is chosen to be Carles Puyol's successor as captain of the Spanish giants. Goal.com
Toronto FC striker Jermain Defoe, 31, will not be making a quick return to the Premier League, despite rumoured of interest from QPR boss Harry Redknapp - who worked with the former England striker at West Ham, Portsmouth and Tottenham. TalkSHIT
Liverpool will not waste their £100m transfer kitty on buying star names who do not have the right profile for the club with boss Brendan Rodgers expecting to bring a minimum of eight new recruits to Anfield by next month. Daily Telegraph
Carlos Tevez has dismissed reports suggesting that he threatened to leave Juventus if the 30-year-old striker's former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini was to be appointed as their new manager. Sky Sports Understands
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, 21, has moved a step closer to leaving the Stamford Bridge club by training with former club Anderlecht. Sun
Roma midfielder Alessandro Florenzi, 23, may not be falling asleep again on the plane after an image of him with playing cards in his mouth was tweeted by team-mate Miralem Pjanic en route to the club's US tour.
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge took to Instagram during the club's pre-season tour in the US to show the 24-year-old is a budding photographer.
New Tottenham coaches Miguel D'Agostino, Jesus Perez and Toni Jimenez were forced into a singing initiation and right-back Kyle Walker subsequently posted a clip on Instagram
Former England captain Steven Gerrard was given some glowing tributes from fans around the world when he announced his retirement from international football, but the Vietnam News was clearly confused over which sport he played. Their back page heading read: 'Fans give retiring Gerrard fond farewell from cricket'. Metro
AC Milan bring back Liverpool's Spice Boys look as they get fitted out for all-white Dolce & Gabbana suits on a pre-season US tour. DSSC
WAG BONUS
Premier League champions interested in Real Madrid star Isco
Manchester City are looking into the availability of Real Madrid star Isco, following the Spanish giants' big money signing of James Rodriguez from Monaco.
With Rodriguez now a Madrid player, after he completed his £63m move on Tuesday, Isco could find regular football hard to come by with the European champions.
Isco picked to join Real over City in 2013 and scored eight goals in 32 league appearances in his first season with them last term.
But now, his services at the Bernabeu may no longer be needed.
Isco played under Manuel Pellegrini during their time together at Malaga and the City boss is interested in bringing the Spaniard to the Eithad.
The 22-year-old would be a good replacement for Alvaro Negredo, who is set to be out of action for up to three months after having surgery on his broken metatarsal.
Any deal for Isco would be difficult though. City would have to do other business to satisfy the Uefa-imposed transfer cap and foreign quota limitations set upon them.
But, the quality of the player could persuade the Premier League champions into doing the legwork.
James Milner ignores transfer to force way back in to Manchester City team
• Midfielder started only 12 league games last season
• Gives himself six months to become first-team regular
James Milner, right, is still part of the England squad despite dropping out of favour at Manchester City. Photograph: Michael Mayhew/Sportsphoto/Allstar
James Milner’s future at Manchester City is unlikely to be resolved until the end of the year at the earliest. The England international is minded to see whether he can force his way into Manuel Pellegrini’s starting XI on a more regular basis before deciding whether to sign a new deal with the Premier League champions or join one of their rivals.
With Milner in the final 12 months of his contract at City, the 28-year-old is in a strong position and there are several leading Premier League clubs, including Arsenal and Liverpool, interested in signing him. However, he is settled in Manchester and in an ideal world would extend his stay with the club he joined from Aston Villa in a deal worth £26m four years ago. The one thing holding him back from committing to City at the moment is a lack of first-team action – Milner started only 12 league games last season.
In preliminary talks at the end of last season, City suggested that there was a four-year deal on the table and stressed that he was a valued member of the squad. The feeling is that Milner would have put pen to paper if that offer had been made 12 months earlier, when he had featured more frequently in the team, starting half of City’s Premier League games. But City delayed and Milner was not inclined to sign after a season when he was a bit-part player under Pellegrini.
It is understood that neither Milner nor his representatives asked to see what figures City had in mind when they proposed the new contract before the World Cup finals, such is the player’s desire to base his decision purely on football.
Milner will be 29 in January and, although he feels at home at City and loves playing for the club, the bottom line is that he wants to be sure that he spends the next few years of his career on the pitch. City are believed to be sympathetic to Milner’s position.
As things stand, City are not looking to offload him and the player has no intention of angling for a move. There is a queue of clubs ready to take Milner but he wants to have a crack at convincing Pellegrini that he is worth a place in the team. He is due to return to pre-season training on Thursday, after being given an extended break following his time away with England at the World Cup, and it is anticipated that he will hold talks with the manager during the coming weeks to discuss his situation and the new campaign.
At this stage all the indications are that Milner will use the first half of the season to see if he can play his way into the starting XI. If he succeeds in doing so, the midfielder is likely to sign a new contract with City. If nothing changes and opportunities remain limited, he will explore other options and is expected to leave at the end of the season, when he would be a particularly attractive free transfer.
He will be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with an overseas club in January, although the more likely scenario if he chooses to leave the Etihad Stadium is that he will remain in the Premier League. Liverpool and Arsenal have made inquiries and would be leading contenders to sign him. One possibility that has been ruled out, because it is seen as being in neither City’s nor Milner’s interests, is a loan move – something that Aston Villa had explored.
Manchester City locked in racism row as Premier League champions support Patrick Vieira despite HNK Rijeka's claim that racial abuse allegations are false
Manager Ranko Buketa claims that ulterior motives were behind Vieira's decision to take the Elite Development Squad off during a match in Croatia
Manchester City are considering their next move in the wake of the racism row which blew up out of their elite development squad's friendly in Croatia.
City will continue to evaluate the situation now the EDS has returned home, as they were scheduled to do, but it is too early to say what their next course of action will be over racist abuse allegations made by 19-year-old French midfielder Seko Fofana after he was sent off.
It is understood that the club fully support EDS coach Patrick Vieira in making the decision he did but their opponents HNK Rijeka have denied any of their players are racist and claimed the City boss may have had ulterior motives.
Ranko Buketa, who was in charge of Rijeka's team on Tuesday, accused Vieira of trying to divert attention away from Fofana's red card.
"It looks like a move which is trying to hide a very ugly foul by the Manchester City player that resulted in exclusion, followed by a hasty and illogical decision of the coaching staff to withdraw the team from the field," he told the club's official website.
"Such an abrupt decision surprised us as it was made by responsible people at a respectable club like Manchester City."
In a further statement the club added: "Rijeka clearly and unequivocally reject any possibility that the players at the match against Manchester City participated in assaulting the rival players on racial, religious or ethnic grounds.
"We want to point out the fact that we mentioned at the game we had six players from the Nigeria squad, players who live and train together with our other players, who learned the Croatian language and who have never experienced any discomfort by team-mates - as they themselves can attest.
"We also want to point out that Rijeka, in co-operation with FARE, supports a campaign against racism and strongly condemns any incident of its kind.
"Because of this, we are surprised by the unpleasantly harsh and baseless accusations of which we are accused and that we completely reject."
Vieira has been praised for his actions by Piara Powar, executive director at anti-discrimination network FARE.
"We are not, in the short term, able to stop this sort of incident happening but to have someone like Patrick Vieira, with his status, do this makes the message very clear," Powar told Press Association Sport.
"The message it sends out is categorical. It is just the sort of thing which will create change.
"Rijeka are professing puzzlement as to why the team were taken off but I don't think Patrick would have done that without good cause.
"If it was bad enough to take the team off I would hope they would make a complaint (to FIFA). We will be alerting FIFA to this."
Manchester City coach and Elite Development Squad manager Patrick Vieira It is not the first time City's players have been involved in such incidents.
CSKA Moscow were ordered by UEFA to close part of their stadium after midfielder Yaya Toure was racially abused during a Champions League match in October.
Porto were fined £16,700 in April 2012 after their supporters directed racist chants at Toure and striker Mario Balotelli, who has since left the club, during a Europa League tie.
Youth team striker Devante Cole, son of former Manchester United and Newcastle forward Andy, was racially abused by players and supporters during a UEFA Youth League match against Atletico Madrid in February.
There has been no response so far from either FIFA or the Croatian Football Association.
Kelechi Iheanacho praised by Manuel Pellegrini after Manchester City win - but Nigerian sweats over work permit
Manuel Pellegrini paid tribute to Kelechi Iheanacho after he starred in Manchester City’s win over Sporting Kansas City but admitted that the Premier League champions may struggle to secure a work permit for the teenage Nigerian striker.
Iheanacho, 17, capped an impressive appearance by scoring the last of City’s goals in a 4-1 win at Sporting Park and Pellegrini is convinced he has a bright future in the game.
City beat a host of European clubs to sign Iheanacho after he scored six goals in seven games to claim the Golden Ball at last summer’s Under 17 World Championship.
Video: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footba ... 4115820001
But Pellegrini is uncertain if they will now be able to secure the necessary paperwork so he can stay in England.
He said: ‘Kelechi is just 17 years old and he’s a very important player for us in the future. He demonstrated today what he can do in the future. It depends on the way he takes this profession, but I think he’s a good talent.
‘We’ve not decided yet (what the plan is for him) because it’s not easy. He’s just 17 and sometimes that’s the problem. We’ll see what he will do in the future. For the moment he will stay with us and we’ll see when we return to England what will happen with him. But he’s a very important player for the future for the club.
‘After the tour we will see what happens with him. There are a lot of things to arrange to play in England but he has an important future.’
Pellegrini played down fears over a knee injury to Samir Nasri but admitted that City’s World Cup players, who have just joined up with the squad in America, are unlikely to feature until the final game against Olympiacos.
He added: ‘Samir had a little problem the last game we played in Scotland. He worked yesterday and today with the physiotherapist and we’ll see during the week when he starts kicking the ball if he can play against Milan. I think for Liverpool he will be okay.
‘Five more players have arrived but they have just started working so they will not be considered for the next two games. Maybe for the last game against Olympiacos but not before because they have to do their pre-season.’
Pellegrini was satisfied with a comfortable win in the opening tour game. Bruno Zuculini, Dedryck Boyata and Aleksandar Kolarov were the other scorers against a Sporting side who made wholesale changes at half-time.
‘I think it was a really good game especially in the first 45 minutes when both teams had their best players,’ said Pellegrini.
‘It was very useful for us because Sporting Kansas changed 11 players for the second half so it was a very physical game.
‘The score doesn’t matter. It’s always important to win but I understand that Sporting Kansas have a very important game against Toronto at the weekend.
‘We have a lot of players who are not in our squad at the moment but it’s useful that the other players have a chance to demonstrate what they can do.
‘We have new players. Willy Caballero is good keeper and I know him. Zuculini is a young player who has come from Argentina and Fernando has more experience in Europe with Porto.’
Liverpool are ready to revive their interest in Chelsea's Ryan Bertrand, 24, as manager Brendan Rodgers steps up his search for a left-back. DSSC
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus, 25, and Southampton defender Dejan Lovren, 25, are among the other names Rodgers is chasing. Daily Mirror
Everton are closing in on 21-year-old midfielder Muhamed Besic, who starred for Bosnia at the World Cup. Daily Mirror
Tottenham are considering a bid for 29-year-old Aston Villa defender Ron Vlaar, with the London club prepared to offer Lewis Holtby, 23, or Michael Dawson, 30, in exchange. DSSC
West Brom are chasing Costa Rica World Cup duo Yeltsin Tejeda, 22, and Cristian Gamboa, 24. Daily Express
Another Real Madrid star who could be on the move is 21-year-old defender Raphael Varane, with Chelsea monitoring his situation. Independent
Crystal Palace are on the trail of Marseille midfielder Morgan Amalfitano, 29, who spent last season on loan at West Brom. Sun
QPR boss Harry Redknapp wants to strike a deal to sign former Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o and the 34-year-old striker's agent is flying to London to reach an agreement. Daily Mirror
Tottenham transfer target Davide Astori has shunned a Premier League move with the 27-year-old defender deciding to sign a three-year contract extension with Serie A side Cagliari. Daily Star
Liverpool are hoping to hijack Manchester United's move for Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal, 27, by matching their £42.5m bid for the player. Metro
Manager Roberto Martinez has confirmed Everton are close to completing a deal to sign Anderlecht striker David Henen, 18. TalkSHIT
AC Milan are chasing Arsenal forward Joel Campbell, 22, having already made contact with the London club over the Costa Rica international. Inside Futbol
Louis van Gaal is facing his first transfer setback as Manchester United manager with Borussia Dortmund warning him to forget about signing 25-year-old World Cup-winning defender Mats Hummels. Daily Express
Manchester United are being given the green light to sign Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria, 26, after the European champions signed Monaco midfielder James Rodriguez . Caughtoffside.com
Burnley have joined the race to sign striker Troy Deeney, 26, but Watford are holding out for £10m. DSSC
West Ham are ready to offload Ravel Morrison because the midfielder is not in Sam Allardyce's plans. Daily Mirror
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has told goalkeepers Thibaut Courtois, 22, and Petr Cech, 32, that they will both be staying at the club - whether they like it or not. Times
Arsene Wenger is ready to end his chase for a midfield anchorman and put his faith in England's Jack Wilshere, 22. Daily Mirror
Joe Cole believes Roy Hodgson should think twice about giving the England captaincy to Wayne Rooney, 28 - and says 24-year-old Jordan Henderson is a genuine contender for the role. Sun
Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta, 30, says it would be a "dream" if he is chosen to be Carles Puyol's successor as captain of the Spanish giants. Goal.com
Toronto FC striker Jermain Defoe, 31, will not be making a quick return to the Premier League, despite rumoured of interest from QPR boss Harry Redknapp - who worked with the former England striker at West Ham, Portsmouth and Tottenham. TalkSHIT
Liverpool will not waste their £100m transfer kitty on buying star names who do not have the right profile for the club with boss Brendan Rodgers expecting to bring a minimum of eight new recruits to Anfield by next month. Daily Telegraph
Carlos Tevez has dismissed reports suggesting that he threatened to leave Juventus if the 30-year-old striker's former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini was to be appointed as their new manager. Sky Sports Understands
Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, 21, has moved a step closer to leaving the Stamford Bridge club by training with former club Anderlecht. Sun
Roma midfielder Alessandro Florenzi, 23, may not be falling asleep again on the plane after an image of him with playing cards in his mouth was tweeted by team-mate Miralem Pjanic en route to the club's US tour.
Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge took to Instagram during the club's pre-season tour in the US to show the 24-year-old is a budding photographer.
New Tottenham coaches Miguel D'Agostino, Jesus Perez and Toni Jimenez were forced into a singing initiation and right-back Kyle Walker subsequently posted a clip on Instagram
Former England captain Steven Gerrard was given some glowing tributes from fans around the world when he announced his retirement from international football, but the Vietnam News was clearly confused over which sport he played. Their back page heading read: 'Fans give retiring Gerrard fond farewell from cricket'. Metro
AC Milan bring back Liverpool's Spice Boys look as they get fitted out for all-white Dolce & Gabbana suits on a pre-season US tour. DSSC
WAG BONUS
