Karl-Heinz Rumour Mill

[rcgills]

Wasn't completely out of the blue, Marca first mentioned it as a possibility almost a month ago (Primeras MARCA), and the reports were stepped up once Ballack decided he wanted to stay at Chelsea. Not sure exactly where Sneijder plays, but my understanding was that Madrid wanted him as an alternative to Ballack, not to Robben.

[all_funkt_up]

Derby boss Billy Davies will smash their transfer record with the £5.5m signing of Southampton striker Kenwyne Jones. (Various)

Derby seem very persistant here. Anyone know just how good this Jones feller is? £5.5m is a boat-load of cash for Derby, lets hope its money well spent, for their sake.

Everton boss David Moyes wants to sign Sheffield Wednesday left-winger Chris Brunt, but he will cost £3m. (Daily Mirror)

West Ham are set to join the battle for Middlesbrough's Yakubu after the striker's £10m price tag scared off Portsmouth. (Daily Mirror)

Barcelona striker Eidur Gudjohnsen wants £100,000-a-week from any of the Premier League clubs - West Ham, Middlesbrough, Blackburn - chasing him. (Daily Mirror)


Wigan boss Chris Hutchings is ready to move for Preston's left-back Matt Hill. (Daily Mirror)

MK Dons boss Paul Ince is set to snatch Wycombe striker Jermaine Easter from under the noses of Swindon and Millwall. (The Sun)

West Brom boss Tony Mowbray is ready to snatch Manchester City forward Ishmael Miller for £500,000. (Daily Mirror)

Spurs striker Lee Barnard will be loaned out to Crewe until January. (The Times)

David Unsworth will sign a one-year deal with Burnley on Monday. (The Sun)

Arsenal have stepped up their interest in Yoan Gouffran after watching the Caen forward in their past two matches. (The Times)


In other news, Bolton striker El Hadji Diouf wants showdown talks with chairman Phil Gartside and boss Sammy Lee after being left on the bench for the opening game. (Daily Star)

Swindon are set for a £10m takeover by mystery Portuguese investors this week. (Daily Mirror)

Hurrah for the metatarsal everyone.... Woop Woop

England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney faces a lay-off of about two months after suffering a hairline fracture of his left foot against Reading. (The Sun)

Rooney is set to miss England's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Israel and Russia in September because he faces a spell out of the game of six to eight weeks. (Daily Telegraph)

The 21-year-old is facing three months on the sidelines following his latest injury problem. (Daily Express)

United star Rooney, who was forced off at half-time in his side's Premier League opener, will be out for about two months. (Daily Mirror)

Rooney will be out of action for at least six weeks. (Daily Star)

Forward Rooney is set to be out for six weeks after suffering the third metatarsal injury of his career. (Daily Mail)

Further tests on Monday are set to reveal more about Rooney's recovery time. (The Times)

Rooney will be out for at least two months. (The Independent)

The official line is that Rooney faces a six-week lay-off but it could conceivably be longer. (The Guardian)

What a start to the season eh. United go from being everyone's banker for the Premiership, to a bunch of also ran's, with John O'Shea up front. Thats why we love football.

[GaNgStA kEeKs]

Originally Posted by rcgills

Wasn't completely out of the blue, Marca first mentioned it as a possibility almost a month ago (Primeras MARCA), and the reports were stepped up once Ballack decided he wanted to stay at Chelsea. Not sure exactly where Sneijder plays, but my understanding was that Madrid wanted him as an alternative to Ballack, not to Robben.

Yeah he is nothing like Robben. Sneijder is more your Lampard/Ballack type of attacking midfielder who chips in with his fair share of goals.

Great player, he really is and he will stamp his foot down as one of the best in the world this season now,

35 caps at 23 for Holland. Not a bad record at all.

[mrmuzeman]

“Benfica’s Manuel Fernandes broke off from training with the team this morning in preparation for the game with FC Copenhagan as the midfielder could be heading for the exit to Everton. The player’s absence from the team hotel received no official explanation from the club, but speculation is mounting that he will move to the city of The Beatles where he played last season on loan. It must be remembered that if Manuel Fernandes is used in the game with FC Copenhagan he would be ineligible to represent another team in European competitions this season.”

Hmmmm sounds promising

[all_funkt_up]

Tottenham have been alerted that Real Madrid midfielder Guti will be available for £5m if Arjen Robben joins the Spanish cunts. (Mirror)

Wingers Martin - you need Wingers.

Guti has been available now for years. Or rather, the press has carried stories for years concerning his availability and he has been linked with pretty much every club going. If he was worth a punt, surely he would have gone by now.

Tottenham are set to make an offer for West Brom's Curtis Davies. (Guardian)

Wingers Martin. You need Wingers.

Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson wants to sign a keeper before Wednesday. Jussi Jaaskelainen and Marco Amelia are the targets. (Times)

If Jussi goes, Bolton have to be fancied for relegation surely...?

Everton have bid £6m for Benfica's 50% share in Manuel Fernandes. A private investor owns the other 50%. (Sun)

Christ, here we go again - Tevez MK II. Everton should stay well clear if that's the case.

Middlesbrough hope to tie up a £6.8m deal for Spurs striker Mido on Tuesday. (Mirror)

Bloody hell - he was only £3m last week. If Boro pay anything over £4m for Mido - they have been done.

West Ham have offered Barcelona's Eidur Gudjohnsen an £80,000-a-week deal but want an answer from the striker, who wants £100,000, on Tuesday. (Mirror)

Portsmouth are stepping up their bid to sign £4m-rated Real Mallorca winger Jonas Gutierrez. (Guardian)

Derby are pursuing their interest in Finland midfielder Mika Vayrynen. (Telegraph)

West Ham are to make an official inquiry about Palermo midfielder Mark Bresciano after his move to Manchester City collapsed. (Guardian)

Everton have not given up hope of signing Middlesbrough striker Yakubu. (Independent)

Daniel Alves will not play in Sevilla's Champions League qualifier on Wednesday as he seeks a move to Chelsea. (Sun)

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is prepared to pay up to £8m for Blackburn's Morten Gamst Pedersen. (Mirror)

West Brom have confirmed their interest in Manchester City striker Ishmael Miller. (Mirror)

Sheffield United are set to win the race for Plymouth's £600,000 midfielder David Norris. (Mirror)

Leicester are to offer former Chelsea and Middlesbrough striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink a deal worth £1m. (Mirror)

Derby are considering a move for prolific Watford striker Marlon King. (Mirror)

Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce is considering a £4m swoop for Everton skipper Phil Neville. (Express)

Sunderland are ready to sell goalkeeper Martin Fulop. (Independent)

Everton are set to bid £3m for Sheffield Wednesday winger Chris Brunt. (Star)

Nottingham Forest are poised to sign Southampton striker David McGoldrick on loan. (Star)

Derby are set to hold on to Giles Barnes after slapping a £6m price tag on the midfielder. (Star)

[rcgills]

Originally Posted by all_funkt_up

Guti has been available now for years. Or rather, the press has carried stories for years concerning his availability and he has been linked with pretty much every club going. If he was worth a punt, surely he would have gone by now.

If Guti's available for 5m, it's an absolute fucking steal, even if he is now coming up for 31. The difference in creativity between Madrid with Guti playing and Madrid without Guti is striking. His problem is the same as the one which seems to affect just about everyone apart from Raul that's come through their youth team in the past decade - he's not a fashionable name, and is always liable to be shunted aside by whichever Galactico Madrid decide to spunk countless millions on. Can't see what the Robben deal has to do with anything, mind, as they shouldn't be rivals for the same position.

Bit of a toff though, apparently.

[all_funkt_up]

You a big fan of Guti then?

[rcgills]

Certainly am. Almost as big a fan of him as I am a non-fan of Torres

[rcgills]

Marca reporting that Dani Alves has signed for Chelsea for 32m euros, plus another 4m dependent on various clauses. They reckon that's now going to trigger a chain that will see Cicinho join Sevilla from Madrid, and Robben finally join Madrid.

[all_funkt_up]

Indeed RC - it looks like that's a done deal.

Sid Lowe of the Guardian had him down as his player of the year in Spain, do you rate him so highly Gilly?

[rcgills]

He's certainly a class player, a very good attacking wing back, but I personally thought he faded quite badly towards the end of last season, possibly due to tiredness as Sevilla were still involved right until the end in the title race, the UEFA Cup and the Copa del Rey. If he'd kept up his form from the first half of the season, I'd have had him down as a contender for European player of the year, never mind Spanish player of the year.

He's certainly not come cheap at 32m euros, but if he displays the form of the first half of last season, it'll still be money well spent.

[all_funkt_up]

West Ham have resurrected a £6m deal for Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer and he is expected to complete the move within days. (Daily Express)

Apparently West Ham are also after another Geordie acquisition. They are looking to replace Nelson's column with the Angel of the North, or so I have heard. May as well, seen as they have been linked with just about every other player who plies his trade for the Mags. Dyer and Solano could both be Laaandaaahn bound this week and will hook up with Bowyer and Bellamy.

West Ham have a truly despicable team now dont they. The biggest bunch of cunts in all the land.

Chelsea are close to a £24.5m deal for Sevilla defender Daniel Alves. (Sun)

Fulham can sign Sami Hyypia for £1.5m - if Liverpool can find a replacement for the defender. (The Sun)

Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce is in talks with Barcelona's Brazilian full-back Juliano Belletti over a £3m move. (Daily Mail)

The Magpies are set to offer £4m for Everton's Phil Neville. (Various)

Bolton have reluctantly agreed to sell Senegal defender Abdoulaye Faye to Newcastle for £2m. (Daily Star)

Blackburn have told Arsenal £8m is not enough to sign winger Morten Gamst Pedersen. (Sun)

Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is confident of signing Palermo midfielder Mark Brechiano. (Guardian)

Everton defender Joseph Yobo has ordered Middlesbrough striker Yakubu to sign for the Toffees. (Sun)

Derby could report West Ham to the Football Association for allegedly 'tapping up' Giles Barnes. (Times)

Everton will sign Manuel Fernandes on a fixed-term contract similar to the one that took Carlos Tevez to Manchester United. (Telegraph)

[mrmuzeman]

Everton defender Joseph Yobo has ordered Middlesbrough striker Yakubu to sign for the Toffees. (Sun)

[GaNgStA kEeKs]

Yeah that made me laugh too. "Ordered"

Surely Everton wouldnt let Neville go? I was pleasantly surprised by last seasons performance from him in my Fantasy Football. He was one of the highest scoring players infact so must be doing a lot right.

£4m seems a bit low does it not?

[mrmuzeman]

Cant see it happening, duno why hed want go there for footballing and geography reasons plus hes captain. That storys bollocks imo.

As to what I think of him im not overly impressed. I think hes a good right back but im not that keen on him in the middle of midfield where we play him really, hes ok. He does a job nothing more than that really. Carsley is a better holding defensive type midfielder though but I bet if we get Fernandes its Carsley who gets dropped and not Neville cos Moyes seems to love him. Which is another reason id be extremely suprised if he went, it just wouldnt make any sense.