Premier League transfer gossip and news

Sat 17th May 2008

Cesc Fabregas is close to signing a new contract at Arsenal after the Gunners warded off Real Madrid and Barcelona. (Daily Telegraph)

Manchester United striker Louis Saha admits he will be put up for sale after the Champions League final. (Various)

Saha's Old Trafford team-mate Mikael Silvestre says he would jump at a move to French side Bordeaux, the side he supported as a youngster. (Daily Mirror)

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate will make a £5m bid for Newcastle midfielder James Milner if he fails to keep Gary O'Neil. (Sun)

Everton midfielder Lee Carsley could make a shock return to Birmingham on a two-year deal. (Sun)

AC Milan are determined to sign Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o from under the noses of Tottenham. (Sun)

But the Eto'o story has taken a new twist with reports he no longer wants to leave Barcelona with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy poised to make a £30m offer. (Daily Telegraph)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane is the latest to target Manchester City's Republic of Ireland international defender Richard Dunne in a £2.5m deal. (Daily Mirror)

Tottenham face competition from Roma to sign striker Marcelo Moreno from Brazilian side Cruzeiro. (Daily Mirror)

Motherwell striker Ross McCormack, 21, wanted by both Middlesbrough and Wigan in January, could spark a transfer war after declaring he wants to play in England. (Daily Express)

Arsenal are ready to move for Werder Bremen midfielder Diego, 23, if Alexander Hleb leaves the Gunners. (Daily Mail)

Derby and Scotland striker Kenny Miller is on the verge of a return to Rangers. (Scottish Sun)

Rangers are lining up a swap deal with Fulham which will see on-loan Steven Davis staying at Ibrox and Daniel Cousin going to Craven Cottage. (Daily Mail)

Fri 16th May 2008

Marseille coach Eric Gerets says the French club would be willing to sell Samir Nasri, who has reportedly been attracting interest from Arsenal, as well ex-Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse if they get favourable offers. (Press Association, 1505 BST)

Jussi Jaaskelainen's agent warns Bolton there are a queue of clubs keen on signing the Finland goalkeeper. (Clubcall, 1517 BST).

AC Milan have made their final offer of £20m for Barcelona's Ronaldinho. Manchester City have offered £24m but the Brazilian only wants to join the Milan giants. (Italian sports paper Gazzetta dello Sport, BST 1105)

Derby midfielder Dave Jones is set to leave for £1m. (Clubcall, 1200 BST)

South Korea striker Dong Gook Lee is in negotiations with five Japanese teams after being released by Middlesbrough earlier this week. (Press Association, 1055 BST)

Newcastle could be ready to bid for Jonny Evans if the Manchester United prospect becomes available this summer. (The Journal, 1020 BST)

Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre says he would be interested in a move to Bordeaux. (L'Equipe, 0955 BST)

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy will fly to Barcelona on Sunday to try to sign striker Samuel Eto'o. (Spanish sports paper Marca, 0610 BST)

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is to have talks about a new contract in the next few weeks. The Czech number one has just a year left on his current deal. (BBC Sport, 1600 BST)

Lille midfielder Jean Makoun is wanted by north London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham, with the French club holding out for £11m. (skysports.com, 1436 BST)

If Arsenal fail in their bid to lure Makoun to the Emirates Stadium, manager Arsene Wenger will turn his attentions to Sevilla's Seydou Keita. (skysports.com, 1436 BST)

Benfica defender Luisao has admitted he is interested in a move to the Premier League with Portsmouth reportedly interested in the £12m-rated Brazilian. (skysports.com, 1056 BST)

Manchester City are in pole position to sign Barcelona teenager Giovani dos Santos, according to the player's father. (Manchester Evening News, 1051 BST)

Manchester United are set to step up their bid to sign £20m-rated defender Micah Richards from local rivals Manchester City. (Daily Mail)

Tottenham could be beaten to the signing of Samuel Eto'o after Inter Milan launched a £32m bid for the Barcelona striker. (Daily Mirror)

West Ham midfielder Freddie Ljungberg has been offered £3m to leave the club. (The Times)

Wigan manager Steve Bruce is to launch a £4m bid for Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos who plays for AEK Athens. (Daily Mirror)

Sunderland are ready to bid £2.5m for Wolves and Republic of Ireland right back Kevin Foley. (Daily Mirror)

Jordan Stewart is set to join Derby on a free transfer from Watford. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo has hinted he may reconsider his future at Old Trafford after the Champions League final. (various)

Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho also says that he is unsure whether he will be at the Blues next season. (various)

Dutch side Feyenoord are interested in signing Chelsea centre-back Tal Ben Haim. (Daily Express)

Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra has put the entire squad up for sale. (Daily Express)

Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas has reassured fans he is not planning to join Real Madrid. (Daily Express)

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is eager to sign experienced French defender Lilian Thuram. (Daily Star)

Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is keen to end Steve Sidwell's Chelsea nightmare by paying £6m for his services. (Daily Mirror)

West Ham have made a £5m offer for Manchester City defender Richard Dunne. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill will offer Reading £4m for Republic of Ireland striker Kevin Doyle. (Mirror)

Portsmouth are in talks with Liverpool to bring £15m-rated Peter Crouch to Fratton Park. (The Times)

Liverpool keeper Scott Carson wants his club to lower their £10m price tag for him. (The Sun)

Thursday 15th may 2008

Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson has been approach to coach Mexcio. (Esto 2057 BST)

Real Madrid say they have the finances to sign Manchester United's £100m-rated winger Cristiano Ronaldo this summer. (Marca 1708 BST)

Wigan have not received any offers for the Antonio Valencia, according to his agent, despite newspaper reports linking him to a move to Manchester United or Liverpool (BBC Sport, 1643 BST)

Cruzeiro president Alvimar Perrella has revealed at a press conference that Tottenham have failed with a bid to sign Marcelo Moreno. (setanta.com 1540 BST)

Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan has warned Arsenal off making a move for Obafemi Martins. (Newcastle Evening Chronicle 1538 BST)

Birmingham's on-loan striker Mauro Zarate is in talks with two Premier League clubs. (BBC Sport, 1342 BST)

Reading manager Steve Coppell has hinted that the support of the fans may persuade him to stay at the club. (Reading Evening Post, 1232 BST)

Paris St Germain forward Amara Diane has admitted he would jump at the chance to join Newcastle. (Press Association, 1226 BST)

Liverpool midfielder Harry Kewell is considering "various options" after being told he has no future at Anfield. (BBC Sport, 1222 BST)

AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti will not be leaving for Manchester City or the Italy national team despite reports in the Italian press. (BBC Sport, 1113 BST)

Tottenham defender Ricardo Rocha has told Juande Ramos that he wants to leave White Hart Lane this summer. (Epping Forest Guardian 1110 BST)

Le Mans forward Gervinho has admitted he is flattered to be linked with a move to Arsenal. (Sportinglife.com 1109 BST)

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill and club owner Randy Lerner have opened talks with Gareth Barry over his future at the club. (Aston Villa's website 1058 BST)

According to reports in Portugal Manchester City manager Sven Goran Eriksson has refused the chance to become Benfica's new boss. (setanta.com 1029 BST)

Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure has admitted he would love to play alongside his brother Kolo in the Premier League at Arsenal. (TEAMtalk.com 0928 BST)

Manchester United's hopes of signing Wigan winger Antonio Valencia have been boosted after Liverpool reportedly calmed their interest.

Rafa Benitez has cooled his interest in Wigan's £10m-rated Ecuadorian to concentrate his efforts on signing Aston Villa's Gareth Barry. (Manchester Evening News 0924 BST)

Jose Mourinho has ruled himself out of an unlikely move to Manchester City. (Manchester Evening News 0919 BST)

Manchester United target Daniel Alves has hinted he could leave Primera Liga outfit Sevilla this summer. (TEAMtalk.com 0902 BST)

Sergio Ramos has insisted that he is going nowhere and wants to retire at Real Madrid, but is flattered by the interest from Milan and Chelsea. (goal.com 0852 BST)

Newcastle United have finally opened contract talks with striker Michael Owen. (Newcastle Journal 0848 BST)

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba looks certain to leave the club this summer, with either AC or Inter Milan his preferred destination. (The Times/The Sun)

However, Chelsea are poised to land Barcelona wonder kid Giovani dos Santos, who has been dubbed the new Ronaldinho. (The Sun)

Manchester United defender Patrice Evra is sweating on a new contract, with the Frenchman having only one year left on his current deal. (Sun)

Newcastle striker Michael Owen could turn his back on English football and Japan could be a possible destination. (Daily Star)

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has stepped in to try to broker a £15m move for Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o. (Star)

Meanwhile, Tottenham could bid for Blackburn winger David Bentley, who would cost about £15m. (Sun)

Spurs are also lining up Manchester City keeper Joe Hart, with Paul Robinson moving in the opposite direction. (Daily Mail)

The White Hart Lane club are also keen on Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka, who is also valued at £15m. (Daily Express)

West Ham manager Alan Curbishley is hopeful of signing Manchester City captain Richard Dunne for about £6m. (Daily Express)

Wigan boss Steve Bruce looks set to raid his old club for midfielder Olivier Kapo.(Sun)

Former Manchester United striker Alan Smith is wanted by Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate. Smith joined Newcastle for £6m in 2007. (Daily Mirror)

Arsenal look to be closing in on £11m-rated Lyon winger Hatem Ben Arfa. (Independent)

Aston Villa are keen on Portsmouth midfielder Pedro Mendes. (Mirror)

Portsmouth are lining up a £5m move for West Brom striker Ishmael Miller. (Mirror)

Tottenham are considering an approach from PSV Eindhoven for left-back Lee Young Pyo. (Times)

Sunderland manager Roy Keane will be given at least £50m to spend in the summer as he attempts to consolidate their place in the Premier League. (Telegraph)

Result for 28th April 2008

Derby 2-6 Arsenal

Derby: Carroll, Todd, Moore, Stubbs, McEveley, Mears, Savage, Ghaly (Feilhaber 60), Lewis, Villa, Sterjovski (Earnshaw 69).
Subs Not Used: Price, Edworthy, Beardsley.

Goals: McEveley 31, Earnshaw 77.

Arsenal: Fabianski, Toure (Djourou 78), Gallas, Song Billong, Clichy, Eboue, Fabregas, Denilson (Silva 64), Walcott, Van Persie (Adebayor 46), Bendtner.
Subs Not Used: Almunia, Senderos.

Goals: Bendtner 25, Van Persie 39, Adebayor 59, Walcott 78, Adebayor 81, 90.

Att: 33,003.

Ref: Andre Marriner (W Midlands).

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger:
"This team has a great future, I believe we were really unlucky not to win something this year.

"It is always a problem not to win trophies but I love this team, love the way they behave and the way they play.

Derby Manager Paul Jewell:
"We're in the same league but we were a million miles apart.

"The whole mentality here must change. When adversity hits you, you have to be able to fight. I want to see some real men in the trenches here next year.

Results for Saturday 19 April 2008

Arsenal Lehmann, Toure (Eboue 60), Gallas, Song Billong, Clichy, Walcott, Fabregas, Silva, Hleb (Denilson 74), Van Persie, Adebayor (Bendtner 73). Subs Not Used: Mannone, Senderos.	2-0 (HT 2-0)	Reading Hahnemann, Murty, Sonko (Duberry 73), Ingimarsson, Bikey, Rosenior, Kebe (Matejovsky 79), Cisse, Harper (Fae 73), Convey, Kitson. Subs Not Used: Federici, Doyle.
Adebayor 30 Silva 38
• Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: "In this match we showed what quality we do have and that the team is strong. "We are still ambitious - we have 74 points and want to finish with 83 points which is a decent total. We want to finish off as close as we can to the winners of the league. Att: 60,109 Ref: Peter Walton (Northamptonshire).		Bookings: Kitson 28 Bikey 58 Sonko 71 • Reading boss Steve Coppell: "When they scored their first goal it was always going to be a mountain for us to climb. "We shrunk back after we conceded and observed and did not play. "After the break we put in some real effort and commitment. "We have a three game mini-season and must aim to get enough points to stay up.

Blackburn Friedel, Emerton, Samba, Nelsen, Warnock, Bentley, Reid, Vogel (Mokoena 85), Pedersen, Santa Cruz, Roberts. Subs Not Used: Brown, Ooijer, McCarthy, Dunn.	1-1 (HT 1-0)	Man Utd Kuszczak, Brown (O'Shea 81), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs (Nani 46), Tevez, Rooney (Park 90). Subs Not Used: Foster, Pique.
Santa Cruz 21		Tevez 88
Bookings: Reid 51 Att: 30,316 Ref: Rob Styles (Hampshire).		Bookings: Rooney 40

Fulham Keller, Stalteri, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Davies, Bullard, Murphy (Andreasen 78), Dempsey, Healy (Nevland 76), McBride (Kamara 81). Subs Not Used: Warner, Bocanegra.	0-2 (HT 0-1)	Liverpool Reina, Finnan, Skrtel, Hyypia (Carragher 46), Riise, Pennant, Lucas, Mascherano (Alonso 72), Benayoun, Voronin (Aurelio 82), Crouch. Subs Not Used: Itandje, Torres.
		Pennant 17 Crouch 70
Bookings: Healy 67 • Fulham manager Roy Hodgson: "We matched them quite well but once they got their first goal we were chasing the game and when they got the second goal it put us out of contention. Att: 25,311. Ref: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire).		• Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez: "I picked a team I believed could win the match. We now need just one more point to ensure fourth place in the league, even if Everton win all their remaining games.

Middlesbrough Turnbull, Young, Wheater, Pogatetz, Taylor (Rochemback 74), Aliadiere, Boateng, Arca, Downing, Alves, Sanli (Johnson 64). Subs Not Used: Steele, Shawky, Grounds.	0-1 (HT 0-0)	Bolton Al Habsi, Steinsson, Andrew O'Brien, Cahill, Samuel, Nolan, Cohen (Guthrie 45), Campo, McCann, Taylor, Rasiak (Diouf 56). Subs Not Used: Walker, Giannakopoulos, Fojut.
		McCann 61
Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate: "We had enough chances to have the game under control at half-time. "Our attitude was right and we were up for it and were the better side for 45 minutes, but their keeper kept them in it and they have him to thank. Att: 25,037 Ref: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire).		Bookings: Steinsson 57 Campo 77 Bolton manager Gary Megson: "Today was not a classic performance and we set off poorly. We were fortunate to go into half-time at 0-0. "But we played well in the second-half and it really was a case of two halves.

West Ham : Green, Pantsil, Tomkins, Neill, McCartney, Faubert (Solano 78), Noble, Parker, Ljungberg (Boa Morte 90), Sears (Cole 74), Zamora. Subs Not Used: Walker, Mullins.	2-1 (HT 1-0)	Derby Carroll, Todd (McEveley 83), Leacock, Stubbs, Lewis, Mears, Ghaly, Savage, Jones (Villa 75), Sterjovski, Miller. Subs Not Used: Price, Feilhaber, Moore.
Zamora 20 Cole 77		Mears 65
Bookings: Noble 80 Parker 83 West Ham manager Alan Curbishley: "After losing our last three games it was important that we bounced back. There is a great lack of appreciation of what we have done this season. Att: 34,612 Ref: Steve Tanner (Somerset).		Bookings: Stubbs 74 Derby boss Paul Jewell: "The fans have been unbelieveable and that's why we were desperate to reward them today. "They have been there all season and they deserve to be in the Premier League.

Wigan Kirkland, Melchiot, Boyce, Scharner, Kilbane, Valencia, Palacios, Brown, Taylor (Koumas 81), Bent (King 84), Heskey (Sibierski 76). Subs Not Used: Pollitt, Skoko.	1-1 (HT 1-1)	Tottenham Cerny, Hutton, Dawson, Zokora, O'Hara, Lennon, Huddlestone, Jenas, Malbranque, Keane (Bent 72), Berbatov. Subs Not Used: Forecast, Tainio, Gilberto, Rocha.
Heskey 12		Berbatov 6
Bookings: Valencia 70 Palacios 81 • Wigan manager Steve Bruce: "We've got ourselves in a position now where if we beat Reading next week we're safe and that's a wonderful position to be in. Att: 18,673 Ref: Lee Probert (Wiltshire).		Bookings: O'Hara 85 • Tottenham manager Juane Ramos: "We wanted to play at the same lively tempo we started with. "The condition of the pitch was perhaps less than superb, which inhibited what we were able to do.