Barclays Premier League - Transfer Gossip

The Thursday August 5 Transfer Gossip

THE LATEST ON LIVERPOOL IS...
The Times are making one helluva splash this morning. Or, depending on your point of view, it's Liverpool who are making a large splash in the Times. Either way, it amounts to the same thing:

According to the front-page lead of The Times, 'The Chinese Government is the mystery backer behind a bid for Liverpool Football Club... The debt-laden club is expected to change hands this month and last night the Chinese appeared to be in pole position to win a three-way takeover battle. The other bidders are a wealthy Kuwaiti family and an American private equity group.'

Meanwhile, the back page of the newspaper is dominated by the claim that 'Roy Hodgson will keep his job as Liverpool manager and be handed £150 million to spend on new players if the Chinese Government's bid to buy the club proves successful'.

CRUNCH DAY FOR FABREGAS
The Arsenal captain is back in town and all eyes will be on the Spaniard when the Gunners' first-team squad are put on display at a members' media day at the Emirates Stadium.

The Times, who are in talkative mood this morning, claim that Fabregas 'is preparing to announce his willingness to stay at Arsenal for at least one more season' after 'coming round to the view that a transfer this summer is not practical'.

But the newspaper also adds that 'The 23-year-old still wants to leave' and 'Any expression of Fabregas's commitment to the club will not be as unequivocal as that of Fernando Torres, who said on Tuesday that one trophy at Liverpool is worth three or four elsewhere'.

ARSENAL CLOSE TO SIGNING NEW DEFENDER?
By all accounts, Arsenal are closing in on the signing of Emir Spahic, who is the 29-year-old captain of Bosnia and a current employee of Montpellier.
The Daily Mirror says that Arsene Wenger 'spent yesterday afternoon at London Colney, attempting to tie up the £5million signing.

'The Gunners chief has been looking to bring in at least one more centre-half, having looked at Werder Bremen's Germany ace Per Mertesacker and the 6ft 2in Spahic, who has already played in Croatia and then spent five years in Russia with three different clubs including the Moscow sides Torpedo and Lokomotiv, would fill the vacancy,' adds the newspaper helpfully.

'Spahic, whose contract at Montpellier runs to 2014, has played 35 times for his country, scoring twice and demonstrated he is a penalty box threat during his season in France, as the surprise Ligue 1 package finished fifth in their first year after promotion to the top flight.'

The player himself is quoted as saying in The Daily Telegraph:

"Negotiations are going well, as planned. The deal could be completed in the near future.

"Arsenal are a great club, I am a fan of Arsene Wenger and I hope that Montpellier give the green light for the move."

RAMIRES COMING TO CHELSEA BY THE TIME YOU'VE READ THIS
Chelsea are expected to wrap up a deal with Benfica for Brazil international Ramires, after agreeing a fee of 22million euros (£18.2million) for the midfielder on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old will fly into London to undergo a medical and discuss personal terms with the champions.

Ramires, who has won 16 caps for Brazil, played at the World Cup and sources close to the deal are confident that obtaining a work permit would not be a problem.

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti targeted Ramires as a replacement for German international Michael Ballack who was released, along with Joe Cole, earlier in the summer.

Ancelotti has already replaced Cole with Yossi Benayoun, who he believes to be a smarter footballer than the England international.

Chelsea will hope the deal for Ramires is finalised before Sunday's Community Shield showpiece against Manchester United at Wembley.

THE SILLIEST THING YOU'VE READ IN MANY A DAY
The numbers featuring in this story are ridiculous, but here it is anyway...

According to The Daily Mail, 'Zenit St Petersburg are considering a £21million bid to take Chelsea defender Yury Zhirkov back to Russia'.

Yes. £21m.

SPURS RETURN FOR BELLAMY
This story is slowly killing Transfer Gossip's tortured soul, but The Sun reckons that 'Harry Redknapp has moved AGAIN for Craig Bellamy'.

The paper claims to be in the know that the Tottenham boss has 'offered around £8million for the striker who snubbed him to join Manchester City from West Ham 18 months ago.

'Redknapp wants Bellamy, 31, for his influence in the Tottenham dressing room - which he feels is too quiet - as much as his combative nature on the pitch.'

HUGHES DOESN'T WANT SIDWELL AT FULHAM?
The Guardian has talked up the prospect of Steven Sidwell leaving Aston Villa for Fulham a few times recently but now reckons that the player's hopes have 'been dashed' by the Cottagers' new boss Mark Hughes.

The news is described as 'leaving the midfielder facing an uncertain future and Aston Villa once again frustrated in their attempts to move on one of their squad players'.

AND THE REST
Avram Grant has swooped for £3million New Zealand World Cup star Winston Reid...Stoke are lining up a £4million bid for Portsmouth's Kevin-Prince Boateng...Belgium striker Moussa Dembele is a target for Birmingham...Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley will spend the season on loan at Wigan...West Ham have revived a loan swoop for Ajax striker Miralem Sulejmani...Stoke boss Tony Pulis hopes his £10million cash bid for Loic Remy will see off West Ham and Liverpool...Middlesbrough hope to sign Crystal Palace keeper Julian Speroni for £700,000.

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