Monday's gossip column

BREAKING GOSSIP

Nicklas Bendtner's father says the striker is fully committed to Arsenal, amid suggestions the Denmark international is wanted by Italian giants Roma. (Setanta) 
Andriy Shevchenko wants to honour his contract with Chelsea and will report for pre-season training with the Blues on 9 July. The Ukraine forward, who spent last season on loan at AC Milan, has one year left on his deal with the Stamford Bridge side. (The Sun)
AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi has said the Serie A club is open to offers for Andrea Pirlo, amid speculation the Italy midfielder could join former Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti at Chelsea(Daily Star)

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United have been urged by former Chelsea and France defender Marcel Desailly to pay whatever it takes to sign Bayern Munich playmaker Franck Ribery - even if it costs £150m. (Daily Star)
Argentine striker Carlos Tevez agreed to join Manchester City from bitter rivals Manchester United two weeks ago - and he will complete a £25.5m move in the next few days.(Daily Mirror) 
However, Chelsea could scupper the deal if the Stamford Bridge outfit match the £130,000-a-week salary that City are offering Tevez. (Daily Mail) 
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will start to rebuild his strike force with a £30m move for Lyon striker Karim Benzema.  (Daily Mirror) 
United's bid for the 21-year-old Benzema could even be as high as £35m. (Daily Mail) 
Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz will complete his £15m move to Manchester City in the next 48 hours - provided he passes medical tests on his knee. (The Sun) 
Hull manager Phil Brown wants to hijack Quinton Fortune's move to Ipswich. The former Manchester United winger is a free agent after being released by Belgian club Tubize. (Daily Star) 
However, Brown could miss out on Manchester United striker Frazier Campbell, who is stalling on a £6m move, despite the fee being agreed two weeks ago. (Daily Mirror) 
Manchester City are ready to sell Swiss midfielder Gelson Fernandes to Lens - and are hoping to claw back £2.5m from the deal. (Daily Mirror) 
Former Celtic midfielder Paul Hartley is wanted by Sheffield United. (Daily Mirror) 
But the Blades face a fight to keep defender Matthew Kilgallon at the club, with Wigan and Middlesbrough both interested. (Daily Mirror) 
Burnley are ready to move for Nigeria centre-back Rabiu Afolabi, who is a free agent after leaving French side Sochaux. (Daily Mirror) 
Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand insists he has no intention of leaving the club, despite interest from Fulham. (Daily Mirror) 
Blackburn are closing in on Paris St Germain midfielder Jerome Rothen.(Daily Mirror) 
Fulham have been linked with former Spain and Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes, who does not currently have a club. (The Independent) 
Liverpool's first-team coach Mauricio Pellegrino has refused to rule out the possibility of midfielder Javier Mascherano leaving the club - with Barcelona interested in the Argentine international. (Various). 
Bolton will strongly resist any offers for striker Kevin Davies, who is thought to be wanted by Blackburn. (Guardian)
Birmingham have not given up in their pursuit of defender Roger Johnson, despite Cardiff refusing to lower their £5m valuation of the player. (Guardian) 
Celtic face competition from Hull, Fulham, Portsmouth and Wolves for Nancy striker Marc-Antoine Fortune. (Scottish Sun)
Herman Hreidarsson looks set to reject a possible Old Firm switch in favour of staying at Portsmouth. (Daily Express) 
Bristol City could sell Michael McIndoe to Sheffield United for £750,000 and replace him with Manchester United winger Lee Martin. (Bristol Evening Post) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Liverpool co-owner George Gillett has pulled off a deal in the United States, selling his stake in NHL side Montreal Canadiens for a £178m profit, that should help him to ease the Reds' financial worries. (The Guardian) 
Claims have emerged in the Middle East that an Arab sheik has bought a 60% stake in a top English club. Portsmouth and Newcastle are among the leading clubs for sale. (The Sun) 
Broadcasters Setanta are clinging on to a slim hope that they can raise the £3m owed to the Scottish Premier League and keep themselves in business. (Daily Record)
However, the SPL are ready to pull the plug on Setanta and secure a new television deal with either Sky or ESPN. (Daily Mail) 

AND FINALLY

Reading fan Charles McLeod could be the world's most devoted supporter after racking up an incredible 120,000 miles last season to watch his side 17 times - travelling from his hometown of Toronto, Canada. (Daily Mirror)
David Beckham is hoping to stretch his playing career until he is 40 by incorporating an hour-long Pilates routine into his daily training. The exercises were part of the England midfielder's regime while on loan at AC Milan from Los Angeles Galaxy. He has signed up for classes in the United States when he returns in July with his wife Victoria. (The Sun)
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