Sunday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Arsenal are poised to hijack Manchester United's £25m bid to sign 21-year-old striker Karim Benzema from Lyon.(News of the World) 
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will intensify negotiations to for £45m Atletico Madrid playmaker Sergio Aguero and complete the £14m signing of Wigan striker Luis Antonio Valencia. (Sunday Mail) 
Manchester City have completed a £25m swoop for Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o, 28, and they are expected to announce that they have also signed Carlos Tevez. (News of the World) 
Chelsea will make a new £50m offer for AC Milan's Brazilian striker Pato after their initial £45m bid for the 19-year-old was rejected. 
Meanwhile, Blues striker Didier Drogba, midfielder Michael Essien and defender Ashley Cole are to be offered new £125,000-a-week deals, but Joe Cole and Jose Bosingwa could be on their way out of Stamford Bridge. (News of the World) 
Chelsea are also set to test Bayern Munich's resolve with a £50m bid for French winger Franck Ribery.(Sunday Express )
Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant is agonising over a switch across Stanley Park to join Everton. (News of the World) 
Xabi Alonso's future at Anfield depends on Real Madrid's bid to sign David Villa from Valencia. If Real fail to purchase the striker, they will meet Liverpool's £25m asking price for Alonso. (News of the World)
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has urged manager Rafael Benitez to try and sign one of his Spanish international team-mates David Villa, David Silva or Juan Mata, who all play for Valencia. (News of the World) 
Newcastle owner Mike Ashley expects to receive two bids for the club this week which could determine Alan Shearer's long-term future at St James' Park.(Sunday Mirror) 
Aston Villa are ready to make a £5m swoop for German international Tim Borowski, 29, who plays in midfield for Bayern Munich.(News of the World) 
Stoke are ready to smash their transfer record and spend £6m on Newcastle's Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins. But they are likely to face competition from Everton, Aston Villa and Tottenham.(News of the World) 
West Ham want to bring Anton Ferdinand back to Upton Park from Sunderland in a cut-price deal. New Black Cats boss Steve Bruce does not want the 24-year-old, who moved to Wearside last summer, and Hammers boss Gianfranco Zola will make a £2m bid.(News of the World) 
Meanwhile, Bruce is ready to make a £5m bid for Rangers 24-year-old midfielder Steven Davis.(News of the World) 
Southampton could this week be forced to sell former England Under-21 midfielder Andrew Surman just to meet the club's wage bill. (The Sun)
QPR are expected to head a queue of clubs willing to pay a cut-price £400,000 for the 22-year-old who has made 133 appearances for the Saints.(Sunday Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Newcastle face a £750,000 wage bill for strikers Michael Owen and Mark Viduka, even though the pair may not play for the club again.
Both players' deals expire on Tuesday, but they have a clause in their contracts that means they will be paid for another month if they do not sign for clubs in July.(News of the World) 

AND FINALLY

Brazil and Real Madrid playmaker Kaka has delivered a stinging blow to Manchester City by revealing that they were not a big enough club to tempt him to the Premier League. (News of the World)
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