TRANSFER GOSSIP
Manchester City have struck a deal with Arsenal for the £15m signing of defender Kolo Toure, who will double his wages at Eastlands.(Daily Mail)
Toure's departure from Arsenal to Manchester City is set to spark a defender merry-go-round this summer. Joleon Lescott will also move to Eastlands from Everton, with Tottenham's Alan Hutton and City's Nedum Onuoha replacing him at Goodison Park, while Arsenal are to move for Fulham's Brede Hangeland. (Daily Mirror)
Manchester City and Bolton are leading the chase for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Miguel Veloso (on photo), who is valued at about £15m. (The Sun)
Real Madrid have said that Liverpool's £30m valuation of midfielder Xabi Alonso is unrealistic. The Spanish club are not willing to pay more than £24m.(Daily Telegraph)
Burnley are ready to make an improved bid for Sheffield Wednesday striker Marcus Tudgay. (Daily Mirror)
West Ham are struggling to keep defender Lucas Neill at the club after contract talks broke down. Turkish side Galatasaray are favourites to sign the 31-year-old. (The Sun)
West Ham striker Dean Ashton is wanted by Hull after they failed to sign Bobby Zamora from Fulham.(Daily Express)
Aston Villa are interested in Blackburn's £6m-rated defender Stephen Warnock.(Daily Mail)
Arsenal have joined the list of clubs linked with Roma striker Mirko Vucinic. (Daily Telegraph)
Hull are poised to join Everton in the race for Tottenham defender Alan Hutton.(The Sun)
Portsmouth are closing in on the signing of Hadjuk Split striker Nikola Kalinic as a replacement for Peter Crouch, who has joined Tottenham. (Various)
And Pompey have offered defender Sylvain Distin a new contract to fight off Aston Villa's £3m bid. (Daily Mirror)
Fulham midfielder Danny Murphy and Portsmouth winger John Utaka are both targets for Stoke.(Daily Mail)
Wigan have told former boss Steve Bruce, who is now at Sunderland, not to make another bid for midfielder Lee Cattermole.(The Sun)
Everton manager David Moyes has launched a £7m bid for Alan Hutton after the Scotland defender was deemed surplus to requirements at Tottenham Hotspur. (Daily Record)
Kilmarnock have agreed a contract with freed Rotherham striker Mark Burchill subject to a medical. (Various)
Plymouth have put in a cash offer to Amiens for Reda Johnson and are likely to beat Aberdeen to the defender's signature. (Daily Record)
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OTHER GOSSIP
Inter Milan's ex-Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho says he wants to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson as manager of Manchester United. (Daily Mirror)
Barcelona's former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has denied reports that he told another ex-Gunners favourite, Patrick Vieira, to sign for arch rivals Tottenham, although he did tell Spurs boss Harry Redknapp the Inter Milan midfielder "would be a brilliant signing". However, Henry added: "I am Arsenal through and through. I'd never advise anyone to sign for Tottenham."(The Sun)
Kilmarnock have withdrawn their offer of a coaching post to retiring midfielder Gary Locke. (The Times)
Dinamo Moscow assistant Alexsandr Smirnov says he learned little about Celtic on Sunday because Tony Mowbray played his reserve side in the 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. (Daily Record)
Celtic are set to name Lisbon Lion and former captain and manager Billy McNeill as the club's official ambassador. (The Sun)
Scotland manager George Burley has written to Sir Alex Ferguson asking for Darren Fletcher to be rested for Man Utd's Community Shield match against Chelsea ahead of the World Cup qualifier in Norway. (Daily Record)
Steau Bucharest president Gigi Becali says Motherwell have no chance of beating his team in Thursday's Europa League qualifier. (Daily Record)
AND FINALLY
Chelsea captain John Terry has revealed the level of influence he has at Stamford Bridge in his first interview since rejecting Manchester City's overtures. Terry says he is among a trio of players, along with midfielder Frank Lampard and striker Didier Drogba, who give advice to owner Roman Abramovich.(Various)
Darren Bent really was a last-minute withdrawal from Tottenham's pre-season tour to China as his move to Sunderland gathered pace on Monday night. The striker was strapped in his seat just before take off when the call came that the two clubs were close to agreeing a deal. His bags were retrieved from the hold of the plane before he travelled north to begin talks. (Various)
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