Wednesday's gossip column


TRANSFER GOSSIP

Chelsea and Manchester City are in the hunt for Liverpool's Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso after his proposed £35m move to Real Madrid stalled.(Daily Mail) 
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez will move for Roma's Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani - if Alonso moves to Real Madrid. (Daily Mirror)
Tottenham and Fulham want Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch after his £12m move to Sunderland fell through. (Daily Telegraph)

Sunderland boss Steve Bruce will now turn his attention to Tottenham forward Darren Bent.(Daily Telegraph) 
Another option for Bruce may be Bordeaux's Morocco international forward Marouane Chamakh. (The Guardian) 
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti anticipates Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko, who was on loan at AC Milan last season, will leave the club before the start of the 2009-2010 campaign, with Dynamo Kiev and Fenerbache interested. (The Guardian) 
The line of suitors eyeing a move for former England captain David Beckham is growing, with Chelsea, Tottenham and Fulham all ready to offer the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder a deal. (Daily Mail) 
Tottenham have tabled a £17m bid for Real Madrid's 23-year-old Spanish striker Alvaro Negredo.(Daily Mirror) 
And Spurs are weighing up a move for Manchester City winger Martin Petrov, 30, and could prize him away from Eastlands for £5m.(Daily Mail)
And Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp will beat Everton to the signature of Sheffield United defender Kyle Naughton. (The Guardian) 
South African midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi is hoping to earn a deal at Fulham where he has been on a trial. The 24-year-old plays in his homeland for Golden Arrows. (The Guardian)
Fulham are set to make a £9m offer for Hull City defender Michael Turner, which includes striker Bobby Zamora going in the other direction. (Daily Mirror) 
Burnley boss Owen Coyle is tracking £500,000-rated Norwich midfielder Darel Russell. (Daily Mail)
Wolves are considering a move for Celtic defender Stephen McManus. (Daily Mail) 
Egypt striker Mido has returned to Middlesbrough after being fined for missing the start of pre-season training but the 26-year-old will be sold as soon as possible. (Daily Mail)
Middlesbrough are in talks with striker Leroy Lita, who was released by Reading at the end of last season. (Daily Mirror) 
Sheffield United are set to sign Manchester City striker Ched Evans for £1.5m, rising to £3m on appearances. (Daily Mail) 
However, Ipswich boss Roy Keane hopes to hijack the deal for Evans and take the striker to Suffolk. (Daily Star) 
Reading want Tottenham midfielder Adel Taarabt on a season-long loan deal. (Daily Mirror)
Cardiff boss Dave Jones wants to offload midfielder Paul Parry, 28, with Doncaster interested in a £500,000 deal. (Daily Mirror) 
Ipswich manager Roy Keane wants defender Danny Simpson from Manchester United and midfielder Dean Whitehead from Sunderland in a £2m deal. (Daily Mirror)
Celtic boss Tony Mowbray is keen to sign left-back Marek Cech from West Bromwich Albion. (The Guardian) 
Aberdeen boss Mark McGhee wants 21-year-old defender Reda Johnson on loan. The Benin international plays for French third division side Amiens. (Daily Record) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti has revealed "irreplaceable" striker Didier Drogba, 31, will sign a new three-year deal at Stamford Bridge. (Daily Telegraph)
Former England manager Glenn Hoddle was on Notts County's shortlist to become director of football at Meadow Lane before the club opted to recruit Sven Goran-Eriksson. (Daily Mail) 
Eriksson is considering taking former Nottingham Forest boss David Platt to Notts County as part of his revolution. (The Sun)

AND FINALLY

Despite having the advantage of being the fastest man in the world over 100m and 200m Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt says he is not particularly good at football: "I used to play but I'm no striker, I'm more of a defender or midfielder. I can't score goals." (Daily Star)
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