TRANSFER GOSSIP
Manchester United are facing a battle to hold on to England defender Rio Ferdinand who is a target for both Real Madrid and Barcelona. (The Sun)
Former Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg will meet Gunners boss Arsene Wenger this weekend to discuss a possible loan move back to the Emirates. (The Sun)
Chelsea's transfer embargo will force them to miss out on Swindon's teenage winger Alex Henshall, clearing the way for Premier League rivals Manchester United and Everton. (Daily Mirror)
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez wants to sign Cameroon midfielder Modeste M'Bami who is now a free agent after leaving French club Marseille. (Daily Mirror)
Blackpool boss Ian Holloway is in talks with Aston Villa to sign young midfielder Isaiah Osbourne on loan for the rest of the year. (Daily Mirror)
Middlesbrough striker Afonso Alves is on the brink of joining Qatar club Al-Sadd. (Daily Mirror)
OTHER GOSSIP
Fifa has warned Chelsea they could have their worldwide transfer ban for poaching Lens teenager Gael Kakuta increased if they lose an appeal against the original punishment, which prevents them buying players until January 2011. (Daily Star)
Football's governing body also insist that the measures dealt out to Chelsea could be just the beginning of the governing body's quest to eradicate player poaching, with the dealings of other English clubs also under investigation. (Daily Mirror)
Fabio Capello will honour his contract, which runs until 2012, and not walk away from the England job says Football Association chief executive Ian Watmore. (Daily Star)
Chelsea captain John Terry says that Arsenal striker Eduardo did dive to earn a penalty during the Champions League tie with Celtic - thus earning the Croat a two-game ban. (The Sun)
Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov is preparing to increase his shares in Arsenal over the 29.9% mark, thus automatically triggering a takeover bid for the club. (The Sun)
Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack has admitted he may quit the Blues when his contract expires at the end of this season. (The Sun)
Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho is the highest earning star in Italian football, on £9.6m a season - the first time a non-player has topped the annual earnings chart. (The Sun)
Burnley are ready to hand hard-up local rivals Accrington Stanley a major cash boost by playing them in a fund-raising friendly at Turf Moor on Tuesday. (Daily Mirror)
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Argentina coach Diego Maradona organised a mass prayer for his squad at their training ground on Thursday as they prepare for their vital World Cup qualifier with Brazil. Defeat to their fierce rivals in the match, which kicks off at 0130 BST on Sunday could see Argentina drop out of the automatic qualifying spots for South Africa 2010. (Daily Mirror)
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