BREAKING GOSSIP
France midfielder Patrick Vieira has confirmed he will leave Inter Milan at the end of the season. Arsenal have been linked with a move for their former skipper, while Paris St Germain are also thought to be interested.
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Portsmouth goalkeeper David James may be a target for Premier League champions Manchester United in the January transfer window.(Daily Express)
Liverpool are considering making a cut-price £1.5m bid for Aston Villa's Emile Heskey in January. The striker revealed at the weekend he was considering leaving the Midlands club to get first-team football, thereby boosting his chances of landing a place in England's squad for the 2010 World Cup finals.(Daily Star)
Manchester City are lining up a £20m swoop for Brazil and Inter Milan full-back Maicon in January and will target Benfica midfielder Ramires if they fail with a £65m bid for Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery.(The Sun)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is determined to fight off the advances of Atletico Madrid and Seville to retain the services of 19-year-old midfielder Fran Merida.(The Sun)
Wigan and Bolton are battling it out for the signing of Sheffield United defender Matt Kilgallon.(Daily Mirror)
Blackburn are interested in Gillingham striker Simeon Jackson, who is valued at around £2m.(The Sun)
West Brom will not be signing former Arsenal defender Sol Campbell as they cannot afford his wages. (Daily Express)
Birmingham winger Gary McSheffrey will complete his loan move to Sheffield United this week.(Daily Mirror)
OTHER GOSSIP
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will issue a second apology to referee Alan Wiley over his suggestion that the official is not fit enough to do his job. (The Independent)
Former Inter Milan boss Roberto Mancini is to be offered the Notts County managerial job on a £10m five-year contract after Ian McParland parted company with the League Two club on Monday.(Daily Mirror)
Karren Brady, the former managing director of Birmingham City, is being lined up to help England's 2018 World Cup bid.(Daily Mail)
Chelsea defender Alex, who has attracted the interest of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, is poised to sign a new long-term contract with the London club. (Daily Express)
The Glasgow and Edinburgh derbies on 3 January 2010 will be shown live on television on the same day for the first time.(Daily Record)
Spain boss Vicente del Bosque has assured Liverpool that he will not play striker Fernando Torres against Bosnia on Wednesday if there are any doubts over his fitness.(Daily Express)
Hull midfielder Ian Ashbee hopes to return to action in May as he recovers from a career-threatening knee injury.(Daily Mirror)
New Birmingham owner Carson Yeung will give manager Alex McLeish £15m to spend in the January transfer window.(Daily Star)
Former Ipswich and England striker Paul Mariner is set to join old club Plymouth as technical director after being given permission by Major League Soccer side New England Revolution to discuss personal terms.(Daily Mirror)
AND FINALLY
England midfielder Frank Lampard admits the term "golden generation", coined by former Football Association chief executive Adam Crozier, has been a burden for his colleagues. Lampard said: "The whole golden generation thing is quite frustrating for us players. We didn't make it up. Adam Crozier did, and look what happened to him. The golden generation should only be said once you have won something."(Various)
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