TRANSFER RUMOURS
Liverpool could capture Brazil winger Amanatino Mancini for a cut-price £4m as he looks set to buy out the last year of his contract at Roma. (Mirror)
Tottenham have begun talks with Valencia over £16m-rated striker David Villa, who they see as a perfect replacement for Dimitar Berbatov. Spurs also want to sign Sevilla winger Diego Capel. (Daily Mail)
Newcastle want West Ham striker Dean Ashton, and are also interested in Everton left-back Leighton Baines and Rangers defender Carlos Cuellar. (Various)
Spaniard Cuellar could be landed as part of a swap deal involving £5m-rated Alan Smith. (Mirror)
606: DEBATE
Magpies boss Kevin Keegan is also looking at bringing in Manchester City defender Richard Dunne. (The Independent)
Sunderland will hand manager Roy Keane an £80m transfer kitty. (The Sun)
Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz has pledged his long-term future to the club, despite reported interest from Manchester United. (Various)
Bolton manager Gary Megson will bid £5m for Birmingham midfielder Fabrice Muamba if he keeps the Trotters in the Premier League. (Various)
Juventus want Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari. (Daily Star)
Middlesbrough are lining up a move for Cardiff centre-back Roger Johnson and will pay £1.2m for him. (Mirror)
Sheffield United striker James Beattie has turned down an £8m move to Middlesbrough. (Daily Star)
Nottingham Forest and Leeds are locked in a battle to sign Doncaster left-back Gareth Roberts. (Mirror)
Scunthorpe manager Nigel Adkins is hoping to sign highly-rated Barnet winger Albert Adomah in a deal worth about £400,000. (Daily Star)
Oldham midfielder Gary McDonald is wanted by Aberdeen. (Daily Star)
Wolves have insisted Wayne Hennessey, Sylvain Ebanks-Blake and Michael Kightly are not for sale. (Various)
Brighton and Swindon are in competition for the signature of Salisbury goalkeeper Ryan Clarke. (Daily Star)
Swindon have offered on-loan Fulham youngster Michael Timlin a permanent deal. (Daily Star)
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OTHER GOSSIP
Sven-Goran Eriksson will be sacked as Manchester City boss after only one season in charge. The Swede came away from an "unpleasant" meeting with club owner Thaksin Shinawatra on Monday feeling shell-shocked. (Various)
Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz has pledged his long-term future to the club, despite reported interest from Manchester United. (Mirror)
Former Italy boss Marcello Lippi believes his compatriot Fabio Capello faces a difficult time in charge of England because of the lack of home-grown players in the Premier League. (Mirror)
Cesc Fabregas is clinging on to a tiny hope that Arsenal could still leapfrog Chelsea and Manchester United to claim the Premier League title. "Nothing is impossible," he said. "We have to win our last two games and the we will see. We are not the favourites but you never know." (Various)
However, the Spain midfielder admitted he will feel very jealous when he watches the Champions League semi-finals. Of the four teams left in the competition, he said: "I really want to be in their position right now." (Mirror)
Dutch legend Johan Cruyff has backed Barcelona to triumph over Manchester United on Tuesday to make it through to the Champions League final. "I am convinced it will be a great day for Barcelona," he said. (Mirror)
And Barca striker Thierry Henry has stoked up the rivalry by claiming Old Trafford is not as intimidating as playing at Liverpool's home ground Anfield. (The Sun)
However, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has dismissed suggestions his side are feeling the pressure and snapped: "We are not cracking up. I remain confident we can come out on top." (Various)
Leicester will replace manager Ian Holloway with Iain Dowie at the end of the season if they are relegated from the Championship. (Various)
Stevenage boss Peter Taylor is set to quit in the hope of securing a position at a Football League club. (Mirror)
Barnsley skipper Brian Howard, who has been named in the PFA's Championship team of the year, is eager to sign a new deal with the club. (Mirror)
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AND FINALLY
Relegation-threatened Sheffield Wednesday have slashed admission prices for their must-win last game of the season, against Norwich on Sunday, to just £10 in an effort to get a 40,000 full-house. (Daily Star)
Everton's Joleon Lescott has had a bet with his Aston-Villa supporting cousin over which team will finish highest in the league. Should he lose, the defender's forfeit is to wear a Villa shirt while sitting down to Christmas dinner with the family. (Various)
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