Manchester United were on the brink of signing England midfielder Michael Carrick last night after submitting an improved offer of �15m to Tottenham. (Daily Telegraph)

United and Arsenal may have moved a step closer to signing France midfielder Franck Ribery after Marseille declared he would not be sold to Lyon. (The Guardian)

United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy is ready to kick off next season at Old Trafford after making his peace with manager Sir Alex Ferguson. (Daily Star)

Former United midfielder Roy Keane could be back in English football next season as Sunderland manager. (Various)

Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann will decide this week whether to join Bolton. (Daily Mirror, The Sun)

Ex-Blackburn striker Matt Jansen is on trial with American side New York Red Bulls as he attempts to revive his ailing career. (The Times)

Hull manager Peter Taylor will be named today as Crystal Palace's new boss. (Various)

Graham Rix hopes to make his managerial comeback after his Hearts misery by being named boss of Wycombe this week. (Daily Mirror)

John Barnes is in talks with Jamaica to become the country's new technical director (Daily Record)

Celtic are poised to make a bid for Hibernian midfielder Scott Brown as a replacement for Roy Keane. (The Herald, The Sun)

Rangers will hold signing talks today with Paris St Germain goalkeeper Lionel Letizi. (The Herald, The Sun)

Rangers will increase their bid for Jeremy Clement, with Lyon ready to accept �1m. (The Herald)

David Weir will decide this week whether to accept a new contract with Everton - or join Leeds United or West Brom. (The Sun)

Weir has rejected an offer from Birmingham. (Daily Express)

Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder claims England's long-ball tactics are to blame for Michael Owen's poor form in front of goal. (Various)

Manchester United believe Wayne Rooney will not be risked in England's second World Cup group match against Trinidad & Tobago on Thursday. (The Guardian)

The two independent consultants who declared Rooney fit to join up with the squad rejected an appeal from England to let him play. (Daily Telegraph)

Senior England players and the coaching staff have told Rooney to curb his enthusiasm in case his desperation to join England's World Cup party brings a sickening setback. (Various)

Otto Pfister is to make a shock U-turn and take charge of Togo when they make their World Cup bow against South Korea. (Various)

Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez is unlikely to be handed a game beyond the group stages after his bizarre refusal to allow England players to drink water during breaks in the match against Paraguay. (Daily Mirror)

Trinidad & Tobago coach Leo Beenhakker and his assistant Wim Rijsbergen have launched a savage attack on England, comparing them to Real Madrid's Galacticos. (Daily Mirror, Daily Star)

Arsenal striker Robin Van Persie has sparked a row in the Holland camp by accusing Chelsea's Arjen Robben of trying to hog all the glory. (Daily Mirror, The Sun)

John Terry has called on the England fans booing Owen Hargreaves to get behind him (The Guardian)

Arsenal's Johan Djourou and Philippe Senderos have backed Sven-Goran Eriksson's decision to include Theo Walcott in the England squad (The Guardian)

Germany captain Michael Ballack has admitted he fell out with boss Jurgen Klinsmann after being axed for the opening game against Costa Rica. (Daily Mirror, The Sun)

It remains unclear whether Ukraine captain Andriy Shevchenko will be fit for their opener against Spain, for whom Raul is certain to start on the bench. (The Independent)

Brazil have been shaken by news that Italian prosecutors are calling for Cafu and his wife to face corruption charges and a possible nine-month prison term for falsifying passport documents. (The Times, Daily Telegraph)

Former Chelsea player Mateja Kezman believes Blues boss Jose Mourinho has hampered Dutch winger Arjen Robben's progress by not playing him enough (Daily Express)

Berlin's police chief has banned the city's 23,000 officers from flying the German flag during the tournament. A spokesman said: "If there are incidents with fans from any countries the police have to be neutral." (The Independent)