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Page last updated at 05:49 GMT, Thursday, 21 August 2008 06:49 UK

Wednesday's gossip column

TransfersOther gossipAnd finallyNews image

BREAKING GOSSIP

Spartak Moscow striker Roman Pavlyuchenko, who had talks with Spurs, is unsure if he is going to move from the Russian club. (Sport Express, 2000 BST)

Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko will return to AC Milan on Wednesday in a season-long loan deal. (Gazzetta dello Sport, 1512 BST)

Newcastle are weighing up a move for left-back Sebastian Pocognoli, currently on Olympics duty with Belgium, with a bid of �6m for the 21-year-old AZ Alkmaar defender set to be made. (Newcastle Evening Chronicle, 1459 BST)

Spartak Moscow defender Radoslav Kovac is on the verge of a move to AC Milan. (Goal.com, 1515 BST)

USA midfielder Michael Bradley is a target for Blackburn, Everton, Middlesbrough and Celtic but his Dutch club Heerenveen say that a "substantial" bid will be required. (Premiershiplatest.com, 1518 BST)

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Tottenham will allow striker Dimitar Berbatov to join Manchester United, with manager Juande Ramos keen to bring in Atletico Madrid's Diego Forlan and Blackburn's Roque Santa Cruz. (Daily Mirror)

Hull are set to make a �5m bid for Man Utd's young striker Fraizer Campbell once the Berbatov deal goes through. (Daily Mail)

Manchester United defender Mikael Silvestre has turned down a move to local rivals Manchester City at the last minute, with Arsenal now poised to sign the 31-year-old. (Various)

Sunderland are also interested in Silvestre, while moves for Fulham striker David Healy, Sheffield United front man James Beattie and West Ham centre-back Anton Ferdinand are also expected. (The Independent)

Chelsea's hopes of signing Real Madrid star Robinho are over and the Blues are set to turn their full attentions to AC Milan midfielder Kaka instead. (Daily Star)

Everton are set to sign Juventus midfielder Tiago, pinching him from under the noses of Premier League rivals Newcastle. (The Sun)

606: DEBATE
But the deal could be in jeopardy because Tiago is reluctant to return to England after struggling to establish himself at Chelsea. (The Independent)

Rennes midfielder Stephane Mbia says he is eager to join Everton and has urged his club to start negotiations. (The Independent)

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is reluctantly looking at alternatives to Aston Villa midfielder Gareth Barry, with Espanyol's Albert Riera and Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing in the frame. (The Sun)

West Ham will hold talks with Chilean striker Sebastian Pinto, with a view to acquiring the Santos star, nicknamed the Tank, on a season-long loan deal. (Daily Mirror)

Sheffield Wednesday want to take Chelsea youngster Jack Cork on loan for the rest of the season. (Daily Mirror)

Canadian striker Marcus Haber will have trials with League Two outfit Rotherham. (Daily Star)

OTHER GOSSIP

Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari helped John Terry get the England captaincy by personally vouching for the 27-year-old in two phone calls to England coach Fabio Capello. (The Sun)

Andrei Arshavin's wage demands were the reason his potential move from Zenit St Petersburg to Arsenal collapsed. (Daily Express)

Man City are hoping to get highly rated midfielder Michael Johnson to sign a new deal. (The Times)

Ukrainian club Shatktar Donetsk have complained to Fifa about Man City withholding a payment due for the transfer of Elano. (Various)

AND FINALLY

The hotel where England's squad are preparing for the friendly against the Czech Republic has been invaded by "Wannabe WAGS" - but security has been stepped up to keep the players on the straight and narrow. (Daily Star)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp reckons the transfer funds available at the big clubs make the job of managing so easy that his wife could do it. (The Sun)




see also
Tuesday's gossip column
19 Aug 08 |  Gossip
Premier League ins and outs
15 Aug 08 |  Premier League
SPL ins and outs
16 Aug 08 |  Scottish Premier
Transfers - August 2008
19 Aug 08 |  Gossip


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