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The Confused Gossip
HERE'S ONE TO GET THEM GOING
Brace yourselves, but The Sun this morning claims that Pako Ayesteran is in the frame to take over from Carlos Queiroz as Manchester United's assistant manager.
Apparently, Fergie would 'delight in his in-depth knowledge of United's rivals'. We're sure he would.
Probably nothing in it, but by God it would be funny if it happened.
SO WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE THEN?
We'll level with you. We don't know where Frank Lampard is going, but we feel slightly better about that because absolutely nobody - not Scolari, Chelsea, his agent nor Inter Milan - knows either.
What we do know is that Inter would very much like him to be their player, and various papers this morning claim that Jose Mourinho's new club have made a fresh bid for the midfielder.
Declaring rather excitedly that the events of yesterday 'effectively came to an end yesterday - in the same spectacular fashion he played for the Stamford Bridge club', The Sun claim Inter have made a second offer, in the region of £8million for Lampard.
Word is that Chelsea will reject the offer, but the problem seems to be over the length of Lampard's new contract at the Bridge.
With his current deal running out next summer, Lampard wants a five-year deal worth £140,000 a week, but the club are only willing to offer the 30-year-old a four year contract.
Seems like splitting hairs to us, but these things matter with professional footballers apparently.
COMING TO AN END
Another long-running transfer saga might be closer to an end, after Martin O'Neill wrote a letter to Liverpool, possibly suggesting that we're all reasonable men here, and let's just all be friends.
Either that or proposing a compromise on Gareth Barry's future. Your call really.
More on that here.
Meanwhile, Rafa Benitez has confirmed David Villa is on his list of players he'd just love to bring to Anfield, and you can read all about that here.
MART STARTS SPENDING
With a hefty wedge in his pocket, it looks like Martin O'Neill is about to skip into the transfer market and start spending it.
Steve Sidwell should complete his move to Villa Park soon, and The Daily Mirror claims O'Neill will use £11million of his new found wealth to buy Valencia right-back Miguel, which seems slightly odd given that Steve Finnan seems to be part of the Barry deal, but then again logic and the tabloids have never been the closest of friends.
ARSENAL COULD SELL ADEBAYOR
In these days of e-mails and texts and all that other new-fangled guff, it seems that letters are the in thing today.
For professional gobs**te and occasional AC Milan chief Adriano Galliani has said Arsenal have written him a letter to say Emmanuel Adebayor might be for sale after all.
More on that here.
HUNTELAAR INTERESTED IN UNITED
In a classic 'Yes-I'd-Like-To-Move-But-I'll-Cover-My-Arse' moment, Klass-Jan Huntelaar's agent has hinted in a roundabout sort of way that the striker would be interested in moving to Manchester United.
Click right here for more details.
STRIKER LIGHT!
Jiggery-pokery going on up top at Goodison Park.
Andy Johnson looks like he will be shipped out, with Wigan now apparently the favourites to snap up the striker for a cool £11million according to The Daily Telegraph, and it largely looks like it's because Johnson doesn't want to move house.
You've got to make the best of what advantages you have we suppose.
Meanwhile, the consensus among the gents of the press seems to be that Diego Milito will replace Johnson at Everton, although the man himself apparently would prefer a move to Genoa in Italy rather than Merseyside.
'ARRY GETS GIDDY
Possibly giddy from the near completion of the Peter Crouch move, 'Arry Redknapp might be interested in signing Pablo Aimar from Real Zaragoza.
The Argentinian would be available for the bargain price of £6million, but without wishing to be cruel, we would suggest he might find a slightly better place than Fratton Park to ply his trade.
AND THE REST...
Blackburn want Birmingham midfielder Sebastian Larsson to replace David Bentley...Arsenal and Tottenham will battle it out for Real Madrid midfielder Ruben de la Red...Pascal Chimbonda could be reunited with former Tottenham boss Martin Jol at Hamburg...Stoke and Hull are in a £3million scrap for Portsmouth striker David Nugent...Scolari is planning a major clear-out at Chelsea with Juliano Belletti, Carlo Cudicini, Claudio Pizarro, Steve Sidwell and Shaun Wright-Phillips all heading for the exit...Aston Villa and Blackburn have been alerted after Robert Green's contract talks at West Ham stalled...Cash-strapped Southampton will pick up a welcome £500,000 windfall when Peter Crouch completes his move to arch-rivals Portsmouth from Liverpool...Bolton want to sign £5million-rated Sporting Lisbon forward Simon Vukcevic...Everton hope the lure of regular first-team football will persuade Darren Fletcher to swap Old Trafford for Goodison Park...Tottenham have rejected Stuttgart's offer to take Kevin-Prince Boateng on loan.
