Gossip: Transfer and rumour - September 07, 2014

Gossip: Transfer and rumour - September 07, 2014

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester City and Arsenal are preparing to go head-to-head in a bid to sign £25m-rated Borussia Dortmund winger Marco Reus, 25. (Daily Star Sunday) 
 

The Mail on Sunday's back page

Manchester City are also planning a move to sign Southampton forward and Tottenham target Jay Rodriguez, 25, as manager Manuel Pellegrini looks to buy more English players. (Sun on Sunday - subscription required) 
Liverpool are pressing ahead with plans to sign free agent Victor Valdes, 32, as long as the former Barcelona goalkeeper is able to prove his fitness. (Liverpool Echo) 
QPR are considering a loan move for Portugal forward Hugo Almeida, 30, who has been out of contract since leaving Turkish club Besiktas in May. (Sunday Mirror) 
Meanwhile United have vowed to buy "a Luis Suarez a year" as they reveal a new aggressive transfer policy financed by their lucrative kit deal with Adidas. (Sunday Telegraph) 
Manchester City's attacking midfielder Albert Rusnak, 20, is being tracked by a host of top-flight English and Dutch clubs after earning rave reviews while on loan at SC Cambuur in the Netherlands. (Sky Sports) 
Atletico Madrid midfielder Tiago, 33, claims he has turned down "a great offer" from Chelsea to return to Stamford Bridge. (Evening Standard) 
QPR defender Rio Ferdinand, 35, says he "cannot believe" former club Manchester United sold striker Danny Welbeck, 23, to Arsenal. (Sun on Sunday - subscription required) 

OTHER GOSSIP

The Sunday Telegraph's back page

The Football Association reportedly has a list of players they are monitoring in relation to possible connections to match-fixing. (Mail On Sunday) 
England manager Roy Hodgson, 67, says he cannot understand why his swearing outburst should "provoke a fit of moral indignation" and that he swears all the time - even in front of his wife. (Sunday Express) 
Hodgson is weighing up whether to play captain Wayne Rooney, 28, on the left wing for the Euro 2016 qualifier against Switzerland on Monday. (Sunday Telegraph) 
Cristiano Ronaldo, 29, has hit back at suggestions he questioned Real Madrid's transfer dealings following the departures of midfielders Xabi Alonso, 32, and Angel Di Maria, 26, from the Bernabeu, claiming he was misinterpreted. (Mail on Sunday) 
Manchester United's Di Maria, 26, claims former club Real sent him a letter asking him not to play in the World Cup final to avoid aggravating a leg injury. (Independent on Sunday) 
Striker Radamel Falcao, 28, says he feels like "a kid" after his move to Manchester United, and wants to bring "goals and victories" to the club. (Observer) 
Manager Jose Mourinho, 51, says Chelsea's big-spending days are over and they cannot match the £60m United spent on Di Maria. (Eurosport) 

Raheem Sterling needs to be 'freed up' when playing for England

Former England manager Terry Venables, 71, says England must unleash their "outstanding player" Raheem Sterling, 19, and allow him to play with freedom. (Independent on Sunday) 
Defender Micah Richards, 26, has revealed an old Manchester City friend persuaded him that Fiorentina was the right place to get his career back on track - ex-Blue Stefan Savic, 23, who is also at the Serie A club. (Manchester Evening News) 
Yeovil manager Gary Johnson, 61, - who turned up just 15 minutes before a recent game amid rumours he was unhappy over the club's transfer policy - has said he has not fallen out with the chairman. (Sky Sports) 
Former Southampton playmaker Matthew Le Tissier, 45, believes Rickie Lambert should replace the injured Daniel Sturridge when England play Switzerland on Monday. (Talksport) 
Franco Baldini's future as Tottenham's technical director is under scrutiny after the club failed to land a striker during the transfer window. (Sunday Mirror) 

BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

West Brom's on-loan Liverpool defender Andre Wisdom tweeted this while on a walking holiday

Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil, 25, tweets  a photograph of him holding his young nephew, with the message: "Life can be so uncomplicated when we see it through the eyes of a child".
Hull midfielder Tom Huddlestone, 27, was impressed with Kei Nishikori's surprise US Open tennis defeat of world number one Novak Djokovic, tweeting  : "That's a turn up for the books. Fair play though, he deserved to be in the final."
Jose Enrique, 28, proves he's the romantic type, the Liverpool left-back posting  a selection of photographs of him and his wife in France, with the words: "Enjoying Paris so much with my lady for our anniversary. Beautiful city."

AND FINALLY

Bayern Munich sent a school in Macedonia 255 seats to help with the renovation of its sports facilities. (Metro) 
Colorado Rapids' keeper Joe Nasco managed to get sent off just 34 seconds into an MLS game against LA Galaxy. (101 Great Goals) 
Former Liverpool and England striker Emile Heskey, 36, ballooned a ball high and wide of a target on a live television show. (Metro)