VERMAELEN AND SZCSESNY OUT
This gossip column does not make predictions. If this gossip column did make predictions, we would have confidently predicted on Thursday that the papers would include talk of an Arsenal clear-out on Friday, and that the names in the frame would be Thomas Vermaelen and Wojciech Szczesny.
They didn't play against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, you see, so they must be on their way out. Vermaelen is confusingly a target for Barcelona while Szczesny will leave because he will not play second fiddle to a new goalkeeper. Who will that new goalkeeper be? 'Liverpool's Pepe Reina, Asmir Begovic of Stoke and Swansea's Michel Vorm are on his radar,' according to the Daily Mirror. That's a big radar.
ISCO INNIT?
Ooooh, war chest alert. According to the Daily Star, Arsene Wenger will have such a thing with £70m inside this summer and their 'top summer target is £30m Malaga starlet Isco'. Now we like Isco and we think he would be a great signing for any Premier League club, but can anybody see Arsenal spending £30m on one player?
'Arsenal are likely to face stiff competition for Isco's signature, but chief scout Steve Rowley has been following his progress for some time,' says the Star, presumably aware of a rule which says that watching a player several times gives you first dibs. We know not of this rule.
NICKY B OFF TO RUSSIA?
Nicklas Bendtner's loan spell at Juventus hasn't gone exactly to plan. League starts: 2. Goals: 0. Driving bans: 1. Rumours generated by his increasingly desperate agent: about a billion.
Here's another, with agent Tom Brooks quoted in The Daily Mirror, via Russian newspaper Izvestia: "We've had contact several times with Russian teams.
"Interest has also been shown by English and Italian clubs and Nicklas would like to play regularly in the Champions League.
"A large number of talented players have gone to Russia in recent years. If a solid proposal arrives, we will consider it."
FELLAINI AND BAINES OUT
You know it's a slow day for gossip when you have to turn to Metro. It's such a slow day today. Apparently there's going to be a 'fire sale' at Everton this summer with Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines leaving the club. It's all a bit same old, same old as Fellaini is linked with Chelsea and Baines with United.
They say that 'more than £40m will be recouped' and that will give David Moyes - or his successor - plenty of money to re-build a side that needs some new blood.
AND THE REST
West Ham are closing in on Vitoria defender Mahamadou N'Diaye...Millwall are signing Southampton midfielder Richard Chaplow...Phil Parkinson has emerged as the favourite to land the Reading job...West Brom boss Steve Clarke has revealed Romelu Lukaku will be back at Chelsea next season.
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