Thursday's gossip column - transfers and rumours

For updated transfer news and gossip throughout the day, read our breaking news service, Sportsday Live.

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Chelsea and Everton target Oscar Cardozo, 29, is set to extend his contract at Benfica - and the Paraguay striker will have a £47.7m buy-out clause.

Full story: talkSPORT

PSV midfielder Kevin Strootman has won 11 caps for the Netherlands

PSV Eindhoven's Kevin Strootman, 22, has put Manchester United on alert after the Dutch midfielder revealed he intends to quit the club in the January transfer window.

Full story: Metro

Manchester City's Norwegian midfield prospect Abdisalam Ibrahim, 21, who is on loan at his native Stromsgodset, is a target for Norwich, Wigan, Southampton and Reading.

Full story: Daily Mirror

The agent of AGF Aarhus forward Aron Johannsson has insisted Arsenal have not been in touch regarding a possible move for the 21-year-old Iceland striker.

Full story: Sky Sports

QPR midfielder Shaun Derry, 34, is ready to leave Loftus Road in search of regular first-team football.

Full story: the Sun

OTHER GOSSIP

Blackburn will make a formal approach to Tottenham in the hope of persuading assistant first-team coach and former player Tim Sherwood, 43, to become their new manager.

Full story: Daily Mail

Current Rovers boss Steve Kean has been summoned to India to sort out his future with the club's owners, Venky's.

Full story: Daily Mirror

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini can match United boss Sir Alex Ferguson's infamous "hairdryer" for blasting his players, insists Brazil defender Maicon, 31.

Full story: Daily Express

Gareth Southgate says he walked away from his role as head of elite development at the Football Association because "the FA don't control youth development".

Full story: Independent

Former Argentina international Matias Almeyda, 38, who spent eight years in Italy playing for Lazio, Parma, Brescia and Inter Milan, claims Italian football is rotten to its core with corruption in his autobiography.

Full story: Daily Telegraph

Marko Marin moved to Chelsea from Werder Bremen in July

Chelsea's German winger Marko Marin, 23, believes the Blues have a good enough squad to win the Premier League - and retain the Champions League.

Full story: talkSPORT

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott, 23, says he misses playing alongside Robin van Persie following the Dutch striker's summer transfer to Manchester United.

Full story: Metro

Former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song said the club's failure to win trophies was behind the 25-year-old Cameroon international's decision to join Barcelona.

Full story: Evening Standard

AND FINALLY

Manchester United midfielder Ryan Tunnicliffe, 19, won his father £10,000 when he made his debut in the League Cup win over Newcastle. Mick Tunnicliffe bet £100 that his son would one day play for the Red Devils at odds of 100-1 around 10 years ago.

Full story: Guardian

A bronze statue of former France forward Zinedine Zidane's infamous headbutt on Italian defender Marco Materazzi in the 2006 World Cup final has been erected in front of Paris' Pompidou Centre.

Full story: Le Figaro (in French)

Jerome Sinclair became Liverpool's youngest-ever player against West Brom on Wednesday at the age of 16 years and six days, but he is so new to the scene that his first name was listed on the team-sheet as Jordan.

Full story: Guardian

Season ticket holders at Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders in the United States will soon hold a vote on whether to retain general manager Adrian Hanauer in what the club say will be the first such vote in US professional sport.

Full story: Seattle Times