Saturday's gossip column - transfers and rumours

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Liverpool are ready to activate the £7m get-out clause in Demba Ba's contract to buy the Senegal striker from Newcastle in January. The Reds have made Ba their top target after being told South Korea frontman Son Heung-min is not for sale by Hamburg.

Full story: Daily Mail

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, 45, has agreed to bid £46m for Atletico Madrid striker Falcao, 26, in January.

Full story: Daily Mirror

Wilfried Zaha made his Crystal Palace debut as a 17-year-old in March 2010

Liverpool are interested in buying a new striker in the new year, and may take advantage of the breakdown in contract talks between Gary Hooper, 24, and Celtic.

Full story: talkSPORT

Bordeaux want to buy or loan back struggling striker Marouane Chamakh from Arsenal.

Full story: The Sun

Crystal Palace manager Dougie Freedman, 38, has warned Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City that he values winger Wilfried Zaha, 19, at more than £11m.

Full story: skysports.com

OTHER GOSSIP

Newcastle United managing director Derek Llambias has said the club does not regret not buying a centre-back during the summer.

Full story: The Journal

Luis Suarez has hit back at a Fifa official who has accused the Uruguayan of "cheating" football by trying to con referees. Suarez said of Jim Boyce: "This guy I have no idea who he is. He certainly can't be well known and he wanted to get publicity."

Full story: The Sun

Bolton have revived their interest in Mick McCarthy after seeing their chances of landing first-choice managerial candidate Ole Gunnar Solskjaer diminish.

Full story: The Times (subscription required)

Championship side Charlton Athletic want to make former defender Paul Elliott, 48, the first black chairman in English football.

Full story: Daily Mirror

Paul Elliott started his playing career at Charlton.

Liverpool and Italy are set for a compensation battle over striker Fabio Borini, 21, after he fractured a bone in his right foot during a training session with his country's Under-21s on Thursday.

Full story: Daily Mail

ENGLAND 5-0 SAN MARINO VERDICT

"In the end, it was every bit as easy as it sounds for England against the motley crew of accountants, students and olive oil salesmen who make up the worst team in world football."

Full story: The Times (subscription required)

"A victory by five goals against opponents who were more plankton than minnows was par but the more significant scoreline in England's group was elsewhere: Ukraine drew 0-0 in Moldova where England had scored five."

Full story: The Telegraph

Little wonder, perhaps that Rooney, in his latest incarnation as international factotum-in-chief, found himself surrounded by at least four San Marino players pretty much every time he touched the ball at Wembley on a night of unrelenting and often monotonous attack versus defence.

Full story: the Guardian

After the sort of night that could kill international football stone dead, Roy Hodgson and his England players do not need to be told it was not even close to good enough.

Full story: Daily Mirror

AND FINALLY

Joint manager Mark Robson has said 26-year-old former Fulham striker Collins John - not 39-year-old player-manager Edgar Davids - could be Barnet's saviour. The club are yet to win a League Two game this season and have just three points from their opening 11 fixtures.

Full story: London Evening Standard

Liverpool-born Jamie Carragher, 34, had to be subtitled in television documentary Being: Liverpool, while his team-mates (and non-native speakers) Pepe Reina, 30, and Lucas Leiva, 24, did not need them.

Full story: Metro

Swindon manager Paolo di Canio, 44, says he wants to manage the England national team.

Full story: Daily Mirror