Friday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona will not offer Wayne Rooney an escape route if the 27-year-old striker wants to leave Manchester United.

Full story: Daily Mail

City are one of only a handful of sides who could afford Rooney, but the Premier League champions are targeting Napoli striker Edinson Cavani, 26, and 27-year-old Atletico Madrid forward Radamel Falcao.

Full story: the Sun

Edin Dzeko, 26, could hold the key to Rooney's exit. The Manchester City striker is poised to join Borussia Dortmund in a £20m deal that could see German club let striker Robert Lewandowski, 24, join Manchester United for around £18m. That would enable United to sell Rooney.

Full story: Daily Mirror

Rooney has set his sights on a move to Spanish giants Barcelona.

Full story: Daily Star

Rooney is no longer regarded as an integral part of Manchester United's future by influential supporters' groups, who believe Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to leave him on the bench against Real Madrid was justified.

Full story: the Guardian

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger could make a summer move for 20-year-old Auxerre striker Yaya Sanogo.

Full story: Metro

Chelsea are considering bringing Borussia Dortmund striker Marco Reus, 23, to Stamford Bridge.

Full story: caughtoffside.com

Polish international Lewandowski is a wanted man

Non-league striker Daniel Carr will play in the Liverpool United-21 side against West Ham on Monday as the Premier League club continue to assess the 18-year-old.

Full story: Daily Mirror

But Chelsea may hijack Liverpool's attempts to sign Carr, who plays for Dulwich Hamlet.

Full story: Daily Mail

OTHER GOSSIP

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, 26, has been rewarded for his scintillating form with a pay rise from £80,000-a-week to £120,000-a-week.

Full story: Daily Express

Paul Lambert will not be sacked as Aston Villa manager - even if they are relegated from the Premier League this season.

Full story: Daily Star

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce will seek assurances over his transfer budget before committing his long-term future to the club, with his contract expiring in the summer.

Full story: Daily Telegraph

Newcastle centre-back Fabricio Coloccini could miss the rest of the season after scans revealed the 31-year-old has broken two bones in his back.

Full story: the Times (subscription required)

Celtic manager Neil Lennon admitted after his side's Champions League last-16 defeat by Juventus that he faces an almost impossible fight to keep his team intact for next season.

Full story: Daily Record

Rangers chief executive Charles Green has taken legal advice as he plans to take the former Scottish Premier League club into the English league.

Full story: Daily Mirror

GLOBAL GOSSIP

(Sourced by BBC Monitoring)

Uefa referee chief Pierluigi Collina has declared his support for Cuneyt Cakir, the Turkish official who controversially sent off Manchester United winger Nani in the defeat by Real Madrid on Tuesday.

Full story: Millyet

The German Football Association has banned second division side Dynamo Dresden from the national cup competition for failing to control fan violence.

Full story: Die Welt

The French league have handed Nice midfielder Valentin Eysseric an 11-match suspension for a dangerous tackle on Saint Etienne's Jeremy Clement last weekend.

Full story: L'Equipe

Former Germany captain Michael Ballack has unexpectedly invited national coach Joachim Loew to his farewell match in Leipzig in June. The two men have a fractious relationship dating back to the 2010 World Cup, when Ballack was dropped from the German team.

Full story: Die Welt

AND FINALLY

Spanish fans watching Sevilla trounce Celta Vigo in a televised game on Monday night could be forgiven for doing a double take as pictures appeared to show Celta's former Chelsea forward Enrique de Lucas drinking a beer while sat on the substitutes' bench.

Full story: BBC Radio 5 live's 606 newsletter

Former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne, 45, is "back on track" and returning to the UK after a month spent tackling his alcohol problems in a United States clinic.

Full story: the Sun