Saturday's gossip column

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester City are close to beating Real Madrid to the signing of Napoli striker Edinson Cavani by offering him a deal worth £13.3m a year. City are also confident of signing the 26-year-old Uruguayan for less than his £52m release clause.

Cavani has scored 29 goals this season

Full story: Daily Mail

Barcelona's Mexico international midfielder Jonathan dos Santos, 22, could be on his way to Liverpool after admitting he wants to leave the Nou Camp this summer.

Full story: Metro

AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani has ruled out attempting to re-sign Paris St-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 31, this summer. The Sweden forward left the San Siro for Paris in 2012.

Full story: Sky Sports

Brazil forward Neymar, 21, who has been linked with Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City, will remain at Santos until after next year's World Cup, according to his father.

Full story: Tuttosport (Italian)

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce believes on-loan Liverpool striker Andy Carroll's next move will be a pivotal one in his career and is confident he will sign the forward on a permanent basis. Carroll, 24, is also wanted by Tottenham and Newcastle.

Full story: Daily Mirror

Carroll has scored three goals in his last three games.

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert wants Belgium striker Christian Benteke, 22, who has been linked with Liverpool and Arsenal, to remain at the club to prove he is not a one-season wonder.

Full story: Daily Mail

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has revealed he will look to sign Danish players this summer after missing out on Copenhagen striker Andreas Cornelius, 20, Nordsjaelland defender Jores Okore, 20, and Aalborg forward Nicklas Helenius, 21, in the past.

Full story: Sky Sports

Manchester City are interested in Schalke defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos, 21, who has a £17m buy-out clause in his contract, which expires in 2016.

Full story: Daily Star

Leverkusen forward Andre Schurrle, 22, is set to join Chelsea in a deal that will see Belgian winger Kevin De Bruyne move in the opposite direction on loan. De Bruyne, 21, has spent this season on loan to Werder Bremen.

Full story: Daily Mail

OTHER GOSSIP

Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott is worried his lack of playing time at Etihad Stadium could dent his World Cup ambitions. The 30-year-old, who is entering the final year of his contract, believes he can "demand a bit of respect" from the club when discussing his future.

Full story: Daily Telegraph

Carlo Ancelotti is Real Madrid president Florentino Perez's favourite to replace Jose Mourinho in the summer.

Full story: Marca (Spanish)

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has hinted that Wayne Rooney, who has been linked with a summer departure from the club, may have fallen behind Japanese midfielder Shinji Kagawa in his pecking order at Old Trafford.

Clarke's West Brom are eighth in the Premier League

Full story: Daily Telegraph

West Brom manager Steve Clarke is set for talks over a contract extension in the summer. The Scot, 48, has guided the Baggies into the top half of the Premier League in his first season as a manager.

Full story: Birmingham Mail

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has joked that rivals Sunderland, who won 3-0 at St James' Park on Sunday, can only "dream" of European football.

Full story: the Times (subscription)

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has backed Gareth Bale to show why he should be crowned PFA Player of the Year if he returns from injury against Manchester City on Sunday.

Full story: Daily Mail

Swansea City winger Pablo Hernandez says it would be a "dream" to earn a recall to the Spanish national side. The 28-year-old, who has four caps for Spain, also thinks team-mate Michu should make the squad.

Full story: South Wales Evening Post

Peter Reid, who managed Sunderland for seven years, believes Paolo Di Canio is already a "legend" at the Stadium of Light following the club's 3-0 win over Newcastle. Reid was the last Sunderland manager to win at Newcastle.

Full story: Daily Express

AND FINALLY

Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio claims he and his staff are working 16-hour days in an attempt to pull the Black Cats away from relegation trouble and says his players cannot complain about having their days off cancelled "because they are not miners".

Full story: Daily Mirror

Northampton manager Aidy Boothroyd will complete an impressive milestone when he takes his side to face Port Vale at Vale Park on Saturday - it will mark the 92nd league ground he has managed at.

Full story: the Times (subscription)

Stoke manager Tony Pulis believes striker Peter Crouch's poor season is down to a mouth injury sustained in November. Crouch, 32, lost three teeth after a collision with Newcastle defender Fabricio Coloccini and has scored just one goal since.

Full story: Daily Mirror