Thursday's gossip column: Football transfers & rumours

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TRANSFER GOSSIP

Real Madrid are on the verge of completing a £94m deal to bring Tottenham's 24-year-old forward Gareth Bale to the Bernabeu. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy discussed the deal on Wednesday night with the Spanish club.

Martin Demichelis joined Atletico Madrid this summer on a free transfer after leaving Malaga

Full story: Daily Mail

Real Madrid want Bale to make his home debut on Sunday 1 September against Athletic Bilbao because the midday kick-off would maximise the global television audience watching his first game in Spain.

Full story: Daily Telegraph

Chelsea have been told they have hope of signing Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, 27, if the Premier League champions can find a replacement for the England international.

Full story: Daily Mirror

Manchester United expect the Blues to increase efforts to unsettle Rooney by lodging a third bid for the forward within 48 hours.

Full story: Daily Telegraph

French side Paris St-Germain could outbid Arsenal for Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye, 27, as the Ligue 1 club prepare a £20m bid.

Full story: Independent

Arsenal are giving serious consideration to re-signing 29-year-old holding midfielder Mathieu Flamini, who has been training with the club for the past fortnight since his contract expired at AC Milan.

Full story: the Times (subscription required)

Manchester City will have to spend £4.26m if they want to sign Atletico Madrid defender Martin Demichelis, 32, this summer.

Full story: Guardian

West Brom are confident they can complete the signing of boss Steve Clarke's top target Scott Sinclair - the 24-year-old Manchester City winger - within the next 48 hours.

Full story: Sun (subscription required)

Xabi Alonso, 31, is expected to be out of action for three months after fracturing a metatarsal in training. The Real Madrid midfielder's absence will hinder Manchester United's hopes of signing Croatia midfielder Luka Modric, 27.

Full story: Daily Express

Chelsea are favourites to sign England Under-21 defender Eric Dier, 19, who has a £4.2m buyout clause in his Sporting Lisbon contract.

Full story: Daily Mail

OTHER GOSSIP

Sunderland winger Adam Johnson, 26, is hoping a successful season with the Black Cats can earn him a place in Roy Hodgson's England World Cup squad.

Full story: Guardian

Former England manager Steve McClaren is competing with ex-Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate and former Manchester United reserve team manager Rene Meulensteen to become the new England Under-21 head coach.

Full story: Daily Telegraph

Tottenham striker Emmanuel Adebayor does not want to leave the London club despite manager Andre Villas-Boas making it clear the 29-year-old is surplus to requirements at White Hart Lane.

Full story: Daily Mirror

GLOBAL GOSSIP (Sourced by BBC Monitoring)

Midfielder Abel Aguilar, 28, has turned down advances from Spanish sides Valencia, Real Sociedad and Granada, to join French Ligue 1 side Toulouse.

Full story: L'Equipe (in French)

Paris St-Germain have allowed midfielder Clement Chantome, 25, join Toulouse on loan.

Full story: Sport 24 (in French)

AND FINALLY

Fenerbahce fans tried to upset Arsenal's star players before their Champions League qualification play-off first leg by setting off fireworks outside their team hotel on Tuesday night. It did not seem to bother the Gunners who beat the Turkish outfit 3-0.

Full story: Metro

Tottenham travel to Dinamo Tbilisi for their Europa League qualifying play-off on Thursday, and the last time they played in the Georgian capital, in 1973, they were greeted in a disturbing manner.

"When we went out to inspect the pitch, in the middle was a sort of wooden gallows," says former Spurs captain Steve Perryman. "Hanging by its neck was their idea of a cockerel. Of course, that's our emblem. That was their way of saying welcome!"

Full story: Daily Mail