Tuesday's gossip column: Football transfers and rumours

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For a list of confirmed transfers, check out our transfers page.

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Arsenal could be willing to pay £11m for Schalke defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos, 21.

Full story: Daily Express

Chelsea and Manchester United may be put on alert after 25-year-old Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski's agent claimed he has held talks with Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis about a move to the Italian club.

Full story: Daily Express

Manchester City could be ready to pounce if Manchester United fail to agree a new deal with 18-year-old Belgian winger Adnan Januzaj, whose contract expires at the end of this season.

Januzaj impressed after coming on as substitute in Man Utd's win over Crystal Palace

Full story: Daily Mail

Mahamadou Diarra, 32, could earn a new contract with Fulham after making his comeback from a long-term knee injury in the development squad's win at Reading on Monday. The defensive midfielder's contract ran out in the summer.

Full story: Daily Mirror

Stoke will offer 28-year-old striker Kenwyne Jones a new contract in a bid to prevent the forward from leaving next summer on a free transfer.

Full story: Daily Telegraph

Former Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly believes Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has flirted with a move to the Blues this summer in order to get a new deal at the Old Trafford club.

Full story: Daily Star

Brighton are targeting a loan move for Tottenham striker Jonathan Obika, 23, who is currently recovering from an ankle injury.

Full story: The Argus

OTHER GOSSIP

West Ham striker Andy Carroll, 24, hopes a trip to a specialist in Belgium will see him avoid surgery on the heel injury that has prevented him from playing this season.

Full story: Daily Mirror

Sunderland manager Paolo Di Canio has offered encouragement to former captain Lee Cattermole that he can have a fresh start at the club after the pair held talks. Di Canio had been unconvinced the 25-year-old midfielder - who is recovering from a knee injury - would fit in under him.

Cattermole has been sidelined for Sunderland since the 1-0 defeat by Arsenal in February

Full story: Guardian

Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar, 31, is to be ruled out for a month after suffering a hamstring injury.

Full story: Daily Mail

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is considering starting £85.3m world record signing Gareth Bale, 24, on the bench in the Spanish side's opening Champions League game of the season at Galatasaray on Tuesday.

Full story: the Guardian

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres, 29, says he welcomes the competition for places that fellow forward Samuel Eto'o brings at the Stamford Bridge club and insists the pair are friends.

Full story: the Sun (subscription required)

GLOBAL GOSSIP (supplied by BBC Monitoring)

Gareth Bale can 'play in many positions and not just as a striker', says Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti ahead of his team's game with Turkish club Galatasaray in the Champions League.

Full story: Marca

Barcelona defender Carles Puyol could be in the squad for the Champions League match against Ajax on Wednesday following knee surgery in June.

Full story: AS

Manchester United manager David Moyes has a 'longstanding interest' in Bayer Leverkusen striker Stefan Kiessling.

Full story: Bild

AND FINALLY

Gareth Bale's arrival forced Mesut Ozil's Real Madrid exit, and now the Welshman is considering whether to buy the Arsenal playmaker's £1m property in the Spanish capital.

Full story: Daily Mirror

Former Manchester United and Stoke defender Danny Higginbotham is to hold talks about playing for Gibraltar, who are managed by his uncle Allen Bula, in their Euro 2016 qualifiers. The 34-year-old is currently at Chester and qualifies by way of his mother.

Full story: Daily Express