Friday's gossip column - transfers and rumours

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

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester United have opened talks with Inter Milan over a deal for midfielder Fredy Guarin. United hope they can sign the 27-year-old Colombian for around £10m.

Full story: Metro

United and Tottenham met Guarin's representatives on Thursday to discuss a move to the Premier League but Chelsea have dropped out of the race to sign him.

Is Wayne Rooney still a Chelsea target?

Full story: Daily Express

Manchester United will not be forced into transfer talks with Wayne Rooney amid speculation Chelsea will make another move for the 28-year-old striker in the summer.

Full story: Daily Mirror

Chelsea and Manchester United, as well as former club Liverpool, are all interested in midfielder Xabi Alonso, 32, whose contract at Real Madrid expires in the summer.

Full story: Daily Star

Chelsea have made contact with Monaco about signing Colombian striker Radamel Falcao, 27, in January amid speculation the player does not get on with manager Claudio Ranieri.

Full story: Daily Express

Chelsea are expected make a £20m January move for Southampton's 18-year-old defender Luke Shaw.

Full story: Daily Telegraph

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce "hasn't heard anything" about reports linking him with a loan move for former Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins, 29.

Full story: Talksport

Crystal Palace boss Tony Pulis has dismissed talk of a January move for Blackburn's 11-goal top scorer Jordan Rhodes, 23.

Full story: the Sun (subscription required)

OTHER GOSSIP

Joe Hart has missed Manchester City's last six Premier League games

Manchester City and England goalkeeper Joe Hart is set to return to Premier League action on Saturday, with the 26-year-old in line to start against league leaders Arsenal.

Full story: Daily Mirror

Manchester City's staff should have helped manager Manuel Pellegrini avoid the mathematical error that may have cost them top spot in Champions League Group D, according to Napoli boss Rafa Benitez.

Full story: Independent

Arsenal hope manager Arsene Wenger will sign a new contract at the club now their Champions League progress has been confirmed.

Full story: Daily Mirror

Gunners midfielder Mikel Arteta, 31, has criticised the decision to schedule his side's Premier League trip to Manchester City for Saturday lunchtime - little more than 48 hours after Wenger's squad returned from Italy following a Champions League defeat against Napoli.

Full story: Guardian

Jordan Henderson has been a regular in Liverpool's midfield this season

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce insists he was right to sign Andy Carroll permanently from Liverpool over the summer - even though two heel injuries have prevented the 24-year-old England striker from playing a single game this season.

Full story: the Times (subscription required)

Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson, 23, is back in training after recovering from a bruised ankle and is set to feature in Sunday's Premier League trip to Tottenham.

Full story: Liverpool Echo

Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has attacked the "incomprehensible" spending of Real Madrid, which he believes is "unfair".

Full story: Goal.com

Football could lose millions of pounds in public funding after a Sport England survey showed 288,000 fewer people are playing the game than at this time last year - a 14% drop.

Full story: Daily Telegraph

Colchester's Liberal Democrat MP Sir Bob Russell says football is "rotten to the core" and needs a Royal Commission to clean up the game.

Full story: Daily Telegraph

GLOBAL GOSSIP (from BBC Monitoring)

Barcelona president Sandro Rosell says he will "move heaven and earth" to make sure Argentina forward Lionel Messi, 26, stays at the club.

Full story: Marca

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness wants an investigation into this year's Ballon d'Or vote - believing that the decision to extend the voting deadline may have cost the club's midfielder Franck Ribery the prize.

Full story: TZ (in German)

Galatasaray defender Emmanuel Eboue, 30, says he is "hurt" that the Turkish FA might punish him and striker Didier Drogba, 35, for paying tribute to the late former South African president and anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.

Full story: ESPN FC

AND FINALLY

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, 28, tops Britain's football rich list, while West Ham's Joe Cole and Manchester City's James Milner are also in the top 10.

Full story: Daily Mail

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, 26, has been named Twitter's number one trending football topic for 2013.

Full story: Metro

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