Gossip column: Mourinho, Ozil, Kompany, Balotelli, Rihanna

  • Published
Gossip logo

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

Visit our manager ins and outs page for a list of all the current bosses in the top five leagues in England and the Scottish Premiership.

WORLD CUP GOSSIP

Coach Vicente del Bosque has received the backing of the Spanish Football Federation, in spite of the country's disastrous World Cup campaign in which the holders exited the tournament after just two games. Guardian, external

Image source, Daily Telegraph
Image caption,

Daily Telegraph Sport front page

Goalkeeper Joe Hart says fans should not question England's commitment at this World Cup even if they have so far lacked the quality needed. London Evening Standard, external

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says he would consider managing England in the future, after previously turning down the advances of the Football Association, but not right now. ITV News, external

QPR boss Harry Redknapp says England should build the team around Everton midfielder Ross Barkley, 20. The Sun, external

Belgium captain Vincent Kompany missed training on Thursday with a "slight groin strain". His country play Russia on 22 June. The Guardian , external

Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso, 32, admits Spain are out of the World Cup because they have lost their hunger after six years as the best team in football. The Sun, external

TRANSFER GOSSIP

AC Milan could lower their £27m asking price for Mario Balotelli, 23, if Arsenal are willing to send Costa Rica's Joel Campbell, 21, in the opposite direction. Metro, external

Crystal Palace are also interested in signing Campbell, who impressed as Costa Rica won their World Cup opener against Uruguay. Daily Mirror, external

Tottenham have joined Manchester United in the battle to sign Espanyol defender Hector Moreno, 26. Talksport, external

Spurs have made a £17m bid for PSV Eindhoven winger Memphis Depay, 20, who is also a target for Manchester United. Daily Star, external

Image source, AP
Image caption,

Manchester United are to step up their interest in Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels

Leeds owner Massimo Cellino says he would consider offers from Premier League clubs for striker Ross McCormack, 27. Daily Express, external

Manchester United are to step up their interest in Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels, 25, as Paris St-Germain rule out the sale of Marquinhos. Daily Express, external

Liverpool are refusing to give up on their pursuit of defender Alberto Moreno, 21, but are prepared to look at other targets if they are unable to agree a deal for the Sevilla left-back. Liverpool Echo, external

Arsenal will move for Bayern Munich's Mario Mandzukic, 28, if they fail to sign former Manchester City forward Balotelli. Daily Express, external

New West Brom manager Alan Irvine is interested in bringing Manchester City midfielder Jack Rodwell, 23, to the Hawthorns either on loan or permanently. Daily Mirror , external

West Brom are also considering a move to bring Fulham winger Kieran Richardson, 29, back to the Hawthorns. Birmingham Mail, external

Liverpool and Arsenal are ready to resurrect their interest in Chile and Juventus right-back Mauricio Isla, 26. Daily Star , external

Monaco are in pole position to sign former Chelsea and England defender Ashley Cole, 33. Daily Express, external

Five players are set to leave Chelsea this summer, with striker Fernando Torres, 30, midfielder Marko Marin, 25, and forward Romelu Lukaku, 21, among those likely to depart. Daily Star, external

Liverpool are considering making a bid for Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia this summer. The 28-year-old has just one year left to run on his deal. Metro, external

Chelsea striker Samuel Eto'o, 33, has set his sights on moving to Italian side Roma, but only if they can meet his pay demands of £60,000-a-week. Daily Express, external

Liverpool will make a third attempt to sign Southampton and England midfielder Adam Lallana, 26, following the World Cup. Liverpool Echo, external

GLOBAL GOSSIP (sourced by BBC Monitoring)

Real Sociedad are in negotiations with Arsenal to keep Carlos Vela in San Sebastian until 2018. The Gunners were earlier planning to bring the 25-year-old forward back to the Emirates by activating his £3m buy-back clause. Marca (in Spanish), external

Atletico Madrid are unlikely to let 29-year-old Brazilian defender Miranda leave despite strong interest from Barcelona and Manchester United. Marca (in Spanish), external

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho says Spain's national team has become "predictable, slow and sad" after the defending champions were knocked out of the 2014 World Cup. AS (in Spanish), external

France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, 27, says the balance of the team is still fragile despite their strong performance against Honduras. France play Switzerland on Friday. L'Equipe (in French), external

OTHER GOSSIP

Switzerland's German coach Ottmar Hitzfeld, who retires after World Cup 2014, says he turned down the chance to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson in 2002 because it would have been too daunting without the command of English. Daily Telegraph, external

West Ham joint chairman David Sullivan wants the club's badge to include the word "London" to make them more marketable, but he says it's up to the fans to decide.Daily Mirror, external

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says Germany and Arsenal's 25-year-old playmaker Mesut Ozil needs special treatment because he is "sensitive". Daily Mail , external

Belgium midfielder Marouane Fellaini, 26, wants to stay at Manchester United and fight for his place. Daily Star, external

BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Italy striker Mario Balotelli wants a kiss from the Queen if Italy keep England's World Cup hopes alive. England have a slim chance of qualifying for the knockout stages if Italy beat Costa Rica and the Azzurri striker tweeted:, external "If we beat Costa Rica, I want a kiss, obviously on the cheek, from the UK Queen."

Manchester City defender Vincent Kompany, 28, tweeted, external in reply: "Wouldn't even surprise me."

Image caption,

Argentina top Group F after beating Bosnia-Hercegovina

Argentina's players seem relaxed ahead of their Group F match against Iran on Saturday, with Sergio Aguero posting a selfie with team-mate Maxi Rodriguez on Facebook. , external

Pop star Rihanna, external offered advice to England's defence after Luis Suarez inspired Uruguay to a 2-1 win, tweeting: "Man they know better than to give Suarez that much room bruh!"

Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson saw Uruguay's win over Roy Hodgson's men as a victory for Liverpool, tweeting:, external "Well done Liverpool. You beat England."

Netherlands striker Robin van Persie tweeted:, external "Yesssss get in there!! @WayneRooney" after his Manchester United team-mate finally scored his first World Cup goal.

During the Uruguay v England game, the number of fans searching for "Has Rooney scored in a World Cup?" went up 10x, according to Google.

The search engine added that Spain's loss to Chile appeared to capture the nation's attention, with searches for the match 10x higher than those for the coronation of King Felipe.

AND FINALLY

An eight-year-old Brazilian fan burst into tears of joy at the sight of meeting defender David Luiz. The boy had evaded security and ran onto the pitch where the Brazil squad were training and was embraced by the former Chelsea defender. Independent. , external

Fans who appeared to jump out of their wheelchairs during a World Cup match are being investigated for ticket fraud. Daily Mirror, external

You can comment on the latest gossip on the BBC Sport Facebook page., external