Gossip column: Ramos, Balotelli, Adebayor, Mourinho, Borini

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Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli, 25, will reject the chance to join Lazio and Sampdoria on loan as he is due a six-figure loyalty bonus if he is still at Anfield when the transfer window closes. (Daily Mirror)

Juventus are considering a move for Liverpool's Brazil midfielder Lucas, 28, who was omitted from Brendan Rodgers' match-day squad for last weekend's game against Stoke. (Daily Express)

Manchester United's pursuit of Sergio Ramos, 29, is over, with the Spain defender poised to extend his contract at Real Madrid next week. (Guardian)

United manager Louis van Gaal has backed England striker Wayne Rooney, 29, to score more than 20 goals this season. (Independent)

Friday's Guardian focuses on the future of Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea

Tottenham Hotspur striker Roberto Soldado, 30, has flown to his native Spain to seal a permanent move to Villarreal. (Guardian)

Spurs's Emmanuel Adebayor, 31, and Manchester United's Javier Hernandez, 27, are two of a dozen strikers West Ham are considering signing. (London Evening Standard)

Everton want Dynamo Moscow's former Manchester United left-back Alexander Buttner, 26, as a replacement for the injured Leighton Baines. (Daily Mail)

Toffees manager Roberto Martinez has warned young English players against moving abroad on loan. (The Sun - subscription required)

Leicester City have beaten Schalke to the signing of Napoli midfielder Gokhan Inler, 31, after agreeing a £3m deal. (Daily Express via Sky Italia)

Fifa has criticised Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho for his treatment of club doctor Dr Eva Carneiro and physiotherapist Jon Fearn. (Daily Telegraph)

Sunderland have held talks with Liverpool about re-signing striker Fabio Borini, 24, on loan - a year after he turned down a move to the Stadium of Light.(Sunderland Echo)

QPR are close to signing Bolton's USA international defender Tim Ream, 27, for £1.5m. (NBC Sports)

Blackpool striker Nile Ranger, 24, has been turned away from training and told he has no future at the League One club. (Blackpool Gazette)

Newcastle United winger Gabriel Obertan, 26, wants to stay after talks with Magpies boss Steve McClaren. (Newcastle Chronicle via NUFC TV)

Southampton's 31-year-old defender Jose Fonte, who has been linked with Aston Villa, is not for sale, says Saints boss Ronald Koeman. (Southern Daily Echo)

Stoke City have cooled their interest in Dynamo Kiev's 25-year-old Ukraine winger Andriy Yarmolenko. (Stoke Sentinel)

The Mirror's back page focuses on Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho's fall out with his medical team

West Ham striker Andy Carroll, 26, is on course to return to first-team action before the end of August. Carroll has not played since February because of a knee ligament injury. (London Evening Standard)

The Hammers are in competition with Charlton Athletic to sign Dagenham & Redbridge's 17-year-old striker Jodi Jones. (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood has backed defender Micah Richards, 27, to force his way back into the England squad. (Daily Star)

Meanwhile, Villa assistant manager Ray Wilkins, 58, says his current job is "probably my last gig" in football as he battles with bowel disease. (Birmingham Mail)

Bournemouth are chasing former Swansea midfielder Jonathan de Guzman, 27, with the Cherries offering Napoli a £5.5m fee. (The Sun - subscription required)

Nottingham Forest are interested in signing former Newcastle forward Shola Ameobi, 31, who is a free agent following his release from Crystal Palace. (Times - subscription required)

Celtic have closed in on signing Hibernian midfielder Scott Allan from under the noses of Rangers. (Daily Express)

Southampton boss Ronald Koeman is confident he will sign Celtic defender Van Dijk before the summer transfer window closes at the end of the month. (Daily Record)

Inverness Caledonian Thistle expect to lose midfielder Ryan Christie after Swansea joined the hunt for the 20-year-old. (Daily Express)

Best of social media

Enner Valencia (right) and Antonio Valencia

Injured West Ham United forward Enner Valencia posted a picture of himself with Ecuador team-mate and Manchester United namesake Antonio Valencia. Enner is expected to be out until November with a damaged leg.

Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli has posted a picture of a birthday cake on Instagram after turning 25 on Wednesday.

Former England defender Phil Neville wants his ex-Manchester United team-mate Paul Scholes to follow him into coaching. "He has a fantastic football brain and would be an asset to any club," tweeted Neville.

Former Liverpool winger Jimmy Carter, 49, has been inundated with goodwill messages on Twitter - aimed at his former US President namesake, 90, who has revealed he has cancer.

League Two Hartlepool United, desperate to discover their League Cup second round opponents, tweeted after the draw was delayed as Doncaster and Leeds went to extra time: "BREAKING: Selfish Doncaster and Leeds delay #CapitalOneCup draw.

And finally

An enormous billboard, appearing to depict Carlos Tevez scoring the West Ham goal which relegated Sheffield United in 2007, has been placed outside the League One club's Bramall Lane ground. (Daily Telegraph)

Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane, the club's reserve-team boss, has named his 20-year-old son, Enzo, captain of the team. (Daily Mail)