GOSSIP, GOSSIP AND MORE GOSSIP

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SPURS GET REALLY, REALLY BUSY
Like 16-year-olds cramming for their GCSEs at the back of the bus on the way to school, Spurs are set to go into overdrive before the transfer window slams shut on Thursday night.

Having (re)signed Mido on Tuesday, Spurs are now being tipped to sign both Steed Malbranque and Pascal Chimbonda within the next 24 hours as well as offloading Wayne Routledge and Lee Young-Pyo. Let's hope their fax machine is well stocked with paper.

According to The Guardian, Malbranque's proposed transfer to West Ham has been hijacked after Spurs 'trumped the Upton Park club yesterday by agreeing a deal with Fulham for the midfielder worth £2.5m. Malbranque's preference is to join Tottenham. He had been due to have a medical at West Ham but has switched his attention to Spurs.'

Out-of-favour winger Routledge, who spent part of last season at Pompey, is poised to move in the opposite direction.

Spurs' protracted pursuit of Chimbonda is also on the verge of a successful conclusion after the White Hart Lane outfit finally 'agreed a fee with Wigan's manager, Paul Jewell, that could rise to the asking price of £5.25m, and only a medical can now prevent Chimbonda from making the switch to White Hart Lane that he has craved all summer.'

As for Young-Pyo, he is expected to move to Roma.

Strewth.


POOR ASHLEY WILL HAVE TO STAY AT ARSENAL
The papers are unanimous: Ashley Cole's move to Chelski is off.

'There seems little chance of Arsenal and Chelsea reaching an agreement over Cole,' claims The Times, with The Sun reporting that 'Gunners' sources say talks have broken down between the clubs because Chelsea would not consider letting them have William Gallas.'

The breakdown of the transfer is the back-page lead in The Daily Telegraph with the world's heaviest newspaper claiming that 'Although there are still two full days to go until the transfer window closes tomorrow night, both sides have now admitted defeat in the negotiations.'

Quite whether Cole can be reconciled to life to Arsenal is a question outside of Transfer Gossip's remit to discuss.


MANYOO TO GET DESPERATE AFTER GIVING UP ON HARGREAVES
Another transfer that has gone the way of the dodo is Owen Hargreaves' move to ManYoo.

The Times reports that the Old Trafford club have 'reluctantly abandoned' their pursuit of the Bayern Munich midfielder. 'While the player and Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, retain a slight hope things could change over the next 24 hours, the United board have all but conceded defeat.'

While The Times suggest that 'Nigel Reo-Coker, the West Ham United captain, and Aldo Duscher, of Deportivo La Coruña' are being considered as possible alternatives, The Sun claims that 'Javier Maschernano has emerged as a deadline-beating target for Manchester United.'

The midfielder is also said to be interesting Roma after falling out with Brazilian side Corinthians and going AWOL.


TEVEZ ON THE VERGE OF JOINING ARSENAL
The Sun is continuing to maintain that Arsenal are on the verge of signing Carlos Tevez despite late interest from ManYoo.

'The Argentine will be in London today to undergo a medical before rubber-stamping his move to the Gunners,' the paper claims. ' And it is a big blow for Old Trafford boss Alex Ferguson, who had Tevez at No 2 on his shopping list after Bayern Munich's England ace Owen Hargreaves. It is understood boss Wenger and the Gunners had been willing to offer Tevez a five-year deal - although United could have topped their wages.'

We'll see. And the good news is that we'll see very soon too.


ATLETICO MAKE IMPROVED BID FOR REYES
Jose Reyes' wish to return to his homeland is set to be granted after Atlético Madrid made an improved bid of around £13.5m for the winger last night, according to The Guardian.

The official line from Arsenal is that the offer is 'under consideration' and although Atlético 'are not taking a deal for granted', club president Enrique Cerezo says he is "optimistic" about finalising the transfer.

For Reyes, the stakes could not be higher. The Guardian claims that 'Reyes will be stuck at Arsenal if Atlético fail to land him. He has left himself with few real alternatives after reportedly signing an agreement with Atlético, committing himself to the club in the event of leaving Arsenal.'

However, there is a sting in this particular tale. The Independent says that 'the Gunners are still willing to do business with Atletico's rivals Real, with fresh reports that their midfielder Julio Baptista could be on his way to the Emirates Stadium for £13m.'

Baptista has previously been linked with Spurs this summer after snubbing Arsenal for Real Madrid 12 months ago.


'ARRY TO SPEND AGAIN
Also in The Independent is the claim that 'Portsmouth are on the brink of completing the signing of the Ghana captain Steven Appiah after they made a formal offer to Fenerbahce last night to acquire the midfielder for £6m.'

Pompey have been linked with Appiah for much of the summer but appear to have made his acquisition a priority after it became clear that Stilian Petrov was bound for Aston Villa.


DEFOE FOR VILLA
F365 is somewhat sceptical, but The Daily Mirror reckons that Aston Villa are set to bid £9m for Spurs striker Jermain Defoe.

The player is 'frustrated' at his lack of first-team opportunites at Tottenham and O'Neill is keen on signing a new striker after selling Kevin Phillips. The widespread belief that Defoe is actually quite good may also be a factor in his reported interest.


NEILL FOR LIVERPOOL?
The folk at Sky Sports claim that Liverpool have made a late move for Blackburn's Australian defender Lucas Neill, who is in the final year of his Rovers contract and has made it clear he has no intention of signing a new deal.

Neill has long been linked with a move to Anfield by the Australian press, and he has been described by his father as a die-hard Liverpool fan. Newcastle and Tottenham are also said to be interested, but Neill would obviously be tempted by the Champions League.


AND THE REST
Dwight Yorke is in talks with Sunderland about a two-year deal...Benfica midfielder Manuel Fernandes is to complete a £6m move to Portsmouth...Czech defender Pavel Mares will move to Bolton from Zenit St Petersburg for £2m...Coventry are on the verge of landing Rangers striker Nacho Novo for £500,000...Blackburn full-back Vratislav Gresko is set to join Nuremburg on a free...Stoke are in talks with Southampton striker Ricardo Fuller over a £100,000 move...Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is to make a shock move for Manchester City striker Andy Cole...Blackburn want Manchester City to pay some of Danny Mills' wages if the defender moves to Ewood Park...Watford are to move in for Sheffield United striker Ade Akinbiyi...Preston boss Paul Simpson has made a £100,000 bid to bring Chris Lucketti back to Deepdale from Sheffield United...Bromby and Brann Bergen are battling it out for Leeds midfielder Eirik Bakke...Spurs are to make a late bid for Liverpool winger Bolo Zenden having missed out on Stewart Downing...Hull boss Phil Parkinson wants to sign Ipswich striker Nicky Forster...Birmingham are keen on signing on signing out-of-favour Charlton midfielder Jason Euell with Bolton also interested...Blackburn have handed a trial to Egypt defender Wael Gomaa while insisting there have been no bids for Andy Todd...Middlesbrough have ended their interest in Preston striker David Nugent and Blackburn's Brett Emerton...Bolton are to make a £4m swoop for Hibs duo Kevin Thomson and Scott Brown.

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