Paper Talk
Burnley striker Danny Ings, 22, has rejected a move to Spanish side Real Sociedad and is closing on a deal with Liverpool this summer.
Real Madrid have cooled their interest in Manchester United keeper David De Gea and he is now likely to sign a new deal at Old Trafford.
Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner wants £150m for his club with a number of prospective buyers expressing an interest on the back of the new Premier League TV rights deal.
Dave Jones and James Beattie are on the list of favourites being considered for the vacant managerial job at Sky Bet League One side Coventry City following Steven Pressley's sacking.
Brazilian legend Ronaldo has revealed he will come out of retirement at the age of 38 and will play for the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
Newcastle are delaying on plans to bring Argentine midfielder Jonas Gutierrez, 31, back into the first team after his 12-month fight against testicular cancer.
Ipswich have signed Leicester City midfielder Anthony Knockaert, 23, on loan until the end of the season.
Rotherham chief Tony Stewart insists manager Steve Evans is going nowhere after the Scot was linked with the Peterborough United job.
Real Sociedad boss David Moyes is keen to go back to his old club and and sign Everton midfielder Bryan Oviedo.
Non-league Kingstonian have launched an investigation after goalkeeper Rob Tolfrey brawled on the terraces with opposition fans after Monday's defeat by Bognor Regis in the Ryman League Premier Division.
Manchester United's David de Gea is set to commit himself on a long-term contract with Real Madrid appearing to be looking elsewhere for a new goalkeeper.
Barcelona forward Neymar was involved in a row with a Manchester City fan after being substituted during his side's Champions League round of 16 first-leg victory at Etihad Stadium.
The frustrations of former Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen continue after the 29-year-old picked up a new injury to knock his hopes of making his Barcelona debut before the end of the season.
Leeds owner Massimo Cellino will not return to the club when his Football League ban ends in April. Instead the 58-year-old Italian intends to appeal and clear his name in order to return to the Sky Bet Championship club in the long term.
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has accused Uefa of failing to stand up for European club football over the plan to move the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to winter.
The Premier League is considering legal action against Fifa over the decision to play the World Cup in the middle of the English domestic season.
BBC
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Burnley striker Danny Ings, 22, has turned down a move to David Moyes's Real Sociedad - in favour of joining Liverpool this summer. (Daily Mirror)
Moyes is in the market for another Premier League player, with Everton midfielder Bryan Oviedo, 25, a reported summer target for the Sociedad boss. (Daily Express)
Arsenal and Manchester City are monitoring the progress of Cagliari midfielder Godfred Donsah, 18, after Tottenham watched the player earlier this season. (London Evening Standard)
Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea is closing in on a new long-term Old Trafford contract after Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti appeared to cool his interest in the 24-year-old Spaniard. (Daily Mail)
Brazilian great Ronaldo, 38, has confirmed he will come out of retirement with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in the USA's second tier. (Sun - subscription required)
Crystal Palace striker Glenn Murray, 31, has been told he will not be going out on loan despite reported interest from Championship promotion-chasers Bournemouth. (South London Press)
OTHER GOSSIP
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has accused Uefa of failing to stand up for European club football over the plan to move the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to winter. (Times - subscription required)
The Premier League is considering legal action against Fifa over the decision to play the World Cup in the middle of the English domestic season. (Independent)
But Fifa could respond by putting pressure on Uefa to ban English clubs from European competitions. (Daily Express)
Angry fans are on the verge of boycotting the 2022 World Cup over the decision to move it to winter. (Daily Star)
Fifa's Belgian executive committee member, Michel D'Hooghe, has been cleared of ethics breaches over the gift of a painting from Russia's 2018 World Cup bid and accusations he tried to secure a job in Qatar for the son of a friend. (Guardian)
Barcelona forward Neymar was involved in a row with a Manchester City fan after being substituted during his side's Champions League round of 16 first-leg victory at Etihad Stadium. (Daily Mail)
Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville says manager Louis van Gaal should not be sacked even if his side fail to finish in the top four this season. (Talksport)
Neville's former Old Trafford team-mate Peter Schmeichel says Van Gaal is right to use "boring long-ball tactics". (Sun - subscription required)
Referee Phil Dowd has admitted he was wrong to give Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, 29, a penalty during their 3-1 FA Cup fifth-round win at Preston on 16 February. (Daily Mail)
QPR manager Chris Ramsey says racism in football has been "parked, not eliminated". (London Evening Standard)
Owner Randy Lerner has put a £150m price tag on Aston Villa after fresh interest was generated following the announcement of a lucrative new Premier League TV rights deal. (Daily Mirror)
Villa's financial state has improved significantly after the latest accounts showed an annual loss of £3.9m - down from £51.8m the previous year. (Birmingham Mail)
Newcastle are delaying on plans to bring Argentine midfielder Jonas Gutierrez, 31, back into the first team after his 12-month fight against testicular cancer. (Sun - subscription required)
Liverpool goalkeeping legend Ray Clemence has praised current number one Simon Mignolet, 26, for reviving his Anfield career. (Liverpool Echo)
Former Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen, 29, has suffered an injury setback in his bid to make his Barcelona debut before the end of the season. (Daily Mail)
Hull City Council has written to the Premier League asking for £20m to fund a 10,000 expansion of the KC Stadium, but the league has rejected the request. (Hull Daily Mail)
BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Former Arsenal and England full-back Ashley Cole went on social media on Tuesday to explain why he declined an offer to appear in a book celebrating Arsenal's 'Invincible' season of 2003-04. "I thought it would be for the best. I didn't think fans would want it," he wrote on Twitter.
David James is against the decision to hold the 2022 World Cup in winter. The former England goalkeeper tweeted: "As much as I believe any Fifa country should have the chance to host the World Cup, changing the dates of the comp is a joke!"
Wayne Rooney posted a photo on Twitter of his visit to a Manchester school on Monday. "Great day yesterday visiting the local pupils @StretfordHigh," the Manchester United and England captain wrote.
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero was in bullish mood after his side slipped to defeat by Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, writing on Twitter: "It's not the result we wanted but the tie is still unfinished. And as usual we'll fight 'til the end. C'mon, City!"
Could Liverpool's revival be down to divine inspiration? The Reds have not lost a Premier League game since a fan turned up dressed as Jesus for the 2-2 draw with Arsenal on 22 December. Since then they have risen from the bottom half of the table to sixth. (Daily Star)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Paul Doyle
Premier League bosses cursed themselves today as they suddenly realised they sold themselves way short when they accepted a paltry £5.1bn for the league’s screening rights. It was a revelation in a far-away interview that made the club owners realise they could have got at least double that amount if only they’d waited a little. Waited, to be precise, for hunky Hervé Renard to strut into view and begin smouldering on a sideline in the English top-flight. The Mills and Boon character and two-time African champion has disclosed that, fresh from turning Ivory Coast into the champions of Africa, he aspires to sexing up some top-flight English club.
“The Premier League is my No1 priority,” sweet-talked the Frenchman, as Sky programmers tried to imagine the trailers they could run for matches featuring Renard and, say, José Mourinho but had to stop because they kept swooning.
Renard’s coaching credentials, not to mention the fact that when he was trying to make his name as a coach he worked for eight years as a garbage collector, might also make him an ideal appointment for certain clubs.
Aston Villa, for instance. But apparently Randy Lerner does not think that Villa need a dishy makeover, which comes as a surprise to the Mill. That’s not a comment on their current manager’s looks – Tim Sherwood fancies himself – but on the obscene way Villa have been playing for what feels like a million years. Still, Lerner reckons the mere fact that Villa are in line to pocket their share of the new TV rights makes them attractive enough. So he has slapped a £150m price tag on the club. Well here is some advice for free, Mr Lerner: sell pronto because relegation does ugly things to the value of a club.
The Daily Mirror tells us that Danny Ings thinks Liverpool’s offer is the fairest of all that he has received, so in the summer he will depart Burnley for Anfield, to the chagrin of Real Sociedad, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
So David Moyes looks like missing out on Ings but he could have more luck in his dealings with Goodison Park, where he is remembered with great fondness: he is, after all, the man who helped them get £27.5m for Marouane Fellaini. They’ll struggle to get that much for Bryan Oviedo but you can bet your bottom dollar they will try. So go on, bet your bottom dollar with one of our lovely betting partners.
Celtic’s hope of buying John Guidetti on a permanent deal from Manchester City may be scuppered by an offer from Marseille, who are prepared to make the 22-year-old striker their highest-paid player. Marseille’s winger André Ayew, meanwhile, could be on his way to Liverpool.
Arsenal and Manchester City are stalking Cagliari’s 18-year-old midfielder Godfred Donsah, who is also a target for Tottenham.
Manchester United are confident of hanging on the David de Gea, mainly because Real Madrid’s interest in the goalkeeper has sagged. And here your interest in today’s Mill ends. Thanks if you made it this far.
Inside World Football
West Ham is first to open doors to Sporting Stories initiative
You will often hear English football fans say "you are born with your club". Your club can often be the only thing you have left in your old age. West Ham has recognised this and is the first Premier League club to open its doors as part of a new community initiative.
The West Ham United Foundation have linked up with the charity Friends of the Elderly and Barclays Digital Eagles in a joint initiative called Sporting Stories in order to tackle the problem of chronic loneliness among older people.
Research shows there is a significant increase in the number of men facing loneliness and isolation in old age with as many as 1.5 million older men likely to be living alone by 2030 – a 65% increase from today.
Sporting Stories aims to reach as many older people as possible. The three organisation are looking to use sport as a means to generate communication, friendships and neighbourliness, gathering the older people at the club to share their memories around their common backgrounds.
The launch took place at a social event at Upton Park yesterday, where around 50 locals were invited to meet to talk about the club and the local area with fellow fans. The club's joint-chairman, David Gold (pictured centre), was also on hand to share his own sporting stories
There was the opportunity to sign-up to a five-week follow-up programme where Barclays Digital eagles will be on hand to explain how to use digital technology to stay connected and capture their sporting memories.
Chief executive of West Ham United Foundation, Joseph Lyons said:
"We're really excited about this new initiative. West Ham has always been a family club, but this really goes beyond partisan support and reaches out to those who just love the game. It's an opportunity for people to share their memories and develop relationships, and for the Foundation to further our goal of improving wellbeing across our diverse society.
Football has a unique ability to bring people together and kickstart social and community action, from children's participation to intergenerational focus and communication to encouraging good health and fitness. Often the over 65s can become isolated, but they will always be a central part of our football community and we hope Sporting Stories will ensure that no-one is left on the touchline..."
HITC
Winston Reid explains what would have made Harry Kane's late equaliser even worse
West Ham United defender Winston Reid is staying positive looking ahead to the weekend.
Lewis Doe
West Ham United defender Winston Reid explained in his column for fanbookz that the draw against Tottenham last weekend would have been harder to take had it been a cup final.
The Hammers looked good for all three points, but Harry Kane scored his 24th goal of the season for Spurs after slotting home the rebound after his penalty was saved in the closing moments by Adrian.
It was a goal which left several members of Sam Allardyce’s team looking downbeat, but Reid has suggested that the focus has now moved forward and onto the game against Crystal Palace this weekend.
“It’s hard not to linger on the disappointment especially given that it was a derby game, but when people ask me how long it takes to get over that sort of result, you have to remember that it’s not a cup final, which would take a lot longer to forget,” wrote Reid.
The best approach for Allardyce since the game and for the rest of the week, is to focus on the positives which were generated during the match.
The Hammers reacted well to the 4-0 defeat against West Brom in the FA Cup and showed grit and determination throughout the game against Spurs.
They have to box up the positive qualities they showed in the game last weekend and carry them forward into their next London derby against Palace.
Expect to see the Hammers showing a very determined mentality and looking extremely focused throughout the game from the first minute all the way through to the last.
Parma crisis could help West Ham land reported January target
The Hammers had been linked with a mid-season move for Parma striker Ishak Belfodil and developments at the Italian club could play into their hands.
Jack Beresford
Former PSG striker Nene may have been recruited to the West Ham United cause already this month, as reported by the BBC, but Sam Allardyce may well have one eye on goings-on in Italy.
Parma, a club steeped in tradition and major continental success, are on the brink of collapse after the club’s debts seemingly caught up with them.
Players and staff have gone unpaid for months and with the Serie A side no longer able to even pay for ground staff, their fixtures for the remainder of the season have been voided and demotion looks likely.
Yet for all the sadness and concern surrounding the plight of this once great club, the likes of Allardyce and West Ham may well be taking even more of an interest in the future of the Parma squad.
More specifically they will be looking at Algeria international and long-time target Ishak Belfodil and his plans for the future.
The 23-year-old has been on the Hammers’ radar since January 2014, with The Guardian reporting at the time that the London club were keen to recruit the forward on a loan deal from Inter Milan.
A deal had looked to be have been agreed in principle, only for the move to collapse with Belfodil moving to Livorno on loan before sealing a permanent switch to Parma last summer.
Even then West Ham continued to pursue the player, with Tutto Mercato claiming back in December that the club would move for the forward.
Once again, however, no deal materialised, with Belfodil remaining in Italy.
Yet, with Parma close to the brink and the Algerian facing an uncertain future, could West Ham and Sam Allardyce be about to benefit from the demise of this once great Italian club?
