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Paper Talk
Manchester City are set to splash out £88m on Kevin De Bruyne and Nicolas Otamendi, with Wolfsburg ready to sell De Bruyne if City go to £56m for the midfielder.
Fernandinho says Diego Costa is always trying to offend opposing players after the two were involved in a spat during Man City's 3-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday.
Bournemouth are plotting a move for Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe, 14 years after they first signed him.
Branislav Ivanovic is set to pay for Chelsea's poor start to the season by being dropped for their clash with West Brom - Abdul Baba Rahman will come straight into the side at left-back with Cesar Azpilicueta moving to the right.
Tottenham will not give up on their pursuit of Saido Berahino despite West Brom's reticence to sell the striker.
West Brom have rejected an opening £15million bid from Tottenham for Saido Berahino.
Argentina defender Nicolas Otamendi's £31.7million move to Manchester City has moved closer to completion.
Everton will give in to Chelsea and sell John Stones if they are offered £40m for the young defender.
Sunderland's own sponsors Dafabet expect the club to be relegated, making them clear favourites for the drop after two heavy defeats to start the season.
Spurs could turn their attention to QPR striker Charlie Austin if West Brom stand firm in their desire not to sell Saido Berahino.
Sunderland remain keen on Manchester United starlet Adnan Januzaj and Fiorentina defender Marcos Alonso but target Fabio Borini appears to be on his way to Inter Milan.
Michail Antonio appears to be on his way out of Nottingham Forest after being left out of their 0-0 draw with Charlton - he has been linked with Derby and Middlesbrough.
Everton have agreed a £5million fee with River Plate for defender Ramiro Funes Mori.
Fenerbahce are lining up a shock move for John Terry as his contract with Chelsea winds down.
Jason Denayer's agent says the young defender will look to leave Manchester City if Nicolas Otamendi joins - the Belgian only recently signed a new long-term deal.
Arsenal have explored the possibility of signing Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich this summer in their bid to strengthen their forward line.
Celtic are preparing a move for unsettled Swansea striker Michu.
Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Spain star Dani Ceballos from Real Betis.
Gedion Zelalem is set to join Rangers on loan from Arsenal until January.
Chelsea are preparing to hijack Manchester United's move for Pedro by matching the Barcelona star's £22m release clause.
PSG striker Edinson Cavani could join Arsenal this week as the Gunners appear set to give up their pursuit of Real Madrid's Karim Benzema.
BBC
Chelsea are likely to make a late attempt to beat Manchester United to the signing of Barcelona forward Pedro, 28. (Mail)
The Spain international has given United a time limit of three days to sign him. (Mundo Deportivo - Spanish)
Chelsea will consider making a £40m offer for Everton defender John Stones, 21, after a £30m bid was rejected. (Guardian)
The Blues are prepared to wait before submitting a fourth bid of £40m - which may include Victor Moses or Bertrand Traore on loan - to see if Stones will ask to leave Everton. (Telegraph)
Fenerbahce will offer Chelsea defender John Terry, 34, a £2.5m annual salary in an attempt to lure him to Turkey. (Mail)
Branislav Ivanovic, 31, is set to become the latest player axed by Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, with new signing Abdul Baba Rahman poised to go straight into the team for Sunday's trip to West Brom. (Mirror)
Manchester City will complete the £88m double signing of Valencia defender Nicolas Otamendi, 27, and Wolfsburg midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, 24. (Mirror)
Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague says Otamendi has completed his 45m euro (£31.7m) move to City. (Twitter)
City are set to sign Otamendi for as little as £8m, because the Spanish club still owe City £24m for striker Alvaro Negredo. (Express)
West Brom have told Tottenham they will need to pay £25m to sign 22-year-old striker Saido Berahino. (Independent)
Former QPR midfielder Joey Barton is set to join Nottingham Forest on a free transfer. (Sun - subscription required)
QPR are set to avoid a huge fine from the Football League that relates to the club exceeding financial fair play rules in 2013-14, with the punishment expected to be around a more manageable £8m. (Guardian)
Bournemouth are interested in signing striker Jermain Defoe from Sunderland. The 32-year-old played for the Cherries as a teenager. (Mirror)
Arsenal will need to pay £35m if they want 28-year-old Paris St-Germain striker Edinson Cavani. (Eurosport)
Arsenal's 18-year-old midfielder Gedion Zelalem held talks with Rangers yesterday over a loan move to the club, but is also wanted by English trio Fulham, Charlton and Birmingham City. (Daily Record)
Real Madrid hope they can use goalkeeper Keylor Navas, 28, in their attempt to sign Manchester United's 24-year-old keeper David De Gea. (Marca)
Everton striker Steven Naismith, 28, has praised the way team-mate Stones has continued in a "professional manner" amid interest from Chelsea. (Sky Sports)
Former Manchester United captain Bryan Robson believes Pedro would be a good signing for the Red Devils. (Talksport)
AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi has told Paris St-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 33, the San Siro club are "waiting with open arms" for him to return. (Gazzetta World)
Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood is expecting to sell more players this summer, with left-back Kieran Richardson thought to be on his way out. (Birmingham Mail)
Richardson, 30, will not be returning to Sunderland, should he leave Villa. (Sunderland Echo)
Former Newcastle United striker Mick Quinn says the Magpies are becoming "northern softies". (Newcastle Chronicle)
Everton Under-21 coach David Unsworth says the Toffees are the best club in the country for youth development. (Liverpool Echo)
QPR have avoided a potential £50m fine and will instead have to pay £8m for breaching the Football League Financial Fair Play rules. (Express)
Best of social media
West Ham goalkeeper Adrian tweeted he had "no comment" after the decision to not overturn his red card against Leicester City. Though the three angry-face emojis might offer a clue as to his feelings.
"Swanky! Our new players look great even in Lederhosen!" claimed Bayern Munich on Instagram next to a picture of new signings Joshua Kimmich, Sven Ulreich, Douglas Costa and Arturo Vidal in the traditional German attire.
Rio Ferdinand has been feeling nostalgic. The former Manchester United defender posted a picture of himself and fresh-faced former team-mate Wayne Rooney, comparing it to a picture of the bad guys from the Home Alone films.
Cristiano Ronaldo refuses to bow to social convention. That is why he wears his shorts rolled all the way up his thighs and posts a picture of it on Instagram.
And finally
Former Manchester United and England defender Phil Neville has put his £3.5m Cheshire home up for sale. It includes a cinema room, swimming pool, lift and indoor football area. (Altrincham Today)
Tottenham fans are used to striker Roberto Soldado missing the target. Now his new supporters at Villarreal are too as the Spaniard failed to kick a ball into the crowd. Twice. (ESPNFC.com)
Sunderland have been made odds-on favourite to be relegated from the Premier League - by their own shirt sponsor, Dafabet. (Mail)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Jacob Steinberg
It really has been a tough few years for Manchester United. Why, there was
this one season where they slipped as low as seventh, and then another year
when they had to make do with fourth and a place in the Champions League
after a devastating one-year absence. But they never stopped getting it
during those dark days. They always believed that one day they would return
to the top. Because they’ve got lots of money, so everything’s fine really,
they can just keep spending and eventually it will all come together.
The Mill doffs its cap in deference to United’s hard graft and their
ability to spot that Bayern Munich’s Thomas Müller might be a good addition
to their attack. United are offering £60m for the German forward, who is
said to be looking forward to finding out whether Wayne Rooney’s legs were
replaced by a couple of rolling pins and his feet by two slices of bread
during the summer.
It’s not all rosy in United’s garden, though, not with Chelsea deciding to
stick their noses in and rival them for Barcelona’s Pedro and Real Madrid
stepping up their pursuit of David de Gea. Madrid are ready to chuck Keylor
Navas United’s way in return for De Gea, although it is likely that Navas
will travel first class, rather than being loaded into a giant cannon and
blasted in the general direction of Old Trafford. They have a duty of care,
see. Meanwhile Anders Lindergaard could be heading to West Ham. It’s all
falling apart.
West Bromwich Albion have told Tottenham Hotspur to up their bid for Saido
Berahino to £25m. Always a fine negotiator in these circumstances, Daniel
Levy will make a take-it-or-leave-it offer of £25 and then tell Mauricio
Pochettino that he tried his best and here’s a keyring with Berahino’s face
on it from the West Brom club shop.
Arsenal want Edinson Cavani. Paris Saint-Germain want £35m for the
Uruguayan striker, so that’s that then.
Bournemouth have realised that they are going to need to score some goals
if they are going to stay in the Premier League and reckon that former
Cherries loanee, Jermain Defoe, is the man to finish off their flowing
moves. But he’s having so much fun with Sunderland!
It says here that Fenerbahce want to sign John Terry on a free transfer next summer. The Mill reckons that Terry is angling for a new deal at Chelsea. Hmmm. Does he have a medical degree?
Norwich City are busy. They’re sniffing around West Ham’s James Collins,
Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Liverpool’s Oussama Assaidi, who’s 27. Where
does the time go?
Telegraph
West Ham pull out of signing Emmanuel Adebayor from Tottenham
Spurs are desperate to get the striker off their wage bill, but they still can't find a buyer
By Jason Burt, Chief Football Correspondent
West Ham United have pulled out of a surprise deal to sign Emmanuel Adebayor from Tottenham Hotspur.
Telegraph Sport understands that a move was close to being agreed before West Ham’s opening Premier League match of the season away to Arsenal earlier this month with Adebayor keen to stay in London.
However after the 2-0 victory at the Emirates West Ham called Spurs to say they did not want to proceed with the deal in which they would have taken Adebayor for free but picked up his £110,000-a-week wages in full.
West Ham sources have confirmed that a fresh inquiry was made for Adebayor who the club tried to sign in the January transfer window before Spurs chairman Daniel Levy pulled the plug on the move at the last-minute on deadline day.
However the sources added that a deal was not as close as Spurs have suggested although negotiations had continued. It remains possible that a move could yet be revived for Adebayor who has a year left on his contract at Spurs who are desperate for him to leave given his astronomic wages. Adebayor has been stripped of a squad number this season – Harry Kane has taken his number 10 shirt – and has been told he will not play for the club again.
Spurs have conducted an extensive clear-out of their squad with Aaron Lennon also told he can leave and also having his squad number – number seven – removed. But Adebayor is the priority.
The 31-year-old has turned down a number of offers including Aston Villa who are managed by Tim Sherwood, the former Spurs boss, who even showed the Togolese striker around Villa’s training ground and booked a medical.
Selling Adebayor remains a major concern for Spurs before the transfer window closes with the player having also refused to negotiate a pay off – as he has demanded that the remainder of his contract is paid up in full. Spurs do not want to do this.
West Ham are extremely keen to add a striker and had hoped to sign Javier Hernandez from Manchester United. The Mexican was understood to want to join Slaven Bilic’s squad in the search of regular first-team football but it now appears that he is regarded as back-up to Wayne Rooney – unless United sign another striker – and may not be allowed to leave.
West Ham are believed to have decided against Adebayor also because there is renewed hope that record signing Andy Carroll can make a significant impact when he finally returns to full fitness even though that may not happen until October.
HITC
Bilic ready to wield the axe on Collins, Norwich interested
West Ham could reportedly sell the centre-back, with the Canaries keen on adding a defender to their ranks.
Tim Poole
Slaven Bilic could wield the axe on West Ham United defender James Collins, with the 31-year-old having slipped down the pecking order following the arrival of Angelo Ogbonna, according to the Daily Mirror.
And Norwich City want to take the centre-back off the east London side's hands.
Indeed, the Mirror report that West Ham are willing to listen to offers for Collins as he has just one year left on his contract. Norwich boss Alex Neil is said to want at least two new signings, with one of them being a defensive reinforcement.
As Opta stats show, Collins was bettered by both James Tomkins and Winston Reid in terms of the number of tackles he won in the Premier League last season. The West Ham centre-back did average more interceptions per game than both, however.
And the 31-year-old also won more headers per game than Reid, while making more clearances per appearance than any West Ham defender.
Ogbonna's arrival has clearly impacted the Welshman, though, and he has found himself out of favour under Bilic so far this term. The Hammers' loss could well end up Norwich's gain.
West Ham interested in signing Anders Lindegaard on loan from Manchester United
Manchester United goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard is reportedly on West Ham United’s radar.
Subhankar Mondal
West Ham United are interested in signing Anders Lindegaard on loan from Manchester United, according to The Daily Mail.
It has been reported by the British newspaper that the Hammers want to recruit the Denmark international goalkeeper to cover for Adrian.
Adrian, who is West Ham’s first-choice custodian, is suspended for the London outfit’s next three games after being sent off against Leicester City during Saturday’s Premier League game at the Boleyn Ground.
The Daily Mail claims that Lindegaard will be allowed to leave United on a free transfer, with French club Rennes also interested in the 31-year-old.
Good move?
Lindegaard has been on the books of United since 2010 and has been largely a squad player at Old Trafford so far.
The Denmark international is unlikely to ever establish himself as the first-choice goalkeeper at United, and it makes perfect sense for him to look for a move.
However, joining West Ham is not going to help the former Aalesund star get regular playing time in the long run.
Once Adrian is back from suspension, the Spaniard will get reinstated as West Ham’s first-choice goalkeeper.
If Lindegaard does decide to leave United this month, then he should be looking to join a club where there will be long-term prospects of him playing regularly.
C&H
EXCLUSIVE: concerns over Olympic Stadium seating
New concerns have emerged this morning about seating plans for the Olympic Stadium.
New images of the ongoing reconfiguration of the lower seating bowl in the former Olympic Stadium ahead of the Barbarian and Samoa rugby international on 29 August have raised more eyebrows and bring into question claims by the stadium owners – E20 LLP – that they are really committed to installing retractable seating.
Much of the stadium’s lower seating is currently in ‘sports pitch mode’ and seemingly utilises temporary seats that are sited on scaffolding. Football stadia typically use automated retractable seating – which are considerably more comfortable for football fans and can be moved at a flick of a button.
It would appear changing between seating modes will be a complicated, work intensive and costly exercise for the Stadium operators Vinci and E20 LLP.
Whether this is a temporary arrangement for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, or the final solution for football mode, remains unclear at this stage.
One things that is certain is the rebuilt Stadium is likely to stay in ‘sports pitch mode’ for up 10 months of the year only changing back to athletics mode for summer athletics in June and July. So getting the best seating available will be a priority for a significant number of Hammers fans.
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