Thursday's gossip column - transfers and rumours

BREAKING GOSSIP

Sunderland have completed the permanent signing of Egypt midfielder Ahmed Elmohamady from Cairo-based club ENPPI.

1310 BST: Barcelona are in talks with Serie A outfit Udinese over Arsenal and Liverpool target Bojan Krkic - the 20-year-old Spain forward is reportedly being offered as part of a deal which would see Chile winger Alexis Sanchez move to the Nou Camp this summer.

1215: Former England boss Steve McClaren has distanced himself from the vacant hot-seat at Aston Villa and is in talks to become the new manager of Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem.
: Goal.com

1144: Palermo have rejected an offer £8.9m from Tottenham to sign Uruguay international forward Abel Hernandez, 20, according to the player's agent.

0955: Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is prepared to let skipper Cesc Fabregas leave as long as he does not join another English team, clearing the way for Barcelona to launch a fresh attempt to sign him.
Mundo Deportivo

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Aston Villa have all but abandoned hope of convincing winger Ashley Young to agree to a contract extension, with a £16m move to Manchester United in the offing.
: Daily Mirror

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will attempt to finalise a deal for Young before the weekend.
: Daily Express

Chelsea have been told they will have to pay £41m to sign Brazil striker Neymar, who plays for Santos.
: the Sun

The Blues have stolen a march on Manchester United in the battle to bring Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder to the Premier League. Stamford Bridge officials are set to hold talks with Inter over a £30m deal, with Sneijder and his wife more keen on a move to London than Manchester.
: Metro

Anderlecht striker Romelu Lukaku hopes to finalise a £20m move to Chelsea on Saturday when his agent meets the Belgian club's general manager Herman van Holsbeeck and a delegation from Stamford Bridge.
: the Guardian

The Blues also plan to prise promising Denmark playmaker Christian Eriksen from Ajax, with former manager Guus Hiddink - who is widely expected to return to Stamford Bridge in some capacity this summer - keen on the 19-year-old.
: talkSPORT

Another player who could be arriving at Chelsea is £12m-rated Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin. The Uruguay centre-half confirmed the Blues made a bid for him in January but Atletico refused to sell.
: the Sun

Arsenal are in talks with both Bolton's Gary Cahill and Blackburn's Christopher Samba as Gunners manager Arsene Wenger looks to shore up the centre of his defence. Samba would cost about £12m, while a £15m deal would be enough to prise Cahill from the Reebok.
: Daily Mirror

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas fears his hopes of a dream move back to Barcelona, where he started his career, could be wrecked for a second successive year by the Gunners' £50m asking price.
: Daily Express

Liverpool are hoping to take advantage of the difficult task Jeffren faces of trying to earn a place in the Barcelona first team by signing the 23-year-old forward from the European champions.
: talkSPORT

Juventus have told midfielder Alberto Aquilani they will not be taking up the option to sign him on a permanent basis after his spell on loan from Liverpool.
: Daily Mail

Sunderland want to extend Danny Welbeck's loan from Manchester United for another year but face competition from Everton for the striker.
: Metro

Sunderland have moved quickly to replace the Liverpool-bound Jordan Henderson by submitting a bid for three Manchester United players. Black Cats boss Steve Bruce has tabled an offer of more than £12m for defenders Wes Brown and John O'Shea and midfielder Darron Gibson.
: the Guardian

Dutch defender John Heitinga is ready to quit Everton because he is fed up with the lack of European football.
: the Sun

West Ham have had a £3m offer for Newcastle midfielder Kevin Nolan rejected. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce is eager to be reunited with the player, who was his captain when they were both at Bolton. Nolan has turned down the offer of a new contract at St James' Park.
: Daily Mail

New Fulham manager Martin Jol will raid his old side Ajax to supplement the Cottagers' forward line with Morocco international Mounir El Hamdaoui.
: talkSPORT

Jol also wants to be reunited with Tottenham striker Robbie Keane, who the Dutchman managed during his time in charge at White Hart Lane.
: the Sun

Bolton are in talks to sign striker Cameron Jerome from Birmingham. The Blues want £8m for the former England Under-21 international but the Trotters have offered £3m.
: the Sun

Newly promoted Swansea have made an approach for Spain midfielder Marcos Senna, who will be available on a free transfer when his Villarreal contract expires in July.
: Daily Star

OTHER GOSSIP

Bolton boss Owen Coyle is in contention to be the new Aston Villa manager but Roberto Martinez is the number one target.
: the Guardian

The Midlands club have, however, held talks with former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez after ex-England coach Steve McClaren was ruled out by Villa owner Randy Lerner.
: the Times (requires subscription)

Neil Warnock insists he will be in charge of Queens Park Rangers for start of their new Premier League campaign but admits his position may come under scrutiny if his side make a poor start to the Premier League campaign. Former Italy coach Marcello Lippi and ex-Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri have been touted as possible replacements.
: the Sun

AND FINALLY

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, Aston Villa caretaker manager Gary McAllister and Liverpool forward Andy Carroll have been photographed on holiday at the same exclusive beach resort in Barbados.
: Metro

Two-time World Cup winner Ronaldo, 34, failed to score, despite having three good chances after coming off the bench for a 15-minute cameo for Brazil to mark the end of his professional career.
: Metro

United talk to Young - Report

Ashley Young's representatives are understood to have held talks with Manchester United over a transfer to Old Trafford.

The 25-year-old Aston Villa winger has been strongly linked with a move to the champions this summer after admitting he wants to challenge himself at a higher level.

No comment has been made by either club but Young's representatives have been in discussions with United this week.

The England international enjoyed a fruitful season with Villa last term, producing a number of impressive displays despite it being a difficult year of transition at the club.

Young has already revealed that he wants to play in the Champions League, suggesting that he is set on an exit from Villa Park.

The former Watford midfielder has risen to prominence in recent years and is now considered an important player by England coach Fabio Capello, most recently scoring against Switzerland in a Euro 2012 qualifier last weekend.

Villa open talks with Martinez

Aston Villa are hoping to appoint Roberto Martinez as their next boss after being given permission to speak to the Wigan Athletic manager.

It is believed that Martinez, who has just 12 months left on his deal with Wigan, has already held talks with Villa owner Randy Lerner after arriving back from holiday. But Wigan chief Dave Whelan expects Martinez to reject the chance to move to Villa.

Villa cancelled Steve McClaren's interview, originally scheduled for Thursday, and told Rafael Benitez and Mark Hughes that they are not in the running to replace Gerard Houllier. McClaren had been told he would be ''wasting his time'' by meeting with Lerner.

Villa are thought to have just two names left on their shortlist, Martinez and Bolton's Owen Coyle, but are believed to favour the man who kept Wigan in the Premier League against the odds.

The Daily Telegraph believes Martinez's move to Villa Park is far from a formality, though Whelan never likely to stand in the way of his close friend if a bigger club came calling. If Martinez goes then once again Whelan will have to find a manager to mastermind another Premier League escape plan as the vultures circle for their best players, such as Charles N'Zogbia and Hugo Rodallega.

Martinez, though, has strong emotional ties to Wigan. But the temptation to take another step on the managerial ladder may still prove too strong. Whelan will try to persuade him to stay at the DW by offering him a new deal.

''Aston Villa have acted above board and in a totally professional manner,'' he said. ''They wrote to me asking for permission to speak to Roberto. He was on holiday at the time and I granted Villa permission. He arrived back yesterday and I presume he has spoken to Villa. I have made it clear to him I will be extending his contract.

''I have never let him down on anything and he has never let me down. I know I can never say never in football, but I would be very surprised if he is Aston Villa's new manager.''

Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner released a statement which read: ''The club is conscious of the keen interest in developments over the appointment of our new manager. When the process has reached an appropriate point we can assure our fans that we will be clear and forthright.

''We are focused right now on trying to secure the best candidate who will complement the club's commitment to being true to our heritage, competitiveness and passionate fan base.

''Until such time as the process is more advanced, there will be no further official comment.''

Whelan confident of keeping Martinez

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has exclusively told ESPNsoccernet that he believes there is a good chance that his manager Roberto Martinez will reject the overtures of Aston Villa and stay with the Latics.

Whelan gave permission for Martinez to talk with Villa, but feels his manager will remain loyal to Wigan after keeping them in the Premier League last season.

"I had a long chat with Roberto last night, and I think he will stay with Wigan, but I have left it to Roberto to make the final decision,'' Whelan told ESPNsoccernet.

"Contracts exist, the rules are in place, and I could have refused permission for my manager to talk to Villa, but that is not the way I go about things.

"I would never stop anyone talking to any club if that is what they want to do, that would be wrong in my book.

"I do believe that Roberto will go, one day, but it will be to a very big club in Europe, he is top drawer. But having had my meeting with him, I would be surprised if he was to leave, but it is up to him."

Martinez's contract at the club has 12 months left to run, but Whelan also maintained he had plans to extend it should the Spaniard opt to stay at the DW Stadium.

Barca announce €45m budget

Barcelona will be able to spend €45 million on new players this summer after the Catalan club's vice-president for economic affairs, Javier Faus, revealed the budget.

The European champions could also raise money from player sales, rumoured to include Bojan, Jeffren and Maxwell, as Faus explained the full extent of the financial situation at the Nou Camp.

"[Barcelona have] €45m for transfers, plus the money that can be obtained from sales [of players] in the close-season," he is quoted as saying by the club's official website. "When we speak about sales we will only consider those that are beneficial to the club."

He added: "The Spanish Supercup [to be played against Real Madrid in August] would bring in some €3m of extra income."

Faux also announced that a reduction in their pre-tax loss, to around €21m in the year to the end of June, and added that spending was trimmed from €495m to €441m.

"We are delighted with that outcome," Faus enthused. "It is the best possible investment because Barca has never been as recognised in brand terms as it is now."

Barcelona's gross debt stands at around €483m and the net debt is at €364, a fall from €532m and €431m respectively.

"There has been a very significant effort, which will continue over the next two years, to cut this debt," Faus added. "For this board of directors, this milestone is unavoidable and cannot be waived. FC Barcelona lost €83m last year and €21m this year and it cannot allow itself to continue losing money

Santos demand £41m for Neymar

Chelsea have been told that they will have to dig deep to the tune of £41 million if they are to prise Brazilian sensation Neymar away from Santos.

Neymar is one of the hottest properties in world football and has admirers all over Europe. Chelsea have long been in the frame and owner Roman Abramovich gave the green light to the deal last year, only to see the offer rebuffed.

Neymar's stock has continued to rise and that previous gambit from Stamford Bridge falls below Santos' valuation.

"Last year Santos received an offer of £32 million from Chelsea and it was rejected," the player's agent Wagner Ribeiro told The Sun. "Now he would not leave for less than £41 million."

Ribeiro is doing a decent job of talking up his client, likening him to world superstar Lionel Messi.

"Neymar is like Messi," he said. "Soon he will be the best in the world as he is a player like no other. "He is just 19 but all the big clubs are following him.

Kieran Gibbs out of England U21s squad with ankle injury

Arsenal defender Kieran Gibbs has withdrawn from the England Under-21 squad for the European Championship with an ankle injury.

The 21-year-old was set to travel with the squad to Denmark on Wednesday but aggravated the injury while playing in Sunday's 2-0 victory over Norway.

Manager Stuart Pearce now has a squad of only 22 players to choose from.

"It's unfortunate for Kieran, but he went for a scan on Tuesday and is in a medical boot," Pearce said.

"We have to deal with setbacks every now and again but we are fortunate to have a squad and a staff with previous tournament experience."

Gibbs, who has made 15 appearances for the Under-21 team, is the fourth full international to be ruled out of Pearce's original 40-man squad.

Liverpool striker Andy Carroll failed to recover from injury in time to make the final 23, while Gibbs' Arsenal team-mate Jack Wilshere withdrew through fear of exhaustion.

Manchester City full-back Micah Richards also pulled out after picking up a hamstring injury.

The European Championship begins on 11 June, with England playing Spain in their first group-stage game on Sunday before matches against the Ukraine and the Czech Republic the following week.