LATEST NEWS

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is to have talks about a new contract in the next few weeks. The Czech number one has just a year left on his current deal. - BBC Sport

Charlton have turned down a £1.5m offer from Real Betis for defender Madjid Bougherra. - skysports.com

Lille midfielder Jean Makoun is wanted by north London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham, with the French club holding out for £11m. - skysports.com

If Arsenal fail in their bid to lure Makoun to the Emirates Stadium, manager Arsene Wenger will turn his attentions to Sevilla's Seydou Keita. - skysports.com

Former Chelsea and Liverpool target Daniel Alves of Sevilla will be having talks with two big clubs this week, according to the player's agent. - BBC Sport

Benfica defender Luisao has admitted he is interested in a move to the Premier League with Portsmouth reportedly interested in the £12m-rated Brazilian. - skysports.com

Manchester City are in pole position to sign Barcelona teenager Giovani dos Santos, according to the player's father. - Manchester Evening News


TRANSFER RUMOURS

Manchester United are set to step up their bid to sign £20m-rated defender Micah Richards from local rivals Manchester City. - Daily Mail

Tottenham could be beaten to the signing of Samuel Eto'o after Inter Milan launched a £32m bid for the Barcelona striker. - Mirror

West Ham midfielder Freddie Ljungberg has been offered £3m to leave the club. - The Times

Wigan manager Steve Bruce is to launch a £4m bid for Greek defender Sokratis Papastathopulos who plays for AEK Athens. - Mirror

Sunderland are ready to bid £2.5m for Wolves and Republic of Ireland right back Kevin Foley. - Mirror

Jordan Stewart is set to join Derby on a free transfer from Watford. - Mirror

Former Rangers star John Brown thinks it would take more than £10m for English Premier League clubs to prise Carlos Cuellar away from Ibrox. - Daily Express


FOOTBALL GOSSIP

Reading manager Steve Coppell will quit the relegated club today after a meeting with chairman John Madejski. - Mirror

Former Ajax, PSV and Werder Bremen manager Aad De Mos has set his sights on succeeding Alan Curbishley at West Ham. - Mirror

Birmingham City co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold have vowed to quit the club following protests from fans after the club were relegated. - Various

Manchester City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson will learn his fate in the next 24 hours and will pocket a £3m pay-off when he is sacked. - Various

Relegation to the Championship will cost Derby, Reading and Birmingham £42m each. - The Sun

John Terry insists he will be ready to face Manchester United in the Champions League final, despite dislocating his elbow against Bolton on Saturday. - Various

Chelsea and Man Utd are struggling to sell-out their allocation of tickets for the 21 May final as the price of travel and accommodation is putting fans off. - The Independent

Ally McCoist is praying that troubled former team-mate Paul Gascoigne can attend the UEFA Cup Final on Wednesday and inspire Rangers to victory. - The Herald

Dutch coaching legend Louis Van Gaal has branded Rangers' playing style "boring" and "bad for football". - Various


AND THE UNUSUAL

Rather than the usual champagne celebrations, players in Germany were doused in beer as FC Cologne celebrated their promotion to the Bundesliga top division with huge tankards of lager. Cologne beat FSV Mainz 2-0 to secure top-flight football with one week of the season remaining. - The Sun

Gordon Strachan has pledged to stay off the booze this week as Celtic prepare for their vital final Scottish Premier League game against Dundee United. - The Sun