Sunday's Lovely Gossip

FABREGAS WILL PAY TO LEAVE
The Spanish newspapers were claiming this was the case last week but the Mail on Sunday have caught up and declare that Cesc Fabregas 'is so desperate to leave Arsenal for Barcelona that he has offered to give up more than £4million worth of bonuses'.

They claim that this latest twist 'amounts to an official transfer request' but we suspect they are stretching the point somewhat - it seems Fabregas is willing to give up the loyalty bonuses for the last four years of his contract in which he will not be at all loyal to Arsenal. This sounds more like common courtesy than a transfer request to us. But then again, we're tired.

The same report repeats the claim that 'serious consideration has now been given to selling Nasri to Manchester City for £25m' though Arsene Wenger has declared rumours that he has lost faith in the Frenchman as 'nonsense'.

So the upshot is that we're not really any closer to anything being resolved. Boo.


ALEX ON HIS WAY
Never fear though, Arsenal fans, because you are about to be the proud owners of one Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The Southampton teenager - according to the Sunday Mirror at least - will become an Arsenal player this week for an initial £7m that could rise to £12m with appearances etc.

According to scribe Steve Stammers, he will not be loaned back to Southampton and will instead become part of Arsene Wenger's first-team squad. He turns 18 on Monday, by the way. Happy birthday, fella.


CROUCH FOR RODWELL?
Take this with a pinch of salt as it comes from the keyboard of Alan Nixon, but The People claim that Everton are so deperate to land Peter Crouch that they will offer Jack Rodwell in exchange. The transfer would apparently be a 'dramatic late £10million move' despite the fact that it really wouldn't be very late, and there's no indication whether any money would actually change hands in this bizarre swap deal.

There's also no clue how Everton would match Peter Crouch's £70,000-a-week wages when they can't even afford to sign Joey Barton on a free transfer.

Are you getting the idea that we're not really buying this one?


OBERTAN TO UNITED
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has admitted that Gabriel Obertan will be the next player through the St James' Park door, with the Frenchman expected to complete a £3m deal.

"The Obertan deal is about there. It is a permanent deal He will have to come through a medical - probably on Monday," said Pardew, as he also admitted that he will sit down for further talks with Joey Barton.


AND THE REST
Roberto Mancini has made it clear Craig Bellamy and Emmanuel Adebayor will be frozen out of football if they don't secure moves away from Manchester City...Chelsea want a whopping £3million if any club wants to take Daniel Sturridge on loan...Stoke have offered to meet West Ham's £8million valuation of Scott Parker but the midfielder is likely to reject the move...David Bentley is to be given the chance to kick-start his career by rejoining Blackburn...Danny Simpson could join the Newcastle exodus as he stalls over a new deal...Valencia are ready to give Newcastle centre-half Fabricio Coloccini the chance to return to Spain...

Andy Johnson is the next star name on Sven Goran Eriksson's Leicester shopping list...Crystal Palace's move for Mexican striker Antonio Pedroza Whitham is in doubt...David Ngog is pleading with Liverpool to let him join Bolton...Celtic are preparing a £650,000 move for Rotherham's Adam Le Fondre...Stoke are considering a £3.5m move for Marseille midfielder Charles Kabore...Aston Villa are ready to loan out Chris Herd to Portsmouth...Sam Allardyce wants to take Bristol City striker Nicky Maynard to West Ham...Liverpool have made an enquiry over Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic...

Birmingham see Anthony Gardner as the ideal replacement for wanted-man Scott Dann...Liverpool have finally agreed a £5.5m fee with Newcastle for Jose Enrique...Harry Redknapp wants to take FC Twente hotshot Bryan Ruiz to Tottenham...Derry winger James McClean has sealed a £300,000 move to Sunderland...Tottenham have been foiled in their bid to sign Lyon midfield ace Miralem Pjanic...Roberto Martinez is considering offering Strasbourg winger Nouha Dicko a contract at Wigan...Hull have thrown a lifeline to former Liverpool midfielder Alex Cooper...Tottenham's Niko Kranjcar is a new target for Sunderland.