Reds in the burgh – Liverpool Fans in Edinburgh

• Liverpool are in talks with Juventus about selling midfielder Momo Sissoko to the Turin club for £12m (Star on Sunday)
• Liverpool fans have been condemned as the worst in Europe in a scathing Uefa report, following violent scenes at the recent Champions League final against AC Milan (News of the World).
• Tottenham’s search for a left-winger has prompted them to make moves for Liverpool’s Harry Kewell and Martin Petrov (Star on Sunday)
• Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez wants £35m to spend on Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o (News of the World).
• Manchester United are set to beat Arsenal, Liverpool, Bolton, Valencia and Real Madrid to the signing of Barcelona’s Argentine striker Javier Saviola, for a cut-price £7m (News of the World).
• Former Liverpool forward Robbie Fowler is set to join Celtic in a deal worth £30,000 a week. (Daily Star)
• Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is willing to use all of his £35m transfer kitty to land Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o. (The Independent)
• Villa boss Martin O’Neill says he will not be held to ransom by Liverpool over a fee for striker and new Wales captain Craig Bellamy. (Scum)
• France international midfielder Florent Malouda has begged Lyon not to price him out of a move to Liverpool. The French champions want £17m. (Mail)
• The Cottagers are set to raid neighbours QPR for Lee Cook and Roy Jones. They have opened the bidding with a £1.5m combined offer. (Various)
• And they want to sign Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson. (Mirror)
• Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez will stay at Anfield after clear-the-air talks with owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett. (Daily Mirror)
• Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez wants to make £12m Valencia winger David Silva his first summer signing. (The Scum)
• The Reds are ready to offer Djibril Cisse in part-exchange for Benfica winger Simao Sabrosa. (Daily Star)
• Liverpool hope to make Lyon midfielder Florent Malouda their first signing. (The Guardian)
• Wigan hope to convince Sami Hyypia to leave Anfield for the JJB Stadium. (The Independent)
• Liverpool will make a £10m bid for France and Lyon winger Florent Malouda. (Daily Mirror)
• Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov, who has been linked to Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, will sign a new contract within the next fortnight after team-mate Robbie Keane penned a fresh £10m deal on Monday. (Daily Mirror)
• Portsmouth have launched a £10.5m double swoop for Lyon’s former Liverpool midfielder Alou Diarra and Rennes striker John Utaka. (Daily Mirror)
• Newcastle, Fulham, Reading and Wigan are fighting it out to sign Liverpool centre-back Sami Hyypia. (Mirror)
• Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard has urged the club to re-sign Newcastle striker Michael Owen. (Telegraph)
• Meanwhile, Liverpool forward Peter Crouch has been told he does have a future at the club. (Telegraph)
• Carlos Tevez believes Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid are battling it out to sign him from West Ham. (Scum)
• But Craig Bellamy insists he has no intention of quitting Liverpool if boss Rafa Benitez plots to use him as bait to land Tevez. (Scum)
• Steven Gerrard has welcomed David Beckham’s return to the England fold and believes it will be a big boost to the squad. (Scum)
• Liverpool have tabled a £5m bid for Portsmouth midfielder Matthew Taylor but face competition from Tottenham, Fulham and Aston Villa. (Sunday Mirror)
• Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez wants West Ham striker Carlos Tevez and is willing to offload forward Craig Bellamy to raise part of the likely £25m asking price. (The People)
• Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is keen on signing Valencia midfielder David Silva. (News of the world)
• Robbie Fowler may sign for Rangers after being released by Liverpool. (Daily Star Sunday)
• Liverpool’s Jermaine Pennant was devastated to find that Real Madrid’s David Beckham, Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon and Blackburn’s David Bentley were given the chance to play on the right wing for England by being included in the squad for the matches against Brazil and Estonia. (The People)
• Liverpool’s American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have held emergency talks with Rafael Benitez after the manager expressed concern over the direction the club was taking. (Sunday Mirror)
• Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o would love to play for Liverpool, not least because of their “fantastic fans”. (Sunday Mirror)
• Liverpool’s Momo Sissoko wants showdown talks with the club after losing his first-team place. (News of the World)
• Juventus are preparing a £17m bid for Chelsea’s Frank Lampard. Juve also want Ajax’s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Bayern Munich’s Claudio Pizarrro. (Express)
• The Italians are also keen on Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso and his Anfield team-mate Mohamed Sissoko. (Times)
• Liverpool’s summer transfer hitlist includes Samuel Eto’o, Carlos Tevez, Daniel Alves and Gabriel Milito. (Scum)
• Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia’s move to Fulham has fallen through over his wage demands. (Daily Mirror)
• Liverpool will listen to offers for Craig Bellamy – who is wanted by Aston Villa and Blackburn. (Daily Express)
• Liverpool failed with a last-ditch bid to sign defender Sylvain Distin, who has joined Portsmouth after leaving Manchester City as a free agent. (Various)
• Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admitted “my heart is in two pieces” after Liverpool lost 2-1 at the hands of AC Milan in the Champions League final. (Daily Mirror, Daily Express, The Independent and The Times)
• Liverpool are in talks with Juventus about selling midfielder Momo Sissoko to the Turin club for £12m (Star on Sunday)
• Liverpool fans have been condemned as the worst in Europe in a scathing Uefa report, following violent scenes at the recent Champions League final against AC Milan (News of the World).
• Tottenham’s search for a left-winger has prompted them to make moves for Liverpool’s Harry Kewell and Martin Petrov (Star on Sunday)
• Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez wants £35m to spend on Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o (News of the World).
• Manchester United are set to beat Arsenal, Liverpool, Bolton, Valencia and Real Madrid to the signing of Barcelona’s Argentine striker Javier Saviola, for a cut-price £7m (News of the World).
• Former Liverpool forward Robbie Fowler is set to join Celtic in a deal worth £30,000 a week. (Daily Star)
• Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is willing to use all of his £35m transfer kitty to land Barcelona’s Samuel Eto’o. (The Independent)
• Villa boss Martin O’Neill says he will not be held to ransom by Liverpool over a fee for striker and new Wales captain Craig Bellamy. (Scum)
• France international midfielder Florent Malouda has begged Lyon not to price him out of a move to Liverpool. The French champions want £17m. (Mail)
• The Cottagers are set to raid neighbours QPR for Lee Cook and Roy Jones. They have opened the bidding with a £1.5m combined offer. (Various)
• And they want to sign Liverpool goalkeeper Scott Carson. (Mirror)
• Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez will stay at Anfield after clear-the-air talks with owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett. (Daily Mirror)
• Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez wants to make £12m Valencia winger David Silva his first summer signing. (The Scum)
• The Reds are ready to offer Dj
  ibril Cisse in part-exchange for Benfica winger Simao Sabrosa. (Daily Star)
• Liverpool hope to make Lyon midfielder Florent Malouda their first signing. (The Guardian)
• Wigan hope to convince Sami Hyypia to leave Anfield for the JJB Stadium. (The Independent)
• Liverpool will make a £10m bid for France and Lyon winger Florent Malouda. (Daily Mirror)
• Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov, who has been linked to Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, will sign a new contract within the next fortnight after team-mate Robbie Keane penned a fresh £10m deal on Monday. (Daily Mirror)
• Portsmouth have launched a £10.5m double swoop for Lyon’s former Liverpool midfielder Alou Diarra and Rennes striker John Utaka. (Daily Mirror)
• Newcastle, Fulham, Reading and Wigan are fighting it out to sign Liverpool centre-back Sami Hyypia. (Mirror)
• Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard has urged the club to re-sign Newcastle striker Michael Owen. (Telegraph)
• Meanwhile, Liverpool forward Peter Crouch has been told he does have a future at the club. (Telegraph)
• Carlos Tevez believes Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid are battling it out to sign him from West Ham. (Scum)
• But Craig Bellamy insists he has no intention of quitting Liverpool if boss Rafa Benitez plots to use him as bait to land Tevez. (Scum)
• Steven Gerrard has welcomed David Beckham’s return to the England fold and believes it will be a big boost to the squad. (Scum)
• Liverpool have tabled a £5m bid for Portsmouth midfielder Matthew Taylor but face competition from Tottenham, Fulham and Aston Villa. (Sunday Mirror)
• Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez wants West Ham striker Carlos Tevez and is willing to offload forward Craig Bellamy to raise part of the likely £25m asking price. (The People)
• Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is keen on signing Valencia midfielder David Silva. (News of the world)
• Robbie Fowler may sign for Rangers after being released by Liverpool. (Daily Star Sunday)
• Liverpool’s Jermaine Pennant was devastated to find that Real Madrid’s David Beckham, Tottenham’s Aaron Lennon and Blackburn’s David Bentley were given the chance to play on the right wing for England by being included in the squad for the matches against Brazil and Estonia. (The People)
• Liverpool’s American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have held emergency talks with Rafael Benitez after the manager expressed concern over the direction the club was taking. (Sunday Mirror)
• Barcelona striker Samuel Eto’o would love to play for Liverpool, not least because of their “fantastic fans”. (Sunday Mirror)
• Liverpool’s Momo Sissoko wants showdown talks with the club after losing his first-team place. (News of the World)
• Juventus are preparing a £17m bid for Chelsea’s Frank Lampard. Juve also want Ajax’s Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Bayern Munich’s Claudio Pizarrro. (Express)
• The Italians are also keen on Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso and his Anfield team-mate Mohamed Sissoko. (Times)
• Liverpool’s summer transfer hitlist includes Samuel Eto’o, Carlos Tevez, Daniel Alves and Gabriel Milito. (Scum)
• Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia’s move to Fulham has fallen through over his wage demands. (Daily Mirror)
• Liverpool will listen to offers for Craig Bellamy – who is wanted by Aston Villa and Blackburn. (Daily Express)
• Liverpool failed with a last-ditch bid to sign defender Sylvain Distin, who has joined Portsmouth after leaving Manchester City as a free agent. (Various)
• Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard admitted “my heart is in two pieces” after Liverpool lost 2-1 at the hands of AC Milan in the Champions League final. (Daily Mirror, Daily Express, The Independent and The Times)
• Reds manager Rafael Benitez says missed chances led to his side’s defeat in Athens. (The Scum)
• Benitez was furious that the referee did not play the full three minutes of injury time at the end of the match. (Daily Star)
• Liverpool boss Benitez has pledged a drastic overhaul of his side following the defeat by AC Milan. (Daily Mail)
• Benitez has called on Liverpool’s new American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks to provide the financial muscle to propel the club forward. (The Independent)
• Former England coach Don Howe said of Liverpool’s performance in Greece: “They might have played quite nicely but they never really looked like they would score from open play because, for a start, they just weren’t creative enough.” (Daily Telegraph)
• Benitez was furious that the referee did not play the full three minutes of injury time at the end of the match. (Daily Star)
• Liverpool boss Benitez has pledged a drastic overhaul of his side following the defeat by AC Milan. (Daily Mail)
• Benitez has called on Liverpool’s new American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks to provide the financial muscle to propel the club forward. (The Independent)
• Former England coach Don Howe said of Liverpool’s performance in Greece: “They might have played quite nicely but they never really looked like they would score from open play because, for a start, they just weren’t creative enough.” (Daily Telegraph)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/default.stm

Thanks to…

Take my hand, give me strength

Well that’s if Rafa wanted to sign snoop.

“If Rafa said he wanted to buy ‘Snoogy Doogy’ we would back him,” added Gillett.

Benitez offered cash to lure Owen

This time tomorrow I will be in Athens and as there are alot of rumours related to the Champions League final, I thought I’d include them, hence week 20 and a half…

• Birmingham want to sign Liverpool keeper Scott Carson. (Daily Mirror)
• Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is set to rip apart his squad so he can bring in big-name players – even if the Reds win the Champions League final. (Various)
• Craig Bellamy, Sami Hyypia, Bolo Zenden, Harry Kewell and Mark Gonzalez are heading for the exit. (Independent)
• Rino Gattuso has assured AC Milan his wife will not be supporting Liverpool in Wednesday’s Champions League final. Mrs Gattuso, the sister of GMTV presenter Carla Romana, is Scottish but Gattuso says: “She would risk getting thrown out of the house if she supported Liverpool.”
• Juventus want Liverpool pair Xabi Alonso and Momo Sissoko and Newcastle forward Obafemi Martins after returning to Serie A. (The Independent)
• Captain Steven Gerrard and defender Jamie Carragher have agreed new five-year deals with the club. (Daily Mirror)
• Gerrard will pocket an annual salary of £6m after signing the new deal, which is for three, four or five years depending on which paper you believe. (Various)
• Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez wants to splash £20m on Carlos Tevez. (Sunday Express)
• Djibril Cisse has told Liverpool to slash their transfer demands so he can finally leave the club. (Sunday Mirror)
• Liverpool’s Harry Kewell is in line for a shock recall for the Champions League final against AC Milan. (Various)
• Kenny Dalglish is a contender for the Sheffield United manager’s job. (Daily Record)
• Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has been portrayed in an updated version of Michelangelo’s masterpiece The Creation of Adam now on show at a gallery in the city. (Daily Star)
• Blackburn are ready to make a bid for Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy to bring him back to Ewood Park. (The Daily Mirror)
• Middlesbrough winger Nathan Porritt – dubbed the next Ryan Giggs – is being coveted by Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool. (The Times)
• The Premier League has acted to defuse the row over irregularities in West Ham’s signing of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, who is now at Liverpool, by sending a letter to all 20 Premiership clubs.
• Phil Jagielka is set to walk out on Sheffield United with Everton, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Wigan interested. (Daily Mirror)
• Celtic and Rangers are set to battle for the services of former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler. (Daily Mirror)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/default.stm

Sorry a bit late this week, busy with work but here are last weeks rumours from the beeb.

• Liverpool are ready to pay £8m for Brazil Under-21 captain Lucas Leiva, who plays for Gremio. (Daily Mirror)
• Liverpool are tracking Palermo’s Brazilian-born striker Amauri. (Daily Mirror)
• Liverpool will listen to offers in the region of £4m for goalkeeper Scott Carson, who wants to keep playing first-team football. (Independent)
• Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler will not be offered a new deal in the summer. (Daily Star)
• Allardyce has been reassured he will land the Magpies vacancy, despite ex-England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson and former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier being linked to the post. (Daily Star)
• A £9m release clause in Newcastle forward Michael Owen’s contract has alerted Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea. (Various)
• Real Zaragoza defender Gaby Milito has pleaded for the chance to join Liverpool after they lined up a £10m player-plus-cash deal involving Mark Gonzalez. (Daily Mirror)
• Liverpool are keeping tabs on Palermo’s Brazilian-born striker Amauri.
• Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has predicted that AC Milan will beat Liverpool in the Champions League final and if the Italians do triumph he will open a bottle of wine given to him by Milan head coach Carlo Ancelotti after the Red Devils were beaten in the last four.
• Liverpool’s players could pick up £100,000 each in bonuses if they beat AC Milan in this month’s Champions League final. (Various)
• Liverpool goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek has begged boss Rafa Benitez to let him play one last game at Anfield on Sunday. (Various)
• Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry insists there is no rush for captain Steven Gerrard, who is negotiating a new contract, to commit his future to the club because the Reds are focusing on this month’s Champions League final against AC Milan.
• A sign of the United States’ growing interest in the English game is the news that more than 50 Americans have registered for a forum for football business to be held in Wembley this week. US representatives include those working for the Kraft family, who were once linked to Liverpool. (Daily Mail)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/default.stm

A couple of posts from the red cauldron…

Summer Signings? Personally I think we’ll know more after the final.

http://theredcauldron.blogspot.com/2007/05/expect-big-changes-this-summer.html

What if Managers played Fantasy League Manager…

http://theredcauldron.blogspot.com/2007/05/what-if-real-life-managers-play-fm.html

Rafa’s Best Signings?

http://theredcauldron.blogspot.com/2007/05/new-poll-is-up-best-rafa-signing.html

Liverpool are ready to make a £12m swoop for West Ham’s Carlos Tevez. (People)

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez believes that Champions League glory will help attract the players his side need to win the Premiership. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool star Steven Gerrard’s fiancee Alex Curran originally refused a date because he was too scared to ask her out himself.

Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard is to pledge the rest of his career to the club for £6m a year.

AC Milan midfielder Rino Gattuso has wound up Champions League final opponents Liverpool by telling them they are not as good as Manchester United.

Former Liverpool striker Milan Baros has been banned for three games for pretending that an opponent smelled. (Daily Mirror)

Valencia have set their sights on Newcastle’s 17-goal top scorer Obafemi Martins as a replacement for Liverpool-bound David Villa. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool keeper Jose Reina can emulate his dad by playing in the Champions League final – and exorcise the demons that have haunted his family for 33 years. His father Miguel Reina was a Spanish international keeper in 1974 playing in the final for Atletico Madrid, and he let in a long-range shot with seconds to go to hand Bayern Munich a replay. Atletico lost the replay 4-0.

Manchester City are ready to make a £3.5m move for Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse, who is currently on loan at Marseille. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool keeper Scott Carson could turn his loan move at Charlton into a permanent deal if the Addicks beat the drop.

Chelsea are furious with striker Andriy Shevchenko for pulling out of the second leg of the Champions League semi-final against Liverpool because of groin strain after he was told he would be on the substitutes’ bench. (Various)

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez says Jose Mourinho’s tinkering has cost Chelsea the title.

Jose Mourinho says Liverpool’s fans should cheer him rather than jeer him. (Daily Mirror)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/default.stm

Liverpool are favourites to beat Chelsea in the race to sign Manchester City defender Micah Richards. (The People)

And if the Hammers do manage to stay up, the clubs that are relegated from the Premiership could start legal proceedings as West Ham escaped a points deduction over the Tevez/Javier Mascherano affair. (Sunday Express)

Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres, who has been linked with a summer move to Liverpool, has the Merseyside club’s famous ‘You’ll never walk alone’ slogan on the inside of his captain’s armband.

Liverpool say they have not forgotten about Benfica winger Simao Sabrosa since a bid for the winger was rejected in 2005. (Independent)

Blackburn want to buy back Craig Bellamy from Liverpool – but they will not offer Morten Gamst Pedersen as bait. (Daily Star)

Juventus have joined Liverpool and Chelsea in the race for Valencia striker David Villa. (Daily Mirror)

Striker Francis Jeffers, who is currently on loan at Ipswich, is set to leave Blackburn in the summer after Rovers, who are also keeping tabs on Liverpool forward Craig Bellamy, admitted there was a question mark over his future. (Various)

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says if he had Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez’s record he would have been sacked by now. (Various)

Liverpool midfielder Steve Gerrard, whose side face Chelsea in a Champions League semi-final, says “the things I have got at home, the medals and memorabilia, they mean more to me than extra noughts in my bank account”. (Daily Mirror)

Blues boss Mourinho fears Liverpool players will try to provoke Didier Drogba into a booking that would lead to him missing the second leg. (Various)

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard says that the Champions League semi-final against Liverpool is not about revenge. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool midfielder Bolo Zenden says he was right to walk away from Chelsea to join Middlesbrough in 2003, despite turning his back on title triumphs and cup wins. (Daily Mirror)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/default.stm

Liverpool’s Peter Crouch has banned his father, a lifelong Chelsea fan, from using his Chelsea season ticket for their Champions League semi-final and says he must go as a Liverpool fan (News of the World).

Liverpool’s American owners intend to keep the name Anfield as part of any sponsorship deal for their new ground (News of the World).

Liverpool and Everton are both interested in Ipswich’s 19-year-old midfielder Danny Haynes (People).

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has said Rafael Benitez’s wife holds the key to keeping the Reds manager out of Real Madrid’s clutches. Hicks said: “Rafa’s under contract and he told me his wife has said that if he ever did go he would have to go without her because she is staying in Liverpool.” (Various)

Liverpool will make a bid for Udinese’s Italian World Cup-winning striker Vincenzo Iaquinta. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has turned down Real Madrid for a third time. (Various)

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is considering a fresh move for Benfica winger Simao Sabrosa. (Daily Mail)

O’Neill has put Craig Bellamy and Jonathan Woodgate top of his summer shopping list. (News of the World)

Liverpool are ready to make a fresh swoop for brilliant Benfica winger Simao Sabrosa. (News of the World)