Friday's gossip column

For a list of confirmed transfers, check out thetransfers page.

Visit our manager ins and outs page for a list of all the current bosses in the top five leagues in England and the Scottish Premiership.

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Mario Balotelli could be on his way out at Milan

AC Milan are eager to sell Mario Balotelli, 23, to Arsenal and want 22-year-old forward Joel Campbell as part of the deal.Daily Star(external)

Atletico Madrid have joined the race to sign Belgium international Divock Origi, 19, from Lille after Liverpool failed to close a £10m deal for the World Cup striker. Marca (in Spanish)(external)

Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is in talks to sign highly-rated winger Nicolas Gaitan, 26, from Benfica.Independent(external)

Carlo Ancelotti has suggested midfielder Angel Di Maria, 26, will stay at Real Madrid and fight for his place, despite interest from Paris St-Germain and Manchester United.London Evening Standard(external)

Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal has dealt a blow to Manchester United by ruling out a switch to Old Trafford. Daily Mail(external)

And Liverpool are now poised to move for the 27-year-old Chile international with a £42.5m bid. Metro(external)

Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk, 23, is keen on a move to Southampton - but the Scottish club want at least £10m for the Dutchman. Daily Mirror(external)

Atletico Madrid have made a fresh approach to sign unsettled Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez, 26. Times (subscription required)(external)

Chelsea's German midfielder Marko Marin, 25, is in talks over a loan move to Turkish side Besiktas. Sun (subscription required)(external)

Everton are on the brink of clinching a deal for 21-year-old Bosnian midfielder Muhamed Besic. Guardian(external)

Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert says that 29-year-old captain Ron Vlaar - who has been linked with Tottenham - is not up for sale. Sun (subscription required)(external)

Spurs defender Vlad Chiriches, 24, could be heading for the exit after just one season, with Roma weighing up a move for the centre-back. Daily Mirror(external)

Jose Mourinho is close to completing a reunion with former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, 36, as goalkeeper Petr Cech, 32, warns the Chelsea manager not to leave him on the bench next season. Sun (subscription required)(external)

Arsenal are in pursuit of Real Madrid's veteran goalkeeper Iker Casillas. The Gunners have offered the 33-year-old Spain international a five-year deal worth £1.4m a year. Daily Express(external)

Andy Carroll's ankle injury means Newcastle United will not attempt to bring the 25-year-old back to St James' Park.Newcastle Chronicle(external)

Manchester United are planning a move for Dutch youngster Memphis Depay, 20. Metro(external)

Leicester City have joined QPR and Crystal Palace in the race for Tottenham midfielder Lewis Holtby, 23, on loan. Daily Star(external)

OTHER GOSSIP

Neymar apparently uses only 10% of his brain to play football

Brazil and Real Madrid forward Neymar, 22, is so good that he plays football without thinking - and uses only 10% of his brain. TSun (subscription required)(external)

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, 32, has said he will do everything he can to keep his place as he prepares for battle with Thibaut Courtois, 22, to be Chelsea's number one.London Evening Standard(external)

Arsenal's World-Cup winning trio of Per Mertesacker, 29, Mesut Ozil, 25, and 29-year-old Lukas Podolski will miss the start of the Premier League season after being granted an extended break. Daily Mirror(external)

Ryan Giggs has described Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal as "the new Sir Alex Ferguson". Telegraph(external)

Hull's new signing Tom Ince, 22, says he expects no favours from manager Steve Bruce just because he has known him all his life. Daily Mirror(external)

New York City FC's latest signing Frank Lampard, 36, says he turned down offers from clubs in England to move to the United States.Manchester Evening News(external)

Lampard has apologised to fans in New York for his drunken behaviour on the night of the 9/11 attacks. Daily Mail(external)

Former Liverpool defender and New England Revolution coach Steve Nicol has criticised AS Roma full-back Ashley Cole, 33, for claiming the USA's MLS is "an easy ride".Daily Mail(external)

Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, 34, is set to sign a 12-month contract extension.Liverpool Echo(external)

Henrik Larsson's son Jordan, 17, has followed in his father's footsteps by joining Helsingborg. Euronews(external)

BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Hugo Rodallega turned 29 on Friday

Fulham striker and birthday boy Hugo Rodallega, 26, showed off his skills with an American football on Twitter(external) during a Jacksonville Jaguars training camp.

He may have had a World Cup horror show and now it looks like another nightmare for Pepe. The 31-year-old Real Madrid defender posted this picture of his new haircut on Instagram.(external)

It has not been the best few months for Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. After enduring a miserable World Cup with England and seeing Manchester City snatch the title, the 34-year-old gave up on football to try his hand at baseball, posting the results on his Instagram(external)account.

AND FINALLY

Claudia Schiffer has been used by Napoli manager Rafa Benitez to illustrate his transfer policy

A fan interrupted AC Milan's pre-season match with Olympiakos to take a selfie on the pitch with the Rossoneri forward Stephan El Shaarawy. Metro(external)

Napoli manager Rafa Benitez has compared his frustrations in the transfer market to swapping his wife for German model Claudia Schiffer. Daily Mail(external)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he hopes Thierry Henry can be persuaded to don the Gunners strip once again for half a match when his side meet New York Red Bulls in a friendly. Daily Mail(external)

Manchester United have promised to honour sales of their new home shirt after an online pricing error. The club's official shop listed the jerseys at £22 as part of their half-price sale by mistake. Manchester Evening News(external)

Chelsea youngster Mitchell Beeney got a cream pie in his face from masseur-come-joker Billy McCulloch while trying to perform his initiation song in front of first-team stars. Metro(external)

West Brom boss Alan Irvine admits never having seen striker Brown Ideye before making him the club's £10m record signing.Daily Mirror(external)

You can comment on the latest gossip on the BBC Sport Facebook page. (external)

Related to this story

Featured in this story