TODAY'S SOCCER GOSSIP 8/01/2013

Chelsea have identified 25-year-old Marouane Fellaini as their preferred replacement for Frank Lampard, 34, and are planning to trigger a £22m buyout clause in the Everton midfielder's contract at the end of the season.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is lining up a summer move for England international Lampard.

The Old Trafford club expect to beat Premier League rivals Tottenham to the signature of Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, 20.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich could lose out on £11m target Taison after Manchester City tried to hijack the deal for the 24-year-old Brazilian midfielder, who plays for Metalist Kharkiv.


Luka Modric has alerted Chelsea and Manchester City to a potential January transfer after the 27-year-old Real Madrid midfielder admitted he is unsettled in Spain.

QPR are set to be beaten to the signing of Marseille striker Loic Remy by Newcastle, despite tabling the 26-year-old better terms and offering the French club Shaun Wright-Phillips, 31, as part of the deal. But Remy could decide against a move to either English club, in favour of a switch to Italian side Inter Milan.

Arsenal have Anderlecht midfielder Lucas Biglia, 26, in their sights, with the Argentina international valued at around £8m.

Liverpool could be ready to offload on-loan Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin to German club Borussia Dortmund, where the 24-year-old had a successful stint before his move to the Bernabeu.

Sunderland are plotting to make a bid for Swansea striker Danny Graham, 27, as boss Martin O'Neill seeks to give forward Steve Fletcher more support.

Blackburn defender Martin Olsson is eager for the Ewood Park club to accept West Ham's £2m bid for him.

AC Milan are considering an offer for Paris St. Germain midfielder Momo Sissoko. The former Liverpool man, who has been plagued by injury since his move to the French capital, is worth between £1.6m and £2.4m.

Turkish side Fenerbahce may make an offer on Younes Belhanda of Montpellier. The Moroccan playmaker has previously been linked with a move to Tottenham.

MLS side Toronto FC will announce at a media conference on Tuesday that Paul Mariner his been sacked as coach and replaced by 35-year-old QPR defender Ryan Nelsen.

Arsenal forward Theo Walcott, 23, is poised to sign a new contract with the club this week, keeping him at Emirates Stadium until 2017 and increasing his salary from £60,000 to £90,000-a-week.

Mansfield chairman John Radford claims Liverpool directors were "embarrassed" by Reds striker Luis Suarez's handball when the 25-year-old Uruguayan scored in the FA Cup tie against the non-league side.


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