Aguero for Chelsea? Spurs to offload Robbie Keane? Liverpool close in on Van Nistelrooy? Transfer news and gossip from Sunday's papers

By Ian Cruise in Football Spy

Published 12:39 13/12/09

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From today's Sunday Mirror:

Chelsea ready to test Liverpool's resolve with £30million bid for Steven Gerrard - Exclusive

Manchester City owner to bankroll £500million spending spree on best young talent - Exclusive

Manchester United to step up chase for Brazilian starlet

Tottenham and Aston Villa set to battle it out for Ghana ace Jonathan Mensa

Arsene Wenger keeping tabs on David Villa and Edin Dzeko as Arsenal look to bolster strikeforce

Liverpool move for Ruud van Nistelrooy hinges on wage demands - Exclusive

Burnley and West Brom join chase for Stoke striker James Beattie

And from the other papers:

Chelsea are closing in on a British record £40m deal to sign Atletico Madrid's 21-year-old striker striker Sergio Aguero. (The Mail on Sunday)

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is waiting to hear whether he will be handed substantial transfer funds next month. Reds owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks are set to bank about £330m after selling their respective ice hockey and baseball sides. (Sunday Express)

Tottenham have put four players up for sale, including captain Robbie Keane, as boss Harry Redknapp prepares a January bid for Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. Spurs will listen to offers for Keane, Roman Pavlyuchenko, David Bentley and Alan Hutton in next month's transfer window. (The People)

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is offering £1m plus striker Jay Simpson to push QPR into selling 14-year-old wonderkid Raheem Sterling. Fulham and Manchester City are also interested in the striker. (The People)

Manchester United are close to signing £10m-rated goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, 23, from German side Schalke next summer. (News of the World)

England goalkeeper David James is poised to leave cash-strapped Portsmouth in a £2m move to Tottenham. (Sunday Express)

Liverpool could abandon their long-standing interest in Valencia's David Silva in favour of signing his team-mate, striker Juan Manuel Mata, 21. (Sunday Express)

Joe Hart is prepared to quit Manchester City and sign a permanent deal at Birmingham in the January transfer window. The 22-year-old keeper joined the Blues on loan at the start of the season. (News of the World)

Manchester City boss Mark Hughes is plotting a £6m move for Argentine left-back Cristian Ansaldi, 22, who plays for Russian side Rubin Kazan. (News of the World)

Stoke boss Tony Pulis is interested in signing former Manchester United defender Phil Bardsley, 24, from Sunderland. (News of the World)

Pulis is also lining up a £2m move for Preston keeper Andy Lonergan to replace Steve Simonsen, who is out of contract in the summer. (News of the World)

Real Madrid midfielder Rafael van der Vaart, 26, has emerged as a January target for Arsenal. (News of the World)

Middlesbrough boss Gordon Strachan has made a bid to sign Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, 17, on a three-month loan deal. (News of the World)

Schalke striker Kevin Kuranyi, 27, wants £130,000-a-week to make a sensational move to Birmingham. (News of the World)

Sunderland are favourites to land former England Under-21 winger Adam Johnson from Middlesbrough for around £5m in January. (The Mail on Sunday)

South African midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi has pleaded with Fulham boss Roy Hodgson to let him leave, despite only signing in August. The 25-year-old fears he will lose his place in the South Africa World Cup team if he is not playing regular football. (News of the World)

Aston Villa and Tottenham are both chasing Watford's £3m-rated goalkeeper Scott Loach, 21. (News of the World)

Villa are also trailing West Brom's £4m-rated midfielder Graham Dorrans, 22, who is also attracting interest from Birmingham, Everton, Stoke and Sunderland. (News of the World)

Newcastle have asked Manchester United about a loan swap that would see defender Steven Taylor leave Tyneside with Federico Macheda coming in. (News of the World)

Hull boss Phil Brown is poised to offer Sol Campbell a Premier League lifeline at the KC Stadium. The 35-year-old England centre-back is available on a free transfer after leaving Notts County after just one game earlier this season. (News of the World)

Wigan manager Roberto Martinez is also reportedly interested in bringing Campbell to the DW Stadium. (The People)

Liverpool have made a surprise bid for Stoke striker James Beattie as they search for a back-up for Fernando Torres. (The People)

Everton are watching Croatia winger Ivan Rakitic, who is one of six players who have been told they can leave German side Schalke. The 21-year-old is rated at £6m, but could move for a knockdown price as Schalke deal with a financial crisis. (News of the World)

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