Paper Talk - 24 January 2012

• QPR want defender Anton Ferdinand to shake hands with John Terry before their FA Cup showdown on Saturday.


• Andrey Arshavin is becoming as unpopular with his Arsenal team-mates as he is with the fans.


• Wojciech Szczesny insists Arsene Wenger's position as Arsenal manager should NEVER be questioned.


• Carlos Tevez insists he will only join AC Milan.


• Liverpool want Real Madrid attacker Esteban Granero in a loan deal.


• Wigan boss Roberto Martinez has lined up a stunning double swoop for Nicky Maynard and Jean Beausejour.


• Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is plotting a loan move for Lazio striker Mauro Zarate.


• Chelsea defender Alex is set to snub QPR and rejoin former manager Carlo Ancelotti at PSG.


• Blackburn's Jason Roberts has been offered an escape route to Reading as part of their Russian revolution.


• Southampton boss Nigel Adkins is ready to snap up goal machine Billy Sharp from Doncaster.


• Preston players are furious after new boss Graham Westley told them they were dropped - by early-morning text.

• Robin van Persie last night set the record straight over his relationship with Arsenal - and his admiration for boss Arsene Wenger.


• Brighton are preparing an audacious bid to land Michael Owen.


• Outcast Everton winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov is on his way back to Russia after the club agreed a deal with Spartak Moscow.


• Danny Welbeck is expected to sign a £42,000-a-week five-year deal within the next fortnight.


• Norwich are telling clubs that hitman Grant Holt is not for sale - at any price.


• John Coleman has agreed to become the new Rochdale manager.


• Liverpool want to hijack West Ham's pursuit of Rangers striker Nikica Jelavic.

• Arsene Wenger is close to losing the support of the Arsenal dressing room.


• Chelsea defender Alex is on the verge of joining PSG in a £4million move.


• Red-faced Everton were last night forced to swallow a £6.5million loss on Diniyar Bilyaletdinov after flogging him to Spartak Moscow on the cheap.


• Newcastle have made a £2million approach for Watford central defender Adrian Mariappa.


• Ipswich manager Paul Jewell has improved his bid for defenders Jason Pearce and Joel Ward to £1.4million, an offer cash-strapped Portsmouth will find hard to refuse.


• Barnsley boss Keith Hill has hijacked Hibernian's bid to sign midfielder Michael Tonge on loan from Stoke to boost his side's play-off hopes.


• Blackburn outcast Jason Roberts has been offered the chance to revive his career at Reading.

• Robin van Persie led a dressing-room inquest after Arsenal's disappointing 2-1 defeat by Manchester United.


• Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is attempting to drive through a move for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Willian before the transfer deadline.


• Mark Hughes was left fuming after the Home Office turned down a work permit for Brazilian wonderkid Henrique.


• Leicester will make a move for Cardiff defender Anthony Gerrard if they can sell either Matt Mills or Sean St Ledger.


• Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has moved to strengthen his struggling side by agreeing a £3million fee for Birmingham winger Jean Beausejour.


• Watford have turned down an initial £3million bid from Newcastle for defender Adrian Mariappa.


• West Ham are in talks with Nacional winger Edgar Costa.


• Middlesbrough have had a £150,000 offer for Blackpool striker Lomana LuaLua rejected.


• Manchester United striker Mame Biram Diouf is attracting interest from French side Brest.


• QPR have failed in their attempt to sign Brazilian striker Henrique after he was denied a work permit.

• QPR will put pressure on Anton Ferdinand to shake hands with John Terry before the potentially explosive FA Cup clash with Chelsea on Saturday.


• Arsenal's players staged an impromptu internal inquest and accused each other of letting down manager Arsene Wenger after their third successive Premier League defeat.


• Alex is on the verge of completing a £4million move to join Carlo Ancelotti at PSG.

• Harry Redknapp had previously been investigated by the British Tax Authority for a £300,000 payment over the transfer of Rio Ferdinand from West Ham United, a court heard yesterday in a dramatic opening day at the Tottenham Hotspur manager's trial on tax evasion charges.

• Harry Redknapp received almost £600,000 in commission payments from transfers involving Peter Crouch and Rio Ferdinand, a court was told yesterday as the Tottenham manager's financial affairs were laid bare on the opening day of his trial on charges of tax evasion.


• Roman Abramovich's friendship with the billionaire owner of Shakhtar Donetsk is the key to Chelsea signing Willian.

• Motherwell manager Stuart McCall last night insisted players are facing trial by Sportscene and vowed to fight any ban dished out to Michael Higdon.


• Former Dutch golden boy Luigi Bruins hopes to resurrect his career at Rangers after being sold on the club by former team-mate Michael Mols.


• James Forrest pledged his future to Celtic, insisting a switch to the Premiership with Spurs doesn't interest him.


• St Johnstone boss Steve Lomas is convinced there will be further bids for star striker Fran Sandaza in the next week.


• Ryan Stevenson may be set to end his self-imposed Hearts exile - even though he's preparing to hold talks over a Bosman move away from Tynecastle.


• Dundee United have dropped their interest in Slovakian striker Milos Lacny. 

• Newcastle have made an offer for 25-year-old Watford captain Adrian Mariappa.

• Crystal Palace hope to fend off competition from Championship rivals to sign Jamie Vardy from Fleetwood Town, before loaning the striker back to the Conference side for the rest of this season. Blackpool, Leicester City, Southampton, West Ham United and both halves of the Old Firm have been linked with £700,000 offers for the 25-year-old.

• Paris St Germain have made a sensational move to sign Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard.

• Manchester United have cooled their interest in Dinamo Zagreb sensation Mateo Kovacic after baulking at the midfielder’s £10 million price tag. Tottenham and Manchester City are now leading the race to sign the 17-year-old playmaker.