Thursday's gossip column

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TRANSFER RUMOURS

Brazil striker Robinho is so close to completing his £28m move to Chelsea he could make his home debut against Tottenham on Sunday. (Daily Telegraph)

Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips could undergo a medical with Manchester City on Thursday as he nears a £9m return to Eastlands. (The Sun, Guardian)

And City could make a move for Brazil striker Ronaldo, who is currently without a club after being released by Italian giants AC Milan. Boss Mark Hughes is also eyeing Espanyol's £5m-rated right-back Pablo Zabaleta, as well as Sunderland's Michael Ball. (Daily Mail)

Zabaleta could well be a replacement for defender Vedran Corluka, who is still an £8m target for Tottenham. (The Times)

Liverpool have moved a step closer to signing Espanyol's Albert Riera in an £8m deal - and the midfielder could feature in Sunday's match against Aston Villa. (Daily Express)

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is chasing Feyenoord's tough-tackling Jonathan de Guzman as the ideal midfield foil for playmaker Cesc Fabregas. However, the Canadian-born 20-year-old will cost up to £12m. (The Sun)

Blackburn are checking out Sparta Prague full-back Michal Kadlec, who has also been linked with a move to Celtic. Rovers boss Paul Ince has seen a £1m bid for Bolton keeper Ali Al-Habsi turned down. (Mirror)

Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has told unsettled striker Mido he is not leaving the Riverside, despite rumours linking the Egyptian striker with moves to Wigan and German side Hamburg. (Mirror)

Southgate has also revived his interest in US international midfielder Michael Bradley, who plays for Dutch side Heerenveen. (Daily Mail)

West Ham have offered Benfica's Ivory Coast centre-back Marco Zoro a trial. (The Times)


OTHER GOSSIP

Tottenham could recall wantaway striker Dimitar Berbatov for their London derby against Chelsea on Sunday. (Telegraph)

Spurs £12m target Roman Pavlyuchenko would not be able to play in the north London club's Uefa Cup campaign having already played for Spartak Moscow in a third-round Champions League qualifier, a 4-1 defeat by Dynamo Kiev. (Guardian)

Although they have revived their interest in Zenit St Petersburg's Andrei Arshavin, Spurs had explored the possibility of signing Wigan striker Emile Heskey, as well as Juventus' Italy international Vincenzo Iaquinta. (Independent)

Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan could seek showdown talks with executive director Dennis Wise if midfielder James Milner is sold to Aston Villa. (The Sun)

Hull manager Phil Brown admits the search for a striker is his main priority after his side were dumped out of the Carling Cup by Championship side Swansea. (Mirror)

West Ham boss Alan Curbishley insists he has the backing of the club's board of directors, despite speculation about his future at Upton Park. (Various)

Wigan winger Antonio Valencia could be in trouble with Fifa after missing Ecuador's friendly with Colombia last week. (The Sun)

AND FINALLY

It seems Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor is not too happy with taxes in Britain. Asked what he would do if he became Prime Minister, the Togo international said: "I would try to keep down the tax. In London I would like to change the congestion charge." (The Sun)