SPORTS AND GAME, GOSSIPS AND TRANSFERS (Wednesday)

Manchester United are considering a move to sign Real Madrid defender Pepe as the Portuguese international's contract renewal problems continue.
Full story: caughtoffside

Tottenham will attempt to persuade Newcastle United to sell their young striker Andy Carroll by offering forward Robbie Keane, winger David Bentley and midfielder Niko Kranjcar or a straight cash offer of around £22m.
Full story: caughtoffside

Spurs have also joined the race for Southampton's 17-year-old midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Full story: talksport

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has told winger Daniel Sturridge he will not be allowed join Liverpool on loan.
Full story: talksport

Bolton boss Owen Coyle has told England centre-half Gary Cahill to stick with him until the summer - then make a big-money move with his blessing.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Defender Daniel Agger has added to manager Roy Hodgson's complications at Liverpool by revealing he will look to leave the club if he cannot regain a regular first-team place.
Full story: the Guardian

Tottenham are lining up a January bid for £17m-rated Ajax striker Luis Suarez.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Liverpool are considering a January bid for 6ft 8in FC Cluj striker Lacina Traore.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Birmingham are set to sign Boca Juniors striker Pablo Mouche on loan. Full story: Daily Mail
Japanese international forward Keisuke Honda has issued a come-and-get-me-plea to Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson.
Full story: sport.co.uk

Liverpool and Tottenham have asked about the availability of FC Utrecht forward Ricky van Wolfswinkel who has been compared to Dutch great Marco van Basten.
Full story: sport.co.uk

Blackburn have identified Fulham winger Damien Duff and Manchester City forward Roque Santa Cruz as two players they would like to bring back to Ewood Park.
Full story: Daily Mail

OTHER GOSSIP

Manager Carlo Ancelotti has admitted he is "lucky" the Chelsea board has not run out of patience with him after a run of 10 points from a possible 30.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Everton manager David Moyes has insisted he will not turn his back on the club despite their slide down the table and lack of funds for signings in the winter transfer window.
Full story: Daily Mirror

AND FINALLY

Avram Grant has revealed the secret of West Ham United's upturn in recent form ... his lucky scarf.
Full story: the Guardian

Top Dogs
Manchester United continued their undefeated status in the Premier League this season with a 2-1 win over Stoke City that allowed them to pull clear at the top of the table, at least for a day. Javier Hernandez and Nani scored sparkling goals for the Red Devils at Old Trafford...

Flamengo Or Gremio?
Reports from Brazil and Italy at first claimed Milan star Ronaldinho had accepted a deal with boyhood club Gremio before similar stories emerged regarding an agreement with Flamengo. Where will the 30-year-old end up? Blackburn have also expressed interest.

Dzeko's Juve Ultimatum
Wolfsburg star Edin Dzeko has given Juventus 48 hours to make him an official offer, or else he will complete his move to Manchester City, Goal.com International can reveal. A fee has been agreed between Die Wolfe and the Premier League club, but the player is yet to give the OK...

Surgery Confirmed
Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain will undergo surgery to cure him of a herniated disc, the Spanish giants confirmed on their official website on Tuesday. The operation means the Argentina international will likely miss the rest of the season.

Real Italian Interest
Gareth Bale's agent has revealed that Inter, Juventus and Milan are all interested in Tottenham winger Gareth Bale, but a potential move can only happen in June. The agent also revealed that Real Madrid have also declared their interest, and they are the only club who can afford a January transfer

More Citizens Chaos
There appears to be more unrest at Manchester City as stars Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor have been involved in a training ground bust-up on the eve of the Citizens’ huge match against Arsenal, the two players' former club. The fighting pair had to be separated by shocked team-mates.
Top 10 Transfers Of Winter 2011 (SO FAR)
With all of that explained, it's time to see the list! This was last updated at 18:00 CET on Tuesday January 4th.

1	Ibrahim AFELLAY	Barcelona - PSV - €3m The versatile Afellay will provide Barcelona's squad depth with a huge boost. He has plenty of experience despite his young age, and he should fit in easily into Barca's football philosophy. For a reported €3m fee, he comes very cheap, but how much he will play in the first team at the start remains to be seen. When he does, expect fireworks.
2	Antonio CASSANO	AC Milan - Sampdoria - Undisc. Antonio Cassano is an enigma to say the least, but there is no doubt at his best he can give a massive push to Milan's Scudetto bid. Capable of creating goals and scoring them in abundance, his talent alongside the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic will have attacking football enthusiasts mouths watering... providing he can get along with everyone at the club.
3	LUIZ GUSTAVO	Bayern Munich - Hoffenheim - €15m Luiz Gustavo arrived in Germany from Brazil in 2007 and quickly established himself as a success wherever he went. As a left-back in the 2. Bundesliga, he was great. As a centre-back and defensive midfielder in the top flight, he was even better. He's just 23 and is set to shine for Bayern for years.
4	SIMAO Sabrosa	Besiktas - Atletico Madrid - €900k The ambitious Turkish side will glady welcome an experienced, flamboyant winger who will give the team more attacking width and dimension. Eventhough he's already 31, the Portuguese still has great pace and dribbling skills and his set-piece deliveries are as sharp and potent as ever.
5	JULIO BAPTISTA	Malaga - Roma - €2m Over 4,000 Malaga fans descended to welcome Brazilian attacker Julio Baptista back to La Liga. Here, in the Spanish league, Julio is a proven success: his final days at Real Madrid were actually quite good. The Andalucian side can call on his big-game experience when it counts.
6	Federico MACHEDA	Sampdoria - Manchester United - Free (loan) We saw what 'Kiko' could do in his Manchester United debut. Now it's time to see what he's capable of in Serie A. Antonio Cassano is a tough act to follow but the 19-year-old seems to have everything it takes to succeed.
7	ELIAS	Atletico Madrid - Corinthians - €7m A left-sided central midfielder with true attacking flair, Elias cost Atleti big bucks from Corinthians. The 25-year-old has been on the Brazilian circuit for years and counts national team coach Mano Menezes as his biggest fan. Voted best player in his position in Brazil in 2010 - a class act well worth following.
8	Andrea RANOCCHIA	Inter - Genoa - €12.5m Something of a gamble for Inter, Ranocchia's signing could go either way. The Italian international will solidify what has been a weak position for the Nerazzurri over the last two years, provided that he adapts quickly. If he does he will be a very useful starter.
9	Raffaelle PALLADINO	Parma - Genoa - Undisc. (co-ownership) A very talented winger who is at his best playing on the right or left of a 4-3-3, on his day Palladino can be truly sublime but he is very inconsistent and can sometime disappear during matches. But his ability and potential is without question and he could shine at Parma.
10	Hugo ALMEIDA	Besiktas - Werder Bremen - €2m Inconsistency and discipline are the only question marks over Almeida's success in Turkey. With Besiktas spending big this winter he's under pressure, but it's worth noting that even though he was in and out of the team at Werder his overall scoring record was positive.