Football rumours from today's newspapers

• Manchester City have been in talks with striker Edin Dzeko's agent over the finer details of a £30m transfer from German club Wolfsburg.
  (Daily Mail)


• Striker Roque Santa Cruz is expected to leave Manchester City for a six-month loan spell at Italian side Lazio as soon as the January transfer window opens, with a view to making the switch permanent.
  (Daily Mail)


• Newcastle striker Andy Carroll has told manager Alan Pardew that he is not tempted by a move from St James' Park. Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham all harbour an interest in the 21-year-old.
  (The Guardian)


• Manchester City are ready to let Wayne Bridge join West Ham - if the price is right. The clubs are trying to thrash out figures on a loan deal, or even a permanent low-fee transfer, for the full-back.
  (The Mirror)


• Mario Balotelli's increasing struggles at Manchester City are being underpinned by chronic homesickness and a dislike of life in England - so much so that the striker wants to return to Italy.
  (Daily Mail)


• Balotelli, who has also struggled to make friends among his City team-mates, is believed to prefer a move to AC Milan, the club he supported as a boy.
  (The Guardian)


• Manchester City are ready to make a £7m bid for Bordeaux's former Liverpool midfielder Alou Diarra, once the transfer window opens on 1 January.
  (talkSPORT)


• Aston Villa are ready to step up their interest in Newcastle midfielder Joey Barton.
  (Daily Mail)


• Stoke defender Robert Huth plans to reject the chance of a £5m move to Liverpool to stay at the Britannia Stadium.
  (The Mirror)


• Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is ready to battle with old club Fulham for Crystal Palace's 18-year-old striker Wilfried Zaha, who is valued at about £2m.
  (The Mirror)


• Liverpool may also attempt to persuade winger Hatem Ben Arfa, currently on loan at Newcastle from Marseille, to opt for a permanent switch to Anfield at the end of the season. The 23-year-old is recovering from a broken leg sustained in October's 2-1 defeat by Manchester City.
  (caughtoffside )


• Frederic Piquionne has refused to rule out a move from West Ham in the January transfer window, with Aston Villa rumoured to be interested in the French striker.
  (The Mirror)


• Blackburn and Fulham are leading the chase to sign £5m-rated Espanyol striker Pablo Osvaldo, according to the player's agent.
  (talkSPORT)


• Hull City want to follow up moves for Matty Fryatt and Aaron McLean with a £2m bid for Everton striker James Vaughan.
  (Daily Mail)


• Cardiff boss Dave Jones has made an audacious bid to sign Tottenham defender Jonathan Woodgate on loan.
  (The Mirror)


• Woodgate is also a loan target of Middlesbrough boss Tony Mowbray, who is keen on Toulouse striker Soren Larsen.
  (The Mirror)


• Stoke will compete with Chelsea for the signature of teenage Southampton winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The Potters hope the fact his father, Mark Chamberlain, played for the club may sway the 17-year-old.
  (Daily Mail)


• Celtic want to take Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Niko Kranjcar on loan after the 26-year-old Croatian fell out of favour with manager Harry Redknapp.
  (the Times)


• Former Celtic striker Henrik Larsson says the club cannot afford to miss out on the chance to sign his fellow Swede, Freddie Ljungberg, who is on trial in Glasgow.
  (Various)


• Freddie Ljungberg would not be good for Celtic as he is now more suited to being an underwear model than playing football in the twilight of his career, according to the club's former striker, John Hartson.
  (The Sun)


• Dwayne De Rosario's bitter contract dispute with Toronto could pave the way for a transfer of the Canada midfielder to Celtic during January.
  (Daily Express)


• Swindon striker Charlie Austin says he could leave the club next week, with Celtic, Hull, QPR and Reading all interested in signing the 21-year-old.
  (The Sun)


• Celtic target Sergei Pareiko is now available for nothing after the 33-year-old goalkeeper left Tom Tomsk at the end of his contract.
  (The Sun)


• Kilmarnock are weighing up a January move for Finland goalkeeper Anssi Jaakkola, with the 23-year-old having failed to become a regular starter with Slavia Prague.
  (The Sun)


• Manchester City have been linked with Real Madrid centre-back Pepe after the Portuguese international demanded a threefold pay rise in contract talks with Bernanbeu officials.
  (Daily Mail)


• Birmingham manager Alex McLeish has told striker Marcus Bent that he is free to leave the club in January.
  (Press Association)


• Liverpool have submitted an offer of £10.7m for Lille's Ivory Coast striker Gervinho.
  (imscouting)

• Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti is "on the brink" because Monday's 3-1 defeat by Arsenal means the Blues have only picked up one win in their last eight league games.
  (The Sun)


• Mark Hughes will be sacked from his post as Fulham manager after only five months if he fails to win any of their next three games.
  (The Mirror)


• Blackburn defender Pascal Chimbonda will have his contract at Ewood Park terminated six months early in a bid to reduce the club's wage bill.
  (talkSPORT)


• Birmingham goalkeeper Ben Foster has no regrets about leaving the "cut-throat" atmosphere of former club Manchester United for St Andrew's.
  (The Guardian)


• Former Blackburn assistant Neil McDonald has rejected the chance to become Motherwell manager and a mystery foreign coach was interviewed by the club on Sunday.
  (Daily Express)


• Former Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce had advised Motherwell to approach his former assistant, Neil McDonald, about their managerial vacancy.
  (Daily Mail)


• Neil McDonald's move to Motherwell hangs in the balance after he had second thoughts about moving to the Scottish Premier League.
  (Daily Record)

• Newcastle defender Steven Taylor has praised his agent Paul Stretford after signing a new five-year deal with Newcastle. Stretford, who was criticised for his role in forward Wayne Rooney's short-lived request to leave Manchester United, "has taken a lot of flak", admits Taylor.
  (The Times)


• Two chickens were locked in a police cell at Ewood Park after being released by Blackburn fans at the Boxing Day defeat by Stoke in protest at the club's owners, poultry firm the Venky's Group.
  (Daily Telegraph)


• AC Milan forward Robinho claims that he talked fellow Brazilian playmaker Kaka out of a move to Manchester City. Robinho was playing for City when Kaka came close to signing at Eastlands in January 2009.
  (The Independent)