Football rumours from today's newspapers

• Skipper Cesc Fabregas has given Arsenal fans fresh hope he might stay at the club despite the ongoing attentions of Barcelona, who he helped beat in the Champions League on Wednesday.
  (The Sun)


• Roma's Italian midfielder Daniele de Rossi is being lined up as the long-term replacement for Paul Scholes at Manchester United.
  (Daily Star)


• Tottenham are prepared to offer £15m to bring Ipswich's 17-year-old striker Connor Wickham to White Hart Lane.
  (The Mirror)


• Meanwhile, Ipswich manager Paul Jewell has his own sights set on a loan deal for Aston Villa's 33-year-old defender Habib Beye.
  (The Mirror)


• Newcastle's 28-year-old midfielder Joey Barton could leave the club if five top players are not brought in this summer.
  (Metro)


• And Barton's Newcastle colleague, the 25-year-old defender Jose Enrique, admits he is flattered by the attentions Liverpool are apparently paying him.
  (The Mirror)


• AC Milan are also thought to be chasing the full-back, with the Magpies claiming he is worth £12m.
  (Daily Mail)


• Turkish midfield star Arda Turan is eyeing a move to the Premier League with Chelsea among the teams interested in the Galatasaray player.
  (Daily Star)


• Nottingham Forest boss Billy Davies wants to sign Portsmouth's 34-year-old midfielder Michael Brown on loan as he seeks to strengthen his squad.
  (The Mirror)


• Middlesbrough boss Tony Mowbray admits that midfielder Julio Arca could be on his way out of the club in the summer, with Bolton and Wigan both interested parties.
  (The Sun)

• Tottenham coach Joe Jordan says accusations of him insulting Gennaro Gattuso before the AC Milan captain headbutted him during the Champions League tie on Tuesday are rubbish.
  (Daily Mail)


• Striker Michael Owen, 31, may have played his last game for Manchester United after suffering a groin injury in training that could keep him out for three months.
  (Metro)


• Manchester United full-back Patrice Evra has agreed a new four-year contract to stay at the club.
  (The Guardian)


• Frank Lampard has hinted he would like to play for Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics. The team is allowed three players over the age of 23.
  (The Sun)


• Former Wolfsburg boss Steve McClaren believes Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko will not reach his peak until next season. It was McClaren who sold Dzeko to Roberto Mancini's side.
  (The Independent)


• Newcastle received £30m cash for striker Andy Carroll from Liverpool and the North East club would get 25 per cent of any further fee should the Reds sell the player on.
  (The Mirror)


• Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn wants to tempt up to as many as 10,000 fans back to the Stadium of Light who he thinks are watching games on foreign satellite TV channels.
  (Daily Express)


• Bristol City's 40-year-old goalkeeper David James, who last played for England at the 2010 World Cup, still hopes to get an international recall from manager Fabio Capello.
  (The Mirror)


• Wigan will only be able to replace the middle parts of their cut-up pitch before Manchester United visit next weekend because of a shortage of cash and turf supplies.
  (The Mirror)

• Manchester City's Europa League opponents Aris Salonika had to pulp copies of the match programme for Tuesday's game because it featured a spoof picture of the City squad that included Wayne Rooney, Kaka, Didier Drogba and Lionel Messi (and Where's Wally?).
  (The Guardian)


• Crawley Town manager Steve Evans says that Birmingham boss Alex McLeish has advised him to field 12 players for his team's FA Cup clash with Manchester United and hope no-one notices.
  (The Sun)


• Arsenal's Jack Wilshere walked away with the shirts of both Xavi and Andres Iniesta after the famous 2-1 win over Barcelona on Wednesday.
  (The Guardian)


• And Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny spent the day with his mother after the Champions League tie. "Trying to calm down," he Tweeted.
  (Metro)