Football rumours from today's newspapers

• Tottenham are close to beating Arsenal and Manchester United to the £15m capture of teenage Ipswich striker Connor Wickham.
  (The Mirror)


• Atletico Madrid's Uruguay striker Diego Forlan said he would consider a good offer from Spurs this summer.
  (Metro)


• Croatia midfielder Niko Kranjcar has warned he is ready to leave Tottenham unless he gets more regular football before the end of the season.
  (The Mirror)


• Manchester United will launch a fresh attempt to sign David de Gea, 20, after Atletico Madrid rejected their offer of £17.5m for the Spain Under-21 goalkeeper.
  (The Times)


• Manchester United have agreed a first option on Chilean striker Angelo Henriquez, 16. The Universidad de Chile youngster has impressed in the South American Under-17 Championship in Ecuador, and has trained in Manchester.
  (Daily Mail)


• Arsenal are weighing up the option of signing Italy's veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, 33, who will be available on a free transfer from Juventus this summer.
  (Daily Mail)


• Alberto Aquilani is willing to return to Liverpool at the end of the season if Juventus do not make the 26-year-old Italian's loan deal permanent.
  (The Times)


• Chelsea target Neymar is going nowhere, insists the president of the Brazil strikers' current club Santos.
  (The Mirror)


• Arsenal and Manchester City are tracking Scotland and Blackpool keeper Matt Gilks.
  (The Mirror)


• Newcastle have watched Reading striker Shane Long impress against Macedonia and Uruguay for Ireland in the last week, but will face competition from Wolves, Aston Villa, West Ham and Stoke.
  (Daily Mail)


• Everton and Tottenham are interested in signing Polish goalkeeper Artur Boruc, 31, from Fiorentina.
  (Daily Star)


• Wigan and Portsmouth want Ipswich captain David Norris, 30, when the midfielder's contract expires this summer.
  (Daily Star)


• England Under-21 goalkeeper Frank Fielding is set to sign for Nigel Clough's Derby in a £400,000 switch from Blackburn.
  (The Mirror)


• Brighton striker Glenn Murray, 27, is being tracked by Derby and Millwall.
  (Daily Star)

• Mario Balotelli is set to be fined a week's wages of £100,000 and given an official warning about his behaviour after the Manchester City striker, 20, threw darts at youth team players from a window at the club's training ground.
  (The Sun)


• France striker Karim Benzema is an injury doubt for Real Madrid's Champions League quarter-final first leg against Tottenham at the Bernabeu on Tuesday after the 23-year-old suffered a knock to his thigh while on international duty.
  (Daily Mail)


• Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina has wanted to leave the club for "one or two years" according to one of his former Anfield understudies.
  (The Mirror)


• Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has a poor attitude and the Blues should sell, says ex-boss Luiz Felipe Scolari.
  (Metro)


• Meanwhile, Chelsea's plan to sell the naming rights to Stamford Bridge has failed to get a single serious bid after dozens of blue-chip companies baulked at Chelsea's price of £100m for a 10-year deal.
  (The Sun)


• Everton manager David Moyes has said: "I should have signed another striker last summer."
  (talkSPORT)


• Israel midfielder Yossi Benayoun has given Chelsea a huge lift by targeting a first-team return within a fortnight after six months out injured.
  (The Mirror)


• Sunderland manager Steve Bruce said his club will try to sign England striker Danny Welbeck on a permanent deal, with the forward currently on loan at the Black Cats from Manchester United.
  (talkSPORT)


• Welbeck made his senior England debut in the 1-1 friendly draw with Ghana on Tuesday but the 20-year-old could still change his mind and represent the Black Stars in the future as he is eligible for both sides until he plays an official Fifa competitive game.
  (The Sun)


• Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard believes midfielder Jack Wilshere and striker Andy Carroll should have the final say on whether they play for England in the Under-21 Euro Championship.
  (The Mirror)


• Ajax's board of directors announce their resignation over a disagreement with Johan Cruyff over how the club should be run.
  "It is about the importance of Ajax. We have taken this decision in the interests of the club," chairman Uri Coronel said. "Johan Cruyff is not just anyone. He's a demi-god here, or maybe a whole god."
  Former player Cruyff returned to the club in February to advise on technical, financial and association issues. More details:
  (Ajax.nl


• The Football Association are writing to companies in a bid to save the FA Cup as sponsors E.ON prepare to walk away. The FA have so far been unable to find a new sponsor for the famous competition.
  (Daily Express)

• Arsenal striker Robin van Persie is beaten by a brilliant effort from his son Shaqueel [video].
  (Metro)