Football rumours from today's newspapers
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Liverpool's Dutch winger Ryan Babel wants to join Ajax on loan as he says being left out of the team at Anfield could cost him a place at the World Cup.
(The Sun)
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Spartak Moscow were put off buying Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko on deadline day because Spurs wanted almost £4m more than they paid for him a year ago.
(Daily Star)
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West Ham are looking at strikers Mark Viduka and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who are both available as free agents (Daily Express).
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They also tried to sign Benjani from Manchester City on deadline day but could not track down his agent (Daily Mail).
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Hull are also interested in signing former Celtic striker Vennegoor of Hesselink (Daily Mirror).
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Middlesbrough striker Afonso Alves has not yet joined Qatari club Al Saad but remains hopeful as their transfer window is still open until 15 September.
(The Guardian)
OTHER GOSSIP
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Injury-plagued Owen Hargreaves has been named in Manchester United's Champions League squad.
(The Sun)
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Portsmouth goalkeeper David James has been told to keep his mouth shut and carry on playing after complaining that being at the Premier League's bottom club could cost him a place at next summer's World Cup.
(Daily Star)
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Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner turned down Barcelona, Inter Milan and Bayern Munich to sign a new deal at the Emirates, says his father, who is also his agent.
(Daily Mirror )
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New Aston Villa signing Richard Dunne says he believes the team is good enough to earn a Champions League spot.
(Daily Telegraph )
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West Ham's business strategy under their former Icelandic owners was "fundamentally flawed", says the club's finance director.
(The Guardian)
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Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon says many players would consider the two-match ban given to Arsenal's Eduardo for diving a price worth paying for the potential rewards a dive may bring their team (Various).
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Accrington must pay a back tax bill of £308,000 in the next eight weeks or they face a winding-up order (Daily Star).
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Barnsley are interested in MK Dons boss Paul Ince as their next manager (The Sun).
AND FINALLY...
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New Bolton signing Ivan Klasnic has had two kidney transplants
(The Times )
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Injury-prone Celtic defender Mark Wilson says he cannot believe the club gave him a new deal after his injury record (Daily Record)
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Scotland assistant coach Terry Butcher says their vital World Cup qualifier against Macedonia on Saturday is a bigger game than England's 1990 World Cup semi-final against West Germany.
(The Guardian)