Football rumours from today's newspapers

• Aston Villa have all but abandoned hope of convincing winger Ashley Young to agree to a contract extension, with a £16m move to Manchester United in the offing.
  (The Mirror)


• Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will attempt to finalise a deal for Young before the weekend.
  (Daily Mail)


• Chelsea have been told they will have to pay £41m to sign Brazil striker Neymar, who plays for Santos.
  (The Sun)


• The Blues have stolen a march on Manchester United in the battle to bring Inter Milan midfielder Wesley Sneijder to the Premier League. Stamford Bridge officials are set to hold talks with Inter over a £30m deal, with Sneijder and his wife more keen on a move to London than Manchester.
  (Metro)


• Anderlecht striker Romelu Lukaku hopes to finalise a £20m move to Chelsea on Saturday when his agent meets the Belgian club's general manager Herman van Holsbeeck and a delegation from Stamford Bridge.
  (The Guardian)


• The Blues also plan to prise promising Denmark playmaker Christian Eriksen from Ajax, with former manager Guus Hiddink - who is widely expected to return to Stamford Bridge in some capacity this summer - keen on the 19-year-old.
  (talkSPORT)


• Another player who could be arriving at Chelsea is £12m-rated Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin. The Uruguay centre-half confirmed the Blues made a bid for him in January but Atletico refused to sell.
  (The Sun)


• Arsenal are in talks with both Bolton's Gary Cahill and Blackburn's Christopher Samba as Gunners manager Arsene Wenger looks to shore up the centre of his defence. Samba would cost about £12m, while a £15m deal would be enough to prise Cahill from the Reebok.
  (The Mirror)


• Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas fears his hopes of a dream move back to Barcelona, where he started his career, could be wrecked for a second successive year by the Gunners' £50m asking price.
  (Daily Mail)


• Liverpool are hoping to take advantage of the difficult task Jeffren faces of trying to earn a place in the Barcelona first team by signing the 23-year-old forward from the European champions.
  (talkSPORT)


• Juventus have told midfielder Alberto Aquilani they will not be taking up the option to sign him on a permanent basis after his spell on loan from Liverpool.
  (Daily Mail)


• Sunderland want to extend Danny Welbeck's loan from Manchester United for another year but face competition from Everton for the striker.
  (Metro)


• Sunderland have moved quickly to replace the Liverpool-bound Jordan Henderson by submitting a bid for three Manchester United players. Black Cats boss Steve Bruce has tabled an offer of more than £12m for defenders Wes Brown and John O'Shea and midfielder Darron Gibson.
  (The Guardian)


• Dutch defender John Heitinga is ready to quit Everton because he is fed up with the lack of European football.
  (The Sun)


• West Ham have had a £3m offer for Newcastle midfielder Kevin Nolan rejected. Hammers boss Sam Allardyce is eager to be reunited with the player, who was his captain when they were both at Bolton. Nolan has turned down the offer of a new contract at St James' Park.
  (Daily Mail)


• New Fulham manager Martin Jol will raid his old side Ajax to supplement the Cottagers' forward line with Morocco international Mounir El Hamdaoui.
  (talkSPORT)


• Jol also wants to be reunited with Tottenham striker Robbie Keane, who the Dutchman managed during his time in charge at White Hart Lane.
  (The Sun)


• Bolton are in talks to sign striker Cameron Jerome from Birmingham. The Blues want £8m for the former England Under-21 international but the Trotters have offered £3m.
  (The Sun)


• Newly promoted Swansea have made an approach for Spain midfielder Marcos Senna, who will be available on a free transfer when his Villarreal contract expires in July.
  (Daily Star)

• Bolton boss Owen Coyle is in contention to be the new Aston Villa manager but Roberto Martinez is the number one target.
  (The Guardian)


• The Midlands club have, however, held talks with former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez after ex-England coach Steve McClaren was ruled out by Villa owner Randy Lerner.
  (TheTimes)


• Neil Warnock insists he will be in charge of Queens Park Rangers for start of their new Premier League campaign but admits his position may come under scrutiny if his side make a poor start to the Premier League campaign. Former Italy coach Marcello Lippi and ex-Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri have been touted as possible replacements.
  (The Sun)

• Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, Aston Villa caretaker manager Gary McAllister and Liverpool forward Andy Carroll have been photographed on holiday at the same exclusive beach resort in Barbados.
  (Metro)


• Two-time World Cup winner Ronaldo, 34, failed to score, despite having three good chances after coming off the bench for a 15-minute cameo for Brazil to mark the end of his professional career.
  (Metro)