All the latest football rumours from today's newspapers.

• Tottenham manager Juande Ramos is set to axe eight players - keeper Paul Robinson, Jermain Defoe, Pascal Chimbonda, Lee Young-Pyo, Anthony Gardner, Paul Stalteri, Wayne Routledge and Hossam Ghaly. (The Sun)



• Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce is are tracking unsettled Arsenal Arsenal's midfielder Lassana Diarra. That would leave Emre's St James' Park future in serious doubt. (The Sun)



• Liverpool midfielder Momo Sissoko is on the verge of completing a move to Juventus, initially on a loan before a £10m deal in the summer. (The Sun)



• Bolton boss Gary Megson is not resigned to losing striker Nicolas Anelka to Chelsea, and is hopeful a transfer fee will not be agreed. (various)



• Aston Villa and Manchester City have made official inquiries about Newcastle forward Obafemi Martins. (The Sun)



• Manchester United's Ryan Shawcross is set to join Stoke for £1m. (various)



• Birmingham hope to complete the signing of Manchester City striker Georgios Samaras before the weekend. (The Sun)



• Reading are hoping to fend off Sunderland's interest in Stephen Hunt by making the midfielder their highest earner at the club. (various)



• Bolton and Derby are fighting it out to sign Sheffield Wednesday's highly-rated midfielder Glenn Whelan. (The Sun)



• Wigan are trying to sign Ecuador striker Carlos Tenorio. (The Sun)



• Manchester City and Middlesbrough are set to move for Heerenveen's £15m-rated Brazilian striker Afonso Alves. (various)



• City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is also hoping to tie up a deal for Iraq playmaker Nashat Akram. (The Sun)



• West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is keen on Lyon's 24-year-old Brazilian striker Fred, who is also wanted by Portsmouth and Paris St Germain. (The Sun)



• Coventry and Sheffield United are in a race to sign Southampton's £1m-rated midfielder Jhon Viafara. (various)



• Charlton manager Alan Pardew is preparing to make a £1m offer for Sunderland's out-of-favour right-back Greg Halford. (The Sun)



• Nottingham Forest are ready to make an improved bid of £600,000 for Coventry striker Leon Best. (The Sun)



• Sheffield Wednesday are lining up a cheeky £100,000 move for Hull striker Stuart Elliott. (The Sun)



• Southampton manager George Burley is set to pay £1m for Middlesbrough defender Andrew Davies. (various)



• Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp wants to tie up a loan deal for unsettled Middlesbrough midfielder George Boateng before the weekend. (The Sun)



• Norwich are set to bid £800,000 for Sheffield United's combative midfielder Chris Armstrong. (The Sun)



• Charlton have been told by Burnley that their 13-goal forward Andy Gray is not for sale. (The Sun)



• Hibernian caretaker boss Tommy Craig has turned down a £1m bid by Birmingham for left-back David Murphy. (The Sun)

• Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has pleaded with the club's owners not to sack him. The Spaniard has reiterated his commitment to the club as speculation mounts regarding his future. (The Times)



• Wolves boss Mick McCarthy is set to be receive an official approach from the Republic of Ireland to return as manager. (Daily Star)

• Former Chelsea striker Mateja Kezman has revealed he wants to become a monk. He says he spends as much time thinking about God as he can and claims that his only vice is tattoos, but is becoming less obsessed with them thanks to the Lord's help. (The Sun)