Premier League - Paper Round: Real Madrid want Wayne Rooney
Eurosport - Sat, 02 Jan 08:12:00 2010
Real Madrid are to begin a £60 million campaign to bring Wayne Rooney to the Bernabeu.
The Manchester United and England striker is due to open talks with his club about a new £170,000 a week contract, but the Daily Star claims that Real president Florentino Perez is determined to bring the 24-year-old to Spain. It won't happen in January, but instead will be a deal worked over a long period and in time for summer, as with Cristiano Ronaldo's move last year.
Alex Ferguson will do "everything in his power" to block the move, the paper adds - but Perez is reportedly leaning on Cristiano Ronaldo to use his relationship with Rooney to help the move happen.
That at least should calm United fans' fears: the Rooney-Ronaldo 'relationship', remember, was marred permanently by the infamous moment at the 2006 World Cup which saw the Portuguese star begging the referee (successfully) to send Rooney off.
"Vanfield - Double Dutch come riding to Rafa's rescue" declares the back page of The Sun with news that Holland and Real Madrid duo Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Rafael Van Der Vaart are set for a move to Liverpool on loan until the end of the season.
Several papers carry 'exclusive' reports that Owen Coyle is being lined up for the vacant managerial hotseat at Bolton, while the Daily Star claims that Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock is still in the frame and would jump at the chance for a move up north. Considering that the Palace wages are being delayed once again, it's hard to see why he wouldn't go.
All the back pages carry variations on the "Does the FA Cup really matter any more?" story, with all the managers wading in. The Daily Mail does the best job of it with a full-page round up, but the gist is that Arsene Wenger only cares about the League; while Carlo Ancelotti and Rafael Benitez still believe the Cup is huge; while Harry Redknapp and Roy Hodgson would happily swap cup success for a top-four or top-six finish respectively.
Fergie, meanwhile, just wants Manchester United to win everything, all the time. He might have qualified for his bus pass years ago, but you just can't keep him down.
Eurosport - Sat, 02 Jan 08:12:00 2010
Real Madrid are to begin a £60 million campaign to bring Wayne Rooney to the Bernabeu.
The Manchester United and England striker is due to open talks with his club about a new £170,000 a week contract, but the Daily Star claims that Real president Florentino Perez is determined to bring the 24-year-old to Spain. It won't happen in January, but instead will be a deal worked over a long period and in time for summer, as with Cristiano Ronaldo's move last year.Alex Ferguson will do "everything in his power" to block the move, the paper adds - but Perez is reportedly leaning on Cristiano Ronaldo to use his relationship with Rooney to help the move happen.
That at least should calm United fans' fears: the Rooney-Ronaldo 'relationship', remember, was marred permanently by the infamous moment at the 2006 World Cup which saw the Portuguese star begging the referee (successfully) to send Rooney off.
"Vanfield - Double Dutch come riding to Rafa's rescue" declares the back page of The Sun with news that Holland and Real Madrid duo Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Rafael Van Der Vaart are set for a move to Liverpool on loan until the end of the season.
Several papers carry 'exclusive' reports that Owen Coyle is being lined up for the vacant managerial hotseat at Bolton, while the Daily Star claims that Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock is still in the frame and would jump at the chance for a move up north. Considering that the Palace wages are being delayed once again, it's hard to see why he wouldn't go.
All the back pages carry variations on the "Does the FA Cup really matter any more?" story, with all the managers wading in. The Daily Mail does the best job of it with a full-page round up, but the gist is that Arsene Wenger only cares about the League; while Carlo Ancelotti and Rafael Benitez still believe the Cup is huge; while Harry Redknapp and Roy Hodgson would happily swap cup success for a top-four or top-six finish respectively.
Fergie, meanwhile, just wants Manchester United to win everything, all the time. He might have qualified for his bus pass years ago, but you just can't keep him down.
