TRANSFER RUMOURS
Steve Sidwell is joining Sunderland on loan with a view to a permanent move from Chelsea. (Various)

Harry Redknapp will try to sign Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe for Portsmouth this week. (The Mirror)

Spurs, meanwhile, are ready to move for Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing. (The Mirror)

Senegal's Ibrahim Tall has attracted interest from Bolton. (The Times)

And Bolton boss Gary Megson has agreed a £4m deal with AZ Alkmaar to sign Icelandic defender Gretar Steinsson. (The Mirror)

But he has been priced out of the race to sign Sweden striker Johan Elmander from Toulouse. (The Mirror)

Leeds boss Dennis Wise has told Derby they have no chance in signing striker Jermaine Beckford. (The Star)

Blackburn are ready to snap up Amdy Faye from Rangers as a replacement for Robbie Savage. (The Mirror)

Leicester boss Ian Holloway is to make Isaiah Osbourne his seventh signing this week. (The Mirror)

Manchester United chief executive David Gill says there will be no significant transfer activity at the club this month. (The Times)

Sunderland manager Roy Keane will finally sign Stephen Hunt after tabling an improved £5m bid for the Reading midfielder. (The Mirror)

Juventus's interest in Liverpool's Mohamed Sissoko appears to have cooled after the club revealed they would not sign anyone this month. (The Times)

Matthew Taylor is on his way from Portsmouth with Bolton and Sunderland leading the race to sign the out of favour midfielder. (The Mirror)

Derby boss Paul Jewell is set to rival Birmingham's Alex McLeish for the signature of Aston Villa defender Gary Cahill. (The Mirror)

David Murphy is set to complete a £1.5m move from Hibernian to Birmingham in the next 48 hours. (The Mirror)

Ivan Ivanov is on trial at Derby. The 19-year-old Lokomotiv Plovdiv defender is a Bulgaria Under-21 international. (The Times)

Amantino Mancini has turned down a move to Manchester City and will remain at Roma. (The Sun)

Portsmouth are set to sign Juventus midfielder Tiago for £8m after the midfielder fell out of favour with the Italian giants. (The Sun)

Colchester will complete the signing of Walsall left-back Daniel Fox for £350,000. (The Sun)


OTHER GOSSIP
Blackburn boss Mark Hughes has refused to rule out becoming Newcastle's next manager and is the new favourite to land the post. (Various)

The Rovers boss has been told by Magpies chairman Chris Mort that he is wanted to take over at St James' Park. (The Sun)

Chelsea skipper John Terry expects to be cleared to resume full training on Monday - just a month after breaking his foot. (The Star)

Terry is also willing to let David Beckham take the England captaincy if it helps the team improve under Fabio Capello. (Various)

Martin Laursen has revealed he expects to sign to sign a new contract at Aston Villa. (The Mirror)


AND FINALLY
Manchester United are facing sub-zero temperatures on their 'sunshine break' to Saudi Arabia next week after the Gulf was hit by a severe cold snap. (The Star)

Coffee shop giants Starbucks are planning to invest in Premier League basement club Derby. (Daily Mail)

Kaka has been asked by authorities in Brazil to explain his link with an evangelical church who have pleaded guilty to money smuggling. (The Guardian)

Superstitious Cristiano Ronaldo keeps a pre-match ritual of getting his hair cut for fear of jinxing his scoring run. (The Sun)