Live transfers

Rate it!

37 votes

As far as top managers go, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is as frugal as they come.

After signing Andrei Arshavin for a club record £15 million in January, the general feeling was that the purse strings would be firmly pulled tight again for another few years while he groomed the latest Gunners golden generation.

However, both the Daily Mirror and the Daily Express have gone big on the story that Wenger is targeting Blackburn Rovers striker Roque Santa Cruz for a summer move to the Emirates.

Manchester City have long been linked with a move for the Paraguayan, but if The Independent's reports that they are focused on snaring Valencia's David Villa for £35m are correct, then Arsenal could pull off another shrewd acquisition.

There are no quotes - not even from unnamed insiders or loudmouth agents - but both papers agree that Santa Cruz could leave Rovers for a good deal less than the £18m sum that would trigger a release clause in his contract.

With Carlos Tevez headed for the Old Trafford exit door bound for who-knows-where, Alex Ferguson will turn to Lyon's Karim Benzema as his replacement.

The striker has become something of a talisman for Lyon over the past few seasons, and is possibly the biggest star in the French league - although that's an accolade akin to being the best alpine skier in Fiji.

According to The Sun, United boss Ferguson sent his brother Martin to see Benzema play last week, which may not be the best time. Far from being in the form that saw him score six goals in eight Champions League appearances earlier in the season, Benzema has netted just four times in Ligue 1 since the turn of the year, something which has contributed to seven-times champions Lyon sliding down into third in the league.

The 21-year-old has in the past vowed to stay at Lyon until he's helped them win the Champions League, but with Lyon missing out on a place in next year's competition a real possibility, United are primed to steal him away.

Across Manchester, Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro claims to have turned down a move to Manchester City. The 35-year-old said that he would rather return to Juventus than move to Eastlands or Bayern Munich, in order to keep his chances of featuring in next year's World Cup as high as possible.

"There will be the World Cup next year and I want to stay relaxed," Cannavaro told Gazzetta dello Sport. "Real Madrid told me I would have to wait until after the presidential election (to find out about a new contract) and advised me to look around. But I have asked my agent to see if he can find a solution.

"I didn't want to have to start from scratch with the World Cup around the corner and that's why I have turned down Manchester City and Bayern."

Wigan Athletic boss Steve Bruce has decided against bringing in a striker from Mexico - insert swine flu reference here - after balking at the price Santos Laguna quoted for Ecuadorean hitman Cristian Benitez.

Instead, he will turn his attentions to Manchester United striker Fraizer Campbell, currently doing precisely diddly-squat on loan at Tottenham.

Talking of Tottenham, depending on who you believe Spurs will be losing their opening game of next season with either John Carew or Kenwyne Jones leading the line.

Jones's current club Sunderland are understandably having second thoughts about making Djibril Cisse's loan from Marseille a permanent deal due to the striker's dip in form.

The former Liverpool forward has hit double figures in the scoring charts this season, but has only scored twice this year as the Black Cats have slipped towards relegation.

In fact, things are so bad for the Lord of the Manor of Frodsham that he is now being kept on the bench by David Healy.

Tabloid sub-editors everywhere will be excited to hear the news that Everton are close to buying French striker Rod Fanni from Rennes. A club insider said: "Mr Moyes was here and we understand he's interested in Rod. We'll see what will happen at the end of the season."

Meanwhile, Wolves boss Mick McCarthy is chasing Liverpool defender Sami Hyypia while another giant centre-back, Fulham's Brede Hangeland, is set to sign a new deal.

Tony Mabert / Eurosport