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It says something about how much football has changed in recent years when Gossip Shop reports on Chelsea transfer rumours with a sense of nostalgia.

The Shop shall explain for our younger readers: back in football's glorious and more innocent years (the mid-Noughties) it was little old Chelsea and not Manchester City who used to be the ones who would pay obscene amounts of money for players.

They seem to be adopting a thriftier policy when it comes to chasing players these days - with Peter Kenyon's abacus continuing to gather dust.

However, this morning they are all over the papers: they apparently want to sign Tuncay from Middlesbrough, but will only pay £8 million; Boro boss Gareth Southgate has responded by saying Chelsea pay double that for full-backs.

Not any more Gareth, not any more!

As reported earlier in the week, Alex wants out of Stamford Bridge - but there will be no mega-bucks replacement. Instead £1.2m will be enough to prise the soon-to-be-out-of-contract Thiago Silva away from Fluminense (although in Italy it is reported that the Brazilian has already signed for Milan).

Amr Zaki is still on the Chelsea wish-list too, although Steve Bruce is telling anyone who will listen that the Egyptian will still be at Wigan by the season's end at least.

Finally, Sporting Braga marksman Orlando Sa is another name that keeps popping up on the Chelsea radar. He has either practically signed for £4m or been priced out of a move because Braga want £6m. It all depends on which newspaper you read.

So £6m is too much for Chelsea these days? How times have changed. Still, over-indulgence is very much alive and well and living out of Eastlands, with Manchester City toying with the idea of offering £250,000 A WEEK plus £20m in transfer fee to secure Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Buffon is doubtless a good goalkeeper, but not even the prospect of getting Vishnu between the sticks would tempt a sane person to part with that sort of money.

City will also pay £18m for Lassana Diarra - who seems to have had more moves in the last few years than Michael Jackson ever had in his pomp - and City could also come back in for Luis Fabiano of Sevilla even after having a reported £25m bid rejected.

Tottenham are another team that have not been out of the back pages in recent weeks - and today is no exception.

Harry Redknapp has grown tired of the comedy stylings of Heurelho Gomes and will move for Espanyol stopper Carlos Kameni in January.

Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing seems to have been linked with a move to White Hart Lane since a time when dinosaurs ruled the earth, and the latest figure being mooted to bring him to London is £12m.

Redknapp would like to raise some of the money by selling Roman Pavlyuchenko, but he is looking harder to shift than David Nugent was at Fratton Park - and Didier Zokora has also said he is not interested in a move to Real Madrid.

Speaking of Nugent, he is NOT going to Everton but will stay on the Portsmouth bench. The Toffees are looking at a possible £3m bid for Rennes full-back Rod Fanni (no sniggering at the back).

Another player in France, Ivorian Aruna Dindane of Lens, could also move to the Premier League with Hull ready to make a £5m bid. Stoke are looking closer to home with £6m-rated Cardiff star Joe Ledley and Watford's £2m man Tommy Smith on their shopping list.

In bad news for commentators everywhere, Liverpool are eyeing up the unpronounceable Shakhtar Donetsk defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy. After years trying to figure out whether it was Sami Hipp-ia or Hoop-ia or whatever, this is one headache those poor souls could do without.

West Ham need goals so they are after Fiorentina front man Giampaolo Pazzini, who has scored a whopping one goal this season.

And finally: Blackburn and West Brom will continue their pursuit for a place in the Championship next season by competing for PSV striker Danko Lazovic.

Seán Fay / Eurosport