Rate it!

30 votes

Despite his failed attempt to make Tottenham good, new Real Madrid boss Juande Ramos seems to have been so impressed by the talent in England that he wants to pack his team with it.

After being linked with a swoop for Spurs wingmen David Bentley and Aaron Lennon, Ramos has now been tipped for a surprise bid for in-form Aston Villa flyer Ashley Young.

Young, 23, has scored three goals in Villa's last two Premier League matches to help them into fourth place.

Marca claims that Young is top of sporting director Predrag Mijatovoic's Christmas shopping list alongside Internazionale winger Amantino Mancini.

But signing £20 million-rated Young may prove tricky as Villa want the cash upfront, whereas Madrid would rather structure the deal over several years.

Veteran striker Henrik Larsson has added to his all-round honest-John reputation by denying reports that Premier League clubs are battling for his services.

It is an odd statement because the Swede, 37, is a free agent after his deal with Helsingborgs expired, so brushing off wage-inflating rumours could reduce his earning potential.

"I've read so many stories linking me with a move to Everton and a move to Aston Villa when I haven't spoken to either club or any other club in England," Larsson wrote on his website.

"The details of talks I'm meant to have had are totally made up. I don't know where these stories have come from, but they are just untrue."

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson is starting to sweat as the vultures circle prize centre-half Brede Hangeland for a January switch.

Arsenal have been leaking goals while Liverpool centre-back Dan Agger has been linked with Milan and Juventus, leading to speculation that both could swoop for the Norway international.

"I am hoping that he might be one of those players who is satisfied with playing in what, in my opinion, is quite a good team in the Premier League and that he is not necessarily looking for that extra move," Hodgson admitted.

"My other hope is that there won't be that much money around in the transfer window. But I cannot stand here and guarantee that Hangeland - or Jimmy Bullard for that matter - will not go because you don't know what type of situation you are going to find yourself in."

Manchester United's move for highly-rated young Serbia winger Zoran Tosic is on the brink of collapse after he claimed that the Premier League and European champions were not offering enough money.

The Partizan Belgrade wide-man, 21, was expected to move in January after the clubs agreed a £3m double deal for him and team-mate Adem Ljajic, while the government gave him a work permit on appeal.

But he said: "United's offer does not match my demands, but we agreed to stay in touch and I believe that everything will be fine in the future."

That was reported in The Sun and the Daily Mirror, who also said that Blackburn Rovers have set a minimum price of £18 million for Manchester City to buy striker Roque Santa Cruz.

The Daily Mail inadvertently hinted at a move for Middlesbrough's Tuncay by publishing a report that his current club is bidding for players in his position.

The influential Turkey forward has been tipped for a big-money transfer to Chelsea, and Hamburg's Croatian striker Ivica Olic would be available for free in the summer or a reduced price in January. The Mail reckon Boro would pay Olic up to £50,000 a week.

Celtic could scupper Birmingham's hopes of signing Hungary winger Szabolcs Huszti as they look for a long-term replacement for Aiden McGeady, who is widely expected to move to a top European league this summer.

Everton, Bolton and Blackburn had also been eyeing the Hannover man, who is available for nothing in June.

Finally, Middlesbrough have been linked with a move for Everton full-back Leighton Baines.

Andrew Taylor is Boro's only specialist left-back and Baines - who can also play in midfield - has found starts hard to come by at Goodison Park as boss David Moyes prefers playing the more defensively-minded Joleon Lescott outside of Joseph Yobo and Phil Jagielka.

Confusingly, Everton are looking to sell Baines in an attempt to raise cash for Crystal Palace midfielder Ben Watson, who Boro also want.

Reda Maher / Eurosport