Transfer Rumours and Gossip: Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham, West Ham, Liverpool, Bolton, AC Milan and Barcelona

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Ronaldinho could well be on his way to Italy after an AC Milan source said their priority was to sign a striker (The Guardian). Milan are currently 13th in Serie A after a really poor start start to the domestic season and the club have valued the Brazilian at a modest £43million – a round-of-drinks type fee to Mr Abramovich.

Chelsea and Manchester United are monitoring the change of agents for Barcelona whizkid Giovani dos Santos (various). Israeli super agent Pini Zahavi takes over Dos Santos’ affairs today and he is close to both Premier League giants. The Mexican has insisted that his priority is to negotiate a new deal at Barca.

Dos Santos is contracted to Barca until 2012 and has a buy-out clause of £20m. He is now a Spanish national and though just 18, his Barca wages are not comparative to a player who is now a full international and member of the senior squad. The expression ‘Watch the Pini and the pounds will take care of themselves’ resonates here.

Paul Robinson is determined to keep his place as Spurs No.1 under new boss Juande Ramos (various). The England keeper knows that he could be invited to leave when the window comes in January and he said: “We will see what happens and whether the boss makes any signings, but I am confident I am No.1 at this club and that it will stay that way.

”Juande has communicated very well in English, a lot better than people think he can. He has an aura and confidence about him and hopefully that will breed through the whole team.”  I agree, the Spaniard’s English is perfectly adequate – and certainly better than the average professional footballer’s.

Coventry City fans hardly had time to get over the last-minute defeat to West Ham on Tuesday when they discovered Ray Ranson, the former Manchester City player turned millionaire entrepreneur, is interested in buying the club (The Times). Former chairman Geoffrey Robinson is also in the mix but with a reported £38m debt, the Ricoh Arena club are not exactly a prime investment. ,

According to Ipswich chairman David Sheepshanks, almost every club in the Coca-Cola Championship could be up for sale because of money problems with QPR sold, Southampton close to changing hands and Simon Jordan, the Crystal Palace chairman, saying his club could be on the market.

It’s difficult to  understand why clubs whose gates are roughly the same, whether in the Premier League or Championship, go financially pear-shaped. Maybe the likes of Palace, QPR and Coventry do not have the potential, for whatever reason, to become really big clubs.

Bolton’s  new man in charge Gary Megson says he wants to revamp the club’s scouting network (Total Football). “The scouting system has to be updated rapidly,” Megson said. Expect to see Gary Speed and Co sitting round a camp fire drinking chicory. Funny though that Sam Allardyce had a lot of success with the same players inherited by Megson. Methinks it’s the scout master rather than the scouts who is to blame.

Former Spurs boss Martin Jol is being lined up by PSV Eindhoven (Daily Mirror). Jol has been interviewed for the coach’s job at the Dutch champions after Ronald Koeman agreed to take over at La Liga club Valencia. A move to PSV would give Jol something he couldn’t quite manage at Spurs, Champions League football (dodgy grub in May 2006 notwithstanding).

But Jol, in his inimitable ubiquitous style. would not be drawn. “Anything is possible,” he said. ”Another club in England, a foreign club or returning to Holland.” You wouldn’t want to have an each-way bet on that combo.

Liverpool’s John Arne Riise and his advisors are looking into how a wage slip was made public (The Guardian). Images of the £139,634.62 August 2006 pay slip appeared on the Internet but after deductions he was only left with £82,413.67 nett. Taking that amount home, he should be able to find the back of the nett on a regular basis.