Kewell: Give me £15m to go
On a day when 527 players lost their jobs, SunSport can reveal the astonishing figure he will demand for a four-year contract at a new club. Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool are all interested in him but will quickly realise they would virtually have to double his current wages of £38,000 a week. If the £8m-rated player does not get his own way he is ready to make cash-strapped Leeds suffer by sitting tight for a year and becoming a free agent.
Neil Custis, The Sun
Bling on well-behaved
If you thought the responsibilities of an England football captain ended with his absence from the squad then, well, you´re not very bling for a start. Or even bling-bling. Bling? Hardly a word from the Alex Ferguson new-Govan dictionary, I´ll grant you, and a new one on yours truly until I checked it out. With-it, apparently. Abreast of the latest fashion fads. Cool and glitzy with just enough sparkly bits in the right places. Apparently. Very Hollywood. Which is where and why they applied the term to Beckham and his good lady Victoria as they attended an awards function as part of their promotional trip beyond the pond. Time to spare, you see, but the suspension that has denied England the services of the skipper for tonight´s friendly against Serbia and Montenegro and the European championship qualifier with Slovakia has not left him redundant.
John Sadler, The Sun
Becks kidnap trial fiasco
The trial of five men accused of plotting to abduct Victoria Beckham collapsed in farce yesterday. Prosecutors said the evidence of a key witness was unreliable - the 27-year-old Kosovan, with convictions for dishonesty, was paid £10,000 by the News of the World. And the man, parking attendant Florim Gashi, may even have helped to instigate the alleged plot. The judge said he was referring the newspaper to the Attorney General. Gashi lied to police that the only money he got from the paper was " expenses", prosecutor Brian Altman told Middlesex Guildhall crown court in London. But he had received £10,000 while in financial trouble. Mr Altman said: " When you realise his parlous financial state at the time it seems less of a coincidence and more of a put-up job."
Rosa Prince, Daily Mirror
Becks´ mobile groan
David Beckham´s chances of joining Champions League winners AC Milan have been put on hold . .. because of the England skipper´s sponsorship deal with Vodafone. The Italian giants have been looking into the idea of signing Beckham from Manchester United for £30million, but their money men found they were running into the wrong numbers when it came to talking the player out of his mobile phone contract. Milan are backed by Telecom Italia Mobile and Siemens and those firms do not want Vodafone´s top man wearing their colours. They have hung up on the move for the United idol because it would cost millions to disconnect him from Vodafone, who are also coincidentally the Old Trafford club´s shirt sponsors.
Alan Nixon, Daily Mirror
Wes faces a long KO
Wes Brown will have to wait more than a month to have a major knee operation - and Manchester United comeback is now on hold until next year. The England defender has been sent on holiday for a few weeks by United before the surgery, now booked for the middle of July. His recovery could take up to five months - putting United under more pressure to buy a replacement.
Sports staff, Daily Mirror
Attack rap footballer Butt bailed
Soccer ace Nicky Butt was arrested and quizzed last night for allegedly punching a mum of two in the face during a night-club bust-up. The Manchester United player, 28, was released on bail after two hours at Wilmslow police station in Cheshire.
News staff, The Sun
Neville is England linchpin
Phil Neville will complete his international football rehabilitation tonight when he is asked to anchor England´s midfield against Serbia-Montenegro. The Manchester United player will start consecutive matches for the first time under Sven Goran Eriksson and is poised to play the holding role in a diamond midfield formation in place of Owen Hargreaves.
Ian McGarry, Daily Mail
Clubbing with Becks
It´s Tuesday so it must be AC Milan. Or is it still Barcelona? And what happened to Real Madrid? The whirligig of speculation spins out of control. In the meantime, there was a new name in the frame yesterday. Valencia are clearly feeling the squeeze between Barca and Real, so their presidential candidate Paco Roig has claimed he has been offered the chance to buy Becks for £30 million by a " football intermediary".
Steve Curry, Daily Mail
Rio spills the beans
Rio Ferdinand has played down the widespread belief that there is huge competition among Manchester United players over ownership of top-range cars. But he did say that it was Nicky Butt, rather than car buffs Ryan Giggs and David Beckham, who appears to change his vehicle every week.
Charles Sale, Daily Mail
United´s Ronaldinho rap
Manchester United have been given a " hands-off" warning in their attempts to sign Brazilian World Cup star Ronaldinho. But Old Trafford appear to have got the green light to bring American goalkeeper Tim Howard to the club. Troubled PSG have appointed a new president, Francis Graille, plus a new coach, Vahid Halilhodizic, and both have vowed to fight off Sir Alex Ferguson, who has made Ronaldinho his No 1 summer target.
Graham Hunter, Daily Express
Becks by the book
Publishers Harper Collins have sold the newspaper serialisation rights for David Beckham´s autobiography " My Side" for a record fee of £1.2million. The book will be published at the beginning of September, but the serialisation will run in the build-up to the new season. That may well be the reason the England captain is looking to get out of Manchester before the statr of next season. Granted, they are not a million miles away, but Spain or Italy are certainly far enough for Beckham to avoid the worst of Sir Alex Ferguson´s ire.
Harry Harris, Daily Express
Yanks a lot for United
Manchester United are close to agreeing a £1.8 million deal for goalkeeper Tim Howard - and the American ace should be a United player by July 1. Reports from New York claim Howard, who suffers from Tourette´s Syndrome, has agreed terms on a move from MLS team the MetroStars. And the 24-year-old will sign a four-year contract worth £1million a year at the start of next month.
Mark Ogden, Daily Star
Just Beck off, Barcelona
David Beckham´s hopes of a £30m dream move to Barcelona are being secretly scuppered by the very people who would normally want to see that back of the Manchester United icon! Furious Manchester City fans have quickly realised that the man who hogs the headlines could be landing right back on their doorstep at the official opening of their new ground. The Blues are due to meet Barca to kick-off their occupancy of the City of Manchester stadium on August 10 - and City fans are upset to say the least!
Sports staff, Daily Star
