Football rumours from today's newspapers

• Chelsea are set to smash the British transfer record with a £40m swoop for Valencia striker David Villa. (Daily Express)



• Manchester City are plotting a January swoop for Barcelona striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Inter Milan defender Maicon. (The Mirror)



• City boss Roberto Mancini is close to making Inter Milan defender Ivan Cordoba his first signing at Eastlands. (Daily Telegraph)



• Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez will embark on a spending spree now the transfer window is open, with Real Madrid striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and Tottenham forward Roman Pavlyuchenko his two top targets. (Daily Mail )



• Liverpool could move for Olympiakos right-back Vasilis Torosidis as a replacement for their injured defender Glen Johnson. (The Mirror)



• Benitez wants to take Argentina winger Maxi Rodriguez on loan from Atletico Madrid, while out-of-favour Reds forward Ryan Babel is set to reject moves to Fiorentina and Besiktas. (Daily Mail )



• Liverpool face stiff competition from Boca Juniors for Rodriguez, who is out of contract in the summer. (The Times)



• Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has made a £3.5m swoop for Fluminese's Brazilian wonder-kid Wellington Silva, who impressed on a recent trial at the Emirates, but he will not be able to join the Gunners until he turns 18 in January 2011. (The Mirror)



• Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, who has signed 19 players in the last five January transfer windows, says the mid-season transfer window is "a nightmare" and claims the chances of him bringing anybody to Spurs this month are "very, very, very, very slim". (The Guardian)



• Birmingham have failed in their bid to sign on-loan Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart on a permanent basis and also look likely to miss out on Rangers striker Kris Boyd. (The Sun)



• Birmingham boss Alex McLeish does not plan to spend all of the £40m he has been given to enhance his squad during the transfer window, and hopes to sign two or three players with "character" rather than make any marquee signings. (Daily Telegraph)



• Sunderland are ready to make a £4m bid for Tottenham's Scotland right-back Alan Hutton and are still on the trail of Wigan defender Maynor Figueroa and Middlesbrough winger Adam Johnson. (Daily Mail )



• The Black Cats also want Coventry goalkeeper Kieran Westwood. (The Mirror)



• Fulham boss Roy Hodgson is exploring the possibility of signing Roma striker Stefano Okaka on loan. (Daily Mail )



• Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is considering making a £2.5m bid for Stoke striker James Beattie but hopes to keep hold of Emile Heskey despite interest in the England striker from Liverpool, Fulham, Wigan and Chelsea. (Daily Mail )



• Leeds have rejected Newcastle's £1.25m bid for Jermaine Beckford and hope to keep the striker at Elland Road for the rest of the season. (The Mirror)



• The Magpies will move for QPR's Iceland forward Heidar Helguson, who is currently on loan at Watford, after having their bid for Beckford turned down. (Daily Mail)



• Or, Newcastle will secure the signing of Beckford - as soon as Leeds find a replacement. (The Sun)



• Manchester City are the latest club to show an interest in teenage Crystal Palace star Victor Moses but will refuse to meet the Eagles' £5m asking price. (Daily Star)



• Peterborough have been told to double their £400,000 offer for in-form Bournemouth striker Brett Pitman. (The Sun)

OTHER GOSSIP

• Bolton are yet to make a formal approach to Stoke for their assistant boss Peter Reid, who is the leading candidate to succeed Gary Megson as Wanderers manager, and are also considering the possibility of employing Alan Shearer and Gary Speed as manager and assistant. (The Guardian)



• Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock and former West Ham boss Alan Curbishley are on Bolton's shortlist to become their next manager, with Wanderers set to move for their first choice as Megson's replacement - Burnley boss Owen Coyle - early next week. (Daily Mail )



• Curbishley will be interviewed for the Bolton job on Tuesday, although Wanderers have not ruled out a move for former Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson. (Daily Telegraph)



• Coyle, former Manchester City boss Mark Hughes and Hull City manager Phil Brown have all ruled themselves out of the running to be Bolton's new boss. (The Sun)



• The future ownership of West Ham United could be decided next week after the Hammers' owners asked Rothschild Bank to sift through potential investors who either want to buy the club out-right or take a stake. (Daily Telegraph)



• Former Oldham, Crystal Palace and Coventry City boss Iain Dowie is set to be named Reading's new manager. (The Sun)



• Lens want Portsmouth to be shut down if they do not honour their debts, with Pompey still owing the French club fees for Aruna Dindane and Nadir Belhadj. (Daily Mail )



• Dundee United are set to open talks with Raith boss John McGlynn about taking over from new Scotland manager Craig Levein in the Tannadice hot-seat. (Daily Record)

AND FINALLY...

• West Ham have sent out an email begging their fans to attend their third-round FA Cup tie against Arsenal after struggling to sell tickets for Sunday's game. (Daily Mail )