Football rumours from today's newspapers

• Liverpool will revive their interest in Bayern Munich striker Mario Gomez in January, after the German club pulled the plug on an immediate loan switch to Anfield.
  (News of the World)


• Manchester United are set to beat Real Madrid and AC Milan to the signature of 20-year-old Greek playmaker Sotiris Ninis, currently with Panathinaikos.
  (Sunday Mirror)


• Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho will attempt to lure Tottenham winger Gareth Bale to the Bernabeu in January.
  (Sunday Mirror)


• Millwall have slapped a £3m price tag on their 27-year-old star striker Steve Morison.
  (Sunday Express)


• Fulham are targeting Crystal Palace's Argentine goalkeeper Julian Speroni as a possible replacement for want-away stopper Mark Schwarzer.
  (Sunday Express)

• Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel and full-back Stephen Warnock will seek urgent talks with the club's hierarchy if they press ahead with their plans to appoint Gerard Houllier as manager - when in charge at Liverpool, Frenchman Houllier sold Friedel to Blackburn and loaned Warnock out to Coventry.
  (News of the World)


• West Ham's board are prepared to sack manager Avram Grant depending on how the bottom-of-the-table Hammers fare in their next three Premier League fixtures - against Chelsea, Stoke and Tottenham.
  (News of the World)


• West Ham midfielder Scott Parker, who was linked with a move to Tottenham during the summer, is set to agree a new five-year contract at Upton Park in the next few days.
  (Sunday Express)


• Former West Ham defender Calum Davenport has signed for amateur United Counties League First Division side Wootton Blue Cross as he attempts to regain fitness and rebuild his career.
  (The Non-League Paper)


• Dutch international Rafael Van der Vaart insists he was not a failure at Real Madrid and has vowed to become a major star for Tottenham in the Champions League.
  (talkSport)


• Jerome Boateng will make his first start for Manchester City against Blackburn next Saturday, after the German defender finally recovered from the knee injury that has restricted him to only one friendly pre-season appearance.
  (News of the World)


• Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who was the subject of a failed bid from Barcelona this summer, has admitted he only stayed at the Emirates Stadium because he had no other choice.
  (Mail on Sunday)


• Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher believes Argentine midfielder Javier Mascherano let himself down badly when he quit Anfield for Inter Milan.
  (talkSport)


• Paraguay international striker Roque Santa Cruz was left stranded at Manchester City last week because Lazio coach and friend of Fabio Capello, Edy Reja, suddenly 'got cold feet'.
  (Mail on Sunday)


• A furious Matthew Upson confronted England's management team over his axing from England's starting line-up for the 4-0 Euro 2012 qualifying win over Bulgaria at Wembley on Friday.
  (News of the World)


• The Premier League is poised to approve a Royal Bank of Scotland takeover of Liverpool if co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett cannot find a buyer or repay their debt by 6 October.
  (News of the World)

• Police evidence photographs of England and Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe driving while talking on a mobile phone are at the centre of a legal row after being used in a commercial campaign by Road Safety Support, a firm which provides advice to help prosecute drivers.
  (Mail on Sunday)


• Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard was attacked by a partygoer at a birthday bash for team-mate Jamie Carragher's wife.
  (Sunday Mirror)


• Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong says he does not regret his kung-fu style kick on Spain's Xabi Alonso in this summer's World Cup final. "I never intended to hurt him," said the Dutchman.
  (Sunday Mirror)


• An investigation is under way into allegations that the passport details of thousands of football fans were sold on the black market by an official linked to Fifa.
  (The Guardian)