The Rumour Mill: Wednesday's football news and transfer gossip

Published on Wednesday 11 August 2010 09:59

Bellamy would have to take wage cut for Celtic deal; Rangers renew interest in Tommy Smith; Conway ignores speculation; plus the rest of the day's news and rumours from the transfer market.

• Craig Bellamy during his spell with Celtic in 2005

Celtic won't break bank for Bellamy

Celtic will not make a move for Craig Bellamy unless the player and Manchester City take a massive financial hit to make the loan deal happen. The Welsh hitman is on 90,000 a week but is unlikely to make City's 25-man squad that must be registered with the Premier League before September 1.

Bellamy is determined to avoid a prolonged spell in the reserves, and Celtic boss Neil Lennon is watching the situation closely. However, a senior Celtic source said Bellamy would have to settle for no more than 30,000 a week in Glasgow. (Daily Record)

Rangers back in hunt for Pompey striker

Rangers have renewed their interest in Portsmouth striker Tommy Smith as they step up a recruitment drive before the SPL kick-off. The Ibrox club had a reported 300,000 bid rejected by the Pompey administrator in June, but Walter Smith remains a fan of the 30-year-old and there has now been fresh contact between the clubs.

It is understood Tommy Smith would not be an alternative to Nikica Jelavic, and the club are also targeting USA striker Robbie Findlay. (Daily Mail)

Lawrence has 'given up on Celtic'

Republic of Ireland star Liam Lawrence last night turned his back on a potential move to Celtic. The Stoke winger is said to be fed up waiting for the Glasgow club to make their move and his pledged his future to the Potteries side. (The Sun)

Barazite set for 3-week trial

Rangers coach Ian Durrant has revealed the Ibrox club will keep Nacer Barazite on trial for the rest of the month. The 20-year-old Dutch youngster, currently with Arsenal, made a good impression in a 2-1 friendly defeat to Glentoran. (The Herald)

Conway ignores transfer talk

Dundee United winger Craig Conway insists he's paying no attention to speculation linking him with a move Middlesborough despite being back on Boro boss Gordon Strachan's radar. He said: "The speculation is not something that bothers me. There is nothing I can do about it so I have just been getting on with things." (Daily Express)

Celtic double offer for Coventry keeper

Celtic are set to make an improved 1million bid for Coventry keeper Keiren Westwood. The Glasgow club had a 500,000 offer for the 25-year-old turned down last month but are now ready to double it. (Daily Express)

Kilmarnock sign keeper

Kilmarnock last night signed former Welsh Under-21 international goalkeeper Kyle Letheren until the end of the season. Letheren, 22, has played with Plymouth Argyle, Doncaster Rovers, Barnsley and Swansea City, and had a brief spell at Motherwell last season when he was signed as emergency cover for John Ruddy. (The Scotsman)

• Kilmarnock also completed the signing of French defender Mahamadou Sissoko on a season-long loan deal from Udinese. (Various)

Murphy says Lawrence can fill McGeady's shoes

Daryl Murphy has backed Liam Lawrence to deliver the goods if his former Sunderland team-mate joins him at Celtic Park. Lawrence has long been tipped to move to Parkhead and the Stoke midfielder expects the initial interest to come to fruition if Aiden McGeady completes his move to Spartak Moscow. (The Scotsman)

Motherwell no closer to signings

Motherwell boss Craig Brown admits he is no further down the line of making new signings after fielding a host of trialists in an open-door friendly at Fir Park. Brown said: "We might have another look at some of the guys but we won't make any signings as a direct result of it." (Daily Express)

Ibrahimovic in no hurry to move to Premiership

Sweden forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is set to make a return to his national side against Scotland in tonight's friendly match in Stockholm, has refused to rule out a move to the Barclays Premier League one day - but insists he has no intention of quitting Barcelona any time soon. (The Scotsman)

Villa owner looks for quick fix

Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner is hoping to bring in a quick replacement for Martin O'Neill as he starts his search for a new manager. Lerner has launched the process of drawing up a list of potential candidates after O'Neill ended his four-year reign on Monday. (Various)

IN BRIEF

• Falkirk have taken Devon County League striker Dennis Mason on trial. (Express)

• Dunfermline boss Jim McIntyre last night said he was "delighted" that winger Willie Gibson had rejected a 150,000 move to Crawley Town. (Mail)

• Midfielder Pele has joined MK Dons on a non-contract basis from Falkirk. (Record)

• Ross County boss Derek Adams has registered as a player for the new season, despite not having played since 2007. (Record)

• Clyde have re-signed defender Alan Lithgow, and have dropped interest in Ryan Wilkie. (Record)

• Cowdenbeath have signed three new players - Richard Vauls from Stafford, Lee Sibanda from Cupar Hearts and former Motherwell and Hibs kid Mark Smith. (Record)

ELSEWHERE

• Ricardo Carvalho finally got his wish last night with Chelsea agreeing to sell the unsettled central defender to Real Madrid for a fee of around 8million euros (6.6million). (Telegraph)

• One of the proposed bids to buy Liverpool Football Club is backed by members of the ruling family in Sharjah, the third largest of the United Arab Emirates, according to sources close to the negotiations. (Guardian)

• Chelsea are ready to step up their pursuit of Benfica defender David Luiz. (Mail)

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