SOME GOSSIP NEWS IN FOOTBALL TODAY

-New Everton signing Nikica Jelavic is relishing the challenge of delivering goals for the Merseyside club in the season's run home.

-Man City ready to battle Chelsea FC in race to sign Eden Hazard
Manchester City have admitted they are keen on signing Eden Hazard this summer.

-Chelsea FC made EUR40m bid for Gonzalo Higuain - report
Chelsea failed with a €40million bid for Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain earlier this week.
Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas was keen on luring Higuain to Stamford Bridge before the January transfer window closed, only for Los Blancos coach Jose Mourinho to stop a move from going through.
Chelsea will again look to sign the 24-year-old when the transfer window reopens at the end of the season.

-Agent admits likely Napoli exit for Chelsea, Man City target Hamsik

-Santos president prepared to sell Man Utd, Chelsea target Ganso

-EXCLUSIVE : Real Madrid plot swoop for City striker Aguero by selling Higuain to Chelsea.
Real Madrid want to fund a multi-million pound bid for Sergio Aguero by selling Gonzalo Higuain to Chelsea this summer.
President Florentino Perez is desperate to sign the Manchester City striker and is willing to part with whatever money it takes to lure the Argentine to the Bernabeu.
To fund the ambitious offer, which City would be very reluctant to accept, Real want Higuain to move to Stamford Bridge.

-Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas admits his comparative inexperience and young age mean he cannot run a club as a dictatorship.

-Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko is expected to complete his move to Lokomotiv Moscow on Friday.

-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is confident both Wayne Rooney and Nani will be fit for Sunday's Premier League encounter against Chelsea.

-Drogba open to Chelsea future

-Liverpool FC and Man Utd target Keisuke Honda sets sights on summer move
CSKA Moscow midfielder Keisuke Honda, who has been linked with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United, insists he is "back to normal" after seeing a move to Lazio fall through.

-Real Madrid CF keen on Rafael Benitez as Jose Mourinho replacement - report

-UOL claims Santos tried to sign Willian in a loan deal, but they say Willian already agreed to join CFC in July.
Santos president: "We gave up a proposal because they (Shakhtar) received from Chelsea. It was an offer of tens of millions of euros. It seems that he should go there in the middle of the year. We tried on loan until the end of the year, but did not work"

-Jose Mourinho: I’ll manage Chelsea. The Special One is quitting Spanish giants Real Madrid in the summer to come back to England !

-Liverpool FC sign 'new Deco' Joao Carlos Teixeira
Liverpool have confirmed the signing of Sporting Lisbon teenager Joao Carlos Teixeira.

-Ryan Nelsen is expected to be named in the Tottenham squad for Tuesday's match against Liverpool at Anfield after his free transfer from Blackburn Rovers was completed overnight.

-Martin Jol believes striker Andrew Johnson will pen down a new deal and expects him to be able to replace Zamora

-Mikel Arteta admits Arsenal faces an uphill challenge to qualify for the Champions League but says he and his teamates are good enough to aim a top-four finish. -

-Official: Tottenham have completed the signing of defender Ryan Nelsen, after a delay in his move from Blackburn Rovers --- Free Transfer

-Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes he can still retain young midfielder Paul Pogba, despite reports that the 18 year old wants to leave Old Trafford, Manchester Evening News reports. Pogba made his Premier League debut against Stoke on Tuesday in a 2-0 win for the Premier League champions.

-Andre-Pierre Gignac says he turned down the chance to join Everton in January because the club is not big enough.

-Luis Suarez has emerged as a surprise transfer target for Juventus.

-de Bruyne targeting success at Chelsea
Kevin de Bruyne is hoping to experience as much success as possible with Chelsea.

-FC Barcelona confirm interest in Liverpool FC target Carlos Tevez

-Luis Suarez finally returns from lengthy suspension.

-Carlos Tevez feels his situation at Man City is now "almost comical" and cannot understand why he has been portrayed so negatively.