World Football Gossip Roundup: Messi, Bale, Fabio, Cavani, Dzeko, Sigurdsson

Sunday's world football gossip roundup is supersized.

We've got news, rumors, gossip and hearsay on footballers famous and otherwise, from Lionel Messi to Gareth Bale to Edinson Cavani to Edin Dzeko and more.

And there's so much info that in some cases, we're packing multiple stories into a slide.

Take a deep breath. Here we go.

Messi Not Coming to England

Guess what? Lionel Messi is NOT moving to England. Nor will he ever.

And yes, that's supposedly news.

From (who else?) The Sun:

"

Messi admits that he is a huge fan of the English game and frequently watches games on television.

But his love of English football only extends to being a spectator and he harbours no ambitions to play here.

He added: “The Premier League is immensely exciting and when I get the opportunity I love to watch it on television. There is a great deal to admire about English football.

“But I could never see the day arrive when I would play in England. It’s hard to look beyond my own club and it’s not something I have ever thought about or considered.”

"

So Lionel Messi wants to stay with Barcelona. I never could have predicted that.

Juventus After Cavani?

Juventus know how to make a man feel wanted. The secret: throw cash at him.

The man is Napoli's Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani, and the amount of cash is supposedly £3.7 million per year.

From Goal.com:

"

Juventus will offer Edinson Cavani a contract worth €4.5 million (£3.7m) per season in a bid to lure the Napoli striker to Turin, according to Tuttosport.

Although Juve have marched to the top of Serie A and remain unbeaten after 32 league matches, they have been criticised for their lack of a consistent goalscorer in attack.

Their profligacy has since prompted general manager Giuseppe Marotta to step up their search for a new attacker in the summer, and names such as Carlos Tevez, Luis Suarez and Giuseppe Rossi have cropped up.

"

The £3.7 yearly salary would reportedly double Cavani's earnings. It would represent about £71,000 per week.

According to the report, Napoli would demand a transfer fee of €50-60 million.

Dzeko to Bayern Munich?

Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko appears likely to leave Manchester City this summer.

The 26-year-old has struggled to command a regular starting place in manager Roberto Mancini's squad after joining from VfL Wolfsburg for £27 million in January 2011.

But it's not all bad. According to the Daily Mirror, Dzeko is wanted by German giants Bayern Munich.

"

Bayern have been monitoring Dzeko’s ­situation and are in the market for a new target- man after being made aware that top scorer Mario Gomez is on Real Madrid’s radar.

Mancini has told staff he doesn’t believe Dzeko is suited to City’s short-passing style of play.

City would want to ­recoup most of their original outlay on him.

"

Dempsey Delays Decision

American midfielder/forward Clint Dempsey figures to be one of the hottest names in the English transfer market this summer.

According to the Daily Star, Dempsey has delayed making a decision on his future with Fulham. Such a move would suggest he's open to a move, possibly to Arsenal.

"

The Gunners are one of several clubs keen on Yank Dempsey, 29, whose Easter Monday strike against Chelsea was his 22nd of the season.

Dempsey who cost Fulham £2.5million in 2006, is out of contract after next season and the club are already offering a huge hike in wages to ensure he stays.

"

Fulham host Wigan on Saturday in the English Premier League.

Bale's Agent Talks Nonsense

See what you can make of this.

According to this report from Goal.com, Gareth Bale's agent is saying Bale "is the type of player PSG need."

But then, the next words out of his mouth are these: "But he is very happy at Tottenham."

Uh, OK.

Any thoughts?

City to Bid on Herrera

According to Phil Thomas at The Sun, Manchester City are chasing the "Spanish Steven Gerrard."

Yeah, really. That's really what the article says.

"

Athletic Bilbao star Ander Herrera was watched by chief scout Rob Newman and football officer Brian Marwood in Wednesday’s draw at Granada.

They were again impressed by the 22-year-old midfielder, who is likened by many in Spain to Liverpool’s Gerrard.

Manchester United were also interested but City’s midweek visit has seen them steal a march on their rivals.

Herrera still has four years to run on his deal but wants Champions League football.

"

Spanish Stevie G would reportedly cost City £16 million.

Fabio Leaving Old Trafford?

Over at Manchester United, Brazilian defender Fabio Da Silva is reportedly ready to leave Old Trafford on loan in search of more first-team experience.

From Goal.com:

"

"He understands the value of playing regularly at a higher level than we can give him at the moment," Sir Alex told United Review.

"I hope that Fabio will develop the same way as his twin [Rafael]."

…

The Da Silva twins moved to Manchester from Fluminense (without having played in the Brazilian club's first-team) in January 2008, but were unable to play in matches until they turned 18 in July 2008.

"

Fabio has made only one league appearance this season.

Goalkeeper Rumors Galore

Goalkeeper transfer rumors abound this Sunday.

First, there's Newcastle's Tim Krul, who is reportedly a £15 million target for Chelsea. The Blues would pay Krul £90,000 per week and make him Petr Cech's replacement.

Next up is 25-year-old Hugo Lloris, who could replace 40-year-old Brad Friedel at Tottenham next year. Or Friedel could just keep playing forever. Either way.

Finally, spellcheck nightmare Jussi Jaaskelainen is reportedly wanted by both West Brom and West Ham. The Bolton keeper turns 37 this week and his contract runs dry in the summer.

Sigurdsson Wants Swansea Stay

Everybody's favorite Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson wants to stay with Swansea City after his loan spell finishes at the end of the season.

That's according to talkSport:

"

“I’m enjoying football here and as I’ve always said it’s not up to me,” said the Icelandic star. “I’ve got another couple of seasons on my contract [at Hoffenheim].

“I’m really enjoying my football here in England and hopefully I can stay in the Premier League. It’s down to Swansea and Hoffenheim what happens.”

Meanwhile his manager, Brendan Rodgers, hopes that Sigurdsson’s love for the club and the city will be enough to tempt him to stay in Wales permanently.

"

Personally, I'd love to see Sigurdsson in an Arsenal shirt next season. But he probably isn't obscure enough for an Arsene Wenger signing.

Swansea it is, then.

Drenthe to Cross Town?

Despite Saturday's FA Cup semifinal win over their archrivals, Liverpool currently trail Everton in the Premier League.

So, naturally, the Reds are after one of Everton's players. Right?

Cue The Sun:

"

Everton loanee Royston Drenthe is ready to cross the city to join Liverpool.

Real Madrid winger Drenthe is out of contract in Spain this summer.

Reds are willing to match the 25-year-old’s £80,000-a-week wages but Everton cannot afford it.

"

So Drenthe would still command the same salary as before? Even after being shipped out of Real Madrid?

Yes, that makes perfect sense.

Dalglish Fears Ax?

Finally, a different sort of Liverpool story.

This week, the Reds parted company with Damien Comolli, their (now former) director of football, after a string of poor results.

Now, manager Kenny Dalglish fears he could be next.

From The Telegraph:

"

"I had an excellent working relationship with Damien," he said. "Every single football player at the football club who came in while Damien and I were there are there because I chose to bring them in.

"He did a really good job. It's sad when anyone loses their job. I don't think there are many people surprised in football when these decisions are made. We become a wee bit bullet proof to thee things.

"The next time it might be yourself," he added. "The only surprise is that people are surprised."

"

Dalglish also admitted that, given another chance, he would have handled the Luis Suarez racism controversy differently.