Gossip Column - Week 7

Michael Kightlys transfer merry go round in continuing, as Sunderland Johnathan Petty refused to rule out selling his talented midfielder. Rumours were suggesting Kightly was subject to a bid of around £6million from an unnamed Spanish club. But Sunderland are believed to value Kightly at around the £8million mark.

The Sunderland exit door looks set to be busy over the coming weeks, as Catania are lining up bids for Di Michele and Davide Moro.

Phil Nevilles successful stint at Empoli looks set to be drawing to an end as the midfield general is attracting interest from a plethora of teams. Potential suitors include the likes of Espanyol, who are said to be willing to pay around £6million.

Luca Saudati also looks set to leave the Seria A outfit as Preston up the ante in their bid for the established Italian.

Empoli may be about to replace the outgoing Saudati with a £1.5million swoop for Fulham striker Heidur Helguson after the striker was told he could leave by Jackie Yeo.

The administrators at Nottingham Forest are having a troublesome time clearing the clubs reported £14million debt which remains. Peter Crouch and Robbie Fowler are failing to stimulate interest and debtors are moving in as the club faces elimination under a pile of debt.

Alessandro Nesta looks set for a dramatic exit from the Sky Blues, just 7 weeks after he joined the midlands outfit. The Sky Blues captain is being tracked by clubs in England and speculation suggests an offer had been accepted by his club.

Reggina directors are suggesting they may be on the verge of announcing one of the highest profile deals in their history. Bubbling with excitement a source close to the board revealed, We are very close, and it will be the biggest coup in our history. We are not in a position to disclose an information at this point and i hope fans understand we want to secure the deal first.

The Juan Carlos Valeron saga drags on at Deportivo. The craftsman has told his agent to find him another club after falling out with his manager. Celta Vigo have withdrawn their interest, sighting poor management of the deal on Deportivos part, however, Valeron is keen to quit Le Razor.

Jorge Lopez is on his way out of Valencia as the Mestalla club agreed a fee of around £4million for the midfielder. Lopez was seen boarding a plane to Italy but his agent refused to confirm the midfielder was due to sign for a Seria A outfit.

Sources close to Watford have suggested that the acquisition of Gareth Barry could signal the completion of manager Jamie Walkers business for the season. Watford are impressing in the league and Walker seems to be reluctant to continue tinkering.

Crystal Palace manager Chris Gale looks set to end his search for a striker, with Real Betis prospect Rafael Sobis heading for London from Betis. Dale Price had suggested the Brazilian could be available in a loan deal and the Eagles appear to have swooped.

Manager Latest;

Speculation continues to swirl over the managerial position at Cardiff City. Ridsdale shirker the opportunity to back JD Jaques last week and leading bookmakers have started taking bets on the Bluebirds next manager. Current favourites include Dale Price, John Petty, Mark Rollings and Steve Davies-Evans at Cagliari. All are known to be Cardiff fans and could be tempted to take the reins should Jaques lose his battle and his job.

Meanwhile it appears teams in Italy are following the saga with interest, and Jaques successful stint with Chievo means the manager has his admirers in the country.

Manchester United chief executive David Gill has once again rebuked claims he has interviewed candidates for under fire manager Iain Kochanowskis position at the club. Gill did stress however that the current shortcoming were very concerning.

Atletico Madrid look set to keep the managers position at the club vacant until the end of the season. The board are said to be unconcerned that they remain managerless and are willing to attract the right candidate.