TRANSFER GOSSIP
Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is planning a bid for unattached striker Didier Drogba, 36, who is wanted by former club Chelsea. Daily StarManchester United manager Louis van Gaal is preparing to offer Ajax £17m for 24-year-old Netherlands defensive midfielder Daley Blind. Daily Express
United, meanwhile, are also reported to be closing in on a move for Borussia Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummels, 25, for £16m. Daily Mail
Manchester City are set to offload midfielder Javi Garcia, 27 - who cost £15.8m from Benfica in 2012 - after striker Alvaro Negredo suffered an injury. They planned on selling sell one of them with their Champions League foreign players quota in mind. Daily Mirror
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has insisted he is not going to sign a striker this summer - ending rumours linking him to AC Milan's Mario Balotelli, 23. Daily Star
Portuguese midfielder Tiago Mendes, 33, has rejected a possible return to Chelsea this summer in favour of re-signing with Spanish champions Atletico Madrid for another two years. Talksport
PSG will side-step Fifa's Financial Fair Play rules by offering Manchester United target Angel Di Maria, the 26-year-old winger, a one-year loan move from Real Madrid. Daily Express
Leicester are targeting former Chelsea winger Florent Malouda, 34, as they look to strengthen their squad for the Premier League. Daily Mirror
OTHER GOSSIP
Hull summer signing Tom Ince, 22, has revealed he rejected a "dream" move to Inter Milan in order to work on his game in the Premier League. TalksportMidfielder Darron Gibson, 26, is expected to end his nine-month spell on the sidelines when Everton face Tranmere Rovers in a friendly on Tuesday night. Liverpool Echo
Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all want 15-year-old defender Reece Oxford after he impressed for West Ham's youth side last season. Daily Star
Manager Alan Pardew has dedicated the new season to two Newcastle fans who died in the Malaysian Airlines tragedy. Sun (subscription needed)
Chelsea's Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah, 22, who signed from Basel for £11m in January, will go on their pre-season camp in Austria after he avoided having to do national service. Daily Telegraph
Jamie Carragher says there are no natural replacement for Steven Gerrard in the England team, both in terms of his position and his leadership qualities. Sky Sports
BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Cesar Azpilicueta, 22, enjoyed his dinner at Chelsea, posting a photo of team-mate John Terry and the squad sitting down to eat - and telling new boys Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa and Felipe Luis "you don't have to sing... yet".Curtis Davies was pleased after Hull's 1-1 pre-season friendly against North Ferriby United, tweeting: "Good to get the first 90 mins under the belt. Performance was decent but main thing is to get the minutes and come out unscathed."
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany takes an interest in world affairs, tweeting: "Gaza/Israel, Ukraine/Russia. Any relevant articles anyone? From any perspective. No debate intended here. Just want a better understanding."
AND FINALLY
Former Arsenal defender Andre Santos, 31, was attacked by fans of his Brazilian top flight side Flamengo following Sunday's 4-0 thrashing by Internacional in what his club called a "cowardly" act. Daily MailStoke City have agreed to pay the travel bill for fans who use the club's official supporters' coaches for all 19 Premier League fixtures next season. Stoke Sentinel
Frank Lampard, 36, may receive a less than warm welcome if his expected move to New York City FC goes ahead, after one of the city's main newspapers reminded readers of his insensitivity following 9/11. Daily Telegraph
