Football gossip: Di Maria, Drogba, Lloris, Bamford, Vieira, De Gea

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Paris St-Germain are prepared to pay £45m for Manchester United's Argentina midfielder Angel Di Maria, 27, who cost £59.7m when he moved from Real Madrid last summer. (Daily Mirror)external-link

Mirror
The back page of Thursday's Mirror newspaper

Marseille are considering Manchester City youth-team boss Patrick Vieira, 38, for their manager's job next season. (Sun - subscription required)external-link

Tottenham are trying to sign Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, 25. The Saints want £20m and Spurs may offer midfielders Andros Townsend, 23, or Benjamin Stambouli, 24, as part of a deal for the France international. (London Evening Standard)external-link

Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are all trying to sign Luton midfielder Charlie Patino, who is only 11 years old.(Daily Mail)external-link

The 20 teams in the Premier League in 2013-14 have made a collective profit of £198m. (Guardian)external-link

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has revealed that owner Roman Abramovich will have the final say on 37-year-old striker Didier Drogba's Stamford Bridge future. (Daily Express)external-link

A detailed scientific investigation has cast doubts on how the fire, which killed 56 people at Bradford City's Valley Parade Stadium in 1985, started. (Independent)external-link

Newcastle United want to sign England Under-21 striker Patrick Bamford in the summer. The 21-year-old has scored 19 goals during a successful spell at Middlesbrough on loan from Chelsea.(Newcastle Chronicle)external-link

Manchester United will try to sign Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, 28, if 24-year-old David De Gea joins Real Madrid in the summer.(Daily Mirror)external-link

However, United's hopes of keeping De Gea have been enhanced by a possible transfer ban imposed on Real Madrid.(Times - subscription required)external-link

Former Liverpool midfielder Ray Houghton says Reds boss Brendan Rodgers is under "enormous pressure" and questioned whether the club are still progressing with the 42-year-old in charge. (Talksport)external-link

Forward Theo Walcott, 26, has claimed that Arsenal have been the "best team in Europe in 2015".(London Evening Standard)external-link

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe says his side will not change their passing, attacking philosophy in the Premier League next season. The Cherries are already all but promoted to the top flight for the first time in their history.(Bournemouth Echo)external-link

Daily Mail back page
Daily Mail back page

Ten of the sides currently in the Premier League want to sign Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson, 23.(Daily Mirror)external-link

Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis wants manager Rafael Benitez to stay with the club and not return to the Premier League when his contract runs out in the summer. (Sun - subscription required)external-link

Torino say they may sell 25-year-old defender Matteo Darmian, if they "receive a crazy offer". Arsenal and Manchester United are among those linked with a move for the Italy international.(Daily Star)external-link

Bolton striker Emile Heskey, 37, is set to sign a new deal at the club as the Championship side target promotion to the Premier League next season.(Talksport)external-link

Chelsea captain John Terry says midfielder Eden Hazard, 24, the PFA Player of the Year, is "up there with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo".(Daily Express)external-link

Blackpool are accused of 'stamping' on the memories of their club legends after a statue remembering the club's greatest striker, Stan Mortensen, disappeared without explanation. (Daily Mail)external-link

Louis van Gaal's Manchester United side have suffered more injuries than any other team in the Premier League this season. (Telegraph)external-link

Newcastle United striker Adam Campbell, 21, is having a trial with Premier League rivals West Bromwich Albion.(Newcastle Chronicle)external-link

BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Jay Rodriguez
Jay Rodriguez last played for Southampton on 5 April 2014

Stoke's injured forward Bojan Krkic discusses his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in January that ended his season. He writes on Twitter:external-link "It's improving a lot every day. Working hard to start next season at 100%."

QPR defender Rio Ferdinand tells his Twitter followersexternal-link the gameplan needed to beat Chelsea. He says: "If you can get any of the Chelsea centre-backs and or (Nemanja) Matic out of the centre and down the sides you will get chances. The trick is actually making that happen. The discipline Jose puts in his teams is the difference - added to that the odd touch of stardust (Hazard/Cristiano/Sneijder/Lampard)."

Southampton and England striker Jay Rodriguez, 25, who has missed the whole season because of a serious knee injury he suffered in April 2014, posts a picture on Twitter of him in training. He writes:external-link "I'm back! Thanks for all of the support on Twitter. #muchlove."

AND FINALLY

The junior club where England forward Jermain Defoe, 32, began his career believe they, under Fifa regulations, are entitled to "tens of thousands of pounds" from Defoe's transfers throughout his career.(Times - subscription required)external-link

Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj has formed an unlikely friendship with snooker player Shaun Murphy after watching the 'Magician' beat Anthony McGill at the Crucible.(Daily Star)external-link