Liverpool To Axe Dirk Kuyt, Slaven Bilic Eyes Tottenham Hotspur And More (TRANSFER AND GOSSIP TALK)

Ditching Dirk? (TRANSFER AND GOSSIP TALK)

'Tis the season to sharpen axes, and at Anfield there are a few axes to grind with Kenny Dalglish's playing personnel.

So after squandering £114.2m on some terrible summer signings and plummeting to eighth in the Premier League, it is something of a surprise that Dirk Kuyt is being mooted as a casualty of the Liverpool overhaul.

Kuyt is that rare commodity whereby he is neither a flop nor a hit Rafael Benitez signing. Bought as a goalscorer but quickly converted into a workhorse right-winger, his commitment to the Merseyside club has never been questioned in six years in L4.

However The Sun report he and the admittedly unimpressive Maxi Rodriguez are headed for the departure lounge. Kuyt, 31, however does have just 12 months left on his contract, and as clubs seek to fall in line with financial fair play, Liverpool are perhaps eager to recoup some of the £9m they paid Feyenoord for him in 2006. He has only scored five goals this season as well.

Coach of Croatia for six years, Slaven Bilic has however admitted the Tottenham job would interest him if Harry Redknapp accepts the England role, report the Metro. Bilic of course was brought to English football by Redknapp in 1996 when he signed for West Ham United.

Au contraire, say The Daily Telegraph. Antonio Conte, currently steering the Juventus ship towards a potential Scudetto, is apparently the real favourite for the Spurs job. Juventus have enjoyed a 30-game unbeaten streak under their former midfielder, as they lie two points behind Milan with eight games remaining in Serie A.

Carlos Tevez, or "Carlos the Jekyll", as he is unaffectionately known by, is being eyed up by Juve, say talkSPORT. The Bianconeri are plotting a £40m swoop for the Argentinian, has seen moves to Internazionale and AC Milan fall through already this year.

Yann M'Vila is emerging as the most ubiquitous Frenchman in another country without actually living there. Former World Cup and European Championship winner Marcel Desailly has now urged Arsenal to swoop for his 21-year-old compatriot, whatever the cost. "You will see he is the best midfielder," said the ex-Chelsea defender in The Daily Mail. "Better even than Patrick Vieira."

Did you know? Newcastle United's chief scout is the father of Alan Carr. Graham, who has unearthed over half-a-dozen gems to buoy a resurgent Toon, is now thought to be monitoring young Barnsley captain Jacob Butterfield, despite the midfielder's knee ligament injury ruling him out for the rest of the season. The Magpies are however still willing to sign the 21-year-old, as well as agreeing compensation with the Tykes, the Daily Mirror suggest.

Down south, and Striker-cum-smokerMarouane Chamakh has vowed not to leave Arsenal at the end of the season. "I have spoken to [Arsene] Wenger and I will stay at Arsenal," predicts the Moroccan in the Metro.

Former Norwich and England goalkeeper Chris Woods has backed Canaries stopper John Ruddy not to let rumours of an international call-up affect his club performances in the Daily Express.

And finally, gone-but-not-forgotten Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic has hailed his team-mates' performances, labelling them "special", say The Sun.

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