Rumor With A View.

Welcome to the second edition of 'rumor with a view'. We are 5 days into the January transfer window now, newspapers and interweb sites are jam-packed with speculation. After the jump I'll take a look at the day's transfer rumors and discuss whether they are realistic, based on any knowledge or just good old fashioned bullsh*t.

OK... Let's get started. The below rumors are from newspapers and sites in the UK, collected by the BBC.
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Lyon insist they will not sell their 20-year-old France international striker Karim Benzema, despite speculation linking him with a move to Manchester United. (football365.com - 1057 GMT)

If the price is right then Benzema is for sale. Lyon are not Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester United and as soon as the kid gets ambitious it will become hard to keep him, especially if the price offered is north of 20 million and these days that's the norm for a player with Benzema's talent. But this move is unlikely to happen during this window as United have stated that they are done spending until the summer.
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Manchester City have made a £24m bid for Barcelona's 25-year-old midfielder Yaya Toure and will double his wages to tempt him to Eastlands. (The Sun)

I can see City making an offer but it may take more than 24 mil. Barcelona rate Toure and they know City have money to burn. Toure's price will only go up if he keeps scoring goals like this one (1 min 11 secs in) from last Saturday.
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City have also offered midfielder Scott Parker £100,000 a week to quit West Ham and join them. (Mirror)

Wow. 100k a week to Scott Parker? I can see him moving there as Sparky is a fan but that's crazy wages for Scott Parker. He is a good player but not a great one. Great players win the EPL (suck it Barclay's). If they give Parker 100k a week they will have to do the same for everyone. Not happening.
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Tottenham have made a revised bid of £12m for Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing. (The Independent)

This one will drag on all throughout January but Downing wants to join Spurs and 'Arry is just as keen. They offered a ridiculous 6 million and were told to sod off. 12 million should do it.
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Aston Villa will step up their efforts to sign Emile Heskey after Marlon Harewood was put on standby for a £2m switch to Stoke. (Mirror)

Heskey is a popular lad at the moment. He is back in the England set up and playing well for Wigan. His contract is up in June and that makes him cheap. Villa and Liverpool are both suited to his game and I can see him joining one or the other. But if he goes to Liverpool, what happens to Robbie Keane? Will he enjoy the bench?
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Tevez has threatened to quit United and that has alerted Real and also Manchester City. (Daily Mirror)

This one is just nuts enough to come true. United are stalling on Tevez while they decide if the 30 million he will cost is worth it. While that's going on, their neighbors spot an opportunity for a coup? They have the cash. Interesting one and totally made up... or is it?
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Hull manager Phil Brown will tie up the £2.5m deal for Kamil Zayatte this week and then bid £4m for Sunderland striker Michael Chopra. Brown also wants Wigan's 31-year-old midfielder Kevin Kilbane. (The Sun)

Yeah, the Zayatte deal should go through. He has been on loan from Young Boys. No... not Arsenal, but 'Young Boys' from Switzerland.

No-one is paying a large chunk of cash for Chopra again are they? Sunderland were burned by the prolific Colaship forward and they sent him back to Cardiff on loan, where he proved that he is a Colaship man through and through, scoring 3 goals in 4 games. If Chopra moves on, then Sunderland will take a hit on the 5 million they spent on him. 2-3 million is more realistic.


Scolari: Skint!

Chelsea have told manager Luiz Felipe Scolari he will not be given any money to spend in the transfer window. (Daily Star)

Not a rumor this one. Chelsea are tightening their purse strings. Abramovich has taken a huge financial hit recently and his days of bank rolling mega-star moves for silly money are done. He has a good squad, and one that should be challenging for the Champions league and Premier League titles. They won't spend a dime.
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Manchester City want Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz, West Ham forward Craig Bellamy and his midfield team-mate Scott Parker, Arsenal defender Kolo Toure and Newcastle keeper Shay Given. (Daily Star)

These rumors are oldies. But can the five players above win the EPL (suck it Barclay's)? I am not so sure. City will need to sign better players than Scott Parker and Roque Santa-Cruz if they have ambitions of making the top four next season.
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AC Milan are also keen on Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant. (The Sun)

And so are Real Madrid, if you believe the papers. Norwich are said to be interested in Lionel Messi too. Pennant will turn up at the JJB in Wigan before January is done.
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Wigan boss Steve Bruce has compared midfielder Antonio Valencia to Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo and says he will not be sold during the transfer window.

Steve Bruce is on crack. Which is another reason why Jermaine P will sign for Wigan, Brucey will get on well with Pennants dad. Valencia is better than most and he will be at a better club soon, but Ronaldo? Yawn. A weak attempt at massaging Valencia's fragile ego while jacking up the price. They may be able to keep him this season and fight off suitors this month, but any decent bid will be accepted. Wigan cannot afford to turn down the big clubs. Not while they still have empty seats.


Bruce: Crack addict?

The £15m-rated Valencia, 23, is a target for Liverpool, Tottenham and Real Madrid. (Various)

Thats more like it. As I said. If the bid is right, he's gone. United are also very interested in the winger.
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Liverpool and Tottenham will miss out on defender Glen Johnson, who will sign a new deal with Portsmouth. (Daily Star)

I'm sure Johnson will stay at Pompey. He's a crowd favorite and has made the England team recently. Why would Tottenham sign a right back when they have Corluka? Madness. Pompey have offered Johnson a new contract and I am sure that it will make him one of the club's top earners if not the top earner.
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Sunderland striker El-Hadji Diouf has issued a come-and-get-me plea to Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce. (The Sun)

Sunderland are holding talks with Diouf to discuss his future this week but the former Bolton and Liverpool man is a tough player to deal with. Allardyce is good with big-headed players and rates Diouf. I can see this one going ahead.
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Everton and West Ham have been alerted to the availability of Manchester City midfielder Michael Johnson. (The Sun)

Johnson is a great prospect but it's clear that Mark Hughes is not keen on the lad. City have been linked with every midfielder in Europe and it's no secret that they will be aquiring one or two this month. Johnson will move on and Moyes is deffinately a fan. But Everton's priority is a forward, not a midfielder. Still, can they look a gift horse in the mouth?
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Sunderland and Wigan are chasing £800,000-rated Plymouth winger Craig Noone. (The Sun)

The 21-year-old winger appeared from nowhere this season for Plymouth after a career as a roofer. He certainly has set tounges wagging. It's far too soon to tell if he can make it in the Prem and while I am sure Sbragia and Moyes are watching from a distance, this move is too early for a player who has only started 9 Colaship games.
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Newcastle want to sign former Portsmouth and Tottenham midfielder Pedro Mendes on loan from Rangers, with a view to a £1.5m move. (Mirror)

Why not? Mendes is still Premiership quality and he has an eye for the spectacular goals from long range. Newcastle's midfield could certainly do with some creativity and this rumor could become reality.
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Edgar Davids wants to return to Tottenham on a play-as-you-pay basis. (Metro)

And I want to fly to the moon. Of course he wants to re-join Spurs, but this rumor is just bonkers. Davids was let go last season and again by Ajax this season. He is also closing in on his 36th birthday (March). Redknap is after a left sided winger, a forward and a center back. Davids is no longer equiped for the Premier League (was he ever?)and this is just crazy talk. But wait? What's this? If Redknapp signs Davids then he has lost the plot, just like Davids has lost all of his pace.
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Leeds boss Simon Grayson is plotting a £300k move for Norwich midfielder Wes Hoolahan. (The Sun)

Utter codswallop. Hoolahan was chased all summer and signed as a replacement for Darren Huckerby. That didn't quite work out, but he has found a home in the hole in Roeder's new 5 man midfield. Why would Norwich sell a player, who has appeared 18 times this season, for 300k to a team who are tenth in League One? Grayson is a fan of Hoolahan and was forced to sell him to Norwich as Blackpool coach during the summer, but this is just craziness. Not happening.
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Doncaster want to sign Oldham striker Lee Hughes but only if the price is lowered from £400,000. (Star)

Hughes is 32 now and spent time in Jail after being involved in a car crash that killed the other driver. He was a goal machine before prison and has been one at Oldham since the Owls took a risk on him upon his release. He has scored 20 goals in 39 appearances for Oldham and he is still good enough to play in the Colaship in my opinion. This one is likely. However, 400k does seem a lot for a 32 year old League One forward.
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Reading and Wolves look set to miss out on midfielder Andrew Surman, who says he is happy to stay at Southampton. (The Sun)

Surman is a real talent and lots of clubs are looking at him. He appears to want to stay at Southampton and help them avoid relegation. Who says loyalty is dead? Should the Saints go down this term, then he will certainly be off for a nice fee in the summer.
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Birmingham City will launch a £3m offer for Rangers striker Kris Boyd within days. (The Sun)


Krissy big boots.

When will McLeish learn to stop signing Scotsmen who will surely fail in the Premier League? That said, Bongo are not certain of returning to the Premier League this term and Boyd certainly won't fancy a year in the Colaship. A risky move for Boyd and Bongo. He is not good enough for the Premier League (he thinks he is for sure.)

His 'Krissy big boots' attitude was on display for all to see when he quit Scotland a few months back after George Burley benched him. I can't see him joining Bongo just yet, he is having a nice season for Rangers and will wait to see where McLeish's men are in May. If Bongo go up, then this move is likely. McLeish may have to wait until the summer to make a huge mistake.

-Bigus