Liverpool deny Chamakh deal as Barca enter race

Amid the carnage at Anfield yesterday, Liverpool fans could take some comfort from the news that Maxi Rodriguez had apparently signed for the club and that striker Marouane Chamakh had agreed a deal with the Reds - except that he hasn't.

The club has dismissed reports saying they had agreed a £25m deal for the French-born Moroccan striker - leaving the door open for Arsenal to continue their pursuit of the player. However, Barcelona have now entered the race for his signature, according to Radio Cadena SER in Spain.

To make matters even more confusing Chamakh's current club Bordeaux is also hoping to convince him to stay. The player's contract expires at the end of the season at which point he can sign for another club on a free transfer.

Bordeaux president Jean-Louis Triaud said he would like Chamakh to remain at Bordeaux, but he revealed: "I find him hard to understand."

Manchester United are going to give Swedish teenager Rasmus Lindgran a week-long trial, according to Sky Sports. They report that the 15-year-old (not to be confused with the Ajax midfielder Rasmus Lindgren with an ‘e') will arrive at United's youth academy next month despite being linked with a number of Swedish clubs.

United boss Alex Ferguson has heard great things about Lindgran from his scouts and wants to see his potential for himself. How soon the youngster could join is another question: his father Mikail has told the Swedish paper Dala-demokraten that he's too young to move abroad just yet.

In other whizzkid news, Arsenal's teenage midfield ace Jack Wilshere (above) might be about to join Steve McClaren at FC Twente on loan. The former England boss "has moved to sign the Arsenal superkid", says a report in the Daily Mail with Arsene Wenger apparently happy to loan out the 18-year-old until the end of the season.
 
McClaren has proved more of a success with Twente than with England, guiding the club to the top of the Dutch league. But a spate of injuries means he needs some immediate cover and England Under-21 international Wilshere has caught his eye.

At the other end of the age scale, two England stars are said to be on the move soon with Portsmouth goalkeeper David James Stoke-bound and Chelsea's Joe Cole about to hop across London to Spurs. The Daily Star says that Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is set to "smash the club's pay structure" to bring the out-of-contract Cole to White Hart Lane.

The 28-year-old England midfielder has reportedly demanded of Chelsea an additional £40,000 a week to bring his salary in line with other Blues stars such as Michael Essien and Nicolas Anelka on £130,000, but the Star says Roman Abramovich is " refusing to budge" on what some might call a derisory offer of £100,00 a week.

Cole was a protegee of Redknapp's when he started out in his career at West Ham and the two have a mutual respect that might persuade the midfielder to join Tottenham. First, however, Redknapp, will have to convince Spurs chairman Daniel Levy to break the club's existing pay structure which has Ledley King as their top earner on a reported £75,000 a week.
 
The Sun is just one of several papers to report on David James's shock move to Stoke. According to the paper, the Potters have signed the England keeper "on loan" and the 39-year-old James could make his debut against struggling Liverpool on Saturday.
 
The Sun says that Stoke boss Tony Pulis snapped up James after a bust-up with  his Danish keeper Thomas Sorensen, and he has promised the England veteran "another 12-month deal in the summer". For James, who has played only twice since October because of a knee problem, the move might be a last attempt to claw his way back into World Cup reckoning before Fabio Capello names his squad for South Africa. ·