Chelsea to sell Malouda but join race for Benzema

It's all go at Stamford Bridge following the arrival of Andre Villas-Boas. Chelsea's new coach is apparently keen to stamp his mark on the west London side and one of his first acts, according to Talksport, will be a farewell for Florent Malouda. The French winger has been part of the Chelsea furniture for four years but Villas-Boas has called in the removal men and it seems that the 31-year-old could be sent to Italy.

Talksport claim that AC Milan, Inter and Roma are all keen to have Malouda. The veteran was Chelsea's top scorer in the Premier League last season, netting 13 times, but Villas-Boas now sees him as surplus to requirements. There are also rumours that Nicolas Anelka could be going the same way, though Talksport reckons that midfielder Michael Essien will stay at Stamford Bridge.

But if one Frenchman is primed to leave Chelsea another is about to arrive, at least according to Spanish rag El Mundo Deportivo. They say that Karim Benzema is being courted by the Premier League club with one offer of £17.5m having allegedly already been made for the 23-year-old striker.

Currently with Real Madrid, Benzema hasn't been a favourite of Jose Mourinho's and apparently Chelsea are hoping the Special One's love of his old club will help facilitate a deal. The bad news, however, is that Real president Florentino Perez  wants nothing less than £32m for Benzema, a figure that could test even Roman Abramovich's munificence.
 
While most of the gossip at Arsenal centres on the future of Cesc Fabregas, another stalwart of the Gunners is being constantly linked with a move away from the Emirates. Last week Gael Clichy was said to be a target of Liverpool's, while the week before that it was Roma.

The latest rumour links the left-back with Paris Saint-Germain. French rag La Provence claims that PSG are gearing up to offer Arsenal £13.4 million for the 25-year old left-back. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger said recently that he didn't want Clichy to go, but for that sum his resistance may do what the Arsenal defence so frequently does, and crumble.
 
In other Arsenal news, the Sun claims that Wenger is thinking of making an offer for Inter Milan keeper Emiliano Viviano. The 25-year-old has been playing second fiddle to Julio Cesar at the San Siro and apparently the 6ft 5in Viviano  would jump at the chance to join Arsenal.  The Sun says he would cost the Gunners £8m and Wenger will conclude the deal as soon as he gets shot of Manuel Almunia.

The BBC reports that Sunderland have been successful in their £9m bid for Ipswich striker Connor Wickham. The 18-year-old, who has been mooted as a target for Arsenal and Liverpool in recent months, is set to undergo a medical this week. The BBC says that Liverpool were Wickham's personal choice but the Reds failed to come up with a big enough bid for the England Under-21 frontman.

Former Manchester United favourite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has advised his old club to snap up the services of two American teenagers. Solskjaer, now managing Norwegian club FK Molde, believes that Joshua Gatt and Sean Cunningham have what it takes to play for United.

According to Talksport, Solskjaer has been in contact with Alex Ferguson, giving him the lowdown on Gatt, a 19-year-old winger, and Cunningham, an 18-year-old left back. The pair helped Molde win the Norwegian title last season and Solskjaer is hoping Ferguson will give them a trial.

Wolfsburg midfielder Diego wants to try his luck in England, and it's believed Liverpool are making enquiries about the 26-year old Brazilian.

Diego, who's won over 30 caps for his country since making his debut in 2005, scored six times in last season's Bundesliga but now it seems he's got his heart set on the Premier League. "I prefer not to mention the names of clubs out of respect for the managers and the owners, but it's true that there is contact with some clubs in England," Diego is quoted as saying by ESPN. "We are just starting to have conversations with clubs so it's too early to say where I will be going, but it would be perfect if I can play in the Premier League." ·