Jens Lehmann ‘discussing’ Arsenal return

Could Jens Lehmann be about to make a shock return to his old club Arsenal to save them from accident-prone goalkeeper Manuel Almunia and his crocked colleagues Lukasz 'Flappy Handski' Fabianski and Wojciech Szczesny?

Well Lehmann (above) is at Arsenal – officially to work on qualifying as a coach – but when asked by Bild am Sonntag if he might make a return to the squad as goalkeeper he showed a bit of leg, saying: "I am in London and so far have heard nothing of such plans, but you never know." Sky Sports goes even further, saying the 41-year-old is "discussing terms" with Arsenal.

Meanwhile, according to the Sunday Mirror and Daily Star Sunday - so it must be true - Manchester United are leading the hunt for Frenchman Yann M'Vila, threatening to scoop Liverpool and Spurs in the pursuit of the highly rated 20-year-old.

The Rennes midfielder has excited a touch of March madness, being tracked by Spurs’ number two, Kevin Bond, and Liverpool’s director of football, Damien Comolli.

But Alex Ferguson is believed to be willing to part with £20m in his perennial search for a central midfielder who is fit to wear/clean/lick the boots of such centre-field Leviathans as Roy Keane.

Seemingly on the basis of two goals in a Premier League draw against Wolves, Jermain Defoe has muscled his way back into the world of Transfer Talk. The diminutive Spurs frontman is now a target for the moneybags of Eastlands.

Manchester City - who, by the way, want to sign Napoli star Edinson Cavani as a summer replacement for homesick Carlos Tevez and grass-sick Mario Balotelli - are chasing the on-off England striker, who has just two goals to his name this Premier League season for Harry Redknapp’s Champions League challengers.

Rennes playmaker Sylvain Marveaux, a long-term Anfield target, has claimed that he is very close to leaving the Ligue A club and beating a path to King Kenny’s revival on Merseyside.

The move has been mooted since December 2010, when Dalglish took over from the lugubrious Roy Hodgson, but the 24-year-old midfielder is reported in the People as saying that "I am very close to reaching agreement with Liverpool about joining them next season."

Arsenal’s mercurial Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner has drawn the attention of three Bundesliga clubs, says the Sunday Mirror.

Despite only tarnishing his golden boots in matches against Leyton Orient to date – against whom he notched a hat-trick in the FA Cup - the 23- year-old has excited the Teutonic passions of Bayern Munich, Schalke and Borussia Dortmund, who could rescue the well-regarded (well, by himself) Scandinavian hotshot from his second-string hell at the Emirates.

Barcelona - who may or may not be managed by Pep Guardiola next season, depending on whether Arsenal swoop for him - are sweet for Spurs’ injury-prone Welsh wonder Gareth Bale, according to the People. The Catalans are willing to spend £40m on the winger who has had all of Europe on the blower to Harry Redknapp.

With Aaron Lennon also the target of many clubs, it’s unlikely that the north Londoners will part with their inspiration, but Redknapp’s notorious wheeler- dealing could see Tottenham join the hunt for the unsettled Argentine Javier Mascherano.

The People says the defensive midfielder is also on the radar at Stamford Bridge, but could help shore up the fragile midfield at White Hart Lane.

Finally, it looks as if Fulham boss Mark Hughes is intent on becoming the Harry Redknapp of west London, lining up audacious bids for Spurs’ Verdan Corluka and Salomon Kalou of near-neighbours Chelsea.

Apparently the Blues’ striker is resigned to leaving the club, following the purchase of goal-shy Iberian hitman Fernando Torres, but wants to remain in the Big Smoke.

The £10m demanded by Chelsea may prove too much, but Hughes’s desire to bring the average age down at the Cottage - and to have a guaranteed double-figure man at his disposal - could see this one go through. ·