Inter has tabled a £20.7m bid for the serial wantaway but Claudio Ranieri's statements show he remains unconvinced of Tevez's value to the team.

"There is balance now and the team has become solid. So we need to understand how much this lad can give and how much he can take away.

All signs point to Stamford Bridge

The ready answer to Mark Hughes's Fulham departure: He was angling for the Aston Villa job after it became clear that Gerard Houllier's health would not permit continuing as manager. But for the clearly ambitious Hughes was this really a step up going from midtable to midtable?

Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel moves to Spurs after his contract was set to expire this month.

The long standing Blackburn goalie joined Villa in 2008 and made 113 appearances. In his stay he broke the league record of consecutive appearances made with 275. A testimony to his durability.

Patrice Evra acting as an instigator (what's new?) encouraging his France team mate to dump Arsenal and come aboard a "winning team" like Man Utd has generated an expected reaction.

These maybe alarmist words but with Paul Scholes retiring and Ryan Giggs approaching the twilight of his career Man Utd are looking to replenish their midfield.