Sunderland Roy Keane still want buy any player again?

West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand is set to finalise his move to Sunderland after undergoing a medical on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old will become Sunderland boss Roy Keane's ninth signing of the summer in a deal thought to be worth around £8m.

"Anton is up this morning for a medical, we're looking to tie it up on Tuesday," Keane said.

"I met him last week and it went well. He will be a good addition to our squad and it will keep people on their toes."

Ferdinand will be in direct competition with Nyron Nosworthy and Danny Collins, who have formed Sunderland's first choice central defensive partnership for the past two seasons, while Danny Higginbotham can also play in the centre.

Keane also revealed that he is keen to make one more signing, saying: "I will be delighted if I can get him and another one, and then we can concentrate on the season."

Ferdinand will, however, have to wait for his Sunderland debut, with Keane refusing to consider him for Wednesday's Carling Cup clash with Nottingham Forest even if he signs in time.

"There is an international break coming up so it would give him a chance to train with us for two weeks."

Ferdinand, the younger brother of Manchester United star Rio, signed a three-year contract extension with West Ham in July 2005 and his current deal is due to expire in 2010.

He came through the ranks at Upton Park, making his debut in the first game of the 2003/04 season and cementing his place in the side the following campaign.

An England Under-21 international, he has played more than 160 games for West Ham, scoring five times.

And his impending departure has left Hammers manager Alan Curbishley keen to sign a defender.

"We are thin on the ground," said Curbishley. "If we lose another defender we will have to react to that."

Portsmouth have confirmed they have accepted a bid from Real Madrid for Lassana Diarra.

As revealed by skysports.com earlier this week, Real made a move for Diarra as new boss Juande Ramos looks to bolster his squad in the transfer window.

Portsmouth have now accepted an undisclosed fee for the talented Frenchman and Diarra has been given permission to talk to the Spanish giants.

"We have always said that we would only allow our players to leave if we received an exceptional bid," a Portsmouth spokesman told the club's official website.

"We could not stand in the way of a move such as this for Lassana.

"It shows how far the club has come under the ownership of Alexandre Gaydamak when Real Madrid come in for one of our players.

"Should the deal be completed, the club has already identified possible replacements."

Diarra is now set to travel to the Spanish capital to hold talks and undergo a medical ahead of a move to El Santiago Bernabeu when the transfer window reopens in January.

BREAKING GOSSIP
Manchester City midfielder Elano has revealed he is considering a move to Serie A giants Lazio. "I would not have any problem playing in Italy. And Lazio are a very good team," Elano told Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport. (PA - 1353 GMT)

Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear wants to sign Scotland and Rangers midfielder Barry Ferguson. (PA - 1131 GMT)

Bayern Munich sign Hamburg's Croatian international striker Ivica Olic on a three-year contract. (AFP - 1229 GMT)

Boss Harry Redknapp fears Tottenham may be priced out of bringing Jermain Defoe back to the club after Portsmouth slapped a £20m price tag on the striker. (Press Association, various - 0622 GMT)

TRANSFER GOSSIP

Manchester City boss Mark Hughes has made an £8m bid for Arsenal's unsettled Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure. (Daily Mirror)

But Toure has been told by Gunners boss Arsene Wenger he will not be allowed to quit the club after a training-ground bust-up with William Gallas last week. (Sun)

City have also targeted West Ham striker Craig Bellamy and Everton defender Joleon Lescott after landing Wayne Bridge from Chelsea. (Daily Telegraph)

Hughes also hopes to have Roque Santa Cruz and Bellamy's West Ham team-mate Scott Parker signed up by the end of next week in a £32m spree. (Sun)

Sir Alex Ferguson says Manchester United are no closer to securing a permanent deal for striker Carlos Tevez. (Daily Telegraph)

Harry Redknapp admits it is hard to see a future for Hossam Ghaly at White Hart Lane after the Egyptian was jeered by Spurs fans when poised to come on as a substitute in Friday's FA Cup win over Wigan. (Daily Mail)

Aston Villa and Manchester City could be in the frame to sign Jermain Defoe, who called in sick before Portsmouth's FA Cup tie with Bristol City. (Times)

Portsmouth boss Tony Adams admits Defoe may have played his last game for the club after the striker told Executive Chairman Peter Storrie he wanted to leave the club.

Spurs fans chanted Defoe's name all the way through their FA Cup win over Wigan on Friday, hoping to prompt the club to re-sign the player. (Various)
Redknapp unsure over Defoe deal

Joe Kinnear admits the final decision over whether goalkeeper Shay Given leaves the club could be taken above his head. (Sun)

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that the signings of Partizan Belgrade's Zoran Tosic and Adem Ljajic will end his January transfer dealings. (Various)
Man Utd seal deal for Serbian duo

Boss Sam Allardyce is close to taking Lucas Neill back to Blackburn as West Ham are keen to be rid of his huge £60,000-a-week wage bill. (Sun)

Shay Given could be another target for Manchester City after insisting he was disillusioned with Newcastle. (Sun)

Tottenham have made a £12m "take it or leave it" offer for Middlesbrough's England winger Stewart Downing. (Daily Mirror)

Spurs are also in the race for unsettled Bayern Munich forward Lukas Podolski after the German giants rejected an offer from the player's former club Cologne. (Daily Mail)

Wigan boss Steve Bruce has no doubts over keeping on-loan striker Amr Zaki at the club. "He's ours until June, there are no get-out clauses," he said. (Press Association)

Bruce has meanwhile made a £5m move for Reading winger Stephen Hunt, who only signed a new long-term contract last year. (Daily Mirror)

Celtic manager Gordon Strachan says he will resist a proposed £9m bid from Portsmouth for midfielder Scott Brown. (Sun)

Meanwhile, Polish side Lech Poznan say they will not be selling Bosnian midfielder Semir Stilic to Celtic for £2.5m in the January transfer window, as they believe he will be worth more in the summer.(Daily Express)

Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo has slapped a £10m price-tag on captain Christophe Berra after transfer speculation linking the defender with several top clubs in England including Manchester Utd and Liverpool. (Daily Express)

Norwich City are rumoured to be interested in Rangers' striker Andrius Velicka. The Lithuanian has also been linked with a move back to former club Hearts. (Daily Express)

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OTHER FOOTBALL GOSSIP

Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has questioned whether the Premier League fixtures have been drawn up to specifically handicap his club. (Times, Daily Mail)

Boss Luiz Felipe Scolari insists all is well in the Chelsea camp, despite talk of dressing-room unrest. (Daily Telegraph)

Sources within West Ham have denied claims owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson is under pressure to sell the club. (Daily Telegraph)

Manager Arsene Wenger insists his careful spending policy has protected Arsenal from the implications of the financial crisis. (Daily Telegraph)

Sir Alex Ferguson has warned Cristiano Ronaldo that he must learn to accept the harsh physical treatment he is subjected to by opposing defenders in the Premier League after admitting that the Manchester United forward is beginning to show his frustrations. (Guardian)

Jose Mourinho insists he wants to see out the rest of his contract as Inter Milan coach, despite being linked with a move back to England in the summer. (Sun)

Short-term loan signing David Beckham is in excellent shape and could make his Serie A debut in AC Milan's first league match after the winter break at AS Roma next week, coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Saturday. (Gazzetta dello Sport)

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AND FINALLY

Sir Elton John will make a surprise return to Watford just weeks after quitting as honorary life president after his "dismay" at the way the club was being run under former chairma

1012: Man City striker Jo has been spotted at Everton. However, it is not looking good on the Andrei Arshavin-Arsenal front. Apparently the Gunners have not stumped up enough cash.

1058: Some news from Italy - Inter Milan have left Ricardo Quaresma out of their updated Champions League squad.

"I am disappointed with him," said Inter coach Jose Mourinho. "He is a player that I wanted in Milan but unfortunately, he has not been able to overcome the criticism directed at him."

Portugal international Quaresma has been linked with Spurs - and there are even suggestions that he could move as part of a swap deal involving Jermaine Jenas.

"Darren Bent in talks with Blackburn for a loan move, with a view to an £8m permanent deal. Tottenham have not made an official move for any other striker as a replacement as yet."

1209: Andrei Arshavin and Robbie Keane. Perhaps the two top names being hotly tipped with deadline day moves.

Arshavin's move to Arsenal is looking increasingly unlikely, even if the Russian is in England at the moment.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has had this to say: "We don't need an instant saviour. I don't believe in them.

"If he doesn't join us I am not more pessimistic."

Doesn't sound overly optimistic does he?

1206: Oh dear Hull fans. It really does not look as though you will be signing defender Christian Panucci from Roma.

"Christian will remain at Roma and will respect his contract," said Panucci's agent Oscar Damiani.

"We haven't been able to reach an agreement, the offers we received were not considered good enough by the player."

1203: Kasper Schmeichel on the move? The Man City keeper's agent has confirmed to my colleague Chris Bevan that he is looking for a loan move.

In fact, check this sentence out:

"There is no news at the moment but we are still working hard. If you know of anybody who needs a goalkeeper at the last moment let me know."

Brilliant. Lets get Kasper a move.

1410: Transfer news: Henri Camara signs on loan for Stoke from Wigan until the end of the season. Is that just the start?

Everton sign Jo on loan from Manchester City until the end of the season.

1556: Liverpool have confirmed they have "agreed a deal" with Tottenham for the transfer of Robbie Keane back to White Hart Lane.

Breaking news: Wigan have signed talkative French midfielder Charles N'Zogbia from Newcastle on a three-and-a-half year contract. That deal is a definite and is in no way dependent on Ryan Taylor joining the Magpies.