Newcastle United continue to be prolific column fillers at present, something I guess that goes hand in hand with a mini-revolution sparked by having new owners and a new boss in situ.

Apparently Sam Allardyce is sniffing around his old digs and is leading the chase for Bolton giant Abdoulaye Faye (Daily Mirror). Sam's Reebok successor Sammy Lee will apparently start a bidding war for contract rebel Faye after deciding to cash in on the Senegal international (The Sun). Midfielder turned defender Faye, 29, has been pretty solid in his two seasons at Bolton and his performances have more than repaid the paltry £750,000 that Big Sam paid Lens for him. He is probably worth between £3m and £4m now and should Lee really be keen to cash in, then he will want the deal done sooner rather than later so as to swiftly re-invest the money elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have allegedly told striker Obafemi Martins he can leave if they find a suitable buyer (The Independent). Many sides have been linked with the somersaulting Nigerian, who made a good start to his Premiership career last term. Arsenal are one of those clubs, and should they really not be interested in Nicolas Anelka, then maybe they will go for Martins. But time is of the essence with sides already well into their pre-season programme and the new campaign only days away. The fee for Martins? Well, I would hazard around £10m to £12m would secure his services, but that money could perhaps be more wisely invested in other potential strikers.

'I would hazard around £10m to £12m would secure the services of Martins, but that money could perhaps be more wisely invested in other potential strikers'


OK, here comes a triple whammy of rumours. According to The Sun, Sunderland have re-entered the race to sign Manchester United striker Alan Smith, thoughthe Daily Mirror  say  Middlesbrough are close to winning the battle after offering Smith a massive £60,000-a-week contract. Finally,  according to the Daily Mail,  Everton are said to be favourites to pip Newcastle to the signing of Smith.

With these rumours come the obvious questions: 1) Is Smith really worth £60,000 a week? 2) Why are so many clubs so keen on landing the former Leeds man,  who collects yellow cards like philatelists collect stamps?

I've expressed my opinions on Smith in these pieces before, mostly in jest. But seriously, I do value some of his attributes and he is Premiership level player - though if he is offered a contract for that sort of money, something is clearly wrong in the game.

Add PSG defender Boukary Dramé to the Newcastle wanted list  (The Times). If you are looking for some inside knowledge from me with regards to the 22-year-old French-born Senegalese international - who has two cats, one named Gerald, and a penchant for Haribo sweets, although not the ones that look like fried eggs -then you have come to the wrong place!

We end the day with two Liverpool rumours, one that will no doubt be a headache for Rafa Benitez and the other less so. Juventus have reportedly joined Rafa in the race for Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze (Daily Mail). That's just what Benitez needs, another side into the already complicated equation.

Should Claudio Ranieri's newly-promoted Serie A side be interested in the Argentinian full-back, then I am sure Sir Alex will be more than happy to whisk Heinze to another side in another league, rather than off-loading world-class talent to a Premiership rival. What if, come January, Liverpool decide to do a sneaky deal with the Turin side? Well, that's another matter, and no doubt one that will be fully covered in the defender's contract.

On a lighter note, Liverpool's Anthony Le Tallec has been offered to the likes of Fulham, West Ham and Birmingham (The Times). I must confess I was under the impression that Le Tallec was no longer a Liverpool player; it is in fact over two years since the young forward played a competitive game for the Anfield side and he has been plying his trade on loan since then. It seems more than likely he will not be part of Rafa's plans in this campaign. Could be a handy signing for any of the sides in question - or he could go the way of David Bellion? What do you think?