Geremi on his way to Newcastle

Chelsea utility player Geremi looks to be on his way to Newcastle United. Armed with a considerable transfer kitty, Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce is scouring England and abroad for fresh recruits, as he looks to revive fortunes at St James' Park.

Cameroon international Geremi has in the past been linked with a move to Middlesbrough, where he once spent a season on loan, but it looks as though Newcastle have stolen a march on their North East rivals.

Allardyce is hopeful of quickly concluding a deal for the 28-year-old, who is approaching the end of his contract at Chelsea and, will be available on a free transfer.

Bruce sets sights on Flamini

Birmingham manager Steve Bruce has set his sights on Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini. The Frenchman, who announced last season that he was ready to leave Arsenal, is set to buy out the rest of his contract.

Flamini is currently evaluating his options and is expected to make a decision on his future in the next couple of weeks.

Birmingham are said to be one of Flamini's options as the Blues are looking to strengthen their squad after winning promotion to the Premier League.

Bruce has a history of signing players from Arsenal, having taken Nicklas Bendtner on loan last season and also buying Sebastian Larsson and Fabrice Muamba.

Coleman linked with Sociedad

Chris Coleman is on the verge of a return to football as he is set to be unveiled as the new manager of Real Sociedad.

After being dismissed by Fulham towards the end of last season, Coleman was linked with several posts, including the likes of Manchester City and Sheffield United, but it now looks as though he could pitch up on foreign shores.

Sociedad are on the lookout for a new coach following relegation from La Liga last season and, Coleman has emerged as a front-runner having been recommended to the club by John Toshack - a former manager at the Basque outfit.

Barca in the lead to buy Chivu

Barcelona are leading the hunt to sign Roma defender Cristian Chivu, the Serie A runners-up said yesterday.

The Romanian is being courted by the Spanish club and Italian champions Inter but Roma will not let go of one of their key players easily.

"The asking price of Roma for Chivu is set at 18 million euros, the offer from the Spaniards is interesting but for reasons of privacy between the two clubs it is not possible to communicate how much," Roma sporting director Daniele Prade was quoted as saying on the Gazzetta dello Sport's website.

Oliveira close to Milan exit

Ricardo Oliveira looks set to leave Milan as the Serie A club are in search of a big-name player to bolster their forward line.

Reports suggest the Brazilian forward will make space for a new addition as Milan are currently looking to sign one of Andriy Shevchenko, Samuel Eto'o and Lyon forward Fred.

The 27-year-old Brazilian has endured a tough spell at the San Siro with only three goals to show in 22 appearances last season, and was overshadowed by the arrival of fellow countryman Ronaldo.

Napoli step up Cassano interest

Napoli are set to make a bid for unsettled Real Madrid striker Antonio Cassano. The former Bari and Roma forward has been constantly linked with a return to Italy after falling out of favour at the Bernabeu last season.

Napoli were reported to have lined up an offer in January but were unable to meet Real Madrid's or Cassano's demands. It is understood that Paolo Cannavaro and Francesco Montervino have travelled to Madrid to talk to Cassano while his agent Beppe Bozzo spoke to Napoli's Director of Sport Pierpaolo Marino last week.

I wanted to join only Inter - Suazo

New Inter striker David Suazo has said he only ever wanted to join the Italian champions despite a late bid by Milan for the former Cagliari forward who signed for Inter on Tuesday.

"In my mind there was only Inter," the Honduran told reporters as he was unveiled at Inter's training ground.

"I was always calm. My agent did what he should have done. I didn't refuse Milan because I had already decided."

Lazio eye Nuno Gomes

Lazio are preparing a move for Portuguese striker Nuno Gomes as they seek to strengthen their squad for the Champions League.

The 30-year-old is set to leave Benfica and sources in Portugal claim that the Biancocelesti will challenge West Ham for his signature.

Gomes is no stranger to Italian football, having spent two years with Fiorentina between 2000 and 2002, hitting the target 14 times in 53 appearances.

Hamberg to lead 'Pool academy

Former Ajax player Piet Hamberg will take over as academy technical manager at Liverpool after the departure of Steve Heighway.

Hamberg joins from Swiss club Grasshoppers where he was in charge of the youth set-up, having previously coached in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Hamberg will work alongside Academy Manager John Owens and Malcolm Elias, the head of recruitment.