Soccer News round-upArsenal and Manchester United have inquired about the Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen. The clubs are considering the 29-year-old Finland international among several candidates for that position.
Their interest remains at a preliminary stage and any formal offer would be much more likely to come in the summer. Bolton would demand a particularly high price for Jaaskelainen mid-season and Alex Ferguson has ruled out buying a goalkeeper now, with Arsene Wenger making similar noises.
Wenger has set his sights on bringing in someone before long, though. Arsenal's goalkeeping problems have been plain of late, with Jens Lehmann dropped and his replacement, Manuel Almunia, an unlikely long-term solution.
Ferguson, meanwhile, is keeping his options open as he decides whether he needs to replace Roy Carroll, his current first choice, and Tim Howard. Carroll has played relatively few first-team games and Ferguson is still assessing him.
Carroll's contract expires at the end of the season and he has so far been unable to agree terms, but the Northern Ireland international will almost certainly sign an extension.
His agent, Francis Martin, said yesterday: "It would be crazy to think Roy wants to leave Manchester United - his biggest concern was whether he would get a run in the side."
The situation over Jaaskelainen's contract at the Reebok Stadium is unresolved. His existing deal runs for a further two-and-a-half seasons, but over recent months he rejected the club's initial offer of a new contract.
Meanwhile, Ashley Cole hopes for a swift resolution to his contract talks with Arsenal. Wenger has said that the club are preparing to make him an offer that will "give him the recognition as one of the top players" and Cole is keen to stay at Highbury.
"Ashley has two-and-a-half years left on his contract and loves Arsenal to bits," said his agent, Jonathan Barnett. "If they were to come to him with a new contract offer then of course he would be willing to listen. If Arsenal offered him something really good then his first choice would be to stay at the club."
Manchester United have risked further damage to their relationship with Malcolm Glazer by initiating moves to reappoint a director he had ousted from the club's plc board. David Gill, the United chief executive, is so determined to reinstate Andy Anson that he has even made a preliminary approach to the club's majority shareholders, John Magnier and JP McManus, via their investment vehicle Cubic Expression.
Over in Liverpool, the man behind a potential £30 million investment in Everton has insisted he has the money and it should be in the club's bank account by Christmas.
Chris Samuelson, who is fronting the Brunei-based Fortress Sports Fund from his Geneva home, has given Everton written confirmation this week that the deal is still on.
He told reporters: "Yes we have the money, yes it is being processed and yes, Everton will have it as soon as possible. If anybody understands the complications of money transfers around the world, they will know that these things take time.
"In fact, the consortium was over-subscribed, but the money is being paid in dollars from New York and the man who has the final say on its release is in New Zealand.
"We actually have the money in our account but we are now waiting for the final agreement to set up the fund in Brunei."
An initial £12.8 million should have been in Everton's hands by Monday evening, the last day of a 14-day extension that FSF had been given to come up with the cash following last month's annual general meeting.
When that deadline passed, the fund's "exclusivity" was ended and it was possible for other consortiums to open negotiations.
