It's all newspaper rumour and gossip, of course - but is Portsmouth's super striker heading for the Emirates? Juventus, Manchester City, Newcastle, Chelsea and Barcelona also feature in this news bulletin.
'Owen wanting to leave St James Park has led to the inevitable talk of a possible return to his first love. What would Liverpool fans make of such a comeback?' Portsmouth’s in-form striker Benjani is becoming a sought-after property - a remarkable turnaround in fortunes after his atrocious strike record prior to hitting the goal trail this term. Among those believed to be interested in the 29-year-old Zimbabwean (real name Benjamin Mwaruwari) are Arsenal and Juventus (Daily Star).
Apparently, Harry Redknapp is loathe to lose the man who cost a club record £4.1m in January 2006. But considering the sides showing an interest, he may find keeping hold of his top scorer an impossible task. Whilst Arsenal are scoring goals for fun they could probably do with another striker in the bag to cover any injury crisis and the possible departure of Nicklas Bendtner. And if the valuation was fair, then it could be a wise move for Arsene Wenger.
Newcastle’s perennially injured England striker Michael Owen is apparently not all that keen on new Toon boss Sam Allardyce and would be all for a move in the January transfer window (Daily Express). Even with his well-documented injury problems, at the right price (£15m has been reported) the 27-year-old would be a good buy and Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City have all apparently been showing an interest
Juande Ramos is keen to stamp his own brand on the White Hart Lane outfit and has obviously been linked with players from his former club Sevilla - but apparently he is also a fan of the former Anfield legend. Talking of which, news of Owen wanting to leave St James Park has led to the inevitable talk of a possible return to his first love. What would Liverpool fans make of such a comeback?
Fernando Torres has made a good start to his Reds career, but Peter Crouch seems unhappy and may well be on his way out, and Dirk Kuyt hasn’t been a big hit even though Rafa Benitez continues to stick with the Dutchman. Andriy Voronin has greatly impressed me but looks destined to be a squad player, so maybe there is space for the diminutive Owen back where he belongs?
Chelsea’s much-admired keeper Petr Cech has claimed he would be tempted by the prospect of a move to Spanish giants Barcelona (various). I was sure that Avram Grant would fail, but he has impressed me as Jose Mourinho’s successor. The key, though, is have the players accepted him? Will there be a mass exodus from Stamford Bridge next summer?
If so, then Cech is one of the club's most prized possessions - probably the best keeper in the world, in fact. You can only imagine how much the Czech stopper would cost Barca. If Craig Gordon cost £9m, then that would make the two-time Premier League winner worth at least £20m. I would have thought tht keeping Cech is as important to Chelsea as keeping Messrs Terry, Lampard and Drogba - if not even more important.
West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand has admitted to throwing the first punch in a confrontation outside a nightclub (various). The talented 22-year-old told police he feared the man he hit was a "would-be thief" and may have been armed.
The mixture of high-profile players and nightclubs tends to end in problems that are not always of the footballer’s making. One could question the wisdom of going out wearing a £64,000 watch, but let’s just hope this is all cleared up sooner rather than later and Ferdinand gets his mind back to playing football. What do West Ham fans think about the whole affair?
