Tales of the tabs: A man of many parts

If all the midweek tabloid speculation proves to be accurate, Roy Keane will be playing for Juventus, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Barcelona next season. Just as well he has a good engine.

Phil Babb's engine has stalled just a bit recently and, according to the Mirror, hopes of a fresh start at Derby County were scuppered last week when they turned down his wage demands after agreeing to a transfer fee with Liverpool. The Sunday People, meanwhile, claims that another Republic of Ireland international, winger Kevin Kilbane, is attracting the attention of Middlesbrough and Fulham, but that West Bromwich Albion won't sell for under £3 million.

The same paper suggests that Shay Given's future at Newcastle under Bobby Robson may be no more secure than it appeared under Ruud Gullit. They claim Robson wants to make Colombian World Cup goalkeeper Farid Mondragon his first signing at the club. And just about everyone reported last week that Mark Bosnich's stay at Manchester United may prove short-lived. They all suggest that his signing was foisted upon Alex Ferguson by the PLC in the first place (because he was free) and that he never really rated him. Last week's £4.5 million signing of Italian goalkeeper Massimo Taibi would appear to add some substance to the story.