Saturday's football gossip column
Wesley Sneijder faces intense competition for places at Real Madrid this summer
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Saturday, 22, Aug 2009 04:20
By Matthew Champion.
Real Madrid's forgotten man Wesley Sneijder will resist approaches from Manchester United, Aston Villa and Arsenal to stay at the Bernabeu.
But fellow Dutch internationals Rafael van der Vaart and Arjen Robben would welcome a move to United, with Manchester City also lurking.
All three face intense competition for places following the summer arrivals of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Xabi Alonso.
City could wrap up a £23 million move for deeply-unsettled Everton centre-back Joleon Lescott.
Martin O'Neill wants Blackburn Rovers' Stephen Warnock, valued at around £8 million, to help arrest his side's defensive slide.
Other defenders on the move are Phillippe Senderos and Steven Taylor, who are wanted by Fulham. But the Cottagers will only move for the Arsenal and Newcastle United centre-backs if Brede Hangeland joins Arsenal of City.
Despite the early season form of Luka Modric on the Tottenham Hotspur left-flank, Harry Redknapp is interested in Celtic's Aiden McGeady.
And Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has all-but ruled out a Stamford Bridge exit for Andriy Shevchenko, who must be content to play the fourth striker role this season.