Transient Random-Noise Bursts With Announcements

Not a lot around today. The problem is heightened by the impossibility of actually believing anything that's in the papers at the moment. I mean its always a problem but just now, transfer rumours everywhere, it's even worse.
So, with that in mind, here's The Sun telling us about Tevez's demands:

GREEDY Carlos Tevez has told Manchester United: Make me your highest-paid player — or I go.

The Red Devils have agreed the £26million asking price to make the Argie striker’s loan move permanent.

But they have still to match the personal terms of £110,000 a week that stars Rio Ferdinand and Dimitar Berbatov earn.

It is a fairly believable story though, especially if one believes the previous stories about Man City offering him £140,000. Time will tell I guess.
The main problem with transfer stories is the refusal of anyone to take responsibility for them. The reports are always, "it is rumoured," or "there is speculation," never, "we are saying," or "we have information." So when it doesn't happen they don't have to say, "we were wrong," they get to say:

Victor Valdes has ended speculation linking him to Manchester United by signing a new contract at European champions Barcelona.

No Valdes, but we are going to buy Casillas instead...

Manchester United are ready to give back some of the £80 million they will revceive from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo for Spain goalkeeeper Iker Casillas.

Whatever...
Benzema transfer has something actually new about it, if you count Lyon president making a comment about it new...

He said: "Karim has said that he wants to stay another year at Lyon.

"But I think that Kaka or Ronaldo maybe imagined remaining with their respective clubs.

"There is a tsunami called Real Madrid which provokes reactions at Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United.

"So it is very complicated to say that he is non-transferable. Today, it's obvious we want to keep him.

"There is more chance he'll be at Lyon next season than that he won't be.

"I won't hide from you the fact that he has been approached. For the moment, I managed to convince them not to go further."

As you were then...
The Daily Star manage to omit the, "more chance he'll be at Lyon next season than that he won't be," line to make the story more exciting, and as an afterthought put in a pretty ridiculous transfer rumour:

Ferguson ... was last night rumoured to have entered the chase for £18m England and Portsmouth right-back Glen Johnson.

Liverpool thought they had seen off Chelsea. Now, a third club is in the frame – and Manchester City denied it was them.

Because we really need a right back... And there are no other clubs in the world are there?
Elsewhere, aside from the Bobby Charlton "vulgar" comment which I reported yesterday (and why did all the papers pick up on that word, rather than the other things he said about Ronaldo?) there's just this story on the worth of our "brand" (which seems a trifle more "vulgar"...):

Manchester United have been rated the eighth most valuable sports brand in the world in a new study which for the first time has assessed the comparative worths of 200 brands across the sporting spectrum.

Brands from the United States head the list compiled by SportsPro magazine, with the National Football League's value of $4.5bn (£2.75bn) ranking it No1, ahead of Major League Baseball ($3.936bn), and the National Basketball Association ($2.344bn).

United are valued at $1.495bn, three places and £200m behind the Fifa World Cup, worth $1.7bn.