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Gibson very rarely features for Manchester Untied. Mike Egerton/EMPICS Sport
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The Departures Lounge: your daily transfer gossip round-up

A certain Mr Trapattoni may not be over the moon upon reading today’s top story…

TODAY’S GOSSIP COLUMN begins with news that Darron Gibson is reportedly content with remaining at Manchester United until the end of the season, when he’ll be able to leave on a Bosman.

The 24-year-old made his first Premier League appearance of the season on St Stephen’s Day but after being disciplined by the club for actions later that night, he was dropped with Wayne Rooney for the following fixture and hasn’t even made the bench since then.

There is believed to be interest in the midfielder from the likes of Everton, but this latest story suggests that the Derry native will see out his contract at Old Trafford and look for a new club in the summer.

Such a decision might rule Gibson out of a trip to Poland in June, however. Giovanni Trapattoni has publically advised the player to move in the past and another half-season in the United reserves may prompt the Ireland manager to leave him out of the 23-man squad.

Last week, when it was revealed that Newcastle’s in-form striker Demba Ba could be available for as little as €12m, just about every half-decent club was put on alert.

The 26-year-old, who picked up the Premier League Player of the Month for December, has linked up with his Senegalese team-mates ahead of the African Cup of Nations after scoring 15 league goals so far this season.

However, that hasn’t put a halt to the transfer talk as Harry Redknapp is maintaining that his buyout clause could be as little as €8m while the player himself is quoted as saying that a move to Paris Saint-Germain might interest him – but a deal wouldn’t happen until the summer at the earliest.

Another player likely to feature in this month’s tournament in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea after being named in the Ivory Coast squad is Chelsea’s Salomon Kalou.

He could be wearing the red of Arsenal by the time he returns to club action however, as Arsene Wenger is believed to have made an enquiry about the possibility of signing the former Feyenoord winger.

Jordan Rhodes was the name on a lot of people’s lips over the weekend after the 21-year-old scored five times against Wycombe Wanderers on Friday to bring his tally for the season so far to 31 goals in 23 games.

Now a raft of clubs, including West Ham, are said to be weighing up a move for the Scottish international.

The Hammers currently have striker Carlton Cole on their books, but Turkish side Galatasaray are poised to make a fresh bid for the 28-year-old after missing out on him during the summer.

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