[alex18122003]

18:39: A brief lull has descended on the world of transfers and RD will admit it's not too disappointed. It was all getting a little hectic earlier.

Anyway, in the Potteries, Stoke have agreed a fee to relieve Crystal Palace of midfielder Tom Soares while Sone Aluko has joined Aberdeen from Birmingham on a three-year deal. Financial details of both deals were not disclosed, as seems to be a la mode these days.

18:23: Not so long ago, George McCartney was being targeted by Italian giants Milan, but the defender has just finalised details of a move to Sunderland from West Ham. Oh well, you can't win them all.

17:56: Liverpool are in action again. The Reds have sealed a deal for former Manchester City winger Albert Riera, who actually turned out to be quite good in Spain after leaving Eastlands. It's a four-year deal thought to be worth £8m, although the question has to be asked - what's the use of having wingers if Rafa Benitez never plays them?

But Arsenal won't be getting Gokhan Inler - the Switzerland international has signed a contract extension with Udinese.

Things are hotting up as the deadline approaches... West Brom have confirmed the signing of AZ Alkmaar defender Ryan Donk on loan while Wolves have signed centre-back Jason Shackell from Norwich for an undisclosed fee.

Meanwhile, Joey Barton could be on his way out of Newcastle, with a top 10 Premier League club apparently willing to take on the poisoned chalice.


17:39: That Real-for-Berbatov rumour appears to have been invented by a bored student on work experience in a media office somewhere in Spain.

The facts, as things stand, are like this: City have had a bid accepted by Spurs but the player himself is currently talking to United, even though the champions do not have permission to do so. It would appear that United are in pole position, but then again, City are based just next door to United at Carrington, so things can change very quickly.

Blackburn have signed Northampton goalkeeper Mark Bunn, no relation to 1980s Luton, Hull and Oldham forward, for an undisclosed fee.

17:25: Latest reports from Spain are totally contradictory to what Revolving Doors told you earlier. Real Madrid have no intention of bidding for Berbatov after all. So there. You really can't trust Spanish media. Or can you? Who knows. Madness.

Worst non-sighting of the day - Klaas Jan Huntelaar at Manchester airport. He must have just missed Fergie and Berbatov at the arrivals gate.

Manchester City are certainly reaching for the stars and prospective new owner Dr Sulaiman Al-Fahim has confirmed the club have made bids for Valencia's David Villa and Stuttgart's Mario Gomez as well as Dimitar Berbatov.

Fulham striker Collins John has joined Dutch side NEC Nijmegen on a free transfer.

17:00: Fergie wants Berbatov badly. Very badly. So badly in fact that the United supremo was willing to pick him up from the airport in his own car and drive him to Carrington himself. Berbs has now been with United officials for the past hour and a half and if Revolving Doors was a betting entity, it would put its hard earned cash on United sealing a deal. But it isn't so it won't.

Meanwhile, Spurs may well been prolific today but it's been confirmed that Andrei Arshavin will not be joining Corluka and Pavlyuchenko at White Hart Lane.

In other, less earth shattering news, Middlesbrough defender Jonathan Grounds is set to check into a Travelodge in Norwich after agreeing a loan deal at Carrow Road.

16:55: Hold on to your hats... reports emanating from Spain tell us that the Berbatov saga has taken a dramatic new twist. Real Madrid, yes Real Madrid, are preparing to hijack both United and City's bids for the Bulgarian with a new offer of £36.5m. You couldn't make it up.

And that comes hot off the heels of reports that Berbs was in the red half of Carrington, speaking with United - and not City - officials. This one is going down to the wire.

16:40: Emmanuel Petit look-a-like Andriy Voronin has admitted defeat in his quest for success at Liverpool - at least for the time being. The Ukrainian has left for Hertha Berlin on a season-long loan.

Meanwhile, it's been a long time coming but Xabi Alonso has finally received a vote of confidence from Rafa Benitez. The Liverpool boss has confirmed Alonso will be staying put this summer. Nice to be wanted.

Meanwhile, Southampton have completed the signing of interestingly-named Romain Gasmi from Ligue 1 Strasbourg.

16.25: Take that Tyrone Mears! You're not the only one who can join a random foreign club! Steve Finnan has left Liverpool for Espanyol for an undisclosed fee. The Irishman is presumably hoping to recreate the runaway success that was Ian Harte at Levante. No word yet on Albert Riera going in the opposite direction.

Liverpool have, however, signed 18-year-old goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi from MTK Hungaria. Rumour has it he's a bit tasty...

16.10: A big hello if you're just joining us. Deadline Day has entered its final third, and there's no doubt about the story of the day. Manchester City are set to be taken over by a moneybags group of Arab investors - and have launched a £34m bid for Dimitar Berbatov, thereby gazumping neighbours United. It will be quite something if they pull this one off.

15.50: Bristol City have confirmed the signing of Ebbsfleet United striker John Akinde for £140,000. You may recall Ebbsfleet's 7,500-odd members voted on whether to accept the offer. 82 percent did, but one member, who works in RD's office, said he rejected the bid "just to be a bit of a ****". That's the kind of person you want running your football club.

Other minor moves this afternoon: Rachid Bouaouzan (that's five vowels in a row) from Wigan to NEC on loan, Gabriel Zakuani on loan from Fulham to Peterborough, and Jon Parkin from Stoke to Preston in a permanent deal.

Meanwhile it is claimed that Manchester City's bid for Dimitar Berbatov weighs in at a colossal £34m.

15.40: In what is Revolving Doors's favourite transfer of the day by a long way, Derby County's Tyrone Mears has signed for Marseille on loan. Elsewhere, Cardiff City have rejected Stoke's £5m bid for Joe Ledley and have rather huffily put a "not for sale" sign above his head.

And while Manchester City are in the business of signing world-class strikers, they are also lumping big on David Villa and, er, Mario Gomez. Oh.

15.35: It's not transfer news, but it is pretty funny. Siena's Massimo Maccarone, formerly of Middlesbrough, has refused to apologise after pushing referee Carmine Russo in yesterday's game against Atalanta, saying: "Did I shove him? I barely touched him on the chest. If that is a push then we are girls."


15.20: If it's non-Man City news you want, you've come to the wrong place. If Berbatov joins, he might well take Javan Vidal's peg in the dressing room. The England Under-19 international has gone on loan to Grimsby.

BUT HOLD ON A MINUTE! Real Madrid, ever the mischief-makers, have got wind of all this nonsense and are apparently readying themselves to make a rival bid!

And back in the real world, Ipswich have signed Jon Stead on loan from Sheffield United. So well done them.

14.50: Lordy lordy! Mark Hughes has just said that Manchester City's bid for Dimitar Berbatov has been accepted! They're paying over £30m for him, and call Revolving Doors crazy but it is starting to believe that this might actually happen.

Stoke have made a £5m bid for Cardiff City's Joe Ledley. Can't really think of a punchline other than to question the Welsh international's wisdom.