Heskey the Messiah and other transfer gossip

So desperate is the situation at Liverpool that under-fire coach Rafa Benitez is considering resigning Emile Heskey. Heskey signed for the Reds back in 2001 for a then record £11m but largely failed to impress at Anfield before being shipped off five years later. He is currently warming the bench at Aston Villa but curiously is a first choice for England. Elsewhere, new Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is keen to strengthen the club’s defence and is tracking West Ham centre-half Matthew Upson (£10m), Inter Milan full-back Maicon (£15m), Juventus full-back Giorgio Chiellini (£10m) and Bolton's Gary Cahill (£10m); Valencia striker David Villa believes the time is right for a switch to England after failing to secure moves to Barcelona and Real Madrid; Real Madrid are keen on in-form Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic; and Manchester United have bid £9m plus Nani for Benfica’s highly-rated Argentine Angel di Maria.