Press Watch: Cash-rich Newcastle linked with moves for Southgate and Bridge among six potential summer signings

Newcastle United appear to be sitting on a bottomless pit of transfer funds, if the latest round of rumours is to be taken at face value. Despite apparently committing themselves to a £10m investment in the "free agent" Lee Bowyer - that's about £50,000-a-week for four years - the St James' Park club are linked with at least half a dozen more potential summer signings.

The Mail on Sunday reckons they are still keen to tempt Gareth Southgate to make the short journey from Middlesbrough to add his experience to their youthful crop of centre-backs, although the paper suggests Manchester United may become rivals for the defender's signature now that Wes Brown faces another long absence.

The Sunday Express, meanwhile, believes Southampton left-back Wayne Bridge will be the target of a £7m offer, perhaps involving ex-Wimbledon striker Carl Cort, said to be tickling Gordon Strachan's fancy.

The Sunday People says the Spanish midfielders Javi De Padro (Real Sociedad) and Thiago Motta (Barcelona) are on Sir Bobby Robson's wish list, despite the News of the World's revelation that Newcastle are on the verge of the "shock signing" of the Benfica winger Simão Sabrosa, and also want the Shakhtar Donetsk centre-back Isaac Okoronkwo.

The Mail describes next Saturday's French Cup final as the shop window to a football hypermarket for English club managers, predicting that representatives of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool will be poised to join a trolley dash for a quintet of Auxerre stars. Centre-backs Philippe Mexes and Jean-Alain Boumsong, midfielder Olivier Kapo, winger Khalilou Fadiga and striker Djibril Cissé are said to be the top lines on offer, along with opponents Paris St-Germain's Manchester United target Ronaldinho.

The Express says Manchester United can make an acquisition nearer home with Leeds's Harry Kewell supposedly having told friends he wants to go to Old Trafford, while the News of the World predicts a battle with Arsenal for Monaco's £5m rated former Lazio and Piacenza goalkeeper Flavio Roma. The Leeds manager Peter Reid is set to make Liverpool's Patrik Berger his first signing, according to the People, while the Mirror tips David O'Leary to raid Elland Road to take the midfielder Stephen McPhail to Aston Villa.

With another Manchester United target, Paul Robinson, poised to stay at Leeds, Birmingham are said by the Mirror to have been knocked back in their move for the Old Trafford keeper Roy Carroll and will switch their attention to Leeds' Nigel Martyn. The Express reckons Birmingham are trying to land the Arsenal striker Francis Jeffers for up to £3.5m, which would mean Clinton Morrison being shown the door at St Andrew's.