Mark "Useless" Hughes planning to take Fabian Delph to moneybags Manchester City? Providing of course he lasts that much longer as their manager!

Just four days in to the new-year and the re-opening of the transfer-window, the latest is that Mark "Useless" (as he is fondly known by Leeds fans) will try and upstage his old boss Ferguson and pinch Fabian Delph from under their noses.

Yesterday it was Manchester United linked in a £10m deal to take Delph west, now Arab-rich Manchester City have emerged as contenders for his signature.

However according to the Guardian, Papa Smurf has been advised to hang-fire on selling the kid who is rumoured to be nicknamed "Thorp Arch" (whereby any sale of Delph would help buy-back the Leeds training ground!). Delph would apparently be worth even more come the summer, when new rules kick-in about homegrown players in the Champions League.

We will wait and see. Delph is still under contract for the next four years and the club are no-longer in a position where they have to conduct January fire-sales of "Zavvi" proportions to try and plug the black-hole that was the club's finances.

Photo: Action Images via Reuters