Top sport stories from the national newspapers:

THE SUN: David Beckham fears Fabio Capello could axe him from England’s squad for the World Cup finals. Also: Manchester United are threatening to sue over claims they lured Paul Pogba to Old Trafford by paying off his parents.

DAILY MIRROR: Croatia boss Slaven Bilic has ordered his players to target England’s “wild man” Wayne Rooney tomorrow. Also: Premier League academy matches are the target for Far East betting syndicates – trying to make fortunes out of inside information.

DAILY STAR: David Beckham last night admitted he faces a battle to make Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad. Also: Angry Manchester United last night hit back at Le Havre’s claims they bribed Paul Pogba’s mum and dad – and threatened to sue the French club.

DAILY EXPRESS: Croatia will target ’wild’ Wayne Rooney as they look to stop England clinching qualification for the World Cup at Wembley tomorrow. Also: Furious Manchester United last night sent a “put up or shut up” warning to Le Havre as the Paul Pogba “poaching” affair took a new twist.

DAILY MAIL: Ian Wright and six Premier League stars are involved in an academy that has been accused of ’raping’ South Africa of its talent by the country’s most senior football official. Also: David Beckham has hinted he would move back to the Barclays Premier League if it helped him become the first Englishman to play in four World Cups.

THE INDEPENDENT: Manchester City were drawn into the threat of a transfer ban last night, as the French club Rennes declared that their signing of the prodigious young defender Jeremy Helan had been unlawful and presented a more clear-cut case for reprisals from FIFA than Chelsea’s move for Gael Kakuta.

THE TIMES: Frank Lampard launched a passionate defence of Chelsea’s youth development programme as the recruitment policy of Barclays Premier League clubs came under more scrutiny.

DAILY TELEGRAPH: The image endures of Paul Gascoigne trashing Glenn Hoddle’s room before France 98, the sound of breaking glass mixing in with the equally grating strains of Kenny G.

THE GUARDIAN: Frank Lampard has launched an impassioned defence of the much-maligned Chelsea academy and said FIFA’s decision to ban the club from making signings until 2011 over the Gael Kakuta affair “can be used as a positive”.