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BBC
Barcelona are considering a January loan move for Tottenham and Argentina midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, 27. (90min)
Talks are advancing for a deal for Manchester United's Netherlands midfielder Donny van de Beek, 26, to join Eintracht Frankfurt on loan. (Fabrizio Romano on X)
Newcastle's owners continue to admire Jose Mourinho at Roma, with the 60-year-old's contract set to expire next summer, although the Serie A side are keen to retain him as their manager. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian)
Getafe are hoping to buy England forward Mason Greenwood, 22, from Manchester United but stand to profit anyway due to a 20% sell-on clause that was inserted in his loan deal to the La Liga club. (Athletic - subscription)
Arsenal have made an offer of £17.2m plus add-ons for Santos and Brazil Under-20 forward Marcos Leonardo, 20. (Fichajes - in Spanish)
Manchester City could move for a midfielder and striker in the upcoming January window. (Football Insider)
Juventus remain interested in signing Manchester City and England midfielder Kalvin Phillips, 28, on loan in January. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian)
Chelsea are keen on Sporting Lisbon's Sweden forward Viktor Gyokeres, 25. (Ekrem Konur on X)
Former Wolves and Spain boss Julen Lopetegui, 57, is interesting both Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest. The Spaniard has not managed since leaving Wolves in August. (Sun)
Manchester United and Liverpool are among a number of Premier League clubs monitoring Real Betis' 18-year-old Spain Under-21 winger Assane Diao. (TeamTalk)
Saudi Arabian clubs Al Shabab and Al-Qadsiyah are considering a move for 36-year-old former England striker Jamie Vardy when his Leicester contract expires next summer. (CaughtOffside)
Liverpool are considering recalling 26-year-old English defender Nat Phillips from his loan at Celtic after Cameroonian defender Joel Matip, 32, suffered a season-ending knee injury. (Mirror)
Liverpool's France defender Ibrahima Konate, 24, has begun talks over a contract extension with the Reds, despite talks of a move to Paris St-Germain. (le10sport - in French)
Championship side Sunderland are in talks to appoint Will Still but face a battle to win over the Belgium-born English coach, 31, who is in charge of Ligue 1 side Reims. (Telegraph - subscription)
Borussia Dortmund have joined Newcastle in the race for the signature of Serhou Guirassy, Stuttgart's 27-year-old Guinea forward. Guirassy has scored 16 Bundesliga goals already this season. (Sport Bild - in German)
Premier League scouts from Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool are watching Middlesbrough and England Under-21 midfielder Hayden Hackney, 21, with the expectation he will leave the club next summer. (Mail)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MAIL
Aston Villa are ready to fight off any interest in midfielder Douglas Luiz next month, with the Brazil international valued at more than £100m.
Alexis Mac Allister is not expected to be a long-term absentee from the Liverpool side with the knee injury he sustained against Sheffield United last week, but he is a serious doubt for Sunday's Anfield date with Manchester United.
Middlesbrough defender Hayden Hackney is being watched by scouts from both Manchester clubs, Tottenham and Liverpool but any move is more likely to happen in the summer.
The Premier League has indicated to Everton's prospective buyers 777 Partners that their takeover will not be approved before the end of the year, raising fears that the club could lose their offer, have to enter administration and face another points deduction next month.
Brighton have lost one of their key backroom staff, with head of medical and performance Adam Brett leaving the club in recent weeks after almost a decade in the role.
Dale Benkenstein is set to be unveiled as the new head coach of Lancashire after Chris Silverwood turned down the county's approach to remain in his role with Sri Lanka.
DAILY EXPRESS
Former Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea would be very interested in joining Newcastle United on a short-term deal in January, according to reports.
Injuries to Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw against Bayern Munich on Tuesday could leave Manchester United without 13 first-team players when they take on old rivals Liverpool on Sunday.
Despite comments to the contrary from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola about Erling Haaland's absence being more than short-term, his father Alfie, his brother Astor and girlfriend Isabel Haugseng Johansen have all removed the striker from their Fantasy Premier League teams.
THE GUARDIAN
Chelsea's players are perplexed by Thiago Silva not being made captain in the absence of Reece James and Ben Chilwell, with suggestions that the veteran defender has been disrespected a growing topic in the dressing room.
The government has admitted that a "disagreement" with Roman Abramovich is stopping funds generated from the sale of Chelsea from being used to help victims of the war in Ukraine.
Newcastle's hopes of Champions League progression could rest in the hands of their third-choice goalkeeper Loris Karius at home against Milan after Eddie Howe admitted that Martin Dubravka's fitness is "unclear".
THE SUN
Jose Mourinho is deep in talks with AS Roma over an extension to his contract as manager, but reports in Italy say Newcastle United remain "fascinated" by the 60-year-old.
Chelsea face being without England defender Reece James until March as his hamstring injury is on the more severe end of the scale.
Loris Karius is on standby for Newcastle's do-or-die Champions League clash with AC Milan - over five years after his blunders cost Liverpool in the final.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Chelsea have bullishly insisted that they plan to keep handing out eight-year contracts, despite Premier League clubs voting to close the loophole that allowed them to spread transfer fees over more than five years.
West Bromwich Albion are edging closer towards a sale with unpopular owner Guochuan Lai set to choose a preferred bidder from three offers, one of which is from the USA and another from Nigeria.
Reims boss Will Still has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Tony Mowbray as Sunderland's head coach although it remains far from certain he will accept the job because of other offers he has received.
Chelsea players went ahead with their Christmas party with the blessings of Mauricio Pochettino even though it was scheduled only a couple of hours after returning to London following their humiliating defeat at the hands of Everton.
Sportswear giant Puma is terminating its sponsorship agreement with Israel's national football team, although the German firm insists the decision was made before Hamas' October 7 attack on the nation and subsequent war.
Professional rugby players are among athletes who have become prime targets for 'sextortion' by social media scammers.
DAILY MIRROR
Richard Arnold has officially left Manchester United after 16 years as the club prepare to announce Sir Jim Ratcliffe's investment deal with confirmation coming via his removal from their Companies House documents.
Liverpool are weighing up a decision on whether to recall Nat Phillips from his loan spell at Celtic given the serious knee injury suffered by Joel Matip.
THE TIMES
Billy Vunipola is facing a six-week ban after he was cited for a dangerous clearout during Saracens' defeat by the Bulls in the Champions Cup on Saturday.
DAILY RECORD
Hibs boss Nick Montgomery has admitted his January transfer wish list "isn't very long" and hopes the return of a few players from long-term injuries will feel like new signings. Adelaide United forward Musa Toure is one of his targets.
Juventus and Monaco have reportedly joined the list of clubs interested in signing Celtic's Rocco Vata, who is out of contract in the summer.
Goalkeeper Craig Gordon has opened talks with Hearts over a new deal aimed at ensuring he ends his playing days at Tynecastle.
SCOTTISH SUN
Rangers star Danilo has been given the nightmare news he's facing four months on the sidelines.
Alan Burrows wants to get Celtic target Bojan Miovski tied down on a new contract.
Henrik Larsson has won a battle with a Scots businessman over the rights to his name.
The Athletic
Danny Ings, West Ham and a move that has not worked for either party
By Roshane Thomas
When David Moyes and his recruitment team discussed transfer targets in the summer of 2022, there was one player the manager wanted to pursue for a third time.
Moyes was an admirer of Danny Ings having made attempts to sign the former England international while manager of Spanish side Real Sociedad and during his first spell at West Ham United. Moyes wanted to bolster his attacking options and enquired about Ings’ availability. Aston Villa rebuffed West Ham’s interest and were adamant he was not for sale.
Moyes, however, was not disheartened. He was aware Ings was flattered by his attempt to sign him, which leads us to January of this year. With Michail Antonio and Gianluca Scamacca struggling to make an impact — and Moyes yet to switch Jarrod Bowen to a centre-forward role — West Ham needed a striker. To compound matters, they were 18th in the Premier League and had the second-worst total of 15 league goals scored.
Although Ings was Villa’s top scorer with seven goals, manager Unai Emery wanted to build his team around forward Ollie Watkins. When West Ham reignited their interest, Ings was keen. Emery tried to persuade Ings to stay, but Moyes finally got his man. Ings signed for £12million ($15m), rising to £15m with potential add-ons, on a contract that expires in 2025.
But 11 months on, it is a transfer that has not worked. Ings, 31, has a paltry return of three goals across 36 appearances, was an unused substitute in West Ham’s past three league games, and it is 244 days since he last scored (against Gent in April).
The former Liverpool, Burnley and Southampton striker has struggled to adapt to Moyes’ preferred 4-2-3-1 system. He did not impress this season in Europa League starts against TSC Backa Topola and Olympiacos and was taunted by fans of third-tier opponents Lincoln City after missing a straightforward chance in September’s Carabao Cup tie. In recent weeks, 19-year-old forward Divin Mubama has been the preferred option off the bench.
Of the 36 appearances Ings has made, only 12 have been starts. His most meaningful contribution was his two goals in the 4-0 victory against Nottingham Forest in February, leading to defender Angelo Ogbonna and former captain Declan Rice complimenting his liveliness in the penalty area. Briefly, it seemed like West Ham had finally found the answer to their shortage of goals.
“When we signed him, I knew straight away what we were bringing in,” said Rice. “He is a born goalscorer and I told the boys before the game that he will score goals if we give him chances.”
Ings is frustrated that supporters have not consistently seen the best of him. He is determined to make things work and has no interest in exploring a potential departure in January. Despite a lack of game time, Ings has not let standards drop off the field. In September, he hired a strength and conditioning coach to maintain his fitness. He gave close friend James Ward-Prowse a glowing reference about life at West Ham before his summer arrival from Southampton.
“Danny is really valuable because of what he can offer,” said Moyes. “He’s a centre-forward who knows his trade, he knows how to score. He got me two really important goals against Nottingham Forest last season and helped us when we were in trouble. Danny will help me as the season goes on. It’s been a little bit tough for him because he’s not quite had as many minutes as he’d like. I like him a lot and, hopefully, he’ll help us going forward.”
The January transfer was the first time in Ings’ career he had joined a club midway through a season. Before the Europa Conference League final, he acknowledged he was not completely settled, although the switch was an easy transition.
“From the football side of it, obviously I’ve gone from one style of football to another,” said Ings. “That’s where it takes a little bit of time, but I’m enjoying the process.”
Ings’ struggles mirror those of Scamacca and Sebastien Haller, who cost a combined £70.5m. They failed to impress in the lone striker role and scored a combined 22 goals in 81 appearances. They have thrived since leaving West Ham for Atalanta and Borussia Dortmund. Antonio and Bowen are capable of playing in Moyes’ system thanks to their pace, which allows them to stretch defenders. Though Haller and Scamacca demonstrated good hold-up play at times, pace is not one of their strengths. The same can be said for Ings.
Since returning to West Ham in 2019, the forwards Moyes has managed are Antonio, Bowen, Scamacca, Haller, Mubama, Ings, Andriy Yarmolenko and Albian Ajeti. Of those players, only Bowen and Antonio have reached double figures for goals across all competitions.
With Bowen thriving as West Ham’s main forward, Antonio nearing a return to full fitness following a knee injury, and Moyes keen to give Mubama first-team opportunities to convince him to sign a long-term deal, it is tough to see where Ings fits in. He faces a tough task to salvage his West Ham career.
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