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BBC
Juventus have entered talks with Manchester City over a loan deal for England midfielder Kalvin Phillips. (ESPN)
The 28-year-old has told Manchester City he wants to leave the club next month, with Newcastle United also interested in a loan move. (Guardian)
Arsenal are considering a £52m-move for Sporting Lisbon and Portugal defender Goncalo Inacio, 22, in January. (Sun)
Chelsea will block any advances from Tottenham Hotspur for their 23-year-old England midfielder Conor Gallagher in the January transfer window despite uncertainty over his contract situation. (Football Insider)
Tosin Adarabioyo, 26, has told Fulham he wants to leave the club next summer on a free transfer. The former England youth defender has previously interested Tottenham and Monaco. (Sun)
Tottenham will turn to other targets if they do not get any encouragement from France and Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo in the next few weeks. The 23-year-old has also been linked with Manchester United. (Teamtalk)
Rennes are open to parting ways with Nemanja Matic, 35, in January despite the former Serbia midfielder only joining the Ligue 1 side from Roma last summer. (L'Equipe)
Barcelona and Real Madrid are leading the chase to sign Mason Greenwood, 22, with Manchester United having no plans to bring him back to Old Trafford permanently once his loan spell at Getafe ends. (Talksport)
Former Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper is top of Crystal Palace's managerial shortlist and the Welshman, 44, could be approached by the London club with Roy Hodgson, 76, considering retirement again. (Football Insider)
Juventus and England Under-21 winger Samuel Iling-Junior, 20, is attracting interest from Tottenham, Aston Villa and Brighton. (Fichajes in Spanish)
Juventus have not ruled out signing former Portugal Under-21 defender Tiago Djalo, 23, from French side Lille in January, although a deal next summer looks more probable. (Gazzetta dello Sport in Italian)
West Ham and Fulham are keen on Nigerian forward Akor Adams, 23, who could leave Montpellier in January for a fee between £15 and £20m. (Football Insider)
West Ham are yet to hold talks with manager David Moyes, 60, about renewing his contract, which runs out at the end of the season. (Football Insider)
Nottingham Forest have accepted a bid of more than 5m euros (£4.3m) from Atletico Mineiro for Brazilian attacking midfielder Gustavo Scarpa, 29. (Fabrizio Romano)
Bournemouth are remaining strong in their stance that English striker Dominic Solanke, 26, is not for sale in the January transfer window. (talkSPORT)
Brentford, Crystal Palace and Fulham are keen on Getafe's 26-year-old Spanish striker Borja Mayoral, 26. (Fichajes - in Spanish)
Chelsea have agreed a deal with Darou Salam to sign their 17-year-old Senegalese midfielder Pape Daouda Diong. (90min)
West Ham and Everton are interested in a January deal for Peterborough and England Under-21 defender Ronnie Edwards, 20. (Sun)
Sky Paper Talk
THE TIMES
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's deal to buy 25 per cent of Manchester United was in final negotiations on Thursday night after work was undertaken all week to try to complete the paperwork in order to start the process of approvals.
The European Super League has used a landmark court ruling to relaunch with a new format but the UK government says it would block Premier League teams from signing up to another breakaway competition.
THE SUN
Interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona in Mason Greenwood has convinced Manchester United the time is right to sell the striker, currently on loan in Spain with Getafe.
Tottenham have received a boost in their pursuit of centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo as he is reported to have told Fulham he wants to leave on a free transfer in the summer.
Arsenal are keeping tabs on Sporting defender Goncalo Inacio because of their injury problems at the back, but they remain unlikely to make any significant moves in January.
Former Chelsea and West Ham starlet Pierre Ekwah, now plying his trade in the Championship with Sunderland, is attracting interest from Premier League clubs including Fulham and Crystal Palace.
Arsenal could reportedly make a January swoop for the man many believe will be Rodri's long-term successor for Spain.
Tosin Adarabioyo has told Fulham he wants to leave at the end of the season as a free agent.
DAILY MAIL
Barcelona and Real Madrid will be due a loyalty bonus of £870m should plans for a European Super League finally get the go-ahead.
Manchester United will have to bide their time or pay big compensation if they are determined to appoint Dan Ashworth as sporting director, because he has a 12-month notice period in his contract at Newcastle.
Wasps, London Irish and Worcester have been granted the chance to apply for a place in a new Premiership 2 despite opposition from current Championship clubs, with the radical changes being revealed by the RFU in a bid to save domestic rugby in England.
The RFU will give England head coach Steve Borthwick the power to allocate 25 central contracts in a bid to stem the exodus of players to France.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Jesse Marsch has revealed Leeds' owners admitted to him in private that they sacked him too soon and he says he now regrets not taking the chance to become Leicester manager before Enzo Maresca's appointment.
Jan Vertonghen believes he suffered from mental health problems at Tottenham and has revealed he spent the entire 2019 Champions League final counting down to the final whistle.
Former Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones has revealed a heart condition found during a medical check ahead of a short-term move to Toulon was his reason for quitting rugby union.
Fluminense's midfielder Felipe Melo made the sensational claim that he had never heard of the Daily Telegraph on Thursday as the build-up to the Club World Cup final developed into a debate about the ages of the South American champions who face Manchester City for the title of world champions.
Australia opener Usman Khawaja has been charged by the International Cricket Council for wearing an unsanctioned black armband to show solidarity with people affected by conflict in Gaza.
DAILY MIRROR
European Super League organisers A22 say Manchester United and other Premier League clubs have been made new offers to sign up despite their statements on Thursday that they remain committed to UEFA competition.
McLaren chief Zak Brown has conceded tensions are likely to rise between his drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri "sooner rather than later" because of their combined ambition for Formula One success.
Ivan Toney has increased speculation about his future by liking a social media comment about joining Arsenal in January.
Jarell Quansah is the most recent Liverpool star to sign a 'car clause' in his contract - something all young players at the club are required to do.
Wolves boss Gary O'Neil has confirmed that Pedro Neto is back training - and could even be on the bench against Chelsea on Christmas Eve.
DAILY EXPRESS
Gary Neville has revealed he thought he was "going to die" after claiming he had a drink spiked during a Christmas party while a teenager at Manchester United.
Manchester United are reportedly on the lookout for a 'low-cost' striker and right-sided centre-back in the New Year.
DAILY RECORD
Kieran Dowell insists Rangers' injury crisis will not derail the club's Christmas charge towards the top of the Scottish Premiership.
Celtic's Green Brigade could be back in their Parkhead seats on Saturday for the visit of Livingston after a two-month stand-off with the club.
Bournemouth owner Bill Foley is edging closer to a deal for a non-controlling stake in Hibernian after his representatives visited Easter Road.
Celtic and Rangers could battle it out for the signature of Wolves flop Fabio Silva, who is set to be loaned out again by the Premier League side.
The Athletic
David Moyes defends West Ham rotation but it cost them at Liverpool
By Roshane Thomas
Of all the occasions to rotate his team, David Moyes felt it was necessary to do so for a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie against Liverpool. The outcome was the biggest illustration yet of why West Ham United’s fringe players have largely been onlookers this season.
The 5-1 loss at Anfield was influenced by poor defending from Angelo Ogbonna and Konstantinos Mavropanos, then there were mistakes from Said Benrahma, for Dominik Szoboszlai’s opener, and Pablo Fornals, who failed to seize yet another opportunity.
Moyes made six changes to his line-up following the 3-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. It was West Ham’s seventh game in 21 days, which gave Moyes cause to be pragmatic over his team selection — but this was not the occasion for such an approach.
The club have not reached the semi-final of the League Cup since 2013-14, when they lost 9-0 on aggregate to Manchester City. This represented a chance for silverware and a route into European competition next season. Moyes’ decision to prioritise Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off against Manchester United over the prospect of advancing in the Carabao Cup could backfire should their week end in back-to-back losses.
Ogbonna deputised for Nayef Aguerd, who was sidelined with an illness. Ogbonna, 35, has made only four league appearances this season, playing a total of 138 minutes. He has been an unused substitute in 13 of West Ham’s 17 league games, yet was deemed a suitable option to deal with Liverpool’s attacking trio of Harvey Elliott, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez.
Benrahma continues to regress. When Lucas Paqueta was summoned to come on, the Algerian started walking towards the bench long before the fourth official signalled who would be brought off. It is a sign of his loss of confidence — the attacking midfielder has only registered one assist across 11 league appearances. A departure seems inevitable in the January transfer window.
Although the scoreline was 1-0 at the break, an under-strength Liverpool team were the better side. They were quicker and more eager to impress. Jarrod Bowen’s late goal did very little but restore a small amount of pride. The damage was done. At that stage, West Ham were facing embarrassment, so much so Moyes was fearful the scoreline would be greater.
“We were well beaten by a really powerful team,” said Moyes. “I’ve got to say, I’ve been here lots of times and been beaten lots of times but tonight was probably the one where I thought: ‘My goodness, how many more are they going to get tonight?’. We weren’t strong enough.”
But Moyes was keen to defend his team selection.
“It’s a pretty cheap question to ask (of whether rotation will open him up to criticism) when the only teams who’ve played more games than us over three years are Liverpool and Manchester City. We’ve had the quickest turnaround of any team in the Premier League — only two days, and we’ve played more games.
“I don’t rotate very often because of the level of the games and I had to find out a way of finding out which players were going to be good for me going into the Christmas period. And I’m about to lose some players for the Africa Cup of Nations, so it was really important for me to find that out.
“Tonight, we gave some players opportunities but I don’t think it was to do with that. It had to do with how good Liverpool were and how well they played. You can talk about that and talk about rotation but if you’re going to talk about that, you better talk about the number of games we’ve played and the number of quick turnarounds we’ve had compared to other teams. It would be unfair to do it without that.”
Jurgen Klopp, the Liverpool manager, was full of praise for his counterpart in his programme notes. Moyes expressed his gratitude and outlined how the club have exceeded expectations.
“You have to earn respect, and I’m no different from everyone else,” he said. “If people want to give it, then that’s down to them if they choose to do so. But the facts are we’ve been doing pretty well. We’ve had an unbelievable run. What would West Ham’s expectations be? Would you expect us to win a European trophy? Would you expect us to be challenging for the Champions League?
“Not many nodding their head in here so that’s the facts. We’re doing well for what we’re doing. We’ll keep trying to win as many games as we can, we’ll keep trying to challenge top teams and challenge (for) cup competitions when we get the opportunity to do so.”
But Wednesday’s loss was a great chance for West Ham to mount a serious challenge in the Carabao Cup. Although there is optimism to be found at the club, disappointment never seems to be far behind.
TeamTalk
Next West Ham manager: Irons battling Man Utd for ‘top’ Moyes replacement, with candidate ‘eager’ to prove point
West Ham United have begun rivalling Manchester United for the capture of a highly rated free-agent manager who is desperate to return to the Premier League, according to a report.
West Ham are currently managed by David Moyes, who was also in charge of Man Utd between July 2013 and April 2014. Moyes was initially West Ham boss between November 2017 and May 2018, during which the team won nine out of 31 games.
Despite the Scot helping West Ham to avoid relegation from the Premier League, the club allowed him to leave following the expiry of his six-month contract.
But Moyes returned to the London Stadium in December 2019 following the sacking of Manuel Pellegrini. And his second spell with the Irons has been brilliant overall.
Under the 60-year-old’s guidance, West Ham achieved back-to-back top-seven finishes in the league in 2021 and 2022. And their best moment by far came last season, when the side won the Europa Conference League, their first major trophy in 43 years.
West Ham are once again in with a shout of finishing in the top six or top seven, as they currently sit ninth in the Prem, just two points behind sixth-placed Newcastle United. Although, it is unclear whether Moyes will still be in the hot seat when next season gets underway.
His contract with West Ham expires at the end of the campaign. West Ham will soon hold discussions with the former Everton boss over a new deal, but if they decide to go in a new direction they will let him leave next summer.
According to Football Insider, senior West Ham officials are already identifying potential replacements for Moyes, and one coach in particular has caught their eye. The person in question is Julen Lopetegui, who is available for free following his departure from Wolverhampton Wanderers in August.
Julen Lopetegui a ‘top’ candidate to replace David Moyes
The report states that West Ham chiefs have landed on the Spaniard as a ‘top’ target to continue the great work Moyes has done.
And should West Ham begin negotiations with Lopetegui, there is a good chance he will agree to join them. That is because he is ‘eager’ to secure another Prem job and prove he is capable of helping a club challenge for the top places in English football.
Lopetegui, who has previously managed Spain, Real Madrid and Sevilla, was at Wolves between November 2022 and August of this year. During his only season at Molineux, he helped Wolves finish in 13th place.
The 57-year-old left Wolves just days before the start of the current campaign due to his frustration over their financial struggles. In the summer, the West Midlands outfit were forced to sell important players such as Ruben Neves, Matheus Nunes, Conor Coady and Nathan Collins to help balance the books.
Lopetegui has rejected offers to join Saudi club Al Ittihad and Nottingham Forest as he waits for the perfect next Prem job. And West Ham could well give him that opportunity, although they will have to fend off Man Utd and Crystal Palace.
Several reports have named Lopetegui as a prime target for incoming Man Utd chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and that was again the case last week. The Spanish press stated that he is ‘very well positioned’ to join the Red Devils, should Erik ten Hag be sacked.
And it has also been suggested that Palace have made the first move for Lopetegui, having recently launched an ‘approach’ to see if he would be open to joining them and becoming Roy Hodgson’s successor.
Sun
England wonderkid Ronnie Edwards set to seal dream January transfer with Premier League teams chasing £4.5million star
One Premier League club could return with a January bid after being knocked back in the summer
Charlie Wyett
ENGLAND Under-21 international Ronnie Edwards is certain to be sold by Peterborough next month.
West Ham had two bids of around £4million turned down by Posh in the summer for their defender while Swansea failed with FOUR attempts.
Everton have also been watching Edwards and the League One promotion-chasers are expecting a fee of at least £4.5m.
Yet potentially, they will also want more than double that actual fee in add-ons.
Apart from clubs in the Premier League and Championship, there is also one club in Germany and one in Belgium interested in the centre-back.
Rangers were also linked in the summer with Peterborough director Barry Fry revealing they had sent scouts to watch the youngster.
Edwards, 20, who started his career at Barnet, has already played 113 times for Peterborough and is contracted until 2025.
Darren Ferguson’s side are currently second in League One and are unbeaten in five games although are seven points behind leaders Portsmouth.
West Ham are set for a busy transfer window as David Moyes looks to address the weaknesses in his squad.
Michail Antonio's injury means the Hammers are desperate for more firepower up-front, with reports claiming they have targeted Montpellier striker Akor Adams.
They could also make an approach for Stuttgart defender Dan-Axel Zagadou - though that move could be dependent on the sale of Nayef Aguerd, who could leave for the right price.
The Hammers could also bolster their defence with the addition of Chelsea outcast Ian Maatsen.
Maatsen impressed on loan at Burnley in the Championship last season and the Clarets had a £30million bid rejected in the summer.
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