BBC
Newcastle United are determined to not be too reactive to their injury issues and stick to a long-term plan in the transfer market, meaning a move for Manchester City and England midfielder Kalvin Phillips, 28, could be in doubt. Fulham and Crystal Palace also hold an interest in the former Leeds man. (I Sport)
Manchester United have drawn up a four-strong wishlist for a new striker in January with Bayern Munich and Cameroon's Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, 34, joined by team-mate and Germany forward Thomas Muller, 34. The club have also made contact with RB Leipzig over Germany's Timo Werner, 27, and will consider Stuttgart and Guinea forward Serhou Guirassy, 27, if they are able to raise funds from a sale. (Athletic - subscription required)
England striker Ivan Toney, 27, is hopeful of a move to Arsenal in January but the Gunners have no intention of paying the £100m asking price Brentford have set. (Football Transfers)
However, any move for Toney in January would be very unlikely for Arsenal because of the Premier League rules around signing players on loan. (Football London)
Manchester United and England winger Jadon Sancho, 23, is keen on a return to Borussia Dortmund, as he considers this the ideal option to regain his best form. (Fabrizio Romano)
Tottenham are unlikely to make a move for England midfielder Conor Gallagher, 23, in January because they are unable to meet Chelsea's £60m demands because of financial fair play (FFP)
restrictions. (Football Transfers)
Everton are considering offering former Manchester United and England midfielder Jesse Lingard a deal until the end of the season. The 31-year-old is currently a free agent. (Talksport)
Aston Villa and Colombia striker Jhon Duran, 20, is a target for AC Milan but the Italian club would have to move an non-European player out of their squad first to make room. (Sky Sports)
West Ham and Czech Republic defender Vladimir Coufal, 31, is unhappy with his contract situation and wants the club to consider offers for him in the January transfer window if a better deal is not offered. (Sky Sports)
Sheffield United are pushing to sign Villareal and Chile striker Ben Brereton Diaz, 24, and Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, 37, from Anderlecht. (Mail)
Former England Under-21 defender Trevoh Chalobah, 24, may leave Chelsea this month. (Sun)
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos are considering bringing in both Dan Ashworth and Paul Mitchell to completely revamp how Manchester United approach the transfer market. (I Sport)
Arsenal have opened talks over a new contract for 25-year-old Japan defender Takehiro Tomiyasu. (Mail)
The Hammers could reignite their interest in Wolves and England defender Max Kilman, 26, but he is unlikely to move in the winter transfer window. (Talksport)
Wolves and Austria striker Sasa Kalajdzic, 26, is a target for Eintracht Frankfurt, with the German club waiting to see if Gary O'Neill will sanction a loan move. (Mail)
Fulham's move for Fluminense and Brazil midfielder Andre, 22, is on hold because they are unwilling to meet the £25m asking price now they believe Portugal midfielder Joao Palhinha, 28, is staying at the club. (Football Transfers)
Meanwhile, Liverpool are not interested in signing Palhinha, Andre or Bayer Leverkusen and Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie, 21, during the January transfer window. (Ben Jacobs)
On-loan Everton winger Arnaut Danjuma, 26, is a target for Lyon, with the Villarreal man joining West Ham's Algeria playmaker Said Benrahma, 28, as an option. (Mail)
Genoa and Romania centre-back Radu Dragusin, 21, has agreed personal terms with Tottenham. (Fabrizio Romano)
Brentford are in talks with 18-year-old Real Betis and Spain Under-21s forward Assane Diao over a January deal. (Football Transfers)
Borussia Dortmund have held talks with Chelsea's 21-year-old Dutch defender Ian Maatsen over a January move but the Blues are holding out for £30m. (The Standard)
Liverpool will not be rushed into making a decision on Portugal Under-21s midfielder Fabio Carvalho's immediate future - despite clubs keen to take the 21-year-old on loan. (Liverpool Echo)
Crystal Palace have had numerous bids for Peterborough and England youth defender Ronnie Edwards, 20, turned down. They face competition from up to five Premier League clubs with the League One club holding out for up to £10m. (Talksport)
Italian club Atalanta are closing in on Birmingham City and Wales midfielder Jordan James, 19, after making a £3.9m bid. (Tuttomercato - in Italian)
Sky Paper Talk
THE ATHLETIC
Nottingham Forest could face a points deduction if it is deemed the club have breached the Premier League's financial fair play (FFP) rules.
Chelsea have agreed a deal to loan teenager Alex Matos to Championship club Huddersfield Town for the remainder of the season.
Zak Sturge has returned to parent club Chelsea after his loan spell at Peterborough United was cut short.
Joe Hugill has signed a new contract with Manchester United that runs to 2026 with the option of an extra year and is now expected to head out on loan.
Burnley winger Manuel Benson is attracting interest from Southampton and Hull City among a number of other clubs.
Carlo Ancelotti said Real Madrid will not sign a new centre-back in the January transfer window.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Nottingham Forest have enlisted leading sports lawyer Nick De Marco as they attempt to avoid any Premier League charge for breaching financial regulations.
Fabio Paratici will continue to assist Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window, despite the arrivals of Scott Munn as chief football officer and technical director Johan Lange.
Lewis Hall is poised to stay at Newcastle following his initial loan from Chelsea despite failing to break into Eddie Howe's starting line-up.
THE TIMES
Premier League clubs will learn in the next two weeks if they will face charges for new breaches of financial rules, with Nottingham Forest seen by experts as being most at risk.
Mary Earps is considering a move abroad as the England goalkeeper's future at Manchester United remains unclear.
Luke Littler has revealed the touching message from his latest victim after reaching the Darts World Championship final aged 16.
While the rest of darts wonderkid Luke Littler's family were at Ally Pally last night to support him, his older brother was cheering him on from a Warrington pub.
THE GUARDIAN
Borussia Dortmund have held talks over a deal to sign the Chelsea left-back Ian Maatsen, who is up for sale.
THE SUN
Chelsea are eyeing a move for Benfica's Antonio Silva after scouting the defender.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has vowed to get used to the Manchester rain after being greeted by a downpour during his first visit to Old Trafford since his minority share takeover was revealed.
Trevoh Chalobah may yet leave Chelsea this month despite his injury woes.
Erik ten Hag's agent is ruffling feathers at Manchester United with approaches to academy stars amid a growing transfer influence.
Newcastle and Peterborough are set for huge windfalls if Arsenal sign Ivan Toney.
Atalanta have launched a swoop for Birmingham's Jordan James.
Ko Itakura is set for a Premier League return with Liverpool and Tottenham reportedly interested in the Borussia Monchengladbach star.
Chelsea are now competing alongside Manchester United to sign Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo, a report claims.
Jesse Lingard is set to be offered a return to the Premier League with Everton, according to reports.
West Ham are reportedly keen on signing Eric Dier from Tottenham.
DAILY MAIL
Manchester United are hoping to have Andre Onana in goal for the game against Tottenham at Old Trafford on January 14 - even though Cameroon kick-off their Africa Cup of Nations campaign just 24 hours later.
Manchester United and Liverpool are set to battle for the signing of Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich this summer, according to reports.
Erik ten Hag is keen to retain his right to veto any transfers at Manchester United as the club look to revamp their recruitment department following Sir Jim Ratcliffe's successful partial takeover, according to reports.
DAILY MIRROR
Arsenal are set to offload Mohamed Elneny which will allow them to make a move for Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has ruled out signing a centre-half in January despite links with Raphael Varane.
Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Brazilian midfielder Ederson from Atalanta during the January transfer window.
Multiple clubs are monitoring Jadon Sancho's situation including West Ham. However, it's understood that David Moyes is reluctant to take the 23-year-old on loan until the end of the season, and the player's £250,000-a-week wages would also be a stumbling block.
THE INDEPENDENT
Bayern Munich are set to pursue long-standing interest in both Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah and Fulham's Joao Palhinha this January.
EVENING STANDARD
Chelsea have made a new striker their transfer priority in January, with a move for Nice defender Jean Clair-Todibo deemed unlikely.
Brentford have made signing a full-back their priority in January.
Andrey Santos is set to return to Chelsea this week after a disappointing loan spell at Nottingham Forest.
SCOTTISH SUN
Giovanni van Bronckhorst is close to making his return to football management with Besiktas.
Guardian Rumour Mill
David Tindall
With Manchester United’s front players still unfussed about actually scoring goals – Marcus Rashford, Rasmus Højlund and Anthony Martial have the grand total of five between them in the Premier League this season – no wonder that the Red Devils are being linked with that fella who can’t stop finding the net in the Bundesliga. No, not Harry Kane; that ship sailed in the summer. We’re talking Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy (17 goals in the German top flight this season; second only to Kane’s 21). United are in the race, as are Premier League rivals Newcastle and Tottenham. The only snag is that Bayern Munich also appear to have noticed the Guinea striker banging them in every week and latest reports suggest they may be shuffling towards the front of the queue to pay the £15.1m release clause in his contract. A Kane and Guirassy front two sounds mouthwatering although that may take the form of jealous drooling if you’re a United fan.
Perhaps some more likely Manchester United-Bundesliga dealings concern Jadon Sancho, with the England winger being heavily linked with a return to Borussia Dortmund. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano says the move is advancing to “key stages” as talks continue and Dortmund want to wrap it up quickly. As for the detail, United are now willing to accept a loan deal although they’d have to pay part of Sancho’s hefty salary. Dortmund will take care of the loan fee. The 23-year-old scored 38 league goals in 104 appearances during his first spell with the German club. He’d managed just nine in 58 for United in the Premier League before falling out with boss Erik ten Hag and being indefinitely naughty-stepped.
Arsenal need a boost after back-to-back Premier League defeats and perhaps they’ll get one by snapping up the man described as the “next Rodri”. That would be Real Sociedad’s Martín Zubimendi, whose chances of being lured by fellow Spaniard Mikel Arteta appear to have gone up a notch following reports that Barcelona have cooled their interest. Arsenal boss Arteta tried to sign Zubimendi last summer. The midfielder, who has been capped four times by Spain, has a £53m release clause. Surely the Gunners should be thinking about a new striker you cry and, inevitably, names are being flung around more easily than William Saliba ragdolling Bryan Gil out of the way from a corner. While a move for Ivan Toney seems more likely in the summer, the right here, right now deal could be Nigerian international Victor Boniface. The Bayer Leverkusen frontman has 16 goals and eight assists in 23 games this season and is valued around £35m.
Liverpool are losing Mo Salah and Wataru Endo to international duty and it’s the latter’s position where rumours are doing the rounds. Back to Munich and the Reds are reportedly going to battle Manchester United for German midfielder Joshua Kimmich although that would be a summer tussle. And there’s also a Liverpool link with Endo’s Japanese compatriot Ko Itakura. The Borussia Mönchengladbach defender has Joe Gomez-style versatility across the backline and Jürgen Klopp’s team of scouts are believed to have monitored Itakura numerous times. A valuation of £15m adds to his appeal as a potential squad player. Itakura was previously on Manchester City’s books but didn’t make an appearance for Pep Guardiola’s side.
In manager news, there are no reports yet of Wayne Rooney’s next exciting adventure, although a former Evertonian has made some headlines. Carlo Ancelotti has stated that he wants to remain at Real Madrid beyond 2026 after signing a two-year contract with the Spanish giants last week. “I’d like to be Madrid coach until 2026, and hopefully I can continue to be here in 2027 and 2028 because I want to stay here,” said the 64-year-old, presumably after noting that Roy Hodgson is still going strong at 76.
Guardian
Alphonse Areola defiant as West Ham frustrate Brighton in stalemate
Jacob Steinberg at the London Stadium
Jakub Moder blasts the ball over Alphonse Areola and the West Ham goal. Photograph: Mike Egerton/PA
This was a game that made it hard not to wonder if there is such a thing as too much football. West Ham and Brighton were two tired, injury-hit teams trying their best and giving their all without ever really suggesting they had the wit or energy to score a goal.
At the end the biggest takeaway was it will be tough for both to remain above richer rivals as the season wears on. While West Ham ended 2023 with fine wins over Arsenal and Manchester United, the limitations of their squad were exposed by the absence of Lucas Paquetá and Mohammed Kudus. They remain sixth, three points above Brighton after a dogged defensive display, but it was not a surprise to hear David Moyes admit he would love to bring in reinforcements if money is available this month.
“We want to keep building,” said Moyes, who went on to complain about the timing of this fixture depriving him of his African players. Kudus, who might not have played anyway because of a hamstring injury, has joined Ghana’s training camp for the Africa Cup of Nations, while Nayef Aguerd is with Morocco. Egypt’s Mohammed Salah, Moyes noted, was available to play in Liverpool’s win over Newcastle on New Year’s Day.
The riposte is that West Ham could help themselves by having better deputies for Kudus. Pablo Fornals struggled on the right and Saïd Benrahma, who played as though determined to ward off potential suitors this month, was awful in Paquetá’s place on the left. Even then Danny Ings and Maxwel Cornet, two expensive forward signings, both remained on the bench.
All of which is something for Tim Steidten, West Ham’s technical director, to consider as he hunts for incomings. While Moyes spoke of resilience, West Ham’s refusal to give up a point could not disguise the fact Brighton dealt better with their injuries and created the better chances on a night when Roberto De Zerbi’s forwards were repeatedly thwarted by Alphonse Areola.
De Zerbi had a similar view after watching his side claim their first clean sheet of the season. “We played an amazing game,” Brighton’s manager said. “One of the best in my time. We created a lot of chances.”
The question facing both of these clubs is whether they have enough depth to sustain their challenges for European football. Both are in the Europa League and weariness is an issue. Whereas bigger clubs are more accustomed to handling the load, there inevitably comes a point when teams of the size of West Ham and Brighton struggle to defy financial reality.
It certainly felt that way here. West Ham, who were dealing with a sickness bug again, were never going to be as dangerous without Kudus and Paquetá in attack. “They’re fantastic players” Moyes said. “The other players need them.” Still, while Moyes had seven out, Brighton had nine absentees. The visitors arranged themselves in a fluid 3-4-3 system but they lacked a spark with Kaoru Mitoma, Simon Adingra and Ansu Fati unavailable on the flanks.
Opportunities were rare. West Ham sat back and were insipid in the final third. Their best chance came when Benrahma’s deflected cross fell for James Ward-Prowse to volley at Jason Steele. Brighton, who kept Jarrod Bowen quiet, responded with chances for Jack Hinshelwood and Pascal Gross. Areola denied them.
West Ham went close from a set piece, Edson Álvarez and Konstantinos Mavropanos almost converting Emerson Palmieri’s cross, but Brighton were slicker. They pushed at the start of the second half, Billy Gilmour running midfield, and Danny Welbeck tested Areola. Then João Pedro dribbled in from the left, a stunning solo goal on the cards until he shot straight at West Ham’s goalkeeper.
West Ham, who filled their bench with youngsters, needed to respond. Benrahma finally took some responsibility on the left. The Algerian’s cross deflected to Tomas Soucek, but Pervis Estupiñán did enough to force the midfielder to shoot wide from close range.
De Zerbi decided it was time to present West Ham’s centre-backs, Mavropanos and Angelo Ogbonna, with a different challenge by replacing Welbeck with Evan Ferguson. The young striker almost made an instant impact, brilliantly turning Álvarez, but his shot fizzed wide.
It became a real test of West Ham’s defensive steel. Brighton, who saw Adam Webster limp off on his first start since November, went close when Jakub Moder, on as a substitute, missed a glorious chance. Another substitute, Adam Lallana, almost beat Areola. Ben Johnson, West Ham’s right-back, went down with cramp. The final whistle was welcome.
Sport Witness
West Ham ‘ready to shell out’ and beat 2 PL clubs to signing – Quite a battle developing
West Ham United have been credited with interest in signing Salernitana’s Boulaye Dia in the winter market.
Il Mattino have a report explaining the possible deals that may be carried out involving players from both the Serie A side and Napoli.
Salernitana CEO Danilo Iervolino has already asked the Naples club for Alessio Zerbin, Gianluca Gaetano and Diego Demme, for next summer. In return, Napoli chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis has requested Dia, who it’s stated is also wanted by West Ham.
It’s said Salernitana would like to get rid of the 27-year-old in January, and both David Moyes’ side and Eintracht Frankfurt are ‘ready to shell out’ the €16m requested.
There’s no mention if the Senegal international is willing to join either the Hammers or the Bundesliga side. If he decides against leaving Salernitana in January, Napoli could think of him after this season.
Earlier today, we covered claims from Italy that Newcastle United could snatch the striker, after Wolverhampton Wanderers’ latest loan offer was rejected by the Italian club.
With the Hammers now ready to make an offer, they can beat the Premier League duo in the transfer race.
