|
BBC
Fulham are among the Premier League clubs who have been offered the chance to sign former Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino, 32, who wants to leave Saudi Arabia side Al-Ahli. (Talksport)
Brentford have set a £100m asking price for England striker Ivan Toney, with Chelsea considering selling players to raise funds in order to challenge Arsenal for the 27-year-old in January. (Independent)
Arsenal have made an approach for Everton's Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana, 22. (Teamtalk)
Arsenal are also preparing a move to sign 17-year-old Netherlands defender Jorrel Hato from Ajax. (Telegraph - subscription required)
The move taking winger Jadon Sancho, 23, back to Borussia Dortmund from Manchester United will include an option to buy the England international for £25m. (Football Insider)
Atalanta have set an asking price of £51.7m for their Italian defender Giorgio Scalvini, 20, who has been linked with Manchester United. (Metro)
Chelsea and England midfielder Conor Gallagher, 23, wants to stay at Stamford Bridge despite being linked with a move away. (Mirror)
Manchester United are not expected to activate an option to extend France striker Anthony Martial's contract and the 28-year-old is set to leave the club on a free transfer in the summer. (ESPN)
Crystal Palace are working on a deal for Peterborough United's England Under-20 defender Ronnie Edwards, 20. (Evening Standard)
Bournemouth are set to bid for Ecuadorian midfielder Oscar Zambrano, 19, from Quito. (Fabrizio Romano)
Bayer Leverkusen's Dutch wing-back Jeremie Frimpong, 23, continues to be linked with a move, but the German club have no intention to sell in January. (Fabrizio Romano)
Middlesbrough are close to signing Republic of Ireland Under-21 international Finn Azaz, 23, for £2m from Aston Villa after the attacking midfielder's impressive loan spell with Plymouth Argyle. (Sky Sports)
Villa are set to open contract talks with 26-year-old Jamaica winger Leon Bailey, who could become one of the highest-paid players at the club. (Mail)
Paris St-Germain have emerged as frontrunners to sign England and Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps, 30. (Evening Standard)
Bayern Munich have enquired about AC Milan's 26-year-old England defender Fikayo Tomori. (Sky Germany)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Arsenal are plotting a move for Ajax teenager Jorrel Hato as the club looks to strengthen Mikel Arteta's defence in the long-term.
Steven Gerrard is under pressure to turn around results at Al Ettifaq after sliding down the Saudi Pro League during a run of two months without a victory.
Borussia Dortmund are determined to complete Jadon Sancho's loan this week and have him back in their squad ahead of returning from the Bundesliga winter break.
Mary Earps is open to staying at Manchester United beyond the end of her existing contract, despite interest from French giants Paris St-Germain, but is understood to be still undecided about her future.
Steve Borthwick has confirmed his interest in picking Immanuel Feyi-Waboso for England ahead of Wales, disclosing that he has contacted the Cardiff-born Exeter Chiefs wing after the 21-year-old's sparkling start to the season.
The England manager Gareth Southgate is set to part ways with his long-standing agent Terry Byrne, who is facing financial problems after the failure of a London property deal.
The draw for the 2024 T20 World Cup will include a second group stage in which the best teams already know their starting positions.
Sanjay Patel, the architect of the Hundred, is to join the Yorkshire board if Colin Graves' takeover of the club goes through over the next few days.
The new Nike 'super shoe' that was worn to shatter the world marathon record has sold out within minutes of going on sale, sparking online auctions of almost £600 for a pair.
THE INDEPENDENT
Brentford have set a price of £100m for Ivan Toney to be sold this January, as Chelsea are looking into making sales in order to challenge Arsenal for his signature.
Peterborough United are holding out for £10m from Crystal Palace for 20-year-old defender Ronnie Edwards.
DAILY MAIL
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford have issued a rallying cry to Manchester United's management and staff by urging them all to work together to restore the club to its former glories.
A number of Premier League sides have reportedly been offered the opportunity to sign Liverpool legend Roberto Firmino.
Newcastle spoke to the family of Jobe Bellingham with a view to signing the teenager before his move to Sunderland in June.
Leon Bailey is set for contract talks at Aston Villa thanks to his sparkling recent form for Unai Emery's title challengers.
Liverpool have rebuffed an enquiry from Rangers for left-back Owen Beck.
Wolves have made former record signing Jonny Otto available for a cut-price £2.5m.
Brentford are yet to offer a new contract to Ivan Toney, despite him having only 18 months on his deal.
Aleksander Ceferin's plans to stay as UEFA president until 2031 by extending term limits could have implications for FA chair Debbie Hewitt, who was widely expected to join the European governing body's executive committee next year.
Bayern Munich have revived their interest in Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah.
THE GUARDIAN
Conor Gallagher is ready to hold firm and fight for his future at Chelsea despite the club's willingness to listen to offers for the midfielder this month.
MetLife Stadium officials plan to remove 1,740 seats to widen the field for World Cup matches as they hope to host the 2026 final but will retain a narrower surface for this year's Copa América.
THE TIMES
Birmingham City are closing in on a deal to appoint Tony Mowbray as Wayne Rooney's managerial successor.
The Premier League will be summoned to appear before MPs this month to explain the delay in agreeing a financial settlement with the EFL.
THE SUN
Teenage darts sensation Luke Littler was last night at the centre of a major bidding war over the rights to a big-screen blockbuster about his short life.
Littler could be on course to become the first £40m darts player despite his world final loss.
Manchester United are looking to use the January market to strengthen at full-back with the club sending a scout to closely observe Girona's Miguel Gutierrez on multiple occasions in recent few weeks.
Twenty candidates are reportedly in the running to be Birmingham's new manager following the sacking of Wayne Rooney.
DAILY MIRROR
Wolves have little intention of letting Pedro Neto join Arsenal this month.
Arsenal are now expected to recall winger Marquinhos from his loan spell with Nantes.
Chelsea veteran Thiago Silva is being offered a return to former club Fluminense in the summer.
Jose Mourinho has rejected reports he has held talks with Brazil after turning down a lucrative switch to Saudi Arabia.
EVENING STANDARD
Girona co-owner Pere Guardiola has quashed speculation that his side will cash in on Chelsea target Artem Dovbyk this month.
Chelsea's partner club Strasbourg are locked in a battle with Eintracht Frankfurt for £4m-rated 18-year-old Serbian striker Milos Lukovic.
THE ATHLETIC
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has told Manchester United staff that he is not concerned about making money from his investment and instead solely wants to return the club to winning the biggest trophies.
Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has increased the prize money on offer for the winners of the Africa Cup of Nations to $7m (£5.5m).
Ange Postecoglou says he'd never opt against signing a player for fear of losing them to a mid-season international tournament.
Marco Silva has been charged with alleged improper conduct by the FA for his comments about referee Sam Barrott following Fulham's loss to Newcastle United.
DAILY EXPRESS
Liverpool are not in 'concrete' discussions to sign Goncalo Inacio from Sporting despite claims to the contrary.
Liverpool could recall Calvin Ramsay from Preston North End this month with his loan move to the Championship having been desperately disappointing so far for the player.
DAILY RECORD
Furious SFA top brass accused Rangers of jeopardising Willie Collum's safety by leaking details of a private Hampden showdown to a social media account run by fans. It is also understood Collum has confirmed he will return to the pitch on Friday night to take charge of the clash between Queen's Park and Dunfermline in the Championship, in spite of the escalating tensions.
Paul Bernardo's Benfica contract includes a £6m release clause, according to a report.
Aberdeen could face a battle to retain striker Luis 'Duk' Lopes this winter after reportedly rejecting an opening transfer bid from BSC Young Boys.
Celtic are reportedly in pole position to land Nottingham Forest defender Scott McKenna on loan in the January window.
Hibs head coach Nick Montgomery admits he is confident Will Fish will be at Easter Road for the entire season.
THE SCOTTISH SUN
Celtic have granted Buckie Thistle's request for 5,000 tickets for their dream Scottish Cup fourth round tie at Parkhead on January 21.
Guardian Rumour Mill
Dominic Booth
We have some shocking news to bring you. Apparently Roberto Firmino isn’t really enjoying the Saudi Pro League so much and might rather swap the heat of Al-Ahli for a crisp winter’s walk around Putney, west London.
Fulham are keen and a deal could be done for the former Liverpool favourite, although other Premier League teams are said to be in the mix, too. Why wouldn’t they be interested? The Brazilian is still only 32.
It is quite the situation Ivan Toney finds himself in. Returning to a Brentford side who have lost five on the bounce and are glaringly short of strikers, his stock is higher than ever despite not actually playing any football since May. Thomas Frank said on Thursday it “would need to be an unbelievable price” for the Bees to cash in, with £100m said to be the specific and scarcely believable figure in question. Can anyone think of a club silly enough to stump up that kind of dough? Even Chelsea wouldn’t be so foolish, would they? Arsenal may well look elsewhere.
In other Chelsea news, Bayer Leverkusen’s sought-after right back Jeremie Frimpong is of interest this January, but Xabi Alonso’s side have no plans to sell. Arsenal, meanwhile, are tracking 17-year-old Dutch wunderkind Jorrel Hato.
Newcastle’s Bruno Guimarães is Paris Saint-Germain’s “top target” for this month, but he’s another Premier League star with a £100m price tag around his neck with a release clause to that value in his Toon contract. Surely Eddie Howe’s mob cannot afford to sell their best midfielder mid-season.
And no edition of the Mill would ever be complete without a mention for Manchester United. But something alarming is happening over at Old Trafford. They’re said to be pursuing a low-key deal for Ecuadorian hotshot midfielder Óscar Zambrano – dubbed “the next Moisés Caicedo” – while rumours of a new deal for Anthony Martial are wide of the mark. Sir Jim and Sir Dave might actually be making some sensible decisions, lads.
The Athletic
West Ham defender Thilo Kehrer joins Monaco on loan
By Roshane Thomas
West Ham United defender Thilo Kehrer has joined French side Monaco on loan with a fee of £500k for the rest of the season.
The French side will pay his wages in full and have an obligation to buy in the summer based on appearances – with a fee agreed at around £9m.
The Athletic reported that Kehrer was set to join Monaco in an initial loan deal earlier this week.
Kehrer, who played a key role in West Ham’s Europa Conference League triumph last season with 38 appearances across all competitions, has seen his opportunities limited in 2023-24 amid the summer arrival of fellow defender Konstantinos Mavropanos from Stuttgart.
Falling down the pecking order behind Kurt Zouma, Angelo Ogbonna, Nayef Aguerd and Mavropanos, Kehrer has made only four substitute appearances in the Premier League.
The Germany international, who can play centre-back or right-back, joined West Ham from Paris Saint-Germain on a four-year deal in 2022 for a fee of €12million (£10.3m). Kehrer previously came through the ranks at Schalke before moving to PSG in 2018.
The Standard
West Ham open to shock Nayef Aguerd sale as David Moyes hunts top replacement
Jonathan Tah among the Hammers' key targets with potential defensive changes imminent
Malik Ouzia
West Ham are open to selling defender Nayef Aguerd this month, if David Moyes can secure a replacement before the transfer window closes.
Aguerd remains part of Moyes’s first-choice centre-back pairing alongside Kurt Zouma, but the club are ready to do business should a substantial offer arrive amid reported interest from Saudi Arabia and Italy.
The Hammers paid £28million to sign the Moroccan from French club Rennes in the summer of 2022, only for an ankle injury picked up in pre-season to rule him out of the first half of his debut campaign.
He returned in time to excel for his country during their shock run to the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar and then played a key part in West Ham’s Europa Conference League triumph, but there is concern that the 27-year-old has not kicked on in his second season in English football following a number of significant errors this term.
Aguerd, who is currently away with Morocco ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations, was the subject of interest from Saudi clubs last summer, while AC Milan are also known to be admirers.
However, it is thought the Serie A club would prefer a loan deal this month, with West Ham only entertaining a permanent sale as they look to boost their own transfer budget.
The Hammers were already in the market for centre-back cover as concerns grow over Zouma’s fitness record. The Frenchman has missed recent meetings with Arsenal and Brighton because of a knee injury, though second-choice pair Konstantinos Mavropanos and Angelo Ogbonna combined to keep clean sheets in both games and look set to start again when Bristol City visit in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.
West Ham have long-standing interest in Nottingham Forest’s Joe Worrall and Peterborough youngster Ronnie Edwards, who is a target for Crystal Palace, but sanctioning Aguerd’s departure would require a more senior addition.
Bayer Leverkusen defender Jonathan Tah remains a leading target, but the German club are reluctant to sell this month as they sit top of the Bundesliga under Xabi Alonso. A move for England international Eric Dier, who is out of favour at Tottenham, has been ruled out.
The club pushed hard to sign Harry Maguire last summer and there was hope at the time that a deal could be revisited in January, but the Englishman had regained his place in the Manchester United side before being sidelined by a groin injury last month.
|
