BBC
Arsenal have made Sporting Lisbon's Sweden forward Viktor Gyokeres, 25, their number one striker target this summer. The former Coventry player has an £85m release clause in his contract. (Football Transfers)
Liverpool have told Barcelona that Colombia winger Luis Diaz, 27, is part of the club's long-term plans and will not be for sale this summer. (Mirror)
Arsenal and Liverpool are both interested in Eintracht Frankfurt and Ecuador centre-back Willian Pacho, 22. (90min)
Arsenal's 24-year-old English winger Reiss Nelson has emerged as a top summer target for Brighton. (Teamtalk)
Manchester United want £43m for English forward Mason Greenwood, 22, who has spent the season on loan at Getafe in Spain. An unnamed club from Saudi Arabia has expressed an interest in signing him. (Mirror)
Manchester United are trying to bring former Newcastle United midfielder Mikel Merino, 27, back to England. The Spain international plays for Real Sociedad. (COPE - in Spanish)
Despite interest from Juventus and AC Milan, it is Aston Villa who are in pole position to sign Atletico Madrid defender Mario Hermoso, 28, on a free transfer this summer. (calciomercato.com)
Chelsea might be looking to offload several stars this summer, including England forward Raheem Sterling, 29. (Mail)
West Ham are monitoring Sporting Lisbon and Portugal attacking midfielder Pedro Goncalves, 25. He has a contract with Sporting until June 2027 and has a £68m release clause. (Record - in Portuguese)
Manchester City are in talks to extend 31-year-old German goalkeeper Stefan Ortega's contract at the club. (Florian Plettenberg)
Nice will demand a fee of 55m-60m euros (£47m-£51m) for 24-year-old France defender Jean-Clair Todibo, who is being targeted by Manchester United. (90Min)
Everton are lining up Hull's 23-year-old English defender Jacob Greaves as a replacement for Jarrad Branthwaite should the 21-year-old England Under-21 defender leave this summer. (Football Insider)
Eddie Howe will remain manager of Newcastle even if the Magpies fail to qualify for Europe this season. (Telegraph - subscription required)
Manchester City and England defender Kyle Walker, 33, says he would be interested in a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia, though is not ready to leave the Premier League. (Five)
Fulham and Nottingham Forest are interested in Bologna and Scotland attacking midfielder Lewis Ferguson, 24, who has scored six Serie A goals this season. (calciomercato.com - in Italian)
Brighton's Scottish midfielder Marc Leonard, 22, is wanted by Preston, Plymouth and Swansea. (Fabrizio Romano)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MIRROR
Barcelona have shown an interest in Liverpool forward Luis Diaz.
Emmanuel Petit has told Trent Alexander-Arnold to 'shut his mouth' after the Liverpool star's comments suggesting winning the title means more to the Reds than rivals Manchester City.
Chelsea co-controlling owner Todd Boehly recently held meetings in Saudi Arabia, fuelling speculation that the club will attempt to offload players to the Saudi Pro League in the summer.
Borussia Dortmund's Donyell Malen has dismissed talk of him joining Manchester United this summer - despite a potential Jadon Sancho swap deal being lined up.
Liverpool and Arsenal were among 10 Premier League sides who voted against a financial deal to help the EFL.
Manchester United have sent scouts to watch Atalanta midfielder Ederson, casting further doubt on the long-term future of Casemiro.
Denmark manager Kasper Hjulmand expects Rasmus Hojlund to return to action for Manchester United against Liverpool on Sunday, following conversations with United boss Erik ten Hag.
THE SUN
Manchester United officials have been "travelling around Spain" in an attempt to sell Mason Greenwood, according to reports.
Cillian Murphy may have won the Oscar for best actor, but he still thinks Roy Keane remains Cork's "number one".
Manchester United and Chelsea are set to do battle for Barcelona defender Jules Kounde this summer, according to reports.
Jose Mourinho has reportedly been earmarked for a stunning return to management, with Italian reports linking him with a move to Fenerbahce.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Saudi Arabia has made its move for tennis with a $2bn take-it-or-leave-it offer to merge the men's and women's tours.
Uefa considered a tweak to the new Champions League format in which the best performing clubs in the first round could pick their first knockout opponents in a live television event - but the idea never gathered enough support.
Sale Sharks are in talks to sign Fiji captain Waisea Nayacalevu to replace Manu Tuilagi at the club next season.
DAILY MAIL
A growing number of Premier League clubs are considering ditching football's 'New Deal' - and taking legal action should a government regulator try to force them to pay.
Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez has been called up by Argentina despite still recovering from a knee ligament injury.
Illegal streaming companies are working with black-market bookmakers to attract sports fans by offering free bets and ad-free viewing subscriptions to customers, with over 500,000 viewers watching last weekend's Anthony Joshua/Francis Ngannou fight illegally.
Atletico Madrid are believed to be interested in signing Mason Greenwood.
Fulham are set to trigger a £4m payment to Chelsea for striker Armando Broja under the terms of his January loan deal.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan says golf's peace talks are 'accelerating', despite growing fears around the sport that they have in fact stalled.
THE ATHLETIC
Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli and Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson have withdrawn from the Brazil squad for March's international fixtures due to injuries.
Napoli and Aurelio De Laurentiis are facing a heavy fine after the club president pushed a TV cameraman while ending a player interview.
The Cameroon Football Federation (Fecafoot) has suspended 62 domestic league players for inconsistencies regarding their identities, including a player who was selected for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) earlier this year.
Bayern Munich will not have any travelling fans for the away leg of their Champions League quarter-final after the German champions accepted UEFA sanctions for their fans' use of pyrotechnics.
CONCACAF is set to launch a women's tournament that will offer qualification for the new FIFA Women's Club World Cup.
The Spanish government has been asked to suspend the acting president of the Spanish football federation (RFEF) Pedro Rocha from all duties immediately.
EVENING STANDARD
Charlton co-owner Charlie Methven has hit out at Crystal Palace and West Ham and accused the two clubs of stalling a funding deal between the Premier League and the EFL.
DAILY EXPRESS
Arsenal have reportedly told Eddie Nketiah that he is free to find a new club less than two years after signing a new contract at the Emirates Stadium.
Manchester United target Michael Olise is reportedly keen on a move to Old Trafford in a potentially major boost for INEOS's revamp of Erik ten Hag's squad.
THE TIMES
Emma Raducanu has expressed deep concern about the use of different tennis balls across the tour.
SCOTTISH SUN
Mark Fotheringham has dramatically jumped into the frame for the Aberdeen job.
Gustaf Lagerbielke has revealed his Celtic future will be reviewed in the summer.
Borna Barisic looks all but certain to leave Rangers this summer.
DAILY RECORD
Celtic are closing in on a new deal for youngster Daniel Kelly.
Matt O'Riley has been told his dream of playing for Denmark at Euro 2024 is very much on - despite being snubbed from their most recent squad.
Sport Witness
Surprise as West Ham interested in attacker with 15 G/A – Hammers can pay reasonable amount
VfB Stuttgart star Chris Führich has ended up on West Ham United’s transfer agenda for the summer, according to a report from Germany.
The winger has impressed this season, scoring eight goals and registering seven assists from 29 games.
He’s been ‘one of the high-flyers’ of the Bundesliga side and that has resulted in the 26-year-old attracting interest from West Ham and other clubs, something which would is surprising given his career path.
That’s according to Sky Deutschland, who state Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig have all included the attacker in their target list for the next window.
It’s further claimed ‘there is also interest’ from abroad and the Hammers are the only club to get a mention. David Moyes’ side could provide competition to the Bundesliga trio in the race for the Germany international’s signature.
Last month, Stuttgart extended the player’s deal until 2028, with the inclusion of a release clause. Sky state the ‘realistic amount’ in the clause is around €20m.
Führich has spent his playing career in Germany so far and the website makes no mention of whether he’s open to making a switch to England, if West Ham United decide to activate his clause in the summer.
The Athletic
Ward-Prowse and Phillips harbour England hopes – but their West Ham form is a worry
By Roshane Thomas
As a dejected Kalvin Phillips left the London Stadium last Sunday, it was easy to wonder what has become of him and where it all goes from here. A talent that David Moyes coveted for so long is low on confidence and match sharpness. The forecast looks bleak.
The England international midfielder, who joined on loan from Manchester City in January after seeing little action in the 18 months following a £42million ($53.7m) move from Leeds United, is yet to impress in his seven appearances for West Ham.
He was at fault for Dominic Solanke’s opener three minutes into his debut against Bournemouth, made an error leading up Alejandro Garnacho’s second goal in the 3-0 loss to Manchester United, was sent off against Nottingham Forest as West Ham chased an equaliser midway through the second half of an eventual 2-0 defeat and, at the weekend, got hooked at half-time against then-bottom of the table Burnley, with West Ham 2-0 down.
Gareth Southgate, the England manager with an eye on his squad for the European Championship this summer, seldom attends West Ham games but was there for the latter fixture and would have noted Phillips’ difficulties. The 28-year-old was ineffective against a midfield duo of Josh Cullen and Sander Berge, and Moyes’ side improved after he was replaced, with the game finishing as a 2-2 draw.
He is yet to complete 90 minutes for West Ham and his contributions may be limited to cameos from the bench in the coming weeks. It is hard to see how he can dislodge Moyes’ preferred central-midfield partnership of Tomas Soucek and Edson Alvarez.
Those two both help drive the tempo of matches. Phillips has been better as an impact substitute in games against Everton and Freiburg. But, as a starter, he has been error-prone.
Phillips is now facing the consequences of being a peripheral player. He has never been considered a first-choice option in midfield under Pep Guardiola.
City, the reigning Premier League champions then and now, were willing to let him leave on loan last summer. He opted to stay in the hope of more playing time but was on the pitch for 318 minutes across 10 appearances, with his only starts coming in a Carabao Cup tie in September and December’s dead-rubber Champions League group finale.
That West Ham debut on February 1 against Bournemouth was Phillips’ first Premier League start since the final game of 2022-23, when City had already secured the title and were looking ahead to playing in the FA Cup and Champions League finals. He has been playing catch-up since arriving at the London Stadium, and Moyes’ side have won just five of the 18 points available in the six league games he has played for them.
This, it’s safe to say, is not how he would have envisioned this loan spell going.
After that dismissal in the defeat by Forest, he spoke about aiming to get the basics right and being determined to turn things around. But those words have not yielded a promising display.
Phillips had turned down the chance to join Italian side Juventus in favour of West Ham, having canvassed Southgate’s thoughts.
“Gareth said he wasn’t going to tell me what to do, but said the Premier League is a lot more difficult and more competitive (than Serie A),” Phillips said. “He said to be playing in the Premier League versus playing anywhere else — it’s just a little bit of a step down in quality. So, yes, he influenced me to stay in England.”
Phillips’ performances will be scrutinised given his profile, the fact West Ham are paying his full salary and the fact he is a 31-cap England international.
Southgate names a squad tomorrow (Thursday) for friendlies next week against Brazil and Belgium — England’s last matches before a couple of pre-Euros warm-up games in June. Phillips’ form does not merit an inclusion, but Southgate named the midfielder in his squad in September when he had only played six minutes in the league in City’s first four fixtures.
“If you take Declan (Rice of Arsenal) out of the equation, Kalvin is one of the few in this country playing in that position that has all the attributes needed to do it,” said Southgate.
“We have other profiles of midfield players, but they’re slightly different. Kalvin is an important player for us and it is why we kept selecting him when he wasn’t playing for Manchester City. That’s always going to be criticised when you do that, but in that holding-midfield position there aren’t many playing at the level we need.”
Jordan Henderson, who left Saudi Pro League club Al Ettifaq in January less than six months after they bought him from Liverpool and is now with Dutch side Ajax, is another option for Southgate.
John Stones, Phillips’ City team-mate, has impressed as a defensive midfielder but Southgate prefers to play him at centre-back. He has experimented with Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold in midfield, and his club colleague Curtis Jones has an outside chance of a senior call-up.
Conor Gallagher, of Chelsea, is not a No 6. Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo? The 18-year-old has thrived under Erik ten Hag since making his first Premier League start in November but it is worth remembering what Southgate said in October. “You can’t just go on recency bias when you are looking at selection,” he said.
Phillips’ West Ham team-mate and fellow midfielder James Ward-Prowse harbours hopes of an England place, too.
The 29-year-old, signed from relegated Southampton in August for £30million, won the most recent of his 11 caps in June 2022 and has not made a squad since that September.
Now on five goals and seven assists from his 27 Premier League games for West Ham, Ward-Prowse started brightly with two goals and three assists in his opening four appearances against Chelsea, Brighton, Luton and City, but Southgate did not name him in September’s squad, nor the ones in October and November.
“I think that (England) is always in the back of my mind,” said Ward-Prowse. “I’ve been in and out of the squad over the last few years but the only thing that’s going to get me into that squad is by playing regularly and well enough, to a level that the manager sees fit. I’m focusing on doing that.”
Ward-Prowse was also in good form at the beginning of the calendar year, scoring in successive games against Sheffield United and Bournemouth, but barring an assist in the recent 3-1 away win against Everton, he has been unable to impact games as a No 10. He has occasionally played out of position as a left winger and, like Phillips, was substituted at half-time against Burnley.
With so much competition for England midfield places it is unlikely Ward-Prowse, who turns 30 in November, will add to those 11 caps. But Phillips is a different story. Such is Southgate’s trust in him, he will have confidence he can overcome his club-game struggles.
Phillips was voted England’s player of the year in 2021, having started every game of the tournament alongside Rice as they got to the final of the previous European Championship, where they lost on penalties to Italy. But he has not shone in Moyes’ midfield in the same way he has done in Southgate’s version.
Only time will tell if Phillips, who is more likely to be given the opportunity than Ward-Prowse, can do so for both in the months ahead.
Arsenal Youth
Arsenal defender Luis Brown on trial at West Ham
Arsenal defender Luis Brown is reportedly on trial at West Ham United
The 18-year-old, who can play at left-back or centre-back, is one of a host of Arsenal youngsters who were recently informed that they will not be getting a professional contract.
According to West Ham Youth, Brown featured for the Hammers’ U18 side in their 4-2 win against Aston Villa last weekend.
Brown’s father Kenny is the West Ham academy manager.
Having progressed all the way through the ranks at Arsenal’s Hale End academy, Brown signed scholarship terms in 2022.
In total he made 31 appearances for the Gunners at U18 level and also made his Premier League 2 debut for the U21s against Southampton as well as being called up in the UEFA Youth League.
