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BBC
Manchester City are leading the race to sign Bayern Munich's 21-year-old Germany forward Jamal Musiala - but Liverpool, Barcelona and Paris St-Germain are all also interested. (Independent)
Brentford expect England striker Ivan Toney to leave the club in the summer, but the Bees will demand £50m, with Manchester United among several Premier League clubs tracking the 28-year-old. (HITC)
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has held face-to-face talks with Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley in an attempt to reach an agreement on sporting director Dan Ashworth's move to Manchester United. (Times - subscription required)
The recent good form of Arsenal's Germany forward Kai Havertz, 24, has made the Gunners rethink their summer transfer plans, with a move for Toney now unlikely. (Mirror)
Frenchman Raphael Varane, 30, will not to be offered a new contract on the same money by Manchester United and expected to leave the club when his current deal expires in June. (Chris Wheeler, Mail)
Arsenal's 20-year-old English midfielder Charlie Patino is set for a summer transfer abroad. (Evening Standard)
Liverpool have agreed a deal in principle with Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim. (Football Insider)
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has made a new centre-back one of his transfer priorities and Bayer Leverkusen's Ecuador international Piero Hincapie, 22, is on his shortlist. (Bild, via TeamTalk)
Spurs are also interested in signing Union Saint-Gilloise's Algeria striker Mohamed Amoura this summer but face competition from West Ham and Wolves for the 23-year-old. (GiveMeSport)
Manchester City are set to beat Liverpool and Arsenal to the signing of Gremio's 18-year-old Brazilian midfielder Gustavo Nunes. (Sun)
Napoli will not take up the option to turn 28-year-old Belgium midfielder Leander Dendoncker's loan from Aston Villa into a permanent deal. (Calciomercato - in Italian)
Chelsea could look to move on 11 players this summer as they attempt to trim their large squad, with England midfielder Conor Gallagher, 24, among those set to leave. (Sun)
Barcelona are preparing to offer 21-year-old Spain midfielder Pedri, who has rejected interest from Paris St-Germain, a contract extension. (Fabrizio Romano)
Sporting Lisbon and Sweden forward Viktor Gyokeres is a top target for Arsenal but the 25-year-old's contract contains a 100m-euro (£85.4m) release clause. (Football Transfers)
Manchester United and Newcastle have reportedly "initiated talks" with Juventus and France midfielder Adrien Rabiot, 29, who could be available on a free transfer this summer. (Calciomercato via TeamTalk)
Newcastle bosses have injected £37m into the club in the form of a new share issue, although it is not clear whether the money will contribute towards the summer transfer window. (Football Insider)
Sky Paper Talk
THE TIMES
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has held face-to-face talks with Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley in a bid to reach agreement on Dan Ashworth's move to Manchester United.
Top English rugby coaches are worried that the introduction of a Club World Cup in 2028 will hurt club finances and damage player welfare.
DAILY MAIL
Premier League clubs are facing a bill of at least £106m to fund the first 10 years of the new independent regulator in the form of a compulsory Government levy.
Brentford's home game against Sheffield United on Saturday will be watched with more than usual interest by the rest of the Premier League clubs due to an innovative augmented highlights experiment taking place at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Three of Harry Kane's children were rushed to hospital after being involved in a horror car crash in Germany.
Olympic legend Sir Steve Redgrave has hit out at World Athletics for offering prize money for gold medallists - insisting it is unfair on other sports.
CJ Ujah has returned to Great Britain's 4x100m relay squad for the first time since his failed drugs test saw the team stripped of a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Luke Donald will undertake a reconnaissance mission to the 2025 Ryder Cup venue in New York next month.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Newcastle United are introducing groundbreaking haptic shirts that will allow deaf fans and those with hearing loss to experience the atmosphere at St James' Park for the first time at a live match.
The Premier League is introducing new VAR technology next season, but the 'semi-automated offside' system will not be ready for the start of the campaign.
Sir Steve Redgrave says that it is unfair for athletics gold medallists to be paid prize money in Paris this summer while champions in other sports will receive nothing.
DAILY MIRROR
Kai Havertz's recent purple patch in front of goal for Arsenal has inspired the Gunners to rethink their transfer plans for the coming summer.
Liverpool legend Javier Mascherano has urged Luis Diaz to reject a move to PSG and remain at Anfield.
Kobbie Mainoo might have come in for criticism from former Manchester United star Paul Scholes, but the youngster's feelings about the Premier League and Champions League winner are plain to see.
Thiago Motta insists his Bologna side intend to remain a "pain in the a**" for the Italian giants as they target a shock place in the Champions League.
THE SUN
Leeds may have to fork out a staggering £40m for the bungled transfer of a player they never even owned.
Manchester City look set to swoop on the freshest talent coming out of Gremio - the Brazilian club that brought ex-Barcelona star Ronaldinho to the attention of the world.
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has questioned Marcus Rashford's future at Old Trafford.
Toto Wolff has dropped his biggest hint yet as to who will replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
Prince William and Prince George have been cheering on Aston Villa's opening goal in their first public appearance since Kate shared her cancer diagnosis.
Prem clubs have been blasted for their "ludicrous" decision to bring in semi-automated offside technology AFTER next season has started.
THE GUARDIAN
The Spanish TV station Movistar Plus+ has fired the analyst German Burgos after Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain refused to give interviews to the network on account of his comment about Barcelona's Lamine Yamal before Wednesday's Champions League match.
Australian world champion swimmer James Magnussen, who is coming out of retirement for next year's Enhanced Games, should be banned from sport for life if he deliberately dopes in an attempt to win $1m by trying to break a world record, according to World Aquatics chief executive Brent Nowicki.
THE INDEPENDENT
Manchester City are one of a number of major European clubs considering a move for Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala, with the interest of the English champions more advanced than rivals.
DAILY STAR
Erik ten Hag fears he is running out of allies at Manchester United following the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe as he battles to save his job.
Pep Guardiola has escaped a food poisoning shocker that could have damaged Manchester City's treble bid after Kevin De Bruyne's illness, which ruled him out of their quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid, was confirmed as an isolated incident.
An Al-Ittihad fan unable to contain his fury over their Saudi Super Cup Final defeat lashed out at one of the team's players with an actual whip.
Erik ten Hag fears he is running out of allies at Manchester United as he battles to save his job.
EVENING STANDARD
Arsenal youngster Charlie Patino is set for summer transfer abroad, with his hopes of playing under Mikel Arteta dwindling.
Chelsea cannot start any rebuild of Stamford Bridge until 2027 at the earliest, as part of their £80m deal to buy a plot of land next to the stadium.
Brentford are hopeful January signing Yunus Emre Konak will make a full return from injury before the end of the season.
DAILY RECORD
Dundee vs Rangers could be played at a neutral venue if next Wednesday's re-arranged fixture proves to be another wash out.
Philippe Clement has revealed his Rangers stars will only get one day off this month after the latest Dens Park call-off.
The Scottish Premiership winners WON'T automatically qualify for the group stage of the 2025/26 Champions League after Scotland dropped out of the UEFA coefficient rankings top 10.
SCOTTISH SUN
Celtic and Rangers have both been credited with an interest in Australia international 'keeper Tom Glover.
The Commonwealth Games could return to Scotland with talks ongoing for Glasgow to replace Australia's Victoria as hosts in 2026.
Guardian
Hofmann and Boniface give Leverkusen first-leg advantage against West Ham
Jacob Steinberg at the BayArena
There is an inevitability to Bayer Leverkusen’s late shows. On a night of tension and occasional ill-temper at a bouncing BayArena, where patience was stretched by West Ham’s stifling tactics, the Bundesliga’s champions-elect stayed cool, used their bench and were rewarded for trusting in themselves by scoring twice in the dying stages.
Not for nothing is Xabi Alonso, whose next task is to clinch the first title in his club’s history on Sunday, regarded as management’s rising star. The statistics pointed to Leverkusen dominance, the shot count 33 to West Ham’s one, the possession embarrassing, but it still took persistence for Alonso’s side to take control of this Europa League quarter-final.
West Ham fought hard, the discipline instilled by David Moyes lifting them, and it was still goalless with seven minutes left. But Leverkusen, whose 42-match unbeaten run owes much to their knack of winning late, would not be denied. Jonas Hofmann produced the breakthrough after coming on and Victor Boniface, another of Alonso’s impressive substitutions, gave the scoreline a realistic look by heading home in added time.
It felt like a pivotal goal from Boniface, who scored with West Ham deflated and fatigued, all the chasing sapping their energy levels. Two-nil down to one of the best sides in Europe, the prospect of a turnaround seems remote. West Ham struggled to lay a glove on Leverkusen and, to add to their selection issues, they will have to find a way of attacking without the creativity of Lucas Paquetá, who is banned for the second leg after being booked for a petulant foul on Amine Adli.
“We’re playing a Champions League team tonight – and a good one at that,” Moyes said, although he was less complimentary about the behaviour of Alonso’s coaching team, arguing that their protests convinced the Portuguese referee to caution Paquetá. “I thought it was disgraceful,” Moyes continued. “I’m really disappointed with their bench. They should let the referee make the decision.”
Alonso was unmoved by the criticism. He dealt with a rejig from West Ham, whose lack of depth was highlighted by the absence of Edson Álvarez in midfield and Jarrod Bowen in attack. Moyes used a 4-2-3-1 system and there was early encouragement for the visitors, Michail Antonio surging past Jonathan Tah, only for Mohammed Kudus to shoot tamely at Matej Kovar. It was an isolated foray. Sixteen minutes in, the home fans howled when Lukasz Fabianski delayed a goal-kick. Leverkusen smother opponents and they had already managed five shots by that stage. Fabianski saved well from Alejandro Grimaldo and Adli.
The action flew in one direction, Granit Xhaka controlling midfield, Florian Wirtz and Adli scheming. Starved of the ball, the threat minimal without Bowen, West Ham toiled. Their wing-backs were not in the game. Paquetá’s swipe on Adli – a red card, Leverkusen felt – was a sign of the playmaker’s frustration. He soon risked a second booking.
Alonso told Leverkusen, who sit 16 points above Bayern Munich, to stay calm. They continued to probe and Patrik Schick’s angled drive tested Fabianski, although there was a different feel as half-time approached. Antonio’s strength unsettled Tah at times. The striker wanted a penalty after tangling with the centre-back.
The crowd began to chunter during the second half, especially as they could see that there was a stodginess to West Ham’s attempts to build. They were uncomfortable when Leverkusen pressed. Tomas Soucek and James Ward-Prowse slogged away in central midfield and Kudus could not showcase his skill.
With 65 minutes gone Paquetá came alive, turning beautifully in midfield, only for his head to drop when Antonio messed up the return pass. An away goal looked unlikely. Moyes said that Konstantinos Mavropanos limping off was a turning point. The centre-back was strong next to Kurt Zouma and Aaron Cresswell.
Challenged to be more direct, Leverkusen went down the flanks, Schick’s header stretching Fabianski. The pressure grew and Boniface caused problems following his introduction. Latching on to a header from a corner, the striker’s shot was blocked by Zouma. The ball dropped to Hofmann, whose hooked shot squirmed through the bodies and past Fabianski.
Leverkusen always find a way. The tension lifted, they pushed for a second. Another cross came in and Boniface extended the lead, giving West Ham a mountain to climb.
The Athletic
West Ham didn’t strengthen back in January. Now their lack of depth is costing them
By Roshane Thomas
Both of Bayer Leverkusen’s goals were scored by substitutes: Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface. When Xabi Alonso looked to his bench for much-needed inspiration, the talent was there. When David Moyes did the same, he was not as trusting of the attacking options available.
Alonso made four changes between the 67th and 77th minute. Within six minutes of entering the field, Hofmann established a breakthrough before Boniface scored in added time to seal Leverkusen’s 2-0 win.
West Ham United had defended well until that point but momentum grew stronger with the Bundesliga leaders, who have yet to lose a game in any competition this season. Moyes’ game plan worked but was ultimately undone when he opted not to make substitutions during a crucial period of Thursday’s quarter-final first leg.
Danny Ings, Divin Mubama and Maxwel Cornet were his offensive options in reserve. Ings struggles to impact games as a starter but scored from the bench in March’s 2-2 draw against his old club Burnley. As a sub, Cornet provided the assist for Tomas Soucek’s late winner in the 1-0 victory over TSC Backa Topola in November. But once again, the duo were unused substitutes. Nayef Aguerd and Ben Johnson replacing Konstantinos Mavropanos and Mohammed Kudus were the only changes Moyes made.
Failure to augment their attacking options in January has come back to haunt West Ham. Kalvin Phillips was the club’s sole signing, despite attempts to secure Al-Ittihad’s Jota and Nordsjaelland forward Ibrahim Osman, who has since joined Brighton & Hove Albion. A loan move for Emile Smith Rowe of Arsenal was rejected. Interest in Ajax’s ex-Tottenham Hotspur forward Steven Bergwijn was never formalised with a bid. Aston Villa rejected an offer to sign striker Jhon Duran on loan and Sunderland’s £20million valuation of Jack Clarke proved prohibitive.
Said Benrahma left to join Lyon on loan while fellow attacking player Pablo Fornals joined Real Betis in an €8million (£6.8m; $8.7m) deal. West Ham failed to replace the duo and their lack of squad depth has been noticeable this season.
It is not the first January transfer window in which the club have failed to strengthen. West Ham did not sign a player in January 2022 despite being in contention for a top-four finish and in the latter stages of the Europa League. With 11 league games remaining, they were two points behind Manchester United but a lack of depth cost Moyes’ side, who only sealed three league wins during the rest of the season.
There are parallels between this season and that 2021-22 campaign. West Ham are feeling the consequences of failing to strengthen in January, which, come the end of this season, could be viewed as a missed opportunity.
Although they remain in the hunt for a top-six finish, reaching the semi-final of a European competition for a third season looks arduous, with Emerson Palmieri and Lucas Paqueta suspended for the second leg at the London Stadium on April 18.
But there were some positives from their loss against Leverkusen: Michail Antonio made defender Jonathan Tah endure a tough evening, Lukasz Fabianski produced a number of important saves to keep his side in the game and Tomas Soucek, on his 200th appearance, made two goalline clearances to deny Tah in added time.
With Jarrod Bowen injured and Edson Alvarez missing through suspension, Moyes missed that pair’s offensive and defensive attributes respectively. The manager reverted to a wing-back system and the game plan was working before Alonso’s substitutes changed the game. The Bundesliga champions in waiting had 18 shots in the first half but did not register their 19th until the 65th minute.
“I thought the boys did a really good job,” said Moyes. “If you look through their recent history, Leverkusen score late in games. We were aware of that and we looked to try and change things defensively to make it tougher. Dinos (Mavropanos) came off with an injury and it affected us a little bit. We played against a team that’s a Champions League side and we’re probably not quite at that level.
“But we’re still in the tie and it gives us half a chance in the second leg. It was a blow tonight not having Jarrod and Edson. It’s football and there’s a chance you’re not going due to suspensions and injuries this time of the year. We’ll kick up ourself for next week and hopefully have the crowd behind us.”
West Ham have overturned first-leg losses in the Europa League in their recent history, doing so against following wins against Sevilla in 2021-22 and Freiburg in this year’s last-16 round. Leverkusen could be Bundesliga champions this weekend and Moyes will hope his side can capitalise on any complacency.
“We feel very disappointed because we worked hard for 80 or so minutes,” said Fabianski. “You have to give credit to the opposition because they created lots of chances and kept pushing for a goal. But we’re not going to give up, we have to believe and respond in the second leg. We have a great record playing at home.”
In their 2-0 last-16 second-leg victory against Sevilla in March 2022, it was Andriy Yarmolenko who endeared himself to supporters with his winning goal from the bench. Someone could have a similar impact if Moyes deserves to be more trusting of his attacking substitutes.
Caught Offside
West Ham United set to demand £100m for their star player this summer
According to SportBILD, Manchester City will have to pay West Ham United £100 million in order to recruit Lucas Paqueta this summer.
Pep Guardiola is reportedly targeting the Brazilian playmaker in order to boost his team for the 2024–2025 season, according to the German news outlet.
Man City made an attempt to sign Paqueta in the summer of last year, but the deal fell through when Paqueta was involved in an unresolved betting accusation.
Despite this, the player has been completely complying with the probe, and Man City are now once again interested in the player.
The 26-year-old has an £85 million release clause in his contract that goes into effect during the next transfer window, according to sources from last summer.
However, SportBILD claims that because his release clause is worth more than first thought, Man City would really need to spend £100 million to get him out of the London Stadium.
Guardiola has a habit of bolstering his squad every summer with a key signing and this time, it is rumoured to be West Ham’s Brazilian attacking midfielder.
The West Ham midfielder would love to sign for Man City
Paqueta would join players like Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva in building the Man City attack.
West Ham sold Declan Rice for around £100 million last summer and they could do the same again with Paqueta this summer.
West Ham should strive for at least £100 million if they have the ability to control the price at which Paqueta is sold.
Paqueta has impressed for West Ham this season
With eight goals and seven assists in 36 games so far this season, Paqueta is expected to be a key member of the Hammers once more.
The 26-year-old’s season has been outstanding under David Moyes.
In addition, he was selected for the Brazil team again and performed brilliantly last month at Wembley against England.
The transfer saga is set to continue this summer again with Guardiola seriously interested in signing the player.
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