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Paper Talk
Manchester City are confident they have Pep Guardiola in the bag.
Jose Mourinho has been left a "broken man" after his sacking by Chelsea.
Jurgen Klopp is set to sign Joel Matip on a free transfer from Schalke in the summer.
Crisis-hit Bolton are in talks with Preston about selling one of their training grounds.
Loic Remy is wanted on loan by French side Saint Etienne.
Manchester United face disappointment if they decide to take on Real Madrid in the race for Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski.
Jose Mourinho enjoyed a festive last supper as Chelsea manager before getting the boot.
Guus Hiddink will be given the task of steering Chelsea through the rest of the season, but Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is favourite to be the long-term replacement for Mourinho.
Jurgen Klopp is close to landing his first major transfer target at Liverpool, after chief executive Ian Ayre flew to Belgrade to finalise a £5m deal for 19-year-old Marko Grujic.
Emmanuel Adebayor has moved a step closer towards relaunching his Premier League career in January. Adebayor is believed to have joined his representatives last week in holding talks with officials from Chelsea, West Ham and Watford.
Kevin De Bruyne admits he has felt tired as he prepares for Manchester City's hectic Christmas period.
Steven Gerrard believes Liverpool's players should be 'licking their lips' at the prospect of working with Jurgen Klopp.
Criticising Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal is 'crazy' says Dutch legend Marc Overmars.
Claudio Ranieri has ruled out Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez being sold in January and has vowed to fight to keep them at Leicester next season.
James Forrest and Leigh Griffiths have been urged to snub big-money moves to England and fulfil their potential at Celtic.
The FA may consider sacked Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho if England fail at Euro 2016.
Jose Mourinho joined his Chelsea players for their annual Christmas lunch at the club's Cobham training ground just hours before he was sacked, but there was little festive spirit to go around.
Jurgen Klopp has shown Liverpool how to fire up the Kop, says defender Nathaniel Clyne.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says Manchester City's title campaign may be destabilised if Pep Guardiola quits Bayern Munich, while the Frenchman is hoping Alexis Sanchez returns from injury.
Roman Abramovich's decision to ditch his misfiring coach could pave the way for sacked doctor Eva Carneiro to return to the club.
Chelsea want Guus Hiddink to save their season after they finally axed boss Jose Mourinho.
Wayne Rooney is on his way back to try and save Manchester United's season. Rooney has missed United's last three games with an ankle injury he suffered against Premier League leaders Leicester last month.
Remi Garde has accused Charles N'Zogbia of letting Aston Villa down and told the rest of his under-performing players to get on board or leave.
Bournemouth are ready to swoop for West Brom winger Callum McManaman.
Roberto Martínez has said Claudio Ranieri has not been given the credit he deserves for building the winning mentality behind Leicester City's rise to the Premier League summit.
Watford will resist any offers for hotshot Odion Ighalo next month.
Fulham hope to bring Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Slavisa Jokanovic as their new manager next month.
Jose Mourinho's penultimate day as Chelsea manager was marred by a training-ground bust-up involving several of his first-team players.
Liverpool are closing in on their first signing under Jugen Klopp after club officials travelled to Serbia yesterday to conclude a deal for Red Star Belgrade midfielder Marko Grujic.
BBC
After the sacking of Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink, 69, is set for a second short-term stint in charge of Chelsea, but Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is the Blues' long-term target. (Telegraph)
Simeone, 45, is yet to be convinced a move to Stamford Bridge is right for him. (Mail)
Dutchman Hiddink has been lined up as Mourinho's replacement until the end of the season. (GetWestLondon)
A deal for Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola, 44, to become Chelsea boss in the summer is 90% done. (Express)
Former Tottenham boss Juande Ramos, 61, is being considered as a potential interim manager after Mourinho's departure. (Times - subscription required)
Harry Redknapp, who replaced Ramos as Spurs manager when they had only two points from eight games in 2008, joked the Spaniard would be a "fantastic candidate" for the Chelsea job. (BBC Radio 5 live clip)
Mourinho was sacked soon after eating Christmas lunch at the club's training ground. (Sun)
His penultimate day as Blues boss was marred by a shoving match after a tackle from Cesc Fabregas during a training session involving players from both the first team and academy. (Times - subscription required)
BBC reporter Garry Richardson claims Mourinho said he had a "couple of bad apples" in his team who were causing him "lots of problems". (BBC Radio 5 live clip)
Mourinho could return to Real Madrid to replace another former Chelsea coach, Rafael Benitez, according to former Real chairman Ramon Calderon. (The Sun)
Chelsea may come to regret sacking Mourinho, according to their former Scotland winger Pat Nevin. (BBC Radio 5 live clip)
Bookmakers make Manchester United the favourites to employ the Portuguese manager next. (Star)
Broadcaster Piers Morgan says Mourinho's dismissal is "the worst decision in football history". (Mail)
Former Liverpool boss Graeme Souness believes Mourinho's problems stemmed from falling out with some of the "main men" in the dressing room. (Sky Sports)
Former Chelsea forward Tony Cascarino says there is one "obvious" candidate to take the Chelsea job... Alan Pardew. (The Times)
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 30, who has been linked with Paris St-Germain, said he likes Madrid more than Paris, but that might "change". (Marca via Visao)
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard says new manager Jurgen Klopp "has lifted the whole place" and wishes he could play for the German. (London Evening Standard)
Klopp is close to signing his first major transfer target at Anfield - 19-year-old Red Star Belgrade midfielder Marko Grujic. (Mirror)
Bournemouth are preparing to bid for Hull defender Curtis Davies in January. The 30-year-old centre-back's contract expires at the end of the season and the Championship club may be willing to let him go to avoid losing him on a free transfer in the summer. (Mirror)
Manchester United are monitoring Servette's 15-year-old striker Lorenzo Gonzalez, who is nicknamed 'Speedy' after Mexican cartoon mouse 'Speedy Gonzales'. (Bild via Metro)
Revamping Scottish leagues to help Rangers or Hibernian if they failed to gain promotion would send the game into total meltdown says former Ibrox captain Barry Ferguson. (Daily Record)
Brighton's fear that Manchester United striker James Wilson, 20, will be recalled from his loan spell have been played down by United reserve-team coach Warren Joyce. (The Argus)
Former Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa, 60, is the favourite to replace Garry Monk at Swansea, but the club's players and staff have not been told of any developments in the build-up to Sunday's match with West Ham. (South Wales Evening Post)
On-loan Hull striker Chuba Akpom, 20, has apologised after throwing his gloves at the bench when he was substituted against Reading. (Hull Daily Mail)
And finally
Manchester United teenager Cameron Borthwick-Jackson has broken a club record, by having the longest name of any player to appear for the Red Devils. (Metro)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Alan Smith
From London to Lagos, there is only one question on everybody’s lips: who will replace José Mourinho? Guus Hiddink is in the frame, the name of Pep Guardiola will do the rounds, Diego Simeone could be a sound fit and even a return to Stamford Bridge for Carlo Ancelotti is not out of the question. But who is to bet against those betraying players managing themselves?
You could have Cesc Fàbregas in charge of tactics, Eden Hazard taking care of skills, Diego Costa and John Terry in joint-control of motivation. It would probably be more effective than Juande Ramos getting the job, and it would be rather amusing to see how Roman Abramovich, looking for his 12th manager in 11 years, deals with sacking the entire squad when he inevitably grows tired of them failing to live up to his expectations.
And where next for Mourinho? Might he make a pioneering move to the Indian Super League? There are whispers of a move to China and suggestions he could go on a sabbatical because that is what all the best managers are meant to do when their ideas become tired.
Meanwhile, raise a glass of orange juice to Alex Neil of Norwich City, who is now the only manager not to have been moved on from the bottom quarter of the table. Hurrah! He should celebrate by becoming the latest manager to leave the once upon a time daunting Old Trafford with a result this weekend.
Also on the wrong side Rémi Garde has been told he can spend, spend, spend Randy Lerner’s money in January to keep Aston Villa up, but the French manager also warned some of his under-performing players know they must step up or pack up. It would, of course, be fashionable for him to sign players from his home country considering the impact of Dimitri Payet, N’Golo Kanté and Yohan Cabaye. It’s just a pity that the four signed from French clubs in the summer have all ended up being flops. Don’t let that diminish the impression that Ligue 1 is incroyable, though, so here are some bright young things from Ligue 1 (not that the Rumour Mill is angling for a move to recruitment from churning out this piffle on a daily basis): Juan Fernando Quintero, Bernardo Silva and Michy Batshuayi.
Elsewhere, Eddie Howe wants to bring Callum McManaman to Bournemouth from West Bromwich Albion, Ronald Koeman is looking towards the Eredivisie again to supplement his slumping squad and John Stones rumours that absolutely nobody believes persist. What we can believe though is that Marko Grujic will join Liverpool and Crystal Palace have signed the teenage winger Randall Williams from Tower Hamlets after he impressed in a trial with the club – though he will initially play for the club’s under-21s.
London24
Slaven Bilic puts return date on Manuel Lanzini and updates on Dimitri Payet training
Brad Pinard
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic hopes Manuel Lanzini will be back to face Aston Villa on Boxing Day.
The playmaker has been out for around a month with a ligament injury, but is set to return to training on Monday and will be involved over Christmas.
West Ham are hoping to seal a permanent deal for Lanzini after his impressive start to the season on loan from Al-Jazira. Bilic hopes they will both be back soon, with Lanzini ahead of schedule.
“Lanzini and Payet are doing really well,” Bilic said. “Lanzini should be ready for the Villa game and Dimi should start to train in ten days.” West Ham travel to Swansea on Sunday without a host of key men which also includes Andy Carroll now.
"We have the Andy Carroll situation where he is feeling his groin and he could miss the Swansea game which is a big blow. It's one game," said Hammers boss Slaven Bilic.
"It's nothing major. The scan showed a little bit of a problem. Not long term but it's very unlikely he's going to play."
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