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BBC
Liverpool are set to sign Riyad Mahrez with the 26-year-old Leicester City and Algeria forward expected to have a medical on Sunday. (Bein Sports)
The Reds are prepared to move quickly to fill the void left by Philippe Coutinho's departure, with Monaco's 22-year-old winger Thomas Lemar top of their wanted list. (Liverpool Echo)
Manchester City are set to put in a £25m bid for Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez, 29, but that move could put an end to their interest in Real Sociedad defender Inigo Martinez, 25. (Sunday Mirror)
City are keen on a move for Leicester's England defender Harry Maguire, 24, and could offer £50m to the Foxes for the former Hull City centre-back. (Sun on Sunday)
Manchester United are set to step up their attempt to bring Gareth Bale, 28, from Real Madrid to Old Trafford before the end of the transfer window. (Sunday Express)
Arsenal are close to agreeing a £25m deal for West Brom and Northern Ireland centre-back Jonny Evans, 30. (Sun on Sunday)
Manager Mauricio Pellegrino says Southampton hope to re-sign Arsenal and England winger Theo Walcott, 28. (ESPN)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger could cut short his latest contract and move into the boardroom in the summer - and the 68-year-old Frenchman wants Gunners coach Mikel Arteta as his replacement. (Sunday Mirror)
Derby manager Gary Rowett, 43, and Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill, 65, head Stoke's list to replace Mark Hughes. (Stoke Sentinel)
Bayern Munich boss Jupp Heynckes has ruled out selling 30-year-old midfielder Arturo Vidal to Chelsea in the January transfer window. (Mail on Sunday)
Jese Rodriguez, 24, is close to signing for his hometown club of Las Palmas. The Spanish forward is currently on loan at Stoke from Paris St-Germain. (AS - in Spanish)
Juventus chief executive Giuseppe Marotta says the Italian champions have no intention of parting company with 24-year-old Argentine forward Paulo Dybala. (Football Italia)
Manchester United will not face any competition from Chelsea for 26-year-old Alex Sandro should they make a move for the Juventus defender. (Calciomercato.com, via Manchester Evening News)
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe expects 29-year-old striker Lewis Grabban to depart during the transfer window. (Bournemouth Echo)
Bolton want £4m for 18-year-old keeper Jake Turner despite him not starting a first-team game. (Sun on Sunday)
Plymouth Argyle midfielder Toumani Diagouraga, 30, is set to sign for League One rivals Fleetwood Town. (Plymouth Herald)
Leeds United head coach Thomas Christiansen says the Whites have enough firepower in attack and he is "satisfied" with what he has during this transfer window. (Yorkshire Evening Post)
Fleetwood Town goalkeeper Chris Neal earned himself a year's supply of pizza after keeping a clean sheet against Leicester in the FA Cup. (BBC Sport)
Eight-time Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt, 31, says he has held talks with former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson about the prospect of playing for the Old Trafford club. (Sunday Express)
Former Germany, Arsenal and Bayern Munich star Lukas Podolski has unveiled his new project - a kebab restaurant in his home city of Cologne. (Mail on Sunday)
Best of Saturday's gossip
Newcastle are keen to offer 30-year-old Manchester City and England goalkeeper Joe Hart, who is on a season-long loan deal at West Ham, first-team football at St James' Park. (Daily Mirror)
City rivals Inter Milan and AC Milan are both interested in Tottenham and Belgium midfielder Mousa Dembele, 30. (Sky Sports)
Barcelona will have to pay £145m to sign 25-year-old Brazil midfielder Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool. (Daily Mail)
Liverpool will try to replace Coutinho with Leicester City's Algeria playmaker Riyad Mahrez, 26. (L'Equipe, in French)
Manchester City want to sign Arsenal's 29-year-old forward Alexis Sanchez for £35m this month, to fend off a move to Paris St-Germain in the summer when the Chile international's contract expires. (Daily Mail)
HITC
West Ham will quadruple Alfie Mawson's wages if £25m bid's accepted
Jordan Harris
West Ham United are hoping to convince Swansea City centre-back Alfie Mawson to move to the London Stadium.
According to a report from The Sun, West Ham are hoping that they will be able to convince Alfie Mawson to make the move to the London Stadium by offering to quadruple his wages.
The Sun reports that the Hammers are planning to offer Swansea £25 million for the defender they rate at £40 million, and the Irons are prepared to include Andre Ayew in the bid.
And in an attempt to convince the 23-year-old to join David Moyes' side, The Sun adds that the Irons will offer the centre-back a contract that will see his wages go from £15,000 a week to £60,000 a week.
The Sun reports that Swansea want as much money for him as possible given that Barnsley will take a cut due to the deal they agreed when they brought Mawson to the Liberty Stadium in 2016.
With Carlos Carvalhal's men currently bottom of the Premier League table, it would be no surprise if a move away did appeal to Mawson, and West Ham's recent form may perhaps help convince him that joining Moyes' side may not be a bad idea.
The Irons have moved themselves two points clear of the bottom three. But their situation looks slightly better when you consider that they have lost just one of their last seven in the top flight, and have beaten Chelsea and drawn with Arsenal and Tottenham in that time.
And with the financial package reportedly on offer surely set to catch Mawson's eye, it appears that it could be a nervy few weeks for the Swans as they look to hold onto their key man.
Star
West Ham starlet Declan Rice owes upturn in form to coach Stuart Pearce
DECLAN RICE has hailed Stuart Pearce’s key role in West Ham’s stunning upturn in form.
By Harry Pratt
The Republic of Ireland Under-21s star has been heavily involved in the Hammers’ recent impressive run, which has taken them out of the relegation zone and into 15th place in the Premier League.
And defender Rice, 18, insists the arrival of former England and Hammers ace Pearce – as part of new manager David Moyes’s backroom staff – is proving an inspired decision.
In his playing days as a rampaging left-back, Pearce (below) was renowned for his tough-tackling, no-quarter-given style.
But in the dugout alongside Moyes and behind the scenes at the London Stadium, it is the ex-Forest man’s measured instructions and personal touch that are working wonders.
According to Rice, Pearce has had a huge influence from day one, tightening a West Ham defence which was leaking goals at an alarming rate under previous boss Slaven Bilic.
On the eve of their FA Cup third round clash at Shrewsbury, the Irons teenager said: ‘’I’ve learned a lot from him.
“The first day he came in he pulled me to one side and said, ‘I am really looking forward to working with you’ and I really took to him.
“For a coach to come over and say that to me and that he’s going to keep helping me means I am going to keep listening and learning.’’
Rice’s regular presence in the first team – he has already played 15 times this season – underlines how highly Moyes and his coaching team rate the one-time Chelsea academy kid.
That class and talent was particularly evident on Thursday in the Hammers’ 1-1 draw with Spurs at Wembley.
To keep lethal England hotshot Harry Kane quiet for 90 minutes was impressive.
“I never thought I’d come up against Kane,” added Rice. “He’s the best striker in the world – probably.
“He takes you in, he takes you out and you have to concentrate so much against him because if you switch off for just a split second he’ll put the ball in the back of the net.
“It’s all about concentration and that’s something the manager goes on about. Both he and Pearce are big on that.
“They know I can concentrate but when it gets to the last few minutes they want to make sure I stay focused for the full match.
“I saw Pearce on the touchline at Wembley and kept thinking, ‘Keep defending’. And luckily we came away with a point. I blocked one on the line and cleared another in a crucial moment of the game.’’
Rice is understandably buzzing as he continues to make up for the pain of being released at 14 by his boyhood idols at Stamford Bridge.
Relishing the prospect of his FA Cup debut today, he added: “This is a dream come true for me and my family. It’s all I ever wanted.
“It was really deflating to leave Chelsea as a youngster. I lived 10 minutes from the training ground. It was all I knew.
“But you just have to pick yourself up and go again."
Futnsoccer
West Ham reportedly scout 26-year-old Argentine powerhouse ahead of possible January swoop
West Ham scouts attended the Benfica-Sporting Lisbon game on Wednesday to run the rule over long-term target and defensive midfielder Rodrigo Battaglia.
The 26-year-old Argentine might have been identified as a feasible January target by the Hammers, with the pursuit of his teammate William Carvalho no longer likely to yield any positive result this month.
Battaglia has been on West Ham’s radar since his Huracan days where he made his professional debut as a 19-year-old, and with manager David Moyes in dire need of midfield reinforcements, he is being looked at.
Battaglia has been a regular in Sporting Lisbon’s first team this term, playing 16 league games thus far and all of their Champions League group games.
He has only scored and assisted once, but his job as a shield to the back four has been impressive. The Hammers need a creative player in deep midfield, one comfortable with the ball at his feet and able to link up well with those in front of him on the pitch.
The ever-dribbling Battaglia fits the bill, and his defensive work-rate also makes him the type of player who could help add flair and style to the Hammers midfield.
All Nigeria Soccer
Highly-Rated Chelsea's Nigerian Goalkeeper Completes Transfer To West Ham
The highly-rated Nigerian goalkeeper Daniel Jinadu has completed his transfer to Premier League side West Ham following a successful trial.
The U16 goalkeeper will remain on the books of the Hammers for the next two years after inking a scholarship deal.
The teenager had been on the lookout for a new employer after he was released by the Premier League champions in December 2017.
Jinadu trained with Southampton, Tottenham, Leicester, Birmingham, West Brom and AC Milan before agreeing a switch to West Ham, according to WHUFC Youth.
He has caps for England's U15 national team and made his debut for the U16s against Uruguay in 2017.
Daniel Jinadu is also eligible to represent the Republic of Ireland national teams, apart from England and Nigeria.
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