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BBC
Manchester United are preparing to make a move for Bournemouth's 27-year-old England forward Callum Wilson, who has scored three goals in his past two games. (Sun)
Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool want to sign Napoli's Spain midfielder Fabian Ruiz, 23. (Mail)
Manchester United enquired about signing Borussia Dortmund's 19-year-old England winger Jadon Sancho in the summer. (Viasport Football - via Manchester Evening News)
Former Manchester United and France defender Patrice Evra says the current crop of players at Old Trafford need to "bleed for the club" before they are accepted by the fans. (Sky Sports)
Real Madrid's 27-year-old Spain international Isco, who is attracting interest from Manchester City and Liverpool, is wanted by Juventus, who are preparing a £66m bid for the former Malaga forward. (Sun)
Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling, 24, is "winning the race" to replace Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, 32, and Juventus striker Cristiano Ronaldo, 34, as the world's best player, according to former Spain international Xavi. (Mirror)
League One strugglers Southend United want to bring in former Sweden, Celtic, Barcelona and Manchester United striker Henrik Larsson as their new manager. (Mail)
Tottenham and France keeper Hugo Lloris, 32, says he is unlikely to finish his career at the club - and is interested in playing in Major League Soccer in the US before he retires. (France Football - in French)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is missing out on his top player targets because he is refusing to pay above-the-odds prices. (Guardian)
Newcastle United's 30-year-old striker Andy Carroll, who has not played for the club since returning to St James' Park in the summer because of an ankle injury, could be on the bench against Brighton on Saturday. (Mail)
Manchester United and Wales winger Daniel James, 21, says he almost quit football altogether when he was 12. (Inside United, via Mirror)
The dispute over 28-year-old France World Cup winning forward Antoine Griezmann's £107m transfer from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona could lead to the Calatan club playing a game behind closed doors. (Goal.com)
Barcelona's 16-year-old Guinea-Bissau-born winger Ansu Fati is close to agreeing a new five-year contract after scoring two goals in three La Liga appearances. (AS - in Spanish)
Brazil midfielder Philippe Coutinho, 27, says Bayern Munich - where he is on loan from Barcelona - are "more of a family" than Barca and his former club Liverpool. (Liverpool Echo)
DC United's former Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney, 33, says MLS players should be paid more. (ESPN)
Norwich City's sporting director Stuart Webber has agreed a new three-year contract. (Telegraph)
Guardian Rumour Mill
John Brewin
In a severe case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted, Liverpool would like to add the Napoli player, Fabián Ruiz, to their midfield. A player seen as the new Xavi is wanted by others, too, and Real Madrid and Barcelona are also stalking someone who impressed during Napoli’s 2-0 defeat of Liverpool on Tuesday evening.
It feels like Jadon Sancho is going to become a mainstay of this august column – he already is, frankly – and those links with Manchester United continue to grow. That link of promising young Englishman and fallen giant trying to rebuild itself could be the feel good hit of the next transfer window, if not a winter warmer during the gloom of the January transfer window.
Another in that category of stories that will just not go away is Kylian Mbappé’s move to Real Madrid, which already feels like something of a fait accompli. It seems a matter of when but not if when the French forward deserts Paris Saint-Germain for what would have to be a world-record fee. The word out there in the Spanish media is that an agreement is already in place for Mbappé to join next summer and announce – as is customary – to a packed Bernabéu crowd that it has always been his dream to wear the white shirt.
Here’s what you could have won? This summer, West Ham got as far as talking to the family of Ansu Fati, the 16-year-old sensation who became Barcelona’s youngest ever Champions League player against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday. He will soon be out of the Hammers’ reach, with a new contract on the table and a buyout clause that would make Jeff Bezos blanche likely to be part of the package. Newcastle are another club looking through their fingers at a player they were interested in signing.
Isco, a player Zinedine Zidane has never seemed to fancy much at Real Madrid, is very much open to offers though will not come cheaply. Liverpool and Manchester City are those linked with a playmaker who would cost £66m.
Kicking his heels far more is Mario Mandzukic, who has been left out of Juventus’s Champions League squad altogether. Where next for him? The Croatian is mulling over a move to play in Qatari league, where he would earn €6m a year and tax-free, too. Juve, meanwhile, may be looking to swell their midfield options further with the addition of the Manchester United anchorman, Nemanja Matic.
Tottenham’s desire to stop Leicester crashing into the top four extends as far as making a treble and no doubt costly swoop for all three of James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Demarai Gray.
C&H
Sunday could be a big day for Fornals
First and foremost let it be said, I trust Pellegrini!
It’s too easy to knock and to have reservations about his, and the judgement of other managers, when knowing nothing like the full picture .
Which brings us to mystery man Pablo Fornals who so far has an ineffective game at Brighton and one or two sub appearances behind him since arriving in the summer.
Ahead of that we had sight of him playing for Spain’s under 21 when he appeared as sub on a couple of occasions as I recall and scored a great goal which set us all on the road to believing we had a player and a half on our hands.
However, there was a lingering worry that he had appeared as a sub on as many or more occasions in that Euro under 21 tournament.
Whilst Seb Haller settled in so quickly – without any serious hint that he needed a period of readjustment – Fornals, for reasons known only to himself and the manager has thus far been 80 per cent uninvolved for going on for two months.
At around a £25 million fee one might have expected him to make an immediate impact. After all take a look at Issa Diop – the same age as the midfielder at 22 – who has been almost magnificent since day one.
Obviously, it has to be understood that it’s different strokes for different folks and I am sure the moment will come when the guy blossoms into the player Pellegrini and Husillos believe him to be.
After all they have known all about him since his earliest days at Malaga.
That moment could well come on Sunday, given a lack lustre show from Yarmolenko, on Monday evening and should the player come to any kind of the form we have been told he can attain, undoubtedly will excite.
A top performance, with Michail Antonio on the sidelines for a while, could see the young man making an expected impact.
Interesting times.
Football London
Man United and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer get potential quadruple injury blow ahead of West Ham trip
The Hammers face Man United at the London Stadium on Sunday
By Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
West Ham United may have been handed a timely boost ahead of this weekend's Premier League clash against Manchester United.
The two teams who have enjoyed an identical start to the 2019/2020 season meet at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon - three days after the Red Devils host Astana in the Europa League.
In the corresponding fixture last season, the Hammers ran out 3-1 winners with Felipe Anderson and Marko Arnautovic on the scoresheet.
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And there's good news on the injury front for the hosts ahead of the game.
United trained on Wednesday with the European encounter very much the focus and there was no sign Daniel James, Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial or Luke Shaw, as reported by the Manchester Evening News.
Although, it could be that they are being rested as Pogba and Shaw were spotted doing individual training away from the main group as they look to build their fitness.
It would seem that the duo certainly won't face Astana.
With that said it remains to be seen if any of the quartet are available for selection against the Hammers.
Should it be that they are ruled out, then it will certainly be a massive boost for Irons boss Manuel Pellegrini as he goes in search of the win that would see his side leapfrog the Red Devils in the table.
James - a summer signing from Swansea City - has started the season in fine form with three goals to his name, while Martial had scored twice and claimed an assist in three appearances before picking up an injury against Crystal Palace last month.
Having Pogba in the team makes United stronger and there's a better balance with Luke Shaw in the back four instead of Ashley Young.
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