BBC
Brendan Rodgers, linked with the vacant Arsenal manager's job, has suggested there is a exit clause in his contract at Leicester City. (Mirror)
Arsenal's Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 30, is a January transfer target for Inter Milan. (Star)
Former Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho, the 27-year-old Brazil international on loan at Bayern Munich from Barcelona, hopes to remain with the German club. (Marca)
Watford's players want the club to appoint a British manager following the sacking of Quique Sanchez Flores, with ex-Brighton boss Chris Hughton and former Reading manager Paul Clement being linked with the post. (Mail)
QPR's England Under-21 midfielder Eberechi Eze's dream move to Tottenham could be off following the departure of manager Mauricio Pochettino. Chelsea, Leicester City and West Ham have also been watching the 21-year-old. (Sun)
Tottenham and Argentina international midfielder Giovani lo Celso, 23, on loan from Real Betis, is considering another move. (Marca)
Liverpool have joined Manchester United and Manchester City in tracking Lyon's French forward Mathis Rayan Cherki, 16, who has already made his Ligue 1 and Champions League debuts. (90 Min)
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer praised Jack Grealish for his performance in Aston Villa's draw against Manchester United but remained coy over a potential move for the 24-year-old English midfielder. (Metro)
Juventus director Fabio Paratici has revealed that his side are not interested in signing Barcelona's Croatia midfielder Ivan Rakitic, 31. (Mail)
Juventus have yet to decide whether to sell Turkey defender Merih Demiral, 21 - linked with Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal - or Italy midfielder Daniele Rugani, 25, thought to be a target for Arsenal, Wolves and West Ham. (Calciomercato)
Leicester City's Turkey international defender Caglar Soyuncu, 23, linked with Manchester City, is not leaving the King Power Stadium any time soon, his agent has said. (Leicester Mercury)
Barcelona could look to Germany midfielder Julian Weigl to help strengthen their midfield in the summer, with the Catalans weighing up a move for the £21m-rated Borussia Dortmund man. (Mail)
Newcastle United's English midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, 27, wants to finish his top-flight career with the Magpies and has revealed his desire for a new deal. (Newcastle Chronicle)
Aston Villa have been linked with a move for LA Galaxy's French winger Romain Alessandrini, 30. (Birmingham Mail)
Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has paid a visit to Newell's Old Boys in Argentina - the first club he ever played for between 1989 and 1994 - as he considers his next move. (Mail)
Atalanta's Swedish midfielder Dejan Kulusevski, on loan at Parma this season but linked with Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham, has revealed he is a Chelsea fan. (Talksport)
The British and Irish football associations are set to go ahead with a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup. (Times - subscription required)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Gregg Bakowski
It has not taken long for the vultures to start circling around Arsenal. With the club’s players sitting battered and bruised on the roadside as they wait to see who, if anyone, can be persuaded into trying to manage them, Real Madrid and Inter have hovered into view and are ready to swoop for red-hot Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. His 10 Premier League goals this season have caught the eye of Zinedine Zidane and Antonio Conte but the Gunners are likely to slap a £70m price tag on the 30-year-old in an attempt to keep hold of their leading marksman. Aubameyang’s goals will come in handy when trying to sell the club to potential successors to Unai Emery. Depending on where you get your gossip from, one of either Brendan Rodgers or Mikel Arteta is the club’s No 1 target. Rodgers let it be known after his second-placed Leicester side’s 2-1 defeat of Everton that he has a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave but he also said he was very much focused on his job at the Foxes, which translates as: “I might be interested in the summer, but why on earth would I walk into that sorry mess right now?”
Another coveted man at Leicester is bushy-haired maverick central defender Caglar Soyuncu, whose ability to dribble his way out of any amount of trouble at the back before springing counter-attacks has put his name at the top of Manchester City’s wish-list. But Father Christmas is unlikely to pop the Turkey international under Pep Guardiola’s tree anytime soon after Soyuncu’s agent Mustafa Dogru said a “transfer is neither on his nor the club’s agenda”. Maybe Pep should ask Santa for a new “coatigan” instead.
Chelsea are champing at the bit to sign a player when their transfer ban ends and the club’s scouts have been keeping a beady eye on the developing soap opera at the Westfalenstadion, where Jadon Sancho has spent most of this season lurching from hero to villain. The 19-year-old’s goal against Hertha Berlin would have certainly impressed his Stamford Bridge suitors though they may have to find £100m to prise him away from the Bundesliga club. Wilfried Zaha might be a slightly cheaper alternative and Crystal Palace will have to cash in on him sooner or later.
Another Dortmund player who may be on the move is Julian Weigl. Sergio Busquets isn’t getting any younger and Barcelona may nip in ahead of Manchester City to land the midfield metronome – whose contract has only 18 months left to run – for the bargain price of £21m.
Memphis Depay has found that most elusive of things since moving to Lyon from Manchester United: an end product. His seven goals for Lyon this season are evidence of this and his dazzling displays have made him a January target for Liverpool and Tottenham. He won’t come cheap, mind. It will take £50m to take the shy and retiring Netherlands winger off the Ligue 1 club’s hands.
Everton have done some digging around and found out that despite growing up in a Buckinghamshire market town, Eddie Howe was a Peter Reid-obsessed boyhood Evertonian. This nugget of information means he’s the club’s No 1 target to manage the club when Marco Silva is finally put out of his misery. If Silva leaves before Wednesday’s Merseyside derby, Duncan Ferguson will take temporary charge at Anfield, which could be dangerous.
And Aston Villa want to offload 30-year-old Jonathan Kodjia this January and replace him with 30-year-old Romain Alessandrini from LA Galaxy instead.
Star
West Ham ‘to hold talks with Everton Soares’ agent next week’
West Ham have identified Gremio striker Everton Soares as a potential transfer target when the January transfer window opens
By Ollie Salt
West Ham are interested in signing Everton Soares and will meet with the Brazilian striker’s agent next week.
The Hammers may have picked up a shock win away at Chelsea yesterday, but they have struggled for the majority of the campaign and still find themselves languishing in 14th.
Manuel Pellegrini, then, is expected to bolster his squad when the January transfer window opens to ensure they can climb the table in the second half of the season.
According to journalist Nicolo Schira, West Ham are keen to bring in Gremio forward Soares and will hold talks with his agent next week.
He posted on Twitter: “#WestHam are interested in Soares #Everton (Gremio). Next week the agent of brazilian player will meet Hammers. #transfers #WHUFC”.
Everton, 23, was handed his first professional contract at Gremio in 2013 and has gone on to make 252 appearances for the club, scoring 65 goals.
C&H
Husillos may be on way back to Spain
Mario Husillos looks to be set for a West Ham departure in the summer after a series of bad buys since becoming director of football at the club.
His decision to bring in Roberto in particular, and the storm of criticism which has followed, is believed to have prompted him to consider his future.
And it although it was rumoured earlier in the year that he could be sacked CandH has discovered through contacts in Spain that he is being head hunted by two or three La Liga clubs and is now believed ready to move on.
The Hammers would definitely move to replace him with another director of football and possibly at the head of their list would be Bordeaux ‘s head of recruitment Eduardo Macia.
The 45 year old has been technical adviser, and personal assistant to Valencia’s president earlier in his career and has since held similar positions at Liverpool, Olympiacos, Fiorentina, Real Betis and Leicester City.
SportsLens
West Ham United have made contact to sign PAOK Salonika striker Chuba Akpom in January
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, West Ham United have made contact with Greek side PAOK Salonika about signing English striker Chuba Akpom in January.
The Hammers attempted to land the former Arsenal man during the summer, but he was keen to wait to see if his side would qualify for the Champions League.
West Ham aren’t alone in the pursuit of Akpom, as French club Reims and Bundesliga side Cologne are also keen — but the forward prefers to return to England.
The 24-year-old led PAOK to the Super League and Greek Football Cup last term, scoring eight goals in 27 games as they went unbeaten in all domestic matches.
He has started only three league games this season, scoring twice, but he isn’t interested in a new deal, and a January exit appears to be very much on the cards.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side are in need of quality additions in the striking department, and Akpom could help provide competition for Sebastian Haller.
He already knows the league well and has a lot to prove, while his versatility will also come handy.
