Manchester United are ready to cough up £80m to land their top midfield target, while Wolves have targeted a replacement for Willy Boly, according to Saturday’s newspapers.
MAN UTD TO COUGH UP £80M TO LAND WEST HAM STAR
Manchester United have reportedly made Declan Rice their top priority signing for next season and could even make a move for the West Ham star in January – if they can stump up £80million.
The midfielder has gained a host of admirers after his combative displays for the Hammers over the past 18 months, a run of form that has seen him become a regular in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
The Red Devils have been in the market for a defensive-minded midfielder after losing Ander Herrera on a free to PSG in the summer, with the likes of Fred and Nemanja Matic struggling to impress under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Marouane Fellaini also departed at the start of the year, joining Chinese Premier League outfit Shandong Luneng, while the future of Paul Pogba remains unclear amid sustained interest from Real Madrid.
The potential arrival of Rice would certainly fit into Solskjaer’s ethos of signing young British players to revamp his squad, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Dan James and Harry Maguire all arriving at the club over the summer and impressing so far.
AND THE REST
Liverpool have been urged to pursue Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante to add him to their squad (Daily Mirror)
Arsenal midfielder Dani Ceballos has issued an apology to supporters after missing a penalty against Liverpool (Daily Mirror)
Manuel Pellegrini says replacement goalkeeper Roberto is not the reason for West Ham’s slump (Daily Mirror)
James Milner is hopeful of agreeing terms on a new contract with Liverpool before the end of the season (Daily Express)
Gareth Bale has reportedly made it clear to Real Madrid and his agent that he wants to leave in January with a move to China on the cards after a fresh bust-up with Zinedine Zidane (Daily Express)
Harvey Elliott will not face any FA action over an apparent dive during Liverpool’s Carabao Cup fourth-round win over Arsenal on Wednesday (The Sun)
Jack Rodwell has reportedly entered talks with Parma as he continues to seek a club in Serie A after failing to earn a deal with Roma (Daily Mail)
One of Manchester United’s largest shareholders – BAMCO, Inc – has criticised the club for ‘poor investment in players and personnel’ after the club’s stock price dropped last month (Daily Mail)
Manchester United have reportedly demanded Roma must pay £17m to permanently sign on-loan defender Chris Smalling (Daily Mail)
Steve Bruce is set for his first January transfer summit as Newcastle United look at ways to address their chronic lack of goals (Daily Mail)
Wolves are targeting Lille’s 21-year-old Brazilian defender Gabriel Magalhaes as they hunt for defensive cover for the injured Willy Boly (Daily Mail)
Stoke City are preparing to make an official approach to Preston to speak to Alex Neil about their managerial vacancy (Daily Telegraph)
Crystal Palace have revealed plans for a £20m academy centre they hope will make them the destination of choice for talent in south London (The Guardian)
Rangers were fined £7,800 for entering into an ‘illegal third party’ agreement with Chelsea over Billy Gilmour (Scottish Sun)
Sectarian chants could see Scottish football matches abandoned under the new FIFA ‘three-point protocol’ (Scottish Sun)
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