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BBC
Former Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane is closely monitoring the situation of Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag and would prefer to take charge at Old Trafford rather than Bayern Munich. (L'Equipe, via Get French Football News)
Bayern Munich have not contacted former France international Zidane about succeeding manager Thomas Tuchel, who is leaving the club at the end of the season. (ESPN)
Former interim Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick, who is Austria's manager, has been discussed by Bayern's hierarchy, while Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi is also on their list of possible candidates. (Sky Sport Germany)
Newcastle United and Brazil midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, 26, has indicated he intends to remain at the club next season after buying a new house in the North East. (Telegraph - subscription required)
Manchester United could be in line to receive an extra £3.4m for the loan of England winger Jadon Sancho to Borussia Dortmund if the German side reach the Champions League final. (Times - subscription required)
Netherlands left-back Ian Maatsen, 22, has told Chelsea he wants to leave them on a permanent basis and is keen to stay at Dortmund, where he is on loan. (Sky Sport Germany)
Manchester United face competition from Atletico Madrid for the signature of Nice and France centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo, 24. (Mirror)
Bayern Munich are interested in signing 26-year-old Barcelona and Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who could cost between 60-70m euros. (Relevo - in Spanish)
Real Madrid may hold out until 2025 to sign Canada left-back Alphonso Davies, 23, from Bayern Munich. (Sport - in Spanish)
Fulham are prepared to listen to offers for Brazilian striker Carlos Vinicius, 29, who is on loan at Turkish Super Lig side Galatasaray until the end of the season. (Standard)
Spain defender Nacho, 34, has told Real Madrid he plans to leave the club at the end of the season. (Marca - in Spanish)
Inter Milan could be an option for Nacho as the Italian club attempted to sign him last summer. (Football Italia)
Manchester United will not make 27-year-old Morocco midfielder Sofyan Amrabat's loan deal permanent this summer and will instead look to sign a replacement for 32-year-old Brazil midfielder Casemiro. (Manchester Evening News)
Sky Paper Talk
THE SUN
Zinedine Zidane would prefer to manage Manchester United over Bayern Munich, it's claimed.
Erik ten Hag has opened the door for the return of Jadon Sancho.
Bryan Robson has defended under-fire Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag following a disappointing campaign for the Red Devils.
F1 fans are convinced Taylor Swift has taken a swipe at Fernando Alonso in her new album.
THE ATHLETIC
Nottingham Forest's appeal against a four-point deduction for breaching the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules will be heard on Wednesday April 24.
THE TELEGRAPH
Bruno Guimaraes has given the strongest indication yet that he intends to remain at Newcastle next season as the Brazil midfielder is buying a new house in the North East.
Mauricio Pochettino has told Chelsea to trust him and his staff over the handling of the club's young players, who are dealing with new levels of scrutiny.
Police want to speak to Joey Barton about his social media posts, with the former footballer revealing officers had visited him four times in three days this week to arrange a "voluntary interview".
Clubs are threatening to boycott the FA Cup in protest against the axing of replays after Downing Street demanded answers over a decision that has plunged the Football Association into crisis.
THE TIMES
The chief executive of the ECB has said the decision not to initially award Yorkshire a top-tier women's professional team was "not punishing them for past sins".
DAILY MAIL
Wolves are poised to play a 15-year-old schoolboy - right back Wes Okoduwa - against Arsenal on Saturday after he skipped a science lesson on Friday to prepare to face the Premier League title challengers.
Casemiro has revealed that seeing Carlo Ancelotti in tears almost made him pull out of joining Manchester United in 2022.
Jack Grealish issued a rallying cry for Manchester City to forget about European heartache and focus on embracing the prospect of creating more history.
Sean Dyche has delivered some uncomfortable home truths to Everton's squad and warned them he will not be the club's latest fall guy.
Eight watches from Michael Schumacher's incredible timepiece collection are set to be put on auction in Switzerland and could fetch an estimated £5m, according to reports.
THE EXPRESS
Manchester United reportedly consider academy prodigy Shea Lacey ready to step up and become a more regular first-team presence after signing his first professional contract.
A furious Alexander Zverev threatened to "tank his next two games" and quit mid-match during his defeat to Cristian Garin at the BMW Open.
DAILY MIRROR
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has insisted that his former side still have more they need to learn in the aftermath of their Champions League elimination.
Wayne Rooney left his gaming team-mates in hysterics after his deadpan reaction to a jibe received on livestream.
SCOTTISH SUN
Darren O'Dea has been appointed as Celtic's new Professional Player Pathway Manager.
The Athletic
With uncertainty over Moyes and Paqueta’s future – what’s next for West Ham?
By Roshane Thomas
It was a performance to be proud of and one which showed why West Ham United have been perennial challengers in the latter stages of European competitions in recent years. The problem was the damage had already been done.
Disappointment will linger at the prospect of what they could have achieved had they not laid down the red carpet for Bayer Leverkusen, who were crowned Bundesliga champions last weekend, in the first leg.
Michail Antonio and James Ward-Prowse believe they showed too much respect to Leverkusen in their 2-0 loss last Thursday. The 1-1 draw in the second leg was quite the opposite, however, and Xabi Alonso’s team really needed half-time after Antonio’s goal got West Ham back in the tie.
West Ham showed they had no intention of relinquishing their grip on European football, but their chances of advancing to the semi-final of the Europa League loosened once the visitors had reset at half-time. Jeremie Frimpong’s deflected shot in the 89th minute settled the tie and preserved Leverkusen’s unbeaten record this season. It left Alonso to ponder their upcoming challenge against Roma in the last four while Moyes was pushed, much to his dislike, over his future.
In February, Moyes, who is 61 next week, revealed a contract offer is on the table to extend his second spell as manager at the club but will wait until the end of the season before making a decision. Pre-match, Moyes said the result against Leverkusen would have no impact on what happens next, but the lack of clarity over his future will add to the credence that supporters believe it is time for change. His in-game management, use of substitutes and style of play have been the main concerns.
The lack of squad depth following Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals and Thilo Kehrer’s departures in January has come back to haunt them. In the first-leg defeat against Leverkusen, Moyes was not as trusting as Alonso of his attacking options from the bench. As it turned out, substitutes Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface made the difference in scoring the goals.
Conjecture over Moyes’ future will dominate the agenda in the coming weeks. Moyes may factor Jurgen Klopp announcing in January that he is stepping down as Liverpool manager as his reason for remaining tight-lipped. Since then, Liverpool have been knocked out of the FA Cup, Europa League and are now two points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City.
If Moyes is to prolong the arguments for him to stay, he faces a crucial end to the season. West Ham are eighth with remaining games against Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Chelsea, Luton Town and Manchester City. But with Newcastle and Manchester United in contention for a top-six spot, it would require a near-perfect end to the campaign to secure European football for a fourth successive season.
If the uncertainty drags on it could harm next season, too, as a busy summer awaits the board and technical director Tim Steidten.
The club are at risk of losing Lucas Paqueta this summer as an £85million ($106.8m) release clause becomes active in June. City have tracked Paqueta since his Lyon days and have maintained contact with his camp in recent months. Personal terms are not expected to be a problem as City is Paqueta’s first choice. West Ham were reluctant to sell last summer after rejecting an opening bid of €70million (£59.8m; $75.1m). Any move will only happen if the 26-year-old playmaker is cleared by the FA over alleged betting breaches.
Mohammed Kudus was the first West Ham player to head down the tunnel after the result against Bayer Leverkusen. His performance highlighted why he will be a sought-after talent this summer, too. In his debut season, the Ghana international has scored 13 goals across 40 appearances. Liverpool and Arsenal remain admirers of the 23-year-old, although West Ham’s stance is that he is not for sale and the £38million they paid for him would surely need to be doubled.
Nayef Aguerd, who sustained an ankle injury against Bayer Leverkusen, is the subject of interest from clubs in the Saudi Pro League. The Morocco centre-back has also changed his representative.
West Ham are yet to resume talks with Ben Johnson over a contract extension. The versatile defender’s deal expires at the end of the season having rejected two contract offers. West Ham’s recent contract offer was a four-year package, but both parties failed to reach an agreement. Aaron Cresswell, Angelo Ogbonna and Divin Mubama are set to depart when their contracts expire in June.
The search for a centre-forward remains a priority despite the performances of Bowen, a winger, and Antonio. Last summer, West Ham had a £40m bid rejected for Bournemouth forward Dominic Solanke. The 26-year-old, who has scored 17 league goals this season, remains on their shortlist but would cost considerably more now.
It looks set to be a big rebuild for West Ham this summer and one they cannot afford to get wrong. Decisions need to be made sooner rather than later.
OS
Briggs: I'm proud of the steps I've made at West Ham United
Josh Briggs is the latest young Irish talent to make east London his home.
The Northern Ireland U19 centre-back has followed the likes of Patrick Kelly, Callum Marshall, Michael Forbes and Sean Moore in moving from the NIFL Premiership to sign a professional contract at Chadwell Heath in recent years. You get the feeling he won’t be the last.
Belfast and football, of course, go hand in hand. The city loves its football. And born in the Northern Ireland capital, Briggs was no different. The young Hammer played in parks, cages and any patch of grass he could find. Alongside his mates, and younger brother Jude, his youth constantly revolved around the sport.
“I was always playing with my mates, and my brother Jude as well,” he explained. “We used to play in the park all the time, and it’s paid off now!
“As kids, we used to climb the fences to play in the cages a lot as well. In Belfast, that sort of football was quite rough, so I think it toughens you up as well because you’re used to getting kicked and pushed about and learning how to deal with that.”
That early understanding of football's physical challenges has held Briggs in good stead throughout his youth career. He began his footballing journey with Greenisland FC before being spotted by Linfield - a club based in south Belfast, that plays in the NIFL Premiership, the highest level of the Northern Ireland Football League.
Briggs then made his debut for Linfield Reserves at the age of 15, starting the Steel & Sons Cup final against Newington on Christmas Day 2021.
“I was playing against men at 15,” the 18-year-old, who has been part of the Northern Ireland U19s and U21s squads throughout his time in east London, stated.
“We played the first team at one point in a friendly too, which was the first time I played for Linfield. I was 15, and it was mad. I was playing against the senior team. The manager trusted me somehow!”
Performances in south Belfast caught the eye of West Ham scouts, and in 2022 Briggs became the latest young talent to join the Hammers from Northern Ireland.
That early understanding of football's physical challenges has held Briggs in good stead throughout his youth career. He began his footballing journey with Greenisland FC before being spotted by Linfield - a club based in south Belfast, that plays in the NIFL Premiership, the highest level of the Northern Ireland Football League.
Briggs then made his debut for Linfield Reserves at the age of 15, starting the Steel & Sons Cup final against Newington on Christmas Day 2021.
“I was playing against men at 15,” the 18-year-old, who has been part of the Northern Ireland U19s and U21s squads throughout his time in east London, stated.
“We played the first team at one point in a friendly too, which was the first time I played for Linfield. I was 15, and it was mad. I was playing against the senior team. The manager trusted me somehow!”
Performances in south Belfast caught the eye of West Ham scouts, and in 2022 Briggs became the latest young talent to join the Hammers from Northern Ireland.
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