Paper Talk
Mario Balotelli's agent Mino Raiola has revealed that the Liverpool striker will not be making a return to Italy.
Liverpool's owners have no intention of replacing Brendan Rodgers despite the club's worst start to a season in 22 years.
Samir Nasri has warned Manchester City's players their futures at the club are on the line against Bayern Munich tonight.
Everton and Burnley are tracking Rangers midfielder Lewis Macleod as they weigh up possible bids in the January transfer window.
Jose Mourinho has rejected the idea that he might be in the transfer market for Borussia Dortmund striker Marco Reus.
Real Madrid are stepping up interest in Liverpool midfield prospect Pedro Chirivella.
Arsenal's players should be lining up to take the blame for the club's form, not Arsene Wenger, according to club great Ian Wright.
Samir Nasri has warned Manchester City's Euro flops: We're all facing the axe.
Brendan Rodgers is in no danger despite Liverpool's worst start in 22 years.
Eidur Gudjohnsen will line up in a friendly today in a bid to win a contract with former club Bolton.
Bayern Munich midfielder Xabi Alonso has told Manchester City: money can't buy you the Champions League.
Arsene Wenger held crisis talks with his chief executive Ivan Gazidis yesterday as pressure mounted on the Arsenal manager.
PSG will launch a sensational bid to sign Manchester United new boy Angel Di Maria next summer - but only if Financial Fair Play regulations are relaxed.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says he will not be making a move to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus.
Dortmund star Ilkay Gundogan says he is interested in a switch to the Premier League.
Sunderland are after Rennes' Cameroon midfielder Jean Makoun.
Swansea boss Garry Monk is ready to add Leon Britton to his coaching staff when the time is right.
Dinamo Zagreb have warned Arsenal and Tottenham that they'll have to splash the cash if they want to sign Marcelo Brozovic.
Arsenal's second-largest shareholder Alisher Usmanov says Arsenal need new players in every position and has told Arsene Wenger to start learning from his mistakes.
Samir Nasri has admitted Manchester City's highly-paid stars face the chop if they go out of the Champions League this week.
Manuel Pellegrini believes it is inevitable that Pep Guardiola will eventually test himself in the Premier League.
West Brom have joined the Premier League clubs chasing Senegal midfielder Stephane Badji.
West Ham and Sunderland are competing to sign experienced Cameroon international Jean Makoun.
Samir Nasri has claimed that Manchester City's under-performing stars risk being cast aside in favour of "new players" if they fail to justify their salaries by avoiding Champions League elimination against Bayern Munich on Tuesday night.
Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager, is under no immediate threat of losing his job at Anfield despite admitting the mounting pressure after a series of poor results.
Alisher Usmanov, Arsenal's second largest shareholder, has offered his most critical assessment yet of Arsène Wenger and claimed that the club need to strengthen in every single position to seriously challenge the elite of English and European football.
Samir Nasri believes the futures of Manchester City's leading players are at stake, stating the team must qualify for the Champions League knockout stage or "next year it's going to be new players, it's going to be everything".
Samir Nasri has warned his fellow high earners at Manchester City that their futures will be at stake should they suffer a third exit in four seasons at the group stage of the Champions League.
BBC
TRANSFER GOSSIP
Mario Balotelli's agent says that the Liverpool striker, 24, will not be making a return to Italy. (Daily Mail)
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, 24, who has been a target of Manchester United is open to a move to the Premier League after recovering from injury. (London Evening Standard)
Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool are the trio of clubs who now want to sign Borussia Dortmund forward Marco Reus, 25, after Chelsea pulled out of the race. (Metro)
Real Madrid are stepping up interest in Liverpool midfield prospect and Spain Under-18 captain Pedro Chirivella, 17, who has been training with the Reds first team this season. (Daily Mail)
Dinamo Zagreb have told Arsenal and Tottenham that they will have to spend big if they want to sign their defensive midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, 22. (Daily Star)
OTHER GOSSIP
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes that Liverpool's recent slump in form is a result of the squad's mental and physical shape. (Daily Express)
Crystal Palace are to travel to Indian sides Mumbai City FC and Star Sports to look for the best 16-19 year-olds, one of whom will get the chance to train at the club's academy. (Daily Mirror)
Manchester United have decided against lodging a complaint over an incident at Emirates Stadium on Saturday in which a supporter threw red wine at the visiting team's bench during the Premier League match. (Times - subscription required)
Former Bolton, Chelsea and Barcelona striker Eidur Gudjohnsen, 36, will bid to play his way back into a shock comeback for the Trotters when he takes part in a private match on Tuesday. (the Sun - subscription required)
BEST OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Stoke goalkeeper Asmir Begovic is full of admiration for the spectacular one-handed catch that New York Jets Odell Beckham Jr took for a touchdown in the NFL on Sunday. "That #BeckhamCatch was the best catch I have ever seen in the @nfl," he tweeted.
And there were happy faces on the Chelsea bus as the team made their way to Germany for Tuesday's Champions League game against Schalke. "Parceria forte!! Good Friends!!! #comeonchelsea" tweeted Oscar.
AND FINALLY
Real Madrid star James Rodriguez has followed in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham by unveiling his own range of underwear which will be branded J10. (Daily Mirror)
Former Newcastle striker Daniel Cordone impersonated ex-Argentine star Claudio Caniggia in a bid to fool spectators at a Masters friendly international between Argentina and Brazil in Natal. (Sunderland Echo)
Guardian Rumour Mill
John Ashdown
Some days the Rumour Mill can produce the tittle-tattle equivalent of a Greatest Hits collection: Lionel Messi to Manchester City, Chelsea in for Marco Reus, Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United, Chris Smalling off to Barcelona, that sort of thing. Today … is not one of those days. Today’s collection of scurrilous gossip is more a random selection of obscure B-sides by a band no one really remembers. But, like a random selection of obscure B-sides by a band no one really remembers, that doesn’t mean they’re not worth paying attention to. We’re basically in Grand Drive’s Being Alive: Loose Wheels and Latch Keys territory.
For example, Everton and Burnley could not be more interested in Rangers midfielder Lewis Macleod if they were wasps and he were made entirely of jam. The two clubs fancy offering the 20-year-old a route south in January.
And how about this – West Brom want Brann midfielder Stéphane Badji and are willing to pay £750,000 to get their man. Palace and Sunderland are also keen, but the chance of being the Baggies’ Badji is an alliterative opportunity too good to miss.
Arsenal and Tottenham are casting covetous glances at Dinamo Zagreb’s Marcelo Brozovic but have been told that any bid will have to “knock me off my feet” by Dinamo manager Zdravko Mamic. The north London clubs are currently investigating whether a well-greased 50p tactically placed in a corridor at the Maksimir Stadium would be enough for the midfielder.
In a tussle reminiscent of one that Sky would schedule on a Sunday lunchtime in order to help fulfil their quota of Showing Other Teams, it’s West Ham versus Sunderland over Rennes stopper Jean Makoun, whose contract expires next year. A bid as low as £1m might be enough to persuade Rennes to part with the midfielder, who flopped pretty spectacularly at Aston Villa a few years ago.
Real Madrid are going all Championship Manager 2000-01 with their youth team. They’ve already bagged Ajax’s Mink Peeters, 16, and Mallorca’s Marco Asensio, 18. Now they want 15-year-old Martin Odegaard from Strømsgodset and Liverpool’s Pedro Chirivella, the Spain Under-18 captain who has been dubbed “the new Xabi Alonso” because he’s quite good at passing and we’re generally quite lazy when it comes to describing young players. Liverpool are expected to tell Real that they “regard him as an important player for the future” and change his status from “hot prospect” to “indispensable to the club”.
Mail
West Ham can be one of England's biggest clubs in five to six years, says Alex Song
Alex Song has been an ever-present since joining West Ham on loan
The former Arsenal midfielder believes the Hammers can become one of England's biggest clubs in five to six years
Song is happy at Upton Park but won't comment on his future until the end of the current season
By Luke Augustus
On-loan West Ham midfielder Alex Song has declared that West Ham can become one of English football's leading forces, and then Europe's, providing they follow Atletico Madrid's example.
The Hammers are flying high domestically this season, with Sam Allardyce's side sitting sixth in the Premier League - one point behind Manchester United in fourth and the final position Champions League spot.
And having joined the club on a season-long loan from Spanish giants Barcelona, the Camerooon international is adamant that the potential at the club means they can be challenging with the Premier League's established big sides within the next five to six years.
The 27-year-old cites the East London outfit's imminent move to London's Olympic stadium from their current Upton Park home in 2016 as a key reason, with the new venue playing a key part in being able to attract players to wanting to come and sign for the club.
'Maybe in the next five, six years one day West Ham will become one of the big clubs in England,' he said.
'I think that the way that things are going at the moment it's very good.
'For everyone who loves West Ham football club it's very, very important to look ahead because everyone is looking forward to moving into that [Olympic] Stadium and when we move it'll be unbelievable.
'I think then West Ham can look towards playing in Europe and then attracting more players to sign.
'I genuinely believe West Ham can be one of the biggest clubs in England. When I played in Spain nobody thought Atletico Madrid could be like they are but today everybody sees how good they are.
Song, seen here competing with Manchester City's Jesus Navas, has proved to be a shrewd acquistion
'West Ham just have to learn from their example and try to be the same team. I think the future is great, because of the new stadium.
'When we have a big stadium, new players will want to come especially with the way we're playing at the moment.
'If we've done very well at the end of the season, then more players will want to come. I just want to be happy, make the fans happy and just give them some happiness when they come to watch West Ham play every Saturday.'
Song has played an integral part in the club's early-season form with his eight Premier League performances having endeared him to the East London faithful.
The former Arsenal star added that he is happy in his new surroundings but won't comment on his future until the end of the season.
'I think my future at the moment is just to help the club. I'm very happy here, it's a privilege to be a West Ham player and I enjoy every day of that,' he said.
'The fans gave me a great welcome when I arrived and it's a family club. Every single day I come to training I have a big smile on my face with everyone and it's helped me settle on-the-pitch.
'I want to say thank you who has shown me goodwill. I just want to repay them back with my performances.
'But for now I don't know what's happening [about my future] other than that I just want to play, help the club and then we'll see at the end of the season.'
Mirror
West Ham and Sunderland eye transfer of Aston Villa flop Jean Makoun
By Dave Allard, Mel Henderson
Cameroon midfielder who played just 8 games for the Villans in 2 years after a £6m move in 2011 is back on Prem sides' radar
Second time lucky? Makoun never clicked at Villa - would he do better at West Ham or Sunderland?
West Ham and Sunderland are competing to sign experienced Cameroon international Jean Makoun.
The Rennes defensive midfielder, 31, will be available for just £1million in the January transfer window as his contract with the French outfit is due to expire next summer.
Both the Hammers and Gus Poyet's Wearsiders have sounded out his representatives and Makoun, who played in the last two World Cups, is keen to return to England's top-flight after a move to Aston Villa failed to work out.
Villa chief Gerard Houllier paid £6m to sign Makoun from Lyon in January 2011 but his successor, Alex McLeish, sent the player on loan to Olympiacos in Greece.
Makoun's third manager at Villa, their current boss Paul Lambert, then offloaded him on loan to Rennes and he completed a permanent move in July last year.
HITC
Bargain! West Ham could sign Allardyce's £9.5m summer target for free
West Ham United failed in a £9.5m bid for Yevhen Konoplyanka this summer - but now they could sign him for nothing.
Despite Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Everton, West Ham are on course for a superb season.
The Hammers have won five of their opening 12 games this season, sitting sixth in the Premier League table - and with Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham all struggling to find any consistency, manager Sam Allardyce has a chance of earning European qualification for next season.
Even after splashing out in the summer for the likes of Aaron Cresswell, Alex Song, Morgan Amalfitano, Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia, West Ham will need to add more new faces in January if they are to really push for a top six finish.
Allardyce may well be backed with more money to spend, and it would be little surprise to see him rekindle his interest in Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk ace Yevhen Konoplyanka.
The Ukrainian winger, 25, was linked with Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham over the summer, but West Ham made an audacious £9.5m bid - which was rejected as Dnipro aimed to get £12m for him.
That decision could prove costly, as Konoplyanka is about to enter the final six months of his contract with Dnipro, and doesn't look like he'll be signing a new contract any time soon.
That means that West Ham would be able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with Konoplyanka, enabling him to join the club for free next summer.
Alternatively, the Hammers could offer another fee to sign Komplyanka in the hope that Dnipro will take a cut-price fee to avoid losing him for nothing.
West Ham don't play with wingers anymore as Allardyce has switched to a 4-4-2 diamond, but Konoplyanka's skillset actually lends itself to playing behind the strikers - the same switch made by Stewart Downing this season.
It would be an ambitious move by West Ham, but if they were willing to pay £9.5m to sign him this summer, then he will surely be on their radar as a potential free transfer - and signing Konoplyanka would be a huge statement of intent for their rivals.
