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Paper Talk
Real Madrid will trigger a £30million release clause next summer to land Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea.
Manchester United are confident they will be able to persuade Chelsea target Cristiano Ronaldo to snub a move to London and return to Old Trafford, perhaps as early as next summer.
West Ham are tracking Sporting Lisbon's Algerian striker Islam Slimani - but may have to fight off Tottenham, who are keen on the star. The Hammers have been heavily linked with the forward, 27, in the last two transfer windows.
Steve McClaren has told midfielder Siem de Jong to forget about a return to the Netherlands, with Newcastle keen to see him through his adjustment to life in the Premier League after a long injury battle.
Watford defender Allan Nyom has been threatened with a worldwide ban after quitting a Cameroon training camp.
Tottenham, Stoke City and Charlton are battling for the signature of highly-prized Ebbsfleet winger Shilow Tracey.
Barcelona and Real Madrid had ordered scouts to look at Leicester and England striker Jamie Vardy until injury made him a serious doubt for Friday's friendly clash with Spain in Alicante.
Arjen Robben has told Memphis Depay he must find resolve within to overcome a difficult start to his Manchester United career.
Juventus left-back Patrice Evra has revealed that he discovered a surprise allergy to eggs after joining the Serie A club from Manchester United in the summer of 2014.
Olivier Giroud held talks with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger after France manager Didier Deschamps told him he needed to be playing more for his club to secure a place in the international side.
Didier Drogba has revealed how Andre Villas-Boas' ill-fated reign as Chelsea manager was doomed from the start. The Ivory Coast international striker believes Villas-Boas paid the price for mismanaging and ignoring the advice of his senior players and thinking managing Chelsea would be "easy".
Memphis Depay is third only to Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of replica shirt sales, according to Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.
Danny Welbeck has revealed he took just his PS4 and TV with him when he moved to Arsenal from Manchester United.
Bournemouth have been alerted to the possibility of a loan move for free-scoring New York Red Bulls striker Bradley Wright-Phillips.
Martin Keown believes Mesut Ozil is the key to Arsenal's success this season.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has given Arsenal a massive boost by posting a video of himself in training.
Branislav Ivanovic will 'probably' sign a new contract at Chelsea, according to his agent. The Blues defender has come under fire this season for a string of poor displays and Inter Milan are reported to be monitoring the situation.
Spain manager Vicente Del Bosque says England need to be "more organised" if they are to win the European Championship next summer.
Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross was presented with a year's supply of deodorant after Diego Costa told him he smelled.
Manchester United have made Southampton attacker Sadio Mane their primary transfer target, according to reports.
Former Chelsea defender Filipe Luis claims Jose Mourinho damages certain players with his management style, undermining their confidence with his public criticism.
Manchester United defender Chris Smalling is the best centre-back in the Premier League, according to former Red Devil Gary Pallister.
Arsene Wenger is plotting a swoop on Barcelona B team captain Alex Grimaldo. The 20-year-old is reportedly eyeing a move away from the Nou Camp after struggling for first team action.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is weighing up a deal for Paris Saint-Germain full-back Gregory van der Wiel.
Wayne Rooney has admitted he faces a huge challenge to convince Roy Hodgson he still deserves to be England's main striker.
BBC
Chelsea are the surprising favourites to sign 30-year-old Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney. (Metro)
Rio Ferdinand, 37, pulled out of a charity match that would have seen the retired defender appear on the same team as his former England team-mates John Terry, 34, and Ashley Cole, 34, after suffering a calf injury. (The Guardian)
Cristiano Ronaldo, 30, and Karim Benzema, 27, could leave Real Madrid this summer, with Chelsea's Eden Hazard, 24, and Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski, 27, poised to replace them. (Daily Mirror)
Chelsea are determined to beat a number of European clubs to sign Ronaldo for a reported £70m. (AS - in Spanish)
Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, 25, says he is now "very happy" at Manchester United despite coming close to leaving for Real Madrid in the summer. (Daily Mail)
However, Real Madrid will trigger a £30m release clause next summer to sign De Gea. (the Sun)
The FA chairman Greg Dyke, 68, and chief executive Martin Glenn have been asked not to stay at the England squad hotel ahead of Friday's friendly against Spain in Alicante, under a new strategy drawn up to keep the players in isolation. (Daily Telegraph)
Samir Nasri's future at Manchester City is in doubt as the midfielder, 28, prepares for his return from injury. (Manchester Evening News)
Newcastle United are interested in signing 23-year-old Werder Bremen centre-back Jannik Vestergaard. (SportBild, via Chronicle)
Chelsea and Spain striker Diego Costa, 27, has been ordered by his national team manager Vicente Del Bosque to "smooth out" his disciplinary problems. (Daily Express)
Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud, 29, believes Arsene Wenger taking him out of the first XI following his recent struggles on international duty helped him come back stronger. (Evening Standard)
Best of social media
Wherefore art thou John Terry? At the Royal Opera House watching Romeo and Juliet, judging by the pictures the Chelsea defender posted on his Instagram account.
Injured winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 22, has given Arsenal fans a boost by posting a video on Instagram of himself training along with the caption: "The rehab is going well... looking forward to being back on the pitch soon."
And finally
Irish side Cabinteely FC have offered a free season ticket to the first person who can win the Premier Division with the club on Football Manager. (Metro)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Michael Butler
Everything is backwards at Chelsea at the moment. The club sit just three points clear of the relegation zone after 12 games, John Terry is now a big fan of opera (Romeo and Juliet of course), and lots of footballers, who would have previously given their standing leg to earn a new contract at the Premier League champions, want out. And so with the arrival of heartwarming Christmas adverts designed to charm you into parting more of your hard-earned cash in exchange for useless tat, the agents of south-west London have awakened from their autumnal hibernation with the intention of doing the very same, gearing themselves up for the feeding frenzy that is the January transfer window.
Branislav Ivanovic's Mr 15%, Zoran Krneta, is the first to rise and he has wasted no time in linking his chum with a move to Internazionale. And why not? The Serbian, whose contract expires next summer, might be a contender for worst-right back in the Premier League at present, but who is going to stop Krneta from linking him with the joint-leaders of Serie A. Not the Mill, that's for sure. "Its quite possible that he will renew his contract with Chelsea The rumours about Inter? In football anything it is possible." You're not kidding Zoran!
Oscar is another Chelsea player looking to sling his hook, and he is batting his eyelashes in the direction of Juventus, according to Tuttosport. The Turin club are already set to meet their Chelsea counterparts to discuss the permanent transfer of Juan Cuadrado, following his loan move from Stamford Bridge in the summer, and it is thought that plans may be put in place for a move for Oscar next summer, should Chelsea fail to qualify for the Champions League.
But wait, there's more! Real Madrid want Eden Hazard. You heard it here first.
Moving on. After the successes of Cesc Fabregas and Hector Belleren, Arsenal have decided that the policy of signing promising young footballers from Barcelona's academy is a goer, and have settled their crosshairs on Barcelona B captain Alex Grimaldo. The 20-year-old's contract runs out next June, and Barca's sporting director, Robert Fernandez, this week claimed the full-back isn't willing to sign a new deal. Ding ding ding! Start the car, Arsene! And do it quickly, because Bayern Munich are also sniffing about.
Prizing the finest young talent from arguably the best club in Europe might be a doddle for Arsenal, but they're having a harder time trying to nab Accrington Stanley's finest. Wenger likes the look of Josh Windass, son of Dean, who has scored nine times in 18 appearances this season, but Stanley's manager John Coleman is having none of it: "We will be taking no bids in January. I know the background to the Josh story - there was an Arsenal scout at our game against York. Windass scored what proved to be the winner in that FA Cup game on Saturday, which means that Arsenal will have to cough up more than the £1m that they are reportedly willing to offer for the 21-year-old forward.
Bournemouth have looked over the stats from last weekend's 1-0 defeat to Newcastle - 67% possession in their favour, five shots on target to Newcastle's one, eight shots on target to Newcastle's one, 16 corners to Newcastle's none and decided that the front pairing of Josh King and Junior Stanislas probably isn't going to cut it in the Premier League. And so, after ringing round a bit, Eddie Howe has decided that parachuting Bradley Wright-Phillips on loan from New York Red Bulls is the answer.
Elsewhere, West Ham have got the horn for Roma's Seydou Doumbia, who has found his more-than-capable feet back on loan at former club CSKA Moscow, and Lazio and Internazionale are battling it out for former Aston Villa captain and current free agent Ron Vlaar, who is nearing a return to fitness after knee surgery in the summer. Have a great Friday everybody.
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