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Paper Talk
Liverpool have identified Javier Hernandez, the former Manchester United striker, as one of their priority targets as Jürgen Klopp seeks to overhaul his misfiring forward line this summer.
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal admits he "can't lose any more" ahead of tonight's FA Cup clash with Derby County.
The Red Devils are monitoring Nigeria forward Ahmed Musa after Leicester City had a £14million bid turned down by CSKA Moscow.
Stoke City midfielder Charlie Adam has been ruled out for up to six weeks due to a calf injury.
Norwich City have renewed their efforts to sign Patrick Bamford on loan from Chelsea.
Lyons striker Alexandre Lacazette has indicated that he's not interested in a move to Newcastle United.
Everton are considering a move for Ecuador international Miler Bolanos.
Striker Emmanuel Emenike has had a medical before a proposed move from Fiorentina to West Ham.
West Ham are considering a move for Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is weighing up a move for Udinese midfielder Piotr Zielinski.
Monaco are rivalling Tottenham's bid to sign Moussa Dembele from Fulham.
Norwich are waiting for an answer over their bid to sign Chelsea rising star Patrick Bamford.
Newcastle will give West Brom until the weekend to relax their stance on Saido Berahino - and will move for Loic Remy if they continue refusing to sell.
Charles N'Zogbia is digging his heels in at Aston Villa and threatening to stall new boss Remi Garde 's shake-up.
Barcelona superstar Neymar has admitted he would 'love' to play under Pep Guardiola but insists he is happy in Spain.
Derby County's centre forward Chris Martin is an £8million target for several Premier League clubs including Swansea and Stoke.
Reece Oxford's loan move to Charlton is off - because boss Jose Riga did not know who the West Ham wonderkid was.
Chelsea's bid to land their No1 target Max Allegri as their new manager has been given a huge boost as Juventus are already hunting for his replacement.
Manchester United are making an astonishing raid on Chelsea to pinch one of Europe's hottest young properties Domingos Quina, while Louis van Gaal's side are also reportedly in talks to sign Palermo attacking midfielder Franco Vazquez.
Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal has emerged as a top transfer target for Chelsea.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has added rising Polish star Piotr Zielinski to his shopping list.
West Brom are hopeful of securing Sandro on loan from QPR until the end of the season.
Nigerian midfielder Kelechi Nwakali is flying to London to complete a move to Arsenal.
Liverpool are weighing up a shock bid for Bayern Munich hitman Robert Lewandowski.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp wants to sign Udinese's Piotr Zielinski in the summer while also planning moves for Joel Matip and Ben Chilwell.
Watford have made a formal offer for Liverpool forward Jerome Sinclair.
Leicester have rejected a new bid from Arsenal for highly-rated young defender Ben Chilwell.
Chelsea are still considering a January move for Valencia defender Aymen Abdennour.
Italy boss Antonio Conte is the leading candidate for the Chelsea manager's job.
Real Madrid have tried three times in the last five years to sign Barcelona's Lionel Messi.
Chelsea have added Claudio Ranieri, Mark Hughes and Eddie Howe to their managerial short-list but Mauricio Pochettino and Antonio Conte remain strong candidates.
BBC
Chelsea want Italy boss Antonio Conte, 46, as the long-term replacement for Jose Mourinho, who was sacked in December. (Mail)
Manchester United want CSKA Moscow's 23-year-old Nigeria forward Ahmed Musa, who is already a target for Premier League leaders Leicester. (Express)
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is considering an £11m move for Udinese's Poland midfielder Piotr Zielinski, 21. (Mirror)
Chelsea defender Gary Cahill, who is worried about his England place at Euro 2016, is wanted by Italian Serie A side Roma. (London Evening Standard)
The 30-year-old former Aston Villa and Bolton player would be a perfect fit for Liverpool, according to ex-Reds midfielder Danny Murphy. (Talksport)
Barcelona forward Neymar, 23, says he would "love" to play under Pep Guardiola. The Bayern Munich manager, 45, is widely expected to take over at Manchester City in the summer. (Mirror)
West Bromwich Albion are in talks with Queens Park Rangers over a loan deal for 26-year-old former Tottenham midfielder Sandro. (Telegraph)
New York Red Bulls defender Matt Miazga, 20, was in London on Thursday to have a medical at Chelsea. (Sky Sports)
Arsenal have had a new bid for Leicester's 19-year-old defender Ben Chilwell rejected. (Football Insider via Express)
Newcastle United are ready to abandon plans to sign West Bromwich Albion striker Saido Berahino and pursue alternative options. The Magpies are willing to pay in excess of £20m for the 22-year-old but have received no encouragement for the Baggies. (Newcastle Chronicle)
Chelsea's Loic Remy, 29, is the forward Newcastle want to sign if they cannot get Berahino. Remy scored 14 goals in 26 Premier League games during a loan stint at Newcastle in 2013-14. (Telegraph)
West Ham United and Norwich City are keen to sign Inter Milan defender Davide Santon, 25, on loan. (Mail)
Hammers midfielder Reece Oxford's proposed loan move to Charlton is off - because Addicks boss Jose Riga does not know who the 17-year-old is. (Sun)
Bournemouth's American investor Matt Hulsizer says manager Eddie Howe is "not going anywhere". Howe, 38, has been linked with the permanent Chelsea job when interim manager Guus Hiddink leaves at the end of the season. (Daily Echo)
Hull City are close to signing Slovakia goalkeeper Dusan Kuciak, 30, from Poland's Legia Warsaw. (Hull Daily Mail)
Blackburn Rovers are close to signing Charlton Athletic's former Celtic striker Tony Watt, 22, on loan. (Lancashire Telegraph)
Winger Andros Townsend, who has joined Newcastle from Tottenham in a £12m deal, interested Watford but the 24-year-old was too expensive, according to Hornets boss Quique Sanchez Flores. (Watford Observer)
Townsend says new manager Steve McClaren showed him a 10-minute film outlining what he wants the 24-year-old to do in the Newcastle team. (Guardian)
Manchester United hope to sign Chelsea's Portuguese midfielder Domingos Quina, 16, who joined the Stamford Bridge youth set-up at the age of 13. (Sun)
Barnsley have turned down a six-figure bid from Leeds United for 25-year-old top scorer Sam Winnall, who has netted 14 times in 27 League One games this season. (Yorkshire Post)
Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce says he has a 60-man list of potential transfer targets.(Newcastle Chronicle)
Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew is already worried that new signing Emmanuel Adebayor, 31, will leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the season. (Star)
Derby County manager Paul Clement says Cristiano Ronaldo is not obsessed with the Ballon d'Or, and insists the Portuguese forward, 30, never talked about the award during his time as a coach at Real Madrid. (Times - subscription required)
Chelsea players will not suffer a drop in their wages if the club fail to qualify for the Champions League next season. (Telegraph)
A number of Premier League clubs ignored Carlisle United when the League Two club wrote requesting auction prizes for a flood fundraiser. (Sun)
Social media
Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey has wished former Wales striker Robert Earnshaw well in retirement. "Grew up watching @RobertEarnshaw and had the opportunity to play alongside him. What a great player! Good luck in the new role #legend," he tweeted.
Everton forward Gerard Deulofeu praised the near-8,000 travelling fans who backed the team in their League Cup semi-final defeat at Manchester City. "Disappointed not to get the result last night & make it to the final. Thanks for all the support Toffees," the Spaniard tweeted on Thursday.
Port Vale midfielder Michael Brown surprised his team-mates by hiring an ice cream van to celebrate his 39th birthday. The former Manchester City, Tottenham and Wigan player organised for the van to turn up for an hour after training on Thursday. "Yes, this is Michael Brown serving ice cream at Vale Park," tweeted the League One club.
And finally
Comedian and Crystal Palace fan Kevin Day says he will "donate £100 to charity and swim naked across Thornton Heath pond" if new signing Emmanuel Adebayor scores 10 goals. (London Evening Standard)
Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling said he was not a fan of the fireworks let off before his team's League Cup semi-final with Everton. "They weren't the best idea for me," he said. (Manchester Evening News)
Remi Garde has banned his Aston Villa players from criticising each other in a bid to improve morale at the Premier League's bottom club. (Mirror)
Derby County midfielder Tom Ince says Kasper Schmeichel's success at Leicester City "is down to me" and the impromptu kickabouts the pair had in the Old Trafford lounge as children. (Mail)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Scott Murray
Louis van Gaal has been sacked. Not just once, but three times. And it’ll be four should Manchester United lose to Derby County in the Fly Emirates television spectacular tonight.
This is the world according to Van Gaal, of course, who, in tones so exasperated it’s almost as though he expects a wan observation to be framed as a Defiant Rant, has been offering arch comment on his current employment status. It’s like he doesn’t believe a word written by the press! Ah well, so much for United’s £19m bid for 23-year-old CSKA Moscow striker and Leicester City target Ahmed Musa, then. And bad luck José, Pep, etc.
Guardiola will have to make do with Manchester City. Like that’s news. He’ll gain a little succour from City’s impending purchase of Barcelona superstar Neymar. Van Gaal might not believe everything that’s in the papers, but without that trust, the Rumour Mill is nothing.
Chelsea’s search for a new manager, unlike United’s, continues in plain sight. The latest name to be linked with a 13-month secondment to west London is Antonio Conte, who’ll be needing something to do after Italy’s first-round debacle/lame second-round exit/near-miss in final/humiliation in final at Euro 2016.
Conte won’t get to work with Patrick Bamford, who is off to Norwich City, or Gary Cahill. The big defender is set to suckle on the wolf’s teat at Roma, who are looking for someone to fill the role of Declining England Star now Ashley Cole has finally given up the fight and joined LA Galaxy. Cahill’s place in the Chelsea squad will be taken up by Valencia and Tunisia’s Aymen Abdennour.
Arsenal want the young Leicester City full back Ben Chilwell, but their bid has been rejected. Their transfer lust will be sated by £23m Dynamo Kyiv winger Andriy Yarmolenko, though that move won’t happen until the summer, by which time it’ll be far too late.
West Bromwich Albion want Sandro of Queens Park Rangers but don’t fancy selling Saido Berahino to Newcastle United. A similar needy/demanding emotional dynamic is unfolding at West Ham United, where the folk in charge want Davide Santon of Internazionale but, in a denial that came out of nowhere, aren’t in the mood to sanction the departure of Dimitri Payet to unnamed clubs various. With a surprise move mooted for Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher, it’s almost as though something’s going on behind the scenes.
And finally Liverpool want up-and-coming Poland midfielder Piotr Zielinski. They’ll put in a bid of £11m, Udinese will demand twice as much, Liverpool will slap an £11,000,0000.01 bid on the table, Udinese will demand twice as much, Liverpool will slap a take-it-or-leave-it £11,000,000.02 bid on the table, Ian Ayre will go off for a long ride on his big-boy motorised trike, and then someone else will buy Zielinski. And there was Louis van Gaal thinking his stories were getting old.
Express
Van Gaal blow in Mane pursuit
West Ham have reportedly join the race to sign Sadio Mane - and believe they can gazump Manchester United's pursuit of the Southampton ace.
Mane, 23, has been tracked by United since last summer but is expected to remain at St Mary's until the end of the season.
Mirror
West Ham eye shock transfer swoop for Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher
By Darren Lewis
The Hammers feel the Scot could slot straight into their squad after the sale of Mauro Zarate and with fellow forward Nikica Jelavic poised to move on next
West Ham are considering a shock move for Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher.
The Irons have already sold Mauro Zarate to Fiorentina of Italy and are set to lose fellow frontman Nikica Jelavic before the deadline on Monday night, with offers for him from several Far Eastern clubs on the table.
Former Burnley and Wolves star Fletcher is in their thinking because West Ham want a player who can adapt straight away to the Premier League.
They are also in for Turkish side Fenerbahce’s Nigeria international striker Emmanuel Emenike on loan.
Manager Slaven Bilic has admitted that the London club are hopeful of sealing the deal - despite complications because of Emenike's current loan spell at Al Ain in Abu Dhabi - this weekend.
Fletcher, 28, has just six months left on his contract at the Wearside club, who are open to allowing him to leave.
While he's scored seven goals in 18 club appearances this season, he has made just two starts since the December 12 defeat to Watford and boss Sam Allardyce has never used him as a substitute.
The 28-year-old also has interest from several Chinese clubs, as well as Scottish champions Celtic.
London24
West Ham without six key men for Liverpool clash but youngsters travel
Brad Pinard
West Ham skipper Mark Noble is one of six first team players set to miss today’s clash with Liverpool.
Carl Jenkinson is out with the knee injury he suffered against Manchester City last weekend, and with new signing Sam Byram cup-tied, fit-again James Tomkins will fill in at right-back.
Winger Michail Antonio is available despite a wrist injury but Andy Carroll (hamstring), Manuel Lanzini and Diafra Sakho (both thigh) are still sidelined.
Reece Oxford and Josh Cullen could be among youngsters travelling to Merseyside.
Provisional squad: Adrian, Randolph, Tomkins, Collins, Reid, Ogbonna, Cresswell, Kouyate, Song, Obiang, Moses, Payet, O’Brien, Valencia, Antonio, Cullen, Jelavic, Parfitt-Williams, Oxford.
Jurgen Klopp is again expected to make significant changes to the Liverpool team for the fourth round FA Cup clash at home to West Ham tomorrow - especially in the wake of their gruelling League Cup semi-final victory over Stoke on Tuesday.
Steven Caulker is expected to make his full debut after three substitute appearances since his loan move from QPR and he could partner Dejan Lovren. who’s set to complete his comeback from injury tomorrow.
Daniel Sturridge will still be absent but Klopp is likely to start with penalty shoot-out hero Joe Allen along with Christian Benteke, Jordon Ibe and Brad Smith.
OS
Chadwell Chatter
Hello everyone,
When I was little, I was a Liverpool fan and every time they played in the FA Cup, I wanted the Reds to win.
When they won the FA Cup in 2001, I was only eleven and I remember watching the final when Michael Owen scored twice as Liverpool beat Arsenal.
Every time Liverpool played, me and my family and lots of my friends want them to win, but on Saturday it’s going to be a different matter – I want to beat them for the third time this season!
It’s the FA Cup and we want to progress to the next round and go as far as we can in the competition and we know it’s going to be a tough game, but it’s one we’re relishing.
It’s always nice going back home and seeing all my family and friends as well, and most of them will be at the game, but the most important thing is we get through to the next round.”
Anfield is one of the best grounds in England and it’s a real thrill to play there, especially being a Liverpool fan as a kid. Atmosphere-wise, they always have fantastic support, but hopefully we can silence them and get through.”
We most definitely we believe we can beat them. It’s the FA Cup, it’s Liverpool and it’s another incentive to do well on the day and I’m sure all the boys are looking forward to it.
We are playing well at the moment and we beat them away and then beat them at home and we’ve yet to concede a goal, so hopefully that can continue.
Before I go, I want to say a word or two about Sam Byram. I’ve played against Sam in the Championship many times when I was at Ipswich and he’s still only 22 and has plenty of years ahead of him in the game.
He’s played well over 100 games at the age of 22 and I always knew he was good enough to play in the Premier League, and he was fantastic against Manchester City.
Sam is cup-tied on Saturday, but the rest of us will be travelling up and doing everything we can to take the next step down the road to Wembley.
Safe trip to everyone going up to Liverpool on Saturday!
Cressy
Inside Futbol
Former Nigeria Striker Questions Ability of West Ham Bound Emmanuel Emenike
Former Nigeria and VfL Wolfsburg striker Jonathan Akpoborie believes that Fenerbahce striker Emmanuel Emenike is not good enough for a club such as West Ham and will have much to prove at Upton Park.
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic spoke yesterday about his desire to bring in the striker on loan for the rest of the season, but insisted that the situation is complicated with the player being on loan at Al Ain from Fenerbahce.
However Akpoborie, who spent most of his club career in Germany, insists that the 28-year-old striker is not fit enough to play under such pressure in the Premier League let alone for a club such as West Ham.
According to the 47-year-old, his countryman hasn't been in good form for the last two or three years both for his club and country.
And recruiting such a player whose ability is in question won't be wise, the former striker feels.
"Over the last two or three years he hasn't been in good form for his club and country", Akpoborie was quoted as saying by the BBC.
"To be a striker in the top flight in England you need to have a good first touch and that has always been his problem.
"His ability is in question."
West Ham have been handing a medical to the Nigeria striker, but the deal must involve three parties, with Al Ain and Fenerbahce also in the mix .
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