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BBC
Senior figures at Manchester United are becoming increasingly frustrated by manager Jose Mourinho's conduct after he was sent to the stand during the home draw against West Ham. (Daily Mail)
Mourinho faces a touchline ban of up to three matches after his dismissal on Sunday. (Times - subscription required)
The United manager is being let down by his players at Old Trafford, according to former Liverpool boss Graeme Souness. (Daily Star)
Inter Milan are preparing a £50m bid for Chelsea's Spain striker Diego Costa, 28. (Don Balon, via Calciomercato)
Everton manager Ronald Koeman wants to sign Southampton's Virgil van Dijk, despite the Saints' £40m asking price for the 25-year-old Netherlands defender.(Daily Mirror)
Liverpool are ready to move for Borussia Dortmund's 18-year-old USA midfielder Christian Pulisic following the injury to Philippe Coutinho, 24. (Daily Mail)
Manager Jurgen Klopp says that the absence of Brazil midfielder Coutinho should not be used as an excuse for the Reds' form to falter.(Guardian)
Chelsea coach Steve Holland will join Gareth Southgate's England set-up on a permanent basis at the end of the season. (Times - subscription required)
Manchester United will make a surprise move to sign John Mikel Obi, 29, from Chelsea, with the Nigeria midfielder out of favour at Stamford Bridge. (Sun)
Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp says he tried to bring Barcelona striker Luis Suarez, 29, and Chelsea forward Eden Hazard, 25, to White Hart Lane during his time in charge. (Talksport)
Leicester City's recruitment strategy is under growing scrutiny after manager Claudio Ranieri said Poland winger Bartosz Kapustka, 19, is still not ready to play in the Premier League. (Telegraph)
West Ham are in talks with Simone Zaza's advisers and are hoping to remove the substantial appearance clause in the 25-year-old Italy striker's contract. (Sun)
Paris St-Germain director of football Patrick Kluivert wants to meet Lionel Messi's father on a more regular basis in a bid to encourage the 29-year-old Argentina forward to move from Barcelona. (Marca)
Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has hinted that Manchester United's 32-year-old German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger could be on the verge of retirement. (ESPN)
Manchester United have warned fans travelling to next week's Europa League match against Zorya Luhanskin in Ukraine that they are at risk of attack because of the ongoing conflict in the country. (Daily Mirror)
Former Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou, 31, is set to sign a new deal at Hertha Berlin in January. (DW Sport)
Hull City are ready to boost their Premier League survival chances with a move for Boavista's Portuguese winger Renato Santos, 25. (Desporto Ao Minuto)
West Ham's Senegal forward Diafra Sakho, 26, is facing four weeks out with a hamstring problem - having only just returned after three months out with a back injury. (Daily Express)
Ex-West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Mowbray is favourite to take the Rotherham United job following the departure of Kenny Jackett. (Birmingham Mail)
Newcastle's Senegal midfielder Mo Diame, 29, says he has no regrets about leaving Hull City to play in the Championship.(Newcastle Chronicle)
Manchester United's players are beginning to believe that they are "cursed" after drawing four successive home games, says their France midfielder Paul Pogba, 23. (Daily Express)
Stoke midfielder Giannelli Imbula, 24, believes he can be their equivalent of Manchester City's Yaya Toure - having returned to first-team football after a long period out of favour. (Daily Star)
Vincent Kompany's brother says the 30-year-old Manchester City captain is not suffering a recurrence of his muscular injury. (Manchester Evening News)
And finally...
Nine-time Olympic champion and Manchester United fan Usain Bolt says he is waiting for boss Jose Mourinho to give him a call to change careers and become a professional footballer. (ESPN)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Michael Butler
Do you know what Manchester United need right now? Somebody to offset all of Michael Carrick’s ‘vertical’ passes. Somebody, apart from Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini and Morgan Schneiderlin (and potentially Phil Jones or Danny Blind), to add some physicality and the expense of tempo and guile in central midfield. Somebody that is going to give a United counterattack the sideways pass to the full-back that it deserves. Somebody that hasn’t made a single appearance all season. After one league win in seven games, do you know what Manchester United need right now? They need Mikel John Obi.
According to his agent, then-hot-teenage prospect Mikel burst into tears (of sadness) in 2006 when he found out that he was signing for Chelsea, not Manchester United, after a long, controversial transfer saga that the Mill is too tired to repeat, and you, reader are too tired to read but ended in Chelsea paying United £12m and Lyn Oslo £4m. Mikel had even posed in a Manchester United shirt alongside life-size posters of himself (and Henning Berg) in a press conference in Norway. “His mind was set on Manchester United,” said Mikel’s agent John Shittu. “Alex Ferguson said to me that Mikel would be the new Roy Keane.” It turned out Mikel didn’t become a Manchester United player, or the new Roy Keane, but at the age of 29, there is still time. That is why, according the Sun, Mourinho is set to depart with £2m to persuade Chelsea to sell up, with the Nigerian in the last year of his contract. Think about the testimonial Mikel/John!
Slightly more exciting, a lot more expensive and a lot less likely is Liverpool’s move for Christian Pulisic from Dortmund, owing to the fact that the American teenager – contracted until 2019 – would cost more than £25m and also because by the time the January rolls around, Philippe Coutinho should be returning from injury.
Armed with all the imagination of the Mill on a hangover, Ronald Koeman has decided he wants to spend £40m of someone else’s money on a player that he used to manage, and that played really well against his team at the weekend. Everton’s well-paid scouts have decided that Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk is 6ft 4in of ponytailed class, as have other talent-spotters at Manchester United.
Four starts in the Championship, and already Nottingham Forest are fighting off interest in 19-year-old blonde bombshell Joe Worrall. Stoke City look favourites to snap up the centre-back.
Neven Subotic says he considers a January move to Middlesbrough “an option” after his failed move in the summer. The Serb failed a last-minute medical then – with good cause, he’s yet to make an appearance this season – but Aitor Karanka is apparently still keen, if the 27-year-old can get himself fit.
Internazionale have won a game of football, which may or may not have caused journalists in Spain to link arguably the best striker in the Premier League right now, Diego Costa – currently on both top of the table and a healthy London-based wage – with a €50m move. It’s optimistic, even for the Mill, but a rumour nonetheless.
Italian businessman Andrea Radrizzani has confirmed his interest in a 50% share of Leeds United with a view to buying the Championship club outright. “Leeds are exciting” says Radrizzani, who has been seen numerous times at Elland Road this season. “They are a sleeping giant as everyone knows. Probably the only big brand left in England that could grow in terms of value.” Radrizzani probably doesn’t read the Guardian.
HITC
West Ham interest in Celtic ace Moussa Dembele shows how they took eye off the ball
West Ham want Moussa Dembele - six months too late.
Dan Coombs
West Ham are the latest club to show an interest in prolific Celtic striker Moussa Dembele.
Yet they are unlikely to be able to prise the Frenchman away, as they face competition from several of Europe's big guns, with The Sun reporting Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are all keen.
West Ham made the same mistake as all of those teams this summer in overlooking Dembele when he was available.
The prospect's contract at Fulham ran down and he signed with Celtic, after an impressive year in the Championship when he hit double figures.
The Hammers spent the summer trying to mix it with big clubs by chasing strikers considered to be the best on the market, Michy Batshuayi, Alexandre Lacazette and Carlos Bacca.
It may be harsh to state they got ideas above their station as there is nothing wrong with ambition, but they certainly took their eye off the ball, and settled on a panic loan move for Simone Zaza.
Chasing Moussa Dembele is all well and good now, but it is too late. They should have moved in the summer when he was available. Now he would cost upwards of £25 million, and be unwilling to switch mid-season.
Instead the Hammers need to look at where the mistake was made originally and correct that, by finding the 'next Dembele'. That won't be easy, but it could be more productive - and cheaper - than spending too much time chasing Europe's elite strikers without any success.
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