BBC
Manchester United's resolve to keep their captain Bruno Fernandes, 31, is set to be tested in January's transfer window with clubs in the Saudi Pro League and Europe keen on the Portugal midfielder. (Manchester Evening News), external
Napoli are frontrunners to sign Manchester United and England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, 20, in January. (Tuttomercatoweb - in Italian), external
Barcelona are set to rival Liverpool to sign France defender Dayot Upamecano, 26, when his contract expires at Bayern Munich next summer. (Fichajes in Spanish), external
Arsenal would accept an offer of around £30m for Gabriel Jesus, 28, with Everton a possible destination for the Brazil forward in January. (Teamtalk), external
Newcastle would love to have Nottingham Forest and England midfielder Elliot Anderson, 22, back at the club after selling him 16 months ago. (Mail), external
Manchester City are monitoring the situation of Atletico Madrid and Argentina right-back Nahuel Molina, 27. (Teamtalk), external
Crystal Palace are showing interest in AZ Alkmaar's midfield prospect Kees Smit, 19, who has played for the Netherlands at Under-19 level and attracted scouts from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United. (Mail), external
Ex-Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag could make a sensational return to management and replace fellow Dutchman Johnny Heitinga at former club Ajax following his brief stint at Bayer Leverkusen. (De Telegraaf via Goal), external
Liverpool forward Federico Chiesa's preference was always to stay at Anfield this season despite interest in the 27-year-old Italian from clubs in his homeland. (Athletic - subscription required), external
Crystal Palace want Japanese midfielder Daichi Kamada, 29, to extend his stay at Selhurst Park with his contract due to expire next summer. (Sky Sports), external
Bayern Munich are one of the clubs keen on Arsenal's Dutch defender Jurrien Timber, 24, who has opened talks over a new contract with the Gunners. (Caughtoffside) , external
Incoming Newcastle director of football Ross Wilson will be tasked with reviewing the club's summer transfer business when he begins the role at St James' Park. (The I - subscription required), external
Bayern Munich's German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, 39, is considering extending his playing career beyond 2026 and signing a new contract with the Bavarian club. (Bild - in German)
Sky Paper Talk
THE TELEGRAPH
Ruben Amorim could be sacked if Manchester United lose to Sunderland on Saturday.
Ange Postecoglou is fighting for his Nottingham Forest future and facing a potentially pivotal game at Newcastle United on Sunday.
England are in talks with Sale Sharks to bring highly rated Byron McGuigan on board in time for the autumn internationals.
The R360 rebel breakaway league has been dealt a major blow after the world rugby players' union refused to endorse the competition or any contracts offered to its members.
DAILY MAIL
The mood among the Manchester United hierarchy has changed since the defeat at Brentford last weekend, and a number of players have lost faith in Ruben Amorim's ability to turn the season around.
Crystal Palace are showing interest in highly rated AZ Alkmaar prospect Kees Smit.
Eddie Howe has revealed he would "love" to have Elliot Anderson back at Newcastle, labelling the midfielder a "precious" talent.
Christian Horner has been in touch with "pretty much" every team since he was sacked by Red Bull in July, according to Aston Martin team principal Andy Cowell.
MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS
Manchester United's resolve to keep Bruno Fernandes is set to be tested in January's transfer window.
THE ATHLETIC
Liverpool forward Federico Chiesa's preference was always to stay at Anfield this season despite interest in the 27-year-old Italian from clubs in his homeland.
THE I
Incoming Newcastle director of football Ross Wilson will be tasked with reviewing the club's summer transfer business when he begins the role at St James' Park.
THE INDEPENDENT
PGA of America chief executive Derek Sprague will apologise to Rory McIlroy and his wife Erica after the European team were subjected to abuse at the Ryder Cup that "crossed the line".
Adidas has unveiled its official match ball for next summer's World Cup and claimed the Trionda's new technology will enable faster offside decisions and help identify handball offences.
The Athletic
Malick Diouf’s route to West Ham: Snow shock, Rudiger lessons and Beckham comparison
By Roshane Thomas
When El Hadji Malick Diouf examined his surroundings, he could not quite process what had unfolded.
The left-back arrived in Tromso, a city in northern Norway, in the early hours of the morning in preparation for a trial at Norwegian side Tromso IL. Diouf travelled from Senegal, his country of birth, on the recommendation of coaches at Academie Mawade Wade, which was founded in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. But he could not settle until he made an important phone call.
“He arrived in Norway around 1am and it was snowing,” Malick Diop, co-founder of Mawade Wade, tells The Athletic, “Malick hadn’t seen snow before. I will never forget it. He phoned me and asked, ‘Why is everything white? I can’t see the roads. Coach, do you think I can live here?’. I laughed so much. Malick was afraid because it was a completely new experience. It was in February, so you can understand how freezing it must’ve been. Tromso is colder than Oslo (the capital of Norway on the southern coast), but I told him, ‘Malick, don’t worry, this is the right place for you. You’ll thank me one day’.”
Diouf, now 20, had a successful trial and signed a professional contract. During his 10-month spell at Tromso, he made 21 appearances, scoring three times and registering one assist. Diouf was 18 when he travelled over 4,000 miles in pursuit of a football career. Tore Rismo, Tromso’s former CEO and sports director, and a part-time scout for Mawade Wade, recalls Diouf’s initial transition.
“I get so many emails, phone calls with people telling me they have the next big thing,” says Rismo. “But I saw videos of Malick playing for Senegal’s youth team, and I was impressed. But because we’re not a glamorous club, and the weather can be challenging, I thought Malick would want to join a bigger academy. A few months passed, I completely forgot about him, but he was in Spain at either Real Betis or Granada for a trial, and his agent asked if we’d like to invite him to trial.
“We did, in the middle of winter, where it’s very dark and cold. The sun disappears in November and comes back in February. It must’ve been a complete shock to the system for Malick. But in his first session, you could tell he was special, and he had the X factor. He was on trial for 10 days, and we knew after his third session we’d sign him.”
Diouf, West Ham United’s £19million summer signing, has had an unconventional route to east London. He played for Galaxy Football Academy, Mawade Wade and Slavia Prague. Since making his debut against Premier League newcomers Sunderland, Diouf continues to impress and is already among esteemed company.
The full-back has registered three assists in his first six appearances in the league, the most assists of any defender in Europe’s top five leagues. Only Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Jermain Defoe and Frank Lampard have recorded more assists for West Ham in the English top flight before their 21st birthday.
This is the story of how watching a highlight reel of Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger enabled Diouf to overcome setbacks at Tromso, why his crossing ability has been likened to former Manchester United winger David Beckham — and why Rismo predicts the full-back will become “one of the greatest Senegalese players of all time”.
Diouf is from Medina, in the southern part of Dakar. Diop grew up in the same area, and his similar upbringing to Diouf helped strengthen their bond.
“I was his trainer for Senegal Under-17s, so I’ve known him for a long time,” says Diop. “Where we’re from is a very tough area. If you tell someone from Senegal you’re from there, they just know straight away. So of course I’m proud of what Malick’s achieved. When he came to the national team, he was a left-back who was really fast and had great crossing ability. But we lacked cover at centre-back, and we moved him there.
“He was good, and it benefited his development knowing how to play in different positions. He joined our academy aged 17, and straight away, I knew I couldn’t make him stay for much longer. He had a higher ceiling, and I phoned Tromso to get the ball rolling because we have a great relationship with them.”
After signing his first professional contract with Tromso in February 2023, Diouf made his first-team debut the following month as an 88th-minute substitute in a cup game. Manager Gaute Helstrup eased the left-back into the starting XI, and after an extended run in the team, it was clear to see why.
“He was sent off (two yellow cards) against Bodo/Glimt in a cup game,” says Rismo. “The following month, he was sent off against Rosenborg, and this really concerned the manager. We all knew Malick was talented, but his discipline on the pitch needed to improve. The manager thought it’d be good for Malick to go out on loan to a club in the Norwegian second division.
“We were even willing to pay part of Malick’s wages to make it easier, but no one was interested. We were stuck with him, but that whole experience was a turning point for Malick. We had a meeting and everyone told him that this cannot continue. People were shouting at him, and in a calm voice, he said, ‘Wait and see’. The coach restored him to the team, and he didn’t look back.”
Diop attributes that to one thing.
“I reassured the manager that all of this could be fixed very quickly,” he recalls. “Before I spoke to Malick, I made a highlight reel of Rudiger. He plays very tough but is clever at not getting booked. I told Malick to watch the video and call me back after. He said, ‘Rudiger is more aggressive than me!’. So it was about teaching Malick to be clever with his aggression because it was still a key part of his game.”
Diouf helped Tromso finish third in Eliteserien, which secured European football for the first time since the 2013-14 season. Diouf joined Slavia in January 2024 for an undisclosed fee on a four-and-a-half-year contract. Eight months later, he was handed his Senegal debut by the team’s then-manager Aliou Cisse.
In the summer of 2024, Diouf was preparing for his first full season, but he and his peers were not quite on the same wavelength.
“There was a lot of interest in him last summer,” says Diop. “But one thing with Malick is he doesn’t care about how big the club is; it has to be the right fit for his development. Staying at Slavia longer was the right direction. It motivated him even more, and it’s funny because in his first pre-season he called me and said, ‘Coach, we were running and my coaches and team-mates told me to slow down’. He was running like a horse, and they couldn’t keep up!”
Diouf’s humble beginnings have fuelled his work ethic, and Rismo knows this all too well.
“When he was at Slavia Prague, there was an international break coming up,” he says. “Instead of looking forward to having time off, he was begging Senegal’s U20 coach (Serigne Saliou Dia) to call him up so he could play. Everyone else was probably partying, having fun, but he wanted to train. He’s always been like this.”
Rismo, Diouf and Sega G’NomTore Rismo
Diouf was a longstanding target for West Ham. He had a breakout 2024-25 season for Slavia, registering seven goals and four assists across 41 appearances. In June, after helping Slavia win the league title, West Ham’s scouts were in attendance when Diouf nullified Bukayo Saka’s impact as Senegal beat England 3-1 in a friendly. They then proceeded to push ahead with securing his signature.
Signing a left-back was a priority for former manager Graham Potter. Emerson Palmieri would join Marseille in the summer, and academy graduate Ollie Scarles is still in the early stages of his development at senior level.
The full-back has registered assists for Lucas Paqueta (in the 5-1 home loss against Chelsea), Callum Wilson (in the 3-0 away win over Nottingham Forest) and captain Jarrod Bowen (in the 2-1 defeat to London rivals Crystal Palace). Diouf’s crossing is one of his main strengths, and Rismo sees similarities to a former England captain.
“It’s so good and his technique reminds me a lot of David Beckham,” says Rismo. “Sometimes I think, ‘Am I watching Beckham or Malick?’ That’s one of the biggest compliments I can give to him. I don’t recall seeing him work on his crosses. He was born with this gift. Most players from Malick’s background are fast, good dribblers, but many don’t have that special gift to cross a ball like him. It must be great for his team-mates because they just have to find their position in the box and Malick will find them. His crossing ability makes defenders panic, it’s that good.”
Rismo reflects fondly on his time working with Diouf. The conversation changes to where he predicts the full-back will be in the not-too-distant future, which leads to a bold prediction.
“When Tromso sold him to Slavia Prague, we had a 12.5 per cent sell-on fee which was really important for us,” says Rismo. “We were really hoping for a transfer to a big club, and that was West Ham. But when he joined, most of them didn’t know him, or whether he was good. They were expecting bigger names, not Diouf, but he is 10 times better than most of the big names.
“I’m happy to be part of his journey, and this is only the beginning. West Ham are struggling but Malick continues to shine on the big stage. One day, he’s going to end up at one of the biggest clubs. He’ll keep raising the bar. He’ll end his career as one of the greatest Senegalese players of all time.”
(Top photo — Diouf at West Ham (left) and at Tromso (right): Getty Images and Tore Rismo)
Sport Witness
West Ham explore Brazilian market again – Eyeing €40m swoop for star striker
By Pedro Reinert
Spanish outlet Fichajes reports that West Ham are once again keeping an eye on Brazil, with Palmeiras striker Vitor Roque now appearing as a serious target.
The London club are said to be preparing a bid worth around €40m for the 20-year-old, who has rediscovered his best form since returning from Europe.
Roque’s path has been remarkable. Barcelona paid €30m to take him from Athletico Paranaense, but he never found space at Camp Nou and later failed to settle during a short loan at Real Betis.
In February this year, Palmeiras stepped in and invested a record €25.5m to sign him from the Spanish giants, in what became the most expensive deal in Brazilian football history. That fee could still rise by a further €5m if contractual targets are met.
Back in Brazil, the forward has been thriving under Abel Ferreira. With 13 goals and four assists this season, he has not only regained his confidence but also become a central figure in a Palmeiras side fighting at the top of the table.
His movement, intensity and finishing have put him back in the spotlight, with fans and local media treating him as a resurgent star.
West Ham increasingly looking towards Brazil
West Ham’s interest comes in the context of a wider scouting push in the Brazilian market. The Hammers are already linked with Cruzeiro striker Kaio Jorge for a January move, and now Roque appears to be on their list.
The report highlights the club’s intention to secure a young forward with quality and long-term potential, and the Palmeiras striker fits that profile.
For Roque, the Premier League could provide the platform to confirm his maturity after earlier struggles in Europe. For West Ham, the move would represent both an investment in the present and a bet on the future.
What remains to be seen is whether Palmeiras, who spent more than anyone in Brazilian football history to land him, will be willing to let their record signing leave so soon.
There’s nothing in Brazil to back this story up yet.