BBC
Real Madrid are plotting an audacious bid to sign Manchester City's Spanish midfielder Rodri and are willing to pay £130m for the 29-year-old. (Star on Sunday), external
Manchester United and England defender Harry Maguire, 32, is being lined up for a move to the Saudi Pro-League with Al-Nassr and Al-Ettifaq both interested in signing him. (Sunday Mirror), external
United have the option to extend Maguire's contract at Old Trafford beyond next summer but are unlikely to exercise it. (Sunday Express), external
Liverpool are willing to spend £130m on Bayern Munich and France winger Michael Olise, 23, in the 2026 summer transfer window to replace 33-year-old Egypt forward Mohamed Salah. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
However, Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund says he can see Olise - whose contract runs until 2029 - playing for the German club for the "next seven, eight, nine years". (Sky Sports Germany), external
Liverpool are reluctant to let France defender Ibrahima Konate leave in January amid interest from Real Madrid and remain determined to keep the 26-year-old at Anfield in the long term despite his poor start to the season. (Football Insider), external
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe believes boss Ruben Amorim is deserving of a full season in charge at Old Trafford. (The I - subscription required), external
Former Barcelona coach Xavi has instructed his representatives to reject offers from Saudi Pro-League clubs so he is available if the Manchester United manager's job becomes available. (Caughtoffside), external
Brentford are willing to pay Villarreal £26m for 21-year-old Cameroon striker Etta Eyong. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
Barcelona will step up their interest in 25-year-old Borussia Dortmund and Germany defender Nico Schlotterbeck who is available on a free transfer next summer. (Sport - in Spanish), external
Bayern Munich have identified AC Milan and France goalkeeper Mike Maignan, 30, as their replacement for 39-year-old German shotstopper Manuel Neuer. (Teamtalk), external
Inter Miami are in talks to sign 28-year-old Spanish left-back Sergio Reguilon, who is a free agent after his departure from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer. (Talksport)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MAIL
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire could be in line for a shock move to the Saudi Pro League with Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr among the interested parties.
THE STAR
Real Madrid are plotting an audacious £130m bid to sign Manchester City midfielder Rodri.
THE MIRROR
Erik ten Hag is being touted for an emotional return to Ajax - just weeks after the former Manchester United manager was sacked by Bayer Leverkusen following their first two games of the new Bundesliga season.
EXPRESS
Manchester United have the option to extend Maguire's contract at Old Trafford beyond next summer but are unlikely to exercise it.
Arsenal have reportedly set their sights on Real Madrid's 18-year-old defender Victor Valdepenas.
Bukayo Saka could be in for a positional change with a switch to the left wing on the cards.
Barcelona chiefs are convinced they've bagged a 'bargain' in securing Marcus Rashford from Manchester United, and they anticipate his value will soar once he finds his footing at the Nou Camp.
Ruben Amorim is said to be impressed by Manchester United's 14-year-old wonderkid JJ Gabriel.
The I
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe believes boss Ruben Amorim is deserving of a full season in charge at Old Trafford.
The Athletic
West Ham have a Niclas Fullkrug-sized problem
By Roshane Thomas
To coin a phrase from former West Ham United manager David Moyes, it is important to shop in Aldi as well as Harrods when finding bargains in the transfer market, and this belief is pertinent when reflecting on the expensive ramifications of Niclas Fullkrug’s underwhelming spell.
Since joining from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2024 for £27million ($35.1m), the 32-year-old forward has struggled with calf and hamstring injuries, has a paltry return of three league goals in 24 appearances, and remains an anonymous presence in West Ham’s attack. Fullkrug is one of the highest earners at the club, but he has yet to justify the club’s significant investment.
In the 2-0 away loss to Arsenal, the forward missed a header from close range in the early stages of the game. Fullkrug looked towards head coach Nuno Espirito Santo to gauge his reaction, and his frustration was clear to see. He is not the striker West Ham needs him to be, having seldom impressed under ex-head coach Graham Potter, and Arsenal’s central defensive pairing, William Saliba and Gabriel, rarely broke into a sweat, given how little of a threat Fullkrug posed.
The graphic below highlights how infrequently he attacks the opposition’s back line. His runs in behind (17) and being ahead of the ball (10) are significantly low, while lateral runs (31) and underlapping runs (32) are other areas of concern.
His 18 touches against Arsenal were the fewest of any player to start the match. Even Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard had more touches (24) despite being substituted in the 30th minute for a knee injury. Across Fullkrug’s last 11 Premier League starts, he has failed to have more than eight touches in the opposition box.
He only played the full match in two of those 11 fixtures. To compound matters, he has failed to score in his last 13 league appearances, which is his longest drought since a 15-game run between October 2012 to October 2017. West Ham have a Fullkrug problem and a potential solution seems fanciful. He lacks work rate on and off the ball to make the 4-2-3-1 system work.
His lack of movement hinders West Ham’s attacking ability, which largely relies on the pace of Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville. Michail Antonio, the club’s record Premier League goalscorer who was released in May, struggled towards the latter stages of his 10-year spell, but brought energy to the team when fitness permitted. Chris Wood thrived as a lone striker under Nuno at Nottingham Forest, with the 33-year-old New Zealand international registering 20 league goals last term.
But Fullkrug appears incapable of replicating Wood’s offensive efficiency. Callum Wilson, who joined in August from Newcastle United on a free transfer, is another option, but Nuno opted against bringing the 33-year-old on during the loss to Arsenal. Instead, he replaced Fullkrug in the 61st minute with young forward Callum Marshall. The 20-year-old was initially unaware that he was about to come on.
When assistant coach Mark Robson signalled to Marshall to end his warm-up and jog towards the bench, he initially thought the coach was referring to Wilson. It was a big show of faith from Nuno to hand the Northern Ireland international his top-flight debut.
Callum Marshall battles with Martin ZubimendiStuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
“It’s not easy to put a young lad in front of Wilson,” said the Portuguese head coach in his post-match press conference. “It’s important for us to have total knowledge of the players. We hope the young lads bring us new things. Wilson and Fullkrug are different players, that’s why I keep saying we need to know the players really well so we can address what we think is better for them. It requires deep knowledge of the player and person, too.
“What I’ve been seeing in training sessions (from Marshall), his energy, he’s a good finisher, good mobility, he can recognise the gaps in the space, he has a good chance. Even though he’s not a strong boy against a very tough centre-half, he managed to get the header, so I think we have something that we can use. We have three strikers available: Fullkrug, Wilson, and Marshall. We’re going to need all of them, different players that are going to give us different solutions and options moving forward.”
Fullkrug’s struggles may work in Marshall’s favour. The youngster had a promising loan spell at League One side Huddersfield Town in 2024-25, registering 10 goals and four assists across 46 appearances. It would not be outlandish to rule out West Ham signing another forward in the January transfer window, but until then, Marshall and Wilson will hope to dislodge Fullkrug from the XI.
“I knew it would be a hard game to come in, so I tried to bring energy and pressure their defenders,” Marshall told The Athletic. “It’s hard to do against a team like Arsenal, but I tried my best to impact the game. I should’ve scored the header late on. When the club told me I wouldn’t go out on loan (in the summer), part of you is happy because you’re here for a reason, but then you’re thinking if you don’t get your chance, it could be a waste of six months.
“But the new manager has given me my chance, so it was worth staying. I’m not going to stop playing under-21 games. It’s helpful for minutes, so when I do come on, I’m sharp and can affect games. The manager wants us to compete and be tough. He doesn’t like the soft approach where we sit off and let the opposition play and we accept what happens. He wants us to set the tone of the game. I’ll go away with Northern Ireland for the international break and it will be the same again when I get back.”
(Top photo: Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)