Wednesday news (includes West ham)

[Alan]

BBC

Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham are all in the frame in the chase for Bournemouth's 25-year-old Ghana winger Antoine Semenyo, who has a £65m release clause which can be activated during part of the January transfer window. (Talksport), external

Manchester United could offload 24-year-old Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee, who is a target for Roma, to fund a possible deal for Semenyo. (Mail - subscription required) , external

Chelsea winger Tyrique George wants to leave the Blues in January and a number of Premier League teams, along with RB Leipzig and Roma, are looking at a move for the England Under-21 international. (CaughtOffside), external

Everton are keen on Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney but could struggle to sign the 23-year-old English player in January as Boro challenge for promotion from the Championship. (Teamtalk), external

Aston Villa plan to open talks with Belgium midfielder Youri Tielemans, 28, over a new contract, with his current deal set to expire in 2028. (Football Insider)

West Ham want to offload Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug and AC Milan could try to sign the 32-year-old on loan in January. (Guardian), external

AC Milan would only be able to afford a temporary deal given Fullkrug's wages - thought to be close to £100,000-a-week - but would have a view to making his transfer permanent. (Givemesport), external

Juventus are interested in Marseille midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg but the French club want to hold on to the 30-year-old Denmark international. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external

Arsenal are interested in AC Milan's 19-year-old Italian full-back Davide Bartesaghi, who is currently under contract until 2030. (Calciomercato - in Italian), external

Manchester United have made renewed contact with Trabzonspor midfielder Christ Inao Oulai's representatives. Manchester City are also interested in the 19-year-old Ivory Coast international. (Teamtalk), external

Aston Villa have no interest in selling 21-year-old Dutch midfielder Lamare Bogarde, despite interest from Brighton. (Football Insider), external

Inter Miami are in the final stages of giving Uruguay forward Luis Suarez a new deal that will keep the 38-year-old at the club for the 2026 season. (Athletic - subscription required)




Sky Paper Talk

Premier League

Manchester United have launched an inquiry into how Amorim's plans to tweak his 3-2-4-1 system leaked out on the day of the Bournemouth game - Daily Mail

Chelsea experienced a 44-per-cent increase in injuries between June and October compared with the previous season, a report released on Tuesday has found. This year's period covers their participation in the Club World Cup and its aftermath - The Guardian

Manchester City are in the process of dramatically slashing their wage bill by upwards of £35m a year amid a major overhaul of Pep Guardiola's squad - Daily Mail

Manchester United have had the worst injury record in the Premier League over the past five years, new research has revealed - The Times

Manchester United are ready to launch a move to sign Antoine Semenyo in January - and they already have plans for where he'd play - Daily Mirror

Milan are preparing a loan deal for Niclas Fullkrug, who is available after a disastrous spell at West Ham - The Guardian

Man Utd are reportedly in talks to face Wrexham in a pre-season friendly in Finland next summer - The Sun

Ian Rush has been released from hospital having spent two days in intensive care last week with flu - The Guardian

There are a number of clubs interested in signing young Manchester United defender Harry Amass - The Sun

Arsenal have been hit so hard by an injury crisis in defence that Mikel Arteta may have to turn to teenager Marli Salmon - The Sun

Liverpool attacking prospect Kai Morrall is leaving the club to join Leeds United - Daily Mail
Championship

Manchester United and Arsenal have missed out on teenage prospect George Shepherd after he agreed to sign his first professional contract with hometown club Coventry City - Daily Mail
WSL

Chloe Kelly has opened up on how the stress of her deadline-day transfer from Manchester City to Arsenal led to her hair falling out - Daily Telegraph

LaLiga

Xabi Alonso has echoed Real Madrid president Florentino Perez's call for 'justice' in a major corruption scandal which involves their bitter rivals, Barcelona - Daily Mirror
World Cup

Gary Lineker's podcast company is set to earn a staggering £14m from Netflix during the 2026 World Cup - The Sun
F1

The chances of Christian Horner making his Formula One return with Alpine are increasing amid claims he has set his sights on Otro Capital's minority stake in the team - Daily Telegraph
Rugby Union

The Harlequins senior coach, Jason Gilmore, has praised the ability of Northampton's George Furbank and declined to rule out a move for the England back - The Guardian
Athletics

The Michael Johnson-led Grand Slam Track has been warned by World ­Athletics that it may not be ­permitted to return in 2026 even if it pays off its huge debts - The Guardian





Football talk

Liverpool and West Ham United interested in signing Charlie Cresswell from Toulouse

Toulouse centre back Charlie Cresswell has been developing at an impressive rate with the Ligue 1 side, who he joined in 2024 from Leeds United. Just a year and a half into his tenure at France, he is already linked with a return to England.

Hammers News has reported that Liverpool and West Ham United are set to lock horns over Cresswell’s signing next year, whereas Newcastle United are also interested in the 23-year-old’s purchase.

He is valued at £13 million on Transfermarkt but given that he is a key member of Toulouse’s starting eleven, he could cost higher. The defender has made 16 appearances in Ligue 1 so far this season with three goals and an assist to his name.
PL swoop a matter of time

It only looks like a matter of time before Charlie Cresswell returns to the Premier League. All of his interested parties have the resources to bring him to the Premier League from Ligue 1, where he will not have as much exposure or salary.

Liverpool will see him as a young investment. With Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk not at the best of their abilities since the last two or three months, the board might consider turning to young blood with a more long-term view in squad planning.

Arne Slot’s side anyways requires a few young central defenders, so Cresswell might prove to be a good signing for them although the proposition of losing out on regular game time at Anfield could force him to consider a interest from elsewhere.

Cresswell has played every possible minute for Toulouse in Ligue 1 this season, so he could choose a mid-table club like Newcastle United or West Ham United to continue his development and progression, before eventually joining a top-tier side.

[Heavi995]

Cheers Alan

[Texas Iron]

Cheers…

[With Kind Regards]

Thanks Alan.