Representatives of England forward Marcus Rashford met with Barcelona executives on Tuesday as the 27-year-old looks for a route out of Manchester United. (Sky Sports), external
Arsenal have made a tentative enquiry about trying to sign 21-year-old Slovenia striker Benjamin Sesko from German club RB Leipzig. (Talksport), external
AC Milan have agreed a deal to sign 34-year-old England defender Kyle Walker from Manchester City which will be an initial loan but include an option to buy for 5m euros (£4.2m). (Sky Sports Italy), external
Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho favours a move to Chelsea rather than Napoli, who have had a bid for the 20-year-old Argentina international rejected. (TyC Sports, via Metro) , external
Arsenal's talks with Juventus over signing 24-year-old Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic have broken down. (Football Transfers), external
Napoli are also in talks about signing 23-year-old Germany winger Karim Adeyemi from Borussia Dortmund. (Fabrizio Romano), external
A trio of Chelsea players could leave this month with Portugal defender Renato Veiga, 21, pushing to join Juventus, Italian midfielder Cesare Casadei, 22, the subject of an £11.5m bid from Lazio and England defender Ben Chilwell, 28, attracting interest from Everton. (Mail)
Nottingham Forest are preparing a club-record bid, possibly in the region of £60m, to try lure Brazil forward Matheus Cunha, 25, away from Wolves. (Sky Sports), external
Juventus have offered Chelsea the opportunity to sign Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz, 26, who is also on the radar of Manchester City and Arsenal. (Teamtalk), external
France midfielder Paul Pogba, 31, is considering several offers from teams inside Europe's top five leagues, but an agreement on a deal is not imminent. (ESPN), external
West Ham technical director Tim Steidten's future at the club is in doubt after the Hammers finalised a deal to bring in Chelsea recruitment analyst Kyle Macaulay, who has previously worked with manager Graham Potter. (Guardian), external
West Ham are in negotiations with Belgian club Leuven for 19-year-old Dutch midfielder Ezechiel Banzuzi. (Standard), external
Everton have expressed an interest in Sporting's English winger Marcus Edwards, 26. (Caught offside), external
The agent of AC Milan's Emerson Royal, 26, has spoken with Everton and Fulham, but the Brazil defender is also on the radar of Galatasaray. (Calciomercato - in Italian), external
Manchester United are considering whether to make an improved bid for Lecce left-back Patrick Dorgu after having an initial bid for the 20-year-old Danish international rejected. (Star), external
But Napoli are hoping to beat Manchester United to the signature of Dorgu. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external
Aston Villa and Newcastle United are set to battle it out for 27-year-old England and AC Milan centre-back Fikayo Tomori. (Football Insider)
Sky Paper Talk
EVENING STANDARD
Chelsea have made an offer to take Douglas Luiz on loan for the rest of the season. According to reports in Italy, Juventus have made Luiz available just six months after his £42m arrival.
Arsenal defender Myles Lewis-Skelly requires a scan on his knee and is a doubt for Saturday's trip to Wolves.
DAILY MIRROR
Chelsea have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Alejandro Garnacho as Napoli appear to be turning their attention to other targets.
Manchester United are weighing up making an improved offer for top target Patrick Dorgu after seeing their initial bid turned down.
Wrexham have landed a major coup by beating off Championship competition to land long-term target Ryan Longman.
The Champions League fixture between Feyenoord and Bayern Munich was suspended almost immediately after kick-off due to heavy smoke caused by fans' flares.
Arsenal are willing to do a big deal in January - but only if they can land a primary target.
Michael Carrick has revealed that Ben Doak will remain at Middlesbrough for the rest of the season, after the Liverpool loanee was linked to a January transfer.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Everton have put Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil on their shortlist of transfer targets but may find it difficult to land him this month.
Brentford striker Yoane Wissa will attend court in France this week for the trial of a woman who allegedly attacked him with acid and attempted to kidnap his child.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's backing of four-time Olympic gold medallist sailor Ben Ainslie to win the America's Cup is on the brink of collapse.
Sheffield United have made a bid for former Everton full-back Jonjoe Kenny, who is hoping Hertha Berlin allow him to return to England for personal reasons.
DAILY MAIL
Manchester United are set to headline the Premier League Summer Series in the United States this year.
Lewis Hamilton has been gifted a new home in Italy to facilitate his move to Ferrari, according to reports
THE SUN
Manchester United risk having their stadium's capacity reduced by a government body, according to reports.
West Ham will step up their efforts to support Graham Potter this month with his new transfer expert starting today. The Hammers have taken Potter's long-term recruitment guru, Kyle Macaulay, from Chelsea in the middle of the January window.
Steven Schumacher is favourite to become Bolton boss - while Sam Allardyce dreams of an emotional return.
Ruud van Nistelrooy is unhappy with a lack of backing in the transfer market from Leicester.
Police were forced to intervene after a mass brawl reportedly erupted between Barcelona and Benfica players on Tuesday.
THE ATHLETIC
Amadou Onana is set to miss Aston Villa's upcoming games with a hamstring injury.
Ronald Araujo is set to sign a new six-and-a-half-year deal with Barcelona, while the club are negotiating with Pedri over extending his contract.
Manchester United and Lecce are €10m (£8.5m) apart in negotiations over wing-back Patrick Dorgu.
The Newcastle United Supporters' Trust (NUST) has called on the club to freeze ticket prices and "recognise the financial strain many fans are facing".
Brazilian officials who helped win the bid for the first-ever NFL game in South America are in discussions with the league about securing a long-term contract in which Brazil could host as many as two games a year.
THE GUARDIAN
Norway is on the verge of abolishing VAR from its domestic league after clubs in the country's top two divisions formally recommended that it should be discontinued.
THE TIMES
Bill Sweeney, the under-fire RFU chief executive, said he wanted to defer his £358,000 bonus last year but has refused to hand it back or give it to charity.
West Ham remain interested in loan deals for Evan Ferguson, of Brighton & Hove Albion, Taiwo Awoniyi, of Nottingham Forest, and André Silva, of RB Leipzig.
The RFU may have to scale back its Twickenham redevelopment plans because it is forecast to make overall losses over the next eight years of £46m, according to a former chairman of the union.
The French mint is scrambling to replace medals for Paris Olympics competitors after dozens complained about rust and flaking.
DAILY RECORD
Celtic could still see their resolve to keep Kyogo Furuhashi tested this month with Stade Rennes reportedly willing to wait until after their next two Champions League fixtures to make a move.
Hibs are eyeing a swoop for OB ace Alasana Manneh.
St Johnstone are closing in on a move for Latvian international Daniels Balodis.
SCOTTISH SUN
The SFA is trying to convince one of the rising stars in MLS - Chicago Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady - to switch his international allegiance to Scotland, a report suggests.
Ayr United have revealed plans to build a new training complex adjacent to their stadium, after acquiring eight acres of disused land.
Guardian Rumour mill
Stuart Goodwin
Canny armchair scouts have observed that Southampton’s Tyler Dibling looks a fair bit like his true level may lie above that of a side that only has six points from 22 Premier League games this season. If Chelsea, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Liverpool or Leipzig – all linked to the 18-year-old midfielder this month – want him, that’ll be £55m please.
Enzo Maresca’s chances of attracting the midfielder may depend on how put out the player was by limited chances offered up at under-18s level in his brief spell at the club in 2022. Saints, understandably, would very much like to postpone losing they key asset until what’s looking likely to be a turbulent summer.
It’s never easy, is it? Any lovely floaty feelings Mikel Arteta might have been experiencing after Arsenal’s smooth Champions League victory over Dinamo Zagreb have doubtless gained more than a little hissing sound … as plans to soup up his currently meagre striking options have hit a snag.
Benjamin Sesko had been identified as a potential solution to their shortfall, but Leipzig have warned Arteta away from a move for their in-form Slovenia striker this month, hot on the heels of Wolves wagging fingers at anyone sniffing around Matheus Cunha. Though Gabriel Jesus has undergone successful surgery on his ACL injury, Kai Havertz has little in the way of relief in his position and may have a long four months ahead of him. Stick or a late huge-money twist? The Alexander Isak talk hasn’t gone away. The Newcastle man’s stock seemingly keeps rising with every goal he scores, however – £150m is the latest price tag kicking around for the Swede.
Nottingham Forest were also batting eyelashes at Cunha, and have had another setback after their offer for Brentford’s Yoane Wissa was rejected. We go again.
Manchester City’s busy January continues. Hot on the heels of this morning’s news that Omar Marmoush has signed, Kyle Walker is on the verge of completing a loan move to Milan – that switch looks likely to be sealed later on Thursday, with an option to buy part of the deal. Josh Wilson-Esbrand, an occasional bench presence for Pep Guardiola this season, has popped off to Stoke on loan for the rest of the season.
Despite Chelsea’s interest, Napoli feel they are winning the race for Alejandro Garnacho, despite valuations for the Manchester United winger varying wildly. Though Neapolitan heads feel £46m will get the deal over the line, the Ineos efficiency machine has set the finish line for a move at £70m. Marcus Rashford’s hopes of making Barcelona his next destination, meanwhile, are being scuppered by Ansu Fati’s reluctance to leave – Barça need to sell before any players can come in.
And Chelsea may have more joy with an approach for Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz. Juve are not loving a loan approach for the former Villa man, however, and would like to recoup the £42.4m outlay made last June thank you very much.
The Athletic
West Ham plan to honour their obligation to buy Todibo – and he wants to repay them
By Roshane Thomas
Jean-Clair Todibo’s loyalty to West Ham United was tested earlier this month.
According to sources with knowledge of the situation — who, like everyone spoken to for this article, have been kept anonymous to protect relationships — Ligue 1 side Marseille enquired about Todibo’s availability. But the centre-back informed his representatives he was happy and had no interest in leaving.
Marseille have a longstanding interest in Todibo. They are second in the league and their sales pitch included the prospect of European football for next season. But the 25-year-old defender had no desire to entertain any dialogue with Roberto De Zerbi’s side. He feels settled in east London and wants to repay the faith shown in him by West Ham.
The centre-back has formed a close bond with goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, who advised the defender to turn down interest from Juventus last summer. Newcastle United also held a meeting with Todibo’s representatives as an option on their list but they opted against pursuing a move. Their loss has been West Ham’s gain and Todibo has been a solid addition since initially being identified by the recruitment team in June.
He joined in August on a season-long loan from Nice, with an obligation to buy as long as West Ham stay up. West Ham intend to honour that at the end of the season. But sources close to Todibo say his five-month spell is laced with frustration due to ongoing injuries. Todibo did not have a proper pre-season before his arrival and his progress has been curtailed by calf injuries.
He will be sidelined for five weeks with a calf issue. The two-time France international hopes to return to full fitness sooner but West Ham’s medical team want to be cautious with his return as he continues his rehab at the training ground. Todibo aggravated the injury in the 4-1 loss away to Manchester City this month. He was forced off in the 53rd minute and headed straight down the tunnel. Todibo travelled to France shortly afterwards to get a second opinion from his private doctor of eight years. A scan revealed issues with his lower limb.
Since making his debut in the season opener against Aston Villa, the defender has missed games against Leicester City, Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Fulham and Crystal Palace. Graham Potter, the newly-appointed head coach, admitted after the loss to Palace that he may have to bolster his defensive options. The centre-backs available at his disposal are Maximilian Kilman, Konstantinos Mavropanos and academy prospect Kaelan Casey.
But West Ham miss Todibo’s defensive proactiveness. Kilman and Mavropanos have started 13 games as a defensive pairing but continue to struggle as a duo. Mavropanos will serve a one-match ban following his dismissal against Palace, while Kilman is not as effective alongside Mavropanos as he is with Todibo. The Greek defender is prone to defensive errors and lapses in concentration.
Kilman, however, has good ball-carrying abilities, which is a particular strength for Todibo. Their best performance as a duo was in the 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town when they limited forward Liam Delap to a handful of chances. They also nullified the threat posed by Brentford pair Bryan Mbuemo and Kevin Schade in September’s 1-1 draw.
Todibo and Kilman have a per 90 passing accuracy of 89.3 and 86.3 per cent respectively, in contrast to 85.8 from Mavropanos. Their recoveries of 4.3 and 4.6 ranks higher than Mavropanos’ 3.4.
Todibo’s performances impressed supporters. But when reports of a dressing-room rift between him and ex-manager Julen Lopetegui surfaced, some were fearful of his future.
The Athletic previously reported the pair had to be separated during a heated disagreement at half-time of the 5-2 home loss against Arsenal in late November. Todibo missed the next game against Leicester City through injury but impressed in the 1-1 draw against Brighton, having replaced Mavropanos at half-time. Post-match, the defender rebuffed speculation over his future during an exchange with a fan who asked him to stay. Todibo replied: “I’m not gonna leave. West Ham are massive.”
In November, the defender admitted he was playing at 80 per cent. He does not think supporters have seen the best of him, as he outlined in his interview with the club’s in-house media.
“I’m a player who is very objective and understands when I can and can’t do something,” he said. “At the beginning with my physical condition, it was impossible for me to help the team, so it was understandable for me to be on the bench, and it takes time for me to get fit. Even today, I’m not as fit as I want to be, so I believe the best of Jean-Clair Todibo is still to come.”
Todibo’s calf problems are the latest in a long list of setbacks he has endured. He had trials at Nottingham Forest and Manchester United before joining French side Toulouse in 2016. Manchester United decided not to sign him because they felt he was not physically ready for the Premier League. The rejection motivated the defender, who went on to make his first-team debut for Toulouse, before sealing a move to Barcelona in January 2019.
More setbacks occurred when opportunities at the Camp Nou proved to be limited. Todibo only made four appearances during his two-year spell, which encompassed loan spells at Schalke, Benfica and Nice. Todibo turned his career around at Nice, prompting West Ham to sign him last summer. It was a necessary addition following the departures of Kurt Zouma and Nayef Aguerd.
Todibo shook off interest from Marseille the same way he does with his opponents. His mindset and commitment can not be questioned but his ability to remain fit is the only area of doubt.
At some point, he will make his awaited return to the starting XI. Only then will he be able to honour his pledge of producing the best version of himself.
Pompey News
Portsmouth boss clarifies Freddie Potts' Fratton Park future amid West Ham return speculation
Freddie Potts is staying with Pompey for the remainder of the season.
John Mousinho has delivered the news every Blues fan wants to hear after West Ham decided against recalling the talented midfielder.
Although on a season-long loan, the Premier League club had the option to end Potts’ arrangement before January 14.
However, that deadline has long since passed, ensuring the 21-year-old will definitely see out of the campaign at Fratton Park.
Sport Witness
West Ham scraping around to bring transfer to life – Never a dull moment for Hammers
By Naveen Ullal
OH Leuven’s Ezechiel Banzuzi has been linked to West Ham United in the winter market.
On Wednesday, claims from the UK stated the Hammers have agreed a deal and a medical was imminent, but that was quickly denied from Belgium.
Thursday’s edition of Het Nieuwsblad states Leuven are categorically denying agreeing a deal with West Ham for the 19-year-old.
There’s been a talk of a €10m offer from the Hammers, but the report explains the Jupiler Pro League side would consider that to be too low.
Het Nieuwsblad add West Ham ‘will continue’ pushing for the midfielder and it needs to be seen whether they can find an agreement with Leuven. They add AS Monaco are also in the picture to sign him.
Voetbal International journalist Joost Blaauwhof took to X, formerly known as X, to state that sources close to Banzuzi claim a move to Monaco is ‘definitely off the track’.
He adds the same cannot be said about West Ham, who would have held talks with the Dutchman valued at €13m.
Another journalist, Sacha Tavolieri, now states West Ham have sent a ‘letter of interest’ to Leuven. This indicates the Premier League side have registered formal interest in the youngster with his club.
With Het Nieuwsblad stating West Ham will continue pushing, they could probably make progress by offering €13m for Banzuzi.
Sacha Tavolieri
@sachatavolieri
A letter of interest had been sent to #OHL by West Ham United for Ezechiel Banzuzi. A matter to follow closely. Wait&See. #WHU #mercato #JPL
SportsView
West Ham eye move to sign Dan Neil
West Ham United have joined the race to sign Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil in the January window, according to Alex Crook.
Graham Potter is looking to add a few players to the squad before the end of the window, and it seems the Hammers have earmarked the 23-year-old midfielder as an option.
Writing for talkSPORT, Crook claims that West Ham and Everton are the two Premier League clubs vying for his signature.
However, the Hammers may find it really difficult to lure him away. He has captained the Championship side this season under Régis Le Bris, and Sunderland are aiming for promotion this season.
The Black Cats will try to hold on to him and are expected to want at least £15 million for Neil, who has only 18 months left on his present deal.
West Ham have been linked with a host of players this month already, and it looks like Potter needs a massive overhaul.
Neil is a Sunderland academy graduate and boyhood Black Cats fan. Unless the offer is too good to turn down, it looks really difficult for West Ham to strike a deal.
He has made 28 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring once and setting up a further three.