Friday News (includes West Ham)

[Alan]

BBC

Arsenal have offered France defender William Saliba a five-year contract extension as talks continue with the 24-year-old, whose current deal runs out in 2027. Real Madrid are monitoring the centre-back's situation. (FootMercato - in French), external

Liverpool are confident they are leading the race to sign England defender Marc Guehi, 25, next summer when the Crystal Palace defender's contract expires and are looking at an £87m deal to sign Bayern Munich and France winger Michael Olise, 23. (Caught Offside), external

Benfica presidential candidate Joao Noronha Lopes wants to sign Manchester City attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva in January if he is elected and has already held talks with the 31-year-old Portugal international, who will be out of contract next summer. (Record - in Portuguese), external

England defenders Harry Maguire, 32, and Luke Shaw, 30, are both under assessment at Manchester United as the club look to bring in possible defensive reinforcements next summer. (Teamtalk), external

Besiktas are closing in on a deal to sign Portugal winger Jota Silva, 26, from Nottingham Forest. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Colombia winger Luis Diaz, 28, wanted to leave Liverpool last summer and the Reds proposed swapping him with then-Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez, 25, but the Argentine joined Atletico Madrid instead, while Diaz is now at Bayern Munich. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

AEK Athens are keen to offload France striker Anthony Martial, 29, and have offered the ex-Manchester United forward to a number of Mexican clubs. (FootMercato - in French), external

Martial will travel to Monterrey for a medical after being given permission to do so by AEK Athens. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Juventus are looking at Atalanta's 27-year-old forward Ademola Lookman as a leading candidate to succeed 25-year-old Serbia international Dusan Vlahovic, who is expected to leave the Serie A club. Manchester United and Netherlands striker Joshua Zirkzee, 24, is also an option. (Tuttosport - in Italian), external

Inter Milan remain interested in France midfielder Manu Kone and their ambition to sign the 24-year-old could be helped by Roma's need to raise money to meet Financial Fair Play rules. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external

Chelsea's 20-year-old Portuguese midfielder Dario Essugo has had an operation on a thigh injury and could be out for a minimum of 12 weeks. (Athletic - subscription required)




Sky Paper Talk

THE SUN

Man Utd could use midweek friendlies abroad to help fill the club's financial blackhole after failing to qualify for Europe this season.

Striker Lucas Akins has been named in Mansfield Town's squad list for League One despite being in prison.

 THE GUARDIAN

A trainer who is working with Canelo Alvarez advertised ­performance-enhancing drugs for sale, including human growth-hormone, before he joined the super-middleweight boxer's team.

Patrick Reed believes it "unnecessary" that his fellow Americans will be paid for participation in the upcoming Ryder Cup.

The Olympic silver medallist Ben Proud, the first British athlete to sign up for the Enhanced Games, has accepted he risks sullying his reputation and admitted he is chiefly motivated by earning money in the twilight of his career.

Former NBA player Jason Collins is undergoing treatment for a brain tumour, the NBA announced on Thursday.

West Ham have taken the unusual step of banning half-and-half scarves for the London derby against Tottenham.

THE TIMES

Usain Bolt's 100m world record of 9.58sec may have proved unbreakable for the past 16 years but the Jamaican says he would have run even faster in today's "super shoes".

DAILY MIRROR

Emma Raducanu's former coach Mark Petchey believes it "won't be easy" for the British star to win another Grand Slam - but insists she can have success again if she adapts her game against the "big hitters".

Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres showed his moral fibre by thanking Sporting CP for a memorable last season at the club despite being slapped with a £306,000 fine.

Liverpool suggested swapping wantaway winger Luis Diaz with Manchester City for Julian Alvarez last summer, according to reports.

DAILY STAR

Liverpool's overlooked midfielder, Stefan Bajcetic, has made a return to first team training following a series of injury setbacks.

DAILY EXPRESS

Aryna Sabalenka got a surprise mention from Donald Trump in a controversial letter he wrote to Aleksandar Lukashenko, the president of Belarus.

SCOTTISH SUN

Celtic fans will stage a 'late entry' protest at Rugby Park on Sunday as they step up their bid for change.

Nico Raskin is set to be left out of the Rangers squad once again for Saturday's clash against Hearts, it is claimed.




Caught Offside

“One more season” – West Ham United star appears to confirm transfer decision

West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta has appeared to confirm that this will be his final season at the London Stadium.

The Brazil international has had mixed success during his time with the Hammers, initially impressing as a star player in the team before struggling with consistency.

Paqueta’s future then came into serious doubt this summer, as Aston Villa were strongly linked with an interest in him by the Daily Mail and others.

In the end, the 28-year-old stayed put, but he’s posted on social media about how he’s planning for this to be his final season with West Ham.
Lucas Paqueta makes transfer decision clear in emotional Instagram post

Taking to Instagram, Paqueta outlined his commitment to staying with West Ham, but seemingly only for one more season.

It remains to be seen if the club will agree to this, of course, as the player is technically under contract with the east Londoners until 2027.

Still, regarding his future, Paqueta posted: “It’s about choosing those who welcomed you, who never judged you, who believed in you until the very last moment, who loved you and made you feel at home,” Paqueta said.

“It’s about staying loyal not only when you had everything, but also when there was nothing.

“It’s not time to say goodbye yet!

“Let’s go together for one more season!”
Should West Ham sell Lucas Paqueta?

WHUFC supporters will likely have mixed views about what should be done with Paqueta.

On his day, the former Lyon man is a superb talent capable of influencing games at the very highest level.

Still, he’s never been the most reliably consistent performer, and it seems very obvious now that his heart is not quite in it for the long term.

From that point of view, West Ham might do well to cash in on him while they still can, though of course a suitable replacement must also be a priority.

[With Kind Regards]

Thanks Alan.