Friday’s news and transfer rumour gossip.
Manchester United have been told that Aston Villa captain and centre-back Ron Vlaar, 29, will cost them upwards of £12m, but face stiff competition from Arsenal – (Daily Express)
Arsenal want Celtic’s 23-year-old centre-half Virgil van Dijk in the January transfer window – (Daily Telegraph)
However, Celtic manager Ronny Deila is determined to keep his top players, with Bolton keen to sign attacking midfielder Kris Commons, 31 – (Daily Record)
Juventus have upped their asking price for 27-year-old midfielder Arturo Vidal, a Manchester United target, following strong interest from Real Madrid – (Daily Express)
Manchester United are considering re-signing Stoke captain and centre-half Ryan Shawcross, 27, who came through the youth ranks at Old Trafford – (Daily Star)
Spanish champions Atletico Madrid have recruited former Manchester United and Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon as an advisor, with a remit to expand the club’s international presence – (AS)
Former Newcastle, Birmingham and Norwich boss Chris Hughton, 55, heads a three-man shortlist to be the next boss of Championship strugglers Fulham, with caretaker-manager Kit Symons, 43, and Steve Clarke, 51, also in the frame – (Daily Mirror)
Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 21, wants to play for England in the European Under-21 Championship, despite being capped 18 times at senior level – (Times – subscription required)
Liverpool’s 19-year-old winger Raheem Sterling will play for England in next summer’s tournament – if the Football Association and Anfield club can come to an agreement – (Daily Mail)
Sterling, who told Roy Hodgson he was too tired to play for England, has performed more sprints, over a greater distance and reached a higher top speed than Premier League rivals such as Manchester City’s David Silva and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard so far this season – (Daily Mirror)
Uefa president Michel Platini has called for the introduction of a white card for players who show dissent towards referees, which would lead to a 10-minute sin-bin – (The Guardian)
Liverpool’s £16m striker Mario Balotelli, 24, has blamed manager Brendan Rodgers’s tactics for the fact he has scored just one goal since his arrival from AC Milan in the summer – (Independent)
Poland skipper Robert Lewandowski, 26, remains angry at a challenge by Scotland defender Gordon Greer, 33, during the 1-1 Euro 2016 qualifier between the countries, saying he will “repay” what happened to him in the return match – (Daily Record)
Professional Footballers’ Association trustee Brendon Batson has called on the 20 Premier League chairmen to address racial discrimination in English football by coming up with an alternative to the Rooney Rule – (Guardian)
Arsenal wanted to sign Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique and Cesc Fabregas, all 27, when the trio were teenagers at Barcelona’s academy – (Daily Star)
David De Gea has snubbed interest from Real Madrid to agree terms on a new £120,000-a-week Manchester United contract – (Metro)
Arsene Wenger intends to strengthen Arsenal’s defence in January, having spent around £50m on forwards Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck in the summer – (Sky Sports)
Fabian Delph has rocked Aston Villa with a “nightmare” shoulder injury in training which may need surgery – (Daily Mirror)
Convicted rapist Ched Evans has told Sheffield United he wants to play for them again – (Daily Star)
Newcastle United have taken steps to protect Ivory Coast midfielder Cheick Tiote and Senegal striker Papiss Cisse from the ebola virus – (Daily Express)
Liverpool face a battle for Germany star Marco Reus after Bayern Munich entered the race – (Daily Mirror)
Arsenal are interested in sealing a bargain £15.9million deal for Napoli winger Jose Callejon after being offered his services by a third party agent – (Metro)
Liverpool defender Kevin Stewart has revealed he couldn’t reject the opportunity to join the club he supported as a boy – (Daily Star)
Sam Allardyce has admitted Winston Reid’s contract situation is a concern for everyone at West Ham as the New Zealand defender has yet to extend his deal – (Sky Sports)
Burnley midfielder Matty Taylor will miss a reunion with former club West Ham after being booked in for surgery on an Achilles tendon injury – (Daily Express)