Friday’s news and transfer rumour gossip.
Manchester City have been told they will have to pay a British-record transfer fee of £60m to sign midfielder Ross Barkley, 22, from Everton – (Manchester Evening News)
Real Madrid are considering selling forward Gareth Bale, 25, to Chelsea in a £90m deal at the end of the season – (Daily Express)
Manchester United want on-loan striker Radamel Falcao, 28, to prove his fitness before committing to a £43m transfer – (Daily Mirror)
Germany boss Joachim Low has urged forward Lukas Podolski, 29, to leave Arsenal in order to save his international career – (Daily Star)
Arsenal could turn to Sevilla midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak, 24, in a £24m deal – (Daily Express)
Manchester United are closing in on the signing of Memphis Depay after his club PSV confirmed they will sell the 20-year-old Dutch winger – (Metro)
Inter Milan are poised to make a double swoop for Arsenal striker Joel Campbell, 22, and Tottenham defender Vlad Chiriches, 24.(Daily Mirror)
The Nerazzurri are also keen on Manchester City defender Matija Nastasic, 21, and Liverpool striker Fabio Borini, 23 – (Daily Mail)
Colombian striker Teo Gutierrez, 29, has set his sights on a dream move to Tottenham – (Sky Sports)
Midfielder Emanuele Giaccherini, 29, says he is happy at Sunderland but admits he is flattered by talk of interest from his native Italy – (Sunderland Echo)
Former Manchester United manager David Moyes, 51, says he was advised by Sir Alex Ferguson to take the job at Real Sociedad – (Daily Mail)
Yeovil Town could move for Newcastle United midfielder Gael Bigirimana, 21, on loan – (Newcastle Chronicle)
Birmingham City are weighing up the signing of free agent midfielder Guy Moussi, 29 – (Birmingham Mail)
Former Cardiff boss Malky Mackay, 42, has emerged as the leading candidate to take over at Wigan following the dismissal of Uwe Rosler, 45 – (Daily Mirror)
But Championship strugglers Wigan are also considering tempting their former boss Paul Jewell, who steered the club to the Premier League in 2005, back to the club. Jewell, 50, also played for the Latics – (Daily Express)
West Ham will hold talks with three of their players – midfielder Alex Song, 27, (Cameroon), striker Diafra Sakho, 24, (Senegal) and midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate, 24, (Senegal) – ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations over the threat of Ebola on the tournament – (Daily Mail)
Former Chelsea, West Ham and Portsmouth boss Avram Grant, 59, is set to be offered a two-year contract to coach Ghana – (Daily Mirror)
Striker Divock Origi 19, has told Liverpool he wants to cut short his loan spell at Lille and join them ahead of schedule – (Guardian)
Everton defender Leighton Baines, 29, says England’s players are united in their desire to see manger Roy Hodgson offered a new contract – (Daily Telegraph)
Wales manager Chris Coleman, 44, says his team are confident of pulling off an upset in Belgium on Sunday – (Sky Sports)
Petr Cech, 32, says he will stay at Chelsea despite no longer being the team’s first-choice goalkeeper – (Evening Standard)
Stoke City midfielder Marko Arnautovic, 25, says he has revealed his frustrations at losing his starting place to manager Mark Hughes – (Stoke Sentinel)
England Under-21 coach Gareth Southgate has backed Burnley striker Danny Ings, 22, to improve his goalscoring record as the season goes on – (Burnley Express)
Sunderland defender Wes Brown, 35, says Manchester United midfielder Anderson is the least intelligent player he has ever played with – (Daily Mail)
Farsley striker Adam Priestley, 24, will miss his side’s derby with Ossett Albion on Saturday so he can play for Gibraltar against world champions Germany in a Euro 2016 qualifier – (Independent)