Wednesday’s news and transfer rumour gossip.
Manchester City have made enquiries about signing striker Wilfried Bony, 26, from Swansea in January for £30m – (Telegraph)
City will face competition for Bony’s signature from Chelsea, who are also interested in the Ivory Coast international – (Daily Mail)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has identified central midfield as the area he will look to strengthen when the January transfer window opens – (Guardian)
The Gunners are submitting a £25.5m bid for 22-year-old Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho – (Daily Star)
AC Milan have told clubs including Arsenal and Liverpool that striker Stephan El Shaarawy, 22, will cost £11.5m if they want to sign him in January – (Daily Express)
Real Madrid are reportedly weighing up whether or not to finally make a move for striker Radamel Falcao – if Manchester United choose not to make his loan deal permanent at the end of the season – (Metro)
Alan Pardew wants to make Swansea bad boy Jonjo Shelvey a January signing for Crystal Palace – (Daily Mirror)
Danny Welbeck is an injury doubt for Arsenal’s trip to Southampton tomorrow with a thigh injury – (Daily Star)
Manchester United and Chelsea have been dealt a huge blow after Gareth Bale denied that he wants to leave Real Madrid – (Daily Express)
Andreas Weimann has urged Ron Vlaar and Fabian Delph to stay at Aston Villa – (Sky Sports)
Everton are weighing up a short-term move for Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi, 33, because of an injury to Tim Howard, 35, who has been ruled out for up to six weeks – (Daily Mail)
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers wants to sign Villarreal’s 21-year-old Argentine striker Luciano Vietto, who has been dubbed the “new Sergio Aguero” – (Daily Mirror)
Promising Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard, 16, will snub Europe’s top clubs and sign for Southampton – (Daily Star)
Serbian defender Matija Nastasic is on the brink of leaving Manchester City after Schalke confirmed they were in talks with the 21-year-old over an an initial loan deal – (Manchester Evening News)
Newcastle will snub a £9m bid which Arsenal are believed to be lining up for the club’s French midfielder Moussa Sissoko, 25 – (Independent)
Former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood is on the brink of being appointed as the new West Brom head coach, following the sacking of Alan Irvine – (Independent)
Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City have made enquiries for St Etienne defensive midfielder Rayan Souici, 17 – (Daily Mail)
Tony Pulis would be willing to work alongside a director of football at West Brom as long as guarantees of complete control of the club were included in his contract – (Guardian)
Pulis has also rejected the chance to replace Alan Pardew as manager at Newcastle because of fears that owner Mike Ashley would pick the team – (Daily Mail)
Ashley is considering giving caretaker boss John Carver the Magpies manager’s job on a permanent basis – (Daily Mirror)
Pardew is anxious to get started at Palace and wants to take charge of the club’s game against Aston Villa on New Year’s Day – (Daily Mail)
Neil Warnock says he is not bitter about his departure from Crystal Palace and thinks Pardew would be the ideal choice to succeed him as manager at Selhurst Park – (talkSPORT)
Manchester City midfielder David Silva, 28, says playing the Premier League’s bottom sides can be harder than facing title rivals – (Manchester Evening News)
Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea has compared his development from skinny youngster to impregnable stopper at United to that of comic book character Captain America’s physical transformation – (Manchester Evening News)