What the papers say
Newcastle United have reportedly joined Manchester United in the race to sign Lyon and France defender Malo Gusto, the Daily Mail says. Bids are expected to be shelved for the 19-year-old until the summer with Lyon asking for at least £35m for January.
The same paper reports Fulham have been offered the chance to sign Roma full-back Rick Karsdorp. The 27-year-old fell out with Jose Mourinho last month after the Roma boss launched a “scathing attack” on the Dutchman – telling him to leave the club in January because of his “unprofessional attitude”.
Elsewhere, the Evening Standard reports the pressure is building on the Hammers boss David Moyes with his side sitting 16th in the table and just a point off the relegation zone after a run of four straight defeats.
And the Daily Mirror says Shakhtar Donetsk’s chief executive has confirmed they are willing to sell Mykhailo Mudryk amid serious interest from Arsenal, despite rejecting the Gunners’ opening bid. The 21-year-old is believed to be worth around £55m.
Social media round-up
David Datro Fofana’s agent Atta Aneke tells VG: “Chelsea want to sign the best young talents in the world, it’s clear — for David, it was a dream”. 🔵 #CFC
“Chelsea have a very clear plan on how to make them succeed, they want to proceed with top talents as best as possible”. pic.twitter.com/ZxQZNZ7Chx
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 30, 2022
Bellingham could already be a champion if he'd chosen differentlyhttps://t.co/4xgU43A5ER
— Mirror Football (@MirrorFootball) December 29, 2022
Players to watch
Rafael Leao: Italian outlet Tutto Mercato Web reports Manchester City are willing to offer £10.6m a year for the 23-year-old AC Milan forward.
Maximo Perrone: O Jogo reports in Portuguese that Benfica are lining up a replacement for Fernandez in the form of the 19-year-old Argentine midfielder who plays for Velez Sarsfield.
