Newcastle Ousmane Dembele bid CONFIRMED, Ferran Torres £55m Barcelona transfer, Chelsea eye Kimpembe

Coutinho set for shock move?

Everton have joined the race to sign out-of-favour Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho.

The Brazil international appears to be heading for the Nou Camp exit after struggling for game time under new boss Xavi.

The club legend is setting about a rebuild after the disastrous reign of former manager Ronald Koeman.

And with a squad packed with young attacking talent, there is little room for the 29-year-old Coutinho.

That has set alarm bells ringing among a host of Premier League clubs, with the Toffees the latest to cast their eye in the forward’s direction.

Spanish outlet AS reports the ex-Liverpool star could be about to move to the blue half of Merseyside.

Spurs condemned for ticket price change

Tottenham have been slammed by their Supporters Trust after removing senior and young adult ticket prices for upcoming cup clashes.

In previous ties this season, the Lilywhites have offered concession prices for those aged between 18-21 and over 65.

For their Europa Conference League group matches earlier this season a concession ticket cost £20.

But the option has since been removed, with every fan aged 18 or over now having to pay the full £25 for the FA Cup third round clash with Morecambe and the League Cup semi-final second leg against Chelsea.

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust was quick to notice this change in pricing policy.

They tweeted: “Seems the Christmas spirit is very much lacking at @SpursOfficial. Quietly removing concessionary pricing for Seniors and Young Adults for both Morecambe and Chelsea home cup games is a low move for one of the richest Clubs in the world. Do better, Spurs. Much better.”

Premier League’s Boxing Day fixtures

Boxing Day:
Liverpool v Leeds – Postponed
Wolves v Watford – Postponed
Burnley v Everton
Man City v Leicester
Norwich v Arsenal
Tottenham v Crystal Palace
West Ham v Southampton
Aston Villa v Chelsea (17:30 GMT)
Brighton v Brentford (17:30 GMT)

Calls for one leg semi-finals

Both Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte have called for the Carabao Cup semi-final to be cut to just one leg.

Liverpool proceeded into the last four after an exhausting 3-3 draw with Leicester, which they won on penalties.

Tottenham meanwhile, booked their place by beating London rivals West Ham.

They are now set to face Chelsea over two legs in another derby, while Liverpool will play Arsenal, with a week separating both ties.

But Klopp and Conte are not happy with the fixture pile-up.

Why Man Utd sacked Solskjaer

Manchester United’s football director John Murtough says a ‘turbulent’ few months hastened the departure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Explaining the decision to sack Solskjaer, Murtough told a forum of fans: “It’s certainly been a turbulent period since we last met in September. We were all feeling optimistic at that time about the strong start to the season.

“There were grounds for confidence that we were going to continue building on the progress we saw in the prior two seasons. But after the promising early-season results, things went off plan. 

“As a club, we felt Ole had earned the right to be given the chance to turn things round, but didn’t get a reaction after the international break, and the Watford game made it clear change was needed.  

“We’re all disappointed at Ole’s departure, but he deserves to be judged on his record over the past three years, not his last few weeks.  

“He re-set the club’s culture and reshaped the squad, leaving us in a stronger position today than when he returned in 2018.”

Best out-of-contract XI

Premier League clubs will soon be able to negotiate with some of the world’s top talent.

From January 1, teams won’t need to have a bid accepted to begin negotiating with players that have entered the final six months of their contract.

If talks are successful, stars can be signed on pre-contracts.

Here is the best team that can be fielded from those who are entering the final months of their contracts.

Two Boxing Day games postponed

The Premier League’s Boxing Day schedule has already taken a huge hit with TWO games called off.

Liverpool’s clash with Leeds and Wolves vs Watford have both been postponed. The Premier League confirmed neither Leeds nor Watford have enough players to fulfil the Sunday 12.30pm game.

A statement read: “Following postponement requests from Leeds United and Watford as a result of Covid-19, the Premier League Board met this morning and regrettably agreed to call off the two affected clubs’ Boxing Day fixtures.

“The two matches are Wolverhampton Wanderers v Watford and Liverpool v Leeds United, both due to be played on Sunday at 12:30 GMT.

“The Board today was able to make its decisions in advance of Boxing Day to give clarity to clubs and their supporters. We apologise for the inconvenience and disruption caused to those fans’ festive plans.

“The League is aware that the decision to postpone these two matches will disappoint supporters and understands their frustrations at a special time of year when fans look forward to attending and watching football games.”

Messi’s goal drought at PSG

Lionel Messi appears to be feeling the effects of leaving boyhood club Barcelona over the summer.

The Argentina superstar joined Paris Saint-Germain after one of the most stunning transfer sagas in football history.

He smashed a staggering 672 goals during his 778 games as a Barca player.

But now at PSG he is enduring the least productive start to a league season in his career so far.

The 34-year-old is averaging a goal every 865 minutes for his new club in Ligue 1.

He has netted just once in 11 games for the French giants.

Bale hails ‘best ever’ Ronaldo

Gareth Bale overlooked every former Spurs team-mate when he named Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player he’s ever played with.

The pair linked up for a number of supremely successful seasons at Real Madrid.

And Bale has hailed the Portuguese superstar for his incredible ability.

He said: “Cristiano Ronaldo. For me, just the amount of goals he scores and the titles that we won together.

“I think arguably one of the best ever to play football. For me, I will have to say him.”

Prem clubs affected by AFCON

The Africa Cup of Nations is set to go ahead next month despite Covid concerns following crunch talks.

And that could have a major impact on a number of Premier League clubs and their respective fights at both ends of the table.

Liverpool are set to be hit the hardest, losing Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane – as well as Naby Keita – in what could be a major blow in their fight to regain the Prem title.

But a number of other clubs are set to lose key players for four weeks – with the tournament taking place in Cameroon between January 9 and February 6.

We take a look at how every Prem club will be affected by Afcon via this link.

Could it be Barca’s Dest-iny?

Barcelona are reportedly weighing up a swap deal for versatile right-back Sergino Dest.

The LaLiga giants are said to be considering a move for Ajax’s Noussair Mazraoui, with Dest heading in the opposite direction.

But a swap could be thwarted by interest from Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich.

ESPN reports Bayern are interested in bringing the USA international to the Allianz Arena after missing out on his signature last year.

The 21-year-old left Ajax for the Nou Camp back in October 2020 after opting for Spain over Germany.

But the Bavarian outfit have stayed in touch and even sounded the player out about a potential loan move earlier this year.

Silva on Mbappe at Monaco

Bernardo Silva has revealed that he knew Kylian Mbappe was ‘different’ from his very first training session at Monaco.

Explaining the World Cup winner’s instant impact, Manchester City and former Monaco star Silva said: “So Kylian when he arrived, when he arrived at the first team for the first training sessions he was like 16-years-old.

“I remember after the first or the second training session that he had with us, I remember going to (Joao) Moutinho and both of us were like ‘wow, who is that kid?’

“He was really special, because you could see from the beginning that was different. And he wasn’t afraid of coming at us, coming at the older guys and dribbling two or three guys in the training session.

“Normally when you’re 16-years-old you’re a bit afraid of the big guys, and he would go at the defenders and just kill them.

“So yeah, then after two years he started playing more often with us and now he’s one of the best players in the world.”

Toon’s pursuit of Dembele thwarted

Newcastle have been dealt a blow in their bid to sign Ousmane Dembele – with Barcelona tabling a new contract for the French winger.

The Toon have been chasing a marquee signing in the January window to attract more top players in their desperate attempt to avoid relegation.

But Eddie Howe is set to miss out on Dembele, 24, with Xavi doubling-down on his praise for the injury-prone forward.

Since taking over, the Nou Camp legend has revealed time and time again that he’s a big fan of the 27-cap France ace.

And now, Xavi has put his money where his mouth is by tabling a new contract off for Dembele.

Januzai set for Prem return?

West Ham and Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing former Manchester United ace Adnan Januzaj.

The 26-year-old’s contract at Real Sociedad expires in the summer of 2022.

And he can negotiate terms over a summer transfer with other teams from January 1.

According to Todofichajes, Januzaj has rejected Sociedad’s latest offer to stay at the club.

The former Man Utd man is keen for a return to the Premier League where he has unfinished business.

And West Ham could offer him just that, and possibly European football next season.

United dealt Erling Haaland blow

Borussia Dortmund are desperate to keep star striker Erling Haaland for another season.

And the Bundesliga side are reportedly willing to DOUBLE his wages to do so.

The Norwegian is in high demand after his stunning goalscoring exploits since joining in January 2020.

Manchester United and Real Madrid are leading the way in the race to sign him.

But according to Marca, Dortmund are pulling out all the stops.

They claim that the Germans will double Haaland’s wages to £250,000-a-week if it convinces him to give them another year.

Liverpool seek Colombian Cristiano Ronaldo

Liverpool are interested in signing Luis Diaz from Porto, according to reports.

The Reds are set to be depleted on the flanks next month, when Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane head to the Africa Cup of Nations.

Salah and Mane could jet out before Liverpool’s January 2 clash against Chelsea, with Afcon not finishing until February 6.

According to FourFourTwo, the Reds want to recruit further back-up to the pair in the shape of Diaz.

Dubbed fancifully by some as the ‘Colombian Cristiano Ronaldo’, Diaz could provide the pace and directness of a typical Liverpool winger.

Diaz, 24, has also been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

West Ham lead Johnstone race

Sam Johnstone is reportedly heading for the exit at West Brom in the summer.

The England international is understood to be winding down his contract with the Championship outfit.

That has set alarm bells ringing at West Ham, who are thought to be tracking the 28-year-old’s progress.

The Telegraph reports the Hammers are front of the queue to sign the keeper on a free transfer next year.

Current Irons stopper Lukasz Fabianski turns 37 this season and has already retired from international football.

Three Lions man Johnstone is being seen as an ideal replacement after keeping his spot in Gareth Southgate’s squad despite West Brom’s relegation.

Arteta concerned over Covid situation

Worried Mikel Arteta warns football could COLLAPSE if players’ concerns over Covid continue to be ignored.

He said: “The main thing is to protect the welfare of the players because we are responsible to defend them more than anyone else.

“It’s important we listen to their concerns much more because, without them, we can do nothing and the industry wouldn’t work.

“It is easy for us to demand more games, but they are the ones who have to perform.

“If the players are saying it is difficult, then they are being genuine because they’ve always tried to carry on and keep this league at the highest standard.

“So when they say something like this we have to really listen to them with open ears because we don’t want to damage the product and the incredible league that we have.”

Buy Carragher a Ronaldo shirt?

Roy Keane has suggested buying Jamie Carragher a Manchester United shirt with Cristiano Ronaldo’s name on the back for Christmas.

Keane, 50, appeared on SkyBet’s Driving Home for Christmas YouTube series alongside Micah Richards.

He was asked by the former Manchester City defender what he’d be buying Carragher for Christmas, before coming up with a brilliant reply.

The ex-Old Trafford skipper said: “A United jersey with Ronaldo on the back, that’d be nice wouldn’t it? Because he’s always slagging him off.”

Keane did go on to admit that Carragher is a ‘decent footballing person’.

Richards then said: “He’s got a strong opinion, he knows what he’s talking about. But Keane joked: “Well, I wouldn’t go that far.”