Will it be Leo's Clasico?

Lionel Messi is set to return for this Saturday's El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu, hoping to stretch the lead over their rivals to six points.

Both teams have lost 1 in their last 6 matches. However, clean sheets have become hard to register with Barcelona and Real Madrid having 2 in their previous 6 games.

As one third of the magical trio took some time out, his assistants have taken over... Neymar and Luis Suarez have scored 20 goals between them carrying Barcelona to the top of La Liga. 

Real's golden boy Cristiano Ronaldo has started where he left off last season scoring 8 goals in 11 La Liga appearances.  



With Karim Benzema not available for the Clasico it looks as though Ronaldo will continue to act as the front man hoping to close the gap on their rivals. 

The competition in midfield: 

It can be argued that Real Madrid's and Barcelona's midfielders are the best in world football. The German and Croatian pair of Toni Kroos and Luka Modric have showed their class with passing accuracies of 92.6% and 92.1% in the La Liga this season. Facing them come the trio of Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakatic. Known for their domination of possession, it will be interesting to see who gets the better of who. A key battle on the pitch for sure.

Manchester United To Look For Winger In Transfer Window

ESPN are reporting that Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal will look to sign a winger in the January transfer window.

Van Gaal was quoted as mentioning that both Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata aren't speedy enough to play on the wing.

This follows a number of impressive performance from youngster Lingard, including one most recently where he grabbed his first goal against West Brom.

Liverpool And United After Newcastle Striker

The Chronicle are reporting that Manchester United and Liverpool are both interested in Newcastle striker Ayoze Perez.

It is thought that Spurs are also interested in the talented youngster.

Liverpool's interest was present a long time before Jurgen Klopp arrived so it is yet to be seen whether this interest will persist and result in anything materialising but Perez has shown his ability on a number of occasions and it now looks like Newcastle face a battle to keep him at St. James Park.

Manchester United To Open Talks With Ibrahimovic

The Metro is reporting that Manchester United are set to open talks with Paris Saint Germain over the transfer of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

It is thought that initially there will only be an enquiry before they decide whether to actually put a bid in for the big Swede.

Ibrahimovic is the all-time leading goalscorer for his country and this news will excite thousands of United fans everywhere.

Inter Milan After Chelsea Defender

The Mirror are reporting that Inter Milan manager Roberto Mancini is interested in taking out of form defender Branislav Ivanovic off Chelsea's hands.

Despite an imperious season last tim

e out, Ivanovic has been among a group of Chelsea players who have really underperformed this term.

Ivanovic is now 31 and his contract runs out this Summer, therefore after a poor season, Chelsea may choose not to offer the Serb a new one.

Mancini has made his admiration of the powerful defender known and is allegedly hopeful that a deal can be struck to bring him to Inter.

Premier League Manager Set To Be Sacked

The Mirror are reporting that Swansea City manager Garry Monk is facing the sack.

Chairman Huw Jenkins offered Monk the chance to have someone to work above him in a capacity similar to that of a director of football, however Monk turned this down.

Swansea have won just one of their last eight games and the board are keen on overhauling the staff at the club as they believe Monk's lack of experience is to blame for this dip in form.

Jenkins is thought to see the international break as the last chance to sack Monk without severely disrupting the season.

Chelsea Already Have List Prepared To Replace Mourinho

The Express is reporting that following their loss away at Stoke on Saturday, Chelsea are already preparing to negotiate with possible replacements for Mourinho.

It is thought that the Chelsea hierarchy already have a three-man shortlist in place that includes former managers Roberto Di Matteo and Gus Hiddink, as well as former Liverpool man Brendan Rodgers.

Chelsea's shocking form has seen them slip even closer to the relegation zone and time is clearly ticking for Mourinho.

The Express also claim that Carlo Ancelotti isn't interested as he doesn't want another short term job.

Chelsea Star Set For New Contract

The Sun are reporting that Chelsea winger Willian is set to be offered a new contract to try and keep him at Stamford Bridge.

Despite the Blues massively underperforming this season, Willian has consistently been one of their best players, something that hasn't gone unnoticed by some of Europe's elite.

It is thought that the contract could see Willian receive a significant wage increase, leading to him earning around £100,000 a week.

Man United Set To Clash With Arsenal Over Defender

The Metro are reporting that Manchester United want to beat Arsenal to the signing of Juventus defender Daniele Rugani. 

The 21-year-old played for Empoli last season but has only managed 2 minutes in a Juventus shirt this season.

Despite interest from the Gunners and Red Devils, Fiorentina and Sampdoria are also thought to be interested.

The defender is also an Italian under-21 international.

Chelsea Set To Pounce

The Daily Mirror are reporting that Chelsea are 'on alert' due to the belief that Atletico Madrid manager, Diego Simeone will quit the Spanish club in the Summer.


Sunday People Sport claims that should Jose Mourinho be unable to break this bad spell of form, Roman Abramovich would be extremely interested in acquiring the services of Simeone.

Simeone's contract with Atletico doesn't actually end until 2020 but after his fifth season in charge, it is thought he could seek a new challenge.

Liverpool 'Reach Agreement' For Striker

The Evening Standard are reporting that Liverpool have reached an agreement with Brazilian club Corinthians to bring Alexandre Pato to Anfield.

Club President Robero de Andrade, has claimed that the two clubs have reached an 'agreement in principle'.


Andrade reckons only 'a few missing details' need to be concluded before the move is completed.

Pato actually revealed that Manchester United made a move for him in the Summer transfer window.

Liverpool And Arsenal Face Competition From Serie A Side

TalkSport are reporting that Italian giants Napoli have stepped up their interest in Real Madrid forward Jese Rodriguez.

Arsenal and Liverpool were also thought to be interested in the 22-year-old Spaniard but it seems Napoli have emerged as favourites for his signature.

The club from Naples apparently scouted the Real Madrid forward in the week in the Champions League against PSG, with manager Mauirizio Sarri making Jese his priority in this January's transfer window.

Mourinho Handed Boost Ahead Of Stoke Clash

The Daily Mail are reporting that despite being handed a stadium ban, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho will still be able to contact his backroom team during their clash with Stoke.

Mourinho will watch the match from the Chelsea team hotel and supposedly contact his backroom staff during the game to relay crucial information.

Mourinho was handed the ban for entering referee Jon Moss' room at halftime during their match at Upton Park against West Ham. This was apparently followed by Mourinho launching an expletive-laden rant at Moss.

This isn't the first time Mourinho has clashed with the FA as he was handed a £50,000 for claiming that referees were 'afraid' to give Chelsea penalties, after their fixture at home to Southampton on October 3rd.

PSG And Juventus After £45m Premier League Striker

The Daily Mail is reporting that Everton are after a fee of £45m for Belgian powerhouse Romelu Lukaku.

Lukaku is thought to be happy at Everton currently but may consider his position at the end of the current campaign.

Despite being content for now, Lukaku reportedly wants to play Champions League football in the not too distant future.

The big Belgian has notched 8 goals in all competitions so far so unsurprisingly the list of interested clubs contains some big ones, most notably, PSG and Juventus.

Arsenal Youngster Claims He Wants To Stay

The Metro is reporting that Arsenal forward, Joel Campbell's agent has claimed that Campbell wants to stay in North London.

This is despite Campbell receiving very little playing time at the Emirates, despite an impressive World Cup last year and a loan spell away.

Campbell scored on his first Premier League start last weekend against Swansea and his agent reckons the Costa-Rican wants to stay and help Arsenal be successful.

Arsenal Dealt Blow In Hunt For Midfielder

Football Italia are reporting that Napoli midfielder Jorginho's agent has claimed that it would take an "irrefutable" offer from Arsenal to prise him away.

The Italian's agent claimed that the first priority for him and his player was getting a call up to the national team, after that they would think about the January transfer window.

It was reported that Arsenal sent scouts to watch the 23-year-old and the Gunners are though to be very fond of the player.

£35m Bid For A Manager - Yes, Really, A MANAGER!

The Daily Mail are reporting that French side Monaco saw a £35m bid for Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho rejected. 

According to a shareholder, Monaco offered to buy out the remainder of Mourinho's contract at Chelsea. 

The bid was reportedly rejected by owner Roman Abramovich who has once again shown his loyalty to the Portuguese. 

The shareholder involved claims that Abramovich said he would be tempted should the offer be doubled!

Is football going crazy?

Arsenal To Release Trio At End Of Season

The Evening Standard are reporting that Arsenal are planning for life without experienced trio Tomas Rosicky, Mathieu Flamini and Mikel Arteta.

The Evening Standard claim that although no decision has been made, it is likely that the three will be let go when their deals expire in the Summer. 

It is thought the final outcome will depend on Arsenal's ability to replace Rosicky, Flamini and Arteta. 

With the fans' recent unhappiness with the club's refusal to sign a world class central defensive midfielder, this could come as welcome news and the departure of Flamini and Arteta would leave the club rather short in that area, perhaps prompting some action in the Summer.

Liverpool Chasing Barcelona Winger

The Metro are reporting that upon the conclusion of his loan spell at Porto, Liverpool will chase the signature of Barcelona's Cristian Tello. 

The 24-year-old is thought to want to leave the Nou Camp on a permanent basis due to his limited role in the first team.

Liverpool fans will probably want to sign the talented winger when they hear that Merseyside rivals Everton are also thought to be interested. 

Chelsea And City Given Fresh Hope In Pogba Pursuit

The Daily Express are reporting that Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba's agent Mino Raiola has claimed that there is in fact no deal in place for Pogba to join Barcelona.


Chelsea and City were thought to be after the dynamic French midfielder in the Summer but reportedly the player rejected the move. 

It was initially thought that he turned down Chelsea due to an agreement to join Barcelona, however these fresh reports put that to bed. 

Barcelona's transfer embargo will be lifted in January and the club still remain likely to sign the youngster, however Pogba's agent claims he hasn't yet made a decision and could even stay another season at Juventus.

United And City To Battle It Out For Belgian Wonderkid

According to the Daily Star, Manchester United and Manchester City are set to clash once again over the signing of Anderlecht youngster Youri Tielemans.

Tielemans is an 18-year-old Belgian midfielder and has been tipped for an extre

mely bright future, however he could seek a step up to the big time. 

He currently holds the record for the youngest Belgian to play in the Champions League at an astonishing 16 years old!

The Daily Star are reporting that the fee could be around the £30m mark, further emphasising the rising transfer fees in football. 

Tielemans could end up having to choose between joining fellow Belgians Vincent Kompany and Kevin De Bruyne at City or Marouane Fellaini and Adnan Januzaj (when he returns from his loan spell with Borussia Dortmund) at United.

Who Should Youri Tielemans Choose?

Man United

Man City

Neither!

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