MX23RW : Saturday, December 14 19:29:17| >> :600:193406981:193406981:

Football rumours from the media

The Italian has been tipped to take over at the Bernabeu.

Former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte could take the reins at Real Madrid if Julen Lopetegui is sacked on Monday, according to reports. The Italian has been tipped to take over at the Bernabeu if the beleaguered boss is given his marching orders after losing the confidence of club president Florentino Perez, the Daily Mail says. Real’s 5-1 El Clasico rout marked the first time since 2009 that they had lost three in a row and saw them slide to ninth in La Liga.

Antonio Conte could be in line for the Real Madrid job
Antonio Conte could be in line for the Real Madrid job (Nick Potts/PA)

Tottenham are raising the tempo in their pursuit of Barcelona forward Malcom, The Sun reports. After making no signings at all over the summer, Spurs are said to be set to make a £50million bid for the 21-year-old Brazilian. The Londoners are expected to come up against Inter Milan in the fight to secure Malcom’s services, although any buyer will have to stump up more than Barca paid for him as part of a £36.5million deal – despite his failure to shine at the Nou Camp.

Chelsea and Manchester United are set to go head-to-head to land Arsenal veteran Aaron Ramsey if he leaves the club, the Daily Express reports. After 10 years at the Emirates the 27-year-old Wales midfielder’s contract is yet to be renewed or extended and he is expected to become a free agent in the summer, the paper says. As well as the Reds and Blues several European clubs are said too be keeping tabs on Ramsay, with Juventus and Valencia tipped as potential suitors.

Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey might be set for a Premier League switch
Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey might be set for a Premier League switch (Victoria Jones/PA)

Arsenal director of football Raul Sanllehi has signalled the Gunners will not make any big purchases in January. He told the Mail on Sunday that does not believe in the winter window and it is all about getting the summer transfer season right. Unai Emery’s arrival at the Emirates heralded significant changes and a crop of new players. Sanllehi admitted “there are exceptions”, although the January window is “for emergencies, a big injury or if something is really not working”.

Social media round-up

Players to watch

Phil Foden: Juventus are primed to snap up Manchester City’s 18-year-old midfielder, according to reports.

Piotr Zielinski: Liverpool have been keeping watch of Napoli’s Poland international, although the 24-year-old could soon sign an extension, the Daily Express reports.

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'f3257f82-4d2e-4933-a602-54926ee7b1bf');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Football rumours from the media'});

ID:339983: cacheID:339983:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:8445:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Read more about Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Manchester CityMan City158342721627
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest157441918125
6Aston Villa157442323025
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Fulham166642422224
10Brentford157263128323
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton153661421-715
16Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1512121131-205


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!