🚨 Maresca OUT! Next Chelsea manager latest, Arsenal eye €80m attacker, Spurs ready to try £150m spending spree, Liverpool close in on new signing, & more
Some HUGE stories in this morning's round-up, plus Premier League news clips as the title race takes a new twist!
Good morning everyone and welcome to the latest edition of the Daily Briefing! Thanks as always for reading, and hope you enjoy :-)
Today’s top stories:
Enzo Maresca leaves Chelsea - replacement, reaction & more
Premier League round-up
Manchester City drop points against Sunderland in new title race twist
Manchester City are now four points behind league leaders Arsenal after a surprise 0-0 draw away to Sunderland.
Bernardo Silva had an early goal disallowed for offside, while Brian Brobbey had a good effort saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Overall, it was a well-earned point for Sunderland as they continue to emerge as surprise contenders for European football this season, but City will need to bounce back quickly if they are to keep up the pressure on Arsenal.
FT Sunderland 0-0 Manchester City [Pictures from Sky Sports]
Liverpool held as Leeds move clear of relegation zone
Liverpool were frustrated by Leeds for the second time in the space of four weeks as it finished 0-0 last night at Anfield.
Hugo Ekitike hit a brace in the 3-3 thriller at Elland Road last month, but he missed an absolute sitter last night, bizarrely heading it away from goal after a fine cross by Jeremie Frimpong.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin briefly thought he’d given Leeds the lead, but his close-range effort was ruled out for offside.
FT Liverpool 0-0 Leeds United [Pictures from Sky Sports]
Premier League results in full
Crystal Palace 1-1 Fulham
Liverpool 0-0 Leeds
Brentford 0-0 Tottenham
Sunderland 0-0 Manchester City
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Arsenal
Arsenal are preparing an aggressive effort to sign Arda Guler from Real Madrid this January, though the Spanish giants have set an asking price of €80m for the Turkey international. (Fichajes)
Arsenal also have a strong interest in highly-rated 18-year-old Marseille star Robinio Vaz, though they could face competition from Chelsea. (Foot Mercato)
Barcelona
Barcelona now appear to have cooled their interest in re-signing their former full-back Joao Cancelo on loan this winter. (Fabrizio Romano)
Barcelona could instead turn to this Bundesliga full-back as an alternative option - more info here!
Chelsea
Enzo Maresca left Chelsea yesterday and Liam Rosenior is emerging as an early internal favourite to replace him as the Blues’ new manager. (Fabrizio Romano)
Callum McFarlane, Chelsea’s Under-21s head coach, will be in the dugout for the Blues’ game against Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend. (Ben Jacobs)
Chelsea are exploring the possibility of signing Emanuel Emegha in January instead of the summer as they also look to raid fellow BlueCo club Strasbourg to appoint Liam Rosenior as manager. (TEAMtalk)
Enzo Maresca remains a target for Manchester City in case Pep Guardiola steps down as manager at the end of this season, with Chelsea also known to have been unhappy with the Italian tactician being distracted by his talks with their rivals - full story here!
Former England manager Gareth Southgate could be another surprise name in the frame for the Chelsea job as talks are underway to hire a replacement quickly. (Fichajes)
Chelsea are eyeing talented young Santos defender Souza, but face competition from the likes of AC Milan, Newcastle United, and Nottingham Forest. (AS)
Chelsea are also looking to South America for more young talent as they line up a move for this Argentinian wide-man - more info here!
There were signs of chaos at Chelsea this summer as Maresca didn’t even speak with Alejandro Garnacho before his move to Stamford Bridge was completed. (Daily Mail)
Liverpool
Liverpool are closing in on Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez as their first January signing in a deal worth around €40m. (Bolavip)
Harvey Elliott could return to Liverpool from his loan spell at Aston Villa this January, with another Premier League club now in line to snap him up - full story here!
Florian Wirtz attracted more criticism last night as Liverpool struggled to a 0-0 draw at home to Leeds United, with the German playmaker once again very quiet and struggling to influence the game - more details here!
Liverpool have officially confirmed that 22-year-old left-back James Norris has completed a permanent move to Irish outfit Shelbourne. (Empire of the Kop)
Manchester City
Enzo Maresca remains a target for Manchester City in case Pep Guardiola steps down as manager at the end of this season, with Chelsea also known to have been unhappy with the Italian tactician being distracted by his talks with their rivals - full story here!
Oscar Bobb could leave Manchester City and has been offered to Newcastle United and other clubs this January. (Chronicle)
Manchester United
Manchester United have held initial exploratory talks with super agent Jorge Mendes over a potential transfer deal for Al Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves. (Give Me Sport)
Manchester United are also seeking to bolster their defence and have identified Roma’s Evan Ndicka as a possible option. (AS Roma Live)
Jeremy Jacquet to Manchester United could also be another target to watch out for, with the Red Devils open a move this January even though they were initially planning for him as a summer target. (Sky Sports)
Joshua Zirkzee is reportedly really keen to end his Manchester United “nightmare” with a move away from Old Trafford this month. (iNews)
Kobbie Mainoo is also looking for a way out of Manchester United and is now said to be open to a permanent exit for the first time. (iNews)
Newcastle United
Oscar Bobb could leave Manchester City and has been offered to Newcastle United and other clubs this January. (Chronicle)
Newcastle United are interested in signing Roma defender Wesley Franca, but could face paying as much as €50m for the Brazilian. (AS Roma Live)
Real Madrid
A deep-dive analysis of what Real Madrid need in the January transfer window, with a midfielder likely to be a top target for Xabi Alonso. (Football Espana)
Kees Smit could end up being one option for Real Madrid in that position, as some sources now suggest the Dutch wonderkid is their top target. (Mundo Deportivo)
Real Madrid forward Rodrygo Goes is holding talks with two potential candidates to be his new agent. (Sport)
Sevilla
Sevilla legend Sergio Ramos is considering buying his former club! Reports claim the former Spain defender has enquired about purchasing a stake in the La Liga side. (Cadena COPE)
Tottenham
Tottenham are ready to spend big on attacking targets such as Manchester City winger Savinho and Porto striker Samu Aghehowa this January. (Mark Brus, the Daily Briefing)
Tottenham are ready to move for Conor Gallagher this month as it looks like Atletico Madrid will make the England international midfielder available for a fee of €30m. (TEAMtalk)
West Ham United
West Ham have reached an agreement to sign Lazio striker Taty Castellanos for a fee of €29m, with the Argentine now close to joining the Hammers on a long-term contract. (Fabrizio Romano)