Gossip column: Messi, Vardy, Kane, Kalinic, Morrison
Last updated on .From the section Football
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Lionel Messi's agents have had initial discussions about a deal with Manchester City that would see the 28-year-old Barcelona and Argentina forward join on a weekly wage of £800,000. (Sun)
Chelsea are lining up January moves for Leicester's England striker Jamie Vardy, 28, and Tottenham's Belgium midfielder Mousa Dembele, 28.(Daily Mirror)
Dembele's Spurs team-mate Harry Kane, 22, is also a target for the Blues, but Jose Mourinho's side will wait until the summer before making a bid. (Daily Mail)
Tottenham remain confident they can resist interest from Chelsea or Manchester United in England striker Kane.(Telegraph)
Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is convinced Kane will stay at White Hart Lane to win trophies with the Lilywhites. (Sky Sports)
Chelsea are also considering a move for former Blackburn striker Nikola Kalinic in January. The 27-year-old Croatia international has scored 10 goals in nine Serie A matches for Fiorentina this season.(Gazzetta Dello Sport - in Italian)
Pep Guardiola has agreed to leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season to take over from Manuel Pellegrini at Manchester City.(Cadena Cope, via Guardian)
City's reserve goalkeeper Willy Caballero says he is ready to step up and replace Joe Hart should the England international's hamstring injury force him to miss games. (Daily Star)
Lazio midfielder Ravel Morrison is close to returning to England "for personal reasons" after an underwhelming spell at the Italian club. The 22-year-old has played only three league games since joining on a free from West Ham. (Calciomercato - in Italian)
LA Galaxy midfielder Steven Gerrard says he is disappointed his former club Liverpool did not sign 19-year-old England midfielder Dele Alli before Tottenham did. (Evening Standard)
Newcastle defender Fabricio Coloccini, 33, will be offered a final chance to prove he remains the right man to captain the side in Saturday's match against Crystal Palace. (Guardian)
Meanwhile, Magpies manager Steve McClaren has told the club's board he cannot guarantee the team's Premier League survival without major changes to their transfer policy. (Daily Star)
Jermain Defoe, 33, is fit for Sunderland's home match against Stoke, despite suffering an ankle injury in Monday's 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace. (Daily Mail)
Swansea forward Andre Ayew has suggested he could leave for a top Premier League club in January, with Liverpool reported to be interested in the 25-year-old. (RMC, via Daily Express)
Bournemouth are planning a £6m move for Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gale, 25, in January to replace the injured Callum Wilson, 23. (Daily Mirror)
Leeds boss Steve Evans says a deal has been provisionally agreed to extend Sunderland midfielder Liam Bridcutt's loan move for the remainder of the season. (Newcastle Chronicle)
Best of social media
Aston Villa's American goalkeeper Brad Guzan was celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday. "Happy Thanksgiving everyone," the 31-year-old tweeted. "Very thankful this year as my wife and I welcomed our son Aiden."
New York City midfielder Andrea Pirlo was also celebrating the American national holiday. "Happy Thanksgiving from us #myworld #Pirlostyle #familytime #pablotime," the Italian 36-old tweeted. And we give thanks for the fantastic snap of him and his dog.
Tottenham secured their place in the Europa League knockout stages with a 1-0 win over Qarabag on Thursday. Spurs' 22-year-old striker Harry Kane, who got the winning goal, tweeted: "Very happy to be qualified! It wasn't easy but delighted with the win!"
Simon Mignolet was a relieved man on Thursday evening. After the Liverpool goalkeeper conceded a free-kick for holding on to the ball for over 20 seconds - from which Bordeaux took the lead - the Reds scored twice to secure their place in the Europa League last 32. "Happy to get qualified for the knockout stages in the #UEL," the 27-year-old Belgian posted on Instagram.
And finally
Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha, 23, says an impression of Croydon as "an awful place to be in" will change with the proposed new investment coming into the Selhurst Park club.(Croydon Advertiser)