Newcastle director Dan Ashworth likely to join Manchester United in Sir Jim Ratcliffe's shake-up - Paper Talk

Plus: Tottenham have Genoa's Radu Dragusin on their centre-back shortlist this January; The Premier League are to urge fans to behave themselves ahead of the festive fixtures; RB Leipzig are in talks over a deal worth €25m for Napoli's Elif Elmas

Wednesday 20 December 2023 07:36, UK

The top stories and transfer rumours from Wednesday's newspapers...

DAILY MAIL

It seems increasingly likely Dan Ashworth will replace John Murtough as Manchester United's football director once Sir Jim Ratcliffe moves into Old Trafford.

The Premier League are to urge fans to behave themselves ahead of the festive fixtures - following a spate of incidents at recent matches.

Emma Raducanu is likely to turn to Nick Cavaday, a name from her younger days, to assist her when she comes back in the New Year after nearly eight months away from the game.

Raphael Varane's future at Manchester United should become clearer in the next couple of weeks after he and manager Erik ten Hag appeared to have set aside their differences.

Alexis Mac Allister is set to be out of action until January.

Real Madrid-bound Endrick has revealed his hopes of playing alongside Kylian Mbappe once he joins the Spanish club in the summer.

Neymar has been ruled out of the 2024 Copa America, as he is unable to recover in time from a torn ACL for the start of the tournament, which will be played in the US in June.

Manchester United interim chief executive Patrick Stewart has been holding a series of meetings with staff and fans to update them on the INEOS investment.

Thibaut Courtois has revealed he will miss out on Belgium's Euro 2024 campaign due to his knee injury sustained in August.

DAILY EXPRESS

Raphael Varane reportedly wants to stay at Manchester United and extend his contract.

Liverpool and Arsenal have been placed on red alert following comments made by Brazilian midfielder Andre Trindade.

Manchester United's Dan Gore is reportedly attracting interest from Championship outfit Preston ahead of the January transfer window.

Liverpool's hopes of landing Lucas Beraldo in January have taken a painful hit, with Paris Saint-Germain reportedly closing in on the Brazilian.

Lewis Hamilton was reportedly the only one of the 10 highest-paid F1 drivers not to receive a bonus for his performances in 2023.

Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has claimed Mick Schumacher would have been 'better understood' had he joined Red Bull.

Emma Raducanu has been advised by Tim Henman to drop down into Challenger events to kickstart her career.

UFC 296 star Bryce Mitchell has thanked his opponent Josh Emmett, who he says "could've killed him" after a scary knockout

Jake Paul has announced he will be part of Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

DAILY MIRROR

Aaron Ramsdale "absolutely has to leave" Arsenal according to former player Emmanuel Petit, who can see he is "miserable".

Manchester United and Tottenham are reportedly set for a January transfer battle for Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo.

Aaron Ramsdale has been told being axed at Arsenal has made him a better goalkeeper... by the man who has taken his No 1 shirt.

Granit Xhaka feels he has mellowed significantly since joining Bayer Leverkusen from Arsenal in the summer.

DAILY TELEGRAPH

Craig Levein, the former Scotland manager, wants Rangers and Celtic in the Premier League so they could share increased revenue with other Scottish clubs.

Tottenham are set to step up their pursuit of a centre-back in January and have looked at Genoa's Radu Dragusin as a possible target.

Alexandre Letellier, the Paris Saint-Germain reserve goalkeeper, was held at knifepoint with his young family during a robbery at his home.

Mike Ashley's move for Yorkshire is at risk of being derailed after Colin Graves entered advanced negotiations to secure a sensational return.

Former Chelsea striker Rati Aleksidze played a possible minor role in a global investment crime gang, according to prosecutors investigating a cyber scam worth "billions".

Manchester United are likely to have to tighten their belts in the transfer market next year as the club bid to ensure they do not flout Premier League financial rules like Everton, a senior Old Trafford executive has warned.

The Premier League is facing renewed pressure to make conversations between referees and video assistant referees public after LaLiga agreed to do so.

Newcastle have opened talks over a long-term deal for Lewis Miley when he turns 18 later this season.

THE GUARDIAN

Leading players from Afghanistan's men's team have urged FIFA to investigate allegations of match-fixing against the president of the country's football federation, and confirmed their boycott of the national side will continue until Mohammad Yousef Kargar is removed from his post.

The Masters, which already has the smallest field of the majors, could have even fewer players than usual in 2024 depending on the first three months of the PGA Tour season.

THE SUN

Bukayo Saka has helped to build a container village for earthquake victims in Morocco.

A parrot has learned the words to West Ham's famous song about Jarrod Bowen.

Anthony Joshua and Jarrell Miller were forced apart following a heated clash ahead of this Saturday's stacked Saudi card.

Brentford have admitted Arsenal and Chelsea target Ivan Toney could move "very shortly".

Aston Villa's plans to expand Villa Park have been put on hold for the foreseeable future.

RB Leipzig are reportedly interested in signing Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho.

THE TIMES

George Ford has been backed by Alex Sanderson to replace Owen Farrell as England captain because he is a "calming influence" and "exceptionally emotionally intelligent".

THE ATHLETIC

RB Leipzig are in talks over a deal worth €25m (£21.5m) for Napoli midfielder Eljif Elmas.

Real Madrid defender David Alaba has successfully undergone surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

Granit Xhaka says he hopes Kai Havertz can make his critics "eat their words" after backing the Germany international to enjoy a similar turnaround in fortunes at Arsenal as he did.

Endrick has joined US sportswear brand New Balance ahead of his transfer to Real Madrid.

Xavi has warned against placing too much immediate pressure on Barcelona's incoming teenage forward Vitor Roque, but says he hopes the signing will one day "be at the level" of Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

DAILY RECORD

Nick Montgomery reckons Derek Adams might have scored a huge own goal with his stinging attack on the quality of Scottish football ahead of the January transfer window.

SCOTTISH SUN

American billionaire Bill Foley will invest an initial £6m in Hibernian if and when the SFA give their approval to him taking a minority stake in the club.

Derek Adams has said sorry to his Ross County players for claiming his old Morecambe squad was "100 times better".