MX23RW : Thursday, December 26 00:39:42| >> :120:58939:58939:

Friday's papers: Jude Bellingham, Eric Dier, Kylian Mbappe

Friday's papers: Jude Bellingham, Eric Dier, Kylian Mbappe
© Reuters
Jude Bellingham is now drawing attention from Italy, while Eric Dier's Tottenham days might be numbered.

What the papers say

Juventus are the latest club to show interest in Birmingham youngster Jude Bellingham, the Daily Mail reports. The 16-year-old has attracted the attention of major clubs including Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Arsenal. Now the Italian giants are being linked to the youngster, with the club having had strong English links in the past through the likes of Paul Pogba, Carlos Tevez and Patrice Evra. Bellingham cannot be offered a professional contract by Birmingham until his 17th birthday in June, and currently earns £145 per week as a scholar at St Andrew's.

Eric Dier could be on his way out of Tottenham as he contemplates gaining more game time elsewhere, the Daily Mail reports. Dier is in negotiations for a new deal, as his current contract expires next year. However, the 26-year-old is said to be reluctant to re-sign with the club owing to fears he will have limited game time under Jose Mourinho.

AFC Bournemouth v Lyon – Pre-Season Friendly – Vitality Stadium
Lyon's Moussa Dembele is a target for Manchester United and Chelsea (Mark Kerton/PA)

Moussa Dembele looks set to return to England, with Manchester United narrowly leading Chelsea in the race to sign him from Lyon. The Daily Star reports United have been given approval to sign the 23-year-old French striker for £60million. But the Daily Mail says Chelsea have been buoyed in their hopes of signing the former Fulham and Celtic man after Lyon's president admitted the club would "sell the players who want to leave".

Tottenham and Manchester City are closing in on RB Salzburg's 16-year-old striker Luka Reischl before Brexit laws come into effect, according to the Daily Mail. English clubs will come under FIFA regulations rather than EU law next January. As a result they will be unable to sign overseas players under 18 years old. Reischl is front and centre among a host of teenaged stars being monitored by major English clubs, with the Austria under-16 international catching the eye of Spurs and City in particular.

England v Kosovo – 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship – Group C – KCOM Stadium
England's Ben Godfrey, seen here playing for England at under-21 level, could be leaving Norwich for Tottenham (Martin Rickett/PA)

Tottenham are planning a double raid on Norwich to sign defender Ben Godfrey and full-back Max Aarons, according to the Daily Express. Spurs are already well advanced in moves to sign 20-year-old Aarons in a summer deal worth some £30million. Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho has now added 22-year-old Godfrey to his wish list, although a sticking point could be Norwich's valuation of the 22-year-old – who is also an Arsenal target – at around £50million.

Social media round-up

Players to watch

Dean Henderson: The Manchester United goalkeeper, on loan to Sheffield United, is a summer target for Paris St Germain, the Daily Mail reports.

Andy Carroll: The injury-plagued striker is set to stay at Newcastle, with Steve Bruce pushing for a new contract despite his meagre four starts for the club this season, the Northern Echo reports.

Kylian Mbappe: The 21-year-old star might stay with PSG after all, with the club set to table a mega contract to stop him joining Real Madrid, the Daily Mirror says.

ID:389650: cacheID:389650:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:9285:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Philippe Coutinho in action for Bayern Munich on October 5, 2019
Read Next:
Tuesday's papers: Philippe Coutinho, Erling Braut Haaland, Alexis Sanchez
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool16123137162139
2Chelsea17105237191835
3Arsenal1796234161833
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest179442319431
5Bournemouth178452721628
6Aston Villa178452626028
7Manchester CityMan City178362925427
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle177552721626
9Fulham176742422225
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton176742726125
11Tottenham HotspurSpurs1772839251423
12Brentford177283232023
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd176472122-122
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham175572230-820
15Everton163761421-716
16Crystal Palace173771826-816
17Leicester CityLeicester173592137-1614
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1733112740-1312
19Ipswich TownIpswich172691632-1612
20Southampton1713131136-256


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!