What the papers say

Barcelona’s rumoured hopes of snatching Nacho Monreal were dealt a blow after Unai Emery spoke of his desire to keep the full-back at the Emirates. The Daily Mirror says the Spaniard is seen by the LaLiga champions as a backup for left-back Jordi Alba. The 32-year-old has said he has begun talks with Arsenal about extending his contract. Meanwhile Emery said on Wednesday: “I think we need to find a new contract with him to stay with the Arsenal team.”

Real Madrid are said to have a £330million kitty to go shopping with in the January transfer window, The Sun reports. The European champions are set to be going on the hunt for the next ‘Galactico’. Kylian Mbappe and Neymar are reportedly targets as the club seeks to replace Cristiano Ronaldo. His departure for Juventus alone is said to have raised nearly £100m. A raid on the Premier League is not beyond the realms of possibility.

Chelsea v Roma – UEFA Champions League – Group C – Stamford Bridge
Edin Dzeko could dash hopes of some Premier League clubs by extending his stay with Roma (PA)

Several Premier League clubs with targets at Roma have reportedly seen their plans dented after the Serie A giants set about changing a number of contracts. Calcio Mercato says the club is seeking to renew a number of deals, including Bosnia captain Edin Dzeko‘s terms. Roma are also said to be looking at removing release clauses in the contracts of Lorenzo Pellegrini and Kostas Manolas. Pellegrini has reportedly been tracked by Manchester City and Liverpool, Manolas has been linked with Manchester United and Chelsea. The Blues are also said to have shown a keen interest in Dzeko.

Wolves playmaker Ruben Neves is reportedly on the radar of Paris St Germain. The French giants are said to have taken an interest, while Liverpool have also been suspected of fancying their chances of scooping the 21-year-old Portuguese international.

Social media round-up

Players to watch

Ethan Ampadu: Manchester United came close to signing Chelsea’s Wales midfielder when he travelled to Old Trafford for a competition as a youngster – and impressed Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester Evening News reports.

Sean Longstaff: The Daily Mail’s secret scout says Newcastle’s 20-year-old had shades of Michael Carrick when he made his first-team debut against Nottingham Forest in the League Cup,

Pizzi: Wolves are monitoring the Benfica midfielder, Portugal’s Record reports.