Gossip column: Messi, Vardy, Kane, Kalinic, Morrison

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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), external

Image source, Sun
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The Sun's sport section leads on talks between Lionel Messi's agents and Manchester City

Chelsea are lining up January moves for Leicester's England striker Jamie Vardy, 28, and Tottenham's Belgium midfielder Mousa Dembele, 28.(Daily Mirror), external

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), external

Tottenham remain confident they can resist interest from Chelsea or Manchester United in England striker Kane.(Telegraph), external

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is convinced Kane will stay at White Hart Lane to win trophies with the Lilywhites. (Sky Sports), external

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), external

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), external

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), external

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), external

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), external

Image source, Mirror
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The Daily Miror sport section leads on Chelsea's search for a striker

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), external

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) , external

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), external

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), external

Bournemouth are planning a £6m move for Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gale, 25, in January to replace the injured Callum Wilson, 23. (Daily Mirror), external

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), external

Best of social media

Image source, @Pirlo_official
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Is that fire a fake? Let's hope so with all those books around...

Aston Villa's American goalkeeper Brad Guzan was celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday. "Happy Thanksgiving everyone," the 31-year-old tweeted., external "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., external 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., external

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), external