Gossip column: Sanchez, Malcom, Vardy, Hazard, Messi, Fred, Van Persie

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte wants to sign Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez in January, saying the 29-year-old would be a "good investment". (Telegraph)

Tottenham are ready to drop their interest in Bordeaux winger Malcom because the French club want £45m for the 20-year-old, although Arsenal are still interested in signing the Brazilian. (Mail)

Tottenham are ready to start pay talks with striker Harry Kane, 24, and extend the deals of midfielder Christian Eriksen, 25, and forward Son Heung-min, 25. (Times - subscription required)

Manchester United plan to start contract negotiations with keeper David de Gea which would see the 27-year-old become the joint-highest earner at the club on £300,000-a-week. (Sun)

Manchester United are unlikely to follow up their interest in Leicester's 30-year-old England striker Jamie Vardy. (Leicester Mercury)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says talks over a new deal with playmaker Mesut Ozil, 29, are "very much alive" as hopes he might stay with the Gunners have increased. (Telegraph)

Manchester City have made a £45m bid for Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazilian midfielder Fred, 24. (Manchester Evening News)

Spanish club Espanyol have already prepared for the departure of their manager Quique Sanchez Flores to Stoke City. (Marca - in Spanish)

West Ham boss David Moyes wants the January transfer window reduced to a week with the last day, similar to in Italy, taking place at a hotel where club officials and agents gather to sort out deals. (Times - subscription required)

Former Arsenal, Manchester United and Netherlands striker Robin van Persie, 34, is set to leave Turkish club Fenerbahce to join Dutch club Feyenoord - where he began his career. (AD - in Dutch)

Chelsea are interested in appointing either Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri or Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri as successor to Antonio Conte. (Evening Standard)

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi paid 12m euros (£10.64m) in back taxes at the end of 2016 in order to avoid possible further punishment over his financial affairs - and the money was paid back to him by his Spanish club. (Der Spiegel)

Argentina international Messi's contract with Barca guarantees him more than 100m euros a year (£88.6m) in salary. (Mediapart - in French, subscription required)

Real Madrid were ready to pay 30-year-old Messi's 250m euro (£221.7m) buyout clause in 2013. (El Mundo - in Spanish)

Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Leeds United and Cardiff City all want to sign Middlesbrough's 28-year-old English midfielder Adam Clayton. (Northern Echo)

Middlesbrough boss Tony Pulis wants to sign "one or two" new players this month but says his squad is already too big. (Evening Gazette)

Sunderland want to sign Burnley's 34-year-old Republic of Ireland striker Jon Walters on loan until the end of the season. (Northern Echo)

• Read Friday's gossip

• Mourinho has 'contempt' for Conte row

• Neville a candidate for England women role

Crystal Palace's 29-year-old Mali striker Bakary Sako wants to stay at the club, despite his deal running out in the summer. (Croydon Advertiser)

Schalke want to re-sign Chelsea defender Baba Rahman. The 23-year-old Ghana left-back spent the first half of last season on loan at the German club. (Evening Standard)

West Ham are prepared to listen to offers for Mexico striker Javier Hernandez but the 29-year-old is not tempted by a move to new MLS team Los Angeles FC. (Mail)

West Ham boss David Moyes says he has no plans to sell England striker Andy Carroll after the 29-year-old was linked with a move to Chelsea. (Sky Sports)

Birmingham look set to miss out on the signing of 24-year-old Nigeria midfielder Shehu Abdullahi from Cypriot club Anorthosis Famagusta. (Birmingham Mail)

Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard, 27, says he will sign a new contract - and that 25-year-old goalkeeper and fellow Belgium international Thibaut Courtois will also commit to the Blues. (Independent)

Watford are not interested in selling their 18-year-old Colombian winger Juan Camilo Hernandez, who has been impressing on loan at Spanish second-tier club Huesca. (Hertfordshire Mercury)

Paris St-Germain are still keen to sign Nice's 26-year-old Ivory Coast midfielder Jean Seri. (Le Parisien - in French)

Could Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa be on the move this month?

Former Colombia and Newcastle striker Faustino Asprillia believes he would be worth 200m euros (£177m) in the current transfer market. The 48-year-old joined the Magpies for £6.7m from Parma in 1996. (Tuttomercatoweb - in Italian)

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino says the club are not close to making any signings but insists they are "awake" in the January transfer window. (Sky Sports)

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp failed to sign Manchester City winger Leroy Sane, 22, from Schalke while he was manager of Borussia Dortmund. (Guardian)

Bournemouth's 21-year-old English defender Jack Simpson has signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract with the Premier League club. (Bournemouth Echo)

French midfielder Francis Coquelin, 26 has claimed he had to leave Arsenal for the sake of his career and says he already "feels at home" after his £11m transfer to Spanish club Valencia. (Mirror)

Best of Friday's gossip

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will use some of the proceeds from the sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona to fund a move for Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland, 24. (Star)

Leicester winger Riyad Mahrez, 26, is desperate to move to Liverpool. (Express)

Phil Neville has emerged as a candidate to manage the England Women's team. (Telegraph)

Some Manchester United fans are urging manager Jose Mourinho to sign the club's former striker Javier Hernandez, 29, back from West Ham. (Mirror)

Gossip was compiled by Patrick Jennings and Michael Emons.