The top stories and transfer rumours from Friday’s newspapers…
THE INDEPENDENT
Former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards is much admired by Sir Jim Ratcliffe as he ponders appointing a new face to that role at Manchester United once his investment in the club is ratified.
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Sky Sports News’ Kaveh Solhekol says Sir Jim Ratcliffe is edging closer to securing a significant stake in Manchester United, but news is not expected until next week.
DAILY EXPRESS
Manchester United will not let Raphael Varane leave in January on loan but could countenance a permanent departure for a fee between £18m and £26m.
DAILY MAIL
Declan Rice has been elevated into England’s senior leadership group, joining Harry Kane, Harry Maguire and Kyle Walker ahead of Euro 2024 after becoming a key member of Gareth Southgate’s squad.
Burnley manager Vincent Kompany has called on the football authorities to hit aggressive bosses with tougher punishments to deter copycat behaviour on the touchlines.
Lazio boss Maurizio Sarri joked “only if I can smoke” when he was asked about the possibility of taking on a role in Saudi Arabia.
Paris Saint-Germain defender Marquinhos is set to miss next week’s Champions League clash with Newcastle because of a minor hamstring injury.
French rugby referee Mathieu Raynal has called for a crackdown on the abuse of officials or risk the sport heading in the same direction as football.
Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff has been given a formal warning following his X-rated outburst at last weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix when he lashed out after a comment that the cancellation of practice had been a “black eye” for the event.
THE SUN
Questions are being asked by lawyers and experts whether Manchester United and Wolves were investigated at all by the Premier League after being fined for breaching UEFA FFP rules.
Ayden Heaven became the latest Arsenal teenager to be handed a first-team training call when he worked with Mikel Arteta’s squad on Thursday as they prepared to face Brentford.
DAILY MIRROR
Brentford are determined to keep hold of returning striker Ivan Toney in January, a blow to Arsenal and Chelsea as they seek to improve their goalscoring options.
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Sky Sports’ Peter Smith and Lyall Thomas discuss whether Brentford striker Ivan Toney is worth the £100m price tag the club have given him
Mikel Arteta will defend himself against an FA charge on Friday with a growing feeling that Arsenal are being singled out.
METRO
Manchester United face losing another player to the Africa Cup of Nations in January after defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka was approached to play for DR Congo.
THE ATHLETIC
Liverpool are set to be able to use part of the Anfield Road upper tier when they face Manchester United on December 17, adding an extra 6,000 seats available subject to the necessary safety certificate being granted by the local council.
THE TIMES
Premier League referees are being helped by pilots from British Airways to hone the art of communicating under pressure and improve their precision of language.
Blackpool forward Jake Daniels, the only openly gay footballer in British professional football, has hit out at Jordan Henderson over his move to Saudi Arabia, saying it was a “slap in the face” for the LGBTQ+ community.
Two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard has admitted to missing an out of competition doping test in 2019 and says it was “not nice” to have the whereabouts failure on his record.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Manchester City and Liverpool have written to supporters warning against missile throwing and tragedy chanting ahead of the Saturday’s crunch clash in the Premier League.
Saturday 25th November 11:00am
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The Government has expressed its disappointment at the Football Association’s decision to no longer light the Wembley arch for political or social causes.
Wolves have joined Brighton and Eintracht Frankfurt in showing interest in Viktoria Plzen’s £10m-rated striker Rafiu Durosinmi.
Arsenal are planning to offer a new deal to versatile defender Takehiro Tomiyasu to stave off interest from Bayern Munich.
Plans to create a two-tier commercial structure at the top of women’s football in England are back on after Championship clubs agreed to the latest set of proposals.
Max Verstappen has warned he will walk out on Formula 1 if the sport veers too far from its origins and feels it is a “tipping point” between the show and competition.
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With rumours suggesting Lewis Hamilton might have joined Red Bull, Max Verstappen says he wouldn’t have minded if the seven-time world champion was his team-mate
Middlesex are closing on the signing of promising Warwickshire bowler Henry Brookes despite being in such a tough financial position they have scheduled two T20 matches in Chelmsford next summer because of the costs of using a ground other than Lord’s.
DAILY STAR
Steve Bruce says he would not be surprised to see former Manchester United team-mate Roy Keane secure a shock return to Old Trafford some 18 years after his acrimonious exit under Sir Alex Ferguson.
DAILY RECORD
Bologna are preparing to add a striker to their squad in January which could open the door for Celtic to reignite their interest in summer target Sydney van Hooijdonk.
St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson remains hopeful of persuading star players Keanu Baccus and Ryan Strain to extend their contracts with the Paisley club.
Jair Tavares has revealed the mental strain he was under after being frozen out of the Hibs squad by former boss Lee Johnson and vowed to repay Nick Montgomery for handing him a lifeline.