Arguably the most in-demand teenager in world football, Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham reportedly has Real Madrid as his preferred destination.
Bellingham, who only turned 19 in June, has already racked up 68 Bundesliga appearances and 18 Champions League games since arriving from Birmingham City ahead of the 2020-21 season. He has scored in both of his Champions League games this campaign, including one against Manchester City.
While he has already been awarded 15 senior international caps for England, and is preparing for his first World Cup, Spain's El Chiringuito TV has made the shocking claim that Bellingham will shun the Premier League altogether and head to Madrid.
TOP STORY – SPANISH MEDIA BELIEVES BELLINGHAM HAS CHOSEN REAL MADRID
It has been strongly suggested this will be Bellingham's last season with Dortmund, with Liverpool being consistently linked through this past transfer window, and even querying to see if he would be available in January.
His status as one of England's top teenagers has guaranteed the interest of all of the Premier League's top sides, although a report from The Athletic UK claims Dortmund will hold firm at an asking price of €150million, leaving few with the capabilities to get a deal done.
One team guaranteed to have the required spending power are Spanish giants Madrid, and while his popularity in England is already locked in due to his international status, it might be a case of believing his best chance of becoming a truly transcendent star in the game is to do it at one of the traditional powerhouse clubs.
With that being said, Liverpool have been proactive in their chase of Bellingham, and both they and Manchester City boast the necessary level of worldwide fame, recent success and deep pockets to convince any budding superstar that they are the right choice.
ROUND-UP
– Sport is reporting Barcelona's Sergio Busquets will head to MLS and join Inter Miami at the end of the season.
– According to Calciomercato, Milan will make a move for Salzburg striker Noah Okafor in January as their forward depth has been impacted through injuries.
– Sports Today claims Juventus have been in contact with Tottenham's Antonio Conte as they weigh up potentially parting ways with Massimiliano Allegri, with Conte said to be open to the idea after this season.
– Arsenal are being linked with 24-year-old Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli, who has reportedly not impressed Allegri since arriving from Sassuolo, according to Calciomercato.
– L'Equipe is reporting that Ousmane Dembele – who was signed for a base fee of €105m in 2017 – has a €50m release clause in his new contract that will be active at the end of the season, with Dembele set to receive half of that €50m if a deal gets done to compensate him for accepting no signing bonus.
Nagelsmann: Football must take inspiration from NBA, NFL over schedule
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann says football's decision-makers must introduce longer breaks between competitions, with players threatening to strike over the packed schedule.
Debates over fixture congestion at the elite level have intensified in recent months, with FIFA's decision to organise an expanded Club World Cup a particularly thorny issue.
The inaugural 32-team tournament – which will be held in the United States at the end of the club season – will add another seven matches to some teams' fixture lists, while UEFA has also added two extra matches to the first phase of the Champions League.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri recently talked up the prospect of players taking strike action over a lack of rest time, but Nagelsmann does not envisage the number of games being reduced.
Speaking ahead of Friday's Nations League clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Germany boss called on organisers to look to American sports for inspiration when it comes to recovery times.
"I have often said that I won't complain about the calendar. A lot of matches are financing this sport," Nagelsmann said at his pre-match press conference.
"You have to have a healthy balance. I don't think there will be fewer games in the future.
"There will be more matches and we should be talking about how to structure the breaks [between competitions]."
Pointing to the way the NBA and NFL manage player workloads, he added: "NBA players play 85 games or so but then have a long break.
"The NFL has a long break. We don't have that in football. The players just don't get any break."
Szczesny refuses to quit smoking after joining Barcelona
Experienced goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has said that he will not quit smoking despite having gone back on his decision to retire from football to join Barcelona.
With Marc-Andre ter Stegen having suffered a serious knee injury last month, which will keep him out for a long period of time, Szczesny was persuaded to get back into football having left Juventus in August.
But the goalkeeper is of the opinion that what he does off the pitch in his personal life should be of no interest to anyone.
"There are things that I don't change in my personal life," said Szczesny in an interview with Mundo Deportivo.
"It's nobody's business if I smoke. I believe it doesn't affect what I do on the pitch, I work twice as hard."
Szczesny did admit that, while he has no intention of stopping, there are certain boundaries he puts in place.
"I don't do it in front of kids because I don't want to have a bad influence on them," he said.
Despite that, he went on to make it clear that he won't be put off by people trying to catch him out with it.
"Sometimes somebody will take a photo from the trees where I have a cigarette, that's on them, not on me.
"If somebody thinks that I will change the way I am in my personal life they can think again because I am who I am. I've been this way my whole life."
Alisson set to miss at least seven Liverpool games with hamstring injury
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson is expected to be out for at least seven games after sustaining a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace.
The Brazilian went off in the 79th minute of Liverpool's 1-0 victory at Selhurst Park on Saturday and, according to widespread reports, is likely to be sidelined until at least the November international break.
Alisson was replaced by Premier League debutant Vitezslav Jaros against Palace as Caoimhin Kelleher missed that game through illness.
Kelleher deputised earlier in the season when Alisson was sidelined by a different hamstring injury, and is set to do so again, having recovered to join up with the Republic of Ireland national team.
Alisson also immediately pulled out of Brazil's squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers before having his scans.
"Alisson is our clear No. 1, the best goalkeeper in the world, so it's a blow when he gets injured for himself and the team," Slot said after the match on Saturday.
"We have a second option that's already good. Caoimhin has already shown that, which is why Caoimhin is the No. 2, and the last time Alisson was injured, I played Caoimhin."
The Reds have made a flying start to the season, winning nine of their 10 matches in all competitions.
However, they will likely have to navigate Premier League matches against Chelsea, Arsenal, Brighton, who they also face in the EFL Cup, and Aston Villa without their usual number one, as well as Champions League meetings with RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen.
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