Cristiano Ronaldo remains in limbo at Manchester United after being exiled after exiting their 2-0 win over Tottenham prematurely last week.

Ronaldo and United manager Erik ten Hag were set for talks before a decision was made on letting him return to first-team training and be considered to play.

The 37-year-old Portuguese apologised for the incident on social media, but the situation appears delicate after an off-season where Ronaldo chased a move away from United.

TOP STORY – TEN HAG WILLING TO LET RONALDO GO IN JANUARY

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is willing to let Cristiano Ronaldo leave in January, reports The Mirror.

The Dutchman has publicly said Ronaldo is wanted at Old Trafford, but is ready to allow him to move on should an appropriate suitor be found, amid fresh links with Chelsea via Sunday World.

Ronaldo had pushed for an off-season move to a Champions League club but was unable to find a home, while he rejected a lucrative offer from an unnamed Saudi Arabian club.

ROUND-UP

– Le10Sport claims that Paris Saint-Germain are open to renewal talks with veteran Spanish defender Sergio Ramos ,   who is out of contract at the end of this season.

– Chelsea are eager to sign Inter right-back Denzel Dumfries amid interest from Juventus , claims Calciomercato.

– Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are both weighing up making an offer to sign Juve midfielder Adrien Rabiot , Calciomercato also reports.

– Arsenal 's interest in Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan Ndicka has cooled, according to the Express. West Ham are also interested in the Frenchman.

Lautaro Martinez dismissed speculation over a move to Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain, stating he hopes to "become a legend" at Inter.

Chelsea, Bayern and PSG are among a host of Europe's elite clubs that have repeatedly been linked to the forward, who will aim for World Cup glory with Argentina in November.

Julian Nagelsmann's side remain on the hunt for a like-for-like replacement for Robert Lewandowski, while Martinez's Argentina team-mate Lionel Messi could draw the Inter star to the French capital.

However, Martinez refuted reports of a move away from San Siro as he outlined his long-term ambitions with Inter.

"I'm fine, I'm happy here," Martinez told Rai Sport. "I hope I can become a legend, I have a contract here and I only think about Inter. 

"There are many goals from now on and we hope to continue like this."

Martinez scored 21 goals in 35 Serie A appearances as Inter finished second to rivals Milan last season, though he endured a lean spell in front of goal at the start of this campaign.

The 25-year-old failed to find the net in five straight league games but ended that poor form with a strike against Sassuolo on Wednesday, before a brace and an assist against Fiorentina on Saturday.

A dramatic 4-3 victory over Fiorentina – courtesy of Henrikh Mkhitaryan's fortuitous winner – lifted Inter to seventh in Serie A, but the Nerazzurri still sit five points behind leaders Napoli, who have a game in hand.

The Frenkie de Jong transfer rumour mill is heating up once again as we get closer to January, with Chelsea and Liverpool reportedly set to join Manchester United in the pursuit of the Barcelona midfielder.

De Jong, 25, was one of the most ubiquitous names in the most recent transfer window, with United and Barcelona in regular communication as Erik ten Hag tried to recruit his former Ajax pupil.

After deciding to remain at Camp Nou, despite the LaLiga club urging him to leave to help ease their finances, De Jong has started six out of 14 matches for the Blaugrana so far this season.

With their Champions League campaign looking headed for an early exit, and more playing time likely on the table in the Premier League, it may seem more palatable for the Dutch international to make the jump in January.

TOP STORY – PREMIER LEAGUE GIANTS PREPARE BIDS FOR BARCELONA'S DE JONG

Barcelona and United agreed on a deal starting at €65million plus add-ons before De Jong decided to veto the move by refusing to sign a contract with the Old Trafford side.

With his contract still tying him to Barcelona until 2026, there is no reason to believe that figure would dip unless the Catalan outfit are desperate to get a deal done.

ESPN's report claims Chelsea have had their interest spurred by the injury status of N'Golo Kante, who will apparently miss around four months after undergoing surgery on his hamstring, while Liverpool have made no secret about their desire for midfield reinforcements, and are said to have contacted De Jong's representatives.

ROUND-UP

– According to Football Italia, Juventus will be willing to sell 24-year-old American midfielder Weston McKennie for €20m in January.   

– The Evening Standard is reporting Arsenal are interested in 23-year-old Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back Evan Ndicka, with the French international set to become a free agent at the end of the season.

– Wilfried Zaha is likely to reject a new contract from Crystal Palace so he can join a top-six Premier League side when his deal expires at the end of the season, per the Daily Mail.

– Football Insider claims 17-year-old Borussia Dortmund forward Youssoufa Moukoko has caught the eye of the world's elite clubs, with interest coming from Real Madrid, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool.

– Le 10 Sport is reporting Inter view Sevilla centre-back Tanguy Nianzou and Valencia's Mouctar Diakhaby as potential replacements for Milan Skriniar, with the Slovakian expected to leave in January.

Neymar hailed the "deserved" choice of Karim Benzema as Ballon d'Or winner, after the Real Madrid star claimed the prestigious honour for the first time on Monday.

But the Paris Saint-Germain attacker criticised the eighth-place finish for Benzema's Madrid team-mate Vinicius Junior, with the Brazil international declaring his fellow Selecao star should have finished in the top three at a "minimum".

Benzema was crowned the world's greatest player for the 2021-22 season at a ceremony earlier this week, succeeding Neymar's PSG club-mate Lionel Messi while beating out Bayern Munich's Sadio Mane to top spot.

It came after a campaign that saw him lead Carlo Ancelotti's side to success in LaLiga and the Champions League, scoring 44 goals and adding 15 assists.

Neymar, who was not nominated this year, took to social media a day after the presentation to hail Benzema's victory, but added that Vinicius, another key Madrid star last term, deserved greater recognition.

"Benzema deserved [it - he's the] crack!" the attacker wrote on Twitter. "Now, for Vini Jr to be eighth - it's not possible! Minimum top three!"

After arguably the toughest domestic season of his career to date last term, Neymar looks to be back to his best this season, with nine goals and seven assists in Ligue 1 so far.

Benzema meanwhile has struggled with fitness issues, restricting the 34-year-old to just four goals and one assist in LaLiga.

Florentino Perez says it is "out of the question" for Real Madrid to sign Kylian Mbappe in January, but did not rule out a move for the forward further down the line.

It was reported last week that Mbappe wants to leave Paris Saint-Germain as he feels "betrayed" by the club only five months after signing a new three-year deal.

The France international had been strongly linked with a move to Madrid as a free agent at the end of last season after his contract expired, but instead opted to stay with the Ligue 1 champions.

Mbappe has rubbished reports he wants to make a PSG exit and Madrid president Perez says the European champions are not planning to make a bid for the 23-year-old.

He told El Larguero: "It's not that I'm bored about Mbappe, it's that I don't even read it. We already had a good summer, so that's out of the question.

"You can't know anything about the future, but the Real Madrid players are progressing spectacularly in the forward areas. Rodrygo and Vinicius [Junior] still have a lifetime to prosper. I see them both as Ballon d'Or [winners]."

Perez added: "Real Madrid only looks at the players it has and we are delighted with them. We are not doing badly with the number of young players we have. We have a very promising future."

The Madrid supremo hailed Karim Benzema after the Los Blancos captain won the Ballon d'Or for the first time on Monday.

He said: "I'm happy because at last he deserves to be the best player in the world. He has been the best for three or four years.

"He is a nine who is a mixture of Ronaldo Nazario and Zinedine Zidane. He is a nine who does these two jobs at the same time. He moves forward like Zidane did and shoots on goal like Ronaldo Nazario did."

Cristiano Ronaldo finished in 20th place in the Ballon d'Or voting as he headlined an array of stars to fall short of 2022 winner Karim Benzema.

Ronaldo, Benzema's former Real Madrid team-mate, was nominated following a strong season with Manchester United, but he could not come close to adding a sixth Ballon d'Or.

The United forward instead fell to his lowest finish since he last came 20th in 2005, then tied with Liverpool's Champions League winner Jamie Carragher.

Great rival Lionel Messi did not even earn a nomination after his first year at Paris Saint-Germain.

Some of the biggest names of the future came rather closer to troubling Karim Benzema, with Kylian Mbappe sixth and Erling Haaland 10th.

But neither made the final four, where Robert Lewandowski's world-leading 57-goal season for club and country was only enough for fourth place.

Ahead of him, Kevin De Bruyne was in third, with Sadio Mane second, perhaps showing what might have been for the ex-Liverpool forward had the Reds, not Madrid, won the Champions League final.

With Ronaldo 20th and Messi absent, the highest-ranking former Ballon d'Or winner was 2018's Luka Modric, one of Benzema's existing Madrid colleagues.

Modric came ninth, the lowest of four Madrid players in the top 10, as Champions League final winner Vinicius Junior was eighth and Yashin Trophy recipient Thibaut Courtois seventh.

2022 Ballon d'Or:

1. Karim Benzema
2. Sadio Mane
3. Kevin De Bruyne
4. Robert Lewandowski
5. Mohamed Salah
6. Kylian Mbappe
7. Thibaut Courtois
8. Vinicius Junior
9. Luka Modric
10. Erling Haaland
11. Son Heung-min
12. Riyad Mahrez
13. Sebastien Haller
14. Fabinho
14. Rafael Leao
16. Virgil van Dijk
17. Casemiro
17. Dusan Vlahovic
17. Luis Diaz
20. Cristiano Ronaldo
21. Harry Kane
22. Trent Alexander-Arnold
22. Phil Foden
22. Bernardo Silva
25. Joshua Kimmich
25. Mike Maignan
25. Antonio Rudiger
25. Joao Cancelo
25. Christopher Nkunku
25. Darwin Nunez

Kylian Mbappe has described reports he wants to leave Paris Saint-Germain in January as "completely wrong".

Mbappe, who played in PSG's 1-0 Ligue 1 win over Marseille on Sunday, was said to have felt betrayed by the club hierarchy.

The World Cup-winning 23-year-old signed a new contract in May, after months of uncertainty, but he was reported to have become unsettled once more after a failure to meet his demands both tactically and in recruitment.

PSG football advisor Luis Campos emphatically denied those reports by claiming Mbappe had not informed the club of such intentions, while head coach Galtier also expressed confusion over the speculation.

The France international has now had his say on the reports, which surfaced just before PSG's Champions League match against Benfica on Tuesday, and is adamant they are not true.

"I'm very happy, I never asked to leave in January," he said, speaking to French media. "The info came out on the day of the match, I didn't understand. I'm not even remotely involved in this news. I was just as shocked as everyone else.

"People may think I'm involved, but I'm not involved at all, I was taking a nap. My entourage was at my little brother's game, all the people who take care of me weren't there, so we were flabbergasted when we found out.

"Afterwards, we had to deal with it, there was a game to play. Just to say it's completely wrong, and I'm very happy."

Mbappe had been a target for Real Madrid before agreeing to prolong his stay in Paris.

He said: "I am a football player, the most important thing for me is to play and give my best on the pitch. If I start spreading myself too thin, I will get tired very quickly.

"When you play at PSG, you know what you're getting into, what it's going to involve in the good and in the bad. You have to be ready.

"Those who come here know, we warn them. We're right in it at the moment, but we are focused on winning games and titles."

Mbappe has started the season in prolific form in front of goal, scoring 12 goals in 14 games across all competitions for the French champions.

Christophe Galtier and Marco Verratti insisted there are no problems in the Paris Saint-Germain dressing room, after fresh speculation linked Kylian Mbappe with a move away from the Ligue 1 giants.

Despite signing a new contract with PSG in May, newspaper claims from Spain in the past week suggested Mbappe wanted to get away from the Parc des Princes.

The France international, who has appeared far from content at times this season, denied after Sunday's 1-0 win over Marseille that he has asked to leave, and said he was in fact "very happy" in Paris.

Mbappe played the full 90 minutes of the Marseille game.

Head coach Galtier, who fumed at reporters on Friday after rumours of unrest within the squad, insisted the situation was under control.

"What's going on with Kylian? I said at a press conference that I was very honest, and I am very honest, even if some people make me look like I am not," the head coach told Amazon Prime Video.

"Nothing happens with Kylian. Obviously, I heard Kylian and heard not his discomfort, but the fact of really being in his preferred position, and that's also why we looked for a different system.

"But believe me that everything is going well in the dressing room. I have players who have a big character and strong personalities, but who are very great professionals."

Midfielder Verratti concurred with the PSG boss that there was no unrest in the ranks, after the reigning Ligue 1 champions ended a run of three successive draws across all competitions thanks to Neymar's strike in first-half stoppage time.

"Everything's fine," said Italy international Verratti, who became the first outfield player to appear 20 times in the Classique – a tally only bettered overall by former Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda (30).

"Sometimes in Paris, a small thing passes for a big thing, but we are used to it. We do a little abstraction, we try to be focused on the field. We play every three days, we don't have time to think about these things.

"We knew it would be a battle [against Marseille]. It was a tough game, which comes after three draws; it was a game to win absolutely.

"We could also score a second goal. We had chances, and it would have been important not to suffer until the last minute. We managed to win, we are happy."

Neymar's ninth goal of the season moved Paris Saint-Germain three points clear at the Ligue 1 summit following a 1-0 victory over 10-man Marseille.

The Brazil international's strike in first-half stoppage time was enough to settle the Classique as PSG registered 23 shots on goal in a deserved triumph at Parc des Princes.

Marseille had Samuel Gigot sent off for a dangerous challenge on Neymar as the visitors suffered their first away defeat of the season.

Meanwhile, Christophe Galtier's side stretched their unbeaten league run to 20 matches – their longest streak in the French top flight since going 21 games without defeat between May 2018 and January 2019.

Marseille had Pau Lopez to thank for keeping PSG at bay early in the first half as he denied Lionel Messi twice inside the opening four minutes, while also blocking Achraf Hakimi after Kylian Mbappe picked out the full-back less than 60 seconds later.

Lopez then demonstrated wonderful reflexes to tip over Mbappe's deflected 25-yard effort, before Messi's fierce free-kick rattled the crossbar.

But the hosts broke the deadlock just before the break. Marco Verratti robbed Amine Harit of possession before Vitinha and Mbappe combined to set up Neymar, whose first-time shot went in off the post.

Marseille came close to equalising early in the second half, with Jonathan Clauss latching onto Alexis Sanchez’s lofted throughball before drawing smart reflexes out of Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Verratti and Mbappe almost doubled the lead at the other end, but the visitors' hopes of salvaging a point were effectively dashed 18 minutes from time when Gigot was shown a straight red card for rashly taking out Neymar.

Messi was marginally off target with an attempted dink from Mbappe's throughball later on, but PSG held out to pull clear at the top of Ligue 1. 

Frenkie de Jong's future at Barcelona remains up in the air after a drawn-out saga ahead of the season.

The Dutch midfielder had interest from Barcelona but wanted to stay at Camp Nou.

However, De Jong's opportunities have been limited this season, perhaps encouraging further bids.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL MOVE IN FOR BARCELONA'S DE JONG

Liverpool have entered the race to sign the unsettled De Jong from Barcelona, claims SPORT.

De Jong resisted interest in from United with a strong desire to play Champions League football, which Jurgen Klopp's side can offer.

Liverpool midfielders Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner are all out of contract at the end of this season, when Arthur's loan will also expire, so the club are assessing their options.

The domestic struggles of the Reds could precipitate January transfer activity, given their need for midfield reinforcements.

ROUND-UP

– Liverpool may try to hijack Chelsea 's move for RB Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku, claims The Sun. The Reds sent scouts to watch the French forward against Celtic in the Champions League in midweek but fear Chelsea are well down the line with Nkunku, and they have missed the boat.

– Talks between Everton and Chelsea target Anthony Gordon on a contract extension have stalled, according to The Sun. Gordon reportedly wants approximately £100,000 per week.

– Manchester United have reached out to Lautaro Martinez's agent about the Inter forward's availability, claims Gazzetta dello Sport. Martinez is contracted until 2026, while Barcelona are also interested.

– United have joined Chelsea and Manchester City in having an active interest in Milan's Portuguese attacker Rafael Leao, claims The Mirror. United sent scouts to watch him against Chelsea in the Champions League.

– Chelsea are interested in Napoli's Slovakia international Stanislav Lobotka, reports Calciomercato. Napoli and the midfielder are close to sealing a new deal.

– Newcastle United have commenced discussions with the agent of Vasco da Gama midfielder Andrey Santos, reports Torcedores. Barcelona are also interested in the Brazilian, who has a release clause of £34.6million (€40m).

Edinson Cavani grabbed his first goals for Valencia in a 2-2 draw with Elche on Saturday, and joined an elite group of South American stars in the process.

The 35-year-old Uruguay striker netted a 41st-minute penalty followed by a stoppage-time header for a quickfire double late in the first half of the LaLiga game at Mestalla.

It gave Valencia a 2-1 lead, but they were pegged back by Pere Milla's second goal of the game midway through the second half.

Cavani became the fifth South American player in the 21st century to score in four of the top five European leagues, Opta stated.

He followed Alexis Sanchez, James Rodríguez, Philippe Coutinho and Angel Di Maria into that exclusive club.

Cavani has netted in Serie A for Palermo and Napoli, in Ligue 1 for Paris Saint-Germain, where he is the club's record scorer, and in the Premier League for Manchester United. He has not yet played in the Bundesliga.

The goals against Elche came in Cavani's fourth game for Valencia, having joined the club in August after his United contract expired.

This might be the perfect time to play Paris Saint-Germain, or it could be the worst possible time to face them.

It's been a chaotic week for the Ligue 1 champions, with rumours of in-fighting, betrayal, and possible walkouts.

Kylian Mbappe apparently wants out, and that in turn led to speculation about the possibility of football consultant Luis Campos and head coach Christophe Galtier departing as well.

Everyone remains for the time being and they must all now turn their attention to Sunday's game, Le Classique.

Victory for Marseille will move them level on 26 points with PSG – victory for the Parisians at the Parc des Princes will likely have many already declaring them champions again even after just 11 games.

A rival emerging?

Throughout Qatar Sports Investments' (QSI) ownership of PSG, genuine title rivals have been few and far between.

Marseille certainly can't claim to be so competitive yet, though there's clearly some cause for optimism.

After all, this will be the third successive Classique that has been contested by sides in the top three, which is as many as in their previous 13 meetings.

That may not mean a huge amount in isolation and even Marseille's second-placed finish last term saw them 15 points adrift of PSG, but Igor Tudor's men do appear to be making progress, with 23 points after 10 games their third-best start in the top flight.

A shock win in the capital on Sunday might force a few people to sit up and take note.

Classique, c'est bleak

Any Marseille optimism is likely to be tempered by the recent history of this fixture, however.

PSG have only lost one of their previous 25 games against Marseille across all competitions, a 1-0 Ligue 1 defeat in September 2020.

In fact, PSG's nine wins from 11 home meetings with OM since the QSI takeover in 2011-12 is their joint-most against a single opponent.

To make matters worse for Marseille, PSG haven't lost any of their past 19 Ligue 1 games – which is their longest such run since 21 between May 2018 and January 2019 – and are unbeaten at home in 26 top-flight matches.

But, as the saying goes; the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Right?

Verratti closes on landmark

Marco Verratti is one of the players who is most synonymous with this ultra-successful era of PSG given he arrived in 2012.

He is now set to make Classique history as he will be the first outfield player to make 20 appearances in the famous fixture.

In fact, only one player has ever made more appearances in Le Classique; former Marseille favourite Steve Mandanda.

Marquinhos isn't too far behind the Italian, though, and unlike Verratti, the Brazil defender has remarkably never lost to Marseille in Ligue 1.

That's a run of 15 games without defeat – only three players have ever played more Ligue 1 games against one team without losing. Jean-Paul Bertrand Demanes (21 versus Laval for Nantes) holds that particular record.

Galtier's point to prove

The off-field circus of this week has undoubtedly had its toll on Galtier, with the PSG embarking on a bit of a rant during Friday's pre-match news conference.

Former Nice coach Galtier fumed about questions relating to off-pitch matters, barking that he just wanted to concentrate on football.

Clearly, then, Galtier will be more motivated than anyone to get a positive result and ensure the focus is on football again after Sunday – though he'll need to put a poor run behind him if he's to do so.

Galtier has only won four of 25 games against Marseille as a coach, giving him a measly win percentage of 16.

Only against Auxerre (no wins from five games) has he a poorer record.

Christophe Galtier angrily articulated his frustration about the latest Kylian Mbappe transfer speculation as the Paris Saint-Germain boss questioned why his point of view is never believed.

In his first season with PSG, Galtier has had to cope with reports and rumours of unrest within his squad, and this week saw newspaper claims from Spain that Mbappe is once again thinking about a future away from Paris.

That seemed improbable when the France striker signed a new contract in May, having been urged to do so by no less an authority than France's president, Emmanuel Macron.

The 23-year-old turned his back on a possible free transfer to Real Madrid, but he has at times appeared unhappy this season, and now there are suggestions he would welcome a move away from PSG as soon as January.

Galtier has already scoffed at such talk, and he has claimed Mbappe's focus is where it should be, on delivering results for the French champions.

Those results have tailed off at an unfortunate time, with a pair of Champions League draws against Benfica coming either side of a 0-0 stalemate with Ligue 1 strugglers Reims.

Ahead of Sunday's Classique against Marseille, Galtier was asked how he coped with the incessant news cycle, the focus on the team, and situations such as that with Mbappe.

"You have to have experience and be a certain age to be able to manage these things," he said, before launching into a tirade about media coverage.

"What I'd like to say is you never speak about football. You ask me lots of questions. I'm not talking about you individually, but you, the media.

"I've been here many times as the Paris Saint-Germain coach and I have a feeling that match after match, press conference after press conference, we have to speak for 10 or 15 minutes and for maybe one minute about football. It is topics away from football.

"Whatever I say to you, you don't believe me, because you write the opposite and you say the opposite. Whether it is the written press, the radio, television, you say the opposite of what I say.

"So when I say that this [player] is well, they get on well, they are serious, they are professional, they have solidarity, it interests nobody. Other things are written.

"I am not here to comment on rumours. To answer your question about Kylian Mbappe, there is a rumour that came out before the game [against Benfica on Tuesday]. He had the best answer. He was named man of the match. He played well, he put in a great performance and showed solidarity.

"As for what is happening away from that, you have the right to talk about other things, but when you ask me questions I answer honestly. I have lots of faults, but I am very honest. When I say it, it is true. But when I say those things, nothing is written in the press, and you often see the opposite anyway.

"So to answer about Kylian Mbappe, have I spoken to him regarding the rumour, no.

"I am very proud to be the coach of Paris Saint-Germain and to be in charge of these players. Please, write that and let's talk about football."

Talking about football does not always make for comfortable reading either. Galtier has won just four of his 25 encounters as a coach against Marseille in Ligue 1 (D10 L11), a 16 per cent win-rate, and he only has a worse such ratio against Auxerre (D4 L1 in 5 games).

Previous clashes have been during his time in charge of Saint-Etienne, Lille and Nice, however.

As PSG boss, the expectations are different, and the leaders will be expected to get the better of a side who sit third heading into the weekend.

Galtier said PSG have been in a "very intense" spell of games, but he recognised the same applies for Marseille, who are also involved in the Champions League.

Sergio Ramos misses out through suspension this week after his red card against Reims, but Lionel Messi should be back from a calf injury.

Messi trained on Friday and barring any problems on Saturday he will be in Galtier's squad.

"It's the match that everyone looks forward to in the French league," said Galtier. "When I wasn't the Paris Saint-Germain coach, I was always excited to watch it. It is the Classique. Everybody is excited about it."

Galtier, who hails from Marseille, was adamant the vibe in the PSG dressing room is one of unity rather than division.

"Of course we don't all kiss each other every day, but things are going much better than elsewhere," he said.

"It is going much better than you might write or imagine. Kylian Mbappe is doing very well."

Real Madrid had a drawn-out pursuit of Kylian Mbappe earlier this year but ultimately missed out on the France forward.

Mbappe opted to sign a lucrative contract extension with Paris Saint-Germain in May, tying him to the Parisians until 2025.

But earlier this week, Fabrizio Romano reported the situation between PSG and Mbappe had got tense, with the player keen to depart.

TOP STORY – MADRID MOVE ON FROM MBAPPE AMID TRANSFER TWIST

Marca claims that Real Madrid are no longer have interest in signing Mbappe amid reports that he is unsettled at PSG and wants to leave.

The report claims that Los Blancos are observing the situation from afar with no desire to participate in the latest drama.

Romano also said PSG had no intention of selling Mbappe in January amid the speculation he wanted out. PSG director Luis Campos denied the report on Tuesday.

ROUND-UP

– Bayern Munich will turn to Borussia Monchengladbach forward Marcus Thuram should they fail to land Tottenham's Harry Kane , reports TZ. Thuram's Gladbach deal ends at the end of this season.

– Sky Sport's Florian Plettenberg reports that Toni Kroos and Real Madrid are set to commence talks on a new deal running until 2024, with his currently deal expiring at season's end.

– Barcelona will try to lure Chelsea pair N'Golo Kante and Jorginho to Camp Nou as free agents at the end of this season, claims the Evening Standard. The Blues are currently trying to convince both to re-sign.

– 90min claims Manchester City have told Bayern Munich and Inter that defender Nathan Ake is not for sale in January, following speculation about their interest.

– West Ham have joined Roma and Manchester United in pursuing a deal for Sassuolo midfielder Davide Frattesi, according to Calciomercato.

– Football Insider reports Brentford have commenced discussions with England international striker Ivan Toney on a new deal, with Tottenham linked to him.

Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo says the club have "no interest" in a move for Kylian Mbappe amid reports the World Cup-winning forward wants to leave Paris Saint-Germain.

Europe's top clubs have been put on alert by reports Mbappe is seeking a PSG exit just five months after he penned a bumper three-year contract extension with the club.

Mbappe is reportedly unhappy with his role in Christophe Galtier's team, while it has also been suggested he feels the club have broken promises they made when he signed his new deal.

But the France international will not find an exit route in Atletico, with Cerezo stating on Tuesday: "We have no interest in him, even if he'd have a place in every team."

Meanwhile, despite Atletico struggling to compete with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid, Cerezo moved to defend head coach Diego Simeone, saying: "God willing, Cholo will be our coach for a long time." 

With Atletico six points off the pace in LaLiga and struggling to evolve their style of play under Simeone, some have questioned the position of the long-serving Colchoneros boss.

Cerezo, however, remains steadfast in his support of Simeone, adding: "All seasons are not the same, he has had 10 magnificent seasons and he will finish this one magnificently well. 

"I do not see the end of his stage. The confidence he has from the team and from us is enough for him to not think he has to go because journalists say so. God willing, Cholo will be our coach for a long time."

Cerezo was also asked about Joao Felix, who has yet to score in eight league appearances for Atletico this season, and reaffirmed his belief the Portugal international would soon show his quality.

"He's a terrific player and he has yet to really show what he is, but in time he will show it," Cerezo said. "We don't fear anything, he's an Atletico player, a magnificent player with a very long contract. 

"We're delighted with him, and we have to keep in mind that there are people who adapt right away and others who take longer, but I think he'll succeed here with the quality he has."