Football rumours from the media

What the papers say

Mesut Ozil is Arsenal’s top earner on £350,000 per week but he could be leaving the club in January, the Daily Mirror reports. The former Germany international is seemingly not favoured by Gunners manager Unai Emery, so the club are keen to loan him out even if they have to cover part of his wages. The 30-year-old World Cup-winning midfielder has only started one Premier League game this season.

The Sun says Wigan Athletic teenager Joe Gelhardt is being closely watched by Chelsea boss Frank Lampard. The 17-year-old forward is viewed as a possible replacement for Willian if the Brazilian leaves Stamford Bridge. But Lampard will have to compete with the interest of Liverpool and Everton.

Manchester United’s next priority is to recruit a striker and “creative force”, The Daily Telegraph reports. The paper says United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is hopeful that from January, Borussia Dortmund and England winger Jadon Sancho, 19, Leicester City’s James Maddison, 22, and Lyon forward Moussa Dembele, 23, might be able to help the Red Devils address their inability to score goals.

Arsenal boss Emery has been warned against constantly changing his starting line-up, The Sun reports. Former Gunner Emmanuel Petit has written a column in which he praises Emery for wanting a “collective unit”, but says the current system of rotation makes it “difficult for players to operate” and the “demands from the players are huge”.

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Players to watch

William Saliba: The Arsenal defender made his first appearance of the season by coming off the bench for St Etienne in their 1-0 win over Nimes. The on-loan player’s return from injury has excited Arsenal fans, according to football.london, which cites them as saying the 18-year-old could be “the future captain of our club”.

Tahith Chong: The Manchester United midfielder, who has also appeared for Holland Under-21s, is being targeted for a loan deal in January by PSV Eindhoven, according to The Sun.