TRANSFER GOSSIP: Man City join Liverpool and Bayern Munich in the race to land £60m Fulham star Joao Palhinha, Mikel Arteta lines up alternative option to Ivan Toney… and AC Milan eye Aston Villa defender

• Pep Guardiola is eager to freshen up Manchester City’s options across midfield 
• Joao Palhinha was pursued by a number of top clubs in the summer window 
• ‘There’s no bigger waste of time!’ What is the point of the Club World Cup? It’s All Kicking Off

The January transfer window is fast approaching and both club executives and player agents are now jockeying in preparation for a month of back-and-forth negotiations.  

Some teams are seeking additional firepower in attack to get them over the line – whether that is winning a title or staying up – while others are looking to become more solid with defensive and midfield reinforcements. 

More dropped points on Saturday by Manchester City, following a 2-2 draw at home with Crystal Palace, will have Pep Guardiola scratching his head at what his side is missing in their title defence.

While Arsenal, perhaps their greatest challenger to their crown, know they need a new No 9 in January to ensure they have a steady flow of goals between now and May. 

Here, Mail Sport takes a look at the transfer rumours gathering momentum on Sunday morning… 

Joao Palhinha is set to once again be a man in demand, with Man City now pursuing him

Doubts over the long-term suitability of Kalvin Phillips (right) have City seeking reinforcements

Your browser does not support iframes.

Manchester City will join Liverpool and Bayern Munich in the race to land £60m Joao Palhinha, with Kalvin Phillips heading towards an exit at the Etihad Stadium (The Sun)

Arsenal are lining up a move for Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke as an alternative to No 1 transfer target Ivan Toney (Daily Star)

Juventus have joined the race for hot prospect Jobe Bellingham, with the Italian giants ready to go toe-to-toe with Liverpool and Real Madrid to get him (Tuttosport) 

Fabio Carvalho is open to a return to Fulham should Liverpool be able to recall the 21-year-old from his loan spell at RB Leipzig (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea and Manchester City have declared interest in River Plate’s 17-year-old Argentine midfielder Claudio Echeverri, who is also being pursued by Barcelona (Daily Mirror)

Meanwhile, Arsenal are said to be targeting a move for Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth

Fulham are open to the prospect of taking Fabio Carvalho (left) back if Liverpool recall his loan

AC Milan are said to be monitoring the situation of Clement Lenglet (left) at Aston Villa

IT’S ALL KICKING OFF! 

It’s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football, launching with a preview show today and every week this season.

It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube , Apple Music and Spotify

Your browser does not support iframes.

Saudi Pro League are not giving up on Kylian Mbappe… with director of football Michael Emenalo leaving the door open for a mega move for the PSG star as early as January (AS) 

AC Milan have asked Barcelona for information about 28-year-old France centre back Clement Lenglet’s situation at Aston Villa (CaughtOffside) 

Barcelona are scouting Djurgarden’s 17-year-old Swedish wonderkid Lucas Bergvall (Football Transfers)

Source: Read Full Article