
Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea are monitoring Freiburg striker Igor Matanovic; Juventus seek Liverpool defender Giovanni Leoni to increase Italian players; Newcastle may sell Joe Willock in January as his contract expires; Tottenham will not sell Micky van de Ven despite Liverpool interest; AC Milan consider Brighton's Yasin Ayari as Modric replacement; Brighton and Bournemouth scout Colombian defender Neider Parra in Medellin; Brighton CEO Paul Barber has contingency plans for top player departures; Brentford goalkeeper Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson may leave if first-team opportunities remain limited; Roma want to sign Brazil striker Endrick on loan from Real Madrid in January for more game time.
AI-generated summary
The January transfer window is approaching, prompting clubs to assess squad needs and player availability across European leagues.
Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea are on a growing list of clubs checking on Freiburg's Croatian striker Igor Matanovic, 23. (Caughtoffside), external
Juventus want Liverpool defender Giovanni Leoni, 19, as the Serie A side look to bolster the number of Italian players in their squad. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external
Newcastle United are open to letting Joe Willock, 27, leave in the January transfer window, with his contract due to run out in the summer and the English midfielder yet to open negotiations over a new deal. (Football Insider), external
Tottenham have no plans to sell defender Micky van de Ven, 25, as Liverpool prepare to move for the Netherlands international next year. (Football Insider), external
AC Milan are considering a move for Brighton's Sweden midfielder Yasin Ayari, 22, as a possible replacement for Luka Modric, should the 41-year-old Croatia international choose to retire. (Tuttosport via Football Italia), external
Brighton and Bournemouth sent scouts to Medellin to watch 21-year-old Colombian centre-back Neider Parra who plays in his homeland for Atletico Nacional. (El Deportivo - in Spanish), external
Brighton chief executive Paul Barber has plans in place if the team's top performers are targeted by bigger clubs. (Sky Sports), external
Brentford's Icelandic goalkeeper Hakon Rafn Valdimarsson, 24, would consider leaving the club in the future if first-team opportunities continue to be limited. (RUV - in Icelandic), external
Roma want to sign Brazil striker Endrick on loan from Real Madrid in January, with the 20-year-old keen on the move to the Serie A club to get more game time. (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian), external
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Newcastle United will allow Joe Willock to leave in the January transfer window
Likely · Within weeks
Roma will sign Endrick on loan from Real Madrid in January
Possible · Within weeks

Bruno Fernands, who took over the captaincy in place of Cristiano Ronaldo, who left the Portuguese national team, expressed concern about division in the national team, saying that Ronaldo deserves respect. Ronaldo left the training camp due to a conflict with his manager, and Portuguese fans were divided for and against. Fernands emphasized that the national team must be united.

Luke Humphries defeated James Wade 5-3 to reach his fourth consecutive World Grand Prix final, where he will face Gerwyn Price. Humphries averaged 96.92 and hit ten 180s in the semi-final, while Price beat Nathan Aspinall 5-2 in the other match.

At the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, Korea maintained third place overall with 39 gold medals, but fell short of the target of 40 to 45, while Japan widened the gap by achieving its best performance ever with 83 gold medals. Although they performed poorly in traditionally strong sports such as archery and swimming, they performed well in ball games and e-sports.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, owner of the Athba Stud, awarded the prize for the mare “Nouf Athba” to his granddaughter Nouf, who shares the same name, after the mare won gold in the fifteenth edition of the National Championship for Purebred Arabian Horses at the Khalidiya Farm, west of Riyadh. The colt “Nader Athba” also won the bronze for foals, and the events included various results in the categories of fillies, colts, mares and stallions, with the Prince praising Through the efforts of the camel management team at the stud.

The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games closed after 16 days. Korea did well in fencing, including four gold medals, but swimming and archery fell short of expectations, and in ball sports, basketball, baseball, soccer, and handball were strong.

Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy played his 600th NHL game against the Washington Capitals, becoming the fifth Russian goalie in league history to reach this milestone. In total, 56 goalkeepers in the NHL have played 600 or more matches, among active Russians he ranks fourth.