Gossip column: Mane, Guardiola, Sturridge, Kompany, Rooney
Last updated on .From the section Football
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Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola, 44, will be ready to move to the Premier League at the end of the season if he fails to agree a new contract with the German club, with London his preferred destination.(Daily Mail)
Manchester United will have to double their summer offer of around £20m to buy Southampton's Senegal forward Sadio Mane, 23.(Daily Telegraph)
Chelsea are confident of fending off Manchester United and Paris St-Germain in the race to sign Serbian midfielder Marko Grujic, 19, from Red Star Belgrade in January.(Guardian)
The leader of a group of homeless people being allowed to squat in a historic Manchester building by Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs is a convicted football hooligan. (Times - subscription required)
Manager Manuel Pellegrini has warned captain Vincent Kompany, 29, his days of being a Manchester City "untouchable" are gone.(Daily Mirror)
But Pellegrini also hinted that Kompany may return to the City starting line-up for Sunday's derby showdown with Manchester United. (Manchester Evening News)
Manchester City midfielder David Silva could also be set for a surprise return at Old Trafford after missing two games with an ankle injury. (The Sun - subscription required)
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has told Wayne Rooney, 30 today, that the length of the England captain's career will depend on "how he lives for his profession".(the Sun - subscription required)
Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce admits he feels a "big responsibility" to the hundreds of club staff who could find their jobs at risk if he cannot save the club from relegation. (Guardian)
But Allardyce says the Black Cats have proved they can handle derby-day pressure better than his former club Newcastle. (Newcastle Chronicle)
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has told the club's supporters that he cannot create a "genius plan", when his new side are not yet a Bayern Munich or Barcelona. (Daily Mirror)
West Brom manager Tony Pulis says striker Saido Berahino, 22, is overweight after losing focus during his protracted battle to leave the club and join Tottenham over the summer. (Times - subscription required)
Tottenham's defensive midfielder Eric Dier, 21, says the key to handling Chelsea's temperamental striker Diego Costa, 27, is to be nice to him. (Guardian)
QPR goalkeeper Rob Green believes he can play until he is 45, another 10 years. (GetWestLondon)
Portsmouth are monitoring Brighton's third-choice goalkeeper Christian Walton, 19, an England U-20 international. (The Argus)
Best of social media
Liverpool striker Danny Ings, out for the rest of the season with injury, posted a picture of himself on crutches with the Player of the Month award for September: "First day back today, this cheered me up. Thank you to all the @LFC family."
Even Premier League footballers have problems, with Crystal Palace striker Connor Wickham tweeting: "Cracked alloy! Fantastic."
Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish does what every man should - remembers his mum's birthday.
The FA Cup returns on Saturday with the final qualifying round and Ryman League Bognor Regis Town, AKA The Rocks, travel to National League South outfit Wealdstone hoping to cause another upset:
And finally
Former Chelsea and Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is coming to a big screen near you, with the Italian reportedly landing a cameo role in the forthcoming Star Trek film. (Corriere della Sera via Metro)
