Sports Grapevine: Busquets, Fletcher, Cuadrado, Paulista

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Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets, 26, is set for contract talks amid interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United. (Daily Star) 

Fiorentina's Juan Cuadrado
Fiorentina’s Juan Cuadrado was a hit at the 2014 World Cup for Colombia

Arsenal are expected to complete the signing of Brazil central defender Gabriel Paulista, 24, from Villarreal on Monday in a deal worth around £13.5m. Gunners striker Joel Campbell is set to head in the opposite direction on loan. (Daily Telegraph) 

Monday's Daily Express back page

Monday’s Daily Express back page

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce is attempting to push through a deal to sign Manchester United midfielder Darren Fletcher, 30, before the January transfer deadline. (Goal) 

West Brom are edging closer to a £4.5m deal for 23-year-old Wigan winger Callum McManaman. (Daily Mirror) 

Cardiff City manager Russell Slade says his top scorer Kenwyne Jones, 30, will be staying at the club. (Wales Online) 

Chelsea are considering their options after having approaches rejected for Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado, 26, and Shakhtar Donetsk’s 24-year-old forward Douglas Costa. (Goal) 

Tottenham are considering a £5m bid for 22-year-old Burnley striker Danny Ings with Chelsea and Manchester City also monitoring the situation before the transfer deadline. (Daily Mirror) 

OTHER GOSSIP

Winger Nani, 28, believes he could still have a future at Manchester United despite being allowed to spend the entire season on loan at Sporting Lisbon. (Daily Mail) 

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho fears his squad’s lack of strength in depth may undermine their challenge for the Premier League title. (The Independent) 

Daily Mirror back page
Monday’s Daily Mirror back page

Alan Shearer says Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has “coached all the flair and imagination out of this team”. (The Sun) 

But Manchester United play “attacking” football under their new Dutch manager, according to midfielder Juan Mata says. (Manchester Evening News) 

Manchester City are preparing to fly midfielder Yaya Toure, 31, and new striker Wilfried Bony, 26, back from Equatorial Guinea in time for Saturday’s top-of-the-table match against Chelsea on Saturday should Ivory Coast suffer an early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday. (Daily Star) 

While City manager Manuel Pellegrini has been branded “amateur” for deciding to arrive back from Abu Dhabi on Friday – with the squad landing just 20 hours before their FA Cup defeat at home to Middlesbrough. (The Sun) 

Striker Daniel Sturridge returns to full training as he prepares for his much-anticipated comeback to the Liverpool first team. (Liverpool Echo) 

Cardiff City centre-back Bruno Manga will head back to the Bluebirds after Gabon were knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations. (Wales Online) 

Former Rangers player Fernando Ricksen has thanked fans for their support as 41,000 turn out for his fundraising tribute match as he battles Motor Neurone Disease. (Herald Scotland) 

Midfielder Jordan Henderson has the ability to take over as Liverpool captain and lead the team for years to come, ex-Reds midfielder Jason McAteer believes. (Talksport) 

Returning Arsenal midfielders Mesut Ozil and Theo Walcott put a spring in the step of Arsenal in their FA Cup win at Brighton, says writer Paul Doyle. (The Guardian) 

BBC

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