Paper Talk: Arsenal close to Draxler loan; Mahrez to City back on

Julian Draxler

Arsenal are closing in on a loan deal for a PSG star, while Manchester City have reignited their interest in a Premier League winger, according to Thursday’s newspapers.

ARSENAL CLOSING IN ON PSG MIDFIELDER

Arsenal are reportedly in talks with PSG over a loan move for Germany midfielder Julian Draxler.

The 24-year-old was heavily linked with a move to the Gunners during his time at Schalke, only for the deal to break down when Arsene Wenger’s men failed to agree a fee.

The German moved on to Wolfsburg before heading to PSG last December on a four-year contract.

Draxler has become a key player for the French giants, albeit in a more withdrawn midfield role due to the arrival of attacking pair Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

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Wenger is reportedly looking to take advantage of any unhappiness Draxler may have at being asked to play slightly out of position, according to L’Equipe.

Draxler is being viewed as a straight replacement for fellow Germany star Mesut Ozil, who is expected to move on in January as the Gunners look to cash in rather than lose the playmaker for nothing in the summer.

AND THE REST

Arsene Wenger wants former Gunner and current Feyenoord manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst to replace him when he steps down as Arsenal boss (Daily Star)

Everton are targeting RB Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick as their new manager after giving up on Marco Silva (Daily Star)

Zinedine Zidane wants Real Madrid to sign Antoine Griezmann from their city rivals Atletico, as he sees the forward as a long-term successor to Cristiano Ronaldo (Daily Star)

Manchester United are leading the race for Bordeaux star Malcom, although Chelsea and Arsenal are also interested (Daily Star)

Diego Simeone’s representatives have contacted Everton to express his interest in the vacant manager’s position (The Sun)

Inter Milan are willing to sell Joao Mario for £26m – just 18 months after signing him for £40m – with Arsenal interested in signing him (The Sun)

West Brom players are in uproar with interim manager Gary Megson after he banned first-team coach Ben Garner from the training ground (The Sun)

West Brom’s hopes of luring Sam Allardyce are fading as Gary Megson prepares to lead the team for their trip to face Tottenham on Saturday (Daily Mirror)

Alexis Sanchez is set to be the subject of a January transfer window tug of war as PSG are ready to rival Manchester City for his signature (Daily Mirror)

Senior figures at Barcelona are split on whether to launch a bid for Mesut Ozil in January (Daily Mirror)

New Leicester boss Claude Puel is ready to start reshaping his squad, and is willing to sell Ahmed Musa, Leonardo Ulloa and Yohan Benalouane in January (Daily Mirror)

Aston Villa owner Dr Tony Xia claims “haters” are trying to destroy him with talk he is in financial trouble (Daily Mirror)

Manchester City are lining up a move for Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez (Manchester Evening News)

Lionel Messi will snub a move to Manchester City because he has a bad relationship with Pep Guardiola, dating back to their time together at Barcelona (Daily Express)

Liverpool are considering a January move for PSG midfielder Javier Pastore, but Sevilla and Roma are also interested (Daily Express)

Yaya Toure says he might show his Manchester City team-mates his Champions League winners’ medal to inspire them to European glory (Daily Express)

Harry Kane and Dele Alli are on a five-man shortlist, drawn up by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, to overhaul the Spanish giants’ squad (Daily Mail)

Yaya Toure says Pep Guardiola tore into his Manchester City players in the dressing room after their 1-0 win over Feyenoord, accusing them of being lazy (Daily Mail)

Ashley Williams says the Wales players are shocked that Chris Coleman left to become Sunderland manager, and angry that the Welsh FA allowed him to leave (Daily Mail)

Ryan Sessegnon’s contract at Fulham includes no buy-out clause, with a bidding war expected for the 17-year-old from the Premier League (Daily Mail)

Liverpool and Tottenham are keeping track of Ben Wilmot, the teenager defender who has been impressing with Stevenage in League Two this season (Daily Mail)

Leonid Slutsky is fighting to save his job as Hull manager following their poor start to the season, just five months after taking on the role (Daily Telegraph)