Paper Talk: Fabregas admission; Spurs, Palace fight for prolific forward

Rob McCarthy

Tottenham have joined the race to sign a £17.5million-rated Besiktas striker, while Everton are chasing a player from Montevideo side Liverpool FC, all in Monday’s papers. 

 

TOTTENHAM TARGET BESIKTAS HITMAN

Tottenham have reportedly joined Newcastle and Crystal Palace in monitoring £17.5m rated Besiktas striker Cenk Tosun.

The 26-year-old was the subject of interest from Palace and Newcastle towards the end of the summer transfer window, with the Eagles said to offered €13.5m for the forward.

The Turkish giants are said to be holding out for nearer to £17.5m for the player, who was on target in the Champions League win over FC Porto last week.

Tosun, who scored an impressive 27 goals last season as Besiktas retained their domestic title, actually revealed interest in his services last month, according to the report in the Daily Mail.

He told Turkish Football: “Crystal Palace offered €13.5 million on transfer deadline day.

“Had they made the bid a week earlier I would be playing in the Premier league right now.

“I would only leave Besiktas if I made my club money and if the circumstances are right.

“Now I’m focused on winning my third consecutive league title, playing Champions League football and focusing on international football.”

AND THE REST

Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas says Arsenal passed up on the opportunity to re-sign him when he returned to England from Barcelona in 2014 (Metro)

Julian Draxler, Angel Di Maria and Lucas Moura could all be heading out the Paris Saint-Germain door in January, according to reports (The Sun)

Man City are interested in signing Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, as Pep Guardiola is keen on being reunited in January (The Sun)

Everton have stepped up their interest in Uruguay youngster Federico Martinez – who plays for Liverpool FC in Montevideo (The Sun)

Antonio Conte could give Eden Hazard his first start since breaking his ankle last season in the Carabao Cup match against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday (The Sun)

Chelsea striker Diego Costa is selling his cars as he looks to move to Spain (The Sun)

Pep Guardiola insists his side can’t match title-holders Chelsea but admits they are improving (The Sun)

Ronald Koeman is fuming at Jose Mourinho for putting pressure on the Everton boss to finish in the top four (The Sun)

Antonio Conte refused to condemn David Luiz’s horror tackle on Sead Kolasinac that earned Chelsea their fourth red card of the season (The Sun)

Mauricio Pochettino says he is not worried by Dele Alli’s loss of form (The Sun)

Jose Mourinho believes Wayne Rooney will return to Old Trafford in the future after the Manchester United legend’s first game against his former side since returning to Everton over the summer (Daily Mirror)

Leicester expect to tie down Demarai Gray on a new improved long-term contract this week (Daily Mirror)

Paul Pogba will undergo further scans this week to determine the full extent of his hamstring injury (Daily Mirror)

Ronald Koeman admitted Everton are in crisis after a third straight Premier League defeat saw them slip into the bottom three (Daily Mirror)

Two of Jose Mourinho’s scouts were sent to watch Saul Niguez and Radja Nainggolan in the hopes of finding a possible replacement for Michael Carrick (Daily Star)

Manchester City will open talks with Kevin De Bruyne over a new contract which could see the Belgium international almost double his £6m a year wages (Daily Mail)

Paris Saint-Germain could sensationally run out of Neymar shirts after hitting record-high sales (Daily Mail)

Celtic midfielder Scott Brown hasn’t ruled out signing another contract extension at the age of 34 despite only penning a new two-year deal last week (Daily Record)

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson calls on his players to die for the cause to avoid Premier League relegation (Daily Mail)