The top stories making Wednesday’s back pages in the UK…
The Sun: West Ham fear Diafra Sakho could miss the rest of the season as the full scale of his injury emerges.
Also: Manchester City moved closer to dethroning rivals United in the money stakes after securing a massive new £265million investment from China.
And: Former Barcelona top brass among the City hierarchy dream of one day having Pep Guardiola as boss — and bringing Lionel Messi to the Etihad.
Plus: Arsene Wenger fears both Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla may miss the festive programme.
Daily Mirror: Manchester City can attract Pep Guardiola to the Etihad with a record pot of gold next summer.
Also: Jack Grealish faces a second week exiled to Aston Villa’s U21s as new boss Remi Garde continues to law down the law at the Premier League’s basement side.
And: Manchester United have entered the big-money battle for Borussia Dortmund star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Daily Star: Alberto Moreno’s agent says the Liverpool defender would welcome interest from Real Madrid in January.
Daily Mail: Barcelona are being pushed to the absolute limit of their finances as they fight to keep Lionel Messi and Neymar from the clutches of the Premier League.
Also: Swansea City could be kicking themselves on Saturday when they run into Jamie Vardy – a record-breaking striker they were offered for only £800,000 in 2012.
Daily Express: Jamie Vardy, nursing a series of injuries, is having sessions in Leicester’s cryotherapy chamber which goes down to -135 degrees in a bid to equal the all-time top-flight scoring record.
Metro: Atletico Madrid are weighing up whether to trigger a £28million release clause in Diego Costa’s contract that would see the Chelsea striker move back to La Liga, according to reports in Spain.
Also: AS Roma are considering a move to take out-of-favour Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho on loan in the January, with a view to a permanent transfer.
Daily Telegraph: The Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour has opened up a new front in the commercial race between Europe’s elite clubs to conquer China’s new markets by selling a 13 per cent stake in his £2 billion football business to investors from the emerging superpower.
Also: Jack Grealish is set to miss Aston Villa’s game at Southampton after being told to train with the under-21s for another week.
And: Louis van Gaal has been accused of making his Manchester United players too terrified to express themselves on the field.
The Times: Steve Bruce used to embody a warrior spirit as a player for Manchester United but, for all his protestations to the contrary, the Hull City manager as good as raised the white flag before a ball had been kicked at the Etihad Stadium last night.
The Guardian: Liverpool have opened discussions with Simon Mignolet over a new contract in further evidence of Jürgen Klopp’s confidence in the goalkeeper.
