Transfer gossip: Sanchez, Costa, Ozil, Iniesta, Ancelotti, Icardi, Werner

Football gossip

For completed deals, check our transfers page.

Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez, 28, is wanted by Real Madrid. (Don Balon - in Spanish)external-link

New Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson is plotting a January move for Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere, 25. (Daily Mail)external-link

Palace have promised Hodgson £40m to spend in January. (Daily Star)external-link

Atletico Madrid are increasingly confident they have made a breakthrough in negotiations to re-sign 28-year-old forward Diego Costa from Chelsea. (Sky Sports)external-link

Atletico are hopeful of concluding the deal for Costa within the next fortnight. (Daily Mail)external-link

Costa was due to arrive back in London from Sao Paulo on a flight on Tuesday, but his ticket went unused. (Marca - in Spanish)external-link

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger denies reports that contract negotiations with playmaker Mesut Ozil have broken down. The 28-year-old's current deal at the Emirates expires at the end of this season. (Daily Mirror)external-link

Tottenham and England midfielder Dele Alli, 21, is being courted by super agents Jorge Mendes and Mino Raiola. (Times - subscription required)external-link

Inter Milan will offer 24-year-old striker Mauro Icardi a new contract with an increased release clause of more than £100m to try to ward off any approaches from Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United. (Premium Sport, via Talksport)external-link

Midfielder Andres Iniesta, 33, will sign a new deal at Barcelona instead of joining Juventus, says the Italian club's chief executive Giuseppe Marotta. (La Sexta, via Goal)external-link

Tottenham, Everton and Burnley are all interested in Werder Bremen midfielder Thomas Delaney, 26. (Sun - via Weser Kurier)external-link

Everton are weighing up a January bid for Celtic's Scottish right-back Anthony Ralston, 18. (Sun)external-link

Former Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti will seek a return to the Premier League next summer if Bayern Munich trigger a break clause in his three-year contract as head coach. (ESPN)external-link

RB Leipzig will offer Liverpool target Timo Werner a new contract, but insist they are under no pressure to sell the 21-year-old forward. (Sky Deutschland, via Talksport)external-link

Barcelona will not return with a fresh bid for Liverpool's 25-year-old playmaker Philippe Coutinho, instead turning their attention to 26-year-old Nice attacker Jean Michael Seri. (Daily Mirror)external-link

Real Madrid are interested in signing Manchester City's promising 18-year-old midfielder Brahim Diaz. (OK Diario, via Talksport)external-link

Arsenal and Leicester tried to sign 29-year-old Schalke defender Benedikt Howedes before the Germany international joined Juventus on loan, says his agent. (Bild - in German)external-link

Burnley have taken former Manchester United goalkeeper Anders Lindegaard, 33, on trial. (Lancashire Telegraph)external-link

Back pages

Guardian
The Guardian Sport front page on Thursday
line

Meanwhile...

Former Premier League striker Marcus Bent, 39, has signed for ninth-tier Southern Combination League side Wick. (Bognor Regis Observer)external-link

line

The best of Wednesday's gossip...

Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho, 25, still wants to join West Ham despite the breakdown in relations between the two clubs. (Daily Mirror)external-link

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has told midfielder Yaya Toure he must force his way back into his first-team plans, revealing the 34-year-old has been left out for "sporting" reasons. (Daily Telegraph)external-link

Arsenal have not held contract negotiations with midfielder Mesut Ozil since February. The 28-year-old Germany international has one year left on his deal. (SportBild via Metro)external-link

Reports in Germany say Ozil is preparing to leave on a free transfer when his contract expires next summer. (Sun)external-link

Chelsea striker Diego Costa, 28, has finally left Brazil and has arrived in Madrid to try to force through his transfer to Atletico. (Gianluca di Marzio via Metro)external-link

Elsewhere on the BBC