Football rumours from the media

What the papers say

Bobby Duncan could be leaving Liverpool for German giants Borussia Dortmund, the Daily Mirror reports. The 18-year-old has been at the centre of a dispute with the Reds after his agent accused Liverpool of “mentally bullying” the striker when a loan to Fiorentina was blocked. The England under-18 player had not left his room in four days and Liverpool had shown Duncan “zero consideration”, agent Saif Rubie said – though the club said they were “disappointed” by the “unfounded” allegations.

Arsenal winger Henrikh Mkhitaryan is being targeted by Roma on a loan deal ahead of the European transfer window closing, according to the Daily Mail which cites Sky Sports Italy. The 30-year-old, who was a substitute in the Gunners’ 2-2 draw against Tottenham on Sunday, sits behind Nicolas Pepe and Reiss Nelson in the Emirates Stadium pecking order. The Armenian has appeared 56 times and scored nine goals for Arsenal in the 18 months since he joined from Manchester United.

Nottingham Forest’s highly-rated forward Arvin Appiah has signed with Spanish second division side Almeria according to the Sun. The England under-18 international was being courted by Manchester United but the La Liga 2 franchise secured his signature for £8million. The Amsterdam-born player, 18, earned 11 caps for his country’s youth side but had just six league appearances and one goal for Forest.

Martin Skrtel and Atalanta have decided to end the former Liverpool defender’s contract by “mutual consent” just weeks after he signed with the Serie A club, the Daily Mail says. The 34-year-old Slovakian did not end up playing a minute for Atalanta and the paper reports he had a difference of opinion with manager Gian Piero Gasperini.

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Players to watch

Javier Hernandez: The West Ham striker has submitted a transfer request to leave London for Sevilla, the Daily Mail says and notes he was pictured posing in front of the La Liga club’s badge on Sunday.

Bruno Fernandes: The Sporting Lisbon midfielder continues to be linked with Real Madrid. Fiorentina sporting director Daniele Prade, whose club have also been linked with Fernandes, told Corriere Dello Sport Madrid have sealed a deal worth 70million euros (£63.25m).