The top stories and transfer rumours from Friday’s newspapers…
Premier League
– Liverpool fear Manchester City could hijack their bid for Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo (The i).
– A group of Crystal Palace fans were involved in a brawl before their Conference League match against Strasbourg, with riot police called (The Sun).
– One of Jack Fletcher or Shea Lacey could travel with Manchester United for the trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday (The Sun).
– Council chiefs have effectively ended Chelsea’s hopes of building a new stadium at Earl’s Court (The Sun).
– Manchester City have joined Arsenal in the race to sign 20-year-old Elche midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza, who has been compared to Barcelona’s Pedri (Daily Mail).
– Arne Slot retains the backing of the Liverpool board despite pressure to improve results (Daily Mail).
– Newcastle plan to complain to UEFA, the French police, and Marseille after accusing officers of ‘indiscriminately assaulting’ fans on Tuesday night (Daily Mail).
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European football
– Kylian Mbappe has urged Real Madrid players to protect manager Xabi Alonso amid growing pressures (The Mirror).
– Atletico Madrid have been fined €30,000 and handed a ticket ban after some supporters made racist and discriminatory remarks during the Champions League match with Arsenal in October (The Athletic).
Scottish football
– Kevin Muscat has spoken for the first time after withdrawing from the race to become Rangers manager, describing talks as ‘positive’ (The Scottish Sun).
– Celtic youngster Dara Jikiemi is reportedly high on Liverpool’s summer shortlist (Daily Record).
Rugby Union
– Wales captain Jac Morgan is set to miss the entire Six Nations campaign after being ruled out for at least four months following shoulder surgery (Daily Mail).
– Benhard Janse van Rensburg will be eligible for England selection from autumn 2026 after a World Rugby regulations committee allowed him to switch allegiances from South Africa (The Telegraph).
Watch Back Pages on Sky Sports News for a review of national newspaper headlines, Monday to Friday. Missed the show? Catch up via the Back Pages podcast.