Chelsea lost 3-0 to Leeds United on Sunday and it would appear that defeat has sparked the Blues into action.
New owner Todd Boehly has been keen to make his mark since arriving at Stamford Bridge, bringing in Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella among others.
But head coach Thomas Tuchel wants more. Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana is a priority target for the defence, while last week Chelsea had two bids rejected by Everton for Anthony Gordon.
Now it would appear the Blues are confident of completing the signing, while they are also reportedly in talks to land a second attacker.
TOP STORY - CHELSEA IN FOR GORDON AND LEAO
The Times reports that Chelsea will this week push ahead and match Everton's £50million asking price for winger Gordon, who scored four goals in a breakthrough Premier League season last term.
Everton boss Frank Lampard stressed the importance of Gordon to his plans, and played the 21-year-old against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, but also suggested that a decision might have to be made if a bid was too good to turn down.
Gordon might also be joined in moving to Stamford Bridge by Milan star Rafael Leao. The Portugal international scored 11 times for the Rossoneri as they won Serie A last season, and the same report claims that Chelsea are in talks with the Italian champions over a move for the 23-year-old.
ROUND-UP
- Several outlets are reporting that West Ham have struck a deal with Chelsea to sign left-back Emerson Palmieri for around £13million.
- Eric Bailly is close to joining Marseille on loan from Manchester United, according to Fabrizio Romano.
- The Telegraph claims Newcastle United have been told they must pay £30million to buy striker Joao Pedro from Watford.
- Villarreal coach Unai Emery told El Larguero that Edinson Cavani could join the club, while he also said that Juan Foyth is of interest to Barcelona.
- Everton were hoping to have Idrissa Gueye and Mohammed Kudus signed but have bumped into difficulties with Paris Saint-Germain and Ajax respectively, says The Times.
- Fabrizio Romano also reports that Fulham and Roma will hold further talks this week over Justin Kluivert.
- Barca defender Samuel Umtiti will join Lecce, says Gianluca Di Marzio.
Manchester United 2-3 Nottingham Forest: Wood hits winner as Amorim's side lose again
Manchester United suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League following a 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford.
Chris Wood's 10th league goal of the season in the 54th minute proved to be the winner as Forest climbed to fifth place – only two points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.
Nikola Milenkovic put the visitors ahead with only 91 seconds on the clock as he headed in a corner from Elliot Anderson, but Rasmus Hojlund levelled the score for United 16 minutes later, following up after Alejandro Garnacho's initial effort was saved by Matz Sels.
Jota Silva and Bruno Fernandes were denied by the woodwork during the first half before Morgan Gibbs-White made it 2-1 to Forest just two minutes after the restart.
Wood then planted a looping header past Andre Onana to double Forest's lead before United captain Fernandes then pulled one back just past the hour mark.
Ruben Amorim's side pushed for an equaliser, but Forest kept them at bay to collect the full points.
Forest now have 25 points from 15 matches, while United are in 13th place with 19 points.
Data Debrief: Wood makes Forest history
Wood's winner was his 25th Premier League goal for Forest and helped him overtake Bryan Roy (24) to become their all-time leading scorer in the competition.
Since Nuno Espírito Santo's appointment in December 2023, only Erling Haaland (21) has scored more non-penalty goals in the competition than Wood (19 – level with Cole Palmer).
Nuno became just the second Forest manager to win both of his first two league games against United, after Fred Earp in the 1909-10 campaign.
Meanwhile, his counterpart Amorim suffered two straight defeats for only the second time, with the first coming during his stint with former club Sporting in August 2022.
Flick demands consistency from stumbling league leaders Barcelona
Hansi Flick demanded Barcelona show their quality on a more consistent basis after they stumbled to a 2-2 draw at Real Betis, leaving them vulnerable at the top of LaLiga.
Barca twice took the lead at the Benito Villamarin Stadium via goals from Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, but Betis fought back through Giovani Lo Celso and substitute Assane Diao to earn a share of the points.
After the draw, Flick's side have 38 points from 17 matches but second-placed rivals Real Madrid, who have 33, can move past them if they are able to win their two games in hand.
"It wasn't a good game. We are a young team and we need to improve a lot," Flick told reporters.
"We must be stronger, especially when we play away. We have quality, but we have to show it in every game. We could have played better.
"But we've been slow in passing, with a lot of long balls... it's not what we want and not our strength. We have to focus on our strengths and what we have to do."
Flick was shown a red card in the second half for protesting after Betis were awarded a penalty, with the VAR stepping in to punish Frenkie De Jong's tackle on Vitor Roque.
The former Bayern boss believes he did nothing wrong but said he is not planning on appealing the red card.
"Marcus [Sorg], my assistant, did a good job. We scored a goal with him on the sidelines," Flick said.
"I didn't say anything to anyone, it was just my reaction. It took a long time to decide if it was a penalty or not.
"If you need so much time, it can be a doubt. I don't agree with my sending off. It has never happened to me before. I got angry at myself, not at anyone else."
Barcelona next travel to Germany for a Champions League meeting with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, before hosting Leganes in LaLiga on December 15.
Unai Emery sets Champions League mission as Aston Villa edge Southampton win
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is quickly turning his attention to the UEFA Champions League following their 1-0 Premier League win over Southampton.
Jhon Duran's first-half goal sealed successive league victories for Emery on the back of three straight top-flight losses against rivals Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham.
Victory against the Saints is a vital boost for Emery ahead of a crucial few weeks of action before the end of 2024.
Villa head to RB Leipzig on 10 December, looking to push their case for a spot in the Round of 16, followed by four more league clashes this month.
The immediate focus for Emery is on Leipzig, with Villa's contrasting European form a cause for concern, despite a brilliant start on their Champions League debut.
Three straight wins in their first appearance in the competition since it was renamed – including an historic 1-0 home victory over Bayern Munich – put Villa in a strong position, but defeat to Club Brugge and a 0-0 tie with Juventus has stalled their momentum.
The former Arsenal chief wants this result to act as a platform for his team ahead of their tricky trip to Germany in midweek.
"Over the 90 minutes we had chances to score more, but sometimes they dominated possession. We managed the game plan to try and find a way to win," as per quotes from BBC Sport.
"The most important thing is how we're progressively getting more comfortable on the field. We had to use substitutions because we have the Champions League on Tuesday. Three matches in nine days. We have to be ready with the players we have available to try and enjoy the competition.
"The Champions League is something we have to enjoy, but we also focus on the difficulties in the Premier League, and the challenge against Nottingham Forest is something else. But, we have to try and get to the next round of the Champions League."
Up next for Villa is that Midlands derby with Forest, followed by a crunch clash at home to Manchester City on 21 December.
A win for Villa puts them up to fifth in the table, but defeat for Southampton registers as their 12th league loss of the campaign so far, with Russell Martin's team still rooted to the foot of the table.
Individual mistakes are becoming a theme, and centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis was robbed by Duran for Villa's winner, with Martin left to rue a familiar frustrating story for his team.
"We gave away a poor goal when it was a good, tight game. We changed shape and then the game became transitional. They were trying to find another goal, so it became very open," he said.
"We're two v one, and we had a chance to clear the ball, and we don't. It's another mistake. We forced them long, and then we had another two v one, and he [Duran] somehow comes out with the ball and scores."
Up next for Southampton is a home tie with Tottenham next weekend, followed by an EFL Cup quarter-final at home to Liverpool on December 18.
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