Paper Talk: Chelsea Star Hoping For January Exit, Liverpool Eye German Ace

Chelsea striker Demba Ba is hoping to quit Stamford Bridge and move to a Turkish club in January. Ba has failed to make an impact since joining Chelsea from Newcastle for £7.5 million in January and has scored just two League goals in that time. The London Evening Standard

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is lining up a bid to take Hamburg defender Dennis Aogo to Anfield after learning that the German international could be available for as little as £2.5 million. Reports in Germany suggest that Schalke, where Aogo is currently on loan, thought they had agreed a deal that would see the 26-year-old make the move permanent at the end of the season. The Express

Or, Liverpool’s hopes of landing Aogo have been dashed after the defender’s agent insisted he wants to stay at Schalke. The Reds have been tracking Aogo, who is currently on loan at Schalke from Hamburg, as Brendan Rodgers wants another left-back to provide competition for Jose Enrique. TalkSPORT

Barcelona are ready to rekindle their interest in Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero after being encouraged to pursue the striker by Argentina teammate Lionel Messi. Reports in Spain suggest that Messi has implored Barca to unite him with Aguero, after the pair enjoyed success at international level at both the Under 20 World Cup in 2005 and the 2008 Olympics. The Express

Edin Dzeko is the latest player on Arsenal’s January transfer hit-list. The Manchester City striker, who admitted last week that he is unhappy at his lack of game-time this season, is seen as a player who can help ease the burden on Olivier Giroud. Mirror Football

Fulham will attempt a double raid on Manchester United in the new year in an attempt to sign Wilfried Zaha and Anderson on loan. The moves follow the appointment at Craven Cottage of former Old Trafford coach Rene Meulensteen, who will work alongside manager Martin Jol in a bid to change the club’s fortunes and pull them out of the Premier League bottom three. The Metro

Borussia Dortmund want Diego Costa to replace Robert Lewandowski who is widely expected to leave the club at the end of the season. Brazilian-born striker Costa has been in sensational form for Atletico Madrid this season – scoring 13 goals in as many games in La Liga. Mail Online

Barcelona are close to offering Andres Iniesta a bumper new contract at the club in order to ward off interest from Manchester United. Iniesta has been strongly linked with a switch to Old Trafford in recent days, with David Moyes keen to sign a top name in the January transfer window. The Metro

Manchester United are scouting Sporting Lisbon winger Carlos Mane. The 19-year-old, who has been a revelation for Sporting’s B team in the Portuguese second tier and played for them in the NextGen club tournament, has a £1million buy-out clause in his contract. Mirror Football

Sunderland and Aston Villa target Danilo D’Ambrosio will not sign a new contract with Torino, his agent has confirmed. The 25-year-old is out of contract next summer and has been linked with a host of top clubs, including Juventus and Napoli. TalkSPORT

Nicklas Bendtner has reiterated his desire to secure a move away from Arsenal, preferably in the January window. The 25-year-old came close to leaving Emirates Stadium over the summer, with talks held with Crystal Palace. Sky Sports

Culled from FootballRepublik