• Germany international not part of Hammers’ plans

• Ward-Prowse and Guilherme could also be offloaded

Milan are preparing a loan deal for Niclas Füllkrug, who is available after a disastrous spell at West Ham. The Germany striker has toiled since moving to the London Stadium for £27.5m in the summer of 2024 and is not part of Nuno Espírito Santo’s plans.

Füllkrug, who has failed to score in nine appearances this season, was again left out of the matchday squad when Nuno’s struggling side lost 3-2 at home to Aston Villa on Sunday. The 32-year-old has not started since 4 October and his signing is regarded by West Ham as one of the worst mistakes made by their former technical director Tim Steidten.

Manager’s comments on Saturday have left Chelsea baffled and the Italian in danger

If Enzo Maresca was interested in ending speculation that he has a problem with elements of Chelsea’s hierarchy then he would have done so on Monday. Instead the Italian made no attempt to clear up a situation entirely of his own making.

He rebuffed questions about his cryptic response to beating Everton on Saturday and even reacted with exasperation when he was asked if he regretted saying a lack of support from unspecified people had put him through his “worst 48 hours” since joining the club.

When can Aston Villa dare to dream? When will Unai Emery accept that talk of a title challenge is far from fanciful?

Villa’s standards dropped and their legs looked heavy but their hunger knows no bounds at the moment. They were stretched by West Ham, who led twice before squandering a vital win in their battle against relegation, and still Emery’s indefatigable side dug deep for a response before emerging victorious for the 15th time in 17 games thanks to a virtuoso display from Morgan Rogers inspiring a second-half turnaround.

• Final tickets more than £3,000; five-fold rise on Qatar

• Cheapest England tickets are £165 for two Group L games

Fifa has been accused of a ­“monumental betrayal” by fan ­representatives after it emerged that the cheapest tickets for next summer’s World Cup final will cost more than £3,000.

Football Supporters Europe (FSE), which represents fans across the ­continent, described the prices as “extortionate” and called for an immediate halt to ticket sales after a day when England fans ­discovered that tickets to follow their team through the tournament could cost up to $16,590 (£12,375) in the top categories.