Fridays Football Headlines

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All the latest football rumours and gossip from the national newspapers.

THE SUN

Chelsea and Real Madrid have reached out to Inter Milan about Mauro Icardi after he was stripped of the club captaincy.

Laurent Blanc will be among the candidates to take over if Maurizio Sarri leaves Chelsea before the end of the season.

Barcelona have stepped up their interest in Lille winger Pepe, potentially scuppering any hopes Arsenal had of tempting him to the Premier League.

Willie McKay has re-iterated his challenge to Cardiff to have a public meeting over the Emiliano Sala transfer deal.

Claude Puel says Kasper Schmeichel has told him he is happy at Leicester after clear-the-air talks.

DAILY MIRROR

Diogo Dalot donated his first Manchester United pay packet to the Fintas Football School in Braga where he spent his formative football years.

Leicester City will consider replacing manager Claude Puel with Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez, who has postponed contract talks at St James' Park to focus on the side's relegation battle.

Derby County manager Frank Lampard says he is not surprised he has been linked with replacing Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri at his former club, but added that he is focusing on his job with the Rams.

DAILY MAIL

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been warned he faces much more severe punishment, including a lengthy touchline or stadium ban, if there is any repeat of comments about refereeing that cost him a £45,000 fine.

Lord Ouseley twice helped Millwall escape punishment for alleged racist chanting after being called as a witness for the club he supports in 2004 and 2009.

THE TIMES

Football's lawmakers will bring in a new wording on handball next week in a move to end confusion over "deliberate" contact of the hand with the ball.

All four FA Cup quarter-finals could see video assistant referees (VAR) used.

Phil Neville is in line to be coach of a British women's football team at next year's Tokyo Olympics.

DAILY TELEGRAPH

Stoke City are weighing up a decision over sacking Saido Berahino after the striker was charged with drink driving earlier this week.

Liverpool's run to last season's Champions League final helped contribute £575m to the UK economy, according to a Deloitte report.

DAILY RECORD

SFA chief Ian Maxwell has slammed the sectarian yobs dragging the Scottish game into the gutter.