All the top stories and transfer rumours from wednesday’s newspapers

Manchester United are preparing to make an £80m bid for Tottenham and England forward Harry Kane, 29, after club chief executive Richard Arnold sanctioned a potential deal.

Chelsea have yet to open new contract talks with Croatia midfielder Mateo Kovacic, with Manchester City interested. The 28-year-old has 16 months left on his current deal.

Liverpool are willing to pay more than £60m for Napoli and South Korea centre-back Kim Min-jae, 26, who is also a target for Manchester United.

Liverpool are also in the fight for French centre-back Evan Ndicka, 23, who will be available on a free transfer in the summer after turning down a final contract offer from Eintracht Frankfurt.

Arsenal are interested in signing Denmark midfielder Jesper Lindstrom, 23, who Eintracht will let leave for a fee of about 30m euros.

Manchester City are still waiting for Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan to make a decision on his future, with Barcelona keen on signing the 32-year-old on a free transfer.

If Gundogan does go, City are considering Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder Jude Bellingham, 19, and Bayer Leverkusen and Germany midfielder Florian Wirtz, 19, as potential replacements.

City have joined Manchester United and Newcastle in monitoring Celta Vigo’s 20-year-old Spanish midfielder Gabri Veiga.

Clubs interested in Roberto de Zerbi would have to pay a fixed amount to Brighton for the Italian manager and any deal could only be done in the summer, not during the season.

Meanwhile, De Zerbi wants more control and a greater input into Brighton’s transfer plans.

Chelsea are set to make 27-year-old English midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek available for transfer at the end of the season.

Barcelona are interested in signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on loan, just a year after the Gabon striker, 33, left the club for Chelsea.

Former Spain defender Hector Bellerin, 28, is in talks over a return to Real Betis, where he spent last season, when he ends his current loan from Barcelona to Sporting Lisbon this summer.

A number of Premier League clubs, including Leicester, Fulham and Wolves, are monitoring Lorient and France Under-21 midfielder Enzo Le Fee after the 23-year-old confirmed he wants to leave this summer.

Tottenham have come to a pre-contractual agreement to sign 16-year-old English forward Herbie James on a three-year deal from Manchester City’s academy.

Chelsea are set for a battle with the Premier League over a potential breach of spending rules with the club ready to cite Germany defender Antonio Rudiger’s departure for Real Madrid on a free transfer last summer as one justification for their huge losses.

Manager David Moyes and his West Ham coaches fear they will be sacked if the Hammers lose to relegation rivals Southampton on Sunday.

Luis Diaz returned to training on Tuesday to give Liverpool a timely boost in their push for Champions League qualification

Manchester United could miss out on the Champions League even if Jim Ratcliffe takes over and they finish in the top four due to Britain’s richest man owning Nice. Under UEFA rules, that would mean if United and the French top-flight club both finish in Champions League qualification spots, only the side finishing higher could be allowed to enter the competition.