English Premier League

English Premier League

Barcelona's already complicated search for defensive reinforcements in January appears to have suffered another setback, with a report from SPORT pointing towards what is effectively the end of the road in their pursuit of Nathan Ake. Ake had emerged as a serious option for Barcelona as they explored short-term solutions to reinforce the back line. The Dutch international is open to leaving Manchester City, and the idea of playing for Barça was particularly appealing to him.

Carroll, 36, who now plays for National League South side Dagenham and Redbridge, was arrested in April with the alleged offence said to have been committed a month earlier. The 36-year-old, who has nine caps for England and was signed by Liverpool in 2011 for a then club record fee of 35m, is listed to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates Court.

Sources have told BBC Sport that Heaven, who joined United from Arsenal in February after making one appearance for the Gunners, wants to represent England at senior level. Heaven has played for England at various age groups. He suffered an ankle injury playing for the Under-20s against Switzerland in October, was replaced at half-time and was not selected for November's match against Japan.

Kevin Schade scored a perfect hat-trick as Brentford picked up their sixth home league win of the season with a 4-1 win over Bournemouth on Saturday. Brentford needed just six minutes to open the scoring when Schade coolly finished into the bottom-right corner after being set up by a fine pass from striker Igor Thiago. The Bees' dominant start was further rewarded six minutes before half-time when Djordje Petrovic bundled into his own net after Bafode Diakite's attempted clearance rebounded off the Bournemouth goalkeeper.

Manchester United are reportedly interested in a transfer move for Atletico Madrid central midfielder Conor Gallagher, but not for his asking price of 30m. According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, the Red Devils are mulling over making a move for Gallagher, with a 30m investment being analysed by club chiefs. Man Utd are admirers of Gallagher, but are seemingly unsure about paying quite that much for the England international, as it would be a significant dent to their budget.

Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi is expected to see out the final six months of his contract at the club amid major interest in the centre-back before the January transfer window. England international Guehi is in line for a free-transfer exit from Selhurst Park in the summer. Interested parties may be tempted into bringing forward their plans to sign Guehi when the winter window opens on 1 January.

Image source, Getty Images Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood is set for a further spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery. The New Zealand striker has been out since mid-October with a knee problem and is yet to feature under Sean Dyche since he replaced Ange Postecogolou as manager. His playing time has been more limited this campaign, with Wood having managed two goals in nine appearances.

Boxing Day's real treat was the fantastically entertaining eight-goal thriller in the Championship where Wrexham fought back from 3-1 down to tonk Sheffield United 5-3. The Championship has now reached the halfway point of the season (23 matches out of 46) and Coventry will go into part two with an eight-point lead over Middlesbrough. Frank Lampard's team, who beat Swansea 1-0, are 13 clear of third-placed Ipswich.

Manchester United are showing an ever-growing interest in a potential transfer swoop for Everton central midfield player James Garner. The 24-year-old is not necessarily a top target in the same category as someone like Nottingham Forest's Elliot Anderson, but it seems there is increasing interest from Old Trafford. That's according to the Daily Mail, which states that Man Utd are keeping an eye on their former player Garner as he nears the end of his contract with Everton.