Thursday's latest stories from the world of football in ESPN FC's What's Trending ...
ARSENAL: Mesut Ozil remains open to staying at Arsenal but is keeping all options on the table as the club have yet to re-open contract talks with the playmaker, a source told ESPN FC.
- Arsene Wenger has said the club could cash in on Alexis Sanchez and Ozil in January.
- Shkodran Mustafi has been ruled out until the next international break, while Laurent Koscielny faces a late fitness test ahead of Saturday's game at Watford.
- Calum Chambers has signed a two-year contract extension that ties him to the club until 2021.
- Welsh Football League Division Three team Caerau have received international clearance to play former England and Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson.
PSG: Swiss federal prosecutors have announced a criminal case for suspected bribery linked to World Cup broadcast rights against Paris Saint-Germain's Qatari chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
- Kylian Mbappe is "more professional" than Lionel Messi was at the same age, Messi's former Barcelona teammate Ludovic Giuly has said.
BARCELONA: Barcelona have said they are in a position to pursue their interest in Philippe Coutinho in January after having bids for the Liverpool playmaker rejected in the summer.
- The specialist who operated on Ousmane Dembele's knee last month says the pressure on the player to justify his price tag following a €105 million move to Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund could have led to the injury.
MAN CITY: Sergio Aguero has said he would "love" Lionel Messi to join him at Manchester City but acknowledged that it would be difficult for his compatriot to leave Barcelona.
- Former Blackburn winger Jason Wilcox has been appointed as Manchester City's academy director.
BAYERN MUNICH: Hoffenheim coach Julian Nagelsmann says he has not been approached by Bayern Munich to take charge of the German champions next season.
- Bayern Munich goalkeeper Sven Ulreich has told ESPN FC he has to fill the boots of "the world's best" as he stands in for the injured Manuel Neuer.
MAN UNITED: Midfielder Paul Pogba is back in light training a month after being sidelined with a hamstring injury.
- Sir Alex Ferguson broke a promise to take over at Tottenham two years before joining Manchester United, according to former Spurs chairman Irving Scholar.
- Jose Mourinho says Manchester United do not need to prove anything at Anfield on Saturday but has warned Liverpool his team are better equipped to win there than they were last season.
- Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes is a candidate to become the next manager of Oldham Athletic, sources have told ESPN FC.
LIVERPOOL: Kenny Dalglish expects Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho to adopt a similar defensive approach to last season when they play Liverpool on Saturday.
- Sadio Mane's injury forces Jurgen Klopp into finding right Liverpool mix as they prepare to face Manchester United, Steven Kelly writes.
- Liverpool are one of several Premier League clubs tracking Rosenborg midfielder Olaus Jair Skarsem, sources in Norway have told ESPN FC.
REAL MADRID: Getafe coach Pepe Bordalas has dismissed any notion that Cristiano Ronaldo is going through a "mini crisis" ahead of his side's meeting with Real Madrid on Saturday.
LA LIGA: Real Sociedad defender Alvaro Odriozola has said he has no time to think about speculation linking him with Real Madrid and Barcelona.
JUVENTUS: Juve are to feature in a four-part documentary produced by Netflix next year after the U.S. entertainment company was granted behind-the-scenes access to the Serie A champions.
TOTTENHAM: Tottenham Hotspur could break the 10-year-old Premier League attendance record when they host Bournemouth at Wembley on Saturday.
BUNDESLIGA: Borussia Dortmund supporters are set to continue their protests against RB Leipzig when the clubs meet at the Westfalenstadion on Saturday.
SCOTLAND: Gordon Strachan has left his post after the nation's failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
UNITED STATES: Former U.S. national team striker Landon Donovan had a harsh assessment of the team that failed to reach the 2018 World Cup, saying the Americans didn't deserve a spot in Russia after its calamitous qualifying campaign ended in a 2-1 defeat to Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday night.
- Former CONCACAF president Jack Warner has called Trinidad and Tobago's historic defeat of the United States in World Cup qualifying on Tuesday the happiest day of his life, while adding that "nobody in CONCACAF likes the U.S."
- United States Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati has called the U.S.'s failure to qualify for the World Cup "a huge disappointment," and said the team's poor CONCACAF campaign this cycle was "not good enough."
MLS: Former Brazil international Kaka will not renew his contract with Orlando City at the end of the year, putting an end to his three-season spell at the club.
- WATCH: The best of Kaka.
COLOMBIA: Radamel Falcao has said he spoke to Peru players as the two sides played out a 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw that sent Colombia to Russia and ensured a playoff place for their opponents.
SERIE A: Serie A has made a switch and assigned its international TV rights predominantly to IMG for €371 million per season -- nearly double the value of the previous deal.