Arsenal and Tottenham’s race for fifth place is not the only battle going on in North London.

Maybe that is a little harsh on both sides, who will be aiming for a spot in the top four, but discussing where they might finish is not the aim of the gossip column.

It is, of course, to look at transfer rumours and there is a particularly interesting one today involving the local rivals.

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Eric Bailly’s time at Manchester United has turned slightly sour in recent weeks.

Over the summer he was linked with a move away from Old Trafford, only for United to fail in their quest for a new centre-back.

That meant a future for Bailly and he started their first two games, playing the full 90 minutes in the process.

But he was dropped from the squad after the defeat to Brighton and has found himself on the bench in their last two games, leading to further talk that he may make his Old Trafford exit come January.

According to The Mirror, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is a ‘big fan’ of the Ivory Coast international after seeing him play in both La Liga and the Premier League.

A potential exit for the 24-year-old could tempt Spurs into making a move for him, yet they may face competition from Arsenal as well, who also retain an interest.

Race for French midfielder

And Spurs’ poor performance against Liverpool, combined with their failure to sign anyone during the summer transfer window, mean Bailly isn’t the only player linked with Pochettino’s men.

French and PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot has less than 12 months left on his contract and boss Thomas Tuchel conceded he may well leave, with his relationship with the club deteriorating.

Spurs are one of the clubs tipped to make a move for the 23-year-old, as are Barcelona, Juventus and Manchester City.

If all four of those clubs do make a move for Rabiot, you would be surprised to see him choose White Hart Lane as his destination.

Perfection

Away from transfer news, Manchester City coasted to a 3-0 victory over newly-promoted Fulham at the weekend.

But coasting is not good enough for Pep Guardiola, he always strives for perfection, so City’s players felt his wrath after the game.

The Spaniard cancelled his players’ day off and hauled them in for an extra day of training, such was his frustration with how they played.

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City host Lyon in their opening Champions League game on Wednesday night, where Pep will be expecting a reaction.

Meanwhile, Kevin De Bruyne is targeting the Manchester derby on November 11 for his return from injury, say the Star.

De Bruyne picked up the knee injury in training and has only featured once for City this year.