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Hot Football Ranieri Gossip: Leicester manager 'knifed in back by players', Mancini and Hiddink linked with Foxes job, Man City 'want Alves', Arsenal 'target Mbappe'

Warning: some readers may find the following sentences distressing.

For within this morning’s gossip pages are alleged details, some of them unspeakably grisly, about the untimely demise of the Premier League’s most loved man, Claudio Ranieri.

Most harrowing of all is the Mirror’s claim that the Leicester manager was “ruthlessly knifed in the back” by the players he led to the title last season.

The paper says senior Foxes stars “complained about Ranieri” to the club’s owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha after his tinkering “drove them mad”.

READ MORE: Gary Lineker leads Twitter reaction to Ranieri sacking

READ MORE: Leicester sack Ranieri nine months after Premier League triumph

The Italian coach is also said to have “angered” players by changing the post-match menu from chicken burgers to pasta. (Who over the age of seven wouldn’t prefer to have a plate of delicious pasta over a chicken burger?? Ridiculous.)

The Star offers tries to offer some crumbs of comfort, claiming that the Leicester players had “no idea” Ranieri would be sacked.

But there is more Claudio bashing in the Telegraph, which says the 65-year-old “bewildered players with tactics” and “allegedly marginalised backroom staff”. This reportedly left the dressing room mood “totally flat”, with some players believing relegation was “inevitable unless Ranieri left the club”.

So that’s that, and now the search begins for Claudio’s successor. The Guardian says former Foxes player (well, four games) Roberto Mancini is the “early favourite”, while the Telegraph says experienced Dutchman Guus Hiddink is “under consideration.

Elsewhere, the Star thinks Huddersfield boss David Wagner has a chance, while the Mirror reports that Harry Redknapp “threw his hat into the ring” for the job live on BT Sport. Of course he did.

In non-Ranieri gossip, the Mirror says Everton had an “audacious” January bid for Wayne Rooney rejected and that the Toffees could return for the Manchester United captain in the summer. But Wazza doesn’t seem too keen on going back to Goodison given that he sent his agent around China looking for a new club this week.

Another failed January transfer allegedly involved Chelsea unsuccessfully trying to sign the Inter Milan winger Jonathan Biabiany – at least that’s what the 28-year-old’s agent has told Calciomercato. (And why wouldn’t the runaway Premier League leaders want to sign a player who has not been picked for a single Serie A game this season?)

Meanwhile a failed transfer from two years ago – David de Gea to Real Madrid – will get an attempted revival in the summer when Los Blancos offer Man Utd their French defender Raphael Varane in part exchange for the goalkeeper, claims the Express.

Elsewhere, Pep Guardiola will try to bring his former Barcelona right-back Dani Alves from Juventus to Man City in the summer (Mail), Arsenal will face competition from Juve to sign Monaco forward Kylian Mbappe (Bleacher Report) and Gunners players are “convinced” that Arsene Wenger will sign a new two-year Emirates contract in the summer (Times). Wonder if any of them of thinking about getting the knives out while they’ve still got the chance…

@darlingkevin