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Hot Football Transfer Gossip: Liverpool and Tottenham ‘want Hernandez’, Ozil and Sanchez agents ‘working together’

Not many players turn out for both Liverpool and Manchester United, but then not many players have a nickname so adorable that you can’t help but want to hug them even if they once wore the colours of your most hated rival.

Former Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez, aka Chicharito, aka The Little Pea (aww), is a January target for Liverpool, reports the Mirror.

The magnificently monikered Mexican has been a revelation at Bayer Leverkusen since leaving Old Trafford for £7.3m in the summer of 2015, to the extent that he is now valued at £33.5m.

La Liga strugglers Valencia are reportedly keen to snap him up in January, which could spur Liverpool - and also Tottenham - into action sooner rather than later if they want to buy him.

Hernandez, or “die kleine Erbse” as they presumably call him in Germany, would be more likely to move to Anfield if Daniel Sturridge is offloaded.

Spurs, meanwhile, are still seeking a reliable alternative to Harry Kane up front, although the Mirror says Daniel Levy “would want to negotiate a lower fee”. Course he would.

It’s also worth pointing out that Chicharito is currently on a goal drought and hasn’t found the net in 12 games, which is an even less prolific record than Vincent Janssen’s.

In the other half of north London, the agents of Arsenal stars Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have reportedly made a cunning pact to squeeze as much money out of the Gunners as is humanly possible.

The Mail says the two players’ representatives are “in cahoots behind the scenes” as the duo thrash out new Emirates contracts and are consequently “calling the shots” in negotiations. Sanchez and Ozil have been offered five-year deals worth £200,000 a week, but the agents want more.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will be better off reading the Metro, which says Wolfsburg winger - and long-time Gunners target - Julian Draxler has been dropped by the German side and his exit “looks imminent”.

Dimitri Payet has a clause in his contract stating he will be allowed to leave West Ham for £15m if the club are relegated, according to an exclusive report in the Times. Although to be fair the Hammers will have bigger things to worry about if they actually do go down, such as trying to the fill the biggest stadium in Championship history.

Elsewhere, Hammers boss Slaven Bilic has dampened speculation he could move for Daniel Sturridge by questioning the player’s fitness (Mirror), Robin van Persie is considering leaving Fenerbahce and returning to his boyhood club Feyernoord (Sun) and Watford striker Odion Ighalo has urged the Hornets to sign his Nigeria team-mate John Mikel Obi from Chelsea (Goal). We suggest his time might be better spent concentrating on scoring on few more goals rather than buying players.

@darlingkevin