Pereira, 26, has been one of the best defenders in England over the past year and was picked as the third best right-back in the world by our FC 100 panel. Now the Portugal international is being linked with a lucrative move to London to join his fellow countryman and some recent comments only added fuel to the fire.
"He's [Mourinho] been missed," Pereira told Portuguese publication Record. "He's one of the best coaches in the world."
Estudiantes president Juan Sebastian Veron posted a video on Twitter of him with Mascherano at a restaurant saying, "we travelled 19,000 km to welcome Javier to La Familia Pincha!"
The news doesn't come as a surprise for the dynamic playmaker, who was on the verge of a move to PSG last summer -- and it's unclear where he is headed, but judging from the well wishes on both sides he won't be staying in the U.S. capital.
16.39 GMT: It's no big shock but Real Madrid forward Mariano Diaz will leave the club on loan in January, according to his agent.
Diaz, 26, was re-signed by Madrid in 2018 for €26m but he's not managed to secure a first-team place and his agent David Aranda told Laroma24: "He will go on loan for two seasons, although we have not yet decided on the club."
We'll leave it up to you to decide if that's at all related to his little golf joke with Gareth Bale the other day ...
14.59 GMT: FC Salzburg striker Erling Haaland is going to be a big star, but which club will land him?
13.25 GMT: Mario Balotelli joined his hometown side Brescia this summer but things aren't going according to plan.
Balotelli, 29, has scored two goals in seven games in Serie A this season, with Brescia sitting bottom, and evidently had a row with manager Fabio Grosso earlier this week.
As a result, Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Galatasaray are keen to add the Italian to their squad alongside Falcao and Ryan Babel. Balotelli also has options in MLS or Brazil, where he could join Flamengo, but is reportedly not keen on moving to China.
12.43 GMT: Britain's richest man, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has said it would be "dumb money" to buy Manchester United -- the team he supported as a boy -- after claiming that the club have "lost the plot" since Sir Alex Ferguson retired as manager in 2013.
Ratcliffe, who is worth a reported £20 billion following the success of Ineos, his multi-national chemicals company, bought Ligue 1 club Nice for €110m in August after exploring moves for Chelsea, Newcastle and Leeds United. But speaking to The Times, Ratcliffe said he did not consider United because "[Ineos] never wants to be the dumb money in town, never, never."
12.01 GMT: Arsenal's signing of Brazilian starlet Gabriel Martinelli has given them hope that they can land 17-year-old Flamengo star Reinier, according to the Sun.
Reinier has been tracked by Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Juventus and Everton in recent weeks, but Inter Milan are reported to be leading the race with the Gunners for a player who has a £60m release clause in his contract.
Arsenal are worried about the future of captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has yet to extend his contract, and Reinier would offer them plenty of potential for the future as Martinelli continues to develop.
11.12 GMT: Juventus midfielder Emre Can is unhappy at the club, with a number of suitors willing to match his €20m asking price.
Bild reports that Borussia Dortmund are the latest to show their interest in the 25-year-old Germany international but may be put off by his annual salary of €12m..
10.11 GMT: CSKA Moscow striker Fedor Chalov is attracting the attention of Chelsea ... well, he will be if they get their transfer ban lifted.
Chalov, 21, has been linked with Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United in the past from the Premier League, with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Monaco and Sevilla also interested, and now Sky Sports reports that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic is keen on him too.
09.31 GMT: Karim Benzema is considering a two-year contract extension offer from Real Madrid with a substantial salary increase, sources close to the player have told ESPN FC.
The French striker is enjoying the best form of his career, becoming the undisputed leader of Madrid's attack since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018.
Benzema, who turns 32 in December, signed a deal two years ago that expires in 2021.
09.00 GMT: ICYMI -- Luis Suarez has told ESPN FC that the growth of Major League Soccer makes the competition an "attractive" proposition and that the option of moving to the United States when he leaves Barcelona is a "nice possibility."
Suarez, who will turn 33 in January, has been strongly linked with a move to David Beckham's Inter Miami franchise over the last year. He has a contract until 2021 at Camp Nou -- with an option to extend the deal by an additional year -- but has begun to think about what his next move might be.
PAPER TALK (by Harry Kettle)
Juve interested in Emerson
Juventus are interested in signing Chelsea left-back Emerson Palmieri, Corriere dello Sport reports.
The Old Lady have been struggling to find the right combination at the back since the start of the season, with Maurizio Sarri making it clear that he wanted to go into the market in January to try to mix things up. Now, it appears as if he could get his wish.
With Alex Sandro being the only left-back on the books, Emerson is a primary target for Juve as they attempt to strengthen their grip on the Serie A title race.
Juve to make contact over Eriksen
Corriere dello Sport writes that Juventus could make contact with Tottenham Hotspur over the potential signing of Christian Eriksen.
The Denmark international was strongly linked with a move away from North London last summer, with Real Madrid the most club most consistently credited with interest, however it didn't quite come to fruition.
Eriksen's contract with Tottenham is set to expire in June, opening the door for him to explore his options away from the club.
Fraser's options open amid Liverpool interest
The Independent reports that Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe has confirmed that Ryan Fraser is keeping his options open ahead of the January transfer window, with Liverpool being interested in making a deal happen. When asked about Fraser's future, Howe had the following to say: "We've had conversations with Ryan to try and persuade him to stay but, at the moment, he's keeping his options open."
With Fraser not yet putting pen to paper on any sort of deal, the Cherries will be keeping a close eye on proceedings as we get closer and closer to the winter window opening.
Tap-ins
- Juventus winger Marko Pjaca could be set for another loan away from the club, Calciomercato reports. The Croatia international has failed to live up to the hype that his reputation demanded, and after spending time with Schalke and Fiorentina, Pjaca looks to be on his way out once again with Juve aiming to ship him off in January.
- Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has said he isn't considering the possibility of allowing Christian Benteke to leave the club, Football.London reports. The Belgian was said to be contemplating the possibility of leaving Selhurst Park during the international break, but Hodgson wants to give him more time to shine in the first team.
