striker

Wolves are open to selling striker Jorgen Strand Larsen this month, amid interest from Nottingham Forest.

The Premier League’s bottom side recognise allowing the 25-year-old to leave may be best for all parties, if the right deal could be found.

That would include a switch to the City Ground, despite Forest being one of the teams also fighting against the drop from the Premier League.

Forest – missing last season’s 20-goal top scorer Chris Wood – are one of several clubs to have looked at Strand Larsen as an option.

Wood, who has been out with a knee injury since October, had surgery just before Christmas, with a comeback date yet to be determined.

West Ham‘s interest in Strand Larsen has cooled after being asked for £40m, and they have bought Valentin Castellanos and Pablo Felipe instead. Newcastle‘s priorities are now elsewhere after they failed with a £55m bid in the summer and signed Nick Woltemade.

Sean Dyche’s Forest are seven points clear of the relegation zone – and 15 above Wolves – after Tuesday’s 2-1 win at West Ham.

Arnaud Kalimuendo, Forest’s £26m summer signing from Rennes, joined Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt on loan with an option to buy on Wednesday, leaving Igor Jesus and Taiwo Awoniyi as the club’s only strikers.

Strand Larsen has been targeted by unhappy Wolves fans this season, having scored just one Premier League goal.

It is part of the reason why Wolves are willing to allow the Norway international to leave, even though he only made his initial loan move from Celta Vigo permanent last July for £23m.

Yet, Strand Larsen is well-respected behind the scenes, where he is seen as a leader. He earned internal credit for the professional way he handled Newcastle‘s interest and bids.

He was rewarded with a five-year contract in September after a promising debut season, scoring 14 goals and helping Wolves finish 16th.

Wolves‘ likely relegation is a factor in Strand Larsen’s future – they only secured their first Premier League win of the season last Saturday, at the 20th attempt, as they beat West Ham 3-0.

Strand Larsen would not be expected to remain at Molineux in the Championship and selling him in January would generate a higher fee than the summer.

West Ham have been touted as potential suitors for Vipotnik, although Swans boss Vitor Matos dismissed that link as “just a rumour”.

Matos, who has overseen four wins in Swansea’s past six matches, was full of praise for the forward’s performance in the 1-0 win at Oxford, with injuries to fellow frontmen Adam Idah and Liam Cullen making his contribution all the more important.

Swansea now face West Brom on New Year’s Day (15:00 GMT) with Vipotnik hoping to continue his progress this season.

Vipotnik, who has scored 12 in all competitions after just seven in his first campaign in Wales, began 2025-26 playing back-up to Cullen and then saw Idah arrive in a big-money transfer from Celtic on 1 September.

But the former Bordeaux player has made himself Swansea’s first-choice centre-forward thanks to his impressive form.

“It was tough (at the beginning of the season) but, after, I showed my character and I’m thankful for my team-mates and gaffer who helped me with this,” Vipotnik added.

“I’m really happy with my form and I’ll hope that I’ll continue in the new year.

“I have a target in my head about how many goals. I don’t like to say it, but I like to score every game.”

Former Newcastle United, Liverpool and England striker Andy Carroll is due to appear in court on Tuesday after he was charged with breaching a non-molestation order.

Carroll, 36, who now plays for National League South side Dagenham and Redbridge, was arrested in April with the alleged offence said to have been committed a month earlier.

The 36-year-old, who has nine caps for England and was signed by Liverpool in 2011 for a then club record fee of £35m, is listed to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates Court.

Essex Police said: “A man has been charged with breaching a non-molestation order. Andrew Carroll, 36, of Epping, was arrested on April 27 and the alleged offences relate to an incident in March. He is due to appear at Chelmsford magistrates’ court on December 30.”

A non-molestation order is a court injunction typically issued to prevent a person from communicating with another and could also stop someone from coming within a certain distance of a specific address or a place of work.

The punishment for breach of a non-molestation order ranges from a fine to up to five years in prison for the most serious of cases.

Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood is set for a further spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery.

The New Zealand striker has been out since mid-October with a knee problem and is yet to feature under Sean Dyche since he replaced Ange Postecogolou as manager.

The 34-year-old excelled at the City Ground last term, scoring 20 times in 40 appearances as they qualified for Europe.

His playing time has been more limited this campaign, with Wood having managed two goals in nine appearances.

Wood did not specify the nature of his surgery, but he has been seen wearing a knee brace while watching recent Forest matches.

“The Christmas I didn’t expect, you can never know what football throws at you,” Wood wrote on Instagram.

“From the highs of last season to now the battles and the lows personally of this season. You have to be ready for anything.

“Truly gutting and frustrating that I’ll be on the sideline for another period of time. It’s what’s needed to come back stronger and better to help my team-mates do the job needed in the Premier League and in Europe.”

Wood’s last appearance came in Postecoglou’s final game in charge, the 3-0 defeat by Chelsea on 18 October.

Isak, who scored only his second Premier League goal of the season on Saturday in 10 appearances, has struggled since arriving at Anfield.

Earlier this summer, he was left out of the Newcastle squad for their pre-season tour of Asia with what the club described as a “minor thigh injury”, while it was understood he wanted to explore a move away.

Isak then trained alone at his former club Real Sociedad before joining Liverpool on deadline day.

Without a proper pre-season, he arrived short of match fitness and has started just 10 times in all competitions.

Liverpool are also without Mohamed Salah, who is with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, and the injured Cody Gakpo.

Fellow forward Hugo Ekitike, who joined in the summer from Eintracht Frankfurt, was also on target at Spurs and expected to continue to lead the line for the Reds.

The 23-year-old Frenchman has scored 11 times this term, with five in the last three league games a factor in Isak starting on the bench.