The top stories and transfer rumours from Thursday's newspapers...
FOOTBALL
Cristian Romero is back on Atletico Madrid's radar in the wake of his outburst against the Tottenham hierarchy - The Sun
Lionel Messi is being eyed for a return to boyhood club Newell's Old Boys after confirming his dream to play for the club - Daily Mirror
Crystal Palace had agreed a £27m deal in principle to sell Eddie Nketiah to West Ham United, only for injury to pull the plug on the move - The Sun
Feyenoord are among the clubs to have made contact over free agent former Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard - Daily Mail
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has suffered another blow after his return to football. The Frenchman has been left out of Monaco's squad for the knockout stages of the Champions League - Daily Mirror
Manchester United had five of their youngsters - including striker JJ Gabriel - involved in training ahead of their clash with Tottenham on Saturday - Daily Mirror
SCOTTISH FOOTBALL
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is reportedly edging closer to agreeing a deal with Celtic - Scottish Sun
CRICKET
Lord's could host a Test match on a drop-in pitch as early as 2029 as part of a radical response to the problem of tired and lifeless surfaces at the home of cricket - Daily Mail
RUGBY UNION
ITV will show adverts during play in its Six Nations coverage, in a landmark moment for television broadcasts of sport in the UK - The Times
The off-field turmoil in Welsh rugby has taken an explosive turn after Swansea council began legal action against the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and the Ospreys owners, Y11 Sport and Media - The Times
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend will take over at Newcastle Red Bulls following the conclusion of his contract with the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) - Daily Telegraph
Top-end tickets for the inaugural Nations Championship final at Twickenham will cost £280 as part of a weekend billed as the "Glastonbury of Rugby" - The Guardian
WINTER OLYMPICS
Great Britain's best chance of Olympic gold at the Milano Cortina Games has suffered a big setback after a new aerodynamic racing helmet set to be used by their world-leading skeleton athletes was deemed illegal - The Times
The International Olympic Committee president, Kirsty Coventry, has given her clearest signal yet that Russia could be back for the 2028 Los Angeles Games - The Guardian
Football's lawmakers will vote later this month on whether to bring in countdowns to prevent timewasting and on the introduction of a 10-second substitute rule - Daily Mail
Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes has spoken candidly about his relationship with head coach Arne Slot - and is "absolutely convinced" that their big-money signings will pay off - Daily Mirror
