Frank Lampard will remain at Manchester City for the balance of the season to delay his move to New York City FC.

NYCFC confirmed that Lampard will miss the start of the MLS campaign, an absence that could extend into the summer, though the team said in a statement that Lampard's "exact starting date with New York City FC will be confirmed as the EPL and MLS seasons unfold."

NYCFC signed Lampard in July after he parted ways with Chelsea, the club where the England international enjoyed great success over 13 seasons, finishing as the Blues' all-time leading scorer with 211 goals in all competitions.

Gareth Bale wants to remain at Real Madrid amid rumors of interest from Manchester United.

“Go to Manchester United? I am very happy in Madrid, a city, a climate and a club that I love,” he told Dubai TV.

“My contract ends in 2019 and I could sign a renewal. I am very happy at Madrid and I hope to win many more titles in the future. It has been a fantastic year for me. I wanted to come to Real Madrid to win titles and work alongside the best players and that is exactly what I have done in a single year. I hope that we keep improving, winning more titles and that I can keep giving my all.”

Bale has struck an important partnership with Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo in the Real front line, with the trio contributing 57 goals to the Real cause so far this term.

“He [Ronaldo] is an impressive player,” Bale added. “Everybody knows what he is like – it is great to be playing alongside him. What he does so that the team can keep winning and improving is fantastic.

“The forwards we have are extremely good. The three of us really like playing together. We work very well together, as we demonstrated last season with the titles we won. The potential we have up front is fantastic and we want to keep improving.”

Arsène Wenger has identified central midfield as the area Arsenal will look to improve during the January transfer window.

Wenger already promised at least one signing with central defense likely the priority.

Wenger’s decision to exit the summer transfer window with only five senior defenders in the squad always seemed a risk and it has been exposed by injuries, most seriously to Laurent Koscielny and Mathieu Debuchy. 

Wenger will be without Jack Wilshere until March because of ankle ligament damage while he continues to miss Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta because of thigh and ankle injuries respectively. With Abou Diaby also unavailable, Wenger was forced into the stop-gap measure of recalling Francis Coquelin from his loan at Charlton Athletic. Arsenal have been linked with a move for Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko.

“If you look at the number of games some players played and the injuries we have with Wilshere, Ramsey and Arteta, we are a bit short at the moment in midfield,” Wenger said, when asked to name where he would look to strengthen his squad in January.

Chelsea is finalizing a £7 million transfer for Andrej Kramaric, subject to a medical, with the player to be loaned immediately to Vitesse Arnhem.

The striker, who has scored twice in four appearances for the national squad, has been prolific for HNK Rijeka with 28 goals in all competitions this term and will join a trio of Chelsea players – Wallace, Bertrand Traoré and Josh McEachran – already on loan at Vitesse.

Kramaric had also interested Juventus and Leicester City.

Louis van Gaal has identified Seamus Coleman of Everton as a January transfer target.

A deal would be worth at least £20 million.

United believe it is more likely Coleman can be signed in the summer but are exploring what would represent the considerable coup of signing the 26-year-old next month.

Van Gaal wants to sign a high-class right-back as he has little faith in Rafael da Silva, the only established player in the position in his squad.

Alan Pardew hopes to manage his first game with Crystal Palace at Aston Villa on New Year’s Day after finalizing the terms of his departure from Newcastle.

The 53-year-old was back on Tyneside on Tuesday, entering the club’s academy via a side entrance, to bid farewell to the squad who he had steered into mid-table in the Premier League after a dismal start. The announcement he has returned to Palace, his first professional club but a side languishing in the relegation zone, on a four-year contract worth around £2 million per season is anticipated on Wednesday.

Tim Howard will be out of goal for Everton for up to six weeks with a calf injury.

Everton will turn to Joel Robles with Howard out.

"Tim will be out for between five and six weeks," said Roberto Martinez. "It is an injury to his left calf. As a goalkeeper it's really unusual to get an injury by kicking a ball."

Everton's only other goalkeeping options are 18-year-olds Russell Griffiths and Jindrich Stanek, who have both never played a senior game for the club.

Schalke have confirmed they are working on a deal for Manchester City defender Matija Nastasic.

Nastasic, 21, joined City from Fiorentina in 2012 but, after a bright start, missed the majority of the 2013-14 campaign through injury.

"Yes, we are after him," Schalke chief Clemens Tonnies said. "Our coach, Roberto Di Matteo, has him in his plans. Also, the player absolutely wants to come to us."

Schalke would initially seek a loan arrangement for Nastasic, who is under contract until 2017.

Barcelona will not be allowed to sign any players in 2015 after their appeal against their transfer ban was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Spanish club turned to Cas in August after FIFA rejected their appeal to overturn a two-window ban, which was handed to them by world football’s governing body in April due to concerns over the “international transfer of minors.”

But their quest hit a further dead end on Tuesday, meaning they will be unable to bring in any new blood until January 2016.

“The Court of Arbitration for Sport has dismissed the appeal filed by FC Barcelona against the Federation Internationale de Football Association regarding the decision issued by the Fifa appeals committee on 19 August 2014,” a statement from Cas read.

“In such decision, the Spanish football club was sanctioned with a transfer ban for two periods, a fine of CHF 450,000 and a reprimand after it was found to have infringed the Fifa regulations with respect to the registration of a number of minor players.”

Gedion Zelalem has finalized the naturalization process to become a citizen of the United States.

Zelalem, 17, must now await FIFA approval, but that is believed to be a perfunctory exercise.

Zelalem played six years of youth soccer in the Washington D.C. area before signing with Arsenal in 2013.