News about Joe Bryan

If Manchester United's board approves a transfer that will see Sir Jim Ratcliffe's company take a 5 percent stake in the club, a significant change could be on the way. Since his key rival, Qatari Sheikh Jassim, withdrew his bid on Saturday night, the petrochemical billionaire seems to have dominated the Premier League giants. Ratcliffe, a lifelong United fan, will pay around £1.4 billion for a quarter stake at Old Trafford in the first step in what is perceived as a staged buyout.

Premier League clubs are finalizing their plans of which areas of the squad they need to improve as the days go by in January. If it's investing more to bring in the difference-maker in a push for the top-two or signing a striker whose goals will propel you to safety, it's likely to be a busy month as top flight clubs brace for the second half of the season. In light of this, Sportsmail examines each Premier League team, sees what they're passionate about, and where they can improve in January.

After 11 years at the Foxes, the Danish international joined the Ligue 1 team in the summer, a key role in their 2015-16 Premier League title winning campaign. Nice's off to a slow start to the season, and reports in France have indicated that Schmeichel is a primary reason for this. With his entourage reportedly pleading for him to start the game, he has raised doubts about his fitness and punctuality.

When Lucien Favre returned to Nice in June, hopes were high, particularly when backed by the billions of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos. Rather, they've been reduced to a basket case. An assembly of Premier League cast-offs, some of whom Favre may have missed or knows nothing about, have only won just two of eight Ligue 1 games so far, and Favre is facing the sack with the name of Mauricio Pochettino looming large. On Sunday, defender Jean-Clair Todibo was sent off after only nine seconds, not surprising the fastest sending off in Ligue 1 history, and the Angers lost 1-0 at home.

EUROPA CONFERENCE LEAGUE CENTER UP: Nice's raid on the Premier League this summer featured an unexpected scorer in Belgrade, as Fulham loanee Joe Bryan (centre) struck for a draw against Partizan. On the hour of their clean sheet vanishes, Kasper Schmeichel's clean sheet vanishes as Fousseni Diabate, teed up by Bibras Natcho, broke Nice's resistance after it had gone forward through Bryan. After a mixed display in Serbia, there was no Aaron Ramsey or Ross Barkley for the French team, and there's still plenty of work to do.

Lucien Favre (right), his current bossee, appears to be less familiar with Ross Barkley's (left) work with Everton, Chelsea, or England, admitting that he is uncertain of the midfielder's correct position. 'In your mind, is he [Barkley] more of a six, more of an eight…?' One journalist questioned the other. 'I'm told he's more than an eight,' Favre replied, hinting at the fact that he himself is uncertain how to use Barkley.

Ross Barkley has joined Nice, a French club. After Chelsea finished his deal last week, the 28-year old England international became a free agent, with Barkley expected to have received around £7 million. On Sunday night, Barkley, who had also held talks with Southampton, was shown to Nice fans before their game against Monaco.

This summer's record-breaking transfer window comes to an end, with several clubs already making key moves ahead of a long and competitive season. Last week, it was revealed that Premier League clubs had broken the all-time spending record for transfers within a window, splashing over £1.5 billion on new players. Sportsmail has taken a look at the players' wants in and out ahead of the summer deadline.