By Tim Stannard

1) Milan fans rally against Donnarumma 

It must the holiday spirit seeping or the mind-altering effects of an overdose on cinnamon spice lattes, but Sports Burst is sensing something equating to the human emotion of sympathy. 

Normally, it would chuckle in a warm sense of Schadenfreude at the sight of a millionaire icon football having a locker room weep after a match because some fans were mean. But Gianluigi Donnarumma really does need a big hug. The AC Milan goalkeeper kept a clean sheet in a Coppa Italia clash against Hellas Verona on Wednesday, but the weepy figure still had to be consoled and handed a tissue by Leonardo Bonucci, a man who has had his fair share of abuse this season from a trio of Milan, Juve and Italy fans. 

The reason is a reemergence of rumors – stirred up by Donnarumma’s agent again – that the footballer is once again demanding a move away from the San Siro just months after signing a new deal. Hence the strongly worded banner held aloft before Wednesday’s game reading - ‘Moral violence, €6m per year and the signing of a parasite brother? Now go, our patience is finished!’

Even a former Italy PM said that he would have booed the footballer through the brave medium of Twitter. The Italian press is now speculating that Napoli keeper, Pepe Reina, is being lined up as replacement for next summer, although Sports Burst suspects that the Donnarumma rumor mill might be a key fixture in the winter transfer window. Hopefully.

2) Ozil to choose between United and Barca 

Staying on a transfer tinge, Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil, has a tough but ultimately pleasing first-world-problems decision to make. 

Does the footballer leave the Gunners and choose Manchester United or Barcelona this winter for a small fee or in the summer for nothing? That’s the main story from Thursday’s rumor mill. 

Monaco look set to be losing yet another star with Fabinho looking around the Monte Carlo locker room and deciding that he wants out too. “It should be my last season at Monaco. I haven’t signed anything.” Pretty much everyone wants him, to be fair. 

Tune into the XTRA for the latest from top 5 transfer tracker stories of the day – tune in from 7PM ET / 4PM PT. 

3) Eight still standing in race to run US Soccer 

And then there were eight. 

The list of candidates in the running to become the next president of US Soccer has been whittled down by just one name to eight. The US Soccer Federations revealed on Wednesday night that eight names met the required number of three or more letters of recognition from key figures in the US game before moving onto the next stage, which is background checks. For this reason, the names of the eight have not yet been revealed.

Tune into the XTRA from 7PM ET / 4PM PT for a look with Phil Schoen at who the strongest challengers are and also reflect on the season gone in MLS. 

4) Froome fights back in doping storm 

Chris Froome has spoken about the controversy which surrounds the world’s leading cyclist after it was revealed that he was on the receiving end of an ‘adverse’ doping test in last year’s Tour of Spain.  

The Team Sky rider had double the allowed level of legal asthma drug salbutamol in his urine but claims that there was no “wrong doing".

The sport’s governing body, the UCI, are awaiting more information while some in the sport are questioning why the results which occurred in September are not being revealed until now and why Froome is not undergoing a provisional suspension. "I can understand a lot of people's reactions, especially given the history of the sport,” said Froome. 

The British rideris the current Tour de France holder, having won it in 2017 for a third year in a row. 

WHAT IS SPORTS BURST?

The life philosophy of Sports Burst is that if you are not upsetting someone, then you are not trying hard enough. SB is a daily trawl and troll through the morning's sports news to bring you fact-nuggets to make you both smile and swear. Hopefully at the same time.