Paper Round: Real Madrid cave in on wages to keep Sergio Ramos

Real Madrid cave in over Sergio Ramos's wage demands - Manchester United's hopes of signing Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos appear to have taken a huge blow, according to The Sun. Bernabeu chiefs had pushed the 29-year-old to the exit door after rejecting his request for higher wages, and United were all set to step in and sign him - but now it seems that Real have backed down and are, "ready to offer Sergio Ramos £200,000 a week to keep him away from Manchester United. The offer would put the defender on the same scale as Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo at the Bernabeu. It would also appease the Spanish star, who is willing to walk out over their failure to offer him new and improved terms. "

Paper Round's view - And so it all happens. For weeks we've been wondering if Ramos's desire to leave wasn't just a desire for more money, exactly as Dani Alves called Barcelona's bluff before landing a new deal at the end of the season. Ramos's agents have played a superb hand, in fairness, screwing every last Euro out of his club. You might not agree with what they've done, and indeed you might well think that it's ethically reprehensible; but it's hard to deny that they've done it brilliantly.

[OPINION: Paul Parker: Immature hothead Sergio Ramos would be a £30m gamble]

[DID RAMOS'S MUM GIVE IT AWAY? Ramos's mum says 'Sergio wants to stay in Madrid']

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Man United will not lower price on De Gea - Reports out of Spain on Thursday indicated that Manchester United lowered their price for David De Gea, but The Mirror understand that no such thing has happened. The Red Devils are standing firm on their £35 million valuation of the goalkeeper and would rather let him play out the last year of his contract before leaving for free than sell him on the cheap this summer.

Paper Round's view - Even if Man United were willing to sell De Gea to Real Madrid a bit cheaper, they weren't going to drop the price by £10 million like the Spanish reports claimed. The Red Devils have to know how disastrous it would be for them to lose their goalkeeper on a free transfer next summer, but they're not going to be so desperate as to lower their price to £25 million at the beginning of July. They can always compromise more closer to the end of the summer so the negotiations will continue on, and at a valuation very close to £35 million.

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Arsenal to offload six in coming weeks - Arsene Wenger is ready to get rid of Lukas Podolski, David Ospina, Joel Campbell, Yaya Sanogo, Mathieu Flamini and Carl Jenkinson, according to The Sun. Arsenal want to cut down their first team and plans to get rid of all six players in the next few weeks. Podolski is the biggest name in the group, but even he isn't going to bring in a big fee as he talks about a £1.5 million move to Galatasaray so the Gunners aren't trying to get much in return.

Paper Round's view - Arsenal's squad had become bloated in recent years so it's not a surprise that they're trying to dump players now. None of those six players are going to bring back much money, but at least the Gunners can get their wages off the books. Wenger has enough on his plate trying to buy talent this summer so he's going going to spend much time getting rid of afterthoughts. Whoever wants to take them at a nominal fee can have them.

Southampton get official bid for Schneiderlin - The Morgan Schneiderlin chase is official. The Manchester Evening News understand that Man United have submitted a £20 million bid for the midfielder, making it the first official move in the fight for Schneiderlin. Louis van Gaal wants Schneiderlin's transfer finalized before pre-season starts later this month, but Southampton did not accept the Red Devils' bid so this one will go on longer.

Paper Round's view - Manchester United need to add a midfielder or two this summer. They simply weren't good enough in the center of the park last season and Schneiderlin's versatility would make them substantially better. The Red Devils aren't going to sign him for £20 million, though, and they better not drag their heels on this deal or they risk Arsenal hijacking the transfer.

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Johnson still eyeing overseas deal - Glen Johnson isn't going to Besiktas, but he is still looking for a move abroad, per The Sun. The right back is out of contract after Liverpool chose not to bring him back and he has spent much of the summer exploring his options abroad. He wants to try playing elsewhere in Europe and while he did say no to Besiktas, he is not yet discouraged.

Paper Round's view - Johnson wasn't good enough for Liverpool anymore and the Reds made a huge upgrade in getting Nathaniel Clyne. Still, he is a quality player and shouldn't have a problem finding a home elsewhere in Europe. The only hurdle would be if he is asking for astronomical wages because he wouldn't be wise to expect a huge payday as a declining 30-year-old fullback.

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Man United will offer Evans in swap for Coleman - Manchester United really want Seamus Coleman. The Star claim that the Red Devils are set to offer Johnny Evans along with cash to Everton in an attempt to lure the fullback from Goodison Park. Everton have said that they do not want to sell Coleman, but Man United desperately need a right back after missing out on Nathaniel Clyne and Dani Alves so they're willing to throw players into the deal if that's what it will take.

Paper Round's view - Man United probably really do want Coleman. He's a fine player at a position that the Red Devils need an upgrade at. But their offering Evans to Everton wouldn't solely be about getting their right back. It would also be about getting some value for a player, in Evans, who has just one year left on his contract and the team looks increasingly unlikely to sign to a new deal.