Paper Round: Arsenal move for Lorenzo Insigne, Dortmund plot bid for Liverpool target

Arsenal are planning a summer swoop for Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne, according to the The Sun. The paper claims the 25-year-old wants more than double the £30,000-a-week wages he is currently earning, with Arsenal hoping to capitalise on the stand-off between player and club. Reports suggest it would take £44m for Arsenal to prise Insigne away from Napoli.

Paper Round’s view: Any transfer talk surrounding Arsenal should be taken with a pinch of salt with Arsene Wenger’s future still up in the air. The Sun claims the Arsenal boss has sent scouts out to monitor Insigne, but a fresh look in the dugout would bring a new approach to signings. Let’s wait until summer before seriously talking of arrivals at the Emirates.

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Borussia Dortmund are considering a move for Athletic Bilbao striker Inaki Williams, according to reports in Spain. Radio Marca claims the 22-year-old would be seen as a replacement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, should the Gabon international leave Dortmund at the end of the season. Williams has long been a rumoured target for Liverpool, with the Metro stating it would take an offer of £42.5m to secure the youngster’s services.

Paper Round's view: Williams' potential is evident given his displays for Bilbao, but as with so many young should-be strikers, he has found himself played out wide this season, meaning his return of five goals in 32 games is not something to shout home about. However, add another five assists to the mix and you have a player capable of making a significant impact. Expect a summer move for Williams, but where is anybody’s bet.

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Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City side that Europe will “kill” them if they fail to beat Monaco in the Champions League last 16. Many papers, including the Daily Mirror, have run with this strong line from Guardiola, who is clearly fearing a similar backlash to that suffered by his old club Barcelona following their 4-0 defeat at PSG last week. “All of Europe is going to watch us, to analyse us, to kill us if we don’t win, to say how good we are when we win and that experience is beautiful to me,” said Guardiola.

Paper Round’s view: Pep’s record of reaching the semi-final every season since becoming a manager will not be an easy one to maintain, and he knows the wolves will be at the door should he fail to do so in a season where the league seems just out of reach. He may be warning his players, but you get the sense the buck will fall on him should his side fail to deliver the goods.

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Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim has dismissed rumours suggesting he could be in line to take the Arsenal job in the summer. The Express reports that Jardim is open to moving to England, but the 42-year-old has suggested the time is not quite right. "I think that all managers and players want to coach and play at the highest level and today the Premier League is perhaps the biggest national league in Europe and everyone would like to have the opportunity to coach here," he said. "But at the moment we are at Monaco and we are a big club and we have a future to forge, and that is why we give 100 per cent to Monaco."

Paper Round’s view: Add Jardim to the long list – should Wenger go it’s not going to be a quick process, but we can’t see the Monaco boss becoming the next Arsenal manager. However, if Monaco can maintain their run to beat PSG to Ligue 1 glory and we could see the Jardim name pop up again come June. Rule nothing out, although you feel the list of candidates will be so strong that Jardim may hardly get a look-in.

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