Paper Round: Manchester United offer £65m and David de Gea for Gareth Bale

Man Utd make last-ditch bid for Bale – According to the Daily Star, Manchester United are set to offer £65 million plus David de Gea in an attempt to land Gareth Bale before the transfer window closes. A club source told the paper: "This would be the perfect deal for the club. It would cost them a lot of money but Gareth Bale is one of the world's biggest stars, while goalkeeper De Gea has made it clear he wants to leave. It would suit all parties but there is not much time left and deals like these tend to take weeks because of everything involved. But United remain determined to bring in a big, big name before the window closes."

Paper Round’s view: Louis van Gaal has spoken of his desire to land a player of Bale’s calibre, and £65m plus De Gea would be a tempting proposition for Real Madrid. But Bale has been installed as the centrepiece of Rafa Benitez’s new Madrid and it would make no sense whatsoever to sell him at this point. Bale has just given his first interview in Spanish and seems happy in Madrid. They won’t sell Bale, and will probably buy De Gea as well before the window closes.

- - -

Chelsea to break transfer record for Pogba – Signing Paul Pogba will not be cheap if Chelsea can strike a deal before Tuesday’s transfer deadline, according to the Daily Express. They suggest the transfer fee will be a British record £72m, dwarfing the £59.7m Manchester United paid for Angel Di Maria, and that Pogba will command wages of £318,00 per week, or £16.5m a year. That puts the total outlay at £154.5m.

Paper Round’s view: It’s an astronomical amount of money but if there’s one player who is worth it, it’s surely Pogba. The Frenchman is only 22 and his value will surely appreciate further in the next few years so it’s a sound investment by Chelsea if they can secure the most talented young midfielder in world football. The sums look huge but it’s a fair approximation of his talent. Get the deal done and you’ve got an astonishing player.

- - -

Chelsea close on Chinese defender - John Stones is the big defensive target for Chelsea but, according to the Telegraph, the club are also pursuing a move for China and Guangzhou Evergrande defender Zhang Linpeng. He will go on loan, with the paper reporting: “The 26-year-old right-back has been identified independently of Chelsea’s pursuit of John Stones but work permit regulations mean that it will be impossible to immediately add him to the squad.”

Paper Round’s view: There is an inevitable scepticism when it comes to deals like this, as you wonder how Zhang hasn’t been picked up already, given he is 26. But you have to give him a fair crack of the whip and it’s only fair to judge after he’s actually played for the club following his loan move away.

- - -

Everton star Coleman keen on PSG move – There is a fairly remarkable story in the Daily Star today, which reports that the French club have failed with a £20m move for Everton star Seamus Coleman and that “Everton have told the French champions even a £50m bid will not persuade them to sell up.” Coleman is said to be keen to talk to PSG, even if he won’t follow in Stones’ footsteps and go as far as issuing a transfer request.

Paper Round’s view: Coleman is easily up to Ligue 1 standard and he would be a good addition for PSG, if not for £50m. You can hardly blame him for wanting to talk to a club which could comfortably triple his wages.