Paper Round: Real still pursuing De Gea, Liverpool consider £29m bid for ‘new Busquets’

Real still focused on De Gea: Real Madrid are determined to make Manchester United shot stopper David de Gea their number one - but they don't mind waiting, and could make their move when his Old Trafford contract expires. According to the Daily Telegraph, “De Gea has yet to commit to a new long-term contract at Old Trafford, despite entering the final 18 months of the deal he signed when arriving at United in an £18.3m transfer from Atletico Madrid in June 2011. But while European champions Real have identified the 24-year-old as the long-term successor to Iker Casillas, manager Carlo Ancelotti is understood to be happy to retain Casillas and second-choice Keylor Navas as his goalkeeping options next season.”

Paper Round’s view: It was recently speculated that Manchester United could be interested in offering De Gea plus cash as part of a deal to lure Gareth Bale to Old Trafford. No matter how it happens, this transfer looks increasingly inevitable as the reports continue to mount. Will he move imminently? That looks unlikely, but this is one move that looks set to continue being speculated about until it eventually happens. Real Madrid are determined to look to the future for a top goalkeeper and the fact that their ideal target happens to be a Spaniard makes the move all the more attractive. There is no doubt that United would not want to sell him, but at a certain point it may be too tough to resist.

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Liverpool consider £29m bid for ‘new Busquets’: Liverpool will table a big offer in an attempt to beat PSG, Real Madrid and Juventus to acquire the services of teenage Porto sensation Ruben Neves. That’s the latest news coming from the Express, who report that “Liverpool are among a number of Europe's top sides who are closely monitoring Neves development.”

Paper Round’s view: There’s no doubting that Neves is a talented midfielder and it’s little wonder that Liverpool are linked with the player as a possible long-term replacement to Steven Gerrard. But with a number of big clubs monitoring his progress and his career still in its early phases, triggering a £29m release clause represents a significant gamble.

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Liverpool eye Bundesliga double swoop: The Daily Star reports that the Reds are keen on Hannover duo Lars Stindl and Leonardo Bittencourt - the former a central midfielder, the latter a winger. The prices mentioned are £2.2m and £6m respectively - with both deals pencilled in for the summer rather than this weekend.

Paper Round's view: With Lucas Leiva as well as Steven Gerrard now seemingly on his way out of Anfield, Brendan Rodgers does indeed probably have a hefty portfolio of midfielders on his 'keep tabs on' files. Bittencourt, just 21, has great potential but Stindl doesn't seem like the calibre of player to fill one of the huge gaps that will soon loom in the Reds' midfield.

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Hammers table £8 million bid for Gomis: West Ham United “have put in a shock £8m bid for Swansea striker Bafetimbi Gomis,” according to The Sun. With Swansea recently losing Wilfried Bony to Manchester City and Gomis blossoming in recent appearances, the striker’s stock has risen considerably.

Paper Round’s view: This is one that has come out of the blue but also a move that could well happen. The price tag represents a decent profit for Swansea for a player who joined for free from Lyon in the summer and with clubs sniffing around Enner Valencia and Diafra Sakho, West Ham could be keen to make it happen. But can Swansea afford to sell given that they've already lost Bony? It all depends on how unsettled Gomis has been behind the scenes at the Liberty Stadium.

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Martinez shuns move to Spurs and Liverpool: In-demand Porto striker Jackson Martinez will turn down the chance to play in the Premier League for either Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool for the opportunity to play in Italy. That’s according to The Express, who quote his agent Henrique Pompeo as saying, “His desire is clear: he wants to play in Serie A. He has his heart set on Italy and if he were to leave Porto then Serie A would be his first choice. It is very unlikely Porto would let him leave in January, because they still need him for the Champions League and to chase Benfica in the table, so consequently Martinez will only move at the end of the season. He’d be happy at Napoli because we are talking about a very special club, but he’d be happy with Roma, Milan or Juventus too. They are all great teams.”

Paper Round’s view: Martinez has been linked with a move to a host of Premier League clubs for over a season now and nothing has come of it. His agent says his heart is set on playing in Italy, so it appears his destination is more likely to be Juve or Milan than Spurs or Liverpool.