Paper Round: United and Bayern 'agree monster deal'

‘United and Bayern agree monster deal’ – Manchester United are set to sanction the exit of summer signing Ander Herrera this January in order to land Liverpool and Arsenal target Xherdan Shaqiri, according to a report in the Sunday Express. Bayern Munich are desperate to sign the Spaniard after he failed to impress Louis Van Gaal at Old Trafford with boss Pep Guardiola hoping that an offer of £7m plus Shaqiri will be enough to land Herrera. Sources in Germany understand that United will accept his tempting offer, according to the paper, with Van Gaal apparently happy to take Shaqiri as part of the swap deal.

Paper Round’s view: Herrera joined United from Athletic Bilbao for a fee believed to be around £30 million, but injuries have seen him take to the pitch just five times since August. Van Gaal has struggled to get the best out of his squad since taking the reigns after the World Cup and has publicly admitting that he wants to add more wingers to his team. Shaqiri could become a key player in the starting XI should the proposed transfer go ahead, but losing Herrera would seem very strange given how long United have craved a midfielder of his calibre and how short their squad is in quality in that department.

‘Chelsea lining up £20m move for Everton player’ - Chelsea are preparing a £20m summer move for Everton full back Seamus Coleman, that’s according to a report in the Mail on Sunday. The Republic of Ireland defender has forged a reputation as one of the best right backs in the Premier League and Jose Mourinho is a confirmed admirer. Everton are reportedly wary of interest in Coleman, signed for £60,000 from Sligo Rovers in 2009, and have been scouting for possible replacements. The club have apparently already enquired about Barcelona’s 23-year-old Martin Montoya and have also watched Rochdale’s Rhys Bennett, also 23.

Paper Round’s view: Branislav Ivanovic has been absolutely superb for Chelsea at right back this season but if Mourinho is looking for a more enterprising and younger option to vie for that position then Coleman would represent a good fit. Everton boss Roberto Martinez has hailed Coleman and Leighton Baines as 'the best pair of full backs in England' so it is very unlikely that Everton would take anything less than £20m. It sounds like a lot of money for a full back, but given that Coleman is proven at Premier League level and has age on his side, it would not be an outrageous fee to command.

‘Liverpool striker to leave already’ – Rickie Lambert could be making a sensational move back to Southampton in January despite Brendan Rodgers turning to the striker to solve his goal-scoring problems, that’s according to a report in the Sunday Express. Lambert made his £4m move to Anfield in the summer returning to his boyhood club, but the striker is reportedly keen to secure more first-team opportunities to keep his place in the England squad. If Liverpool were to succeed in their pursuit of Saido Berahino or Jackson Martinez or recall Divock Origi early, Lambert could be forced to return to St Mary's on loan if he wants to keep his place in Roy Hodgson's squad.

Paper Round’s view: A move back to St Mary's could offer him more starting opportunities at Southampton than at Liverpool however he would still have to compete for his place with in-form Graziano Pelle. Given what a huge success Pelle has been for the Saints under Ronald Koeman, and how much the manager rates the striker, it would be a very tough ask for Lambert to secure the first-team opportunities that he had at the club before the move to Merseyside. With Liverpool's floundering front-line, Rodgers is in desperate need for his side to start scoring again, especially with Daniel Sturridge's latest injury crisis, so quite why he would sell Lambert at this stage would be anyone’s guess.

‘Atletico agree to seel Miranda to United’ – Atletico Madrid will accept a £20m bid from Manchester United for defender Miranda in January, according to a report in the Sunday edition of the Star. United are reportedly in the market for a defender and have also been linked with Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels, Athletic Bilbao starlet Aymeric Laporte and West Ham's Winston Reid. However, United's impending winter bid for Miranda is likely to tempt the Atletico board into selling. The Brazilian centre-back reportedly has a £24m release clause in his contract with the La Liga champions but the report suggests the Red Devils will offer £20m.

Paper Round’s view: It has been speculated that the emergence of young defender Jose Gimenez could convince the Spanish outfit that Miranda is expendable, but even if a bid is accepted, United boss Louis van Gaal is likely to face an uphill battle to convince the defender to move to England. Following transfer speculation during the summer transfer window, the 30-year-old admitted he was settled in Madrid, but then we hear that kind of talk from footballers all the time when a potential new contract is on the table. One to watch, certainly.