Paper Round: Manchester United 'to fight Arsenal for Morgan Schneiderlin'

United will battle with Arsenal for Schneiderlin - Manchester United want Morgan Schneiderlin, according to various newspaper reports. The Mirror claims that Louis van Gaal is ready to fight Arsenal for the midfielder and believes he can nab the Frenchman by getting a jump start on their rivals. United want a midfielder after seeing how the team struggled when Michael Carrick was injured and Arsenal's plans to get Schneiderlin for £25 million could be scuppered by Van Gaal's decision to move for the Saints man. Schneiderlin is regarded very highly at Old Trafford and Van Gaal sees him as the man to add the required steel to the club's midfield.

Paper Round's view: Southampton want to keep Schneiderlin, but with the midfielder making it clear that he wants to leave if a Champions League team comes calling, the Saints have to know that they'll probably end up selling. The goods news is that if United and Arsenal are both interested in Schneiderlin, they should drive the price up and the Saints could end up getting £30m for the midfielder. United will surely be the favourites to sign him given all the speculation that they are to move first to acquire his services, but Arsenal cannot be ruled out with Arsene Wenger believed to be a long-time admirer of the player.

Falcao offering Chelsea big pay cut for Stamford Bridge move - Radamel Falcao wants to move to Chelsea. The Mirror believes that the striker is currently talking to the club about a deal that would see him join the Premier League champions and that he is willing to take a "massive pay cut" to get the move done. Falcao's disastrous year at Man United has few clubs chasing the striker and certainly not at his current £265,000-per-week wages, but the Colombian wants to prove himself in the Premier League and is trying to get a deal done before Copa America begins.

Paper Round's view - Falcao can always return to Monaco and collect his huge wages for the remainder of his contract. No one would blame him for that, especially after Monaco showed their quality with a run to the Champions League knockout stages. But if Falcao wants to prove himself in the Premier League or play anywhere else, he has to take a big wage cut. No one is going to pay him £265,000-per-week. If he is willing to take the cut, Chelsea is a pretty nice place to land.

Liverpool close to signing Lacazette - Liverpool are getting close to landing Alexandre Lacazette, according to The Metro. Lacazette scored 31 times for Lyon this season to draw the interest of big clubs from around Europe. Lyon don't want to sell the striker so anyone who signs him will have to pay a pretty penny, with some reports claiming that it would take £35m.

Paper Round's view - Liverpool are going to sign at least one striker this summer. That's on top of Divock Origi, who is already set to join the club. The question is which striker will it be? Lacazette is an outstanding one and would be a wise signing, but there is a lot of competition for him. That doesn't usually result in a deal getting done so early in the summer. Liverpool don't offer Champions League football either, making it all the less likely, so unless the Reds bid an extraordinary amount of money, they're probably not landing Lacazette in early June.

Walcott to sign new deal with Arsenal - Theo Walcott is ready to end the uncertainty around his future and sign a new contract with Arsenal, according to The Sun. Walcott's current deal expires next year and Liverpool are ready to offer £20m for the player, while the player has shown an unwillingness to talk with the club over a new deal. Things have turned though and Walcott's representatives will talk about a new deal in the next few days and expect to agree on a contract that will keep him earning over £100,000-per-week.

Paper Round's view - Walcott is going to get paid about £100,000-per-week wherever he goes so money isn't really a problem. The concern has to be his playing time, as the signing of Alexis Sanchez has cut into his place at Arsenal. But Walcott could see himself as an out-and-out forward from here on out. If the Gunners don't sign a striker this summer, he could displace Olivier Giroud and become first choice up top, or at least split time with him. If that's his thinking, re-signing with Arsenal makes sense.

Aston Villa to offer Benteke £75,000-per-week - Aston Villa are desperate to keep Christian Benteke and are willing to give him a huge raise. The Mail believes that the club will offer the striker £75,000-per-week, which is 50 per cent more than he gets now. The club are hoping that the new deal will get Benteke to stay and with it, that they can at least raise his release clause, which is currently £32.5m.

Paper Round's view - If Benteke goes to Liverpool, they're almost certain to pay him at least £75,000-per-week, if not more. He'd also get to join a club that is a Champions League contender. Aston Villa's offer is a nice one and about as much as they can do, but if Liverpool really are set on signing the striker, they'll bid the £32.5m, trigger the release clause and Benteke will leave happily.