Paper Round: Chelsea to make £30m swoop for Shakhtar Donetsk’s Alex Teixeira

Chelsea are ready to launch a £30m bid for Shakhtar Donetsk hot shot Alex Teixeira in January, according to a report in the Daily Express. The attacking midfielder has already scored 23 goals in 23 games so far this season and the 25-year-old is now reportedly the Blues’ top target as Jose Mourinho hopes for a January spending spree to jolt the club’s season into life. The paper reports that Mourinho intends to play Teixeira behind Diego Costa, who has only netted four times so far in this campaign.

Paper Round’s view: Costa has often looked very isolated this season and Teixeira could provide a much needed spark in behind the Spaniard. It does seem as though Chelsea need a shot in the am from January and a spending spree appears inevitable. The club continues to be linked with West Brom’s Saido Berahino, but Teixeira could represent better value with a defender also reportedly on Mourinho’s shopping list.

Bayern Munich will fight to keep Pep Guardiola, according to a report in the Daily Mail, as speculation intensifies over him potentially joining Manchester City. Numerous reports on Friday linked Guardiola with a move to the Etihad Stadium on July 1 but the Mail believes that Bayern will do everything possible to keep the Spaniard in Bavaria. According to the paper, “there is no appetite in Munich to lose him” and City will not find it at all easy to land their man.

Paper Round’s view: Guardiola’s deal at Bayern is set to expire in June and so far it has not seemed as though a further commitment to the club is forthcoming. Guardiola did not attend his usual pre-match press conference on Friday – which Bayern said was down to a “personal” issue – and it served to only further intensity speculation that his time in Germany could be coming to an end this summer. Bayern may lose patience with this situation, but for now they appear totally committed to keeping Guardiola in Bavaria.

Burnley striker Andre Gray is already being targeted for a £15m move to the Premier League, despite having only joined the club three months ago, according to the Daily Mirror. Everton, Aston Villa and West Ham are all keen to sign the 24-year-old, who has scored nine times in just 12 starts for Sean Dyche’s side in the second tier. He was at the centre of a summer scramble as Burnley pipped Hull City and Bristol City to sign him for £9m, and now it appears as though his value has been bolstered further.

Paper Round: There’s no doubt that Gray is a coveted asset in the Championship, and three Premier League clubs now reportedly believe that he is able to make the step up to the top flight. FIFA rules state that players can be registered with three clubs in one season but can only play for two which, given that Gray played two matches for Brentford before moving to Turf Moor, would mean that a further transfer would be more likely to happen in the summer.

Manchester City defender Martin Demichelis could leave the club in January, with Rosario Central interested in taking the veteran Argentine back to his homeland, that’s according to a report in the Daily Mirror. However, the paper also believes that the MLS club City co-own, New York City FC, could instead move for the 34-year-old. Rosario Central boss Eduardo Coudet played with Demichelis at River Plate and is reportedly keen to bring his experience to Argentina.

Paper Round’s view: Although he has often come in for a lot of criticism, Demichelis has been an underrated performer at times for City. At the age of 34, Manuel Pellegrini may well be happy to let him leave the Etihad Stadium, with a summer move seemingly most likely. It has always seemed as though Pellegrini has a good relationship with Demichelis, so he may be willing to let him head back to South America if it is his strong desire.