Paper Round: Chelsea target fantastic four strikers in January sales

Chelsea aren't happy with Diego Costa's form and are considering making a move for another striker in January, per The Mail. The Blues had planned on waiting until the summer to address their striker issues, but Costa's failure to turn things around have them debating an earlier foray into the transfer market. Harry Kane and Antoine Griezmann would be their top targets, while Jamie Vardy and Saido Berahino could make sense as quick improvements.

Paper Round's view - Trying to nab a top tier striker in January will be nearly impossible. Tottenham won't sell Kane so he's out, while Atletico Madrid would demand a ransom for Griezmann, who isn't even the type of striker the Blues need. That the Blues have to dip into the transfer market in January is problematic and not conducive to building a good squad at good value long-term. But if they need to add someone, Vardy and Berahino could be had with a big bid because both only have 18 months left on their contracts.

Juventus want Samir Nasri, but Manchester City won't let him go. The Mirror reports that the Italian giants told the Citizens they would pay £10m for Nasri, but City dismissed them. Man City insist that Nasri is not for sale despite dealing with injuries that have sidelined him for much of the season. Those injuries didn't deter Juventus, but the Citizens don't care what they offer.

Paper Round's view - Manchester City's squad is bizarre right now as some poor transfers, a slew of injuries and Manuel Pellegrini's odd rotations have made it impossible to figure out what the depth chart looks like. Is Nasri going to walk into the starting line-up whenever he gets fit? Nobody seems to know. Maybe Pellegrini doesn't even know. But Man City don't need £10m so if they want to wait and see how things play out when everyone is fit before deciding on any sales, that makes sense.

Gary Cahill's Chelsea future could be determined in the next three weeks. The Sun understand that the defender is in negotiations with the club over a long-term contract, but has to get it finalized before he turns 30 on December 19. The Blues have a policy of not giving players who have turned 30 any longer than one-year contracts so if the two sides haven't agreed to a deal by Cahill's birthday, no long-term team is coming. Cahill wants to sign a new contract that will keep him at Stamford Bridge for the remainder of his career.

Paper Round's view - If this is true, Chelsea are happy to give Cahill a long-term contract on December 18, but one day later he's too old to be counted on and guarantee such a long deal to. It's fine that they have a policy, and at its core it makes sense, but if the Blues are concerned about the longevity of older players then they should probably not give Cahill a long contract now. Forget when his birthday is.

Newcastle believe they can sign Andros Townsend in January and also want to add Jonjo Shelvey, according to The Mail. The Magpies know they need to strengthen their squad to stay in the top flight and are confident they can get Townsend on loan, with the opportunity to buy him later. That's a deal they're aiming to wrap up early in January, but they also want Shelvey. That would be a very difficult deal and the club know it, but McClaren wants him and is hoping that the club can add more British players.

Paper Round's view - Townsend would be a nice addition to Newcastle and should thrive in McClaren's system. He has no place at Tottenham and while they'd prefer to sell him outright, they would probably be content with a deal that would see him go on loan if it becomes permanent should the Magpies stay up. Prying Shelvey from Swansea will be near impossible, though. They're not in the business of selling and the Magpies can't offer him much more than the Swans are.

Arsenal are interested in signing Alexandre Pato. The Corinthians director of football said that Arsene Wenger reached out to him about the forward, amid rumours that the Gunners are among the teams looking to buy Pato. “I had lunch with Arsene Wenger and he asked about [Pato] and about others," the Corinthians man said. Pato is on loan at Sao Paulo, but Corinthians would like to sell him. Tottenham, Liverpool and Sunderland have also been linked to the Brazilian.

Paper Round's view - Pato would be a strange fit at Arsenal. They need help through the middle. Signing a forward who is best on the wing and doesn't particularly enjoy playing as a striker doesn't do them a ton of good. This comes across much more as Wenger asking about Pato out of curiosity or just to kick the tyres more so than legitimate interest or a desire to sign him. Pato may want a move to England, but right now there doesn't appear to be a club especially interested in signing him.

Jack Grealish won't be in the Aston Villa first team anytime soon. The Sun claim that Remi Garde will leave Grealish with the Under-21 team indefinitely. Grealish was spotted partying hours after Aston Villa's 4-0 loss on Saturday and again on Sunday. That behaviour upset the Villa manager, who sent him to train with the youth team on Monday. Grealish has been left there since and Garde will not bring him back into the first team until he proves himself.

Paper Round's view - Garde is going about changing the culture at Aston Villa. The way he runs a club is very different than how Tim Sherwood does so he has a lot to overhaul. Something like this is a way of making a statement and setting expectations, as well as instilling accountability. That may not necessarily be fair to Grealish or productive in the short-term, but if it helps him get the team's attitude on the right track then it will be worth it to Garde.