Paper Round: Arsenal could land Shkodran Mustafi for half of £50m buyout clause

Arsenal have targeted Valencia defender Shkodran Mustafi, according to the Mirror. The report says that Mustafi could be sold from the La Liga club for half of his £50 million buy-out clause, due to the club seeking to recoup funds after missing out on Champions League. This has left Arsenal in the position of potentially picking up the German international for around £25 million.

Paper Round's view: Still a lot of water to go under the bridge, but £25 million for Mustafi isn't bad considering what's out there on the market. He's still quite young enough to mould into Arsene Wenger's vision of a ball-playing, risk-taking modern defender. Good fit if they can keep the price in this range.

Swansea striker Andre Ayew could be on the way to West Ham, according to the Sun. The report says that the Hammers are willing to sign him for £16 million and offer the player £75,000 a week to give them another attacking outlet. Swansea are open to selling the player, as they wish to change up their style and reinvest the money by signing new players.

Paper Round's view: West Ham have been incredibly unlucky in signing strikers this window, but even with the steep weekly wage, Ayew is more than just another player at a club down the bottom of the table. If given more freedom and less opposition attention at West Ham, he'll give the club some serious x-factor in the front half of the pitch.

Tottenham have targeted Mainz midfielder Yunus Malli, according to the Mirror. The report says that 24-year-old has been linked to Tottenham for the second time in this window, as the club weighs up moving in for the midfielder. Malli's £7.5 million contract buy-out clauses expires at the end of this month, as he has publicly refused to rule out a transfer.

Paper Round's view: Depth is the watchword for Tottenham, as Malli as slowly comes into his own. Malli has worked up the ranks at Mainz, starting as a bit player before becoming a goal-scoring midfielder and an integral part of the club's line-up.

Swansea are willing to invest £3 million in Peter Crouch, according to the Sun. The report says Swansea are in the market for a striker to replace Bafetimbi Gomis, who is set to be loaned out to Marseille. The 35-year-old Crouch has struggled with form and fitness over the last twelve months at Stoke, falling down the pecking order due to the influx of attacking options.

Paper Round's view: Peter Crouch has ceased to be prolific in his scoring, but aside from last season's injury issues, he's been quite durable in the latter half of his career by playing at least 30 domestic games a season since 2008. Crouch's height will cause issues for defenders and when paired with hopefully another signing, could give the Swans enough firepower to stay up again this season.