Paper Round: Real Madrid open to selling £50m James Rodriguez to Manchester United

Manchester United have been given the green light to sign Real Madrid's James Rodriguez - reports The Mirror. The Colombia international signed for Real in 2014 for a whopping £56 million, but struggled to tie down a regular starting spot at the Bernabeu following the appointment of Zinedine Zidane. Watching on from the sidelines as his team won the Champions League in May proved the final straw for James, and his agent Jorge Mendes' relationship with new United manager Jose Mourinho should accelerate a move

Paper Round's view: Do Manchester United really need another luxury playmaker with an as-of-yet undefined ideal position? No, of course they do. But could they sign James? Very much so.

The Colombian is one of the most recognisable players in the world and his acquisition would be a signal of intent from a Manchester United board who seem determined to splash the cash. But the factor that makes this deal seem especially likely is the presence of Mendes. The 'super agent' has a habit of getting his own clients to make moves that would suit him, and a partnership between James and Mourinho would be another such occasion - an extremely financially beneficial one for both the player and agent if you believe the quoted fees.

Newcastle winger Andros Townsend is attracting bids from six Premier League clubs - according to The Sun. The England international is currently sitting at home watching Euro 2016 following a disappointing season that saw him dropped from the national squad and relegated from the top-flight. However, a handful of sparking individual performances towards the end of the season was enough to catch the eye of a number of suitors, with Townsend's £12m release clause also tempting.

Paper Round's view: Townsend is a fascinating player. Is he a young prospect with bags of potential? Or is he a one-trick pony who has already been found out? It's just so hard to tell, but the big clubs are presumably leaning towards the latter given that Andros is unwanted in the upper reaches of the league.

Southampton, Everton, Stoke, Watford, Swansea and Crystal Palace are all currently interested in Townsend, but if you had to make a list of potential Townsend destination then most of them would be on there. Townsend will move to the Premier League this summer, but where he ends up remains very much in doubt.

Southampton have softened their stance on the possible sale of Sadio Mane, giving Liverpool hope - says The Guardian. Mane, who scored 11 times in the Premier League last season, was initially valued at £40m by the south coast club. But the Saints have acknowledged that they may have to reduce their asking price, with Liverpool hoping to get the fee closer to £30m. Mane is keen to leave Southampton having been denied a move to Manchester United last year.

Paper Round's view: Southampton will be laughing all the way to the bank if this rumour becomes reality. Mane is a good player, wonderfully talented and with bags of potential. But he's not the finished article and fails to deliver to such an extent that it was no surprise to see him on the bench for portions of last season. If the price drops below £30m then expect plenty of competitors for the prospect's signature, while it also seems odd that Liverpool would prioritise a tricky attacking midfielder when that's one of the few positions that the squad is hardly currently lacking.