Paper Round: Adnan Januzaj set for shock Inter move

United star 'to leave already': According to the Evening Standard, Inter Milan are keen to broker a deal to take Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj on loan in the January transfer window. But Inter are not the only interested party: David Moyes is also reportedly interested in taking his former player to Real Sociedad, though Inter are favourites. Januzaj has been restricted to only 12 appearances this season after the signing of Angel Di Maria and would be keen to have a fresh challenge, according to the report, given that his chances have been very limited under Louis van Gaal so far this season.

Paper Round’s view: What is it with Manchester United and wingers? The Red Devils have always seemed to have them in abundance and it’s only down to a defensive crisis that Antonio Valencia has had to fill in at wing back after the sale of Nani back to Sporting Lisbon. Van Gaal didn’t take kindly to recent questions as to why Januzaj hasn’t started more this season and there is no doubt some tension there. What has the midfielder done to upset Van Gaal? Probably nothing, but the system the Dutchman is employing clearly does not suit the young star and so his chances have been very limited. Perhaps a loan move would suit United for now, but Inter no doubt sense a bargain.

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Falcao committed to United: The Times reports that Colombian striker Radamel Falcao is "desperate" to be an integral part of Manchester United’s future under Louis van Gaal. Falcao has enjoyed limited appearances for United since signing on loan from Monaco after a persistent calf injury and his last start was against Everton on October 5.

Paper Round’s view: United took an obvious risk in taking Falcao on loan from Monaco knowing his history of injury, and with Wayne Rooney and Robin Van Persie looking sharp up front, the Colombian looks set for a prolonged spell as an impact substitute. But United didn’t take the risk for nothing, and one senses that Van Gaal is just waiting for Falcao to reach full fitness and start banging the goals in as he did at Atletico Madrid.

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Southampton to hijack United’s Sneijder move: Southampton are willing to make an audacious bid to sign Galatasaray midfielder Wesley Sneijder, hijacking Manchester United’s move for the Dutchman, according to the Mirror. Sneijder has long since been linked with a move to Old Trafford – even before the Louis van Gaal era – but it now appears that there is another interested party in the shape of the struggling Saints. The Mirror reports that Sneijder is one of many Galatasaray players who have had issues with the Turkish club over their pay in recent weeks, and the Istanbul club are now looking to get Sneijder – one of their highest-paid players – off their wage bill. Southampton made a strong start to the Premier League season but have suffered five successive defeats, and the clubs owners are reportedly now willing to back manager Ronald Koeman in the January transfer window.

Paper round’s view: Please, please, please let Wesley Sneijder move to the Premier League – Paper Round doesn’t even care which club. The Sneijder-to-United saga went on for long enough, and we now have another team in the mix. In recent months, the Dutch midfielder has expressed his annoyance at the cash-flow problems at Galatasaray and could look to seek a move away from the Turkish capital. Sneijder and Saints manager Koeman share the same agent, Guido Albers, so that connection may give the Saints the edge over United, but the World Cup star has a strong bond with former Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal, so this saga could still have some legs in it. Deep joy!

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Hazard set to sign new Chelsea deal: Eden Hazard is on the verge of signing a bumper new deal with Chelsea, seemingly ending speculation of a summer move away from Stamford Bridge, so writes the Telegraph’s Matt Law. As we approach the festive period, it appears that Christmas may have come early for Jose Mourinho’s Blues, who, according to reports, could well have lost the Belgian wing wizard in the summer to Paris Saint-Germain. Law states in the Telegraph that Hazard’s representatives and the Chelsea hierarchy stepped up talks this week to finalise the deal, and that a public announcement should be made as soon as possible.

Paper round’s view: Chelsea are currently firing on all cylinders and are still battling it out on all four fronts. They’ve reached the last four of the league cup and the last 16 of the Champions League, but this is, by some distance, the best news yet for the west London club. Hazard has been one of Chelsea’s standout players in recent seasons but speculation seemed to be intensifying regarding a move to PSG – whom Jose Mourinho’s side drew in the Champions League for the second consecutive season. Hazard fuelled the rumours that he would depart for Paris last season after giving a post-match interview following the last-16 tie with PSG in the jersey of the Parisien outfit. But, with the news that Hazard is to sign a bumper new deal with the Blues, any speculation will surely be put to bed now. The Belgian’s new five-year contract is reportedly worth £200,000-per-week, which will make him the highest-paid player at Stamford Bridge.

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Man United to finally sign Hummels in the summer: Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal finally looks set to sign the much-coveted Mats Hummels, but the Dutchman will have to wait until the summer to get his man, according to the Daily Star. Hummels has been on United’s radar for some time – during the Sir Alex Ferguson  era, to be precise – but it seems that the World Cup winner will finally make the switch to Old Trafford. The report in the tabloid claims that Hummels’ club Dortmund will allow the defender to leave, but only once they have secured their Bundesliga future after a shocking start to their domestic campaign. The Star report that the German club will accept a £47 million bid for Hummels from United, who will have competition from Arsenal.

Paper round’s view: It seems likely that Hummels will finally depart Signal Iduna Park in the summer, which could end a terrific five-year spell. Year after year, high-profile stars have left Dortmund – usually for Bayern Munich – but the defender, along with manager Juergen Klopp, has stayed faithful to BVB. That looks set to change after a disappointing domestic campaign, however, and with Marco Reus set to depart in the summer (probably for Bayern) this could finally signal the end for Hummels. If so, it would surely also spell the end for Klopp. Though before he goes, let's all hope that he becomes the first manager in history to get his team relegated while simultaneously winning the Champions League! 

Sigurdsson fears Bony sale: Swansea midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson has appealed to his club to keep hold of its star striker as big clubs prepare to make an offer for the Ivorian. Bony has already scored eight goals for the Swans this season and with Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal all linked with moves, Sigurdsson is quoted in The Sun as saying, “everyone at Swansea hopes he will stay. I am sure the club would be delighted if they could keep him for another season.”

Paper Round’s view: Liverpool and Spurs would appear to be the most likely suitors for Bony’s services considering their respective lack of firepower up front at the moment. But with Bony out on African Nations Cup duty next month, it’s highly unlikely that a deal will be done unless an exceptional offer forces Swansea’s hand.

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Momentum grows over United move for Bale: The Gareth Bale rumours are starting to become a saga: this one reared its head earlier in the week, and now the Metro suggests that the former Spurs winger will be the subject of a £90 million bid at the end of the season. The paper adds that Real Madrid are keen to acquire the services of Eden Hazard for a similarly inflated sum, and that Bale will have to go to keep the Bernabeu club in line with FFP rules.

Paper Round’s view: It’s far too early to speculate on what may or may not happen at the end of the season, and these stories are going to get more absurd before they get more sensible. Cristiano Ronaldo has been widely linked to make a return to his former club, with and a player-plus-cash deal involving Andel Di Maria also mentioned. Nobody seems to have a club why all-conquering Real Madrid would consider selling a prize asset just when their machine seems perfectly well-oiled as it is; and the idea that Chelsea would offload a key player such as Hazard is similarly nonsensical.