Paper Round: Pep Guardiola eyes Matthijs De Ligt as replacement for Vincent Kompany at Man City

Pep Guardiola is considering a move for another central defender, and has his sights on Ajax’s 18-year-old Matthijs de Ligt, according to The Guardian. With Vincent Kompany still struggling with his fitness, Guardiola is weighing up how much game time he could give De Ligt, who has already been capped by the Netherlands, and there is a chance his arrival could see Kompany being offered no new deal, which is due to run out in 2019.

Paper Round’s view: Kompany has often struggled for fitness over the last few years, and even when healthy he has occasionally looked lumbering, which is not ideal for a club that wants to challenge for the Champions League. He seems well respected at the club, but as good as he is in the dressing room, there can be little sentimentality when it comes to improving the team.

Incoming Arsenal manager Unai Emery is lining up the signing of a player he almost bought at Paris Saint-Germain, insist The Mail. 26-year-old Jean-Michael Seri was close to joining PSG in the winter transfer window, but he remained at Nice. Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund are also interested in the midfielder, who has a release clause of £35m.

Paper Round’s view: A stronger midfield, amongst other things, is essential if Arsenal are to take proper strides forward next season. Bringing in Seri before the World Cup would be a smart move to allow Emery time to let the players he does not want go, to bring in additional signings across the squad. It is rumoured Emery will just have £50m plus what he can raise in player sales.

Chelsea will find it hard to move on Antonio Conte this summer, reports The Telegraph. The manager is expected to leave Stamford Bridge, and is due £9m in compensation if he is sacked. Because there is no obvious job for him to walk into, it means he is reluctant to take a reduced pay-off. PSG have Thomas Tuchel, Juventus are keeping Max Allegri, and Roberto Mancini has taken over the Italian national side.

Paper Round’s view: Roman Abramovich has been gently reducing the amount of money he is willing to spend at Chelsea. While they are hardly short of money, £9m is a sizeable figure, and could be the difference between signing and missing out on one of their top targets for whomever replaces Conte in the summer. They are paying the price for giving him a new contract when they were already unsure over his long-term future.

Manchester United are reluctant to let Anthony Martial join another English club, but they are prepared to listen to offers for the French forward, according to the Mail. The 22-year-old missed out on a place in the French national side for the World Cup after an indifferent season, and United are wary of letting him join either Spurs or Chelsea, who both hold an interest. Napoli and Juventus are also keen, but his wages may prove a stumbling block.

Paper Round’s view: Martial clearly has plenty of talent, and it may be that a move away is what he needs to flourish to his full potential. However, if United can let him join a club outside England, it would suit them far more instead of strengthening a rival. They may have to compromise on the fee they receive for him to facilitate their preferred move.