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Paper Round: Paris Saint-Germain confident of £100m Cristiano Ronaldo deal

Ryan Rosenblatt

Updated 05/11/2015 at 08:59 GMT

Cristiano Ronaldo could be going to Paris, while a trio of English clubs are chasing Pep Guardiola. That and more from the Thursday papers.

Real Madrid's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo stands on the field during the Spanish league football match Real Madrid CF vs UD Las Palmas at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on October 31, 2015

Image credit: AFP

PSG think they'll sign Ronaldo for £100m

Cristiano Ronaldo may be on his way to Paris Saint-Germain. The Sun claim PSG are confident they will sign the Portuguese superstar for £100 million this summer. Ronaldo's conversations with PSG's manager and chairman after Real Madrid's match against the Parisians kicked up speculation further, while there are rumours that Real have already agreed with PSG's Qatari owners on the record deal.
Paper Round's view - Rumours of Ronaldo's Real Madrid exit have been swirling for a couple years now. This is essentially a rehash of a story broken by l'Equipe earlier this year, but that's not to say it's untrue. If it was ever going to happen, this summer would make sense. He's already 30 years old so his value will only go down from here and while Ronaldo probably isn't PSG's best use of £100m, it is hard to image a more stunning 'statement signing'. Meanwhile, Real would get a huge payday. In theory, it works for everyone involved, but simply making sense in theory isn't enough in deals of this magnitude. Ultimately it will come down to the player himself, who has given mixed messages about his future at the Berbabeu.
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Man United, City and Chelsea all want Guardiola

Bayern Munich are trying to sign Pep Guardiola to a new contract, but retaining him will not be easy. The Sun understand that Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are all trying to lure him to England. Guardiola's agent is in Munich to talk about a new deal with the club, but he has yet to sign one or commit to staying after his current contract expires this summer.
Paper Round's view - Guardiola is considered by many to be the best manager in the world so of course the world's biggest clubs want him. Linking the Manchester clubs and Chelsea to him is easy and, to some degree, not entirely fabricated because it's a given that all three have considered him before. While Chelsea and Manchester United's managers are under plenty of pressure, City remains the most likely landing spot due to the presence there of Guardiola allies Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain. As with Ronaldo, it will come down to the man himself. Pep can name his club and his price - but on the evidence of last night's 5-1 thumping of Arsenal there are plenty of reasons for him to stay put.
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Pep Guardiola

Image credit: AFP

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Michu will restart career in Spain's fourth tier

Swansea are set to release Michu, with the Spaniard touted to sign for fourth division side Union Langreo, per The Mail. There has been no hope of a reconciliation between Swansea and Michu for months and both have been resigned to a termination of the contract, which runs through the summer. It's just a matter of how much the Swans pay Michu now, although it will be over £1m. After that, the striker will go to the Spanish fourth tier and play for the club run by his brother.
Paper Round's view: Ankle problems killed Michu's place at Swansea and have kept him sidelined for much of the last two years. It was only a matter of time before he left the club and Swansea will end up paying him less to terminate his contract than they would to pay his wages for the season. Going to a tiny Spanish club is a bit extreme for a player who once bagged goals by the bunches in the Premier League, but the relationship with his brother makes it clear why he picked Union Langreo.
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Swansea striker Michu

Image credit: PA Photos

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Townsend reps upset Spurs went public with punishment

Andros Townsend was barred from the Tottenham first team after a dust up with the club's fitness coach and The Mirror believe the player's representatives are upset with how the club has handled situation. It's no secret that Townsend is unhappy with his lack of playing time and although he didn't speak out against his punishment, he is unhappy Spurs went public with it. Mauricio Pochettino addressed Townsend's punishment at length with the media, something the player's camp does not believe should have happened.
Paper Round's view: Normally, it's best to keep any punishment or issues like the ones Townsend is having with Spurs quiet. If Townsend is going to be punished, so be it, but there's no need to air that to the press. That changes a bit when it was sparked by a public incident on the touchline, though. Maybe Spurs could have kept quiet, but Townsend is the one who began making it public when he pushed the fitness coach in plain sight. Either way, it's probably irrelevant because Townsend looks destined to be sold in January.
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Andros Townsend makes a rare outing for Spurs against Anderlecht

Image credit: Reuters

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Man United, Liverpool eyeing Dutch teenager

Manchester United and Liverpool will battle for Emre Mor, according to The Mail. The 18-year-old is one of the most highly touted prospects in Europe and many of the continent's top clubs have been tracking the Denmark U-19 international. United recently scouted him and are expected to make a move for him, while Borussia Dortmund were on him while Jurgen Klopp was there and the German wants him for Liverpool now.
Paper Round's view: More and more English teams are stealing glances at the continent's top young talent. It's smart to seek out the best players at a young age when their prices are still low, but it also presents a bit of a work permit issue. The clubs will also have to show they are willing to promote young players to the first team when they're ready, but United are doing that and Klopp has a history of doing the same at Dortmund so it shouldn't be a problem.
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Spurs watching Gent pair

Tottenham are keeping a close eye on Gent and could make a move for two of the Belgian club's players. The Mail say that Spurs are keeping tabs on striker Laurent Depoitre, as well as 20-year-old Moses Simon. Spurs have scouted the duo several times this season and were again on hand on Wednesday for Gent's Champions League match against Valencia.
Paper Round's view: This isn't the first time that Spurs have been linked to the Gent duo. This has been an on-going rumour and it's probably true, to some degree. Tottenham really do appear to be interested and it makes sense. It's no secret that Mauricio Pochettino wants another striker and Depoitre fits that bill, while Simons is an extremely promising young player who needs more seasoning, which is what Spurs have been buying of late.
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