Paper Round: Manchester United ahead in race for £200m Neymar

Manchester United are preparing a shock move for Neymar, according to The Mirror. The 26-year-old Brazilian international is expected to leave Paris Saint-Germain, despite Unai Emery already being on his way out of the French capital. He had been expected to join Real Madrid, but United are confident they have a chance because they have a working relationship with the player's father, Neymar Snr. He is a Manchester United fan, and United are confident they can afford his wages.

Paper Round's view: United's biggest problem is that they have a dreadful defence and a relatively poor group of midfielders. The key for success is to improve the general quality of the side, and that starts at the back. In attack, they have Marcus Rashford, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez - that should be enough to compete with the best. Having said that, Neymar is one of the very best talents in the world, and the chance to sign him should not be turned down by any club.

While United are considering spending £200m on a single player, Juventus boss Max Allegri believes that £200m is the figure required to overhaul Arsenal's squad and turn them into challengers next season. According to The Sun, Allegri wants to make sure that if he is to take up the job in London, he will be given a huge sum to bring in a mixture of big-name, big-money signings, and some lower budget players to shore up their defence. If Arsenal agree, Allegri could join imminently.

Paper Round's view: £200m would essentially wipe out all of Arsenal's cash reserves, and give them no cushion to react to emergencies without turning to debt. While that is a workable method of carrying out business, it would mark a dramatic change in their approach to the transfer market. It is difficult to see Stan Kroenke performing such a change in direction, but then again, the Glazers did something similar when top-four finishes became harder to achieve.

Manchester City are preparing to strengthen next season after winning the Premier League, reports The Mail. They want Jorginho from Napoli, and will have to spend £53m to match the Italian club's asking price. As well as the 26-year-old Italian, they also want 27-year-old Riyad Mahrez, who will cost around £60m. However, Leicester City don't want an all cash deal, and have requested that Patrick Roberts is included in any deal for the Algerian international.

Paper Round's view: Manchester City came close to progressing in the Champions League, but it was the defence that cost them. It is odd, then, that Pep Guardiola's focus appears to be trained on midfield and attack before making sure his full-backs and central defenders are players who know where to stand against opponents. However, Guardiola teams at Barcelona defended by simply keeping the ball interminably, so he may be attempting to recreate the same thing.

Everton captain Wayne Rooney had been expected to join DC United in the coming weeks, but Everton might now offer some resistance. The 32-year-old had agreed a deal in principle with the MLS club, but Everton are scared of a backlash from their fans, insist The Mail. They are worried that supporters will be dismayed that Rooney is leaving the club so soon after rejoining from Manchester United. While Rooney is aware that he is not wanted by most of the board, Bill Kenwright has argued he should be kept on.

Paper Round's view: It seems that bringing Rooney back to Everton is more of an emotional than footballing achievement for Kenwright, who retains influence at Everton. However, the reality is that not even the best MLS sides want Rooney, and he is joining one of the least reputable franchises - should the move go ahead. There are better players that Everton could use his salary on, and after a disappointing season they cannot be anything other than ruthless over the decision.