Paper Round: Pep Guardiola considers Andres Iniesta swoop

Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta had been expected to join a club in China after the summer, but that move has been delayed. The 33-year-old Spanish international may yet move to the Chinese Super League, but he has offers to remain in Europe, according to AS. Pep Guardiola could offer him the chance to reunite with his former Barcelona boss, while another, Luis Enrique, could bring him to Arsenal. He also has a chance to move to France with Paris Saint-Germain.

Paper Round's view: Anyone who has seen Iniesta play this season will know that he is still capable of competing with the best. His problem is that he cannot maintain the required standard for a whole match against the very top sides. City, Arsenal and PSG would be able to cope for the same reason Barcelona have been able to accommodate him. A deep squad at each of the clubs would mean he might only ever have to contribute an hour from the start, or less from the bench.

Manchester United might have trouble signing Danny Rose from Tottenham Hotspur, reports The Sun. Mauricio Pochettino is reluctant to sell Rose despite recent injuries and the impressive performances of Ben Davies at left-back. However, a sizeable offer of £40m cash plus a player could motivate Daniel Levy to sell. £40m for a full-back is a hefty sum, and if Luke Shaw is also included in the deal then it would give Pochettino a player he successfully managed when the pair were at Southampton.

Paper Round's view: Shaw is now convinced he has no future at United, so he will be unlikely to fetch much on the open market. Jose Mourinho knows that Shaw is not capable of delivering at Old Trafford, meaning he knows he must get rid and find a replacement. With Rose wanting a return to the north of England, this proposed transfer makes a lot of sense, providing Pochettino is convinced Shaw is worth the effort after years of slacking.

Arsenal are confident of beating Chelsea to the appointment of former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique, according to a story in The Mirror. Chelsea had been linked to Enrique for months, with Antonio Conte expected to depart, but Arsenal’s head of football relations Raul Sanllehi worked with Enrique when they were both at Barcelona. The 47-year-old Spaniard is the favourite for the Arsenal job with Joachim Low, Brendan Rodgers, and Leonardo Jardim following up behind him on the shortlist.

Paper Round's view: Enrique played the kind of football that should make the best use of Arsenal's talents, and he was also able to turnaround a floundering squad. Arsenal may have staff who know the culture at Barcelona but that probably only gives them half their advantage over Chelsea. Working for Chelsea, as almost every manager under Roman Abramovich has shown, is a well paid but short lived gig. Those looking for stability can ignore the club's offers.

Bayern Munich may say there is no chance that Real Madrid will sign Robert Lewandowski, but they may have little choice over the deal going through, reports The Sun. Real Madrid want to sign Harry Kane, according to former president Roman Calderon, but don't think they can afford the transfer fee to prise him away. That means that they will focus their energy on Lewandowski, with the 29-year-old Polish striker young enough to hold the spot until Kane does become available.

Paper Round's view: Real Madrid are one of the few teams who could afford Kane if he ever did become available, but they will stand a better chance of getting Lewandowski this summer. He seems fit enough despite approaching 30, and £60m is a hefty but standard sum these days. It is far better that, if they have lots of business planned, they bring in players who won't require months of negotiations, to make sure they refresh the whole squad.