Football news - Paper Round: Jose Mourinho confident over new David de Gea deal

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is confident that David de Gea will stay at the club beyond his current contract. The two share the same agent, Jorge Mendes, and reports suggest that while De Gea is happy at the club and wants to stay, Alexis Sanchez’s huge wages are behind the goalkeeper’s determination to drive a hard bargain.

Mourinho said: “His agent is not the kind of agent that is manipulative like others, his agent lets him think and decide by himself so the point is to agree the contract that the club wants to give and that the player wants to accept..and this is just my feeling, they are going to finish well.”

Paper Round’s view: Mourinho is not going to start criticising De Gea over his contract for two reasons. For one, he is the club’s best player by some distance and if he were alienated then the whole club would definitely lose its chance of the top four.

Secondly, the two of them share the same agent and it is much more sensible for all three to work together to make sure they all earn as much money as possible.

Barcelona are chasing a new central defender as Samuel Umtiti looks set to undergo knee surgery to resolve a recurrent knee injury. They have turned their attention to Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen. The 22-year-old Danish defender is apparently unhappy after falling behind Antonio Rudiger and David Luiz in the pecking order, but Chelsea are unwilling to sell him in the January window.

Paper Round’s view: Barcelona are casting the net wide for a defender, but Christensen has so much talent that Chelsea might be happy to retain him for another year before giving him the chance to take over from Luiz next season. The Spanish club had been linked with older players happy to play a back-up role, so it would make little sense to move for someone who is already dissatisfied with a limited first-team role.

Premier League clubs are interested in bringing back Gabriel Barbosa from his loan at Santos.

The Inter Milan forward is on loan at his former club and has scored 18 goals in 35 league appearances. Inter are prepared to sell the forward, wanting just £18 million for the 22-year-old.

Speaking of a potential move, Barbosa said: “The Premier League always had great strikers and it is a joy to watch on TV. It is very competitive, fast-paced and dynamic, with loads of title contenders. There is quality everywhere, that’s why everybody loves it and I am no different. It attracts me a lot.”

Paper Round’s view: Barbosa has shown an eye for goal consistently in Brazil. If he can translate that to the Premier League then £18 million would be a bargain. He has shown huge potential and both Everton and West Ham could be in line for a bargain if they win the race for the player.

Championship contenders Aston Villa have signed former West Ham defender James Collins on a five-week deal after they were left with only Axel Tuanzebe and James Chester in central defence. The 35-year-old will provide cover, and has been training with his former club since September. The situation will be reassessed in January when the transfer window reopens.

Paper Round’s view: Collins is an experienced defender who has not relied on pace for the last few years of his career, and he has never been afraid of the physical side of the game. He should be able to provide leadership which Villa need having fallen off the pace as they chase promotion. If they fail to reach the top flight at the end of the season then they may find themselves in financial trouble.