Football news - Paper Round: Liverpool and Chelsea battle for Marco Asensio

Liverpool and Chelsea will compete with one another - and perhaps Manchester United - now that Real Madrid are prepared to sell Marco Asensio. Real have been unimpressed by the 22-year-old this season under new manager Julen Lopetegui. They would be willing to accept a bid of £100 million for the Spain international. Liverpool, Chelsea and United have all shown an interest in the player previously.

Paper Round’s view: Asensio is plainly an extremely talented player, and at just 22 needs to be guided rather than sold, unless there is some problem with his personality. He does not give that impression, and while £100m is a huge sum even in the Premier League, he could be a useful addition to any team at the top of the league, and United.

Juventus club captain Giorgio Chiellini would happily welcome back Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba to the club. The 34-year-old played with the French World Cup winner in his last time at the club, when Pogba won the league in Italy four times, and he said about the 25-year-old: “Pogba? We’d gladly welcome him back. He is special. He was kissed by mother nature with talent, like LeBron James or [Usain] Bolt.”

Paper Round’s view: Pogba wants to leave United according to most reports this season, and his focus is reportedly on a move to Barcelona. However, the Spanish champions may not be able to afford him, meaning a move back to Italy could be his only option. With Cristiano Ronaldo not the same commercial asset he was, Pogba could lead the team on and off the pitch.

Despite rumours of negotiations over a new contract, Anthony Martial remains keen on a move away from Manchester United. The 22-year-old has one year left on his contract, and United can extend that by another 12 months. That would merely mean that Martial would leave for a fee rather than join another club for nothing in the summer.

Paper Round’s view: Ed Woodward is reportedly the man at United who wants to keep Martial at the club, with boss Jose Mourinho having no interest in keeping him. Given his poor performances for two years, forcing United and Woodward into selling him would give the club a chance to buy a winger who actually wants to stay and play for the club - and Martial could try to rediscover his form elsewhere.

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri wants to replace out-of-sorts striker Alvaro Morata. Morata is struggling at Stamford Bridge against this season and his new manager wants a different striker in January in order to maintain a title challenge. In his place, Mauro Icardi of Inter Milan, and AC Milan striker Patrick Cutrone are under consideration.

Paper Round’s view: Neither Michy Batshuayi nor Olivier Giroud are convincing long-term options to lead the line for Chelsea. Icardi is an option who would likely score for fun in the Premier League given the relatively poor defences, but signing Cutrone might be an error - Italian strikers are not known for adapting abroad, and Cutrone is only 20, meaning relying on him as first-choice would be a risk.