Paper Round: Manchester United and City battle for Kylian Mbappe

Manchester United and Manchester City could be going head to head for yet another player. This time, it’s 19-year-old Kylian Mbappe, who was on loan to Paris Saint-Germain from Monaco. A permanent £166m deal has been completed, but PSG have already spent £198m on Neymar last summer, and may need to balance the books quickly. Both United and City could take the teenager off their hands.

Paper Round’s view: Mbappe has shown only glimpses of his talent for France at the World Cup in Russia this summer, but there is no doubt that he is one of the most talented young players in the world. That means that he can pick and choose his destination, but he should be wary. At PSG there is little competition for a place in attack, but at United he will have to deal with Jose Mourinho’s conservatism, and at City there are countless rivals for places.

Manchester United are switching their defensive targets. Alex Sandro of Juventus had been reported as their number one target at left-back, but Juventus have priced him out of a move by asking for £50m for the Brazil international. PSG are also interested in the player. That has led United and Mourinho to find a more affordable alternative, which is Jose Luis Gaya of Valencia, who is rated at around £30m.

Paper Round’s view: United need to make sure that they make signings before the early August deadline that is set for Premier League clubs. As a result, they must make sure they act quickly, but also that they aren’t held to ransom by selling clubs. Gaya is a talented defender, but at 23 has much to learn. As long as Mourinho understands the risks of another young player, then it could be a wise move.

Jorginho’s move to Manchester City has been agreed in principle, according to his agent. The club are yet to agree a fee for the 26-year-old Italian international, but are said to be on the cusp of a compromise with Napoli. His agent Joao Santos is confident, though, with his client now on holiday he said: “"We have a verbal agreement with City, now we are waiting for Napoli to find the agreement and Manchester [City] to define the deal. Everything depends on this aspect, next week could be the one.”

Paper Round’s view: This deal has long seemed inevitable and is gradually inching closer. City probably need another central defender and a wide player, but it is hard to see where any obvious improvement will come from for Manchester City and Pep Guardiola. Another year with the best manager in the world should make them even more effective, and replacing Yaya Toure gives them greater strength in depth.

Aleksandar Mitrovic has played well for Serbia in the World Cup, which might surprise those who have seen him unhappy with Newcastle for some time. However, Newcastle are not going to sell him on the cheap, having been quoted big sums whenever they themselves have tried to buy players. That means they will accept nothing less than £20m from clubs such as Fulham, Crystal Palace and Wolves, and there is interest from Germany.

Paper Round’s view: There is no doubting Mitrovic’s talent, but he can be a fractious presence in the dressing room. Rafael Benitez is taking a reasonable gamble, for now, that there is no point selling on the cheap if any replacement would cost more. As the deadline approaches those clubs that want him might be desperate enough to raise their bids to match Newcastle’s valuation.