Paper Round: Real Madrid set £670m Luka Modric price tag

Real Madrid are fighting off interest from Inter in their Croatian midfielder Luka Modric. The 32-year-old midfielder is tempted to link up with Ivan Perisic and Marcelo Brozovic in Italy, but the Spanish club have no wish to sell. To that end, Florentino Perez said that the only way he can move to Inter is if the Italian club offer £670m.

Paper Round’s view: Inter Milan are clearly not going to offer £670m for the player, but if they offered around £88m, the cost of Cristiano Ronaldo for Juventus, then it might be considered an offer that is too good to turn down for someone in their thirties. Real’s demands illustrate that to sell Modric at this time would give them a huge headache to replace him, especially after already losing Ronaldo.

Manchester United are going to deal with wantaway forward Anthony Martial by offering him to German champions Bayern Munich. The 22-year-old forward was late back to training with United after the birth of his second child, and tensions are strained between him and Jose Mourinho. Mourinho will offer Martial to Bayern in exchange for Jerome Boateng, the 29-year-old German defender who is considering his time with the club.

Paper Round’s view: While Boateng is much older than Martial, he plays in a position that Manchester United need strengthening far more. Letting Martial go would also mean that, if he joined Bayern, he would not be turning up in the Premier League and helping a league rival of United’s. Swap deals rarely take off but this one makes complete sense for all parties involved.

Everton are not the only club who want Marcos Rojo from Manchester United. The 28-year-old Argentine has been rumoured to be close to a £20m move to link up with Marco Silva, to replace the departing Ashley Williams. However, Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in bringing him to the French capital, and Zenit St Petersburg could also make a move.

Paper Round’s view: £20m for Rojo would be decent business for United. For one, Rojo has shown little more than reckless tackling and a vulnerability to injury in his time in England, and is simply not good enough. If Mourinho can get an extra £20m to spend on another central defender before the transfer window starts, then maybe Chris Smalling and Phil Jones will be shut out of the side, too.

Wilfried Zaha has told his Crystal Palace team-mates that he wants to leave Selhurst Park. He has been linked with a move to Chelsea, and Zaha is keen to join up with them, so much so that he is prepared to put in a transfer request to force his club to consider letting him leave. He signed a £100,000 a week deal 15 months ago, but will reject a new £125,000 offer to stay at the club.

Paper Round’s view: At 25, Zaha is probably now ready for a move up to a big club, after going too early to Manchester United at a difficult period for the club. If Eden Hazard or Willian leaves he will be a ready-made replacement for them both, and will gain experience in the Champions League, too. He might have priced himself out of a move for now, though, given his contract runs to 2022.