Real Madrid 'to offer Bale in Pogba swap'

Following the signing of Eden Hazard from Chelsea, announced on Friday evening, Real Madrid have Paul Pogba in their sights. Zinedine Zidane wants to pull off the £130million transfer in addition to Hazard and Luka Jovic arriving, with Christian Eriksen another target. In order to get Pogba, Real will offer Gareth Bale to United to persuade them to sell the 26-year-old midfielder, according to the Mirror.

Paper Round’s view: Gareth Bale is still an excellent player, when he is fit, but given his age and injury record, it would be foolish to sign him permanently and on his current wages. The only way to sign him would be on a short term deal, or perhaps to swap him for Alexis Sanchez in order to give both problems at least a new problem rather than the same one next season.

The Guardian reports that Chelsea are considering the replacement for Maurizio Sarri, after they agreed to release the Italian manager, who will sign a three-year contract with Juventus in due course. The shortlist of candidates include former player Frank Lampard, Nuno Espirito Santo at Wolves, Max Allegri - the man Sarri would be replacing, Javi Gracia and Laurent Blanc.

Paper Round’s view: Blanc’s involvement with quotas of players at the French Football Federation should rule him out of any serious job, but as Chelsea did not properly punish John Terry over his own transgressions it is perhaps no surprise he is in contention. Allegri has the experience of league success in Italy, so he would perhaps be the premier replacement if he is going to be supported by Roman Abramovich in the transfer market.

Ryan Sessegnon could soon leave Fulham, claims a report in the Sun. The 19-year-old winger is subject of interest from Manchester United and Juventus, and Andre Schurrle is expected to leave, too. One player who could serve as reinforcements is French striker Aboubakar Kamara. He had a training ground row with Aleksandr Mitrovic, which saw the police involved, but Scott Parker will give him a second chance when he returns from his loan spell at Yeni Malatyaspor.

Paper Round’s view: Fulham probably don’t have the cash to be too choosy about how they shape their squad next season, but at 24, Kamara should not be cast aside after one moment of indiscipline, as he has the chance to mature and improve. With Sessegnon’s contract running down, the important thing for them is to secure a decent offer from a club and move him on to raise funds for a rebuild.

The Daily Star reports that Arsenal are dragging their heels over the pursuit of Joachim Andersen and Dennis Praet. Unai Emery wants Praet to be a replacement for Aaron Ramsey, who will play for Juventus next season, while Andersen is a cheaper alternative to Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti. However, Arsenal are struggling for cash and may not be able to afford the pair.

Paper Round’s view: The problem appears to be that Stan Kroenke is giving Emery very little cash to work with - less, even than some promoted clubs will spend, and perhaps even less than Newcastle will give to Rafael Benitez this summer. They have a talented manager, but it seems to be they are running on fumes and are not prepared to invest to reach the Champions League again amid fierce competition.