Real Madrid eager to battle Man Utd for Mauricio Pochettino due to Kylian Mbappe relationship – Paper Round

Manchester United could face a battle from Real Madrid for Mauricio Pochettino in the summer, the Daily Mail reports. There are doubts over Carlo Ancelotti's long-term future at Real, even though they are on course to win La Liga, with their Champions League exploits likely to dictate whether the Italian stays beyond the season. Pochettino has been tipped to swap Paris Saint-Germain for Manchester United, but his close relationship with seemingly Real-bound Kylian Mbappe could see the Spanish club move for the PSG boss.

Paper Round’s view: A potential twist in the tale, and it all hinges on PSG’s second leg with Real Madrid in the Champions League. A narrow 1-0 lead could be enough to help PSG sneak through, thus boosting Pochettino’s credentials in the eyes of Real. Should Real turn it around however, then surely the prospect of Poch to Spain is off the cards – even if Mbappe does decide to go.

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Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers has the backing of the club’s board despite a run of disappointing results, the Telegraph reports. Leicester are without a win in five Premier League games, and the FA Cup holders also suffered a heavy defeat to Nottingham Forest when exiting the cup at the start of February. Despite the poor form, and difficult campaign overall compared to last term, Rodgers is already planning for next season.

Paper Round’s view: It’s a tricky one for Leicester and Rodgers. He also seemed keen to indicate they were overachieving when challenging for the top four, but that happened for two straight seasons, suggesting it wasn’t an anomaly. Plus, their squad is solid. Now, though, it has been a campaign to forget and it will be down to Rodgers to prove this season is the anomaly and that he is capable of another European push next year.

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Roy Keane turned down a return to management with former club Sunderland because they only offered him a contract for the remainder of the season, The Sun reports. Keane could not work off the basis of being handed such a short initial deal, and it was an offer which also put off Grant McCann and Neil Warnock.

Paper Round’s view: It’s perhaps a sign of the times financially that clubs in the lower leagues have to be careful with their contract offers. Six months is of course short, and too short for most managers to feel comfortable with, but it outlined what Sunderland were looking for. Instant success, and a review again in the summer. Let’s see how Alex Neil fares there instead.

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The escalating Russia-Ukraine crisis could see UEFA move the location of the Champions League final, the Mirror reports, with Wembley in the running to host the match. As it stands the final is set to take place in St Petersburg on May 29, but UEFA may have to re-think their plans after Russian president Vladimir Putin said he recognises two Ukrainian rebel regions as independent states.

Paper Round’s view: Governing bodies are so often keen to separate sport from politics, but they may have no choice here. There are three months to go until the final, and far more pressing matters in terms of this crisis, but it’s something UEFA may have to address sooner rather than later.