Manchester City in 'pole position' to sign wantaway Lionel Messi from Barcelona - Paper Round

Lionel Messi has reportedly informed Barcelona of his desire to leave the club after a disappointing season, which culminated with an embarrassing 8-2 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals on Friday. The 33-year-old's current contract expires next June, but Messi is demanding a move this summer away from the club he has been at since 2001. The Telegraph reveal that Manchester City are in "pole position" if the superstar were to leave the Camp Nou, with a Pep Guardiola reunion on the cards. The report also states that Inter Milan view the signing of Messi as "more than a dream" for the Italian club.

Paper Round's view: This would be a huge transfer. Yes - we were all shocked when Cristiano Ronaldo switched from Real Madrid to Juventus back in 2018, but this is different. Messi has been at Barcelona for 19 years. For a whole generation of football fans, Lionel Messi is Barcelona. For him to move, it would be financially similar to Ronaldo in the sense that it would probably take a mammoth wage package and a seven-figure transfer fee - but Manchester City can definitely afford that. A reunion with Pep at City could definitely be viable as the Manchester club desperately attempt to finally win the Champions League next season.

Staying in Manchester, City officials are reportedly lining up former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino as a replacement for Pep Guardiola, if the Catalan boss fails to agree a new deal at the Premier League club. Guardiola's current contract only has 10 months remaining and he is yet to confirm his commitment to City by opening renewal talks. The club hierarchy would ideally want the 49-year-old to stay at the Etihad, but The Sun reveal that they are eyeing up Pochettino as a replacement for Guardiola if he were to leave upon his contract expiration. The report also states that City are impressed with RB Leipzig's Julian Nagelsmann, who has led the German club to the Champions League semi-finals.

Paper Round's view: Guardiola leaving would be a nightmare situation for Manchester City. He is clearly one of the best managers in world football and his obsession with winning the Champions League certainly aligns with the club's ambitions. Obviously right now isn't going to be the best time to question his future, just days after being dumped out of Europe's elite competition by Lyon, but it is concerning that his contract is set to expire at the end of next season. Maybe Guardiola will leave if he doesn't win the Champions League next season. In that situation, Pochettino would be a great replacement for Pep and it would be difficult to see the former Spurs manager turning the opportunity down.

Arsenal have "agreed terms" over a new contract with club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, according to the Telegraph. The 31-year-old's current contract is set to expire next summer, so the Gunners prioritised their star striker's new deal and the two parties are now "extremely close" to agreeing to a three-year extension worth £250,000 per week. The Telegraph also reveal that the north London club are closing on completing the signing of Lille centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes. Arsenal have reportedly agreed personal terms with the Brazilian, who is valued at €30 million by the Ligue 1 club, but face competition from Napoli and Everton over the 22-year-old's signature.

Paper Round's view: This will be music to the ears of Arsenal supporters. Aubameyang is their best and most important player by a country mile (see FA Cup final) and everybody involved in the club will be delighted that he has signed a contract extension. There were worries that the Gabon international would leave in pursuit of Champions League football - and can you blame him? This is potentially his last big contract in football, but he will be committing his future to a club that he clearly loves. Gunners fans will also be hoping that they will win the race for Gabriel. The Arsenal defence is notoriously leaking and the Brazilian will be a welcome addition at the Emirates.

Chelsea are set to continue their summer spending spree as they edge closer to a transfer for Brighton's Lewis Dunk and also look to add Manchester City's John Stones. According to the Mirror, the Seagulls captain has attracted the attention of the Blues and Tottenham, but Dunk is likely to favour a move to Stamford Bridge as he is a lifelong Chelsea supporter. The west London club were originally rumoured to be interested in signing former academy product Declan Rice but West Ham slapped an eye-watering £80-million price tag on their prized asset. Chelsea then turned their attention to Dunk - who is valued at £40 million by Brighton - and Stones who has fallen out of favour in Manchester.

Paper Round's view: Blues boss Frank Lampard desperately needs to add some defensive reinforcements to his squad - but how much do Dunk and Stones really improve his current options? Chelsea have Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Fikayo Tomori. None of them really had a consistently great season and this was reflected in the number of goals conceded by Chelsea (the most in the top half of the Premier League). Dunk and Stones are decent defenders, but neither are real upgrades on the current centre-backs at Stamford Bridge. The centre-half transfer market is a tough one at the moment, with not much value - but English players are always overpriced.