Erling Haaland, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham: Five names on Manchester United's transfer shortlist - Paper Round

Manchester United are planning to continue their journey to improving their squad and the Athletic have revealed five names on their shortlist ahead of the next two transfer windows. The Red Devils remain interested in signing a right-back and their long-term target Kieran Trippier is joined by RB Leipzig’s versatile full-back Tyler Adams on their wishlist. Interim manager Ralf Rangnick has made a “tall midfielder” a “priority signing” and has personally identified England duo Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham. Elsewhere, a move for Erling Haaland has already been discussed during Rangnick’s interview, but United will face fierce competition next summer.

Paper Round’s view: Manchester United definitely need to improve ahead of next season. They added Cristiano Ronaldo, Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho to their squad last summer and it’s clear that they still need to do more. It makes sense to target a right-back, defensive midfielder and striker, and those names are highly ambitious. Haaland and Rice or Bellingham could make a huge difference in the Premier League title race as those are players being targeted by their rivals. It seems like it’s going to be another summer of huge investments to make up for the past eight years of mediocrity at Old Trafford.

Real Madrid are targeting Lille striker Jonathan David next summer and could offer Belgian flop Eden Hazard a route back to his former club in a potential deal. Marca report that Real boss Carlo Ancelotti is keen to add the 21-year-old to his squad ahead of next season and David’s agent has even revealed that this will be the player's last season at Lille. The Canadian striker is also wanted by clubs in the Premier League, Bundesliga and Serie A. Real Madrid may use their interest in David to offload Hazard to his former club Lille. Hazard previously plied his trade with the French champions before joining Chelsea in 2012.

Paper Round’s view: Real Madrid need to work on a long-term replacement plan for Karim Benzema. The French forward is one of the best strikers in world football, but he is 34 years old. Benzema is not going to be around forever. Real have tried to bring in a replacement in Luka Jovic, but that doesn’t seem to have worked out for either party. David could be a decent option as he is only 21 years old and he might be the ideal plan to get rid of Hazard. However, the best option would be signing Erling Haaland next summer – or signing Kylian Mbappe and playing him as a centre-forward.

The Mail have explored the names on Barcelona's wishlist as the Catalan club look to add goals to their squad. Sergio Aguero was recently forced to retire due to a heart condition, so Xavi needs to dip into the January transfer window to sign a striker. Edinson Cavani has been identified as the "number one target" by Barca's director of football Mateu Alemany, but the final decision will come down to whether Manchester United will allow him to leave. Ferran Torres seems likely to join, but there are question marks on whether the club can push for a January arrival due to their financial situation. Alexis Sanchez and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are both seen as short-term back-up options.

Paper Round’s view: There's no doubting that Barcelona need that talisman up front. The team seem to lack a focal point and this is reflected in the fact that their main striker is Luuk de Jong. Memphis Depay was signed in the summer, but he's not a natural centre-forward so he was always suspected to struggle in that role. The same thing might happen with Ferran Torres so it wouldn't be the worst idea to try and sign a player like Cavani to help ease the pressure during the 21-year-old's early days at the Camp Nou. Cavani would also offer plenty of leadership and experience around the young squad.

Ousmane Dembele will extend his stay at Barcelona, according to reports from Spanish media outlet Sport. The 24-year-old, who has struggled with injuries since his big-money arrival at the Camp Nou, has been linked with a move to the Premier League upon the expiration of his current contract next summer. However, Sport reveal that he has decided to sign a new five-year deal at Barca after being convinced by new manager Xavi. Dembele will reduce his current salary to help ease the club’s financial situation and the new contract will be announced next week.

Paper Round’s view: Dembele really hasn’t enjoyed his time in Barcelona since joining for huge fee back in 2017. There was a lot of pressure on him since his arrival and he has suffered from countless injuries, which have severely stalled his progress. Dembele just needs a run of games without injuries to prove he is the player that Barca paid all that money for. He is clearly talented and can help the Catalan club get back to the top table of European football. Dembele can be the figurehead of the ‘new Barcelona’ rebuild – so good luck to him and his future at the Camp Nou.