Manchester United given boost in transfer pursuit of £100m-rated Declan Rice from West Ham – Paper Round

Manchester United have been given a boost in their pursuit of West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice. The Star report that interim manager Ralf Rangnick is keen to sign a centre midfielder next summer and there is optimism around the club signing Rice. United believe the England international may consider his West Ham future if the London club fail to qualify for the Champions League next season. West Ham would demand a huge fee of £100 million if they were forced to sell Rice. Manchester City and Chelsea are also interested in the possibility of rivalling the Red Devils for the 22-year-old.

Paper Round’s view: Manchester United added Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane to their squad last summer, but it was quite clear that a signing like Rice had the potential to be even more impactful than any of those star names. There’s a gaping hole in the United midfield and it is constantly exposed. No one shields their vulnerable back four… but Rice would be the perfect player to do this job. The problem will probably be his price tag. Last summer we saw Jack Grealish leave Aston Villa for £100 million, while Harry Kane struggled to get his dream move away from his boyhood club Tottenham Hotspur. It may come down to whether or not Rice has a release clause.

Chelsea are facing a ‘make-or-break’ winter transfer window after suffering an injury crisis which has threatened to derail their Premier League title bid. England’s wing-back duo Ben Chilwell and Reece James have both suffered long-term injuries in recent weeks. Chilwell has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after undertaking knee surgery, while James tore his hamstring last week. The Mail state that Chelsea now need to decide whether or not to sign new wing-backs in January. Everton's Lucas Digne, Ajax's Nicolas Tagliafico and Barcelona’s Sergino Dest have all been linked with moves to Stamford Bridge.

Paper Round’s view: It is a nightmare situation for the Blues. Obviously all clubs suffer from injuries, but Chelsea’s playing style heavily relies on their wing-backs and James and Chilwell have been stand-out performers so far this season. Marcos Alonso has filled in since Chilwell was sidelined and has been okay. He is a solid attacker, but his defending is not up to scratch if Chelsea want to win the league. On the right-hand side, Cesar Azpilicueta is not the player he once was in his younger days. Financially, it might make sense to try and sign Digne and Dest on short-term loan deals if possible, with the option to permanently purchase in the summer.

Everton are closing in on the signing for Nathan Patterson from Rangers in a deal worth around £10 million. The Express reveal that the two clubs are in “advanced talks” and the transfer could be completed this week. Everton have struggled in the full-back positions this season after Lucas Digne reportedly fell out with manager Rafa Benitez, with versatile defender Ben Godfrey forced to fill in for the Frenchman. Left-back Vitaliy Mykolenko has already been signed this month and it looks like Patterson will follow the Ukraine international to Goodison Park.

Paper Round’s view: Everton clearly need to improve their defensive options. The Toffees are stuck in the lower half of the Premier League table and have conceded 32 goals in just 18 matches this season. Benitez’s side have only kept three clean sheets – and their last shutout came at the start of November. Adding Mykolenko and Patterson will definitely help. The Merseyside club have plenty of options at centre-back but lack a settled back four. Mykolenko will probably slot straight into the starting eleven, while Patterson will be able to learn from club captain Seamus Coleman, who is a fantastic professional.

Barcelona boss Xavi has admitted that the club are unable to register new signing Ferran Torres. The Spaniard joined the Catalan club from Manchester City for a whopping £55 million, but Barca are still struggling with La Liga’s salary cap rules – meaning Torres cannot be registered. Xavi revealed that the club need to sell players to free up the wage bill and bring Torres into their La Liga squad. Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Samuel Umtiti have all been linked with moves away from the Camp Nou in the winter transfer window.

Paper Round’s view: This situation pretty much sums up Barcelona over the past year or so. The club’s dire financial situation led to the shocking departure of Lionel Messi last summer in a story that mirrors Torres’. Messi was unable to be registered because of the Liga salary cap, but – luckily for Barca – it seems like Torres’ registration will be more straightforward than Messi’s. Barcelona plan on clearing out top earners, like Dembele and Coutinho, this month and this should open the door to registering Torres. Once the 21-year-old is in the squad, he will be able to get to work at his new club.