Arsenal to offer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang contract worth £250,000-per-week - Paper Round

Arsenal are preparing to put their first formal contract offer on the table in a bid to keep Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the club. According to the Telegraph, the deal is worth £250,000 per week before bonuses, which would represent a pay rise of around £50,000 per week. The report states that the salary alone is not enough and Aubameyang must still be convinced by the club that they will back manager Mikel Arteta in order to turn them into a top-four team in England once again. Arsenal currently sit in 10th position and are on course for their worst league finish since 1995.

Paper Round's view: Aubameyang has less than a year remaining on his current contract, so the Gunners would have to seriously consider selling their club captain if he does not wish to extend his stay in north London. The Gabon international is 31 years old so probably feels like this is his last 'big' contract. It would represent an acceptance that he will probably stay at Arsenal for the remainder of his career at the top level, despite the fact that the Premier League side aren't challenging for the league title or even playing in the Champions League. Arteta's side could miss out on Europa League next campaign if they fail to win the FA Cup. It's a huge decision for Aubameyang to make.

Borussia Dortmund have turned their attention to signing a winger to replace Jadon Sancho after completing the signing on 17-year-old Jude Bellingham from Birmingham City earlier this week. The Telegraph reveal that the Bundesliga club have started making plans for Sancho's departure, amid serious interest from Manchester United. Dortmund are demanding £100 million for the England international, while United are currently only willing to part with £80 million so negotiations are expected to continue if the Premier League side secure Champions League football. The German club have identified Werder Bremen's Milot Rashica as Sancho's replacement.

Paper Round's view: This will be music to Manchester United fans' ears. The Red Devils have been chasing Sancho all season with different nine-figure transfer fees mentioned on a weekly basis. Now Dortmund have finally accepted that he will be leaving, the clubs might decide to meet the middle for a deal around £90 million. The fact that the German side have already identified Sancho's replacement with makes things easier for United. Dortmund won't want to miss out on the opportunity to sign Rashica, which means United can use that information as a negotiation tactic to lower Sancho's asking price and get a deal done sooner rather than later.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is set to reject Everton in favour of a move to Tottenham Hotspur, according to the Guardian. The Southampton star has just one year left on his current contract and has refused to sign a new deal in a bid to move away from the south coast. Everton have had a £25 million offer accepted for the former Saints captain, but Hojbjerg is chasing a transfer to Tottenham. Spurs boss Jose Mourinho wants to reinforce his midfield with the acquisition of the 24-year-old and will attempt to sign his target for a lower fee than the accepted £25 million offer from the Toffees.

Paper Round's view: Hojbjerg clearly views Tottenham as a club with more potential than Everton. Both clubs have had disappointing seasons, but at least Spurs will be playing in the Europa League next season. Everton seem to be stuck in a grind and there is so much more top talent in the Tottenham squad. It seems like Mourinho really wants Hojbjerg too, which will be a huge factor in his decision. The Denmark international's name has been linked to the Tottenham since January so he will feel wanted by the north London club.

Sergio Aguero is in a race against time to prove his fitness for Manchester City's Champions League run-in as he recovers from having surgery on a knee injury. According to the Mail, the Argentine striker is working out in the gym three times a day despite undergoing surgery in Barcelona less than a month ago. Aguero is expected to be back running in the next few days and hopes to feature for City in their first match of the Champions League mini-tournament, which would be on August 15. The Premier League side still need to play their last-16 second leg against Real Madrid, but they hold a 2-1 away lead on aggregate.

Paper Round's view: Obviously Aguero is desperate to return to action for City because he knows Pep Guardiola and his team-mates will need him if they progress to the next round of the Champions League. It must be tough for a 32-year-old footballer to push that hard and return from an injury for a mini-tournament that your club might not even play in. Real Madrid might be 2-1 down, but Los Blancos are in frightening form. The second leg of the last 16 tie promises to be exciting so City won't be booking their flights to Lisbon just yet.