Football news - Manchester United and Arsenal 'both chase Erling Braut Haaland' - Paper Round

The Sun reports that Arsenal and Manchester United will go head to head for Erling Braut Haaland of RB Salzburg. They are not the only clubs interested, but are aware they would have to pay around £86 million for the striker. The 19-year-old has 22 goals in 16 appearances so far this season, and has admitted he would be keen to link up with former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Paper Round’s view: Arsenal have a much more experienced front line that United, so could do with bringing down the age of their available strikers. However United are desperate for a goalscorer as Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are not, yet at least, capable of leading the line and being a constant threat. Paying up for a teenager is a risk, but he does look exceptionally good.

Another player that Manchester United could be interested in is Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Kai Havertz. The Mirror believes that Liverpool and Manchester City are also interested, but that United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has prioritised a right-sided player as his number one priority. United are prepared to pay the £85 million asking price as they plot a move for the summer for the 22-year-old German.

Paper Round’s view: Havert’s poise is something that United sorely miss in their side, and they need perhaps four or five more signings over the next two transfer windows to get somewhere close to the top four. They still have the money to compete, so buying the very best players available would mitigate the fact that Solskjaer does appear a little out of his depth.

The Express newspaper claims that Arsenal are plotting to raid Premier League champions Manchester City for one of their most well regarded scouts. They want to bring Joe Shields to the club after he was identified by technical staff Edu and Per Mertesacker. Shields is believed to be the man who brought Jadon Sancho to City before he eventually left for Borussia Dortmund.

Paper Round’s view: Arsenal need to overhaul much of their current set-up. It is almost natural that after nearly three decades of Arsene Wenger that it takes time to bring all the parts of the club up to speed with other clubs, and adding some new scouts would make it possible to freshen up the environment, and perhaps more importantly, find some better players to fill out the first team.

There is a story in the Daily Mail which claims that a 34-year-old footballer has been arrested on suspicion of blackmail. The paper says that a player helped assist with a group who were threatening and blackmailing his manager in relation to a betting account. The police have said: 'Detectives investigating an allegation of blackmail arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of blackmail. He has been released under investigation while enquiries continue.'

Paper Round’s view: The lack of detail from the police and from the story means it is difficult to identify the player who has been arrested. More generally, though, it indicates that betting in British football remains a source of trouble, and there could be more to come both in terms of scandal, and reform to help those vulnerable to addiction.