Football news - Paper Round: Tottenham Hotspur to snatch Bruno Fernandes from Manchester United

Tottenham Hotspur have moved their attention to Sporting Lisbon midfielder and Manchester United transfer target Bruno Fernandes, according to reports from the Mirror. The Portuguese midfielder, dubbed the 'new Frank Lampard' due to his goalscoring ability, has been linked with a move to Old Trafford all summer but Spurs seem to have made a late move for the 24-year-old. The Mirror state that Fernandes would be a cheaper alternative signing to Mauricio Pochettino's "prime target" Giovani Lo Celso, who is commanding a £70 million asking price from Real Betis.

Paper Round’s view: Bruno Fernandes is very highly-rated and having a midfielder who can chip in with 20 goals per season would be a massive asset for any club. Spurs are really bolstering their midfield options this summer after they looked very short in that department last season. Adding Tanguy Ndombele for a club-record fee, then following that signing with another top-level midfielder would show they really mean business. Lo Celso would be ideal if it is true that he is Pochettino's number one target, but Bruno Fernandes is still a very good second choice and stealing him from under the noses of Manchester United would make the move even sweeter.

Paulo Dybala is still "unconvinced" that a move to Manchester United is the best option for him, according to the Independent. The Argentine is unsure whether the Premier League side would suit him, especially due to the fact that they failed to qualify for the Champions League this season. It is reported that Dybala's doubt has put Romelu Lukaku's transfer to Juventus under "severe threat" as the agreed deal was supposed to be a striker swap. The 25-year-old is also demanding £350,000 a week in wages, which United are hesitant to agree to as the club are "unwilling" to offer massive wages after regretting their part in the Alexis Sanchez deal, reportedly worth £500,000 per week.

Paper Round’s view: It's hardly surprising that Dybala has doubts over a move to Old Trafford. United haven't competed in the title race since the days of Sir Alex Ferguson, while Dybala is in a Juventus team that are comfortably winning the Scudetto every season and challenging in the Champions League amongst Europe's elite. The Red Devils are still struggling their way through a transitional period since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer joined, a manager that could be successful but, realistically, isn't a name or personality that will attract world-class talent like Dybala. Manchester United are one of the biggest clubs in world football, but the Juventus forward wants to win trophies every season and Solskjaer's side just can't guarantee that.

Harry Maguire has been excluded from Leicester City's squad for Friday's preseason friendly against Atalanta due to "continuing uncertainty" over his future at the club. According to the Telegraph, the England international is set to miss out on the Foxes' final friendly before the start of the Premier League season after talks with manager Brendan Rodgers on Thursday morning. Manchester United have been chasing Maguire all summer and have reportedly had a £70 million bid rejected, with Leicester's asking price understood to be closer to £90 million, which would be a world-record fee for a defender, surpassing Liverpool's purchase of Virgil van Dijk for £75 million from Southampton in January 2018.

Paper Round’s view: Maguire is a great centre-back, but £90 million is a huge amount of money. The Premier League's television money has allowed clubs like Leicester to hold out for these eye-watering fees as they don't need to sell for the cash. However, the Foxes know Manchester United are desperate for a centre-back to partner with Victor Lindelof and are likely to meet their demands eventually so they hold all the power. The Maguire move has dragged all summer, but Leicester will be hoping that the deal is wrapped up sooner rather than later so they have time to bring in a replacement before the transfer window shuts.

Dani Alves has reportedly agreed to return to Brazil to sign for Sao Paulo instead of taking his services to the Premier League, according to a report from the Sun. Alves' contract expired at Paris Saint-Germain this summer and the 36-year-old had gained interest from Premier League giants, Arsenal and Manchester City. The Brazilian is said to have "verbally agreed" a return to his home nation after the "club he supported as a boy" offered him a three-year contract. The English clubs were only keen to offer Alves a short-term deal which wasn't his ideal choice.

Paper Round’s view: Seeing Alves return to Brazil after such a successful career in Europe is a heart-warming story. The defender is the most-decorated footballer in history, having won 40 trophies in his career so it is superb to see him return to the country where he won his first medal in 2002 with Bahia. Obviously it would've been brilliant to watch Alves thrive in the Premier League, but it just wasn't meant to be. Despite being 36 years old, the attacking full-back has shown no signs of slowing up, as seen in Brazil's Copa America win in July so hopefully he can add even more accolades to his already-glittering trophy cabinet during his three years at Sao Paulo.