Football news, transfer rumours and gossip - Man United, City, and PSG linked with Theo Hernandez

Manchester United, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have been linked to AC Milan’s French left-back, Theo Hernandez. The 22-year-old defender joined the Italian side last summer but is available for transfer in the next transfer window, and Real Madrid do not have a buyback clause. Marca expects bids to come in, but does not name a price for the player.

Paper Round’s view: Hernandez has shown his talents with the French national team and he is far more promising than Luke Shaw is. AC Milan will need to sell after the financial impact from the shutdown due to coronavirus so the defender might be available on the cheap. That could help PSG and City, who both have concerns over meeting Financial Fair Play obligations.

The Sun reports that Rangers have agreed a 50 per cent pay cut for their playing staff, and also with manager Steven Gerrard. Football in Scotland has been postponed due to the lockdown to combat coronavirus, and Rangers need to reduce their outgoings drastically. While they will receive only half their wages, the rest will ultimately be paid back to them after July.

Paper Round’s view: A deferral will go a huge way to helping Rangers keep ticking over, but the fact the payments will have to be made up in arrears will put a strain into next season. They won’t be the only club facing such a problem, but it might have a knock-on effect in the next round of transfers and contract negotiations, with the money having to come from somewhere.

Kyle Walkers alleged sex party when he should have been engaging social isolation may cost him more than a club fine. The Mirror reports that England manager Gareth Southgate was furious with the player’s behaviour, and he is so angry that it could cost the Manchester City defender his place in the England squad - and his apology is not enough to save him.

Paper Round’s view: Walker was reckless and extremely foolish, and it has put the health of other people at risk as well as himself. However, he appears chastened and is hardly likely to do the same thing twice. Losing his England place is perhaps to be expected given the atmosphere over coronavirus, but it might be a punishment that is overturned down the line.

The Daily Mail believes that Lewis Hamilton’s contract renewal with his Mercedes team has been delayed due to the impact of coronavirus. Hamiton said: 'What is my current status? My participation in Mercedes is solid, my contract runs until the end of 2020, and we are still in good discussions about what we want to do together. We are discussing but all of this has been pushed into the background by the coronavirus. We all have bigger problems to solve now - human problems in our companies.'

Paper Round’s view: Hamilton’s relationship with Mercedes does seem strong, but there had been suggestions that he was tempted to sign up to Ferrari to see if he could end his career on a high note with the most famous name in motorsport. However, the cost of his contract could be prohibitive given the economic situation in Italy at the moment.