Manchester United to sell six stars to fund Jadon Sancho transfer - Paper Round

Manchester United are planning to sell six squad players this summer as they attempt to raise transfer funds, according to the Athletic. United are willing to listen to offers for Alexis Sanchez, Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Jesse Lingard and Diogo Dalot - with the majority of interest coming from Italy's Serie A. Borussia Dortmund are refusing to budge on their €100 million demand for the highly-rated Jadon Sancho and have reportedly "set a deadline of August 10 for a deal to be concluded". United are considering Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele, who is out of favour at the Catalan club, as a cheaper alternative to Sancho.

Paper Round's view: Sancho to Manchester United is the biggest transfer story of the summer. If the reported deadline is correct, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side only have a month to complete the transfer - so they will have to speed up the sales of their squad players. It makes sense to clear out the deadwood at the club. It is unimaginable how much money is being wasted on wages for these players who are barely even making the matchday squads at the moment. Despite all this, if United's transfer budget is limited this summer, it might make more sense for the club to sign a top-quality centre-back to partner club captain Harry Maguire. The United attack is looking strong right now, so the need to add Sancho doesn't seem like a priority.

Manchester City are debating whether to make a move for Bayern Munich defender David Alaba this summer, according to The Mirror. The versatile Austria international has less than a year remaining on his current contract at Bayern and the club are not willing to lose him for free next summer. The report states that the Bundesliga champions are planning to sell Alaba if the two parties cannot agree terms to extend his deal at the club and former Bayern boss Pep Guardiola could be interested in a reunion with the 28-year-old in the Premier League. Manchester City are keen to sign a new left-back this summer due to "concerns over Benjamin Mendy's consistency".

Paper Round's view: Signing Alaba would make a lot of sense for Manchester City. The 28-year-old has proven how his versatility is a strength, which would massively benefit City if he were to move to Manchester. Alaba has been one of the best left-backs in world football over the past 10 years. However, since the emergence of Alphonso Davies this season, Alaba moved to centre-back and showed his quality there as Bayern stormed to an eighth consecutive Bundesliga title. City are in desperate need of a centre-back and a left-back, so Alaba could solve both their problems - especially if the club's funds are limited this summer due to the coronavirus pandemic. He has even played in central midfield during his career, which could be useful as David Silva is set to depart and Fernandinho is not getting any younger.

Kevin De Bruyne's agent has denied the rumours that the Belgian midfielder could leave Manchester City this summer, according to the Mail. The 29-year-old's representative Patrick De Koster has stated that De Bruyne will stay at the Etihad - even if the club's Champions League ban is upheld. City are facing a two-year suspension from Europe's elite competition for breaching Financial Fair Play regulations, but the club have appealed the punishment. The Premier League side will discover their fate on Monday but De Bruyne's agent has confirmed that his star will not be jumping ship regardless of the result following the appeal process.

Paper Round's view: It is easy to say that you are staying at a club if the ban is in the process of being appealed. If the appeal gets rejected and the Champions League suspension is upheld for even one season, it damages De Bruyne's career plans. The Belgian midfield maestro has won every domestic trophy possible in England. The only piece of silverware at club level that eludes him is the Champions League. De Bruyne has just turned 29, so he cannot hang around for two seasons at City if they are unable to enter the competition. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, there might not be a club who can afford a player of his value this summer - which could lead to De Bruyne staying put for at least another season.

Emiliano Martinez is set to stay at Arsenal beyond the summer after impressing Gunners boss Mikel Arteta since coming into the side to deputise for the injured Bernd Leno. The 27-year-old, who has been at Arsenal since 2010, was said to be considering his future in north London after numerous years of being the second or even third-choice goalkeeper. The Mirror report that Arsenal were beginning to look for a new back-up goalkeeper to sign, but the Gunners are now willing to offer Martinez a new contract to keep him at the club and act as serious competition for first-choice Leno.

Paper Round's view: Martinez has definitely shown his worth since stepping up to the first team for Arsenal. The Gunners have gone on a five-game unbeaten run since suffering a late defeat at the hands of Brighton when Martinez replaced the injured Leno mid-match. The Argentine stopper has been vital to their upturn in form and is definitely deserving of a new contract. It makes completes sense for both parties - especially if Martinez is happy to stay at the Emirates with the confidence that Arteta has faith in his ability to compete for the role as number one. Leno will probably edge it, but his return date is still unknown so Martinez will have the time to convince his manager.