Ole Gunnar Solskjaer adds goalscoring pair to January transfer wishlist - Paper Round

Manchester United have added Juventus' Mario Mandzukic and Bournemouth's Callum Wilson to the top of their shopping list ahead of the January transfer window, according to the Mirror. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side are currently lacking goals and, more importantly, a focal point in attack which has led to some pretty poor performances of late. The United boss has admitted that the club will look to sign a striker in the winter window after losing Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to Inter Milan in the summer. The Red Devils have also been linked with a move for Lyon forward Moussa Dembele.

Paper Round's view: It's clear that United are desperate for a striker. Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are yet to impress in central roles and it is too much to ask of 17-year-old academy star Mason Greenwood. Ed Woodward and Solskjaer should have addressed this issue before the summer window shut, especially as they were previously linked to Mandzukic. The issue will soon become that clubs are responding with sky-high asking prices for their stars as United, and Solskjaer, become desperate to compete for a place in the top four.

Speaking of clubs demanding huge fees for their players from Manchester United, the Sun are reporting that West Ham have told their Premier League rivals they will need to cough up £80 million if they want to sign defensive midfielder Declan Rice. Solskjaer was 'keeping tabs' on the England international throughout the summer, but failed to make an official bid. The report states that the Hammers will hold out for the same fee that United paid Leicester for Harry Maguire. Rice signed a new contract with West Ham less than a year ago, which runs until 2024.

Paper Round's view: Rice has shown great quality at West Ham, but his long-term contract, age, 'English premium' and United's despairing situation all mean that his asking-price will rocket. £80 million is a huge fee for a player that hasn't played in a European club competition before. Leicester played the same game with United in the summer and they knew that the Old Trafford side would end up paying their asking price, and it could go the same way with Rice. Signing home-grown talent is great, but Manchester City signed Rodri for £63 million from Atletico Madrid and he is looking world-class in the very same role as Rice.

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Arsenal might be able to sign RB Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano for a cut-price in the summer, according to the Mirror. The Gunners were reported to have had a bid of around £50 million rejected for the France under-21 international during the summer transfer window as his release clause was believed to be around £82 million. However, the Mirror state that the north London side would be able to sign the 20-year-old for a lower price of £53 million at the end of the season, as his release clause is reduced if he fails to extend his current deal at the Bundesliga club.

Paper Round's view: Upamecano is a defender that Arsenal have been following for a while. The Frenchman has been one of the most promising centre-backs in the German top division over the past couple of seasons and it's no surprise that a top European side has interest in him. Everyone has been saying it for years, but Arsenal really do need to strengthen their defence. The club signed David Luiz when their bid for Upamecano was rejected, but the Brazilian's transfer across London has been a flop so far. The future looks bright with Rob Holding and William Saliba, but signing the highly-rated Upamecano would be a real statement from the Premier League side.

Chris Hughton has rejected an approach to take the reins at Stoke City from Nathan Jones, according to the Sun. The former Republic of Ireland international has been out of work since the end of the 2018-19 season when he was sacked by Premier League club Brighton. Stoke are currently in quite a bit of trouble, languishing at the bottom of the Championship table, without a win in the opening 10 matches. Jones is expected to part ways with the Potters after a disappointing 10-month spell at the bet365 Stadium.

Paper Round's view: What manager would want to go to Stoke right now? Not one that is of Premier League calibre, that's for sure. Hughton has paid his dues in England's second division, winning promotion to the Premier League twice - including a first-placed finish in the 2009-10 season with Newcastle. The 60-year-old's tactics at Brighton could be described as turgid, but he managed to keep their Premier League status intact. No offence to Stoke, but Hughton shouldn't need to dive into a Championship relegation battle just to get back into the management game.