Arsenal desperate to terminate Mesut Ozil contract – Paper Round

Arsenal will attempt to re-open talks with Mesut Ozil over the early termination of his contract to allow him to leave the north London club. The Mirror report that Arsenal are hoping to negotiate a pay-off with the unwanted World Cup winner. Ozil is the club's highest earner, thanks to his £350,000-per-week salary, but his current contract doesn't expire until next summer. The Gunners wish to reach an agreement with the out-of-favour German to terminate his deal as soon as possible. A potential Stateside move to the MLS in January could be on the cards for Ozil if he were to leave the Emirates.

Paper Round's view: Mesut Ozil is a massive problem for Arsenal. His contract extension in 2018 was lauded by the footballing world as the Gunners managed to hold onto one of their prized assets following the exit of Alexis Sanchez. However, it's gone downhill since then. Ozil has been frozen out at the Emirates - to the extent of him not even being registered in Arsenal's Europa League squad and it's widely thought that he won't even make the north London club's Premier League squad. If Arsenal can get rid of the 31-year-old, they should. It's a horrible way to end his time in England... but it's probably the best option for both parties if they can come to an agreement.

Manchester City have held "positive discussions" with Kevin de Bruyne over extending his stay at the Etihad, according to the Times. The Belgian international still has three years remaining on his current contract but the Manchester club are ready to rewarded De Bruyne with a new five-year deal, which would see him stay beyond his 34th birthday. The Manchester City midfielder is reportedly "happy to see out the rest of his career" at the Etihad. The Premier League club have also opened talks with England forward Raheem Sterling over a potential new contract.

Paper Round's view: It's a very efficient way of running a football club and keeping your top players happy. There is no real rush or need for Manchester City to open negotiations with either Kevin de Bruyne or Raheem Sterling over new contracts this early, with both their deals expiring in 2023. However, it keeps morale high and makes their superstars feel wanted. Europe's top clubs will be back in the market for marquee signings next summer, following a quiet transfer window this year due to Covid-19. Manchester City are happy to offer their superstars a pay rise if it means they won't have their heads turned any time soon.

Paul Pogba has admitted that he "would love to play for Real Madrid" one day as he approaches the end of his current contract at Manchester United. The French midfielder has just 10 months remaining on his deal at Old Trafford and revealed that he is yet to speak with anybody at the club - including executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward - about extending his stay in Manchester. Pogba stated that he "loves" playing for the Red Devils, but also confessed that a move to Real Madrid would be a personal "dream". The 27-year-old was heavily linked with a transfer to Los Blancos in the summer of 2019.

Paper Round's view: Get ready for the Paul Pogba transfer saga to start again. With the World Cup winner's deal ending next summer, Pogba will be linked to Europe's finest until Manchester United confirm a contract renewal. The Red Devils won't want to lose him for free and ideally he would be a part of their plans going forward, but if he wants to leave - what more can the club do? United should have made Pogba's contract extension more of an urgent matter like Manchester City with Kevin de Bruyne. On the other side of the coin, signing the Frenchman for free would be a superb move from Real Madrid, who have the ageing duo of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in midfield. All in all, it just shows how far United have fallen - especially behind their noisy neighbours.

West Ham want to sign Bournemouth attacker Joshua King, but could miss out due to the Cherries' asking price. According to the Guardian, King has held talks with the Hammers over a potential return to the Premier League following his south coast side's relegation from the top division back in July. The Norwegian international is keen to move to east London but Bournemouth are demanding a fee of £17.5 million, despite King's contract expiring next summer. Newly-promoted club West Bromwich Albion are interested in the prospect of signing King, but the Baggies would also struggle to meet the asking price.

Paper Round's view: Josh King is clearly a player of Premier League quality so there's no surprise that there are clubs sniffing around him as the domestic deadline approaches for summer transfers. West Ham will get a lot of grief from their fans if they fail to sign the Bournemouth forward, but they're right - £17.5 million is a huge fee for a player whose contract is expiring in June. Surely it must just be a negotiation tactic from the Cherries and they will actually accept a deal between £10-15 million instead of losing the player for free next summer. If so, it's a no brainer for the Hammers, who could use an experienced attacking option like King in their squad.