David Alaba favours Real Madrid or Barcelona move - Paper Round

David Alaba is wanted by at least six clubs, according to the Sun. The Austrian left-back is out of contract this summer and PSG, Liverpool, Manchester City and Juventus are all interested. However, the 28-year-old left-back would much prefer to join Real Madrid or Barcelona at the end of his current deal, which is unlikely to be extended after talks with Bayern Munich.

Paper Round’s view: Bayern are losing a brilliant player but in truth, at 28, Alaba is unlikely to be able to keep up with the demands of a modern full-back for much longer. While losing him for nothing will be a blow, both Barcelona and Real Madrid would be taking a risk to offer big wages to a player, even if he is available for nothing. Whether Alaba will get his desired move is in the balance.

The Telegraph claims that the Premier League clubs will meet on Thursday to discuss the future of the pay-per-view system for games not on standard broadcast channels. The league will then speak to broadcasters about their decision, though the most likely outcome is that the asking price of almost £15 will be reduced to about £10.

Paper Round’s view: Fifteen pounds did seem like an exorbitant amount to request from fans who are suffering from the impact of the financial downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. While the clubs themselves need the cash too, they are offering a worse product for more than Sky Sports, BT and Amazon provide for their premium content, making dissatisfaction inevitable.

The Mirror reports that Mohamed Elneny could earn himself a new deal to stay at Arsenal. The 28-year-old Egyptian midfielder spent last season on loan at Besiktas, but this season has impressed. When asked about a potential new contract, Mikel Arteta said: "What I can say is that I am really pleased with the player and everything that he is doing and hopefully he can continue like that and perform really well throughout the season."

Paper Round’s view: Arteta performs an unglamorous but essential role for Arsenal, and if he has the stamina and intelligence to carry it out, then it is likely that Arteta and the club will conserve their cash for transfers and keep Elneny on for at least a couple more years. The turnaround in fortunes at the club demonstrates just how important the right manager can be to transform a side.

The Daily Mail relays a story that suggests that Manchester United missed out on Bayer Leverkusen’s French winger in the dying days of the most recent transfer window. Bayer would not countenance the sale of the 21-year-old winger, despite the fact that United would pay up to £45 million for him. That led them to move for Atalanta winger Amad Diallo, who will join in January.

Paper Round’s view: Diallo certainly looks like a talented player, and at just 18 perhaps he will be an even better player than Diaby. But the Bayer man is ready for first team action now, and having seen Daniel James struggle again this season, it is a testament to a lack of sensible scouting that has seen United once again looking to another transfer window to fix the balance of their squad. It may cost Ole Gunnar Solskjaer his job.