Manchester United line up David Alaba, Kingsley Coman and Fede Valverde - Paper Round
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Updated 18/02/2021 at 08:54 GMT
Manchester United could make two signings from Bayern Munich this summer when they move for David Alaba and Kingsley Coman, while Fede Valverde could replace Paul Pogba. Barcelona missed out on Kylian Mbappe, and Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has an exit clause at Anfield which will smooth his departure.
David Alaba and Kingsley Coman
Image credit: Getty Images
United target double Bayern swoop
The Sun reports that Manchester United could sign two players from Bayern Munich this summer. Real Madrid and Chelsea will provide stiff competition for David Alaba, with the Austrian international to leave on a free transfer. However United are prepared to offer Kingsley Coman £260,000-a-week wages to tempt him away, though his contract runs until 2023.
Paper Round’s view: United seem ready to spend big again, and now that they’ve got rid of Marcos Rojo from the wage books and Phil Jones and Jesse Lingard seem set to leave in the summer for good, there could be room for some big wages for new players. Alaba would be an even more important signing than Coman but both would offer huge improvements over current options.
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United target Valverde
Manchester United are keen to identify a replacement for French midfielder Paul Pogba. The 26-year-old is running down his contract at Old Trafford and the Daily Star suggests he may be on his way to Real Madrid. That would open the door for 22-year-old Uruguayan Fede Valverde to move in the opposite direction to United and they are ready to offer a raise on his £120,000-a-week salary.
Paper Round’s view: Valverde is one of Real Madrid’s most promising young players and their focus is on reducing their dependence on thirty-somethings like Luka Modric, Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos. Letting their midfielder go to United would only make sense if they need to raise funds for a special player, such as Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe.
How Barcelona missed out on Mbappe
While Real Madrid focus on Kylian Mbappe, Marca reports that their biggest rivals, Barcelona, had a deal to sign the player in 2017. When they sold Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, they identified Mbappe as a replacement and agreed a deal with Monaco for around 155 million euros in total. However they then changed their minds and signed Ousmane Dembele from Borussia Dortmund.
Paper Round’s view: Barcelona’s transfer strategy has been awful for more than a decade. Dembele does finally seem to be coming good, but it has taken months of reports of his poor discipline and injury problems, while Mbappe seems determined to make the most of his talents and his career. Missing out on Mbappe is just the latest in their profligate approach to finances and the market.
Klopp’s Liverpool exit clause
In 2019 Jurgen Klopp signed an extension to his deal at Liverpool, but the Mirror has the details on an exit clause in the contract. Normally such a clause might worry fans that Klopp has a break clause to leave easily, but in this instance it is that the club are obliged to help him relocate back to Germany when he leaves, which he expects to be in the year 2024.
Paper Round’s view: Klopp has done exceptionally well at Liverpool and while they are far from at their peak, a decent summer and some new players should refresh the atmosphere at Anfield and give them a fair shot at another league title. The contract clause described here is merely indicative of the healthy relationship between the German manager and the club’s owners.
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