Football news - Manchester United ready £400,000-a-week offer for Paul Pogba - Paper Round

Manchester United will move David de Gea on in order to free up cash for a £400,000-a-week offer to Paul Pogba. If he does not accept the deal before the start of Euro 2020 then they will try to sell him, but Real Madrid and Juventus may not be able to afford him, and United are looking at three potential replacements: West Ham's Declan Rice, Leicester's Wilfred Ndidi and Atletico Madrid's Saul Niguez.

Paper Round’s view: Pogba has only played well for United for about half a season, and maybe a handful of other games. However he is playing his best stuff now since he joined and along with Bruno Fernandes forms an excellent partnership for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to build upon. However his preference is clearly to move on, and he should be sold if he will not properly commit.

Spanish newspaper Marca reports that Barcelona striker Lionel Messi - now backing a social media boycott - is more likely to stay with the Spanish club than he is to depart in the summer for Paris Saint-Germain. The paper claims that the new crop of youngsters coming through, plus Joan Laporta’s plans to bring one of Neymar or Erling Haaland to the club, is probably enough to convince him to stay.

Paper Round’s view: By bringing in Neymar it would be a huge commitment of funds for a player who is close to 30, and it may just be another example of the financial mismanagement that has led Barcelona to another chaotic year. However Haaland could well be the best player of the next decade and might help them end their dependency on Messi over the course of a season.

Manchester City’s 24-year-old Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus could be coming to the end of his time at the Etihad, just as they prepare for the departure of Sergio Aguero this summer when his contract ends. The Mail reports that Pep Guardiola is keen on Erling Haaland and Harry Kane, with the club able to afford the more than £100m asking price for either player.

Paper Round’s view: Jesus is only 24 but given Aguero’s exceptional consistency he has rarely had the chance to get on the pitch as much as other players his age, and that will leave him short of the chance to develop. That’s not really City’s problems given their transfer resources, so he may decide to move on in order to secure regular first-team football.

Donny van de Beek is wanted by his former club Ajax, reports the Sun. The 24-year-old Dutch midfielder has struggled to find his way into the first team under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and Ajax want him on loan. However, United have told the Dutchman that they want to keep him on and will issue a hands-off warning as he is likely to get more chances in the coming season.

Paper Round’s view: If United saw that Pogba was likely to leave in the next summer due to his contract being deliberately run down, then keeping the Frenchman in the limelight would maximise his transfer value and allow Van de Beek the chance to acclimatise to life in the Premier League and within the club. He is not wanting for talent, but his confidence seems to have taken a hit.