Paris Saint-Germain ready for Sergio Ramos as Manchester United dither - Paper Round

Manchester United are not yet certain to move for Sergio Ramos, the 34-year-old Real Madrid central defender. He is out of contract at the end of the season, but the Sun reports that United are yet to make a firm choice on their first-choice target to reinforce their backline. They will face competition from Paris Saint-Germain, who want to bring him in on a free transfer.

Paper Round’s view: Ramos can still hold his own as one of the best central defenders in Europe and the Premier League might hold more of an attraction than Ligue 1 if he is looking to fill out his CV. PSG, however, are more likely to deliver trophies if he is concerned not just with getting famous names on his Wikipedia page, though either club would be lucky to have him despite his advancing years.

The Telegraph reports that Chelsea are soon to make a decision on the future of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. The 26-year-old Spaniard is set to make his first appearance under new Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, and the club have not yet given up on the player making a fist of his career at Stamford Bridge, despite the arrival of Edouard Mendy as first-choice keeper.

Paper Round’s view: Kepa’s form has been disappointing to say the least, but he will not be helped by the coronavirus lockdown which has reportedly kept him isolated from friends and family after arriving from Spain. His prospects are helped by Mendy, who has been far from a reliable presence between the sticks since his arrival from Ligue 1 this summer.

Jason Tindall left Championship side Bournemouth after struggling to get them back on track following their relegation from the Premier League. The Mail reports that John Terry is under consideration but his lack of experience could cost him. One strong contender is former Arsenal player Patrick Vieira, who was last employed by Nice, and current caretaker Jonathan Woodgate.

Paper Round’s view: All three candidates would be relatively cheap and straightforward appointments, and while Terry is inexperienced as a manager, he has been an assistant for some time and has to make the step up eventually. Vieira has the most experience, but Woodgate appears to be a relatively thoughtful character and more success could make the job his own.

Premier League champions have discovered how much they will have to pay Fulham for teenage forward Harvey Elliott. Jurgen Klopp’s side brought in Elliott as a 16-year-old in the summer of 2019, and went to a tribunal to find out the fee due. The Mirror reports they will pay £1.2 million up front, £500k for his first two professional contracts, and the fee could rise above £4.3 million, with a 20% sell-on clause.

Paper Round’s view: Given Elliott has huge amounts of potential, that 20% sell-on clause could ultimately be the most important part of the settlement for Fulham, but the fact remains they have lost what could be an extraordinarily talented player for a relatively small amount of cash. There is no easy way to value players who are so young, but it still feels cheap for Liverpool.