Jordan Henderson: Liverpool contract talks stall as Atletico Madrid and PSG circle – Paper Round

ByMichael Hincks

Updated 20/07/2021 at 06:51 GMT

Tuesday’s Paper Round starts with Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, whose contract talks have reportedly stalled with two years left on his current deal. Leicester are also keen to tie down Youri Tielemans to a new contract, with a sensational swap deal involving Cristiano Ronaldo and Kieran Trippier to Man Utd also featuring in the transfer gossip columns.

Hendo talks stall

Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are closely monitoring Jordan Henderson’s contract talks at Liverpool, the Mail reports. The club captain has two years left on his contract at Anfield, but with discussions stalling the England midfielder’s future looks uncertain as the Reds look to tie down several players – including Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk – with deals expiring in 2023.

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Paper Round’s view: As has been pointed out, there are a lot of contracts to renew at Liverpool with Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Fabinho also with two years left. They will want to avoid another Gini Wijnaldum scenario, and while time is on their side, it will be intriguing to see who signs in the coming 12 months – who doesn’t could dictate who leaves next year for cash or a year later for free.

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Tielemans to sign new contract?

Leicester are eager to tie Youri Tielemans down to a new contract this month amid interest from Liverpool, the Mail reports. After an impressive 2020-21 campaign, which included a stunning FA Cup final goal, a number of clubs want to sign the Belgian, who has two years left on his contract at the King Power.

Youri Tielemans

Image credit: Getty Images

Paper Round’s view: All about these players with two years left on their contracts, and as Liverpool fear losing Henderson they also look at Tielemans as a midfield option coming in. That team which won the league and Champions League will need refreshing and Tielemans would be an ideal addition – knowing Leicester they’ll demand a high price until perhaps 2022 when they have less bargaining power.

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Ronaldo in a swap deal?

A swap deal between Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain involving Cristiano Ronaldo and Mauro Icardi is in the offing, according to L’Equipe. PSG have already signed Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi and Sergio Ramos as they look to end their wait for Champions League glory, and now it has been reported 28-year-old Icardi could leave the club and join Juve in a swap deal for Ronaldo. Juve would only be able to afford Icardi’s wages if Ronaldo left.

Mauro Icardi and Cristiano Ronaldo

Image credit: Getty Images

Paper Round’s view: A quite unexpected swap deal, and if Ronaldo is seeking a final (or several) Champions League crown(s) before he retires, then maybe he could leave Juve this summer after all. It depends what he wants, you would imagine, even if Juve are keen for him to stay.

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Not enough for Trips

Atletico Madrid are in no rush to sell Kieran Trippier and will not make it easy for Manchester United, who are interested in signing the England full-back, The Sun reports. United want to pay £18m for the 30-year-old former Tottenham defender, but Atleti are not interested in selling him for that price.

Kieran Trippier

Image credit: Getty Images

Paper Round’s view: This story doesn’t seem to be going away so you have to wonder if there is some truth to Trippier fancying a return to England. If United did land him, it would be intriguing to see what it meant for Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the short-term, but let’s see if anything materialises first.

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