Manchester United identify £50-million Aurelien Tchouameni as Paul Pogba replacement - Paper Round

Manchester United have identified AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni as a potential replacement for Paul Pogba in case the 28-year-old decides to leaves Old Trafford next summer. Pogba is in the final year of his contract with Manchester United and is yet to decide whether he will sign an extension, meaning he will be able to negotiate with foreign clubs from January. ESPN report that Barcelona are the latest club to consider signing the Frenchman for free. United will look to rising star Tchouameni, who is valued at "a fee between €50 million and €60 million" by Monaco, as a replacement.

Paper Round's view: The Pogba saga has already gone on for so long. Manchester United need to offer him an ultimatum before January comes along. Either you sign a new contract or the club will start planning for life without you. Anyway - it doesn't need to be Pogba or Tchouameni for United. We saw France beat Spain in the UEFA Nations League final last week with those two playing together in midfield for Les Bleus. The 21-year-old could be the missing piece in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side. United are crying out for a defensive midfielder and Tchouameni would be a cheaper alternative to signing Declan Rice from West Ham.

Raheem Sterling has attracted the attention of La Liga giants Barcelona after publicly stating that he would be "open" to leaving Manchester City for more regular first-team football and that he would "love to play abroad". The Telegraph reveal that the 26-year-old has been linked with a potential loan move to the Catalan club, despite their recent financial troubles. The report states that Barca would want to take Sterling on a loan deal when the winter window opens, but sources at Manchester City would be unwilling to let him leave mid-season.

Paper Round's view: The problem with Sterling at Manchester City is that he's not playing consistently. If he's floating in and out of the team on a weekly basis, he's going to struggle to find his form. On his day, Sterling is a world-class footballer and he's proved that as recently as this summer at the European Championships for England. He shouldn't have to take a step down from being a title-winner if he leaves the Etihad, but his price tag and wages might limit his options. Sterling could be a decent replacement for Kylian Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain next summer.

A handful of Premier League clubs are set to do battle over the new Andy Robertson. The Sun report that Manchester United, Norwich, Leicester City and Everton are all watching Aberdeen right-back Calvin Ramsay. The Dons wonderkid, who has been compared to compatriot Robertson, has already got seven assists this season and could be on his way to the Premier League in January. Norwich are said to be the most keen on signing Ramsay, but Aberdeen are reluctant to sell the 18-year-old during the winter transfer window.

Paper Round's view: Robertson and Kieran Tierney have shown the Premier League the quality of Scottish full-backs at the moment and Ramsay might just follow in their footsteps. It's going to be tough to prise him away from Aberdeen during the season but if a number of clubs are interested in him, it could spark a bidding war next summer. Manchester United do really need to sign another right-back as cover - or even just as an alternative - for Aaron Wan-Bissaka. A move to a club where he would be getting first-team football would make more sense for Ramsay's development though.

England and Ireland's joint bid for the 2030 World Cup is set to be rejected by UEFA. Only one European bid is allowed to be put forward by the governing body and the Mail report that it is likely that Spain and Portugal's joint bid is going to be their option. There is a belief that an England-Ireland bid would fail to receive votes from FIFA, especially following the disgusting scenes at the Euro 2020 final at Wembley in July. UEFA are expected to push the United Kingdom and Ireland to focus on submitting a new bid to host Euro 2028, which they will support if their 2030 bid is withdrawn.

Paper Round's view: It's not a surprise that the scenes at Wembley Stadium ahead of the Euro 2020 final have ruined England and Ireland's World Cup bid. English 'fans' embarrassed themselves and nobody wants a repeat of that at the World Cup. If this report is true, the United Kingdom and Ireland should just focus on going for Euro 2028.