Jesse Lingard prepared to leave Manchester United amid Barcelona and AC Milan interest - Paper Round

Jesse Lingard is prepared to leave Manchester United again in search of first-team football ahead of the 2022 World Cup. The 28-year-old is in the final year of his contract at Old Trafford and has reportedly rejected an extension with his boyhood club. Lingard has "grown frustrated" with his lack of minutes since returning from a sparkling loan spell at West Ham United this summer. The England international is yet to start a Premier League match for Manchester United this season and the Mirror state that he may push to move to a new club in the January transfer window, with Barcelona and AC Milan both interested in signing the attacking midfielder.

Paper Round's view: Lingard rediscovered his form during a six-month loan spell with West Ham in January last year, but has failed to string together a consistent run of appearances since returning to Old Trafford. Obviously the arrivals of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho didn't help with his claim for first-team football, but we've all seen how good he can be when he's starting week in-week out. It would be interesting to see him move abroad, but he just needs to go somewhere where he will be playing on a weekly basis. A move back to West Ham might just be a great option.

Barcelona are already beginning to plan their transfer business ahead of next summer as they look to get ahead of their rivals in the chase for free transfers. Mundo Deportivo (via the Sun) report that the Catalan club have identified a number of star names who are approaching the expiration dates on their contracts. At the top of the list is Manchester United's Paul Pogba and Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger, who will both command huge salaries and are wanted by Europe's top clubs. AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie and Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana are also on Barcelona's radar.

Paper Round's view: We all know that Barcelona aren't in the best financial situation right now. What is the best way to get around that when trying to add quality to your squad? Sign players on free transfers. Obviously these signings aren't exactly 'free', but you can add world-class players to your squad without paying over the odds on a transfer fee. We saw Barca doing the same thing this summer with Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia and Memphis Depay. The only downside is that the Camp Nou isn't the most attractive destination right now, so the Blaugrana aren't in the best position if rival clubs approach any players on their shortlist.

Newcastle United are continuing their search for a manager following the £300-million takeover that saw them become the richest club in football. Steve Bruce is still in charge, but the Telegraph report that there is "an acceptance" he should be sacked and the Magpies are considering hiring an "experienced interim manager". Former Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez has been considered, but he is said to be happy in his current role at Everton. The Tyneside club are also looking at Portuguese manager Paulo Fonseca, who was linked with the Tottenham Hotspur job last summer. Frank Lampard and Lucien Favre are also on the Newcastle owners' shortlist.

Paper Round's view: The Newcastle ownership need to make a decision. Bruce's future has been publicly debated throughout the past week since the club's takeover was completed, which isn't going to help the 60-year-old or his squad. Newcastle currently sit in 19th place in the Premier League and are yet to win any of their first seven matches. Bringing in an experienced interim coach could definitely help turn this around and the club could look to bring a permanent boss in the summer. But why not just hire a permanent manager now? Back them in the January transfer window and give them a chance to show what they can do.

Callum Hudson-Odoi recently held a meeting with the FA over his England future after rejecting two call-ups to the Under-21 squad. The 20-year-old has been approached by officials from Ghana asking whether he would be interested in representing the Black Stars - creating questions marks over his England future. The Sun report that Hudson-Odoi, who has three caps for the senior England side, has informed Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate that he "is not playing games" over his international allegiance. The winger is planning to try and break back into the Chelsea team in order to earn a recall to the senior England team.

Paper Round's view: Hudson-Odoi and England both need to be patient. In the year that Euro 2020 was postponed, we saw the likes of John Stones, Luke Shaw and Bukayo Saka benefit from the waiting game. None of those would have predicted that they would be part of the England squad at that tournament. Hudson-Odoi needs to keep working hard at Chelsea and he might even be able to break into the England team for the World Cup in 2022.