Real Madrid make €50 million offer to PSG for Kylian Mbappe transfer this January - Paper Round

Real Madrid have made a €50 million bid for Kylian Mbappe, according to a report in Spanish newspaper Marca. Real offered €180 million for the French international last summer, but Paris Saint-Germain preferred to keep hold of their 23-year-old striker with the club now likely to lose him in the summer on a free transfer.

Paper Round’s view: Real Madrid must know that they are the favourites for Mbappe, given the player has made it clear repeatedly that they are the team he wants to join next. However the fact that they would stump up €50m - if the report really is true - suggests they are concerned that they could be pipped by a better offer down the line.

The Telegraph reports that Newcastle are aware of the positions that they need to strengthen in the January transfer window, and are now working through three names in each of those positions. Kieran Trippier is one such target, but there are others including Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Manchester United’s Donny van de Beek. Although there's more concrete news on Trippier later...

Paper Round’s view: Van de Beek desperately needs to get playing again because much more time on the sidelines could ruin his career. He clearly has talent and needs to be given the chance to play, and United could do with the cash if they can find a replacement. Aubameyang will almost certainly not play for Arsenal again - a loan would save them money.

The Mirror reports that German side Borussia Dortmund are preparing for the exit of striker Erling Haaland, and to that end they have four targets under consideration for the summer. That list is Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic, Karim Adeyemi of Red Bull Salzburg, Sasa Kalajdzic of Stuttgart and Darwin Nunez of Benfica.

Paper Round’s view: Dortmund have an excellent track record of identifying young players who are affordable and then turning into stars to sell on at a profit. Haaland was a slight exception given they had to agree to a release clause of €75 million and a potentially accelerated exit, but they appear ready to step up with a swift transfer.

The Sun believes that Atletico Madrid defender Kieran Trippier is close to agreeing a £12 million deal to join Newcastle United, with a potential £3m in add-ons for the Spanish club down the line. The 31-year-old England international will earn around £100,000 a week, which would make him the best paid player at his new club.

Paper Round’s view: Trippier has wanted a return to the Premier League for some time and if - as discussed above - Newcastle can rattle through their shortlist to seriously improve their squad then they should be able to target a strong finish to the season. If they don’t hit the ground running though, relegation is not yet out of the question.