Manchester United players turn on Cristiano Ronaldo, PSG’s Kylian Mbappe targeted as replacement - Paper Round

Cristiano Ronaldo has lost the trust and respect of his Manchester United team-mates following his shocking interview with Piers Morgan, according to the Times. The Portugal captain blasted the club, the current United squad and manager Erik ten Hag in the explosive interview, but his team-mates have reportedly sided with the Dutch coach. The report states that the Manchester United players believe Ronaldo should never play for the club again and do not even want him to return to the team after the World Cup.

Paper Round’s view: It’s not a huge surprise. Ronaldo has publicly slated everything to do with Manchester United in a fiery interview that has dominated the news cycle all week. There’s no way he will want to return to Old Trafford and you can understand why his team-mates want nothing more to do with him. United are in a pickle here, though. The club will probably be forced to terminate Ronaldo’s contract just to end the saga before it gets more toxic. Who knows where Ronaldo will end up next? There weren’t too many potential suitors in the summer and his reputation has taken a hit since then.

The Mirror reveal that Manchester United are plotting an ambitious move to sign Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo. The report states that Mbappe was “furious” with PSG after they were late to pay his salary back in October and that has confirmed his desire to leave the French capital – despite signing a whopping contract extension in the summer. United would be willing to part with more than £150 million to sign Mbappe and would also be able to match the 23-year-old’s eye-watering wage demands of around £500,000 per week.

Paper Round’s view: It wouldn’t be a transfer story if Manchester United weren’t involved. Yes – Ronaldo is most likely on his way out of Old Trafford, but surely it seems a bit far-fetched to line up Mbappe as his replacement. The French forward may push for a PSG exit next summer but why would he go to Manchester United? They might not even qualify for next season’s edition of the Champions League. It’s going to be a huge summer transfer window if Mbappe does decide to leave PSG. He will definitely be regretting his decision to snub Real Madrid earlier this year.

Manchester City are ready to launch a bid to sign Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos in 2023, according to the Sun. The World Cup winner is reportedly “reluctant” to sign a contract extension at the Santiago Bernabeu and could end up leaving the European champions for free when his current deal expires next summer. Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is keen to reunite with Kroos – who he coached at Bayern Munich for a season before the German took his talents to the Spanish capital with Real Madrid.

Paper Round’s view: It would be interesting to see if Kroos actually leaves Real Madrid. The report still states that Los Blancos are “hoping he will renew” his contract, but it depends whether Kroos wants a new challenge. Real Madrid’s midfield is starting to evolve to a new generation with Fede Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga – so it could finally be time for Kroos to move on. He would be a squad player at Manchester City due to their options and Guardiola’s preference to rotate his team, but it would be a new challenge in the Premier League for Kroos.

The United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland have submitted their joint-bid to host Euro 2028 and the list of venues has been revealed. There are 14 stadiums on the provisional shortlist across five different countries. These include: Wembley Stadium, London Stadium, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Old Trafford, Etihad Stadium, St James’ Park, Stadium of Light, Villa Park, Everton’s new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock, Aviva Stadium, Croke Park, Casement Park, Principality Stadium and Hampden Park.

Paper Round’s view: It’s always interesting to see which stadiums are picked as part of a tournament bid and there will be some fans complaining if their club’s stadium is not picked. It looks like a good mix of grounds and it’s great to see the options in Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Hopefully, it will be a successful tournament if it is selected by UEFA.