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Manchester City look to land Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos on free transfer - Paper Round

The Editorial Team

Updated 14/10/2023 at 07:13 GMT

Manchester City may try to sign Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos on a free transfer this summer. Elsewhere there are conflicting reports over the rumour that British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is leading the chase for the takeover of Manchester United as talks continue. Meanwhile, the Football Association hopes that a private equity backer could come in to the support the WSL.

Toni Kroos

Image credit: Getty Images

City look to sign Kroos

The Sun believes that Manchester CIty could make a move to sign Toni Kroos on a free transfer from Real Madrid next summer.
“Manchester City are allegedly looking to bring a serial Champions League winner to the club - and pay them £13million-a-year to sign,” the paper reports.
“Pep Guardiola’s side won Europe’s big one for the first time last season as they completed a stunning Treble.
“He then bolstered his squad this summer with the arrivals of Josko Gvardiol, Matheus Nunes, Jeremy Doku and Mateo Kovacic.
“Now a fresh report has emerged linking him with a move to bring in another star with a lot more experience at the end of the campaign.
"Spanish outlet Defensa Central are claiming that Real Madrid’s veteran midfielder Toni Kroos is currently on the radar of City.
“And they state that the German international’s wages could be doubled should he head to the Etihad once his contract expires at the Bernabeu.”

Manchester United set for takeover talks

The Mirror reports that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is leading the way in the takeover hunt for Manchester United.
The paper says: ”Manchester United owners the Glazer family are set to hold a board meeting within 'days' to discuss fresh proposals from Sir Jim Ratcliffe, it has been claimed.
“British billionaire Ratcliffe and rival bidder Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani have both submitted multiple bids since the Glazers announced in November 2022 that they were potentially open to selling the club. The latest approach from the former, which would see him initially take a minority stake of 25 percent, is understood to have 'given him the edge ' over his rival.
“Earlier interest from Ratcliffe had seen him make efforts to buy the Glazers' 69 percent holding. The current owners have been in place since 2005, and during the process there have been reports that Joel and Avram Glazer - the two most prominent family members when it comes to the running of United - were not on the same page as their siblings when it came to a sale.”

Al Thani still has hopes of takeover

While the Mirror believes Ratcliffe is leading the way for a takeover of United, The Express suggests that Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani is in fact the frontrunner.
The outlet writes: ”Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe remain in the running to buy United from the Glazer family.
“Sheikh Jassim is said to believe he is the only serious bidder in the running, indicating that he could be preparing to blow Sir Jim out of the water with an offer the Glazers can't refuse.
“There has predominantly been silence on the potential sale front since Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim announced their intentions to buy the club at the start of 2023.
“But there is movement behind the scenes as the Glazers near a resolution about the uncertainty over their 18-year reign.”

WSL looking for offers

The Football Association hope that a private equity offer for the Women’s Super League could help fund its relaunch.
“The FA have received offers from American private equity firms who want to buy into the Women’s Super League ahead of a planned relaunch next season,” states the Mail.
“Mail Sport revealed last month that the launch of an enhanced top flight for the start of the 2024-25 season is under threat as the Premier League clubs are refusing to provide the £25million start-up costs.
“A number of US investors are understood to have expressed interest in buying into the WSL for a 10-year period as they are convinced it will deliver significant growth.
“The FA’s preferred model remains for the clubs to take control, but they are running out of time to agree a deal.”
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