Arsenal launch raid on Dortmund pair Hummels and Gundogan: Arsene Wenger will attempt to twist a knife into the heart of Manchester United fans when he attempts to poach long-term Old Trafford targets Mats Hummels and Ilkay Gundogan. That’s according to the Daily Star who report: “Hummels is edging closer to an exit from the German giants after refusing to commit his future to the club. The World Cup-winning defender has also revealed he's had offers to leave Dortmund.” The daily also links Arsenal to a move for Gundogan, sourcing The Telegraph by saying, “The Gunners are hopeful of tying up a deal for the £20m midfielder and are arranging talks.” With Hummels said to have a £35 million asking price, this could end up being an incredible £55 million double raid.
Paper Round’s view: Arsenal’s defensive frailties have been well documented this season and signing Hummels would certainly go a long way to addressing those, with Wenger’s side in dire need of quality in the centre of defence. The signing of Gundogan makes slightly less sense given his recent injury woes and their wealth of talent in the midfield area.
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City open to bank-busting move for Messi: Manuel Pellegrini “has opened the door to a bank-busting Manchester City move for Lionel Messi” according to the sensational story on the back page of Thursday’s Sun. This comes just a day after City completed a £28 million deal to sign Wilfried Bony from Swansea, the tabloid adding, “The Argentine maestro would expect a six-year deal worth around £270m, taking any switch to a staggering £480m.”
Paper Round’s view: The back pages have been rife with rumours linking Messi with huge money moves to City, neighbours Manchester United and Chelsea over the last week after the player’s alleged dust-up with Barca manager Luis Enrique and a cryptic quote from the player himself at the Ballon d’Or gala. But £480m? It may be transfer rumour silly season, but we’re still over two months away from April 1.
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Palermo reject United bid for Dybala: Palermo have rejected a bid for highly-rated 21-year-old Argentine striker Paulo Dybala. That’s the latest news coming out of The Guardian, who quote the club’s president Maurizio Zamparini via Italy's Radio Due as saying, “Dybala is worth over €40m [£31m] but I won’t sell him until June. Many foreign clubs asked after him, including Manchester United. I told the English side that he is not for sale right now, but we can talk about it again in six months. In my view, he is the best striker in Europe at the moment.”
Paper Round’s view: For a player dubbed the ‘new Sergio Aguero’, it’s unsurprising that he’s courting interest from a number of big teams. The club president’s insistence that he is the best striker in Europe may raise a few eyebrows, as may his insistence that he’s unavailable. United have an open cheque book, so can Palermo afford to refuse a mega-bucks January bid if one comes along?
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United open talks for £30 million Marquinhos: Another young player that United may be somewhat closer to signing is PSG defender Marquinhos. That’s according to Metro, who report that talks between the two clubs are already underway “and the 20-year-old could push for the switch to happen after falling behind David Luizin the pecking order.”
Paper Round’s view: The 20-year-old centre back is highly rated in France and this is certainly an area that United need to address as soon as possible. PSG paid £30m for the player in 2013 and could be willing to part with him if he has fallen out of favour, although they will also want to make their money back.
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