- OOJ - Manchester United's Adnan Januzaj (PA Photos)
Paris Saint-Germain want to lure Adnan Januzaj away from Manchester United with a staggering offer; Glenn Hoddle is in the frame for the Swansea job; and Arsene Wenger is set to spend heavily in the summer - here are the main stories making headlines in this morning's newspapers.
Januzaj on PSG radar: Paris Saint-Germain are plotting a sensational £40 million bid for Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj, according to the Daily Star. The mega-rich French champions had a £15m offer for the teenager rejected last month but are ready to resurrect their interest with a massive offer in the summer. The paper claims that PSG boss Laurent Blanc "remains convinced he can lure the winger to Paris" by taking advantage of United's demise this season - and offering the youngster an eye-watering £100,000 a week.
Paper Round's view: As the report acknowledges, this 'news' will come as a headache for United, who have high hopes for Januzaj, but must also surely understand that their ability to retain top players and pulling power in the transfer market will be seriously compromised if they do not reach next season's Champions League.Juan Mata might not have been bothered, but his situation was completely different to Januzaj's, while it remains to be seen whether Wayne Rooney will stay or not. How the remainder of the Premier League season pans out could be crucial to who David Moyes will have at his disposal come next season. The good news for United fans? The story appears only in the Daily Star and not in any other, more reputable, papers.
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Hoddle on Swansea shortlist: Former England manager Glenn Hoddle is on Swansea's list of potential replacements for Michael Laudrup, according to the back page of today's Daily Mirror. And Hoddle is interested in the job, the paper reports, having been sounded out about the post three months ago. Back then, the Mirror "understands" that Hoddle was reluctant to get involved while another man was still in charge but it is known he wants to get back into top-flight management and is a "genuine contender".
Paper Round's view: Hoddle's CV lists some top jobs - Chelsea, Southampton and Tottenham, along with England - but he has not worked in management since he left Wolves in 2006 and not in the Premier League since September 2003. As such, his potential arrival at the Liberty Stadium can only be classed in the 'risky' category. That said, given his experience, some would argue that he is a better bet than Garry Monk or Graeme Jones, neither of whom have previous top-flight knowledge of a manager's job.
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Arsenal target three top players: Arsene Wenger plans to spend heavily on three world class players - a new right-back, centre-midfielder and striker - this summer, reports the Daily Mail. The Gunners still have a substantial transfer budget, despite the £42 million summer signing of Mesut Ozil and the board will back Wenger in his search for a trio who he feels will make a difference next season. The club will return for Julian Draxler, the paper claims, while Jackson Martinez, Edin Dzeko, Mario Mandzukic, Diego Costa and Lukasz Piszczek are also mentioned.
Paper Round's view: There was a time when the mere thought of Arsenal splashing the cash on these kind of players would have prompted nothing but disbelieving guffaws, but the Gunners are a different beast these days and should very much be taken seriously when it comes to dealing in the transfer market. Their move for Ozil heralded a brave new era in north London and with the board willing to back Wenger to make further additions, it's something of a scary prospect for other Premier League clubs. All Wenger has to do now is loosen up a little bit and not be frightened of getting the cheque book out, even though his reluctance to overpay for Draxler last month was admirable.
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West Ham set for High Court: West Ham are ready to go all the way to the High Court to appealAndy Carroll's controversial sending off, with the Daily Mirror claiming such a move will throw the FA's disciplinary system into disarray. The Hammers have enlisted a top QC to further their case, which is based on the FA's claim that there has to be an “obvious error” for the dismissal to be overturned. The club, however, maintain they cannot see such wording in the rules and have asked the FA to clarify where this is stated.
Paper Round's view: West Ham are desperate, that much is clear. Such is their need for Carroll in crucial relegation battles against Aston Villa on Saturday and Norwich next Tuesday, they are willing to test the FA's rules. They may well be fighting a losing battle though, since the report claims the wording in question is included in policy documents that "all clubs have received, are aware of and have signed up to".
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Ferdinand accused of stirring pot: Rio Ferdinand has risked the wrath of David Moyes after asking on Twitter who his followers thought will be the next managerial casualty. The Daily Mail reports that the defender, said to not exactly see eye-to-eye with Moyes, has been accused of whipping up talk about his manager's future with the enigmatic poser.
Ferdinand asks managerial merry-go-round poser
Paper Round's view: Ferdinand shrugged off the controversy, claiming his tweet was misinterpreted, but it doesn't take a genius to work out that Moyes' name would come up as a possible answer, given his disastrous start to the post-Alex Ferguson era. At best it was cheeky from Ferdinand, at worst rabble-rousing, but either way Moyes is unlikely to be over the moon with his player's behaviour.
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