Paper Round: Jose Mourinho agrees Manchester United deal, Daniel Sturridge won't commit to Liverpool

The Daily Mirror’s interview with Daniel Sturridge hints that the player will move on sooner rather than later from Anfield. Sturridge says that any player planning on staying at a club for many years is ‘deluded’ because teams look to change their squad every year. Sturridge also says that he wants to play every minute of every match, which might just be an admission that he has struggled for consistent fitness over his career, but could also be seen as a veiled complaint over Jurgen Klopp’s willingness to rest the striker.

Paper Round’s view: Sturridge and Klopp have had an odd relationship, with the German manager at times seemingly hugely frustrated with Sturridge’s personality and readiness to play. Given Klopp’s approach can’t carry any passengers, it would be no surprise if one of the areas he chose to refresh in the summer was the striker position, and that he would get rid of Sturridge and Christian Benteke for his kind of players. Sturridge appears open to the idea of moving on at some point, so realistically the only question here is who would take a risk on a player like Sturridge.

The Sun think that United are preparing to add to their attack this summer. It seems that employing Marouane Fellaini and Wayne Rooney as their first and second choice strikers has not been Louis van Gaal’s finest plan in his career, as Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial have shown themselves to be far better. However, Two strikers are not enough for a club, and so they have looked to Brazil, where Gabriel Jesus has emerged at Palmeiras.

Gabriel has an especially lowered released clause for the biggest clubs in the world, and Manchester United, meaning they could get him for £18.8 million.

Paper Round’s view: United had an extensive South American scouting operation under Alex Ferguson, which is how they ended up with the Da Silva twins, Rodrigo Possebon and Angelo Henriquez. It’s not clear if that is still working, but it is obvious that they are planning to get transfer business done regardless of who is manager next season. A striker is needed, and at a young age and cheap price, would provide the profit potential that the Glazers love.

Pep Guardiola is not a daft man, which is why he wants to replace many of the defenders at his disposal at Manchester City. Apart from Vincent Kompany, when fit, none of the defenders can make a compelling case to be kept at the club. With Fernando and Fabian Delph underwhelming fans, more steel is needed in midfield, especially if Yaya Toure moves on in the summer. According to the Daily Mail, Guardiola has turned to Reece Oxford, the West Ham teenager, to provide cover in defence.

Paper Round’s view: Oxford is one of the most promising young England players at the moment, and is so young that he would unlikely cost a fortune. Playing in an unglamorous position, even if he is still very versatile, would further dent any asking price. Oxford would have to weigh up the chances he would get under Slaven Bilic, the chance to work with Guardiola, and the poor track record of young players coming through at the Etihad.

Rumours persist that there is some form of agreement between Jose Mourinho and Manchester United, and the Telegraph believe it too. Mourinho is apparently in line to take over in the summer, but United are wary of announcing anything official unless it unduly affects on-pitch results.

Paper Round’s view: It is odd to consider that Manchester United’s board think that performances could actually get worse than they already have been under Van Gaal.