Paper Round: Jose Mourinho has a week to save his Chelsea job

Jose Mourinho could be fired by this time next week. The Sun claims that the Blues may sack the manager if they fall to beat Porto on Wednesday in the Champions League and Leicester at the weekend. A source told the paper that training on Sunday was "very, very flat" and that there is a depressed mood at the club. Chelsea's board didn't demand an explanation from Mourinho after their loss to Bournemouth and left him in place, but another bad week could end that.

Paper Round's view - The Chelsea of old would have fired Mourinho by now so you can't predict what the Blues will do based on history. This is a new Chelsea. That Mourinho is still in charge proves it. But while the team is floundering in the league, they're still doing okay in the Champions League. A loss to Porto will endanger their European chances, though, while a loss to Leicester could have them in the relegation zone. That could push the Blues to make a move.

Manchester United are plotting a move for Harry Kane. The Star understand that the Red Devils are ready to bid £50 million in the summer for the Tottenham striker. But even £50m may not be enough to get Kane because Spurs do not want to sell. Man United have watched Kane closely and have a full dossier on him. They want a big-time striker and think they'll have a better chance at landing him than Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Robert Lewandowski.

Paper Round's view - Man United's interest in Kane isn't new. They've been linked to him for months now. But Spurs do not want to sell and Daniel Levy is one of the toughest, most stubborn negotiators in the sport. It's tough to imagine Kane being let go for £50m - not because he's worth more than that to United, but because he is surely critical to Spurs' chances of a top-four finish which would be worth far, far more. Ronaldo or Bale may actually be more realistic, depending on how things shake out at Real Madrid.

Pep Guardiola wants to manage Manchester United and he is willing to sit out a year to get the job, according to The Sun. Guardiola is set to leave Bayern Munich in the summer, but United will not fire Louis van Gaal just to land Guardiola. That would seem to leave them in a bad spot because the Dutchman will be retained until his contract ends after next season. But Guardiola is willing to sit out a year, like he did after leaving Barcelona, then take over the Red Devils in 2017.

Paper Round's view - Manchester United haven't lusted after Guardiola like Manchester City have, but they have rated him highly and Sir Alex Ferguson is a known admirer of the Spaniard so it wouldn't be a surprise if they wanted Guardiola to replace van Gaal. It's hard to imagine them balking at paying Guardiola a ton of money either. As long as Guardiola really does want the Red Devils job, something that has been rumoured before, then this could actually play out. But this is really just speculation.

Santi Cazorla's season could be over. The Mirror report that Cazorla's knee injury may keep him out for the remainder of the season. Arsene Wenger said that the midfielder underwent surgery and could be back in four months, but that's an optimistic view. Realistically, it could be even longer and he may not put on an Arsenal shirt until next August.

Paper Round's view - Knee ligament tears are tricky and can keep players out for as long as six months. It's impossible to guess how long Cazorla will be out seeing as we don't have access to his medical records and are not doctors, but such a time frame is reasonable for this injury. If so, Arsenal need to sign a player or two in January even more. The team have holes throughout the midfield, in part due to injury, and need to address them.

Brendan Rodgers could be the man to replace Garry Monk at Swansea, according to The Sun. Monk is rumoured to be set for the sack and could be let go as soon as this week. Rodgers is on the Swans' list of replacements and, if Monk is fired, they will contact Rodgers to see if he would be interested. Both the fans and board still rate Rodgers highly after his last stint at the club.

Paper Round's view - Rodgers was excellent for the Swans before so it makes sense that they rate him highly. His stint at Liverpool did not end well, but the standard isn't quite as high at Swansea, nor is the club's setup, which is part of what doomed him at Anfield. The Swans would be hard-pressed to find a better manager available right now and at the very least, he should be able to stabilise them.