Paper Round: Mourinho moves for Zlatan, Vardy's £20m release clause

Former PSG ace Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set up for a likely reunion with his old boss Jose Mourinho, as the Sun report the two are close to terms. The report says that despite Mourinho just agreeing to terms with United for his own deal, the former Chelsea boss has moved quickly to reach out to the 34 year old on a one year deal worth £10 million, with a further option for another year.

Paper Round's view: With Rashford and Martial playing good football, it works. Perhaps there will dry spells when the youngsters are having inconsistent patches and Zlatan is looking a bit off the boil, but for year one of the Mourinho regime it's a bold move. It could also end up like Mourinho's first year back at Chelsea and not being able to find the net costs them the title. Regardless, it'll be entertaining.

Jamie Vardy's new contract has a £20 million release clause, as the international is on the wishlist of English powerhouses according to the Daily Mail. Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and West Ham have had their heads turned by the England international who found the back of the net 24 times this season. Vardy's new contract also has him on £80,000 a week, with the 29 year old now having the decision in his hands whether to stay on for Leicester's Champions League run.

Paper Round's view: The idea of Vardy leaving is completely unromantic, but considering he is 29 years old, this makes it a bit different to a 24 year old coming of age and moving to a bigger club. Maybe Vardy will see out his years at Leicester, and considering that three of the four clubs interested aren't playing in the Champions League, why would he move now?

Juan Mata is mending his broken relationship with Jose Mourinho while David De Gea's future at the club is still up in the air, according to the Daily Mail. Mata was ostracised by Mourinho at Chelsea before moving to United, however it's been revealed in the report that Mata is keen on resolving his differences with his old boss. On the issue of De Gea, Mourinho shares the same agent Jorge Mendes. De Gea was set to head to Real Madrid last summer, before a farcical logistical error prevented the move from happening on transfer deadline day. While it is still unknown what De Gea does next, the report says Mourinho's appointment has increased chances of the shot stopper staying.

Paper Round's view: De Gea's fateful non-transfer is a hell of a sliding doors moment. That transfer goes through, United probably don't make European football and Van Gaal was likely sacked before the post-Christmas revival. Mourinho knows how crucial De Gea is to this team's cohesion, a dependable soldier and immense talent. Expect Mou to pull out all stops to keep him.

The Mirror are reporting that Sunderland have joined Middlesbrough in the chase for out of contract West Brom midfielder James Morrison. The Scottish international is now out of contract at Brom, after coming to the club from Middlesbrough in 2007 for £1.5 million in 2007. The report says that Sam Allardyce is a big fan of the midfielder, with Middlesbrough also keeping close tabs on their former man.

Paper Round's view: Morrison is a solid contributor and will probably be a warm body for a relegation fight for both these clubs. Versatility has him able to be play both centrally and wide, the sort of unpredictability that Big Sam would like for Sunderland to have going forward.