Paper Round: Jamie Vardy to land huge £90k-per week deal as Chelsea circle

Leicester City aren’t keen on losing scoring sensation Jamie Vardy to one of the division’s biggest clubs and are said to be preparing a massive contract worth £90,000-per week for the man who has scored in 11 straight games in the Premier League. The Daily Star whip out a calculator and establish that is worth a total of £16m to Vardy, who signed a new contract not much more than a year ago. “Vardy still has two-and-a-half years left, but Leicester are looking to stick an additional 12 months on top at double the money to tie him down until June 2019,” the paper reports. “They’re hoping that will kill any interest from the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham for the brilliant 28-year-old.”

Paper Round’s view: Vardy deserves a pay rise but £90,000 a week seems an awful lot for a club of Leicester’s resources. Still, if he keeps scoring at his current rate they won’t have to pay it for too long, and instead this contract will just protect Vardy’s value in anticipation of a likely sale at some point in the near future.

French publication L’Equipe has an interesting line from Ligue 1, with Paris Saint-Germain said to be ready to sell Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani to Manchester United. PSG are said to be after £32m for the 28-year-old, who has had to play second fiddle to Zlatan Ibrahimovic ever since joining the French champions for £55m. PSG are already said to be looking for replacements.

Paper Round’s view: Cavani’s record of 67 goals in 116 games in all competitions for PSG is a very respectable one and with the ageing Ibrahimovic expected to depart at the end of the season, Cavani could be just months away from being given the central role he craves. As such, the timing of this is a little strange, unless of course PSG are tryring to clear the decks for the arrival of a certain Cristiano Ronaldo…

Championship club Reading have an ambitious hire lined up, according to the Mirror, with former Arsenal legend Dannis Bergkamp said to be top of their list to replace Steve Clarke. Currently working as a coach at his first club Ajax, Bergkamp is a long-term target for Reading. “The Royals first assessed Bergkamp’s credentials when they were on the hunt for a new boss a year ago after sacking Nigel Adkins,” says the paper, “but instead opted for Clarke.”

Paper Round’s view: This would be a stunning coup for Reading. Although there’s no real evidence as to whether Bergkamp will make a great manager, what is clear is that he has one of the best football minds of modern times and it would be fascinating to see him step up to the plate. There’s also no European travel and long-haul flights to worry about…