Paper Round: Pep Guardiola plans Man City clear-out, Barcelona to offer Diego Costa escape route

Pep Guardiola is reportedly planning a mass clear-out in the summer after admitting Manchester City’s chances of winning the Premier League are over. Players including Yaya Toure, Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy are all set to face the axe, according to the Daily Express and the Daily Telegraph. Jesus Navas and Willy Cabellero also feature in the list, and even Vincent Kompany – but only if the skipper shows little sign of recovering from his injury problems.

Paper Round's view: The above names have been at City for a while. Now a ‘while’ is certainly vague, but five years is a long time in football – and Clichy, Zabaleta, Toure and Kompany were all part of City’s 2012 Premier League-winning team. Teams need shaking up and at no point have City been turned upside down at the ankles and given a proper shake.

There’s a lot of deadwood to shift out, and if they’re to become league champions once more, it’s hard to argue with any of those names moving on. The faith shown in Kompany has been exemplary, but something will have to give eventually.

[Read full Express story here]

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As well as clearing out his unwanted players, Guardiola will also get £250m to spend on new ones, according to the Daily Star. The paper reports: "Despite Guardiola’s struggles owner Sheikh Mansour has no intention of sacking the former Barcelona boss, having moved heaven and earth to land him last summer. Instead Starsport understands the billionaire will set aside a gigantic war chest instead for Guardiola so he can target some of the world’s biggest superstars."

Alexis Sanchez, Koke, Virgil Van Dijk and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are all named by the paper.

Paper Round's view: £250m will buy you a lot of dodgy defenders and goalkeepers... Okay, joking aside, City are right to back Guardiola, and back him big. You don't spend years luring the best coach on the planet and then abandon him when things get a bit sticky.

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It’s not just former club Atletico Madrid who are pursuing Chelsea striker Diego Costa over in Spain – with rivals Barcelona also in the hunt. The Catalan giants will offer Costa an escape route, according to the i, while pictures of the striker training alone have done the rounds in this morning's media. Atletico are reportedly wanting Costa to replace Antoine Griezmann (whom they expect to leave), with the paper claiming the Spaniard has often longed for a return to his former club.

Paper Round's view: It’s going to rumble on – but one case in point is that Diego Costa is simply the best striker out there that isn’t cup tied in European competition. Usually a striker of his calibre would not be available, but it’s not beyond reason that Atletico or Barcelona would feel the need to strengthen their side with a proven goalscorer. But what Costa wants is anybody’s guess. It's doubtful he even knows himself.

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After Marseille reportedly upped their bid by £1m to £20m for West Ham playmaker Dimitri Payet, the Metro are reporting that the club’s owners want at least £30m for the Frenchman. Since West Ham boss Slaven BIlic revealed Payet wants to leave the club, it is his former club Marseille who have emerged as the favourites to re-sign the midfielder.

Paper Round's view: It’s fun to watch, this one. For a club who offered a nominal fee to Sunderland for Jermain Defoe – when even his left foot is probably worth £6m to the Black Cats – it’s all a bit amusing to see Marseille up their offer by £1m. But if they want at least £30m, and the Ligue 1 club are upping by a million each day, at least we should see an agreement come deadline day. Well, maybe…

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Jurgen Klopp is reportedly considering playing Joel Matip in the FA Cup, defying FIFA, whose only response has been quoting the rule that states a player selected by his association is obliged to accept and cannot play for their club. However, Liverpool are set to test FIFA by playing the former Cameroon international, who has not even played for the nation since 2015, against Plymouth Argyle in their replay - reports papers including the Daily Star and Daily Telegraph.

Paper Round's view: Schalke were not sanctioned when Matip played four days after a Cameroon match back in 2015, so you would think Liverpool will get away with this one. You could argue it’s best to test the waters in the FA Cup as opposed to the Premier League, although some papers are reporting the club could face a points deduction if he features in the former. It’s a sticky situation, but Liverpool need their main defender, and can ill-afford to wait.

[Read full Telegraph story here]