Football news - Manchester United 'reach agreement for Mario Mandzukic'

The Express believes that Manchester United have an agreement to sign Mario Mandzukic. The paper reports that the 33-year-old Juventus striker has a verbal agreement with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer about completing a move in January as he is not in the plans of his current boss Maurizio Sarri. He is set to cost £10 million and will add depth to United’s striking options.

Paper Round’s view: At £10 million Mandzukic will be a sensible alternative for a couple of seasons in attack, and should be able to show players like Daniel James, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford how to be more effective in the box. As well as that, he will take the pressure of Rashford who has been struggling in front of goal for the past couple of months.

Barcelona could also be active in the January transfer window, though their needs are not as extensive at Manchester United’s. Newspaper Marca reports that the Spanish side are confident the current squad is strong enough to compete until the end of the season, but that they are short at right back. Nelson Semedo is the only senior right-back as Sergi Roberto is considered a midfielder.

Paper Round’s view: Barcelona are just two points off Real Madrid so there is no point in hurrying into the transfer window when they might find themselves well clear in La Liga by the time January comes around. Another defender would give them more depth but Roberto is perfectly adequate to fill in occasionally, so a defender may only be brought in if there is a long-term injury.

Aston Villa player Tyrone Mings is in line to make his debut for the England senior team against Bulgaria on Monday night. Gareth Southgate will stick with a four-man defence, and Harry Maguire will retain his place in the middle of defence. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ben Chilwell could also feature.

Paper Round’s view: Sometimes it takes a defeat for a manager to give up on an old way of thinking, and the loss against the Czech Republic appears to have forced Gareth Southgate to make changes at the back. Chilwell and Alexander-Arnold appear to be long-term options on the flanks, but Mings has the chance to make a claim to partner Maguire.

After Leicester City midfielder James Maddison was spotted in a casino after being sent home unwell from international duty, the Sun follows up their exclusive story with the manager's reaction. Speaking ahead of the Bulgaria game, Southgate said: “It’s down to every individual player when they are released from the squad, they are at liberty to do whatever they choose. In this instance, I’m sure [Maddison] recognises now that when you’re involved with England, there is a different sort of spotlight on you.

Paper Round’s view: This again seems to be the Sun over-egging their casino story, with the England manager hardly appearing to be upset with his player. Instead he points out that newspapers will overreact in the face of any difficulty, and players might have to consider their actions in light of that.