Football news, transfer rumours and gossip - Man United battle Arsenal for Aubameyang replacement

The Daily Mail believes that Arsenal could listen to offers for striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang this summer, to avoid losing him for nothing the following season. The 30-year-old Gabonese striker could demand wages similar to Mesut Ozil’s £350,000 a week, and the club are worried about taking on such an obligation as he is getting towards the end of his career.

Paper Round’s view: Aubameyang is probably Arsenal’s best player, but his pace is an essential part of his game and given his age, he may only have a year or two - at most - at the top of his powers. It makes financial sense to move him on even if it is painful to adapt to life without one of their most consistent performers.

Manchester United and Arsenal are in competition for striker Jonathan David. The Sun reports that the Gent striker has nine goals in his last six games for the club, and United are set to send him to his next Europa League game on Thursday, against Roma. The 20-year-old striker is a Canadian international, and is rated at around £18 million.

Paper Round’s view: Other clubs are also interested in the striker, including Everton and Leicester City, and with a lack of goalscorers available these days, it may be worth taking a chance on a relatively inexpensive youngster rather than aiming for someone like Olivier Giroud or Dries Merten. United and Arsenal already have players ready to lead the line, so a reserve striker would be a sensible option.

Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has invited interest from Spanish side Barcelona. Following his current club’s imminent transfer ban, it appears that the Portuguese 25-year-old playmaker is already considering his options. The Mirror report him as saying: "I play with Cristiano [Ronaldo] in the national team and if I played with Messi, being able to say that I played with the best in history would be a pleasure, but it is a complicated matter."

Paper Round’s view: This quote seems mainly to be a player being polite when questioned about his ambitions, and one should not rule out the possibility of Lionel Messi joining Manchester City this summer when he can activate a break clause at Barcelona. However, City do face a struggle in convincing all their players to stay put if they can't offer European football.

On the day that Manchester United announced a fall in broadcast revenue, the Telegraph also reports that they are willing to back manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the transfer market. Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward told investors that there was financial backing for the manager coming up to the summer and beyond: “The foundation for delivering the long-term success that we are all working towards is in place as we implement our plan and our footballing vision with Ole.”

Paper Round’s view: United have plenty of cash left, and could always take on more debt to finance more transfer spending. However, any transfers will likely be facilitated first and foremost by player sales: Alexis Sanchez, Paul Pogba, Chris Smalling, and even David de Gea could leave for the right price as United struggle with the cost of missing out on Champions League revenue.