Paper Round: Man Utd in Gareth Bale blow, Real offer £199m for Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois

Manchester United have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Gareth Bale after the Welshman reportedly held positive talks with new Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui. The Telegraph are among those to report Bale held face-to-face talks with Lopetegui, who is understood to have told the forward that he is eager to work with him in the new campaign.

Paper Round’s view: A blow for United, but a positive for Bale, who would have spent the past few weeks wondering whether he would have been wanted by the new boss. It now depends on who Real bring in as Cristiano Ronaldo’s replacement – big decisions need to be made.

***

In the search for Ronaldo’s replacement, the gaze appears to be in Eden Hazard’s direction, with the HLN reporting – via the Mirror – that Real Madrid have made a bid of 225m euros (£199m) for the Belgian and his Chelsea team-mate and compatriot, Thibaut Courtois. The joint offer is set to test Chelsea’s resolve, with both Hazard and Courtois both open towards a move away from Stamford Bridge.

Paper Round’s view: Hazard was frank in his discussions after the World Cup about his Chelsea future, and it seems increasingly likely that he will be the ‘Galactico’ tasked with filling Ronaldo’s boots. The prospect of Courtois coming along too would only strengthen the European champions further, but what would that mean for Keylor Navas?!

***

Real have also struck a blow to Chelsea’s transfer plans by plotting a move for Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski – according to the Express. The Polish forward is expected to stay in Germany, but the Bundesliga champions’ resolve will be tested by Real, who are interested in bringing the Chelsea and Man United target to Madrid.

Paper Round’s view: While the Hazard move seems realistic, this seems more far-fetched, particularly as the report openly admits that he is likely to stay. But who knows where this transfer window will take us, with Ronaldo perhaps showing that the grass could well be greener elsewhere.

***

Thierry Henry reportedly has three offers in the pipeline after leaving his role as a Sky Sports pundit to focus on becoming a manager. The Belgium assistant coach had been due to work with Sky until 2020, but resigned to pursue his managerial ambitions – the Daily Mail claim he has one offer from the UK and two from abroad, but have fallen short of naming the clubs in question.

Paper Round’s view: What a tease from the Mail, who believe more offers are to come for the Frenchman. He’s a big-name attraction, no doubt, so where he cuts it as a first-time manager will be fascinating, particularly with Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard’s recent moves to Rangers and Derby.