Football news - Paper Round: £52m Nabil Fekir could replace Eden Hazard at Chelsea

Chelsea are looking to add to their squad in January to support their new manager Maurizio Sarri. One option is Nabil Fekir, the Lyon playmaker. Fekir almost joined Liverpool for around £52 million in the summer, but the deal fell through. Chelsea could strike a deal for less than that as his contract expires in 18 months time, and bring him to Stamford Bridge in the summer. They are also interested in Christian Pulisic and Gonzalo Higuain.

Paper Round’s view: Higuain, Pulisic and Fekir all play in different positions in attack, so it is unlikely that they are all on the same shortlist. Chelsea need a striker above all else, but a playmaker like Fekir would be a sensible replacement should they expect Eden Hazard to join Real Madrid in the summer.

Manchester United’s £52 million midfielder Fred is not planning on leaving the club, and may redouble his efforts now that new manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is in place. Fred barely featured under Jose Mourinho, but his agent Gilberto Silva said that he has no intention of quitting after just six months, or even a year, saying: "There is no chance of him leaving United. He has a five-year contract.

"It is not because the first six months were not good enough that he is willing to leave - or even after one year. Obviously when you don't play too much it is worrying because you want to show your quality.”

Paper Round’s view: Fred showed at Shakhtar Donetsk that he has plenty of quality, and was more interested in creating and attacking than he was providing defensive cover. It is perhaps no surprise that Mourinho was not willing to give him much opportunity with the defenders available to him. Perhaps under Solskjaer he will be given the chance to show his talents more regularly.

Pep Guardiola wants to bring Real Madrid forward Isco to Manchester City next summer, and Chelsea may help them get their man. If Chelsea are unable to tie down Eden Hazard to a new contract then they may be forced to sell him to Real to raise funds. That would in turn leave Isco with less chance of playing regularly, and make a move to Manchester City more likely, as Guardiola is a fan.

Paper Round’s view: If Isco would not be needed next season, then it would make sense for him to be moved on to raise funds and balance the books after Hazard’s arrival. He is undoubtedly a player of real quality, and Guardiola is excellent at picking the right players to improve his already strong squad. At 26, though, it is hard to see how much better Isco might get.

As Mike Ashley focuses on his Debenhams investment, the possibility of selling Newcastle United is heating up. Ashley wants around £300 million for the club, and has put it up for sale. A potential buyer could be a consortium led by former Manchester City executive Garry Cook, who has also worked at both UFC and Nike.

Paper Round’s view: It was Cook who convinced Sheikh Mansour to invest in City ahead of Newcastle, so he may have done enough due diligence on Newcastle to have spotted potential in the club as it is now. £300 million is a huge sum if they get relegated, otherwise it could ultimately prove to be a bargain given the prominence of the Premier League across the world.