Football news - Paper Round: Solskjaer to miss out on defenders to sign £100m Jadon Sancho

The Sun reports Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will not spend on his defence, because of the upturn in results and form at the club. Instead of spending £80 million on a competent defender he will instead give Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Vincent Lindelof and Eric Bailly another chance. He will target Jadon Sancho at Borussia Dortmund.

Paper Round’s view: Manchester United’s defence has been helped because the club are now playing to their strengths and putting their opponents on the back foot. This makes no sense if Solskjaer wants to be successful, because the defenders have consistently been calamitously awful and will continue to hold them back against the very best teams next season. The question, if this report is true, should be why United have so little money to spend.

The Independent also claims United are interested in Jadon Sancho and rate the 18-year-old Borussia Dortmund wide man at £80 million, and will make a move for him in the summer. However, the story also mentions that the club were contacted by intermediaries trying to broker a deal for Barcelona’s 26-year-old Philippe Coutinho, who is struggling in Spain.

Paper Round’s view: Coutinho has failed to show why Barcelona were willing to pay so much money for him, and it highlights the panic to replace Neymar following his sale to Paris Saint-Germain. The only reason to buy the player would be if United needed a playmaker or a midfielder for a creative role further back - that is not what the club needs, though of course Ed Woodward might decide otherwise.

The Daily Star have news about the future of Newcastle United midfielder Mo Diame. The 31-year-old has made 24 appearances for the club so far this season and three more appearances would trigger a 12-month extension for him, but otherwise his deal will expire at the end of the season. That has alerted both Brighton and Crystal Palace in the Premier League, and Turkish clubs Besiktas and Galatasaray.

Paper Round’s view: Diame has been a reliable performer for Newcastle United, but it is a difficult situation for Rafael Benitez. With a tight budget under Mike Ashley he may not be allowed to extend Diame’s deal, but if the player does leave then there is no guarantee the owner will hand him the cash to replenish his squad, even if Benitez would prefer an upgrade on the Senegalese international.

The Daily Mirror believes West Ham are targeting another run at Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez. The 22-year-old Uruguayan was considered as a replacement for Marko Arnautovic when he appeared close to a move to the Chinese Super League. The Austrian ultimately remained in London but Gomez could now join when Andy Carroll leaves in the summer. If Celta are relegated then his £42 million release clause falls by £20 million.

Paper Round’s view: Gomez has been linked with a move to Barcelona after his success in Spain and if they are interested then they will likely beat any competitors to his signature. However, West Ham have Premier League riches and a bargain transfer fee would give them the chance to offer the striker wages he would not be able to get elsewhere.