Football news - Paper Round: United battle PSG for £70m Sancho

The Sun reports that Manchester United are leading the race for the signature of Borussia Dortmund teenager Jadon Sancho. The 18-year-old England international’s team have been in talks with United over a move back to the Premier League, but there is also interest from French champions Paris Saint-Germain. The asking price mentioned is £70 million, with 15 per cent of any fee receive by Dortmund going to Manchester City.

Paper Round’s view: Sancho showed against the Czech Republic just how talented he is, and his pace and technical ability would dramatically improve Manchester United’s front three. For PSG, he would be a potential replacement for Neymar or Kylian Mbappe, should they have to sell him in order to meet any Financial Fair Play regulations.

Paris Saint-Germain are also monitoring the contract discussions between Manchester United and their midfielder Ander Herrera. The 29-year-old player’s contract is due to run out at the end of the season and talks have stalled due to the Spaniard wanting a hefty pay rise, inspired by Alexis Sanchez’s £500,000-a-week deal. Juan Mata is another player who could be leaving on a free.

Paper Round’s view: If United are able to bring in Sancho then they no longer need Mata, as much of a decent bloke as he seems. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer prefers faster players and Mata is one of the slowest players around. Herrera has improved markedly under the caretaker boss but he is only worth keeping on as a squad player, assuming there is money to spend on improvements this summer.

According to a story carried in the Mirror, Chelsea forward Eden Hazard has agreed a move to Real Madrid, with a salary negotiated for £14 million pounds a year. The agreement comes after the arrival of Zinedine Zidane, who replaced Santiago Solari after an underwhelming season in the Champions League and La Liga. The only remaining obstacle is for Real and Chelsea is to come to an agreement over the fee.

Paper Round’s view: The transfer now seems inevitable, with Hazard reportedly keen to link up with one of his idols, Zidane. The problem for Chelsea is that they will have to find a way around their looming transfer ban, or manage an agreement with Hazard to allow him to leave once the ban has expired - they can't afford to go a season without replacing him.

Frank Lampard has impressed in his first managerial stint, at Derby. The team have a chance of reaching the play-offs and with a group of youngsters play some attractive football. However, owner Mel Morris is looking to sell the club, and has cancelled a trip to Dubai for the team before the end-of-season run-in. That has left Lampard looking likely to quit the side in the summer, reports the Times.

Paper Round’s view: Lampard seems one of the smarter players from the Golden Generation, so it would be no surprise if he makes the most of his success at Derby and moves up into the Premier League, either via the play-offs or with a move to a bigger side. His style of football might help him fit in at Everton, should Marco Silva leave.