Paper Round: Manchester United weigh up £12m Xherdan Shaqiri

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is considering a bid for Stoke City’s Swiss international, Xherdan Shaqiri. Mourinho has been impressed with the 26-year-old playmaker’s performances in Russia at the World Cup, and as he is available for just £12m, he is an affordable option. Shaqiri has also been linked with a move to United’s Premier League rivals Liverpool.

Paper Round’s view: At just £12m, Shaqiri is priced attractively for almost any top-flight club around Europe. He has Champions League experience, and knows the ins and outs of the Premier League after so many years with Stoke City. He is not quite the best quality, but he has flair and guile, and for just £12m he would be an excellent way for teams to fill out their squad, even if he would not play every game.

Jack Wilshere has started talks as he looks to find a new club after his contract ran out at his former club Arsenal. Wilshere has met Manuel Pellegrini to hold face-to-face discussions about his possible role at West Ham, but that is not his only offer. Turkish club Fenerbahce have made a huge offer for the England international midfielder, but the 26 year old has yet to make up his mind.

Paper Round’s view: English players are often criticised for being unwilling to move abroad to try new cultures in terms of football and the general way of life, but with the autocrat Recep Tayyip Erdogan still in power, it would be understandable if Wilshere decided it would be less of a risk to stay in Brexit Britain. Turkish clubs can offer huge wages though, so he may decide that a couple of years to fill out his pension and play in the Champions League is worth the potential trouble.

La Liga Champions Barcelona are ready to sell Colombian central defender Yerry Mina. Mina scored Colombia’s equaliser against England in their World Cup match. However, Mina could already be on his way out of Barcelona despite only joining in January. Everton are happy to take the 6ft 5in 23-year-old off their hands as they build a new side for Marco Silva.

Paper Round’s view: Mina only played a handful of matches for Barcelona so it is hard to judge his talent, and the World Cup can offer players a chance to shine, but also only a limited chance for clubs to accurately judge a player’s real talent. Mina must have something special to have earned a move to Barcelona in the first place, but Everton could well be taking a gamble.

Manchester City are monitoring a potential new signing from Australia. They turned down the chance to bring Aaron Mooy back from Huddersfield, but have turned attention to a current Melbourne City player. Described as the next Harry Kewell, Daniel Arzani has impressed in the Australian league. Juventus have already been linked with the player due to his ability.

Paper Round’s view: Manchester City’s network of clubs around the globe helps them spot and develop the best young talent before bringing them to the Premier League when they are ready. If Juventus do make a bid, it might force their hand in bringing Arzani to England ahead of any rough schedule they have sketched out. The one obvious problem, though, is that even at his best Kewell would not have been good enough for this City side.