Solskjaer wants just 'one or two' signings

Following defeat to Barcelona on Tuesday night, many would expect Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to begin in earnest his plans to overhaul the squad at Manchester United. There were weaknesses across the pitch, in central defence, with Ashley Young, and there were struggles in both midfied and attack as the whole team was overrun by a demonstrably better side. However, after the game he mentioned he wanted only 'one or two' additions.

Paper Round's view: Solskjaer's words immediately after the match don't guarantee that this forms the basis of his transfer plans, but there is cause for concern. For two consecutive summer transfer windows, Jose Mourinho was let down by Ed Woodward, and there is no reason to expect anything different this year. Add to that the wages that Woodward gives to even mediocre squad players, and it will make wholesale changes very difficult indeed.

Tottenham Hotspur have moved ahead in the race for the transfer of 18-year-old Fulham player Ryan Sessegnon. The teenager can play across the left side of the pitch and has been linked with a £50 million move to both Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, but Mauricio Pochettino's track record of developing young talent has put him at the head of the pack, says the Sun. Borussia Dortmund are also interested in signing him at the end of next season, when Fulham would be due compensation of just £500,000.

Paper Round's view: Fulham will surely try to engineer a deal for Sessegnon to leave in the summer rather than for almost nothing. That might mean that they will give him a decent cut of any transfer fee in order to move on. Questions should be asked about Sessegnon if he is willing spend another year in the Championship in order to leave on a free-transfer, because it seems like a short-sighted approach to his development.

Newcastle United are the latest club to consider a bid for Burnley youngster Dwight McNeil. The 19-year-old Burnley winger has been watched by Manchester City, Arsenal and Everton recently, and Newcastle are now adding their interest. Rafael Benitez also plans to replace Isaac Hayden and Jonjo Shelvey with Bournemouth midfielders David Brooks and Ryan Fraser. The Star reports that Benitez is, however, not yet certain of signing a new deal.

Paper Round's view: Mike Ashley appears to have trapped himself into owning Newcastle for the foreseeable future, meaning he should invest again in order to keep his club in the Premier League. That means that keeping the reliable Benitez is essential if he wants to make the most of whatever money he is willing to give up to the Spaniard. McNeil seems like an excellent prospect, so it is difficult to see how they could beat competition to his signature.

The Mirror report that Arsenal could sign Brazilian teenager Ramires. The 18-year-old midfielder plays for Bahia in Brazil, and has been linked with a move to Flamengo, but Arsenal scouts believe they could persuade him to move to the Premier League. The paper also reports that Samuel Umtiti is ready to quit Barcelona in order to join Arsenal.

Paper Round's view: Arsenal need to improve their squad across the board, so signing young talent like Ramires would help them plan for the long term, something which barely changed with Arsene Wenger. However, if they could get Samuel Umtiti - one of the best central defenders in all of Europe - then they would swiftly and significantly improve their chances at the top of the table.