Football news - Manchester United and Spurs 'to miss out on Youri Tielemans'

The Sun thinks that both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have failed in their pursuit of Monaco midfielder Youri Tielemans. The 22-year-old Belgium international was on loan at Leicester City last season, and manager Brendan Rodgers believes that the £40 million player will sign a five-year contract with the club in time to join them on their pre-season camp in France.

Paper Round’s view: Tielemans was expected to move on from Monaco after he admitted he was likely to leave, and he would have had the chance to wait for a big European club after the performances he put in last season. A move to Leicester City is a sensible one though, having settled in so well at the club. Another transfer in a couple of years will likely see him perform regularly in the Champions League.

Italian champions Juventus are interested in signing Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku, according to a story in the Daily Mail. Lukaku has long been linked with a move to Inter Milan under new boss Antonio Conte, but a move has not yet materialised. However, there is a suspicion that Juventus are making the play in order to force Inter to sell them Mauro Icardi so they do not miss out on Lukaku.

Paper Round’s view: Juventus do not need Lukaku, and the Belgian striker would not suit their squad while Cristiano Ronaldo is there. Mauro Icardi though would be a better replacement for Pablo Dybala, who is expected to leave Juventus this season, and could potentially join Inter Milan if they do not get their hands on Lukaku.

The Guardian believes that Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata will complete a permanent move to Atletico Madrid. The Spanish club will make a bid of around £50m for the 26-year-old Spain international to prevent his parent club activating a recall as a result of a transfer ban. That ban also means that Lampard is willing to give Michy Batshuayi and Danny Drinkwater a chance to establish themselves in his plans for next season.

Paper Round’s view: Sarri was entitled to see little use in Drinkwater in his time at Chelsea, but to freeze him out entirely did appear petty. He is a competent Premier League player who could at least take the strain off players when there is a flood of games over the second half of the season. Meanwhile, Batshuayi showed at Borussia Dortmund that he is able to be a solid back-up striker.

Newcastle United are considering a move for former Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores as a replacement for Rafael Benitez, who could not agree a deal with chairman Mike Ashley to stay on at the club. Flores has resigned after six months at Shanghai Shenhua and is a free agent, while Newcastle may also offer a deal to Laurent Blanc, Sean Dyche and Mikel Arteta, according to the Telegraph.

Paper Round’s view: Benitez’s exit, while the club is potentially on the cusp of a takeover, mean Newcastle can't offer much to any prospective candidate. They will likely go into the job with limited funds and the understanding they could be out of a job as soon as there is any change in ownership. Arteta and Dyche would be gambling to take such a deal, while Flores and Blanc essentially have little to lose.