Manchester United set for squad mutiny after Paul Pogba offered record contract extension – Paper Round

The Manchester United dressing room is furious with club officials after Paul Pogba was offered a record-breaking contract extension worth £500,000 per week. The Mirror report that the club have tabled an eye-watering extension which Pogba has refused to commit to yet, despite his current contract expiring at the end of the season. Manchester United are facing a squad mutiny as the players feel that 29-year-old rarely starts for the club and always publicly speaks out about leaving Old Trafford. Pogba has been linked with summer moves to Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Juventus.

Paper Round’s view: It’s not a good look for Manchester United. Pogba has been a disastrous signing since his return to Old Trafford. He has failed to put in consistent performances for a variety of reasons, but handing him a ridiculous amount of cash will not fix that problem. It’s time for both the club and the player to get a fresh start. Obviously it is quite embarrassing for a club on United’s level to lose a player like Pogba for free… twice. But they just need to accept it now. Move on and concentrate on building a squad that can challenge for titles again. Unfortunately, Pogba is not part of that future.

The Sun have dubbed Darwin Nunez as “the face of one of the summer’s biggest transfer sagas”. The Benfica striker is linked with a big-money move to the Premier League, worth around £60 million. Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Manchester United and West Ham United are all interested in the Uruguayan forward, with Nunez and his camp reportedly preferring a move to the former trio. The 22-year-old has recently hired super-agent Jorge Mendes, who will be taking a lead role in any negotiations.

Paper Round’s view: This is going to be an interesting transfer story to follow. Nunez has been tearing it up over the past couple of years at Benfica, but he eventually announced himself on the biggest stage in the Champions League this season. The young striker scored against European giants Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Ajax and Liverpool as Benfica managed to reach the quarter-finals of the competition. Whichever club manages to win the race to sign Nunez will get an exciting striker, but he needs to forget his price tag and just play his game next season.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly joined the battle to sign Sam Johnstone this summer. The Sun report that West Ham United and Southampton were also in the race but have dropped out – leaving United and Spurs as the top two contenders to sign the England international. Johnstone is available for free at the end of the season as his contract expires at West Bromwich Albion and the 29-year-old is keen to return to the Premier League. The report states that Spurs view Johnstone as the heir to Lloris’ throne, while United simply want a back up to David De Gea.

Paper Round’s view: It’s shocking that Johnstone stayed at West Brom last summer, but maybe he was outpriced in the transfer market. The 29-year-old is still getting England call-ups and is good enough to ply his trade in the Premier League. However, a move to Manchester United or Tottenham seems a bit risky. Johnstone would have to do a lot to oust De Gea or Lloris and would most likely end up sitting on the bench at both clubs. A move to West Ham or Southampton could be a huge opportunity to nail himself down as a Premier League starter.

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard fumed at his squad following their 4-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur on the weekend and sent a transfer warning to the players in the dressing room. The Mirror report that the former Rangers boss demanded that his players “need to start working harder for their positions within the club”. Villa have been linked with summer transfers for Yves Bissouma, Kalvin Phillips and Joe Gomez, while Philippe Coutinho could join on a permanent deal.

Paper Round’s view: It makes sense that Gerrard was unhappy with his players. The Midlands club have now lost four matches in a row and have struggled for consistency under the management of the former Liverpool and England captain. It’s a tough situation for Gerrard as he will have new players in mind as he wants to build his own squad after arriving mid-season. We saw him bring in four new faces in the winter transfer window and he is expected to be backed this summer too. Villa players need to step up as they could be playing for their futures at the club.