Real Madrid and Barcelona struggling to afford Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland - Paper Round

Premier League clubs could have a clear run at signing Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, according to The Sun. The paper reports that the 21-year-old wants to sign for Barcelona but it is not clear that they can afford him, while Real Madrid have a similar problem as they may be paying Kylian Mbappe around £800,000 a week next season.

Paper Rounds view: Mbappe does seem to be the more technically able of the pair and signing him means that the club can avoid Mino Raiola, which has often put Real Madrid off signing players in the past. Haaland would clearly be a success in the Premier League if he settled in, with the physicality and finishing talent that almost guarantees goals.

Anthony Martial has been criticised by his new manager after only a few days with his new club following a loan move to Seville from Manchester United. The 26-year-old French international failed to score in his debut against Osasuna on Saturday and Julen Lopetegui said: “Anthony has to give us much more. It was his first game and adaptation is not easy, he has played little this year and he has to get into dynamics and gain minutes and confidence."

Paper Round’s view: Martial had little time to adjust to life in Spain and get used to his new colleagues, and he did not get much chance to play under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or Ralf Rangnick over the course of the last year. If he can get regular action and find form then he will rescue his career, otherwise he might have to be worried about his future.

Neil Warnock wants to return to football management with the possible job at Barnsley coming up for grabs, reports The Mail. The current boss, former Sweden under-21 coach Poya Asbaghi, has struggled since his appointment in November and could be under threat. The 73-year-old has previously said he will retire at the end of the season but is open to a short-term deal.

Paper Round’s view: For Warnock, there is nothing to lose. If he wants to retire at the end of the season then a few games in charge of Barnsley would allow him to pad out his retirement fund and perhaps pull off a famous comeback before he retires. If he fails to keep Barnsley up, he is able to point to a CV which has shown plenty of highs and lows already.

Real Madrid were dumped out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Club, but Spanish newspaper Marca reports that despite dissatisfaction with his performance amongst some fans, the club’s hierarchy have no wish to change managers. Real are currently top of La Liga and remain in the hunt for the Champions League, and so his job is safe.

Paper Round’s view: Ancelotti has shown time and time again that he can keep clubs steady, and in the right circumstances that is often enough to win titles. It seems that while other clubs deal with the impact of the coronavirus he has kept Real Madrid turning over well enough, and there are few managers with similar experience.

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