Real Madrid make approach to Mino Raiola to pair Erling Haaland with Kylian Mbappe – Paper Round

Real Madrid have contacted super-agent Mino Raiola ahead of an ambitious plan to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund. The Mail reveal that Los Blancos are ready to battle with Manchester City to sign the 21-year-old at the end of the season. Haaland has a £68-million release clause which becomes active in the summer and Real want to rebuild their Galactico reputation. The plan is to partner Haaland with the incoming Kylian Mbappe, who is looking likely to make his dream move to Madrid when his contract at Paris Saint-Germain expires this summer.

Paper Round’s view: Will there be a better attacking duo in world football than Haaland and Mbappe? These are two of the most promising young footballers. The pair that are set to dominate the next 10 years in the sport. Imagine if Real Madrid manage to sign them both… then add in Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema. A lethal attack. However, surely Haaland would want to be the main man. A move to Manchester City would be tough to turn down – especially due to the personal connection of his father Alf-Inge spending three years at the Premier League club. This summer is going to be interesting…

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has asked the Stamford Bridge board to make a move for Real Madrid centre-back Eder Militao this summer. The Mirror state that the Blues boss is a “big fan” of the Brazilian, who has become a key component of Real’s defence following the exit of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane. Chelsea could be set to lose Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta this summer as the defensive trio all approach the expiration date on their contracts. Tuchel would be forced to rebuild his defensive unit and has Militao at the top of his list.

Paper Round’s view: This summer could be a disaster for Chelsea. The west London club are set to lose three first-team centre-backs, including their best defender in Rudiger and club captain Azpilicueta. What makes it worse is that the trio will leave for free – unless they agree contract extensions. The club need to confirm the futures of all three defenders so they can begin to plan for the summer. If all three are planning to depart, Tuchel will need a lot more than just Militao to come in. Chelsea have been linked with Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde too, who would be a solid addition.

Tottenham Hotspur are keen to strengthen their defence in the summer transfer market after adding Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur from Juventus on the January deadline. The Telegraph report that Conte will shift the transfer focus to defence and the north Londoners have already put together a three-man shortlist. Conte has identified Alessandro Bastoni from former club Inter Milan, alongside Lille defender Svet Botman and RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol.

Paper Round’s view: All Conte sides are built on a strong defence and Spurs are lacking that. Eric Dier has been back to his best since the Italian took the reins in north London, but Davinson Sanchez has failed to prove himself as the then-club record talent from when he joined from Ajax back in 2017. Ben Davies has proven himself as experienced, but he’s not an elite defender. At least one fresh face is needed, and Cristian Romero’s return would be a much-needed boost for Conte’s side.

Spanish media outlet Sport take a closer look at the doomed Ousmane Dembele situation at Barcelona. The Frenchman failed to get his move away from the Catalan club in the January transfer window and his current contract at Barca is set to expire this summer. Sport state that Xavi will make the final decision over how Dembele spends his final months at the Camp Nou. He could either play him, keep him training without giving him any first-team minutes or cancel the remainder of his contract.

Paper Round’s view: The whole situation is a mess. Dembele was once viewed as one of the most promising youngsters in football. He spent just one year at Rennes before Borussia Dortmund snapped him up and then just spent one year in the Bundesliga before Barcelona decided to spend £135.5 million on him. It was a huge transfer fee that came with a lot of pressure following the exit of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain. His time at Barca has been plagued with injuries – but surely there’s still a top-class footballer in there. His next move will be interesting…