Football news - Manchester United ‘rejected Paul Pogba-Neymar swap offer from PSG’

Manchester United have turned down an offer to offload Paul Pogba and receive Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain in straight-swap deal, the Independent reports. Both players are said to want out of their respective clubs, and it is believed PSG approached United about the possibility of a swap. However, United are put off by the wages Neymar would command, while the hierarchy at Old Trafford are still keen on Pogba, who has been linked with a return to Juventus as well as Real Madrid.

Paper Round’s view: PSG owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi spoke of his desire to rid the club of its ‘celebrity’ culture, and a straight swap in this instance would hardly solve that problem. Besides, for a man who stepped out of Lionel Messi’s shadow in pursuit of glory elsewhere, Neymar is hardly likely to join a Europa League club if he wants to be regarded as the best in the world. That being said, he is a mighty way off being considered as even a top-three contender, so he should choose his next move wisely.

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Many back pages have picked up on the news Rafael Benitez will leave Newcastle United at the end of the month. The Mirror claim the Spaniard was not informed about the decision before the official statement was released, with the Mail going on to say Benitez had asked owner Mike Ashley for a £100m transfer budget and the ability to offer players £100k-a-week.

Paper Round’s view: The rollercoaster at Newcastle continues, and it’s a ride their fans certainly do not deserve to be on. Once again they are the ones protesting the club’s ownership – it seems like months now there was talk of a takeover…

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Arsenal must spend more than half of their summer budget if they want to bring Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney to the Emirates, the Telegraph reports. Celtic have turned down to offers from Arsenal for the 22-year-old, and with the Scottish champions valuing their player at £25m, that means he would substantially eat into Arsenal’s £45m kitty.

Paper Round’s view: The perils of missing out on the Champions League and a budget twice the size are already ringing true for Arsenal fans. More than half of your budget on a left-back is hardly an ideal start to your summer of recruitment, particularly when there are so many areas that need to be addressed. It’s going to be a painful transfer window for the Gunners, you feel, and one that could set them back even further from their ambitions.

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Manchester City are not prepared to meet Leicester’s valuation of £80m for Harry Maguire, The Sun reports. The England defender is said to have his heart set on a move to the Etihad, but Leicester are commanding what would be a world-record fee for a defender, surpassing the £75m Liverpool spent on Virgil van Dijk. Manchester United, however, would happily pay that amount, but the England defender does not want a move to the red side of Manchester.

Paper Round’s view: Absurd money, but once again Leicester are playing a shrewd game with clubs they know can afford to a pay a greater amount if they really want to. It worked when selling Riyad Mahrez two years after this title-winning exploits, and it could well work again.