Football news, gossip and transfer rumours - Ed Woodward 'puts Bruno Fernandes transfer in doubt'

Manchester United’s pursuit of Bruno Fernandes has stalled because of a dispute over payments, according to the Sun. Ed Woodward wants to offer an upfront payment of £34 million, with £25.5 million to follow in add-ons. Sporting Lisbon are sceptical of the deal because that would depend on United variously winning the Premier League and Champions League, and for Fernandes to win the Ballon d’Or.

Paper Round’s view: Ed Woodward has a history of failing to complete transfers due to incompetent haggling strategies and it seems that this could be another case of the executive vice-chairman managing to blow an easy but important deal. If the move does fall through there are no obvious alternatives for United with just under two weeks of the transfer window left.

Crystal Palace are not optimistic over the signing over Kyle Walker-Peters from Tottenham Hotspur. The 22-year-old right-back has failed to convince since his emergence as an option in the defence, but Roy Hodgson appears to think there is little chance of a transfer, saying: "It would have been a good move for us I think, but as far as I know nothing is happening and I'm not sure what Tottenham’s intention with Kyle Walker-Peters is."

Paper Round’s view: Spurs’ new boss Jose Mourinho appears to favour Serge Aurier at right-back and Japhet Tanganga appears to be preferred as an alternative to Walker-Peters. A move for the youngster to a side where he can get more minutes should help him develop after relatively few first-team games for him at his age. He is in danger of failing to take his chance.

The Mirror reports that Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly could be available for £65 million, as the Italian side reduced their asking price from £85 million. Paris Saint-Germain are now said to be favourites for the 28-year-old centre-back, with Manchester City and Real Madrid also potential suitors. However, Alex Ferguson had talks with the player before Manchester United decided to sign Harry Maguire instead.

Paper Round’s view: As a younger option, and a British player, United presumably thought that Maguire represented better value for money and he also fits the template of the kind of players that the club are now looking for. Nevertheless, Koulibaly is a superb defender and would dramatically improve PSG’s backline.

Gareth Bale has been left out of the Real Madrid squad, and Spanish newspaper Marca speculates that there is something afoot. The Welsh international has been at odds with Zinedine Zidane with his place in the squad, and while the paper does not name what is going on, they believe he has been left out for reasons other than injury.

Paper Round’s view: Bale almost left the club in the summer when a Chinese side agreed to take on his wages, but the move collapsed when the club decided they wanted a transfer fee for him. What is left unsaid by the paper - but could be a possibility - is that the 30-year-old winger could finally be on his way before the January transfer window for European clubs closes.