Football news - Spurs offer Eriksen to Manchester United for £70m'

Tottenham Hotspur have almost halved the asking price for Christian Eriksen, according to the Mirror. The paper reports that Spurs have taken the initial valuation for the 27-year-old Danish international of £130 million and reduced it to just £70 million. However, Manchester United will aim to pay just £50 million for the playmaker.

Paper Round’s view: If Ed Woodward ruins yet another transfer by failing to meet the stated, affordable asking price then it will be disappointing, but absolutely no surprise. Bringing in Eriksen would make a potentially excellent midfield alongside Paul Pogba, but it could leave an unbalanced squad with no hard-working midfielder capable of doing the defensive work to support them both.

Having been linked with a loan move to Arsenal, Philippe Coutinho is now in the frame to make a season-long move to Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs are working on a number of deals to improve the squad for Mauricio Pochettino, with names including Giovani Lo Celso, Paulo Dybala, and Coutinho all mentioned as targets. Liverpool do not want to bring their former player back from Spain, says the Daily Mail

Paper Round’s view: Coutinho has Premier League experience and is of an age where he could hold down a place in the Spurs first team for another five years. If they can sort out a deal for him then they could seamlessly replace the potentially departing Eriksen for as much as they receive from United, though fans and Pochettino might want more than just a replacement.

The Telegraph claims that Wilfried Zaha is still in Everton’s sights with two days left of the transfer window. They are expected to make another bid for the 26-year-old Ivory Coast international, as well as for Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure, also 26. However, they are more likely to land the 27-year-old French World Cup winner, Djibril Sidibe, from Monaco on a year’s loan.

Paper Round’s view: Everton are still restructuring their squad after a couple of years of directionless splurging, but it appears the focus now is on talent that can hack the Premier League that is young enough to improve and hold down a place for the foreseeable future. Whether or not Marco Silva can turn that into a top four side is another matter.

The Sun reports Rio Ferdinand’s claims that Wayne Rooney is aiming to end up as Manchester United manager. The 33-year-old midfielder will fulfill a player-coach role at Derby County as the begins his move into the coaching side of the game. Former United colleague Ferdinand said: “His endgame is managing Manchester United, 100 per cent. It’s a fact. If he tells you any different, he’s lying!"

Paper Round’s view: Rooney has been characterised as a bit of an oaf, but the truth is he regularly displays an intelligence that is far superior from many of his former teammates. Given his previous controversies, he may not be suited to a high profile job as United manager, but he has many years to make sure he is ready to be considered.