Jadon Sancho move forces Man Utd to sell up to five players - Paper Round

Manchester United will have to sell in order to fund the purchase of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, according to the Mirror. The German side want £110 million for the 20-year-old England international, and in order to raise funds Jesse Lingard, Andreas Pereira, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Alexis Sanchez could all be sold.

Paper Round’s view: Getting rid of Sanchez would be a weight of the wage books, while Jones, Lingard, Pereira and Smalling could all raise a significant amount of cash. United are one of the richest teams in the world but with the impact of coronavirus coupled with the quality of most of the players they are trying to sell, it would be a good time to cut the deadwood.

Chelsea are closer to signing Ben Chilwell from Leicester City as a result of Ajax sanctioning the sale of Nicolas Tagliafico. The 23-year-old England left-back is Frank Lampard’s priority but he is also keen on the Argentine defender. However Brendan Rodgers is interested in the 27-year-old Ajax man as a replacement for Chilwell should he be sold.

Paper Round’s view: Chilwell looks like the best young English left-back around and should be able to hold down a place at Stamford Bridge for the best part of a decade if he develops as is hoped. Tagliafico is a ready-made, more experienced replacement for him but has shown at Ajax that he has more than enough talent to cut it in the top flight.

Spanish newspaper Marca claims that Achraf Hakimi’s proposed move from Real Madrid to Inter Milan is far from certain. The 21-year-old Moroccan right-back could move for around 40 million euros to Inter, and is currently on loan to Borussia Dortmund. However he may choose to stay at the club and fight first-choice player Dani Carvajal. The Sun report that the club have accepted a bid for the player.

Paper Round’s view: At 28, Carvajal could have plenty of time yet as one of Europe’s best right-backs, and Real might consider the offer from Inter too good to turn down. Hakimi, too, might not be happy to wait around for years in order to get a chance and arrest his own development. The question is whether going to play for Antonio Conte is a wise move.

The Telegraph reports that David Luiz has been kept on at Arsenal less because of his playing skills and more because Mikel Arteta and Edu believe he has valuable experience and leadership skills. The financial impact of coronavirus left him close to the edge but he agreed a paycut in order to remain in North London for at least one more season.

Paper Round’s view: There is a lot of criticism for Luiz and he is clearly not able to put in regular performances that should guarantee him a starting place in the very best teams in the Premier League. But he is still talented and has plenty of experience at Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, so if he does not cost too much money to keep on, especially at this time, it is a worthwhile option.