'Out-of-favour' Jadon Sancho to be dumped by Borussia Dortmund in January - Paper Round

Borussia Dortmund are reportedly ready to sell Jadon Sancho as early as January, according to the Independent. The 19-year-old has been out-of-sorts so far this season for the Bundesliga club and he has struggled with disciplinary issues off the field. Sancho was suspended back in October after returning late from international duty with England and more recently, the teen winger turned up late for a team briefing and training session which resulted in being benched against Barcelona in the Champions League loss on Wednesday. Dortmund are demanding a fee of around £100 million with Europe's elite interested in signing Sancho, including Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City.

Paper Round's view: There's no denying that Sancho is a massive talent, but he needs to be 100% committed to reaching his potential if he wants to be world class. Dortmund are only being fair by disciplining him for breaking club rules, but they will be hugely disappointed in the England international. It was alleged that the German side agreed with the player that they would sell Sancho next summer but it wouldn't be surprising to see him leave in the winter window. £100 million is a lot of money to pay, so Sancho has to prove to prospective buyers that he is worth every penny off the field as well as on the pitch.

Portuguese midfielder Bruno Fernandes has signed a new deal at Sporting, but that hasn't dented his desire to leave the club. According to the Mail, the 25-year-old was only offered a new contract with the Liga NOS side because of an odd clause his in previous deal. In 2018, the player and the club agreed that if a bid worth over £30 million for Fernandes was rejected, Sporting would pay him and his agent £4.3 million. However, the Portuguese club can't afford to pay this fee outright, so they have simply offered him an increased salary on a four-year deal, allowing the club to pay him and his agent out.

Paper Round's view: It's a clever way of structuring a payment to their star player. Sporting have probably accepted that Fernandes will leave soon. Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur both held interest in the Portuguese over the summer, but Spurs' bid - which activated the bonus payment - was eventually rejected. Fernandes' new deal has a release clause of £85 million, but the Mail report reveals that Sporting would be willing to let their captain leave for closer to £60 million. Expect new Spurs boss Jose Mourinho to sign his compatriot as a Christian Eriksen replacement.

Chelsea winger Willian has found himself in a strange situation at Stamford Bridge where he claims he is yet to be offered a new contract, but the club are "adamant" that he has. According to the Telegraph, the 31-year-old wants to stay at Chelsea beyond his current contract which expires next summer, but he is demanding a two-year deal. Blues boss Frank Lampard is also keen for Willian to stay in west London, but club policy usually only allows 12-month contract extensions for players over the age of 30.

Paper Round's view: 12-month extensions for over-30s is quite a common at clubs in football these days. However, last season Chelsea broke the norm and gave fellow Brazilian David Luiz a two-year deal, despite the fact he ended up leaving for Arsenal in the summer. Willian has been a great servant to the Blues and he is thriving under Lampard, so it would make sense for the Chelsea chiefs to accept his demands, instead of risking losing him for nothing when his deal expires in June.

West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini has been given two matches to prove himself worthy of staying in his current role, according to the Mail. The east London club have dropped down to 17th in the table, with the Irons' last win coming back in September against Manchester United. The report states that the West Ham chiefs are demanding a result from the Chilean boss in one of the next two matches which are Chelsea then Wolves, with both fixtures away from home. The Hammers already have their eye on potential replacements and the shortlist includes ex-boss David Moyes, as well as Sean Dyche and Eddie Howe.

Paper Round's view: It's unsurprising to see Pellegrini linked with the sack again. West Ham are on a torrid run of form at the moment and the next two matches don't look too promising for the Hammers. Moyes might have to be the answer for West Ham if they want to replace Pellegrini. He had a fairly successful short stint previously at the London Stadium, but, most importantly, he presents himself as a far cheaper option than any other managers mentioned. Pellegrini and his staff will reportedly cost £6.5 million to sack, so it's unlikely that West Ham will follow that up by paying another huge fee to bring in Dyche or Howe from their Premier League rivals.