Anthony Martial nears Sevilla loan move from Man Utd after reaching wages agreement – Paper Round

Sevilla are close to agreeing a loan deal for Manchester United forward Anthony Martial, according to numerous reports. Martial is said to be on his way to Spain to finalise a move until the end of the season, with the Liga club willing to cover his wages for the duration. Martial told United last month that he wanted to leave, with interim manager Ralf Rangnick acknowledging the Frenchman had told him it was “the right time for a change”.

Paper Round’s view: Can only assume this will feature an option to buy, as there would be little point otherwise in Martial declaring his intentions to leave and simply winding back up at Old Trafford six months later. That could well be the case if Sevilla don’t want to make it permanent, but in a move that makes sense for all parties, it would be great to see Martial flourish once more after stagnating at United. As a reminder, it’s always worth pointing out his 2019-20 haul, when he scored 17 Premier League goals in 32 games. That is what he’s capable of.

**

Newcastle engaged in what the Telegraph called a “manic Monday of transfer business” as they look to the final week of the January window to help them climb out of relegation trouble. That has meant stepping up their pursuit of Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard, opening discussions with Tottenham over the possibility of loaning Dele Alli, and looking at completing a deal for centre-back target Diego Carlos, and perhaps even James Tarkowski. Newcastle will look to sign as many as five players this week.

Paper Round’s view: Lingard or Alli would make sense, but both? It could get a little crowded, and so perhaps Newcastle are hedging their bets in the hope that at least one deal will come off. It will not solve their problems overnight, though, and even two more centre-backs might not do the job either – their relegation fight could go down to the wire.

**

Dominic Calvert-Lewin will become Arsenal's top target in the summer if the club are unable to sign Dusan Vlahovic this month, the Mirror reports. Fiorentina striker Vlahovic is said to prefer a move to Juventus and is eager to play Champions League football next season, and should he push for a move to Turin, Arsenal could turn their attention to England and Everton striker Calvert-Lewin.

Paper Round’s view: It may be difficult for Juve to land Vlahovic this month, too, but it is no surprise Arsenal could lose out given they are unable to make the Champions League guarantee halfway through the season. It could be on this current squad to reach the top four and enable bigger names to arrive in the summer – but that race for fourth is tight and missing out again could cost Arsenal dearly in the long run.

**

Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus are the latest clubs to have baulked at Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s wages after it emerged the Arsenal forward would prefer to join another club in Europe, The Sun reports. Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal were hoping to loan the ex-Arsenal captain and cover his entire £350,000-a-week wages, but Aubameyang is not keen on the move. However, a loan in Europe is looking increasingly unlikely due to his wages, which have already put off Barcelona, Sevilla, AC Milan and Marseille.

Paper Round’s view: No surprise here, and it’s difficult to see any European club willing to pay this. It’s another saga of their own doing for Arsenal, and one that could sadly last until the summer.