Man Utd won’t sell Paul Pogba in January and accept he will leave on free transfer next summer – Paper Round

Manchester United will not sell Paul Pogba in January, with the Telegraph reporting that the club are prepared to let the France midfielder leave for free at the end of the season when his contract expires. A source told the paper they “did not see why we would consider” selling Pogba in January despite the fact they will not recoup any of the £89m spent on him when re-signing the player from Juventus in 2016. Referring to Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, the source added: “Some agents like free transfers and we are always open-eyed about that.”

Paper Round’s view: A regular on Paper Round, and recently too amid the will he-won’t he contract talk. There was always a sense he would see how things pan out at United this season, and it seems by late October we already have an answer. It is very likely PSG, Real Madrid and even Barcelona will perhaps vie with Juventus to sign Pogba on a free, and so the Frenchman can weigh up his options and watch those pre-contract offers roll in from January.

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Chelsea and Newcastle are among the Premier League clubs to have been sounded out over the possibility of signing Real Madrid's Eden Hazard in January, ESPN's James Olley reports. It remains unclear whether Hazard is ready to leave Real, but after he was left on the bench in the Clasico win over Barcelona, head coach Carlo Ancelotti admitted the Belgian is currently out of favour. Hazard left Chelsea in 2019, while Newcastle's new owners could look to make a marquee signing in the next transfer window.

Paper Round's view: It's difficult to see either move happening in January or beyond. A 30-year-old Hazard may have little appeal to a Chelsea side already stacked with forwards, while the player is unlikely to see the appeal of a relegation fight with Newcastle. Money could play a part, but with a World Cup only a year away it is difficult to see Hazard donning black and white – potentially in the Championship – before he bids to win the biggest prize of them all with Belgium.

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Staying with Newcastle, the club have identified Watford's Ismaila Sarr as one of their top transfer targets, the Mail reports. The Senegalese winger has been linked with Liverpool in the past, but having impressed for the Hornets this season it is unlikely the club would be willing to sell the 23-year-old in January. Watford believe Sarr has the potential to reach Jack Grealish's level, the report adds.

Paper Round's view: This one has more legs, but… again, it’s important to stress just how difficult it could be for Newcastle this January. There is a shiny project in the making, but the immediate reality is the threat of relegation. Perhaps players will be keener to wait until the summer before thinking about heading to the north east.

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Manchester United have cooled on the idea of Antonio Conte possibly replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Daily Star reports. Conte could demand a four-year contract worth £18m a season, and while Solskjaer still clings onto his job, the cost of landing the Italian could see United look elsewhere were they to dismiss their manager. Conte would also look to bring in a new full back and holding midfielder, the report claims.

Paper Round’s view: If push ever comes to shove and Solskjaer does go, we’ll quickly see more names than just Conte banded around. The Italian has been head and shoulders above the rest in terms of being linked with a move to Old Trafford, so it would be interesting to see whether he remains the favourite if Mauricio Pochettino and Brendan Rodgers – two managers with short odds – are also contacted and seem tempted to move away from their current positions.