Manchester United to sell four defenders to raise January transfer funds - Paper Round

Manchester United are planning to offload a handful of defenders to raise transfer funds in order to sign Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres. According to the Express, Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set to trim his squad in the January transfer window by putting Victor Lindelof, Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones and Eric Bailly in the shop window. United are interested in signing Spanish centre-back Torres, who has a £60-million release clause in his contract at Villarreal. Tottenham Hotspur are also interested in the possibility of signing the 23-year-old defender.

Paper Round's view: It's about time that Manchester United got serious about selling their deadwood defenders. It's a bit harsh including Lindelof in that list, but Rojo, Jones and Bailly should all be given a nudge towards the Old Trafford exit. Club captain Harry Maguire, Lindelof and Axel Tuanzebe should all be kept alongside a new signing - which could definitely be Torres. However, it's quite unlikely to see this much transfer activity taking place in the winter window. This seems more like a task that needs to be tackled at the end of the season (or months ago before the current campaign started).

Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira has continued to link himself to a Premier League move in January. The World Cup winner has fallen down the pecking order in Turin and is yet to make an appearance for the Old Lady this season. Khedira recently admitted that a potential transfer to England was a "dream" of his and he has now revealed that he is still in contact with former Real Madrid managers Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, who are currently in charge at Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Everton respectively. The 33-year-old has just six months remaining on his current contract at Juventus.

Paper Round's view: It seems like Khedira is single-handedly creating rumours of a Premier League switch. The German midfielder knows his future lies away from Italy and is trying to get one last big move before his career comes to an end. Everton can be viewed as a serious destination. Ancelotti has seen success with the signings of James Rodriguez and Allan - both of whom he previously managed. Khedira probably wouldn't be a starter at the Merseyside club, but he would still get more than enough minutes and his experience could prove vital for some of the youngsters at Everton.

Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho has opened the door to a potential return to the Premier League. The Brazilian international refuses to rule out the possibility of returning to England as he reflected on his time with Liverpool. Coutinho left Merseyside for Barcelona back in 2018 for a fee of £142 million, but has failed to discover his form since his departure. The 28-year-old's agent Kia Joorabchian recently dismissed any talk about a move away from Barcelona. Coutinho was linked with Arsenal throughout the summer transfer window.

Paper Round's view: Does Coutinho regret leaving Liverpool? Maybe. The Samba star was viewed as one of the best players in the Premier League and ended up forcing through a big-money move to Barcelona in 2018. However, his career has completely stalled since that transfer and Liverpool have become one of the best sides in world football. Barca loaned Coutinho out to Bayern Munich last season where he played a bit-part role during the German's treble-winning campaign and now he has returned to the Camp Nou. The Brazilian's career has started to get back on track again under Ronald Koeman and he will be hoping that he won't be returning to the Premier League any time soon.

Chelsea and West Ham are ready to go head-to-head in the battle to sign RB Leipzig defender Matthew Bondswell. The 18-year-old, who is an England Under-18 international, is currently on loan at Dutch side FC Dordrecht as he seeks first-team football to aid his development. Premier League pair Chelsea and West Ham, as well as Sporting Lisbon, have identified Bondswell as a potential target. The left-back was previously part of Nottingham Forest's academy before moving to Leipzig in 2018.

Paper Round's view: It's good to see young English players willing to go abroad to get first-team opportunities. Germany and Holland have both played their part in the development of English youngsters in recent years. Bondswell might find his way back to England soon, but he should continue to look for first-team football at the moment. Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount is a great example of how a young English player can move to the Eredivisie on loan at a young age and then break into the Premier League as a starter. Bondswell might be one to keep an eye on over the next few years.