Real Madrid line up Mauricio Pochettino, Raul as Zinedine Zidane replacement - Paper Round

Real Madrid are considering the possibility of replacing manager Zinedine Zidane despite being just weeks into the 2020-21 season, according to Spanish media outlet AS. Los Blancos have suffered back-to-back losses at the hands of newly-promoted Cadiz in La Liga and Shakhtar Donetsk in their opening Champions League group-stage match. AS reveal that there are two outstanding candidates to replace Zidane: Mauricio Pochettino and Raul. The Liga side's president Florentino Perez is said to favour club legend Raul, who is currently head coach of Real Madrid's Casilla side.

Paper Round's view: Replacing your manager after two losses seems a bit rash, but with El Clasico coming up this weekend it might just be a contingency plan. Should Real Madrid lose to Barcelona on Saturday, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Perez push the panic button. Los Blancos limped to the Liga title in their last campaign but underperformed in the Champions League - losing to Manchester City in the Round of 16. The team is heavily reliant on their old guard and a new manager might freshen things up at the Bernabeu. However, Raul is inexperienced as a manager and Pochettino hasn't won a trophy before. Perez must think long and hard before making any erratic decisions.

Liverpool have been told they will have to cough up at least £50 million if they want to buy Ben White from Brighton in January. The Reds are in the hunt for a new centre-back following the news that Virgil van Dijk will miss the majority of the 2020-21 season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, which he suffered in the Merseyside derby last Saturday. White signed a new four-year deal at Brighton last month after the Seagulls rejected multiple bids from Leeds for the 23-year-old in the summer transfer window. The report states that the south-coast club wouldn't stand in White's way if one of the Premier League's 'Big Six' made an acceptable offer for the centre-back.

Paper Round's view: Liverpool do need centre-back cover but can we see them spending £50 million in January? Reds boss Jurgen Klopp continued to state throughout the summer that the club had a limited transfer budget. The Merseyside club spent big on Jota and Thiago Alcantara - but sold the likes of Rhian Brewster, Dejan Lovren and Ki-Jana Hoever to try and balance the books. Ben White would be a great addition and would certainly fit Liverpool's style of play, but £50 million is a huge fee. Any January deal is likely to be hugely inflated - especially as clubs know that the Reds are desperate for a defender. Ideally, the Premier League champions hold out until the summer and manage to sign RB Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano.

The Sun have assessed Mesut Ozil's potential destinations after the World Cup winner was left out of Arsenal's Premier League squad for the 2020-21 season. The German hasn't featured for the Gunners since before the footballing world came to a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic back in March. Ozil admitted he was "deeply disappointed" after being excluded from the Premier League squad, but his contract doesn't expire until next June. The Sun reveal that a Stateside move to the MLS is most likely, with DC United expressing their interest. Clubs from the United States, Portugal, Brazil and Qatar are able to sign Ozil before January due to extended summer transfer windows.

Paper Round's view: Arsenal need to get rid of Ozil and Ozil needs to end his north London nightmare. It's a shame to see the 32-year-old's time at the Emirates end like this, but his current situation doesn't benefit either party. Ozil just wants to play football so if he can come to an agreement with Arsenal to allow him to leave, he would be free to join a new club and restart his career. A move to MLS or Qatar would make sense due to his huge wage demands. Playing in the United States would suit the World Cup winner and the sooner he moves, the better.

Manchester United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka is aiming to win a place in the upcoming England squad - over a year on from his first senior call-up, according to the Telegraph. The 22-year-old was included in the Three Lions squad in September 2019 but pulled out due to back a injury and has not received a call-up since. However, Wan-Bissaka is eyeing up a spot in the England squad ahead of next summer's European Championship. The uncapped United defender is eligible to represent DR Congo due to his heritage, but holds ambitions to play for his country of birth and has featured for England throughout the youth levels.

Paper Round's view: Is there a more bloated position in world football than England's right-backs? Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Reece James were all called up ahead of Wan-Bissaka in Gareth Southgate's last Three Lions squad. It's going to be tough for the United defender to usurp any of those, but he will be looking at the positives. Walker has been featuring as a centre-back, James will serve a one-match ban in the UEFA Nations League and there's a friendly against the Republic of Ireland, which could be a perfect opportunity for the manager to trial out new players. Next summer's Euros might be a touch too soon, but Wan-Bissaka will have to show consistency at club level before breaking into the national team.