Newcastle eye four Manchester United stars, including Martial and Lingard, in January transfer raid - Paper Round

Newcastle United are ready to launch a January raid on Manchester United, with the Star reporting that the Toon Army are eyeing up four first-team players at Old Trafford. Newcastle have added Man Utd quartet Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard, Donny van de Beek and Eric Bailly to their wishlist as the club look to make their first moves in the transfer market as a financial superpower. Martial, Van de Beek and Bailly are all currently out of favour at Old Trafford, while Lingard has struggled to break back into the starting eleven, despite a sensational loan spell at West Ham United last season.

Paper Round's view: Newcastle are ready to splash the cash. They're not going to be able to go out and buy the likes of Kylian Mbappe or Erling Haaland straight away, so it's going to be the first steps towards building a top side. These are four players that are struggling to get into Manchester United's team, but they are still top-class players on their day. Give them a run of games and they will get their confidence back. Will they want to go to Newcastle? That depends on who is in charge at St James' Park and what the club's form is looking like in January. It's going to be an interesting transfer window for Newcastle.

Newcastle United are set to sack manager Steve Bruce this week following the Saudi-led takeover at St James' Park. The Mail reveal that the 60-year-old will get the chop before next weekend's match against Tottenham Hotspur, with assistant head coach Graeme Jones set to take charge on a temporary basis while a permanent replacement for Bruce is found. Amanda Staveley and her advisors have compiled a shortlist of names that could take charge of the Magpies, including ex-Borussia Dortmund boss Lucien Favre, Leicester City's Brendan Rodgers and Rangers manager Steven Gerrard.

Paper Round's view: Harsh, but it's a statement of intent from Newcastle's new ownership. The Magpies sit in 19th in the Premier League table and are yet to win a match so far this season... so something needs to change. Bruce has been a dead man walking since the Tyneside takeover was completed on Thursday and now a number of new names are being linked with Newcastle. The new manager will know that they are going to be part of an ambitious project, so it's a huge job. The only real shame is that the Tottenham match was supposed to be Bruce's 1000th match as a football manager.

Arsenal are considering a shock move that would see Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain return to north London, according to the Sun. The 28-year-old departed Arsenal back in 2017 to join Liverpool, but a number of injuries has seen him slip behind youngsters Harvey Elliot and Curtis Jones in the pecking order. Oxlade-Chamberlain is searching for first-team football and his former Gunners teammate Mikel Arteta is weighing up a potential reunion at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal would table an initial six-month loan bid in January, with the possibility of a permanent deal next summer.

Paper Round's view: This would be a huge surprise. On first glances, you wouldn't think Oxlade-Chamberlain would fit into this Arsenal team. The Gunners are starting to look decent in the final third with the attacking trio of Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Martin Odegaard. Even club-record signing Nicolas Pepe is struggling to get a start on the wing. However, 'the Ox' could offer something different in the middle of the park. If (and it's a huge 'if') he can stay fit, he's a great option in central midfield. Arsenal are set to lose Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny to the Africa Cup of Nations in January and a loan deal isn't too much of a risk.

A number of Premier League clubs are in the hunt to sign Sam Johnstone from West Bromwich Albion. The Mail reveal that Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are all sniffing around the 28-year-old, who impressed while starting for England against Andorra on Saturday. Johnstone's current contract at the Hawthorns is set to expire next summer, but Southampton are ready to test the Championship club's resolve with a bid in the January transfer window. The Mail state that the West Brom stopper is expected wait until the summer to decide his future.

Paper Round's view: It's interesting that Johnstone elected to stay at West Brom last summer despite their relegation from the Premier League. He's still performing well and this is reflected in the fact that England boss Gareth Southgate chose him to start for the Three Lions on the weekend. Johnstone put in a spectacular performance, including notching an assist for Jack Grealish's goal, which will only increase his admirers. He's clearly a Premier League-level goalkeeper so if West Brom don't get promoted this season, we can expect to see Johnstone move to a top-flight club.