Manchester United consider Ivan Toney as Cristiano Ronaldo or Anthony Martial replacement – Paper Round

United lurk for Brentford forward Toney

Manchester United are keeping their eye on Brentford’s Ivan Toney in case either Cristiano Ronaldo or Anthony Martial leave in the coming weeks. The 26-year-old striker impressed last season, and has also attracted attention from West Ham and Leeds, and Newcastle United are considering him as a more affordable addition to their frontline options for next season.

Paper Round’s view: Toney adjusted well to life in the Premier League and clearly has an eye for goal, but is unlikely to improve much given his age. Newcastle have seen how difficult it is to get value for money when other clubs know you are loaded, and recently watched as Paris Saint-Germain was able to land their long-time target of Stade de Reims Hugo Ekitike.

Burnley want Davies

Ben Davies joined Liverpool when they were running low on bodies for a bargain £1.6 million from Preston, but he spent last season on loan at Sheffield United. It looks like the 26-year-old will not make a single competitive appearance for Jurgen Klopp’s men, and now The Sun reports that new Burnley manager Vincent Kompany wants to secure his signature ahead of next season, with Rangers also keen.

Paper Round’s view: Davies is hugely unlucky to have joined such a huge club and not been able to at least turn out for them once in competitive circumstances, but it will still have helped him top up his wages. Now he has the chance to restart his career back at the level he is used to, and with Kompany as manager he could learn plenty to improve his game.

Napoli and Roma battle for Dybala

The Mail reports that Paulo Dybala remains no closer to agreeing a deal with a new club. The 28-year-old Argentine striker left Juventus at the end of his contract this summer, but a deal with Inter Milan fell through. He is said to want around six million euros a season, which may have to come down, but Napoli and Roma remain interested, and he is still linked to Manchester United.

Paper Round’s view: It is probably fair to assume that United will not move for Dybala given he is not especially quick and does not fit in with Erik ten Hag’s plans, but if Cristiano Ronaldo leaves then perhaps he will be a quick and easy stopgap solution for the upcoming season. Both Roma and Napoli would find his lack of pace more easy to accommodate in the slower Serie A.

No way out for Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo still wants to leave Manchester United, according to Spanish newspaper Marca. However, the 37-year-old striker turned down a big offer from the Middle East, because he does not want to miss out on Champions League football – the reason he wants to quit United. However both Bayern Munich and Chelsea look set to focus their resources elsewhere.

Paper Round’s view: It’s perfectly understandable that with perhaps just one or two seasons left in his career, Ronaldo wants to make sure that – even if he does not get to challenge for the trophy – he can add some more goals to his Champions League record. If Bayern and Chelsea will not play ball then a club like Napoli, plus a pay cut, seems his only way out.