Chelsea in talks for £106m Enzo Fernandez transfer, Benoit Badiashile and Joao Felix also wanted – Paper Round

Chelsea continue Fernandez talks

Chelsea will hold more talks with Benfica over midfielder Enzo Fernandez. The 21-year-old has a £106 million release clause and Todd Boehly is aiming to equip Graham Potter with a squad that can win trophies. The Mail reports that in addition to Fernandez, the club are in talks for Monaco’s Benoit Badiashile, and could also bring in Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid.

Paper Round’s view: Fernandez would be a brilliant addition to any club and moving in January might give Chelsea an advantage as other teams wait for their summer to do their biggest spending. Felix on loan could also be a masterstroke given he continues to perform well at times when given the chance by Diego Simeone, and Badiashile is one of the best young defenders in Europe.

Ronaldo hoped for Real switch

Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Real Madrid to train after Portugal’s exit from the Qatar World Cup, and Spanish newspaper Marca reports that the 37-year-old striker hoped that Real would then offer him a deal to stay with the club. Instead he accepted an offer from Al Nassr to become the highest paid football player in the world when sponsorship deals are taken into account.

Paper Round’s view: Ronaldo might have been a handy option for Real over the coming months but he might have suffered from a lack of time on the pitch. Karim Benzema is seen as the main striker and there would be no reason to cast him aside just because Ronaldo was briefly available. He would also have stopped the progress of younger players.

United consider exit of two youngsters

Hannibal Mejbri could be on his way out of Manchester United, according to the Sun. The 19-year-old Tunisian international is out on loan with Birmingham City to gain first team experience, and that has attracted the attention of French team Marseille, who want to bring him back to Ligue 1. United might also let Charlie McNeill leave on loan after a quiet campaign.

Paper Round’s view: Mejbri is a promising youngster but going out on loan to a Championship side rarely means that a player is regarded as an exceptional talent. If Marseille are keen then it may be a chance for United to turn a handy profit to help Erik ten Hag reinforce the first team. McNeill meanwhile needs his own first team exposure.

Mudryk drops Arsenal hint

Shakhtar Donetsk forward Mykhailo Mudryk dropped a hint over a potential move to Arsenal on his Instagram account, when he called Mikel Arteta a “top coach” in an image posted on his feed. The 21-year-old was subject of a bid worth £55m from the Londoners, but his current club are holding out for a fee closer to £85m before they let him move on, reports the Mirror.

Paper Round’s view: Mudryk is rated very highly by coaches who have worked with him, such as Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi, and Shakhtar clearly think he is worth a similar sum to the exciting pair of Jack Grealish and Antony, so Arsenal may well have to pay up in order to get their man. It helps them that Mudryk is clearly keen to get a deal done.