Man Utd line up £150m Kylian Mbappe as Cristiano Ronaldo considers Saudi Arabia switch – Paper Round

Ronaldo set for Saudi Arabia switch

Spanish newspaper Marca reports that Cristiano Ronaldo’s next club could be Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr. They were interested in the striker when he was first thinking of leaving Manchester United back in the summer, and offered him a deal worth 240 million euros. With nobody else able to match his wage demands he is now most likely to rekindle that move.

Paper Round’s view: Ronaldo would be set for life if he added another quarter of a billion euros to his fortune and would allow him not just to do anything he wanted after he retires, but buy anything too. He already has a number of business ventures but this would allow him to focus elsewhere after finally coming to the end of his ability to play for the best sides.

Two strikers lined up by United

With United now in need of a new striker for their squad following the departure of Ronaldo, to Saudi Arabia or elsewhere, the Mirror claims that the club are on the hunt for a replacement. The paper suggests that while they trawl the data to find a suitable new player to lead the line, PSV’s Cody Gakpo is one alternative who could be brought back, as could Memphis Depay from Barcelona.

Paper Round’s view: While Depay was unable to make the most of his time at United the first time around, and with his struggles at Barcelona keeping him out of the first team, he would offer a mobile and confident figure to fit in across the front three. Gakpo might be too tough to prise from PSV affordably in January, so don’t be surprised to see United strike a short-term deal, or none at all.

United look at Mbappe switch

Another option for United could be to swoop for Kylian Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain, according to the Daily Mail. The 23-year-old striker could cost around £150 million, and he would also command wages of around £500,000 a week. There is another option for United, the paper notes, in the form of Napoli’s impressive striker Victor Osimhen.

Paper Round’s view: Moving for Osimhen in January while Napoli are chasing the Serie A title would likely not be practical or affordable, and usually it would seem even tougher to land Mbappe. But the striker is unsettled at PSG and there is a potential court case looming, so the French club might be open to recouping a large transfer fee and ending the tension at Parc des Princes.

Three buyers line up for United

The Sun names three potential suitors for Manchester United after the Glazer family put the club up for sale, in the hopes of securing a deal worth £9bn. First up are two tech giants, Facebook and Amazon, and another party could emerge from Dubai. There is also the chance that the Red Knights consortium will re-emerge, with Jim Ratcliffe another possibility.

Paper Round’s view: At £9bn, they would become the most expensive sports club ever, and that might take them well beyond the trophy asset that some rival clubs have become. Both Facebook and Amazon might look towards their social media importance as a way to extract more value for any takeover, but the Red Knights and Ratcliffe might struggle at the top end of that price to get any value.