Manchester United battle Liverpool and Chelsea for £10m wonderkid Jhon Duran – Paper Round

Premier League battle for Jhon Duran

The Sun reports that three English players are in the hunt for Chicago Fire forward Jhon Duran. The 18-year-old Colombian is the latest MLS star to attract attention from Europe and Spanish teams are also keen, but for now it appears that Manchester United and Liverpool lead the race for the teenager, though Chelsea are also in the hunt for Duran.

Paper Round’s view: Duran already has two caps for Colombia and boasts a decent scoring record for his side in MLS. Versatile, he can play on the wings and through the middle and with his potential to improve, he would be well worth the £10 million valuation that is mentioned. At Liverpool he may find time on the pitch harder to come by, while United need more players of quality.

Dalot attracts Real attention

Diogo Dalot is wanted by both Barcelona and Real Madrid, according to The Mirror. The 23-year-old Manchester United right-back is enjoying his best spell at Old Trafford but his contract is up at the end of the season – though United are set to extend the deal for another year – and he would cost around £35m, which leaves Real as favourites to sign him.

Paper Round’s view: Dalot is now coming good on his promise after spending a few years on the sidelines after his arrival under Jose Mourinho and the club’s subsequent troubles. If he continues improving then United will doubtless be tempted into making improved offers for Dalot, who has shown himself to be a far more rounded player than the club’s other right-back, Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Barcelona weigh up Neves and Tielemans

The Mail links Barcelona to two 25-year-old midfielders operating in the Premier League. Youri Tielemans is out of contract at Leicester City and could sign for a reduced fee in January, while the Spanish side are also keen on Wolves’ Portuguese international Ruben Neves. He has a year longer on his deal but there is a chance they could strike a deal for an initial loan before a £40m transfer goes through in the summer.

Paper Round’s view: Both Tielemans and Neves have been occasionally excellent in the Premier League of late and at their age they must consider it time to move on in order to make the most of their talent. Barcelona are not quite good enough in Europe and adding some energy and sophistication to the middle of their squad would help them get to where Xavi Hernandez wants.

Mbappe remains unhappy at PSG

Spanish newspaper Marca reports that Kylian Mbappe’s dissatisfaction at Paris Saint-Germain may have grown further after the 3-0 win at Ajaccio. PSG manager Christophe Galtier praised Lionel Messi ahead of Mbappe, and that might have riled the player who is already unhappy that his new boss wants to play him through the middle of the pitch.

Paper Round’s view: If the report is true as claimed, then things are desperate both at PSG and with the ego at Mbappe. It already appears that he wants influence outside the scope of any player who has come before him, and if his reaction is to leave the club in January, then it might help PSG start to build a much more professional setup after years of unnecessary drama.