Manchester United open talks for £50 million PSV Eindhoven striker Cody Gakpo ahead of January transfer – Paper Round

United open talks for Gakpo

Manchester United have opened talks for PSV Eindhoven’s striker Cody Gakpo. The 23-year-old Netherlands international impressed at the Qatar World Cup, and the Mirror reports that United want to bring him to Old Trafford in January to replace Cristiano Ronaldo. With PSV in financial trouble, they may agree a fee of less than £50 million and be content to sell this winter.

Paper Round’s view: United needed a new striker even when Ronaldo was present, because Anthony Martial’s fitness is too inconsistent, and Marcus Rashford’s return to form cannot yet be assumed to be sustainable. £50m for such a promising player seems to be the going rate these days, but United are taking a gamble by hoping he can step up directly to the Premier League.

City confident over Bellingham deal

The Sun reports that Manchester City are confident that by offering the chance to work with Pep Guardiola, Jude Bellingham can be convinced to join them in the summer. The 19-year-old is linked with Real Madrid, Manchester United, Liverpool and City for a £130m move that could be knocked down to around £83m if the fee is paid in one lump sum.

Paper Round’s view: Dortmund must need the money urgently if the story about accepting £83m up is true, but of the four teams, none should have trouble finding the money if they have Bellingham as their number one target for next season. Bellingham was England’s standout player at the World Cup, and at 19 he is likely to keep improving for many years to come.

Origi could be sold by Milan

After making a permanent move to AC Milan in the summer from Liverpool, Belgian striker Divock Origi has struggled to make an impression in Serie A, after failing to impress alongside or in place of Olivier Giroud. With Ante Rebic returning to full fitness soon, there could be few changes left for the 27-year-old to keep his place in the squad next season.

Paper Round’s view: Origi seemed to have some potential when he first arrived at Liverpool but there has always been someone better in his way. He had one loan spell at Wolfsburg and one season for Liverpool when he got decent minutes on the pitch, but it seems that a lack of time in competitive football has stopped him from progressing at the rate required to earn a place at Milan.

Fati – I almost joined Real

Barcelona youngster Ansu Fati almost joined Real Madrid, according to Spanish newspaper Marca. The 20-year-old forward had trials for both sides but said that when he visited Real’s youth setup: “At that time, [Real Madrid] didn’t have a residence for their young players and that’s why we decided that La Masia was the best option.” He therefore stayed at La Masia with Barcelona.

Paper Round’s view: That was back in 2012, and demonstrates just how committed Barcelona have been to producing their own talented players. Of late they have a few excellent players coming through, with Fati one and Gavi another. European football is now so competitive that the arms race for securing the most talented youngsters will only get more intense.