Manchester City agree Erling Haaland terms as Kylian Mbappe chooses Real Madrid – Paper Round

Manchester City have agreed terms with Erling Haaland over a summer move, according to The Sun. The 21-year-old Norwegian could earn around £100 million from a move to the current Premier League champions, and with a release clause of £64m and the commission needed for Mino Raiola, a similar amount might need to be spent up-front to secure his transfer.

Paper Round’s view: It had seemed as if Real Madrid would attempt to land the Borussia Dortmund striker but while that would make for a fearsome duo with Kylian Mbappe, it is Manchester City who need to make sure they add another quality striker to their squad. It seems that the chances of them agreeing a deal for Harry Kane are slight, so Haaland is perhaps an easier deal to complete.

As most of us already assumed, Kylian Mbappe has decided to join Real Madrid. Spanish newspaper Marca reports that the decision was made easier for the 23-year-old French international striker after losing to Real in miserable circumstances in midweek, while he also got to chat to Karim Benzema after the game finished, with the expectation he will share a dressing room with him.

Paper Round’s view: Mbappe was one of the few impressive performances for PSG when they lost to Real, and he was vital to the win in the first leg as well. It might not be that Real’s win has impressed him as much as it is yet another collapse from the French team. They need to demonstrate more resolve before their reputation starts to pull them down in future matches.

Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger are all set to leave Chelsea this summer, but the Daily Mail notes that Marcos Alonso, N’Golo Kante and Jorginho will soon all be in the last year of their current deals. Mason Mount and Reece James were also expecting new contracts, but the crisis at Chelsea means that all of them could look to depart for more stable clubs.

Paper Round’s view: While Chelsea has attracted attention for the sanctions placed upon their owner, there is a disquieting lack of criticism being aimed at players who are willing to take money from clubs who might be funded with owners who have dreadful track records. There are other owners who are also linked to human rights abuses, and yet players are rarely – if ever – quizzed about how they earn their cash.

Spurs’ Fabio Paratici could be in line for a switch to Paris, with French club Paris Saint-Germain keen on bringing the Italian to the Parc des Princes to oversee their transfer strategy. That role is currently undertaken by Brazilian Leonardo, but after years of struggling to win Europe’s most prominent trophy, both he and manager Mauricio Pochettino could be sent packing.

Paper Round’s view: Pochettino has never seemed particularly comfortable in Paris and it is important that whatever his next job is, he does not fail to improve the side. His exit from Tottenham was not entirely his fault, but he has now had a few years of struggle when other managers are making a name for themselves, meaning he may only have Manchester United to go to next.