Paper Talk: Real propose incredible Alexis swap with Man Utd
Real Madrid are ready to offer Alexis Sanchez a route out of Manchester United, while Southampton are plotting a £20m swoop on Stoke, according to Thursday’s newspapers.
UNITED WANT RONALDO BACK – AND WILL DITCH ALEXIS IF THEY CAN
Manchester United are hatching a plan to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford – and will show the door to January flop Alexis Sanchez if they can.
Believe what you like, but those are the sensational claims in Thursday’s Daily Express, which cites a report in the Spanish media as saying United are already growing impatient with their January addition from Arsenal.
The report suggests United want to send the former Arsenal star packing after his poor form since arriving at Old Trafford.
Having scored just once in 10 appearances, the player has spoken honestly about his struggles – citing a number of factors behind his poor form.
And it’s claimed United will offer the player to Real Madrid, who have been linked with him in the past, if they can convince them to allow Ronaldo back to the club as part of the deal.
Quite why Real would consider the exit of their Portugal superstar for a man who currently looks lost remains to be seen, though El Gol Digital believe a €80million (£69m) to take Sanchez to the Bernabeu is imminent.
It’s then said United will use that money in trying to take Ronaldo, 33, back to Manchester, though the report teasingly states Neymar remains their No 1 target.
If you think the whole thing sounds a little far-fetched, you’re probably right….
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AND THE REST
Southampton manager Mark Hughes wants to make Stoke’s Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri a £20m summer signing (Daily Express)
David Luiz is targeting Chelsea’s top four tussle with Tottenham for his comeback after visiting Spain for a cure for his knee injury (The Sun)
Jordan Pickford is set to start in goal for England against the Netherlands on Friday (The Guardian)
Brendan Rodgers insists Celtic won’t blink at PSG’s asking price to activate Odsonne Edouard’s release clause (Daily Record)
England’s footballers have been given controversial asthma tests in preparation for this summer’s World Cup (Daily Mail)
Liverpool are set to expand Anfield again as the club target 60,000 seats and a big sponsor to name the new stand (Daily Mail)
Manchester United are considering a summer move for Real Madrid’s French defender Raphael Varane, who they value at £50m (Daily Mirror)
Chelsea have joined the race to sign Tottenham’s Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld, 29, who has a £25m release clause in his contract (Daily Mirror)
Burnley manager Sean Dyche will head a £10m chase for West Brom defender Craig Dawson this summer (Daily Mirror)
Yaya Toure has pulled out of his planned comeback with the Ivory Coast after failing to turn up for family reasons (Daily Mirror)
Reading have approached former Swansea manager Paul Clement to succeed Jaap Stam, who was sacked on Wednesday (The Times)
Senior officials responsible for the development of the London Stadium have admitted that they “got it wrong” over the design of the retractable seats that have become one of the biggest contributors to the venue’s financial woes (The Times)
Price rises of up to 35 per cent for tickets to the FA Cup semi-finals and final at Wembley have been criticised by fans (The Times)
Dele Alli believes losing to Iceland at Euro 2016 has made England stronger ahead of the World Cup in Russia (Daily Telegraph)
England’s bid to acclimatise to video technology ahead of the World Cup has suffered a double setback after it was confirmed it would not feature in their warm-up matches against Holland or Costa Rica – half their remaining fixtures (Daily Telegraph)
Stoke City have fined Erik Pieters £70,000 for breaking club rules the night before their crucial game against Everton (Daily Telegraph)
Ross Barkley is due to resume full training next week to boost Antonio Conte’s Chelsea squad over the remaining weeks of the season (Daily Telegraph)
Planet Sport quiz: Test your knowledge on the US Masters in Augusta (Golf365).