Football news - Paper Round: Sterling set for bumper wage rise, Liverpool NOT interested in Ramsey

We begin with the back page of The Times which says Raheem Sterling is set to become the best-paid English player after verbally agreeing a new contract with Manchester City. Sterling will reportedly earn £300,000-a-week on a five-year contract that will last until the end of the 2022-23 season. The move to sign Sterling to a long-term contract comes after Real Madrid expressed interest in the 23-year-old forward.

Paper Round's view: This is great news for City. The wage is almost irrelevant given the wealth of City's owners and the key thing here is getting Sterling's future committed to the club. Losing him to Real on a free or for a low fee would have been a disaster, he can still get even better under Pep Guardiola.

We move to The Mirror now with a story that Liverpool are not interested in signing future free agent Aaron Ramsey. The Welshman will reportedly not be offered a new contract at Arsenal and will leave on a free. Liverpool are one of many clubs who have been linked to the midfielder but the report says they are not interested in him. The two reasons given are that Ramsey is older than their usual signing profile, and the club are concerned about his injury record.

Paper Round's view: This actually makes a lot of sense for Liverpool. On the face of it both seem like small reasons and for a player of Ramsey's calibre on a free you would expect to make allowances in order to bring him in. However, because Ramsey will move for nothing he will expect a huge wage rise, something that Liverpool may not be able to afford for a player who is nearly 30 and has had a number of injuries in the past. Some fans may not be happy but this seems logical.

We stick with The Mirror and Liverpool with a report saying that centre-back Joe Gomez is set for a new deal at Anfield. Gomez has emerged as one of the better centre-backs in the league after returning from injury and has shone next to Virgil van Dijk. The club want to reward him with a new deal even though there are three-and-a-half years left on his current contract.

Paper Round's view: Gomez's return to form is particularly heart-warming given the two high-profile injuries he suffered and he has earned this contract on the basis of his performances, not as a token gesture. Liverpool's backline looks better and better every week and Gomez is a huge part of that.

We end with quotes from former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon who has claimed Antonio Conte has put himself in a difficult position with regards to the Real job because of his demands. Calderon has claimed the Italian wants a three-year deal and to be able to bring in five of his people, as well as free control over transfers.

Paper Round's view: Calderon's views are one thing, and it's pretty clear where he stands on Conte, but this really is an utter shambles from Real isn't it? They didn't get either of their first choices in the summer, hence the chaos with Julen Lopetegui. Now they've sacked Lopetegui but their choice to replace him has upset the dressing so now they're looking elsewhere? If they end up with Roberto Martinez it would cap a truly extraordinary few months...