Paper Round: Manchester United target Watford's Abdoulaye Doucoure

Manchester United have joined the race for Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure, according to the Mirror. They will face competition from Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal for the 25-year-old midfielder. Jose Mourinho needs to replace both Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick, and the United manager admires Doucoure's technique and midfield dynamism, allowing him to offer something defensive to United's midfied.

Paper Round's view: Doucoure, along with Richarlison, has been Watford's best performer this season. United desperately need more players in midfield, not just to replace Fellaini and Carrick, but to give assistance to both Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba, who currently play too defensively to help the United attack. With just two years left on his contract, he should be relatively affordable, too.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi. The 30-year-old Frenchman only joined from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, but could be ready to move on already. With their midfield to be depleted, the Daily Star reports that Manchester United are also interested in Matuidi, while Chelsea are also monitoring the situation.

Paper Round's view: As discussed above, United need at least two midfielders to cover the players who are leaving. Chelsea could do with some energy in the middle of the pitch, with Cesc Fabregas struggling to play 90 minutes and Tiemoue Bakayoko yet to adjust. It's harder to see why Spurs would go for an older midfielder unless he was available for a particularly cheap price.

Atletico Madrid are lining up Max Meyer on a free transfer from Schalke, reports the Daily Mail. The 22-year-old German midfielder has impressed at Schalke, but with his contract running out, he is available for nothing in the summer. Atletico recently sold Yannick Carrasco and Nicolas Gaitan to China, leading them to have just 19 members in their first team squad. Meyer would offer reinforcements in the summer.

Paper Round's view: Diego Simeone will be able to offer Meyer higher wages than he would get in Germany at Schalke, but he also has a track record of giving young players plenty of first-team football, and generally improves them. At just 22, it would be hard to turn down a move that would give Meyer the chance to play against the best sides in the world, and feature regularly in the Champions League.

There is bad news for both Manchester United and Real Madrid, as Juventus forward Paulo Dybala is set to sign a new contract to remain in Italy, according to The Sun. The contract will run until 2023, give the 24-year-old Argentine international £120,000 a week, and contain no release clause. The deal means that he should remain at Juventus for at least one more season after the World Cup.

Paper Round's view: Dybala's inconsistent form means it might not be worth the risk for either United – who just bought Alexis Sanchez, and Real, who are most interested in Neymar – to sign him just yet. More time on the pitch for Juventus, allowing him to mature, is the sensible option for Dybala, and the Italians are always willing to sell at the right price in the coming years.