Football news - Paper Round: Manchester United target Joachim Andersen after Zlatan Ibrahimovic snub

Manchester United are coming off the back of a big victory in Italy, beating Juventus 2-1 in Turin, but they are looking for further success in the country. Manager Jose Mourinho and the club’s scouts believe they have identified a top talent in Sampdoria central defender Joachim Andersen. The 22-year-old has been watched by the club, and could be the subject of a 30 million euro bid this summer, as Sampdoria are unlikely to entertain a January sale.

Paper Round’s view: Recent results for Mourinho and United have increased the chances of the Portuguese remaining at the club for longer than a few more months. Targeting players for the summer might still be a tad ambitious, given they are a way off the Champions League spots, but if they continue their good form then Ed Woodward will have little choice but to hand over money for defensive reinforcements either in January or the summer.

Lille winger Nicola Pepe has welcomed rumours linking him to Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. The 23-year -old has scored eight goals and set up another seven in 13 appearances this season, and could be a replacement for the departed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott. Any move could be dependent on Champions League qualification for Arsenal, who might not have the financial capability.

Paper Round’s view: Pepe has started the season in exceptional form, and if he maintains it over the course of a whole season then it would be expected for him to move in search of trophies, and for Lille to sell in order to raise funds. When asked, Pepe said: “A preference between Dortmund, Bayern or Arsenal? They’re all big clubs, I was not aware of these rumours, although it’s nice.”

Tottenham Hotspur striker Fernando Llorente has talked of his desire to return to Spain when his contract is up at the end of the season. Llorente will be a free agent in the summer, and has struggled for game time at Spurs when he is behind Harry Kane in the pecking order. The 33-year-old was asked about a possible return to La Liga, and he said: “I've been away from home for many years, I'd love to go back to La Liga."

Paper Round’s view: Llorente’s career went off the rails when he moved to Juventus and struggled after the first season in Italy, but he showed at Swansea that he still has the eye for goal. Because he is Basque, Athletic Bilbao have relatively little choice on the players they can bring to the club, so they would likely welcome the chance to bring back a player with proven talent, even at the end of his career.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has played down the chances of a loan move to Europe. He has been linked to both AC Milan and Manchester United, and temporary moves back to his former clubs, but he has said that he would be happy to focus on the LA Galaxy. Ibrahimovic scored 22 goals in America, and said: “If I belong to the Galaxy, I’m a Galaxy player, I don’t go abroad. If I belong to one club, I stay with one club and focus on that club and give all my attention to that club.”

Paper Round’s view: Ibrahimovic has shown that his fitness is back after a serious knee injury curtailed his time at Manchester United, but with a positive first season in America, and at 37, it might not seem worth the risk of subjecting his body to a more demanding schedule in Europe. Instead, taking an extended break now could serve to ultimately give him more years of his career to come.