Hazard 'to force his way out of Chelsea'

Eden Hazard is not prepared to sign a new deal at Chelsea in order to force his way out of the club as soon as possible. Chelsea are threatening to keep Hazard on for the final year of his contract, according to the Telegraph. The 28-year-old could ultimatly make sure that Chelsea have to do a deal this summer so as not to lose him for nothing in 2020. Real - as reported yesterday - are unwiling to meet the £100 million valuation.

Paper Round's view: Hazard's refusal to sign a new contract could make it an exceptionally difficult summer for Chelsea. If they are unable to put back their transfer ban, then they may have to accept a bid for Hazard, and his ready-made replacement, Callum Hudson-Odoi. The club's poor planning in the transfer market could force them to give chances to players on loan that they had intended to sell.

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford is set for a new deal to stay at the club. He is expected by the Mirror to sign a contract for the next five years, and the 21-year-old England international would earn £300,000 a week. Real Madrid had been interested in the young forward, but he wants to stay at the club. The deal has been agreed despite Alexis Sanchez's £500,000-a-week deal.

Paper Round's view: As Manchester United could face a transfer overhaul, it is important to keep hold of their more reliable performers. Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer might lose David de Gea and Paul Pogba, whether he wants to or not, and seeing them go means that there are crucial replacements to be identified - the last thing he needs is to lose Rashford too.

The Mirror also carry a report over Gareth Bale's future at Real Madrid. The Welsh winger has been linked with a move away from the Bernabeu since the arrival of Zinedine Zidane, has been an unpopular figure with the the club's fans. His agent, Jonathan Barnett, is expecting him to stay though, saying: "He is very happy here. He is a Real Madrid player and right now he is not thinking about a return to England."

Paper Round's view: If Bale or Barnett were to make it clear that the 29-year-old forward wanted to leave the club, then that would make it far harder to negotiate a decent payoff for any proposed transfer away. Of course, Zidane and Florentino Perez will then have to weigh up if the hassle of forcing him out is worth the funds he would be able to raise in order to reshape the squad in the summer.

Manchester United are ready to trigger Toby Alderweireld's release clause this summer, according to the Sun. The Spurs man has a clause that is active for the start of the transfer window that would allow him to leave for £25 million, and Ed Woodward is under pressure to sign a top class defender for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Harry Maguire is another option in a summer when Jadon Sancho is expected to arrive.

Paper Round's view: Alderweireld may be 30, but he could perform at the top of his game for another couple of seasons, and provide an experienced partner for Victor Lindelof to learn from. Most importantly, his arrival would lead to the benching and possible departure of Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, none of whom are good enough for the first team. Whether Woodward is able to deliver a player with an easy and cheap release clause is another matter.