Manchester United 'want Inter Milan to complete Romelu Lukaku deal quickly'

The Telegraph gives an update on the various deals that Manchester United are working on. First up is United telling Inter Milan they need to raise their bids for Romelu Lukaku quickly, to give Ole Gunnar Solskjaer time to bring in a replacement. United are also considering other targets as Leicester refuse to budge over Harry Maguire, and could move for Bruno Fernandes and Sean Longstaff, while attempting to move Matteo Darmian on.

Paper Round’s view: United have so many defenders that aren’t up to the job that it is likely they will be attempting to sell right until the end of the European transfer window. As for Lukaku, it appears that he may have to agitate harder for a move, or hope that Inter manage to sell Mauro Icardi to Juventus in the coming days - which depends probably on them moving Paulo Dybala on. This promises to be another summer of mistakes at Old Trafford.

The Daily Mail reports that Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers remains steadfast over the valuation for his 26-year-old central defender, Harry Maguire. The club want a fee around £80 million, and Rodgers said: “'The club is in a great state of health because there's no pressure to sell any player. And if a player does leave Leicester City, the valuation will have to be met.. We have a top level player, looked at by top level clubs... but there's been no offer near to our valuation that would even make us have a look.”

Paper Round’s view: United are once again dawdling over a transfer when it is obvious what the requirement is. They lost Ivan Perisic because they would not go for an extra £5 million when Jose Mourinho was in charge, and the same penny-pinching cost them Pedro, allowing him to ultimately join Chelsea instead. Leicester have no reason to sell, and it is merely wasting time to act in any other manner than to bid what they want.

One potential central defensive alternative is Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld. The Sun claims that getting hold off him may not be an easy task for any club. The 30-year-old defender’s contract allows for him to move on for just £25 million, but that amount is only valid until Thursday. If United don’t bid for the Belgian before then, Spurs will up the asking price to £40 million.

Paper Round’s view: £25 million is a bargain for Alderweireld, but it is puzzling that he has not moved on. It’s not hard to work out that Ed Woodward’s incompetence is why United have failed to sign a defender, but other clubs - such as Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain - could use a cheap player at a bargain valuation. That means that perhaps there are unpublicised injury concerns over him, given his age.

Arsenal’s summer is continuing as another miserable story as they struggle to add players to their squad. The Mirror carries a story reporting that they have missed out on Olympiacos defender Pape Abou Cisse. The 23-year-old Senegalese defender is now set for a £10 million move to Wolves instead, as Arsenal struggle to resolve the Laurent Koscielny debacle.

Paper Round’s view: Arsenal were another club that had plenty of business to do but were hamstrung by their own problems. In this instance, they have little money to complete deals, so it is perplexing they should focus on William Saliba - who will not join this summer - and Wilfried Zaha - who they apparently can't afford to buy. There have been months to prepare for this window and they have done nothing with it.