Football news - Manchester United 'consider themselves favourites for Christian Eriksen'

Manchester United are ready to wait to sign Christian Eriksen for free at the end of the season, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph. The paper claims that Inter Milan and Juventus are the main competitors for the 27-year-old playmaker, who would cost around £40 million to sign in the winter, but United are confident as Real Madrid have reduced their interest in the Danish international.

Paper Round’s view: Saving £40 million superficially makes absolute business sense. It is a huge amount that could be spent on a player in another position, and United’s squad needs plenty of work. However United would make that money back if they signed him in January and were able to secure a top four finish, giving them Champions League football next season.

Spanish newspaper Marca explains why Real Madrid are now less keen on securing Eriksen’s signature. It carries a report saying that Luka Modric is unhappy with being dropped to the bench for big games, as he has been usurped by Fede Valverde. Zinedine Zidane is not looking to get rid of the Croatian midfielder, but there is no indication he will win his place back.

Paper Round’s view: Modric has been linked with a move away for the last couple of seasons so you would expect that he will move on in the summer, if not earlier. He had been expected to be replaced by Eriksen in the summer, but Valverde has shown he could well be a cheaper and still excellent option in the middle of the pitch.

There has been speculation that Pep Guardiola would soon be off at the Etihad, a feeling exacerbated by the club’s recent poor form. However the Mirror believes that insiders at Manchester City expect the Spanish manager to honour his contract. City executive Ferran Soriano said: “Pep will stay and he’ll leave at the right time one day – and the club is strong enough to survive any change.”

Paper Round’s view: The business ties that Guardiola and his brother have with City Football Group mean that any deal is likely to be hard to escape from, whether Guardiola actually wants to leave or not. As disappointing as this season has been so far they are still in contention for the Champions League and could spend millions again in the next two transfer windows.

Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is attracting attention from across Europe. The Sun explains that Juventus are interested in the German international to replace Gianluigi Buffon who is 41. The 27-year-old is also wanted by Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain are believed to want the player despite only signing Keylor Navas this summer from Real Madrid.

Paper Round’s view: It is not clear why Barcelona would want to sell Ter Stegen, and it does not appear that the goalkeeper is interested in leaving either. However, with financial fair play to juggle even at the biggest clubs in Europe, a huge offer might help Barcelona rebuild their top-heavy squad and perhaps find the cash to convince PSG to sell Neymar next summer.