Manchester United 'identify two David de Gea replacements'

Manchester United are so concerned by David de Gea’s contract expiring that they are already looking for his replacement, according to the Sun. The paper reports that United are prepared to sell him for 30 million euros in the January transfer window, with Paris Saint-Germain a possible target. They would replace him with either Jan Oblak of Atletico Madrid or Dominik Livakovic, the Dinamo Zagreb ‘keeper.

Paper Round’s view: De Gea has been regularly costing United goals for the last year, and while he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, at some point cutting the cord and moving on becomes the right decision - and that is probably when he is six months from leaving for nothing. The club have cut their wage bill drastically this summer, which may help them afford Oblak.

One future teammate for David de Gea could be PSG’s striker Neymar. He looks set to stay in France for at least one more season after negotiations between the French champions and Barcelona broke down. The 27-year-old forward even offered up 20 million euros of his own money to sort help broker a deal, but with no luck. PSG refused the offer from the player, says Spanish paper Sport.

Paper Round’s view: For such a complicated transfer, Barcelona have left negotiations late. That might sometimes work in a club’s favour, but PSG are backed by a state who will not take kindly to bullying and will already be losing face by seeing Neymar leave after just a couple of years. This transfer looks set to roll over to the next window, at the very least.

Nicola Kalinic looks set to join Roma from Spanish club Atletico Madrid. The Croatian forward was no longer wanted by boss Diego Simeone, and a deal has been reached for the 31-year-old striker to move to Italy. The initial deal is for a loan, but Marca claims that a permanent deal can be agreed at the end of the season for seven or eight million euros.

Paper Round’s view: Kalinic was never a hugely important player for Atletico, and as he approaches the final years of his contract this move allows Atletico to raise some funds and clear some space on the wage bill. That might make room for another youngster that Atletico can develop and perhaps sell on at a profit later down the line.

Away from the transfer market, there were reports of violence in the game between Aston Villa and Crystal Palace. After Henri Lansbury’s goal was disallowed because of a perceived dive from Villa midfielder Jack Grealish, there was a set-to between fans protesting the decision, and at least one police officer with his baton raised, according to a story in the Telegraph.

Paper Round’s view: With English football seeing an increase in racist abuse online and in the terraces, it would be scarcely surprising if there was also a concurrent increase in violence in the stands. One could extrapolate all kinds of societal causes, but for now it seems as if better - not heavier - policing of fans is the least that can be tried.