Rooney's price tag all but agreed: A fee of £30 million will clinch the 'deal of the summer', according to the Daily Mirror, which reports that Manchester United will agree to sell Wayne Rooney to Chelsea. But, crucially perhaps (or not), the sensational transfer will not go through in time for the forward to make what would have been a dramatic return to Old Trafford in a blue shirt on August 26.
"The Stamford Bridge club will table a second bid of £24 million this week and feel they can get their man for around the £30m mark – despite Manchester United's insistence the England man is not for sale," the paper reports.
"While Chelsea feel the champions have no option but to sell before the transfer window shuts on September 2, they are willing to have to wait until the final days to get their man.
"The Blues are resigned to not landing Rooney in time for him to return to Old Trafford in a Blues shirt on August 26. If the Reds are successful in their ongoing quest to land Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona, Chelsea expect United will be able to 'sell' his arrival as an 'upgrade' to justify the departure of Rooney to SW6."
Paper round's view: It's realistic now. As much as it now appears very likely that the deal will go through, there is no sign that it will be done at all quickly. While the fee remains guesswork from every paper at the moment, £30m is the most consistent figure doing the rounds. As for Rooney not moving in time for the two teams' clash on August 26 – well, that suits just about everyone involved in the deal and will only help it to go through.
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Manchester City eye £22m Real Madrid defender: If you thought City's summer spending was over, you were very much mistaken, that's the message from the Daily Star this morning. Manuel Pellegrini will make yet another move for a Spain-based player as he lines up the transfer of Real Madrid defender Pepe. The deal would see City's outlay this summer move to a whopping £114m.
"The Portugal defender is available at £30m but City will not pay that for the defender, 30. The Premier League's biggest spenders in this transfer window are prepared to pay £22m," reports the paper.
"New boss Manuel Pellegrini wants more Champions League know-how in his squad after City's failure in the competition in the last two seasons.
"If the deal goes through Real could use the cash to make a bid for Liverpool's Luis Suarez. It would help them get nearer to Liverpool's valuation of £40m – though they have indicated they are not prepared to pay more than £25m."
Paper round's view: The future of City centre-back Joleon Lescott remains unclear with Pellegrini reportedly no more convinced by the defender's ability than Roberto Mancini before him last season. As a result, it makes sense for Pellegrini to dip back into the transfer market to shore up his defence ahead of the club's title-tilt, with Pepe understood to be keen for a final big-money move.
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Newcastle to swoop for two more French stars: Alan Pardew is to make yet another move for stars recommended to him by chief scout Graham Carr as a '£15 million-plus' deal is on the table for Andre-Pierre Gignac and Bafetimbi Gomis, according to the Daily Star.
"Toon's twin striker search has added urgency as fears grow that Papiss Cisse could be on his way out of St James' Park. And Benfica's £10m-rated Paraguay frontman Oscar Cardozo has been lined up as the Magpies face a battle to lure Gignac away from Marseille," reports the paper.
"Manager Alan Pardew has also admitted his interest in Aston Villa's Darren Bent, 29, and QPR's Loic Remy, 26. Now he has confirmed a move for Lyon star Gomis, while French sources claim a bid in excess of £10m has been made for France team-mate Gignac.
"Gomis, 27, is also a Villa target but the chance to join the Geordies' French legion is said to be his 'preferred move'. With Gomis in the final year of his contract, Newcastle are looking to pay a cut-price fee of around £5m."
Paper round's view: Gignac has been repeatedly linked with Newcastle, but reports are now growing that there could be substance to it with a fee of around £15m touted around. The classic '£15m-plus' line often leads to doubts about a story's credibility, but it would not be the first time that Newcastle have turned to French targets after losing patience with the players previously at the top of their wish list with Bent and Remy frustrating Pardew if reports are to be believed.
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Higuain stalls to give Arsenal one final chance: Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain is reported to be taking his time to complete a deal to Napoli in a last bid to give Arsenal the chance to resurrect a move for him, according to the Daily Mirror. The Argentine is keen to move to London and is stalling as Arsenal weigh up moving back in for the striker.
"Higuain asked for 48 hours to think over whether to join Napoli after Rafa Benitez's new club had a £30 million bid accepted for the Argentine World Cup star," reports the paper.
"It is believed Higuain would still prefer moving to Arsenal but his potential switch to the Emirates went cold after Real Madrid suddenly "moved the goalposts" and increased the price from £24m to £32m.
"Arsenal had agreed personal terms with Higuain but are not willing to increase on their valuation and have now made Liverpool striker Suarez their number one target. But if Real Madrid can sell Higuain - and the Spanish club have yet to confirm they have accepted Napoli's bid as reported in the Italian media - then it may give them the cash to launch a full scale bid for Suarez."
Paper round's view: This is classic agent-inspired tittle-tattle. It sounds like Higuain's agent could well be feeding out these reports as he negotiates a bumper deal for his client at Napoli. Rather than this giving Arsenal 'another chance', it's more like using the Premier League club to get a slightly better package at the Italian club. Plus, Arsenal have missed their chance with this one. Anyway, why does every transfer story always come back to Suarez?
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Arsenal to finally make move for Swansea defender: Arsene Wenger, it is reported in the Metro, is finally ready to make a move for Ashley Williams after conceding that he needs a new centre back. An injury to Laurent Koscielny in Japan has left Wenger needing reinforcements, and Williams is believed to be his target for a meagre fee of just £10 million.
"With Sebastien Squillaci released, Johan Djourou off on a season-long loan to Hamburg and club captain Thomas Vermaelen out for three months with a back injury, Per Mertesacker is the only experienced centre-half at manager Wenger's disposal," reports the paper.
"Arsenal have previously been linked with a move for Swansea central defender Ashley Williams, and a serious injury to Koscielny could hasten any bid for the Wales international.
"Williams is valued at around £10 million by the Swans."
Paper round's view: Wenger may be an 'admirer' of the Swansea defender, but then he has said that about a lot of Premier League players he has been repeatedly linked with. This rumour has been trudging along wearily for far too long now and, as indecisive as Wenger and Arsenal appear to be, if he seriously wanted Williams then he would have made a move by now. The Gunners do need defensive reinforcements, but expect Wenger to look elsewhere.
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