Mauricio Pochettino is ahead of Raul in the battle for Real Madrid job – Paper Round

According to Spanish newspaper Marca, former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is leading the race to take over from Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid. The first candidate under consideration is Raul, who is currently leading Real’s reserve team, but the club is reluctant to appoint him in his management career and would find it easy to strike a deal with Pochettino as he almost made him manager. appointed to take over. Rafael Benitez.

Paper Round’s opinion: Pochettino has made it clear that he wants to be back in management and will soon start suffering if he doesn’t get another job. The longer you are gone, the faster you will get stale. Although he prefers to stay in England with his family, Real Madrid is the largest club in the world and it is therefore difficult to see him reject the opportunity for both reasons.

Aston Villa has decided that Jack Grealish is worth £ 100 million. The 25-year-old captain of Villa was estimated to be worth around £ 70m in the last transfer window, but has since signed a new deal with Villa Park, and no serious offer was made this summer meaning he has four more years on his contract has. at the end of the season. His move to the England team has also boosted appreciation.

Paper Round’s opinion: Grealish is one of the best players in the Premier League to play for a club outside the top four. At the age of 25, he probably only has one or two years to go before he misses his chance to join a Champions League side. At £ 100m, other clubs could find younger targets with more potential, so he could get stuck like Wilfried Zaha is in Crystal Palace.

According to the Daily Mail, Bayern Munich defender David Alaba is likely to leave the German and European champions for nothing. The 28-year-old Austrian international wants £ 22.5m a year and Bayern has offered £ 9.9m with further bonuses of £ 5.4m. With his deal over the summer, he has caught the eye of Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester City and Juventus, all of whom would like to sign him for free.

Paper Round’s opinion: At 28, Alaba still has a few more years as one of the best center-backs in the world, and also possesses the versatility to fill in on the flanks if necessary. Not many clubs can afford those wage demands, but perhaps he could be the answer to Pep Guardiola’s struggles as a left back, and the two know each other from Guardiola’s time at Bayern.

Tottenham Hotspur could move to Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar in January. The 25-year-old Slovak international will be available this winter if the club can afford to pay £ 45 million. While Spurs signed Joe Rodon this summer, they may be looking for long-term replacements for Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertognhen, who may move on.

Paper Round’s opinion: Skriniar is one of the best defenders out there, and the impact of the coronavirus gives clubs the chance to pick up players who are not normally available. Vertonghen is likely nearing the end of his prime and Sanchez is no longer an automatic first-team pick under Jose Mourinho, so he could be let go to raise transfer funds.