Paper Round: Bale transfer clause leaked, Secret Pep meeting while no Jan signings for Van Gaal

Friday's papers detail Gareth Bale's secret clause that could get him back to Spurs, while United meet Pep in France and Van Gaal is out in the transfer cold.

Bale Deal Revealed 

The Telegraph are reporting that not only did Real Madrid cover up Gareth Bale’s transfer fee, but also that Spurs have the first buy back option if he were to be up for sale before July 2019. Bale’s transfer fee was €100m, not the €91m reported by Real Madrid who were seeking to keep Ronaldo ‘happy’ by keep it on public record he held the world transfer record at €96m.

Paper Round's view: Not sure where to start here, but what a scoop. Many will think ‘well, so what’, but things at Real Madrid are very raw at the minute. Not only is the club receiving serious bids on CR7 for the first time, but the dressing room and board have been far from harmonious recently. 

Ronaldo telling the club ‘sell me’ would be a blow as the transfer ban doesn’t give them enough time to find a suitable replacement. Bale has also been unsettled as he backed former manager Rafa Benitez.

January Sales Cancelled For Man United

The Mirror are reporting Manchester United have canned transfer plans, as the future of manager Louis Van Gaal is in doubt. The report indicates this is the reason why the club did not go through with the signing ofLazio winger Felipe Anderson for £35m and suggests in the summer there are plans for a few more audacious bids, such as on Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale. 

Paper Round's view: It would at least explain the behaviour of Manchester United at the minute. Even if Van Gaal was sitting in a better position, would the club give him the green light to splash the cash? He’s spent in the vicinity £250m so far on transfers and the club’s position has improved only slightly than what it was under David Moyes. 

United Paris Pep Talks 

Meanwhile, United according to the Sun have set up secret meetings in Paris with the former Bayern and Barcelona super manager PepGuardiola. The secret meeting took place at the five-star Le Bristol hotel in a report the Sun quote from French newspaper L’Equipe.

Paper Round's view: Frankly a bit sceptical, but the stories suggesting Van Gaal will quit in the summer and the lack of transfer activity at United in this window suggests something is up. Perhaps not meeting Pep in a French hotel 'up', but there’s definitely movement behind the scenes. 

Liverpool to continue talks for Teixiera deal 

Guardian are reporting that the deal to get Shakhtar Donetsk’s Alex Teixiera to Liverpool is not as straight forward as some would like, with the Ukrainian club seeking €50m for the rights to the player. Liverpool’s opening bid is at €32m, with a delegation from the club meeting representatives from Shakhtar in the US where the Ukrainians are competing in a tournament during the week. 

Paper Round's view: Right fit for Liverpool, scores often from midfield and is very intelligent with his running and passing. Question is can they get him over the line? Chelsea are able to sign a blank cheque for his rights, possibly the reason why Shakhtar believe they can hold out to get a higher fee. 

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