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Thursday's papers: Odion Ighalo, Dayot Upamecano, Man City vs. Liverpool battle

Manchester United are keen to keep Odion Ighalo, while a young French defender is attracting the interest of several clubs.

What the papers say

Manchester United are eager to extend Odion Ighalo's loan stay at the club, but are waiting to see when the Premier League will restart, according to the Daily Mail. Ighalo, 30, has impressed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer during his loan spell from Shanghai Shenhua, which expires on May 31. United are said to want to keep the Nigerian for longer after he scored four goals in eight games for the club.

Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United are eyeing RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano, Football.London reports. Arsenal are slight favourites to sign the 21-year-old France under-21 defender, said to be one of the speediest centre-backs in Europe. The Gunners have been pleased with the progress of centre-back Pablo Mari since he joined on loan from Flamengo in January, but Mikel Arteta is keen to add further depth in that area.

Manchester City and Liverpool may end up in a battle to sign another promising youngster, 17-year-old Belgian midfielder Aster Vranckx, the Daily Mirror says. The KV Mechelens midfielder has been raising eyebrows across Europe this season, with both Premier League giants having sent scouts to watch him. With Bayern Munich and Feyenoord also interested, City and Liverpool may be tempted to get in first.

Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City – FA Cup – Fifth Round – Hillsborough
Pep Guardiola is reportedly keen on young French defender Boubacar Kamara (Martin Rickett/PA)

Manchester City are set to bid for Marseille's French defender Boubacar Kamara, Le10 Sport reports. The 20-year-old has claimed a rating as one of the top young defenders in Europe this season, and City are preparing an offer believed to be around the £28million mark.

Real Madrid v Liverpool – UEFA Champions League – Final – NSK Olimpiyskiy Stadium
Loris Karius could be on his way back to Liverpool (Nick Potts/PA)

Goalkeeper Loris Karius is set to return to Liverpool to see out the remaining two years on his contract, Turkish paper Fanatik reports. The 26-year-old's loan spell at Besiktas was cancelled this week, and he is reportedly keen to return to Merseyside rather than go to another club.

Social media round-up

Players to watch

Henrikh Mkhitaryan: The Arsenal midfielder's loan spell at Roma could become permanent, but the Italian club wants the Gunners to pay part of his £180,000 weekly salary, ESPN reports.

Tiemoue Bakayoko: The Chelsea midfielder, currently on loan at Monaco, wants to return to AC Milan, Calciomercato says.

Joe Hugill: While Manchester United hold the front running for Sunderland's 16-year-old forward, Arsenal, Tottenham, Wolves and Leeds have this week joined in the chase as well, according to the Northern Echo.

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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Manchester CityMan City33237380324876
3Liverpool34228475344174
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331111115254-244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916


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