Paper Round: Chelsea linked with shock move for Brad Friedel, 44

Are Blues keen on Brad? - Chelsea are considering a shock swoop for Spurs goalkeeper Brad Friedel, 44, to replace Petr Cech, who could quit Chelsea this summer if he continues to play second fiddle to Thibaut Courtois. Cech played in Chelsea's 2-0 win over Spurs in Sunday's League Cup final to pick up his 12th winners's medal with the Stamford Bridge club, but has been restricted to only a handful of games with Courtois being the preferred option on most occasions. Should Cech quit the Blues for regular action elsewhere, the Daily Telegraph claims Friedel would be the preferred replacement.

Paper Round's view: Chelsea have form for opting for an experienced reserve keeper. Mark Schwarzer was deployed in the role in 2013. At the age of 44, Friedel is unlikely to make too many demands about regular action with his Tottenham contract up next summer. But he is a safe pair of hands if called upon in an emergency. It would certainly make sense as Courtois and Cech simply won't work as a job-sharing option. Cech is also one of Europe's finest goalkeepers, and is far too good to be a back-up after all he has achieved in the sport. Arsenal, Liverpool, Roma and Paris Saint-Germain could all be possible destinations for Cech this summer. Celtic's Craig Gordon and Norwich City's John Ruddy have also been mentioned, but neither are likely to be tempted by the prospect of warming the bench behind Courtois. Friedel would make sense with Shay Given, now 38, also a possibility.

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United on the trail of Depay - Manchester United are contemplating a swoop for PSV Eindhoven winger Memphis Depay, according to the Manchester Evening News. PSV director Toon Gerbrands has conceded the Dutch club are toiling to keep the winger, who was apparently the subject of a €20 million (£14.6m) bid from Spurs in recent months. PSV midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum is another player who is attracting admiring glances."Tottenham were willing to offer €20m for Depay. We decided to keep hold of him," said Gerbrands. “But he has the option to leave after this season. I think these two players are very attractive to a lot of clubs in Europe. So far, no one has come forward with an offer but I expect we will come under great pressure."

Paper Round's view: Depay is a figure who is continually linked with United. There is obviously an appetite for a winger at Old Trafford with the club yesterday touted with a move for Ezequiel Lavezzi, but Louis van Gaal's experience of running the Dutch national side and knowing Depay on a personal level could tip the balance to any prospective move in United's favour.

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Inter seek to keep Icardi - Inter Milan have no intention of flogging forward Mauro Icardi this summer despite interest from Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea, according to the Daily Star. Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio said there were no plans to sell Icardi, who has scored 14 times in 25 matches for the Milan club. He is quoted as telling Sky Italia: "What if someone bids €40m (£30m) for him in the summer? Well we’ve got no intention of doing business, we’re thinking of the present and future of this football club with Icardi. Our intentions are clear. We’re building a team to last for a long time with very talented, young players. As well as Mateo Kovacic and Icardi, we’ve added more quality players such as Marcelo Brozovic and Xherdan Shaqiri and we want to continue in this vein."

Paper Round's view: It would seem quite conceivable that Inter will try to keep Icardi if coach Roberto Mancini is trying to build a new squad. Mancini is apparently interested in bringing Yaya Toure to the club as Inter look to challenge for the Serie A title next term. The question for Inter will come if a Premier League outfit decide to bid £40 or £50 million. Then it might be a bit too difficult to resist despite Inter's best intentions. Icardi is also looking for a pay rise that Inter may struggle to meet.

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Liverpool chase Vietto with Balotelli set to join Sampdoria - Liverpool are planning to flog Mario Balotelli to Sampdoria and launch a bid to land Luciano Vietto from Villarreal for around £12m. Argentina's Vietto has scored 16 goals for the Spanish side, who have reached the last 16 of the Europa League. Sampdoria are apparently keen on Balotelli, but Liverpool may have to accept less than the £16m they paid to pick up the Italy forward from Milan last summer. With 16 goals to his name, Vietto is a man who has been compared in style and potency to Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero.

Paper Round's view: Liverpool are sure to cast the net far and wide to bring in a replacement for Balotelli, whose first season at Anfield is increasingly looking likely to be his last. Whether Vietto is viewed as the man to fill his boot depends on who else is available. Liverpool may see a name like Karim Benzema or a Gonzalo Higuain as a better, preferred and more renowned option.