Paper Round: Real, Barca, City want Stones, LVG after Rodriguez

According to the Daily Mail, interest around Everton defender John Stones is reaching fever pitch as Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester City are believed to be battling it out for his signature.

The report values Stones' signature at £50 million, noting that Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City's interest is high, while Barcelona have some issues with the overall price of a potential purchase.

Paper Round's view: We did this dance last summer and a £38 million bid from Chelsea wasn't enough to dislodge Stones. While Stones has been playing good football, he has been involved in some calamitous defending this season at Goodison Park. Perhaps like Barcelona, the other big clubs in for his signature might have to think twice about splurging on a figure like that and shop around.

The Express are reporting Louis Van Gaal's desperation to pen the signature of Real Madrid ace James Rodriguez. The story tells of discontent at Real Madrid, as Rodriguez apparently fell out with ex-manager Rafa Benitez and is yet to get on good terms with Zinedine Zidane.

There's no potential fee or costing reported, although Madrid signed Rodriguez for £63 million from AS Monaco after his excellent 2014 World Cup performances for Colombia.

Paper Round's view: There is smoke, but not sure if there is fire here. No disputing Man United's interest or the fact Rodriguez is unsettled in Madrid, as many in the know pundits and journalists in Spain have been reporting discontent as Rodriguez has started many games off the bench. Whether LVG makes it to the summer to sign him is a whole other question, but expect whoever the United manager is then to have a decent crack at him.

Also in the Express, Athletic Bilbao are expecting a raid in the summer of their young striker Inaki Williams. The report says the 21 year old has a release clause of 50 million euros with Manchester City being the most interested of potential buyers, closely followed by Liverpool and Arsenal.

Paper Round's view: To give you an idea of how this hot shot plays his football, he was more than happy to physically tangle with Neymar in a cup tie against Barcelona recently. Very aggressive and quick, Williams is expected to break into the Spanish Euro squad according to some pundits and has a return of 10 goals across all competitions in 21 starts this season.

The Reds according the Independent have entered the market for Lorient left back Raphael Guerreiro. The 22 year old Portuguese international was once upon a time a target for Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, nearly purchasing the player for around £6 million. The report also states there is keen interest from Arsenal for the players services.

The report also points to suggestions in Italy the club could also be in the market for Juventus striker Alvaro Morata. There are suggestions Liverpool may have a free run at his signature since his old club, Real Madrid, are interested but are unlikely to make purchases due to their impending transfer ban.

Paper Round's view: Not sure whether he makes it to the Premier League, but Guerreiro is unlikely to be at Lorient for much longer. Winning fans like Klopp and Wenger means someone will take notice soon or later. As for Morata, he's more likely to be in Juve's longer term plans as they want to avoid heavy player turnover again, as it cost them form early in the season.