Paper Round: Liverpool Goretzka boost, new deal for Umtiti?

Liverpool reportedly want an ‘astronomical’ fee for Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona after a website blunder saw Nike announce his arrival at the Nou Camp in an advert.

The Telegraph says, “the arrogance surrounding the advert fuelled the sense of intrigue”, with Nike offering no response to the advert. Meanwhile, reports in Spain suggest said amount for Coutinho this January will be £160m.

Paper Round’s view: You cannot help but laugh at the Nike error, but how could it possibly have come about? It has led many to believe it’s virtually a done deal, and given that this move is a case of when, not if, then why not speed things up a little and get it over the finish line, for everyone’s sake.

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According to the Mirror, Liverpool’s hopes of landing Leon Goretzka have been boosted after Schalke chief Christian Heidel said the player is yet to decide his future. Reports suggested Bayern Munich were going to sign the midfielder this month, but it appears no decision has been made, meaning Liverpool can still harbour hope of signing the German international.

Paper Round’s view: This is one move which seems less likely, especially when you have German champions Bayern sniffing around too. But with Liverpool on the verge of a serious windfall, money could persuade otherwise…

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Barcelona will look to tie Samuel Umtiti down with a new contract ‘in the coming weeks’ in a bid to fend off interest from Manchester City and Manchester United, the Daily Mail reports. The defender has been in fine form for the Liga leaders this season, and there are concerns that his £50m release clause has sparked interest from across Europe – most notably from the Premier League’s current top two.

Paper Round’s view: If Virgil van Dijk goes for £75m, then what must Umtiti be worth? The France international was one of Barca’s standout performers before his muscle injury, and at £50m, you’d imagine City and United will view that amount as a steal given his quality.

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“Yep, I am.” With those three words, Wilfried Zaha confirmed to the BBC that he will remain at Crystal Palace beyond January. The Sun reports that the 25-year-old winger has been linked with moves to Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea, and while Roy Hodgson said last month he was prepared for bids to come in for his prize asset, it appears the Ivorian will stay and help in their relegation fight.

Paper Round’s view: It’s worth putting in the groundwork before making the climb. It would appear Zaha’s two-year spell at Man United served as a cautionary tale, particularly as he spent the majority of that time on loan at Palace and Cardiff. He is ready for the step up, but game-time is no guarantee and the aforementioned three clubs. Besides, if he continues in his current vein, he will do Palace a favour by keeping them up and bumping up the transfer fee in summer.