Tottenham Hotspur 'open talks for Juventus forward Paulo Dybala'

The Daily Mail reports that Tottenham Hotspur could be on the verge of completing their biggest ever transfer. The paper claims that Spurs have contacted Italian side Juventus over the signing of Paulo Dybala, who would cost around £80 million. The 25-year-old Argentine has been pushed aside by the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, and there is interest from Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as Mauricio Pochettino.

Paper Round’s view: Dybala is unable to compete with the focus that is set on Ronaldo, and as he now plays as a central striker, there is little chance of other players stealing the limelight. Juventus are rumoured to be interested in Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi, so it seems as if this the perfect time for Spurs to strike for a player who would elevate their first team significantly.

Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku has been in the background of the club’s pre-season tour, and the Sun report that the reason is because they do not want to risk his fitness. With Inter Milan lurking for the 26-year-old Belgian international, they do not want to scupper any potential deal by seeing him suffer an injury in a friendly match. Inter Milan’s season does not start until late August, making his fitness less of an immediate worry.

Paper Round’s view: If Lukaku’s move to Inter falls through and he has to start the season lacking match fitness for United, then it probably won’t be any different than it was last summer, given his lumbering early appearances. United need the transfer to go through so that they can improve the squad by adding forwards and midfielders who are capable of running throughout a game - something Lukaku is no longer capable of.

New Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has claimed that a move away for midfielder Sean Longstaff seems unlikely. The Mirror reports that the 21-year-old player has attracted interest from Manchester United, who rate him at about £30 million, but that Newcastle will not sell. Bruce said: “That won’t happen. I’m very confident. We don’t want to sell our best young players, that’s for sure.”

Paper Round’s view: Longstaff does not seem the kind of player to force his way out of the club, and as a player who has come through the youth system at Newcastle he is probably just happy to enjoy first team football. United and other clubs might have been able to secure him while Newcaste were without a manager, but it appears any transfer will have to take place further down the line.

Celtic’s Kieran Tierney could yet join Arsenal, despite the London club dragging their heels over the valuation of the defender. Celtic want £25 million for the 22 year old, but Arsenal’s £40 million transfer budget has seen them struggle to add players so far this summer. When asked about Tierney’s future, Celtic boss Neil Lennon was non-committal, saying: “Never say never on anything really, so we are where we are and I’ve not been told anything different from the two bids that have been rejected."

Paper Round’s view: Arsenal are on the verge of adding Dani Ceballos for a season, and if he settles in he could potentially be tempted into staying in the long term - that replaces Aaron Ramsey for now. But Arsenal need more than that with Saed Kolasinac and Nacho Monreal failing to convince on the left side of defence. Arsenal must raise funds in order to avoid another wasted season.