Chelsea linked with £50m Nick Pope as Kepa replacement - Paper Round

Nick Pope of Burnley is wanted by Chelsea boss Frank Lampard, according to the Star. The 28-year-old England international has three years left on his current deal with Burnley, and as such would cost around £50 million if he were to be prised from the club. Chelsea are ready to pay up because they have lost patience with Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Paper Round’s view: Kepa was dropped from the FA Cup final line-up for the game at Wembley on Saturday, and one would think that he has little chance of making his way back into the side next season. Pope has Premier League and international experience, but at 28 there is probably little improvement to come from a player who doesn’t promise anything spectacular.

Arsenal’s win in the FA Cup could give North London rivals a headache as they prepare for next year’s Premier League season. The Mirror reports that because Arsenal have now qualified for the Europa League group stages, Spurs are now obliged to play qualifying rounds in the same competition. Games will start on September 17, a week after the new Premier League season.

Paper Round’s view: Jose Mourinho’s side need a proper back-up for Harry Kane and after years of running their wide defenders into the ground, they need to add numbers and quality, and also move on some of their ageing squad players. Adding extra Europa League games will only make their task of maintaining their fitness even harder.

The Sun newspaper carries a story that may encourage Chelsea fans over their pursuit of West Ham’s midfielder/central defender, Declan Rice. The 21-year-old England international tweeted of Anthony Taylor’s performance in the FA Cup: "Some of the decisions in this game today..." hinting that he thought Chelsea had been hard done by.

Paper Round’s view: Fans are ready to look for any sign of potential transfers and allegiances in players’ social media activity, but there may be something in this. Rice has long been rumoured as a target for Chelsea and they have hardly been slow in arranging their summer deals - perhaps contact has already been made between player and club.

Rennes 17-year-old Eduardo Camavinga is ready to put his desired move to Real Madrid on hold to make sure that the Spanish club have the resources to push through a move. The young midfielder had been expected to move on this summer but with Real ready to give chances to Martin Odegaard, Takefusa Kubo and Reinier Jesus, and the impact of coronavirus, Camavinga is ready to wait.

Paper Round’s view: Camavinga is an excellent talent but aged just 17 there is little hope of him breaking into the first team at Real Madrid just yet. It makes more sense that he gains experience at Ligue Un level before moving on somewhere else. Real Madrid have switched their focus of late to younger players and he will still have plenty of potential to offer next summer.