Jan Oblak priced out of Chelsea move by Atletico Madrid - Paper Round

Chelsea could be forced to look at other goalkeeping options, because they may not be able to afford to sign Jan Oblak, according to a story in the Mirror. Atletico Madrid want £110 million for the 27-year-old goalkeeper, which may be too much for Frank Lampard. Meanwhile, Kepa Arrizabalaga could head back to Spain to boost his confidence.

Paper Round’s view: Kepa’s time in England appears to have come to an end, with the player shorn of confidence and dropped by Lampard once he had lost faith in him. A return to Spain would likely help him rediscover his best performances. As for Oblak, Chelsea seem like they could not afford such a huge outlay right now, but it is hard to see any other options who come close to him.

The Sun reports on claims from Inter Milan that former club president Massimo Morratti has confirmed that they could afford to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona, saying: “I am just a simple fan of Inter now, so I don’t have any inside information. Having said that, I do know this: Suning have everything it takes to bring Messi to Milan, in terms of both resources and competence.”

Paper Round’s view: The Inter Milan rumours have persisted for such a long time now that they can't be simply dismissed as fanciful. Inter are building a side that could challenge Juventus for the title next season, and even a year or two of Messi on the pitch would demonstrate to their fans and current players that they are attempting to kick on even further.

The Telegraph believes that Borussia Dortmund are steadfast in their desire to keep Jadon Sancho at the club for next season. The chief executive of Dortmund Hans-Joachim Watzke said that it was ‘set in stone’ that the player would be with them next season. That is despite speculation that the club were bluffing as part of their negotiating stance for the 20-year-old winger.

Paper Round’s view: The new season is only a few weeks away now, so United best meet Dortmund’s asking price and test the potential bluff, or move onto a new target with alacrity. It again feels as if Ed Woodward and the Glazer family are content to squander any momentum they have under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, just as they did under Jose Mourinho.

Carlo Ancelotti is close to being reunited with Napoli’s 29-year-old midfielder Allan. The Daily Mail reports that Everton have offered a deal worth up to £34 million, though the Italian club are holding out for £36 million, and want more of the cash paid upfront than the current offer from Everton allows.

Paper Round’s view: Everton could only finish 12th last season after years of inconsistent investment. Money has been spent but few players of real quality have arrived. Carlo Ancelotti can put teams together - that’s one of his biggest talents - but he is being held back by the disjointed nature of the recruitment strategy at Everton. Buying a player he knows would help him shape a team.