Football news - Paper Round: Spurs ready to go back in for Grealish, Barca set to seal De Ligt deal

We begin with a report from The Mirror which says Tottenham Hotspur are preparing to go back in for Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish. Spurs tried to sign the attacking midfielder last summer but Villa held firm. However, they are going to try again at the end of the current season. Playing in the Premier League would also boost Grealish’s chance of getting an England call-up.

Paper Round's view: Grealish needs to be playing regular football in the Premier League one way or another. As things stand now there is a very good chance that could happen with Villa, and then Grealish has a very difficult decision to make. He may well look to someone like Ryan Sessegnon, who stayed with the club he came up with but his career has not quite kicked on as he might have hoped. There is still plenty of time for both players but this summer feels like it could be crucial for Grealish.

We now have a report surrounding Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt. The report says Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu is in Holland for a UEFA meeting but is using that as an excuse to talk to Ajax about a deal for the defender. The Spanish giants have already wrapped up a deal for De Ligt’s team-mate Frenkie de Jong and are confident of winning the race for the centre-back.

Paper Round's view: De Ligt is an exceptional young defender and it has already been mentioned he would want to play with De Jong so is this really any surprise? In fact when you consider there have been reports that Barcelona and Ajax are discussing developing a more formal relationship it really isn't a shock at all. De Ligt would be an excellent addition to the Barca defence.

We now have quotes from Chelsea forward Callum Hudson-Odoi who has insisted he is not impatient. The 18-year-old is into the final year and a half of his contract and has stalled on signing a new deal as he is frustrated with his lack of playing time. However, Hudson-Odoi has said he is prepared to wait for his chance.

Paper Round's view: Apart from not signing a new deal, which he is entitled to do, Hudson-Odoi hasn’t done anything to suggest he wants to leave. Besides, if he is frustrated with playing time that seems fair enough. He regularly makes an impact off the bench yet has to sit and watch Pedro and Willian still play in front of him.

And we end with a report that says Philippe Coutinho wants to stay and fight for his place at Barcelona. This is despite the Catalan club being willing to listen to offers for the Brazilian.

Paper Round's view: Things really haven’t gone well for Coutinho have they? Yet we’re just over a year into his time at Barcelona, it does seem rather soon to be writing him off. He’s a proven player of class and given time there is every reason he will be able to come good at the camp Nou.