Football news, transfer rumours and gossip - Tottenham 'make bid for Boubakary Soumare'

Tottenham Hotspur have entered the race for Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare, according to the Sun. The paper reports that Jose Mourinho’s assistant, Joao Sacramento, knows the player from his time at Lille, and now the London club have made the first move for Soumare. He has been attracting interest from both Chelsea and Manchester United.

Paper Round’s view: Spurs have under-funded their squad for the past couple of seasons which has led them to trail the top four positions so far this season. An injury to Harry Kane threatens to hamper their campaign under Mourinho so giving him a midfielder with technical qualities and the energy of youth might go some way to mitigating any problems.

Manchester United and Sporting Lisbon are due to strike a compromise deal in order to facilitate the transfer of Bruno Fernandes. The 25-year-old Portuguese might cost around £55 million including add-ons with United moving closer to Sporting’s original asking price closer to £60 million. A deal is expected to be struck before the end of the transfer window.

Paper Round’s view: United desperately need to bring in a midfielder who can take over from Paul Pogba and cover for the absence of Scott McTominay, and the recent injury to Marcus Rashford has raised the need for attacking support too. Fernandes could potentially cover one of those requirements, but United really need to add numbers to the squad as they are running on fumes.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has downplayed tension between himself and full-back Danny Rose. The England left-back was reportedly unhappy with his manager after he was excluded from the final training session before the Watford match, but Mourinho has taken time from a recent session to take a job with Rose in order to get to the bottom of his problems.

Paper Round’s view: Mourinho was at one point keen to bring Rose to Manchester United when he was in charge at Old Trafford, and he has given him plenty of opportunities on the pitch since his arrival. While the manager can be fractious and abrasive, the rows do not usually start until a full season has passed. It seems that early reports of aggro might have been premature.

Spanish newspaper Marca suggests a new target for Barcelona following the operation for Luis Suarez. The 32-year-old Uruguayan will be out for a couple of months following surgery, and the Catalans are looking for someone to step in. The report believes that Rodrigo Moreno, Valencia’s 28-year-old striker is under consideration. However, Valencia’s asking price of 60 million euros could be a sticking point.

Paper Round’s view: Barcelona are already considering a move for Neymar in the summer, so it’s not clear why they would be able to afford spending such a significant chunk of money to cover for a relatively brief injury, given the options they already have at their disposal. It would make sense to bring someone in on a loan, even if they were far from the ideal candidate.