Football news - Leonardo: Neymar transfer bid running out of time - Paper Round

Paris Saint-Germain’s sporting director has told the press that Neymar is not yet close to leave for Barcelona. Marca reports that Leonardo said: "The negotiations aren't dead but there is no agreement because our requests haven't been accepted. We are open to talk about players, but there is no agreement. The position of PSG and Neymar has always been clear, if a satisfactory offer arrived then he could leave, but that is not the case.”

Paper Round’s view: PSG need to get in a sizeable transfer fee for Neymar if they are to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations. The club may instead loan him out to facilitate his exit, but there is no obvious replacement for him for this season, unless they are able to rush to complete a deal for Paulo Dybala at Juventus.

Crystal Palace are ready to let Wilfried Zaha go in the winter transfer window. Owner Steve Parish told the Daily Mail in an interview: He told the paper: “We have to make a plan for the evolution of our squad. Wilfried won’t be here forever, and we must be ready for him to go, if he does go. The last day of the transfer window, however, is not going to be it. We didn’t have a bid of the value we place on the player.”

Paper Round’s view: Arsenal’s bid was well below expectations and having got rid of some players now, it might be that they could have afforded him in the end. Ultimately, the gamble for Nicolas Pepe may be the correct one, and Zaha will have difficulty finding a side that is ready to move for him when there are likely to be cheaper alternatives on the continent.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants another striker, reports the Mirror. The Manchester United manager explained that following the departure of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, they had not yet been able to find a replacement but it is unlikely to be Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He said: “I don’t think that will happen. He had a great time with the club and he’s had a fantastic career but I would not expect that. If he was 28 not 38 in October, that’s a big difference.”

Paper Round’s view: Fernando Llorente is available at the moment, and if he is going to move you would expect any deal to be completed in the next couple of days. It appears that United will instead wait until the winter transfer window. As for Ibrahimovic, it would depend on how Mason Greenwood is coping with Premier League football.

The Sun claims that Mauricio Pochettino will not leave Spurs. Pochettino said he had dinner with Daniel Levy on Thursday night and that Tottenham would benefit as a result. He also denied claims that he would be quitting after the North London derby, as had been claimed on social media. He said: “That stupidity can only happen through rumours on social media that create a big, big problem that doesn’t exist.”

Paper Round’s view: Pochettino has a better squad this year than he did last season, so it seems odd to think that he is likely to quit. The transfer window was not perfect but it is hardly unexpected that Levy kept signings relatively quiet. At the end of the season, though, Pochettino may be tempted to move to a club with more financial strength.