Paris Saint-Germain 'to bid for £100m Wilfried Zaha'

The Mirror report that Wilfried Zaha could still leave Crystal Palace before the end of the transfer window. The paper claims that Paris Saint-Germain want Zaha to replace Neymar, who is closing in on a move to Spain. PSG may also move for Paulo Dybala as well as the 26-year-old winger, which would allow Juventus to try to sign Spurs midfielder Christian Eriksen.

Paper Round’s view: Zaha has little time left if he is to compete in the Champions League. He will be 27 next year and still tied down to a generous contract. Unless Palace are relegated at the end of the season, the club will always have enough money to turn down every offer that does not meet their lofty valuation.

Norwich City could return to the transfer window in the winter for Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland, according to the Sun. Stoke wanted £25 million for the 26-year-old ‘keeper but Norwich were prepared to offer between £12-15 million. If Stoke close in on promotion by the time the window opens again, they will likely still to that asking price, but might compromise if they appear to be set for another year in the second division/

Paper Round’s view: If Stoke are still languishing near the bottom or mid-table, then it would be logical that Butland would be ready to force his way out, but it would also give the club the money they needed to start to rebuild for life in the Championship. Butland still has 10 years of his career left, if not more, but will not want to waste time in the lower leagues.

Premier League players have been told to sue social media platforms if they are subjected to racist abuse online, according to a report in the Telegraph. Manchester United stars Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba have both been targeted in recent days, and the club met with Twitter to discuss the way forward. Iain Wilson, of Brett Wilson LLP, said: “It is unlikely they will ever do enough unless and until the law forces them to do so – either by someone in Pogba’s position bringing a test claim to establish a precedent or by Parliament legislating.”

Paper Round’s view: The internet has largely been a disaster, and it was inevitable that if people were given a free hand to express their views that many of them would contribute nothing but hate speech. Suing Twitter, Facebook and Instagram would seem morally justifiable, as they are careless publishers of racism and other bigotry. Whether the law would agree is another matter.

Italian side Fiorentina want to sign teenage striker Bobby Duncan from Liverpool, reports the Mail. The paper believes that Fiorentina will offer to take the 18-year-old forward on loan for the season, after he became frustrated with a lack of opportunities in the first team. FC Nordsjaelland have made a similar offer, and Duncan has removed all references to Liverpool on his social media as he is keen to leave.

Paper Round’s view: A player taking such a petty step may be risible to people in the real world, but it does indicate that he might not have been properly handled. Chelsea have shown there is a way to develop players at other clubs, as have clubs on the continent. If Duncan really is flip hot, then Jurgen Klopp will need to balance the club’s immediate needs with Duncan’s ambitions.