Barcelona to rival Liverpool for Adama Traore - Paper Round

Spanish newspaper Marca reports that Barcelona are keen on signing Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adam Traore. The 24-year-old Spanish international used to play for Barcelona before making the move to Aston Villa, and he could be wanted back. Liverpool are another club with an interest, but Wolves are expected to offer a huge new deal to keep him.

Paper Round’s view: Traore would offer pace to a Barcelona front line that needs younger players after years of sticking with a squad that had grown stale. Under Nuno Espirito Santo he is more than just quick, and offers a direct approach to goal that would give Ronald Koeman another option. He would also be a worthy replacement for Mo Salah should he decide to move on from Anfield.

Former Manchester United player Charlie Scott has talked of the difficulty he had in adjusting to life without football. The 23-year-old player has spent a couple of years out of the game after being released by United, but contact has now been made with Happy Valley FC, who play their games in Hong Kong, and he has set off to the Chinese territory.

Paper Round’s view: Scott has spoken openly of the rough time he had getting used to life without football. He came close to the first team under Louis van Gaal but found chances harder to come by under Jose Mourinho. A move to Hong Kong may not be the most glamorous place, but if he loves professional football then this will give him the chance to build some kind of career.

Following the injury to Virgil van Dijk, there has been speculation over Liverpool potentially bringing in a replacement, but that will now have to wait until January. Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher suggested to Conor Coady, the Wolves defender, that he could make the move, but the 27-year-old Liverpudlian said: “Not at all. I love playing for this football club every single day and we’ve just beaten Leeds.”

Paper Round’s view: Coady has had an excellent career at Wolves but at 27 he might consider the chance to return to his hometown as too much of an opportunity to miss. He is a consistent performer who is proven in the Premier League, which would be ideal for a mid-season transfer. It is not a given though that Wolves would be willing to sell unless they got a huge offer.

The Arsenal career of Mesut Ozil appears to now finally be over. The 31-year-old former German international has been left out of the club’s Premier League squad, while retired goalkeeper Petr Cech has managed to be included. That means that Ozil will not be able to play for the club at least until the winter transfer window, when the squads are reconsidered.

Paper Round’s view: Ozil had wanted to fight back to win his place under Mikel Arteta but it appears that there is no chance of this happening, even in an injury crisis. Perhaps there is a chance for Ozil to rescue his season rather than wait for the next transfer window in Europe, because the MLS transfer deadline is not until 29 October. That could give him the chance to cross the Atlantic.