Barcelona weigh up summer transfer options, and don’t rule out Luis Enrique to Man Utd - Paper Round

Sport in Spain have decided to rate Barcelona’s chances of signing three forwards this summer. Barca’s top priority is Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland, but the Spanish outlet has declared that a 30 per cent prospect when compared to the 60 per cent that is signing Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, whose contract expires in 2023 and is supposedly keen for a new adventure away from the Premier League. Then there’s Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski at a lowly 10 per cent - those chances would appear slim.

Paper Round’s view: The trio have all been heavily linked with Barcelona in recent weeks, but their prospects of signing any of them appear difficult, what with competition from clubs elsewhere and the desire not to sell – at least in Liverpool’s case, and likely Bayern too. That may not be too detrimental, however, so long as Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang continues firing, although a long-term alternative will be on the list next summer if they struggle this time around.

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Ajax boss Erik ten Hag and Paris Saint-Germain's Mauricio Pochettino may be the frontrunners to take over at Manchester United this summer, but insiders have told Daily Mail that Spain boss Luis Enrique has many admirers at Old Trafford, and would prove an attractive option financially. He remains an outsider, given Spain will play at the World Cup this winter, but a move for Luis Enrique should not be ruled out – yet.

Paper Round’s view: A summer World Cup and perhaps United would have made a bigger advance for Luis Enrique, but as it stands they are pursuing coaches of twos sides already out of the Champions League. Who knows, maybe more names will come to the fore in the coming months.

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Raphinha is a summer target for Barcelona but Leeds United’s valuation will make any deal difficult, the Mirror reports. With Barca looking to strengthen their attacking options, the club are confident of bringing the Brazilian to the Nou Camp, and would be prepared to offer around 40 million euros for the 25-year-old. However, Leeds would want at least double that – making this a potential non-starter.

Paper Round’s view: Barca are after several forwards it would seem, so perhaps they will land on just the one eventually. It would appear they fancy their chances of signing a Leeds player, but the Premier League side won’t play ball – understandably.

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Premier League referees could soon train with clubs according to the Daily Mail. The suggestion was made by Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick during a summit between Premier League managers and PGMOL chief Mike Riley, and now the idea is being explored and could come into effect from next season in a bid to break down barriers between players/clubs and officials, and help develop a greater understanding.

Paper Round’s view: Cue the inevitable Howard Webb-Man Utd jokes, but that aside it seems like an intriguing idea in principle, although whether there is some sort of rotation system remains to be seen. It is difficult to imagine an official training at one club and then officiating their matches, as it may create a bias either way depending on their experience at said training facilities.