Football news: Jurgen Klopp ready to buy in January to strengthen forward line - Paper Round

Jurgen Klopp has suggested that Liverpool will be back in the transfer market this winter. With the African Cup of Nations on the horizon, Liverpool are likely to lose Mo Salah, Naby Keita and Sadio Mane and Klopp suggested at least one player is needed, reported the Mirror. He said: "People say you have to sign two strikers of the quality of Sadio and Mo, yeah that cannot be the solution because we cannot do that. We need to find a solution for that in January."

Paper Round’s view: Liverpool might need to sell more players to balance the books so do not be surprised to see Divock Origi finally sold after years on the fringes of the first team. It is hard to see who could be of use for just a few months to cover for two brilliant strikers, but the Liverpool scouting network could bring forward a summer target to strengthen the forward line.

French side Marseille have missed out on the chance to sign David Luiz, as The Sun reports that he has elected to return to Brazil. The 34-year-old central defender left Arsenal at the end of his contract this summer, and has turned down the French club as well as Italian side Salernitana in order to complete a deal to turn out for Flamengo.

Paper Round’s view: Luiz had lost his way in British football and after a couple of years with Arsenal it was clear that he needed to leave for a different, probably easier, league in order to extend his career. By returning to Brazil he will be able to enjoy his home country while spending a few more years on the pitch before he decides to retire.

The Mail reports that there is a belief that Alexandre Lacazette has failed to meet expectations for Arsenal and the club anticipate that he will move on at the end of his contract next summer. The 30-year-old striker could have moved on in the previous transfer window, along with Eddie Nketiah, with Arsenal keen to make space for Tammy Abraham, who ultimately joined Roma instead.

Paper Round’s view: Lacazette did an adequate job for a couple of seasons at Arsenal but was eventually upstaged by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Both of them are in their 30s now and need to be sent elsewhere as Mikel Arteta attempts to rebuild his squad using younger players who can build on their potential and exceed the current performance levels.

Continuing from a story earlier in the week, Spanish newspaper Marca gives details on the future of Ousmane Dembele at Barcelona. The 24-year-old is out until October or November after suffering an injury at Euro 2020 with France, and has less than a year left on his current deal. Barca expect he will now renew, and are dedicating a plan to improve his fitness and mental wellbeing.

Paper Round’s view: Dembele seemed to lack focus at Barcelona, but at a certain point it is pointless to blame the player, and the work has to be done to help him. If he can be motivated to stay fit, then increased success and responsibility on the pitch will help him to improve, and may make him feel more part of the team and therefore more likely to stay at the club.