Paper Round: Neymar 'says goodbye to Barcelona' ahead of record £196m Paris Saint-Germain move

With Paris Saint-Germain ready to meet Barcelona's £196m release clause for Neymar, the 25-year-old Brazilian forward has decided that an after-tax weekly wage of almost £600,000 is enough to convince him to say his goodbyes - according to the Daily Mail. He has decided on a move away from Spain, and has told some of his colleagues of his intention to leave this summer in a world record transfer to join the biggest club in France, where he will be the focal point of the team.

Paper Round's view: Neymar might previously have been viewed as a mercenary for a move like this, but with Barcelona not impressing in the transfer market, and the possibility of linking up with Alexis Sanchez, it seems that Neymar could be transforming PSG into Champions League contenders for the first time in recent history.

Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic will finally be granted his desired move to Manchester United. The 28-year-old Serbian can move to Old Trafford to be reunited with his former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho after owner Roman Abramovich personally intervened to facilitate the transfer. Matic had been close to a Juventus move, but Abramovich will give Matic his preference - for a fee of £50m - because of his help winning two Premier Leagues in three seasons for the team.

Paper Round's view: Abramovich and Chelsea have a track record of allowing players to join rivals if they have given good service to the club. Petr Cech was sold to Arsenal, despite their regular title challenges because he had been at the club without quarrel for a decade. In the long run, this aids Chelsea, as players know that if they maintain their standards and behaviour, they will be granted an easier exit when the time comes.

Paris Saint-Germain will test Arsenal's resolve to hold onto Alexis Sanchez with a £70m offer for their 28-year-old Chilean forward. Arsene Wenger has maintained that Sanchez is not for sale, and the club do not need the money. However, a move to PSG would allow Sanchez an early exit before his contract runs out, and would give Arsenal the advantage of not seeing him move to Premier League rivals Manchester City.

Paper Round's view: PSG have played this cleverly. While Arsenal don't need to sell for money, they would get the benefit of £70m for long term reinforcements, and also throw off Manchester City's transfer plans for this summer and next. It's the pragmatic choice, and also means that they could employ the funds to not just bring in Thomas Lemar, but further reinforcements across a weak squad.

A move to Liverpool had seemed off the cards for Virgil van Dijk, but Southampton's 25-year-old Dutch central defender is training alone after he told boss Mauricio Pellegrino that he is not mentally ready to play for his current club. Southampton and Liverpool came to blows after accusations that Van Dijk had been tapped up, but this latest decision from Van Dijk could force Southampton's hand.

Paper Round's view: At this point, Southampton have little point but to cut their losses with Van Dijk, even if that comes with a sizeable profit. £60m for a central defender would represent good business, but they may choose to focus on shopping him to Chelsea, Arsenal or another club in order to stop Liverpool from getting their hands on their players after their behind-the-scenes attempts previously.