Paper Round: Antonio Conte may get £150m to spend at Chelsea

Antonio Conte and Chelsea are near an agreement that would see the Italian become the Blues next manager and The Mail claim that Conte could get £150 million to spend in the transfer market. The two sides have been in talks over the last two days, with Conte asking for £6m-per-year on a three-year contract, which the Blues are fine with. They also discussed potential signings and the spending could reach £150m, but Chelsea also want Conte to emphasize youth development.

Paper Round's view - Chelsea's squad has a lot of problems. Of course, Jose Mourinho told them that last summer, but the club declined to make any significant signings. Now they know they have to spend big to remake the squad so if they agree with Conte on some of the players that could help the club, it's no surprise that they are expensive and that the club will pay up. If £150m is the total cost, so be it.

Bill Kenwright is near a deal that would see him sell Everton to a mystery group for £200m and the takeover will be announced in the coming days, according to The Mail. It looked like an American group would buy the club, but that won't happen. Because of the sensitive nature of the deal, the source would not reveal to The Mail who is involved in the takeover, but they did say it is a group from the Middle East.

Paper Round's view - Everton have needed Kenwright to sell for years. He doesn't have the funds to back the club and the Toffees have had to continually do more with less. Whether this new mystery group really is going to complete the deal or would make for good owners is unclear, but there would be reason for optimism. With new, richer owners, and the increased Premier League TV money, Everton may be able to hang on to their top talent and add new players.

Cheikhou Kouyate and Manuel Lanzini will be staying at West Ham. The Standard understand that both player are expected to sign new contracts with the Hammers that will secure their future at the club. In Kouyate's case, it's simply a matter of signing him to a new deal. It's more complicated with Lanzini, who is on a season-long long from Al Jazira in the United Arab Emirates, but the Hammers will pay roughly £8m to sign him permanently.

Paper Round's view - Both Kouyate and Lanzini are vital to the team and it's a no-brainer to do what's necessary to keep them at the club. West Ham are set to move into the Olympic Stadium and the club have made it abundantly clear that they expect to compete for European places. Clubs of that caliber and with that kind of money retain players like Kouyate and Lanzini so West Ham are simply acting as one would expect from a club with their ambition.

Everton could be looking for a new goalkeeper this summer if Tim Howard leaves for MLS. The Mirror say that, if the Toffees do indeed need to sign a backstop, Cardiff's David Marshall could be the man. The Toffees have been watching Marshall for a long time and rate him highly. Cardiff won't let Marshall go for cheap and it could take £10m to land him.

Paper Round's view - Everton should be thinking about a new goalkeeper. Howard has struggled this season and has been benched, while Joel Robles isn't good enough for them either. The Toffees need an upgrade in goal and Marshall would be that. If the price is indeed £10m, though, it might be wise to cast a wider net and see if they can find someone better to sign for that price.

Conte is expected to be named the next Chelsea manager and he will likely bring in his own coaching staff, but the Blues are hoping he will retain Steve Holland, per The Telegraph. Holland is Chelsea's assistant first-team coach and has been at the club for years. He is well-regarded at the club and they would like to keep him involved with the team. They also believe that he would help Conte transition to the team and England, especially because he can speak English.

Paper Round's view - If Holland is supported by Chelsea and the club want to keep him as a coach, it's tough to imagine Conte saying no. He respects the club and if they think highly of Holland, he would probably be inclined to believe he's a good coach and can be an asset. Conte will get to bring in plenty of his own men and construct his own coaching staff so giving one spot to someone the club likes and who knows the club well should be welcome from the Italian.