Paper Round: Barcelona keen to land Harry Winks in stunning swoop

Fresh from yesterday’s reports that Real Madrid are set to pretty much decimate Spurs come transfer time, reports continue of a summer raid on North London This time Barcelona are said to be in the frame for hot young talent, Harry Winks. According to reports, Barcelona sent scouts to Spurs’ impressive Champions League victory over Real Madrid this week to keep a watch over Christian Eriksen, but it was the 21-year-old midfielder who caught their eye.

Paper Round’s view: It’s always the way with the Champions League that an individual or a team does better than expected and suddenly a year's worth of rumours are generated, see Kylian Mbappe and Thomas Lemar last season, with the latter still routinely making the back pages. Winks is committed to Spurs – whom he also supports - for a while longer and they will be keen to keep hold of him.

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Pressure on Chelsea boss Antonio Conte continued to build as it was revealed the club’s owner had made one of his infrequent visits to their Surrey training ground this week. The visit took place amid an ever-widening gap between the Blues and top-of-the-table Manchester City and just days after their humiliating ordeal in the Champions League against Roma. Conte was quick to bat away rumours of a rift between the two and said: “My relationship [with Abramovich] is the same as last season.”

Paper Round’s view: Just ask Ronald Koeman what a visit from the bosses means, and to be fair, Abramovich does noy usually let the grass grow for long once the rot sets in. But it’s way too early to tell how worried anyone should be about the current situation, and massively unfair if swift action is taken, given the lack of support for Conte by the board during summer transfer window.

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No sooner had Jurgen Klopp admitted Liverpool were struggling to seal a new contract with Emre Can on Friday, the papers were quick on the draw with possible replacements. Stories on Friday evening suggested Can’s compatriot Leon Goretzka could be on Liverpool’s wanted list – but only if they can fend off the likes of Barcelona, Juventus and Manchester United. Easy, right? The midfielder’s contract at Schalke is up next summer and the club apparently hope to make some money from a sale before then.

Paper Round’s view: Schalke have apparently built their side around Goretzka. He has scored four times in the last three games. Those are big names pitted against Liverpool and it may be tough to sign the player if they end up in a bidding war with some of the continent's larger concerns.

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The Sun reports on Saturday that more than half of the Premier League’s clubs are being “probed” over tax. The newspaper alleges Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs believe money may have been hidden by certain clubs to avoid paying tax on big money deals. A former HMRC investigator was quoted by the newspaper as saying “this is without a doubt the biggest tax evasion in British football history".

Paper Round’s view: Well, let’s face it, this doesn’t sound unfamiliar, does it? But judging by the Rangers case in Scotland, it will be interesting to see where it goes south of the border.

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