Paper Round: Liverpool join Man City and Chelsea in Virgil van Dijk race

Liverpool have joined the race for Virgil van Dijk, according to a report in the Daily Mail, with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp keen to strengthen his defence over the summer. Manchester City and Chelsea have long-standing interest in the centre-back, who is currently out injured, and now Liverpool have joined them and Merseyside rivals Everton in the battle for his signature.

Paper Round's view: There can be no denying that Liverpool badly need to strengthen their defence over the summer, it's been their big weakness this season. The debate for Van Dijk now is which club he feels would aid his development best. He's likely to be a starter for all three, but will all three be able to offer Champions League football...?

Chelsea are keen on signing Andrea Belotti over the summer along with Romelu Lukaku, with Alexis Sanchez now likely to sign for Manchester City instead. Chelsea have already offered €60 million according to the Mirror, with a further €40 million in add-ons. However Torino want his full buy-out clause of €100 million paid up front.

Paper Round's view: There can't be too many strikers available to Chelsea in the summer, so they will have to gamble. Bringing Romelu Lukaku back to the Bridge and signing Belotti is certainly going to be an expensive one, especially when you consider that neither has been tested in the Champions League...

As for the reigning Premier League champions, they're keen on signing Ben Gibson in the summer. The defender has already been linked with moves to the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, with a move away likely with Middlesbrough's relegation imminent now. Leicester are keen to add a younger English core to the team and see Gibson as an ideal candidate, even if Boro are likely to demand up to £30 million.

Paper Round's view: Gibson is a fine player, who undoubtedly has had his price inflated by being English. However, moving to Leicester might not be the worst idea if they undergo a serious rebuilding job. The signing of Wilfried Ndidi is the right step forward for Leicester and with more moves like that there is no reason they cannot be a top-half side pushing for Europa League football next season.

To bring things back full circle and return to Liverpool, Klopp refused to give clarification on Daniel Sturridge's future. There has been intense speculation about whether Sturridge might move away in order to get more regular football but Klopp said any decisions on the squad will be delayed until the summer.

Paper Round's view: Of course Klopp isn't going to give away too much about his plans for the summer but it's fairly telling that he wouldn't offer any sort of assurance.