Football, transfer rumours and gossip - Man City 'ready for Champions League ban appeal'

Manchester City are ready to appeal their two-year European ban and £25 million fine. The Mirror reports that the Court of Arbitration for Sport has not yet scheduled the case in its public timetable into late June, but a City source says: “Our appeal has been fully prepared and the only thing we are waiting for is for a date to be set aside. We have been putting our case together for more than a year because UEFA’s stance made it clear how this situation was going to be played out.”

Paper Round’s view: Manchester City may have spent an inordinate amount of cash on this case because of the importance to the club’s finance and strategy. It is coming to the point when they will find out whether or not they have been successful.

One Premier League club believes that five of its players are currently unwilling to take back to the pitch amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Sun. The paper says that, in addition, both Sheffield United and Aston Villa expect absences, but no Premier League club will force its players to take part in the restart if they do not feel comfortable.

Paper Round’s view: On Saturday came the news that at least two players for Bundesliga second division side Dynamo Dresden tested positive for coronavirus, and the whole squad will be in isolation for two weeks. That is in Germany, which is managing the disease far better than the United Kingdom, so it is no surprise that players are reluctant to expose themselves to risk at this time.

Spanish newspaper Marca claim that Racing Club president has said that Barcelona want to sign Inter Milan’s Argentine centre forward, Lautaro Martinez. Victor Blanco, said of his club’s former player: "I've spoken to the people around Lautaro, to those who advise him, and they've told me that Barcelona are following him closely.”

Paper Round’s view: Martinez has a 111 million euro release clause which would be a struggle for Barcelona in most transfer windows, and the Italian side are reportedly reluctant to take anything but an all-cash deal. That means that they will have to do something special to raise funds in order to secure the 22-year-old former Racing player.

The Mail reports that AC Milan still have players recovering from coronavirus. The club president Paolo Scaroni confirmed the club’s problems, saying: “We have some infected players on the mend, but the two Maldinis are now doing well. Milanello is open and we've already started training again, keeping our distance. We're taking steps towards the restart.'We have to get used to living with the virus and this also applies to football.”

Paper Round’s view: Italy is the worst-hit country in the European Union, though Great Britain is the worst affected in Europe. It shows just how much trouble both countries have with their intention to restart professional football when players - on the surface, healthy people - have and will continue to struggle with the infection.