Football news - Paper Round: Neymar wants Barcelona return

Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar wants to return to Barcelona. The Brazilian regrets leaving the club in a world-record transfer in 2017 and would like to move back to Spain. He is not motivated by the competition in France and would like to rejoin his former colleagues in La Liga. Florentino Perez, the Real Madrid president, would also love to bring him back to Spain with his club.

Paper Round’s view: The 26-year-old has shown his talents in France but the rest of the side, except Kylian Mbappe, is lacking compared to what he left behind in Spain. There have been stories of regret from leaving in the months after he joined, and Paris is much more a northern European city than Barcelona, which has a different atmosphere and climate that he may appreciate more. A return would be no surprise - if Barcelona could afford it.

Barcelona’s players may soon be reunited with Neymar, but they also want the club to bring in Paul Pogba. The Manchester United midfielder wants to make the move, but the club’s scouts are unsure if their current tactics would be disrupted by Pogba’s lack of positional sense and risky play. The 25-year-old’s strength is seen as an essential new quality by players like Samuel Umtiti, Gerard Pique and Lionel Messi.

Paper Round’s view: Pogba’s strength is often his curse. Too often he waits for a challenge, attempts to hold off one or two players because of his power, and either loses the ball or wastes time in the process. Pogba’s best quality is his technique, and if he could be given some tactical discipline then Barcelona would be improved, but perhaps not in the way his admirers believe.

West Ham may make a move for Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud. The 32-year-old has less than a year left on his current deal, and the East London club have long tracked the player’s availability. They see Giroud as a potential replacement for Andy Carroll, currently out with injury. Carroll expects to leave the club in the summer, but West Ham hold a two-year extension on his contract should they want to protect the value of their asset.

Paper Round’s view: Carroll is completely unusable when it comes to long-term planning for any club. He cannot be relied upon for any particular games, so trying to tie him down to a contract in order to sell him seems a risk, given he may well be injured when the club try to sell him. Giroud would be a huge improvement, but given his performances in the World Cup and for Chelsea, bigger clubs may move for him.

Manchester United and Liverpool both sent scouts to PSV Eindhoven to watch Dutch youngster Steven Bergwijn. The 20-year-old has impressed since the start of the season, and summer bids from Bordeaux and Torino were rejected. Bergwijn has a deal that runs until 2022.

Paper Round’s view: Manchester United in particular need new signings for the wings given the poor performance of Alexis Sanchez, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. However, Liverpool are far stronger up front but could use a bigger squad given the physical demands of Jurgen Klopp’s tactical approach.