Paper Round: Real Madrid enter £60m Nabil Fekir race

Liverpool could miss out on Lyon’s Nabil Fekir. Liverpool had seemed set to sign the 24-year-old French playmaker but the French side called off the deal. Reports suggested it was because there was no dea to be had after Liverpool lowballed an offer following a medical, but Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas said it was because negotiations took too long, and Real Madrid is interested, saying: “The fact that things didn’t conclude with Liverpool and it didn’t happen in that timeframe has peaked the interest of a lot of other clubs - Real Madrid, but not just Real Madrid and their new trainer.”

Paper Round’s view: Real Madrid could use a new playmaker, despite the showings of both Luka Modric and Isco in the World Cup this summer. They could use something a tad more direct, something that those two players don’t always provide, and as Fekir is only 24, he would go some way to reducing the average wage of their forward line. £60m or thereabouts is easily within their reach.

Liverpool might then not be able to close the deal for Fekir, but they remain active in the transfer window and looking for attacking midfield. One option is Stoke’s Swiss player, Xherdan Shaqiri. Due to Stoke City’s relegation, the 26-year-old has a release clause fee of £12m, a much easier fee to meet than Lyon’s demands.

Paper Round’s view: Shaqiri doesn’t quite have the quality of Fekir, but he remains a player capable of world class moments, as he has shown at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. He is an aggressive package on the pitch, something that Liverpool occasionally miss, and at just £12m there is little financial risk if a move doesn’t work out, but his Premier League experience should help him settle in quickly.

After signing Bernd Leno and Stephan Lichtsteiner, Arsenal are aiming to pull off their third signing. Sevilla player Ever Banega has previously played for Arsenal’s new manager Unai Emery. A deal for Sampdoria midfielder Lucas Torreira has been agreed, but with the exit of both Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla, another midfielder is required to fill out the squad.

Paper Round’s view: At 29, Banega is an experienced player, having played in Argentina, and also for Sevilla, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Boca, Newell’s Old Balls and Valencia. He is a combative midfield presence and should be able to offer plenty of steel in the middle of the pitch. That’s something that Jack Wilshere can provide, but Banega is much more physically resilient. A move could be completed soon as Argentina seem on the cusp of a World Cup exit.

Manchester City will face competition if they want to bring back Jerome Boateng back to The Etihad. Boateng played for City already, but now Bayern Munich are willing to listen to offers of between 50 and 60 million euros after he has decided to leave Germany. Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in the 29-year-old central defender.

Paper Round’s view: Nicolas Otamendi has improved, and Aymeric Laporte has an excellent reputation, but as John Stones has struggled and Vincent Kompany is unreliable due to injury, another defender is necessary for Pep Guardiola. Reuniting him with Boateng would be a swift and sensible way to reduce any time needed for integration into the side, and give them one of the best defenders in the world at a reasonable price.