Chelsea switch transfer focus to goalkeeper with Rennes No 1 in sight - Paper Round

What to do after signing Ben Chilwell, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Malang Sarr, Hakim Ziyech and Thiago Silva? Sign a goalkeeper, it would seem. Chelsea are close to signing Rennes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and are holding talks with the French club over a £18.2m deal, the Guardian reports. Two years on from buying Kepa Arrizabalaga for a world-record £71.6m, the Spaniard is under pressure at Stamford Bridge, and Mendy could arrive as competition for the gloves – a far more affordable option too given Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak was reportedly going to cost nearer to €100m.

Paper Round’s view: A wise move from Chelsea, for Mendy’s arrival would not mean Kepa automatically loses his place – one that he lost to Willy Caballero at the end of the season, mind – but is instead given a chance to fight it out and prove he is worthy of being the No 1. Let battle commence.

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Aston Villa are considering a £20m move for Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster, The Sun reports. After Callum Wilson snubbed Villa in favour of a move to Newcastle on Monday, Dean Smith’s side have turned their attention to Brewster as they hope to find a forward capable of lifting them away from another relegation battle.

Paper Round’s view: A return of 11 goals in 22 games for Swansea on loan has Villa hopeful the 20-year-old could be the answer to their problems up front. It would be a big ask for Brewster, but he would almost certainly get game-time. Whether he wants a permanent move away from Liverpool, however, is not so clear.

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West Ham have seen their advances for James Tarkowski so far turned down by Burnley, the Guardian reports. A £27m offer has been deemed not good enough, while Sky have even claimed £50m is wanted for the centre-back, who wants Champions League football but would consider a move to West Ham if it boosts his England chances.

Paper Round's view: I think Mark Noble will tell you playing for West Ham does not exactly boost your England chances. Okay, Declan Rice is getting a look, but having struggled to get Southgate to notice him at Burnley it is unlikely a switch to the Hammers will make him take notice.

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Philippe Coutinho will get a chance to prove his worth to new Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman, the Mirror reports. Having returned from his loan spell at Bayern Munich, Coutinho is back training with Barca, but the Brazilian must work hard to impress Koeman after failing to convince since his £142m move from Liverpool.

Paper Round’s view: New head coach, new start, you would imagine for Coutinho, and having come off the bench to score against Barca in Bayern’s rout last month you imagine the Catalan club are keen to extend an olive branch and see if he can do likewise for them this time around