Football news, transfer rumours and gossip - City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Man Utd battle for players

Manchester City and Liverpool are both keen on KV Mechelen midfielder Aster Vranckx. The 17-year-old Belgian could be available for around £1.5 million, which has attracted attention from Bayern Munich and Feyenoord as well as the Premier League duo. The Mirror reports that due to coronavirus, both City and Liverpool are keen to sign a bargain rather than splash out.

Paper Round’s view: Coronavirus might focus attention from clubs onto players where there is a set outlay regardless of competition. At just £1.5 million for a talented youngster who could serve the first team for a decade, Vranckx could be a steal, and if it doesn’t work out, there is little downside for whichever club signs him, given he could probably still be sold at a profit.

The Sun claims that Manchester United will make a final offer to keep Angel Gomes out of the clutches of rival Premier League side Chelsea. The 19-year-old England under-20 international has been offered £30,000 a week plus bonuses, but is concerned about the potential arrival of Jude Bellingham, with United keen on the 16-year-old Birmingham City midfielder.

Paper Round’s view: If Gomes really is worried about a 16-year-old player coming into the United set-up, then he probably does not have the required confidence to make it in top-flight football. He has shown flashes of talent for the first team, but it’s not like there won’t also be competition if he joins Chelsea, who have perhaps the most well stocked youth sides in the world.

In news that could upset Gomes yet further, the Daily Mail confirms that Manchester United have agreed a £250,000 deal to sign striker Joe Hugill from Sunderland. Spurs were also keen but a move was held up by the coronavirus lockdown, and United will also have to wait for restrictions to be lifted before he can undergo a medical to confirm a transfer.

Paper Round’s view: United appear to be committed to a new policy of recruiting the best British talent across the age ranges. While United have a relatively comfortable financial position compared to other sides in the Premier League, it won’t hurt to sign Hugill if he is able to develop into a useful centre-forward, given he will be on relatively low wages for the next couple of years.

Spanish club Eibar have seen their squad release a statement protesting the restart of La Liga, according to Marca. Part of their statement reads: "It's true that millions of other workers have returned to work, with much less attention and less measures than us, but that isn't fair. We are scared to start an activity that won't allow us to comply with the principal recommendation from the experts, which is physical distancing. We're worried that by doing what we most enjoy we could contract this and infect our families and friends.”

Paper Round’s view: Spain has been hit hard by the virus and given the situation the world finds itself in, without a reliable treatment or a vaccine, there will likely be serious waves of infection. Eibar players are more at risk than some other groups of workers, and it is perverse that they are expected to come back and make themselves vulnerable.