Football news, transfer rumours and gossip - Man City consider move for Anderlecht's Vincent Kompany

Manchester City have failed in their pursuit of Anderlecht manager Vincent Kompany. The 34-year-old central defender had been linked with a return to the Etihad as part of a deal that would have seen the Belgian take up a role as assistant manager to current boss Pep Guardiola. However Kompany wants to stay on as boss of the Belgian club where he can continue to learn his trade, according to the Mirror.

Paper Round’s view: A year in the Belgian league would likely have given Kompany too long away from the high standard of English football, though perhaps given his injury problems the coronavirus-enforced break would have allowed his body to heal for one last year on the pitch. Regardless, it demonstrates the limited options that City currently have with financial fair play restrictions.

Arsenal have made their first signing of the summer transfer window, according to the Sun. They have signed former Fram Larvik winger George Lewis. Lewis is a 19-year-old Norwegian born in Rwanda, who was on trial with the club in March and has now done enough to secure a permanent deal.

Paper Round’s view: There have been rumblings coming from Arsenal over their financial situation. Many senior players have been linked with a move away from the club, and David Luiz may even be released on a free transfer as a clause in his contract allows. A 19-year-old Norwegian winger may not be the most thrilling signing, but if he costs nothing it may help balance the books in the short term.

The Premier League could still reintroduce fan attendance once the current season ends. The league head Richard Masters said: “There is optimism that we will see fans back in the stadiums next season and it may happen on a phased basis," and the Telegraph says that social distancing will still be observed. However there may be no financial help from the Premier League for smaller teams.

Paper Round’s view: England is an anomaly in that it still supports four professional leagues, and it may be that the coronavirus changes this for good. The Premier League was formed to enhance the earnings of the top clubs in the country with little benefit shared to smaller teams, so unless there is an unavoidable order from the government or the FA, they will likely continue to act with that in mind.

Italian champions Juventus are giving up on their plans to sign Brazilian midfielder Arthur from Barcelona. The 23-year-old player has no interest in being part of a deal for Miralem Pjanic to join the Spanish champions, Marca reports, meaning that Nelson Semedo, Arturo Vidal, Jean-Clair Todibo and Ousmane Dembele could be part of any deal.

Paper Round’s view: Arthur looks happy at Barcelona and is also a success, so if he can negotiate his injury problems then keeping hold of him would be wise in the long term. Barcelona’s cash troubles could see them happy to get rid of a few players from the first team squad and just bringing in Pjanic in exchange to reduce their wage obligations.