Football news, transfer rumours and gossip - Man Utd 'scout Federico Chiesea of Fiorentina'

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has sent his top scout Simon Wells to check out Italian forward Federico Chiesa. The 22-year-old winger - the son of former player Enrico Chiesa - plays for Fiorentina and is valued at around £60 million. He prefers to operate on the right, and has attracted interest from Juventus. The Daily Mail reveals United will send Wells to run the rule over the player.

Paper Round’s view: Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata are the current back-up options for Solskjaer to play in place of Daniel James. James has had an impressive first season at Old Trafford but looks in need of a rest, and United will need cover going into next season. Chiesa would be a sensible option given his versatility.

Leeds United goalkeeper Kiko Casilla has received an eight-game ban for a racist outburst aimed at Charlton player Jonathan Leko, as alleged in the FA’s report. That has not yet been released, but the Mirror newspaper claims that Casilla is to have called Leko a “n*****”. The 33-year-old former Real Madrid player has also been fined £60,000 for his transgression.

Paper Round’s view: If the Mirror’s report is accurate, then there can be no surprise that Casilla has received such a hefty ban, and he may even be fortunate to not have been punished further. More clearly must be done to combat racism in football and banning players for such offences is just one way to try to curb such things from happening again.

The Sun reports on another club that is in financial peril. Former Premier League side Oldham are on the brink after former director Simon Blitz called in a debt of £500,000. This adds to the winding-up order from HMRC over an unpaid VAT bill of £70,000. These developments have led Oldham to warn their players that wages will be at least a week late.

Paper Round’s view: Further down the football pyramid, wages are far more in line with everyday salaries, and given the short nature of professional careers for many players, going without wages can cause serious hardship for players at Oldham’s level. The FA need to ensure that players and other staff are protected by richer clubs, while at the same time avoiding moral hazard with such a safety net.

Newcastle United have changed their way of doing business to mitigate the chances of their players contracting coronavirus. Manager Steve Bruce revealed that handshakes have been banned in order to arrest the spread of germs. The Express reports him as saying: “There is a shaking hands ritual here, everyone shakes hands with each other when we see each other in the morning. We have stopped that on the back of the virus. Let's hope it doesn't get any worse. We are like everyone else, glued to the TV seeing what happens next. We are mindful of bugs sweeping through.”

Paper Round’s view: With the spread of coronavirus still relatively slow in the United Kingdom it is both sensible and important that workplaces find simple ways of protecting their staff. In future it is conceivable that the Premier League will order games to be played behind closed doors in order to arrest the spread of any illnesses.