Transfer news and gossip - Real Madrid ready to launch world record Kylian Mbappe bid - Paper Round

Real Madrid are reportedly ready to prepare a summer swoop for Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe worth a world-record £250 million after his bust-up with manager Thomas Tuchel on Saturday. The French forward reacted angrily when Tuchel substituted him during PSG's 5-0 win over Montepellier in Ligue 1 as furious words were exchanged on the touchline before Mbappe stormed off towards the bench. The Sun report that the World Cup winner will be the subject of a summer bid from Real Madrid, who have held long-term interest in Mbappe.

Paper Round's view: Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid have been flirting with each other for a while now. It's one of them ongoing transfer stories that will never stop making the headlines until the deal is done. Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane is a massive fan of his fellow Frenchman, but it will take a huge fee to prise him away from Paris. Mbappe is said to be stalling on a new contract, with one eye on a future move to Madrid, but it will have to be a world-record fee to convince the Parisian club to let him go. Neymar might be the biggest name at PSG, but their most-prized asset is probably Mbappe. If the French club can hold onto him for one more season after the current one, it would be ideal for the French champions.

Chelsea winger Willian is reportedly close to an agreement which will see him join Barcelona for free this summer when his current contract expires at the west London club. According to the Mail, the Brazilian met with Barca representatives twice as he edges closer to the end of his deal at Chelsea. The Catalan club have been interested in signing Willian for two years now, but the Premier League club have resisted offers to sell him to Barcelona. Despite the fact that he has publicly spoken of his desire to stay at Stamford Bridge, the 31-year-old is allowed to talk to and agree contracts with other clubs as he has entered the last six months of his deal at Chelsea.

Paper Round's view: Willian is a decent player, but Chelsea's transfer policy is most likely the reason behind his expected departure to Camp Nou this summer. The London side are reluctant to offer contracts longer than one year to their players over the age of 30 years old. The Brazilian forward has admitted his desire to stay at Chelsea, but if the club are only willing to offer him one more year on his deal, it makes sense for him to start looking elsewhere for a longer and more lucrative contract... especially if one of the best clubs in world football is sniffing around.

Staying at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has reportedly run out of patience and completely lost faith in his 25-year-old goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, with the Sun stating that he might've even played his last game for the club. Kepa was dropped by Lampard on Saturday's 2-2 draw with Leicester City and the Blues' boss is "demanding" a new shot-stopper this summer. Kepa's deputy Willy Caballero is likely to remain Chelsea's number one until the end of the season. The London club have been linked with transfers for Burnley's Nick Pope and Crystal Palace's Vicente Guaita.

Paper Round's view: Kepa was supposed to be a long-term investment for Chelsea when he signed from Athletic Bilbao back in 2018. The Blues paid £71 million for the Spaniard - a world-record transfer fee for a goalkeeper. Now it's looking very unlikely that Chelsea will recoup their cash if he were to be sold. Kepa's time at Stamford Bridge doesn't need to be cut short. He's still only 25 years old and the start of his Premier League career can easily be compared to his compatriot David De Gea, who had a torrid time in his first few years at Manchester United before becoming one of the best stoppers in the world. Chelsea could do a lot worse than keeping Kepa, they just need to have some faith and stick by him.

Edinson Cavani's agent has revealed that money didn't play a factor in a failed January transfer to the Premier League. According to the Mirror, the decision to stay at Paris Saint-Germain until his contract expires in the summer was because the Uruguayan forward already had his heart set on a "dream" move to Atletico Madrid. The Spanish side couldn't pay PSG the fee they were demanding, so they were prepared to wait until the end of the season to bring him to the Spanish capital on a free transfer. Cavani's agent admitted that the player turned down more money from potential Premier League moves to the likes of Manchester United or Chelsea.

Paper Round's view: It's been mooted for a while that Cavani would be moving to Atletico Madrid once his contract was up in the French capital. Chelsea and Manchester United became desperate to add a new striker to their ranks in January, which was reflected in the latter's strange loan deal with ex-Watford striker Odion Ighalo. Cavani has dubbed a move to Atletico as a "dream", so why would he want to be a short-term panic buy for United or provide back-up to Tammy Abraham at Stamford Bridge? Cavani seems a perfect fit for a Diego Simeone side and he could really flourish in the Spanish capital. He might turn 33 years old this month, but he could easily enjoy a successful spell in Spain where he will feel wanted.