Liverpool ready to sell Georginio Wijnaldum to Barcelona - Paper Round

Liverpool are ready to sell Georginio Wijnaldum, Spurs miss out on Lucas De Vega, Everton dither on James Rodriguez and Luis Suarez is banished.

Liverpool have told Barcelona that they will need to offer £15 million for their Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, with the 29-year-old’s contract up at the end of this season. Barcelona want him for five million less and the clubs will attempt to work out a compromise, with Bayern wanting £30 million for their midfielder Thiago Alcantara, says The Mirror.

Paper Round’s view: Thiago is an upgrade on Wijnaldum and it seems that both midfielders are content to move onto new things in what will probably be their last major career transfers. Liverpool have yet to add a new first-teamer this summer and will need to refresh their lineup after two years of non-stop action that brought a Champions League and Premier League.

The Sun reports that Tottenham Hotspur are giving up their pursuit of Lucas de Vega after Barcelona rejected a £1.8 million bid for the 20-year-old defender. He spent last season on loan at Cartagena and impressed, and has been eyed up for their B team. Spurs would have to offer double their offer, which has put them off any deal for the player.

Paper Round’s view: If Spurs only need to rustle up £3.6 million for the player and they think he is a solid prospect for the Premier League, then it seems daft not to complete the deal. Perhaps given Barcelona’s money problems the offer is just too low to be worth the Spanish club considering as more senior players are being culled.

Spanish newspaper Marca have explained that Everton are holding up the transfer of James Rodriguez from Real Madrid. The 29-year-old Colombian playmaker is almost certain to make the switch, but Carlo Ancelotti’s side are delaying the announcement for maximum publicity, making sure it comes after the confirmation of Allan’s arrival from Napoli.

Paper Round’s view: For a club like Everton, they will have to make the most signing players whose best days are probably behind them. They had done the same with the return of Wayne Rooney from Manchester United, but they also need a long-term strategy to make sure they don’t stay in a cycle of expensive veterans.

As Luis Suarez nears a move to Juventus, he has been turfed out of first-team training by new Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman. The Daily Mail reports that he is on the cusp of agreeing a deal worth £9 million a year. He is training away from the main group of players along with Arturo Vidal, who is another player that the new Dutch coach wants to leave.

Paper Round’s view: The cull at Barcelona is ruthless. Keeping Messi solely on the strength of his contract clause will do little to cheer him up, and gutting the existing squad will give them the chance to refresh in another way. With the financial pressures of coronavirus and the general mismanagement of the club, there is no guarantee of a serious improvement.