Bournemouth up for grabs as American tycoon considers £150 million takeover deal – Paper Round

Bournemouth could be bought for £150m

Bournemouth’s owner Maxim Demin has been trying to sell the club for the past four years and The Sun reveals that an American billionaire, Bill Foley, already owns the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL and is looking to establish an MLS team in Las Vegas too. An asking price of £150 million has been mentioned.

Paper Round’s view: The Vegas Golden Knights are an interesting experiment in establishing a team in a city that is known more for its visitors than its residents, so if Foley can turn that into a success he will at least have experience in running a club in tough circumstances, which is where Bournemouth are now.

Chile fail in Ecuador ban attempt

Chile will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after they failed to have Ecuador chucked out of this year’s World Cup, as a result of them fielding Byron Castillo. Castillo has been filmed appearing to confirm that he was born in Colombia rather than the club he represented, and so his eligibility for the country is in question.

Paper Round’s view: Without more details it is hard to know the truth of the matter, and people can obviously be born in one country and enjoy the citizenship of another. Whether a single player’s presence in a national squad, if it was illicit, is enough to warrant throwing a country out of the World Cup is another matter, but it would be a harsh punishment.

Xavi unconcerned by Ansu Fati

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez is not too worried by Ansu Fati’s slow return to the starting line-up for the club. The 19-year-old had been subject of interest from some of Europe’s biggest sides and there had been speculation that there were other reasons for his absence, but Xavi explained it is to make sure he recovers from injury sufficiently, saying: “”Last year we were too quick [to bring him back] and he suffered a setback, but he will [start again]. I like him and it motivates me that he is in the XI. It’s not a mental issue.”

Paper Round’s view: Fati is only 19 and there have been too many young players with exceptional potential who are brought down by chronic injuries early in their career. The teenager needs time to become more resilient, and with Barcelona improving under Xavi, it should be a less chaotic environment for him to adjust rather than him having to leave.

Doubts emerge over Arthur’s future

The Mirror reports that Liverpool are already considering Arthur Melo’s future at the club. The 26-year-old Brazilian has played 13 minutes for his new club after joining on loan from Juventus, but reports suggest that he could have his stay terminated in January after Jurgen Klopp has failed to be convinced of his worth.

Paper Round’s view: Arthur was an effective and important player at Barcelona and he seemed reluctant to depart the Spanish club for Juventus. The last couple of years have evidently been tough for him and his on-pitch form has suffered. If Liverpool does not work out then he needs to find a club where he can rediscover his best football.