Liverpool could be tempted to make £70 million Ruben Neves swoop in January – Paper Round

Liverpool linked with Neves swoop

Liverpool could make a move for Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves, according to reports. The 25-year-old Portuguese international midfielder is out of contract in 18 months and that could see the £70 million valuation on his head be trimmed to avoid losing him for nothing when his contract is up. The Mirror believes Liverpool could act early to avoid a summer bidding war with Newcastle.

Paper Round’s view: It is strange that Neves has remained at Wolves for so long given his obvious talent, but it feels inevitable that he will move on in the summer at the latest because his current club cannot afford to let him leave on a free transfer. Liverpool may not be able to offer Champions League football if they wait too long to sign him, which might hurt their chances.

Chelsea close to Mudryk deal

The Telegraph believes that Chelsea are on the verge of finalising a deal with Shakhtar Donetsk for their forward Mykhaylo Mudryk. The 22-year-old had seemed set to make a move to Arsenal but it is Graham Potter’s side who have managed to steal a march on their rivals, and the winger is expected to be in London in order to go through the formalities ahead of a deal.

Paper Round’s view: Mudryk looked to have his heart set on a move to Arsenal but if they could not pay up then they risked another team coming in and taking advantage. Chelsea have a history of hijacking transfers that their rivals fail to get over the line – such as for Willian and Pedro – and after missing out on Enzo Fernandez they had money ready to deploy.

Musah to stay at Valencia – for now

Valencia’s 20-year-old midfielder Yunus Musah has been linked with a move to Inter Milan, Arsenal and Chelsea, after impressing at the Spanish club and establishing himself in the USA national team. However the Mail reports that the player, who had a spell at Arsenal’s youth team and in the England youth setup, will stay at the Spanish club at least until the end of the seaso.

Paper Round’s view: Musah has only now established himself as a vital cog of two teams, so he may see little need to move on to a tougher challenge right now. At 20 he is already getting minutes for his country as well as playing regularly in La Liga. If he was to move in January then he would have limited time to adjust to the demands of a different league and could set him back.

Hazard could move to Al Nassr

The Sun believes that Eden Hazard could be the latest player to move to Al Nassr. Following the move for Cristiano Ronaldo, the 32-year-old Belgian winger was photographed with the Saudi Arabian club’s boss Rudi Garcia, and with a year left on his current contract this summer, Real Madrid are likely keen to see him move on in order to save on his salary.

Paper Round’s view: Hazard’s time at Real Madrid has been an overwhelming disappointment, and there are questions about the player’s fitness, particularly as he has been pictured overweight in pre-season. A move to Al Nassr might allow Hazard to extend his career for a few more years given the less competitive nature of the league in the Kingdom.