Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea set £130m Jude Bellingham asking price – Paper Round

Dortmund set Bellingham asking price

The Sun reports that Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool will have to go well above their planned £87 million bids for Borussia Dortmund’s 19-year-old England international midfielder Jude Bellingham. Instead, the German side are looking for around £130m, with additional interest coming from La Liga champions Real Madrid.

Paper Round’s view: Chelsea are said to be leading the race for the player and they are doing well to amass new, young talent that Graham Potter can now work with after replacing Thomas Tuchel. Dortmund have done exceptionally well to sell their best young players for big money over the last few years and they look set to do the same here.

Wolves closing in on Lopetegui

Wolverhampton Wanderers may finally land Julen Lopetegui at the third attempt, reports The Mirror. The Spanish manager almost joined Wolves in 2016 but ultimately plumped for his country’s national team job, and was approached last month only to turn down the gig because of his father being unwell. Now he could take on the role after the World Cup.

Paper Round’s view: Taking care of his father is a perfectly valid reason to turn down work but if that situation has been resolved then there is no reason for Lopetegui not to find work now. He has had impressive results at many clubs over the years but seems to do better when at smaller European sides, so Wolves may get the best out of him.

Ronaldo sparks Sporting rumours

Cristiano Ronaldo has set off speculation over his next move, reports Spanish newspaper Marca. The 37-year-old veteran has bought a 10m euro house in Portugal, just 40 minutes from his former team Sporting Lisbon. They have been linked with a January move for the player who is no longer happy at Manchester United.

Paper Round’s view: Ronaldo has lost his way at United and if they continue to improve with Marcus Rashford scoring goals then it makes sense for everyone concerned that he moves on in the winter. A move to Sporting is one of the few ways he might be able to get more time in the Champions League this season and next.

Jorginho attracts Barca attention

Barcelona are keen to sign Chelsea midfielder Jorginho, according to the Daily Mail. The 30-year-old Italian international is out of contract this summer and Xavi Hernandez wants to bring him to La Liga. However Jorginho is content at Chelsea and there is a chance that he will instead extend his deal at Stamford Bridge.

Paper Round’s view: Jorginho is sometimes vital to Chelsea while at other times he seems like a passenger. His pace and physicality are not central to his success so he may deal well with his advancing years. It has been Chelsea policy not to offer more than one-year extensions to players over 30, meaning Barca could offer a longer deal to secure his signature.