Real Madrid ‘confident’ of winning £130m Jude Bellingham battle ahead of Liverpool, Man Utd, Manchester City, Chelsea

Bellingham remains the Real deal

Real Madrid are now “increasingly confident” that they will be able to agree a deal to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund this summer. The Independent reveal that Los Blancos are using their position as the “best place for young talent in Europe” to convince Bellingham to pick them ahead of the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United. Real Madrid pointed to the likes of Vinicius Jr, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga as players who Bellingham can join as the future of Madrid. The Spanish champions believe they are “leading the chase” for the 19-year-old, who is valued at a whopping £130 million by Dortmund.

Paper Round’s view: Imagine having the likes of Vinicius Jr, Tchouameni, Camavinga Federico Valverde and Eder Militao… then Bellingham joins. The midfield options on that list are enough to dominate Europe for the next 10 years. It would be brilliant for Bellingham to move to Real Madrid. The teenager has shown that he’s not afraid to move abroad and try new things after he joined Borussia Dortmund as a 17-year-old. He may only be 19 years old, but he has already captained the German club. Whichever club wins the race to sign Bellingham will win the summer transfer window – despite his asking price of £130 million.

Chelsea will outbid Arsenal in Mudryk pursuit

Chelsea have “made it clear” they are ready to outbid Arsenal in their pursuit of Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk. The Independent reveal that the Ukraine international would prefer a move to the Gunners, but Arsenal’s opening bid was rejected by Shakhtar. Mudryk is valued at a whopping €100 million and Mikel Arteta’s side have submitted a second offer of around €80 million. Chelsea believe they are in a prime position to trump their London rivals, who are slowly trying to wear down Shakhtar’s stance. Arsenal are aware of Chelsea’s interest in Mudryk, but remain confident they will be able to complete the signing of their top transfer target.

Paper Round’s view: We saw something similar between Arsenal and Chelsea over the summer as both clubs chased then-Leeds United winger, Raphinha. The Brazilian eventually rejected them both in favour of a dream move to Barcelona. It seems like Mudryk is dreaming of a move to Arsenal, so we might see a similar situation where the higher bid is irrelevant due to the player’s wishes. The Gunners are sitting top of the Premier League, while Chelsea are currently stuck in 10th. This might be enough to make up Mudryk’s mind… despite the financial power of the west London club.

Chelsea midfield duo could leave for free

Chelsea are in talks to extend contracts with midfield duo Jorginho and N’Golo Kante, but the pair could end up leaving Stamford Bridge for free if negotiations stall. The Standard report that Jorginho and Kante are both open to staying at Chelsea, but the Italian has asked for a slight increase in wages, while Kante has rejected an opening offer containing “unfavourable terms”. Jorginho has been linked with a return to Napoli should he leave Chelsea as a free agent. The Blues are trying to convince Kante that his future should remain in west London, but the report reveals Barcelona are “well-placed” to sign the 31-year-old.

Paper Round’s view: Chelsea are planning to revamp their central midfield options this summer, according to most transfer rumours. The Premier League club have been strongly linked with Enzo Fernandez and Jude Bellingham, while they also hold long-term interest in West Ham United captain and ex-Chelsea academy product, Declan Rice. Conor Gallagher, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all remain in the current squad. Even recently-signed teenagers Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei are set to be joined by Brazilian wonderkid Andrey Santos, according to reports. The club aren’t short on central midfield options. But they probably want to hang on to at least one of the experienced heads in the squad beyond this summer.

Rooney’s romantic return to Toffees

Wayne Rooney may complete another romantic return to Everton – this time as a manager – as he is on the shortlist of potential managers to replace Frank Lampard, who is seemingly on the brink following a torrid run of form. The ex-Chelsea boss is still expected to oversee Everton’s FA Cup clash at Manchester United on Friday, but there are huge question marks over his future at Goodison Park. The Sun reveal that Rooney, who is currently coaching at DC United in the MLS, joins Sean Dyche, Ange Postecoglou and former Everton boss Roberto Martinez on Farhad Moshiri’s shortlist of coaches to take over from Lampard.

Paper Round’s view: It’s unlikely that Lampard will be given much more time at Everton. We saw the Merseyside club narrowly avoid relegation last season after being embroiled in a dogfight and they look just as bad this year. The 4-1 defeat at home to Brighton on Tuesday was disgraceful and the writing is on the wall for Lampard now. The club need to change something to give themselves a chance of staying up. Rooney did really well at Derby County so it’s no surprise that he’s on the shortlist, but Dyche seems like the best bet. He has previously managed in the Premier League and has experience battling relegation from the top-flight.