Paper Round: Barcelona plan January Philippe Coutinho deal

Barcelona are ready to resurrect a deal for Liverpool forward Philippe Coutinho. The Catalans bid around £130m for the 25-year-old Brazilian international in the summer, but Liverpool were able to hold onto their prized player despite his transfer request. Barcelona want to strengthen their side again following Neymar's departure, and have also been linked with Leon Goretzka, Jean Michael Seri, and Marco Verratti.

Paper Round's view: The crisis at Barcelona appears to have abated with a new manager and Real Madrid's early stumbles in the league. The chance for them to win will be strengthened if they are able to make major summer acquisitions, and a player like Goretzka, Verratti or Coutinho would make a major difference to the quality of their squad.

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Juventus attempted to sign Emre Can on a cut-price deal in the summer, but were another club that Liverpool rebuffed. Can has yet to sign a new contract at Anfield, and Juventus remain interested in signing the 23-year-old German international. However, instead of being required to shell out an inflated fee, they are ready to sign him for nothing in the summer of 2018.

Paper Round's view: Can has been linked with Juventus, but Manchester United are also interested in taking the experienced youngster to Old Trafford given he will be available for nothing soon. Juventus - or another team - may need to risk paying some kind of fee in the winter transfer window in order to steal a march on the competition for the player.

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Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has been dealt a blow in his hopes of winning another Premier League title as N'Golo Kante has been ruled out for a month with an injury suffered on international duty with France. Kante could miss seven games, including two games against Roma in the Champions League, and potentially the November 5 clash with Manchester United. Tiemoue Bakayoko and Cesc Fabregas are his only midfield options.

Paper Round's view: With Danny Drinkwater still out with a calf problem, Chelsea face a gruelling, busy month if Kante cannot be rehabilitated quickly. Bakayoko looks promising, and Fabregas is now more consistent under Conte, but they will need to make sure that other players, even younger ones from the youth team, are on hand to play a part in some of the fixtures.

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England and Spurs midfielder Dele Alli wants to stay in North London, but wants a £160,000-a-week contract to do so. Alli would become the highest paid player at Spurs - Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris are on £100,000 deals - and would more than triple his wages from his current £50,000 a week, that still has four years to run. However, Spurs are aiming to tie down the 21-year-old playmaker to a new deal.

Paper Round's view: Alli could get close to double his proposed wage if he were to move to one of the biggest clubs, so Spurs would be getting a good deal at £160,000. Both Real Madrid and Manchester United have been linked with him over the last few months, and a new contract would help Daniel Levy negotiate a huge transfer fee should Alli decide to move elsewhere to win trophies.