Paper Round: Chelsea make £35m Daniele Rugani bid

Chelsea are looking to make their first signing of the summer after they bid £35m for Daniele Rugani, the Juventus defender. The 23-year-old spent two seasons under their rumoured next manager, Maurizio Sarri, when the two were at Empoli, before he established himself at Juventus. His arrival might see a senior defender, such as David Luiz, leave the club.

Paper Round’s view: With just six weeks to go and no new manager agreed, Chelsea have to act now to make sure that they can refresh the squad for whomever arrives, or even to make sure that Antonio Conte has a better group of players to manage if he remains at the club. Rugani’s history with Sarri would help him integrate quicker if they are able to bring both defender and manager to the Stamford Bridge.

Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish expects Tottenham Hotspur to make a bid for his services. He is currently on just £20,000 a week, and he expects that Daniel Levy will soon put in an offer to Villa after they failed to secure promotion to the Premier League. Mauricio Pochettino wants the 22-year-old forward to provide competition for Dele Alli.

Paper Round’s view: Grealish fits the profile of the typical Spurs signing. He is young and English. At 22, he has plenty of potential, and as an inconsistent playmaker, he could benefit tactically and technically from the tutelage of Pochettino, just as Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli have before him. He would also retain and increase his resale value over the long term, and as he earns relatively little at Villa, he would probably come cheap.

Marouane Fellaini will announce his next club on July 1. The 30-year-old Belgian midfielder is currently at the World Cup with the Red Devils, but confirmed that he has not lost focus on the task in hand, and will announce his new club when his current deal with Manchester United expires.

Paper Round’s view: The new trend of players setting a date to announce their new club is a tedious one, and Antoine Griezmann and Eden Hazard are to blame by trailing their announcements for what seems like weeks before they are made. That Fellaini is attempting something similar is a little depressing, given his limited talent, and the fact that he is probably a squad player at United stepping down to a smaller club. Regardless, it puts pressure on United’s budget if he does leave, because they will need to purchase a replacement.

Liverpool are considering the future of Divock Origi. Roberto Firmino’s presence at the World Cup means that he will get his chance during Liverpool’s friendlies before the start of the season. Jurgen Klopp will use that time to run the rule over the Belgian forward to see if he is worth retaining for the season, or if he should be sent out on loan. His last spell at Wolfsburg saw him struggle for time, and he played out wide towards the end of his time there.

Paper Round’s view: Origi is yet to show the talent that earned him a move to Liverpool, but he is still just 23, and with Klopp as his manager, he could develop into a useful forward across the frontline. There is also a chance for him to find a role in the squad as Danny Ings is rumoured to be interested in leaving the club to make sure he can get more regular first-team action.