Paper Round: Liverpool and Chelsea battle for Renato Sanches and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Liverpool and Chelsea will battle for Sanches and Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wenger bides his time for Van Dijk and Lemar, and Alli is given a reality check by Southgate.

Liverpool push for Oxlade-Chamberlain

Liverpool are attempting to beat Chelsea to the signature of Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The 24-year-old England international told Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger that he wanted to leave the club during contract negotiations last week. Wenger is happy to sell Oxlade-Chamberlain rather than lose him on a free transfer at the end of the season. While Chelsea have better relations with Arsenal, teammates expect him to join Liverpool.

Wenger planning two more signings

As Arsenal plan for sales, they are also attempting to bring in two more players to the squad. Wenger is pursuing Southampton central defender Virgil van Dijk, and Monaco forward Thomas Lemar. However, they have failed to meet the asking price for either player so far, and Wenger is considering putting a concerted effort into signing them next season, not this one.

Liverpool and Chelsea head to head again for Sanches

Liverpool and Chelsea might both want Oxlade-Chamberlain, but they also face a race for Bayern's midfielder Renato Sanches. Both the clubs are waiting to see if they can persuade Bayern Munich to let the 20-year-old Portuguese international leave after dithering over whether they want to retain him. Bayern beat Manchester United to his signing last year, but are aiming to recoup most of the £44m he cost them.

Southgate: Alli isn't world class

England manager Gareth Southgate has tempered praise of Dele Alli by reminding him that there are more challenges ahead, and there's an expectation that he continue to improve. Southgate said of the 21-year-old Spurs playmaker: “He’s a young player but he’s not a proven player. At the moment, he hasn’t won anything. Like all young players, he’s got to keep looking to improve. His goalscoring record over the past couple of years is phenomenal for a player who is not an out-and-out striker.” 

Source: Eurosport.