Turkish billionaire Muhsin Bayrak claims talks for £3bn Chelsea takeover as Roman Abramovich sells up - Paper Round

Bayrak in running for Chelsea deal

Muhsin Bayrak has a reported net worth of £8 billion and could be the next owner of Chelsea, reports The Mirror. Roman Abramovich wants £3bn for the club as he looks to avoid potential sanctions, and Bayrak said: “We are discussing the terms of Chelsea’s purchase with Roman Abramovich’s lawyers. We’re negotiating signatures. We will soon fly the Turkish flag in London.”

Paper Round’s view: If Abramovich hopes to raise £3bn from the sale then he will have done exceptionally well given Chelsea do not appear to have a viable business. If a businessman wants to buy them as a trophy asset then that is an entirely different matter, but it does seem to be a huge outlay for an institution that has yet to really show any worth as a business in modern football.

Alves to stay on at Barcelona

Dani Alves signed for Barcelona for the rest of the current season as Xavi Hernandez’s first signing, but had to wait until January to get to play for the first team. The 38-year-old right-back has played across the pitch but impressed despite his age, and Spanish newspaper Marca reports that he has done enough to be kept on for a further year.

Paper Round’s view: When Alves turned up it had appeared that he would be there mainly for vibes and not a great deal else, but he has shown that when it matters on the pitch he is an experienced and viable first-team option. To stay on for an extra year allows Barcelona the time to juggle their resources as they look to both reduce expenditure and refresh their squad.

Villa face Wijnaldum battle

The Daily Mail reports that Georginio Wijnaldum is ready to move on from Paris Saint-Germain after a season in France that has failed to go as both parties had hoped. The 31-year-old Dutch international is available for £21m and Aston Villa are keen to bring him back to the Premier League, while Atletico Madrid remain the favourites for his signature.

Paper Round’s view: Wijnaldum’s performances for Liverpool were effective and consistent, and it seemed as if he had plenty more to contribute to PSG. However he has not been able to adjust quickly and there is plenty of competition at the Parc des Princes. Villa would be surely taking a gamble, as would Atletico, to splash out on a player now into his thirties.

Juve set to release Ramsey

Juventus are ready to cancel the rest of Aaron Ramsey’s contract, according to The Sun. The 31-year-old midfielder is on loan at Rangers for the rest of the season but has again struggled with injury and is unlikely to be taken on by the Scottish side for next year. Crystal Palace and Newcastle had also been linked with the Welsh international, who is reportedly on £400,000 a week.

Paper Round’s view: Ramsey is one of the best players of the last five years but unfortunately he is also one of the worst of the last two or three. He has failed to keep up his standards and perhaps he is unfortunate to have moved just as the coronavirus started to take hold in one of the most harshly hit countries in the early wave. It is hard to see where he can go next.