Napoli want Lukaku as part of Osimhen transfer to Chelsea – Paper Round

Napoli are willing to discuss the potential of signing Romelu Lukaku as part of talks with Chelsea over Victor Osimhen, the Guardian reports. Lukaku is set to return to Chelsea training this week after two seasons on loan in Serie A at Inter and Roma.

But a swift return to Italy could soon be on the cards, with Lukaku among the players to have not travelled to the US for Chelsea’s pre-season tour.

“Paris Saint-Germain had been considered the frontrunners to sign the Nigeria striker but talks with Napoli are believed to have stalled. Napoli’s president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, has set a release clause of about €130m (£110m) for Osimhen, who has been training separately from the rest of Antonio Conte’s squad and is yet to feature in their pre-season games.”

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe favours building a new stadium that would be 100,000 in capacity, multiple outlets including the Guardian have reported.

Rebuilding Old Trafford remains another option, but Ratcliffe and his team could soon submit plans to build near their current stadium, with construction of a new ground likely to cost £2bn and last six years.

“Collette Roche, United’s chief operating officer, is leading the project for Ratcliffe, the minority shareholder who is in charge of football operations. She has visited a number of the world’s leading stadiums and consulted owners or those principally involved in a venue’s genesis. This has included discussions with Real Madrid executives regarding the reconfiguration of the Santiago Bernabéu, which began in 2019 and is nearing completion, and there has been an in-depth assessment of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Los Angeles County.”

Fulham have agreed to sign Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal, the Mirro reports. The £34m deal would be a club record for Fulham, and spell the end of the midfielder’s career at Arsenal after 14 years.

Smith Rowe has struggled for game time under Mikel Arteta, and the 24-year-old is set to leave the club he has played for since he was 10.

“Fulham will stump up an initial £27m with a further £7m to be paid in add-ons. Smith Rowe has been in the USA as Arsenal prepare for the upcoming Premier League season but he didn’t play a single minute of their first two friendlies due to the uncertainty surrounding his future.

“Smith Rowe’s departure won’t leave Arteta short for numbers, as the Gunners announced on Monday that they’d signed centre-back Riccardo Calafiori. The 22-year-old Italy international joins from Bologna for £42m.”

Steve Bruce could return to management after entering talks to become Jamaica’s head coach, the Mail reports. The 63-year-old has not been in the dugout since he was sacked by West Brom in October 2022, but the former Newcastle and Aston Villa boss may now move to the Caribbean.

“The Reggae Boyz have been without a boss since Heimir Hallgrímsson resigned at the end of last month.

“Bruce, who has previously said that he is itching to get back into football, has managed more than 1,000 games at 12 clubs.”