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Alex McLeish says Rangers could make ‘a lot of money’ from selling Joe Aribo but wonders if the rumours currently surrounding the player are pure ‘propaganda’.

The former Gers and Scotland boss was speaking to Football Insider about the 25-year-old’s situation at Ibrox in the midst of reported transfer interest.

The lowdown

The publication reported on Friday that Aribo was on the radar of Crystal Palace heading into 2022. The Eagles are apparently monitoring his situation with a view to possibly making an offer.

The Nigerian’s current contract is up at the end of May 2023 and he is valued at £5.85m by Transfermarkt.

He joined the Gers on a free transfer from Charlton Athletic ahead of the 2019/20 season and has since gone on to make 107 appearances for the Ibrox outfit, scoring 19 goals and providing 17 assists.

Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa, a team-mate of Aribo at Charlton, has marvelled at the 25-year-old’s ‘unreal’ capabilities.

The latest

Although Aribo recently told Nigerian radio station Brila FM, as quoted by the Glasgow Times, that he is “focused” on Rangers, McLeish was somewhat sceptical over how secure his Ibrox future really is.

The former Gers boss told Football Insider: “These days, they train young players for the media. It’s a bit of propaganda from the player, even when his thoughts could be lying elsewhere.

“He seems like an intelligent guy, seems happy at Rangers – let’s wait and see. It might be a case of a big club coming in, and there could be a lot of money to be made for Rangers.”

The verdict

Aribo has started every league game and both Europa League fixtures so far this season, so he is clearly valued in Glasgow by Steven Gerrard.

Would he trade that for a rotational role at an English Premier League club? That’s the key question, as perhaps he’d back himself to force his way into the first team at Selhurst Park.

If we reach next summer and no resolution has been reached regarding his contract, then Palace might not be the only team to try their luck with an offer for the 25-year-old.

In other news, fans ripped into this man for his performance against Hearts. 

Southampton have built up an impressive reputation for bringing through academy products and making them a success in the game.

The likes of Luke Shaw, Theo Walcott, Alan Shearer, Matt Le Tissier, Adam Lallana and Gareth Bale all came through the Saints academy, along with current first-team captain James Ward-Prowse.

Some academy players showed signs of promise at Southampton before moving on to other clubs, however, with Fulham defensive midfielder Harrison Reed being one of them.

Reed came through the youth set-up at Southampton and made his debut as a teenager in the 2013/14 campaign, going on to make 30 first-team appearances for the club. After making just three Premier League outings in the 2016/17 season, he was sent out on loan to Norwich, Blackburn and Fulham in consecutive seasons.

At the end of his loan spell with Fulham, upon which he achieved promotion to the top-flight, the Cottagers signed him on a permanent deal from the Saints. At the time of the sale, Transfermarkt valued Reed at just £2.16m.

However, since signing for The Cottagers on a permanent deal, his value has soared exponentially. After 31 appearances in the Premier League last term and three in the Championship this season, Reed is currently valued at a whopping £9m. This is a 317% increase from the time of his Southampton departure.

He is now valued at a higher price than Oriol Romeu and Stuart Armstrong in terms of current Southampton midfielders, as well as Will Smallbone, but falling just behind Ibrahima Diallo’s £13.5m and James Ward-Prowse’s £27m.

This suggests that it was a disaster of a decision from Martin Semmens to cash in on Reed when he did. The defensive midfielder’s price is rising and Southampton may have been better off keeping him around.

Romeu turns 30 this week, which suggests that the time could be coming for a natural successor to take his place as the anchor of Southampton’s midfield and Reed could have been that player.

Reed was not given a chance to show what he could do in a competitive environment under Ralph Hasenhuttl and is now showcasing his quality and value for Fulham week-in-week-out. It will be interesting to see whether or not any other Premier League clubs decide to take a gamble on him if the second-tier side fails to get back up to the top-flight this season.

AND in other news, Ralph confirms injury blow for Southampton “leader”, it’ll have fans feeling worried…

Leeds United’s youth team players could be the most exciting crop since the last time the Whites were in the Premier League, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Leeds youngster continue to impress

Leeds’  Under-23s were in Premier League 2 action on Friday night, playing out a thrilling 4-4 draw at home to Blackburn Rovers U23s.

Some glittering football was on show from the Whites, who sit fourth in the table and were only denied victory by a last-gasp equaliser from the visitors.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Hay left hugely impressed

Someone who was watching on was The Athletic‘s Hay, who took to Twitter to wax lyrical over the young players on show, saying Leeds haven’t had a better group in their ranks for a few decades, delivering a nine-word verdict:

“The best crop since the previous Premier League era.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-17/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Building for the future

While Bielsa’s men are enjoying a great period in the club’s history currently, it is vital that the long-term picture is always looked at.

Eventually, the Argentine will move on and key players will either age or leave as well, so ensuring there is top young talent to replace them is vital.

The current crop certainly look like a hugely gifted bunch, with Joe Gelhardt arguably a standout figure, and it will be fascinating to see how they continue to thrive as the Premier League 2 season progresses.

In other news, a worrying Marcelo Bielsa update has emerged. Read more here.

Celtic have suffered a ‘big hit’ in their attempts to sign Legia Warsaw’s Josip Juranovic, according to Croatian journalist Izak Ante Sucic.

The Lowdown: Juranovic links

The Hoops were first linked with a move for the 5 foot 9 Croatia international, while they were also looking at Royal Antwerp’s Aurelio Buta.

Celtic want to sign a right-back this month, with Ange Postecoglou relying heavily on Anthony Ralston so far this season.

A £3m move for Juranovic, who has featured as a right midfielder in each of his six starts this season, was reportedly close to completion, but it seems as if that transfer may now be in jeopardy.

The Latest: Sucic’s update

According to Sucic, who reports for Germanijak, Celtic’s formal offer was actually lower than their verbal agreement with Legia Warsaw.

He claimed on Friday evening that although a deal was not off, it has proven to be a ‘big hit’ which has changed ‘everything’.

“Update: As per our sources, deal is still not off, but there was a big hit. Verbally Celtic board agreed on one price, but then their formal offer was a lot smaller then expected. Both Juranovic and Legia Warszawa were interested, but this changes everything.”

Sucic added:

“At first, everyone expected easy deal for all three parties involved, Juranovic was interested, Legia willing to sell, Celtic in hurry to find new RB. Also, Celtic is looking into some other ‘more cheaper’ options. More to follow.”

The Verdict: ‘Cheaper’ option Couto?

Celtic’s cheaper option may well turn out to be Manchester City’s Yan Couto. The Hoops were holding out hope over a season-long loan deal for the 19-year-old, who attended Parkhead on Thursday for Celtic’s 3-0 win over Jablonec.

He now has his heart set on a move to Celtic Park, and although the Hoops seemingly tried to pull off a cut-price move for Juranovic, it appears as if they may well bolster their right-back ranks after all with the possible arrival of Couto.

In other news: Leeds now looking at Celtic’s ‘real deal’ alongside move for Leo Hjelde, says Phil Hay – report. 

Many West Ham United fans want the club to sign Salomon Rondon after it was revealed that the Hammers are looking to hijack the Venezuela international’s reported move to Premier League rivals Everton, as per The Daily Mail.

The end of the transfer window is fast approaching and the Hammers are in a mad rush to get their business done. They have recently captured the signing of Kurt Zouma from Chelsea (whufc.com), while they are also believed to be close to signing both Nikola Vlasic (Sky Sports) and Nicolas Tagliafico (De Telegraaf).

It now appears they are looking to bring in another striker – after all, David Moyes currently has just Michail Antonio up front in terms of centre-forwards. According to The Daily Mail, the Irons are looking to take Rondon to the London Stadium before the transfer window slams shut. The deal for the forward with 151 career goals, 35 of those in the Premier League (Transfermarkt), would be a loan.

The news has attracted plenty of attention from Hammers fans on Twitter, and these supporters took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the development.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Rondon link

“Wouldn’t say no to this”

Credit: @westham_latest

“YES PLEASE”

Credit: @danielluker10

“I’ll take him as a back up and as long as he knows he’s just a back up. Can score goals, good in the air, sometimes good to bring on a lump up top in the 88th min against United in the cup”

Credit: @sam_lummis

“I’d be happy with this. Wouldn’t be a starter but a very good option to bring on later in the game. Shown what he can offer with his time at Newcastle.”

Credit: @samcwhufc

“Seeing loads of people saying no to Solomon Rondon at West Ham. We literally have no back up striker. He’s tall and imposing, played in the league before and gives another option. If we can get him fairly cheap it’s a no brainer if you ask me.”

Credit: @Elliotttaylor_

“Welcome back to 2019. Tbf for right fee and wage I’d be down for this. Always thought he was underrated and would work as a very good backup to Antonio. Has a link with Vlasic to help both also.”

Credit: @MarkHarrison23

In other news, West Ham are set for talks with this 28-year-old.

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge is confident that Harry Kane will stay at Tottenham this summer.

Rumours linking the 28-year-old with a move away from the club, and more specifically, Man City, aren’t going away.

Kane first expressed his desire to leave his boyhood club prior to the end of the season, with the striker desperate to play in the Champions League and challenge for major trophies.

He won both the Golden Boot and Playmaker award in the Premier League last term, although his best efforts couldn’t help Spurs qualify for Europe’s elite competition.

Since the season ended, Kane has been strongly linked with Pep Guardiola’s side, although chairman Daniel Levy is expected to demand a Premier League record fee for City to bring the England captain to the Etihad having already knocked back their previous £100m bid.

Despite those claims, Bridge believes that the England captain will still be with the north London giants past August’s deadline.

He told Football FanCast:

“If you’d have asked me at the start of the summer, I would have said he probably would go, but as it’s the start of August and you look at what’s happened over the last few weeks, and even that Sun article, I don’t think it did him any favours, so he will probably stay.”

Newcastle United correspondent Mark Douglas expects more business at the club after a fee was agreed for Joe Willock. 

The lowdown

Arsenal have accepted a sum in excess of £20m for the midfielder, who spent the latter half of 2020/21 on loan at St James’ Park.

Provided he agrees to join, the 21-year-old is set to travel to the northeast in the next 24 hours and undergo a medical in the early part of this week. Assuming there are no late hitches, Willock would become the Magpies’ first signing of the summer.

According to Transfermarkt, Newcastle have yet to generate any funds from player exits in this transfer window, as the likes of Christian Atsu, Yoshinori Muto and Andy Carroll have all left on free transfers.

The Athletic’s Chris Waugh has labelled the club’s budget for this transfer window ‘meagre’ amid Mike Ashley’s efforts to sell up.

The latest

Douglas tweeted that he still believes there will be transfers in and out of Newcastle before the deadline at the end of this month. It won’t necessarily have to be permanent incomings either, with some loan slots available.

He added that Willock was their primary target heading into the transfer window, and that they ‘passed up other options to get him’.

Douglas outlined: “Still think #nufc will do more business – in & out – before deadline. Loan slots available & could be some trading to do.

“Willock was the one they wanted though; and have passed up other options to get him. Hopefully gamble will be shown to have paid off.”

The verdict

In light of the bleak assessment issued by Waugh, it’s somewhat surprising to see Newcastle splash out such a hefty fee for Willock, who could feasibly become the second-most expensive signing in their history given the fee which has reportedly been agreed for him.

What we don’t know at this stage, and what we’re keen to find out, is how the deal is structured, along with the extent to which a balancing of the books will now be required.

It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if loans made up the rest of their arrivals, though, if most of the summer budget goes on a permanent deal for Willock.

In other news, a Newcastle journalist issued this claim on Steve Bruce’s future.

Lots of Wolves fans have been left buzzing as a transfer update emerged on Matheus Nunes.

As per A Bola, the central midfield player is currently ‘on the radar’ of the Midlands club, and new manager Bruno Lage has him ‘referenced’.

Sporting Lisbon are ‘open to negotiation’, but want a fee of at least €18m (£15.4m) if they are to sell him in the summer window.

Playing in 31 matches in Liga NOS in the 2020/21 season, scoring three goals and making a further two assists (Transfermarkt), Nunes was a key player in Sporting’s first title win since 2002.

Described as being ‘unbelievable’ with the ball at his feet by former teammate Goncalo Santos last month, the 22-year-old would certainly add some flair in the middle of the park for the Molineux faithful, should they be able to secure his signature.

Wolves fans on Nunes transfer update

These WWFC supporters buzzed as the transfer update on Nunes was shared by Talking Wolves on their Twitter page:

“Get it done Jeff.”

Credit: @RichBerry50

“I LIKEY”

Credit: @Cal_Wood1990

“Seen a lot of good stuff from when he was linked with Everton. Hopefully this is true”

Credit: @wwfcnaasif

“This would be smart, CM capable of carrying the ball in a Doucoure, Anguissa mould”

Credit: @roneilcallo

“Nunes yes please”

Credit: @ScottHickmanfc

“Yes please”

Credit: @david44809679

In other news, find out what exit rumour has Wanderers talking here!

The Athletic’s Crystal Palace correspondent, Matt Woosnam, says the club are exploring a lot of opportunities in this summer’s transfer window, amid many new centre-back links.

After signing Marc Guehi from Chelsea, the Daily Mail reported that Palace were interested in Schalke centre back Ozan Kabak, who was on loan at Liverpool last season.

The Turkish international is currently at Schalke 04, but with the club relegated from the Bundesliga last season, a deal worth around £12million could be enough to prise him away to London, according to the Daily Mail.

After experienced duo Gary Cahill, Mamadou Sakho and Scott Dann all leaving Selhurst Park this summer following the expiry of their contracts, James Tomkins was the only recognised centre-half on Palace’s books, before the club purchased Guehi from Chelsea.

With this in mind, it will be an area of the pitch that new Palace manager Patrick Vieira will want to strengthen.

The Eagles have also been linked with moves for West Brom’s Kyle Bartley and Issa Diop of West Ham, with Woosnam telling TT: “I’ve seen those rumours. I think that they’re exploring a lot of opportunities, a lot of players, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they did sign any of those.”

With a new manager at the helm and three new signings already arriving at Selhurst Park this summer, it could be a very exciting transfer window for Crystal Palace.

Interest is growing in Birmingham City midfielder Fran Villalba this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a reports in the Spanish media outlet, which claim that Sporting de Gijon are targeting the 23-year-old Blues midfielder as a potential replacement for Manu Garcia, who is wanted by Real Betis Balompie.

It has also been reported that Lee Bowyer is prepared to part with the former Spain U19 international this summer, as he has just one year remaining on his current contract at St. Andrew’s.

Bowyer will be buzzing

Having made just 17 appearances for Birmingham since joining the club from Valencia CF back in the summer of 2019, it would seem a fair statement to make that the man the Blues dubbed “one of Spain’s most exciting prospects” upon his arrival in England has not quite lived up to expectations.

Indeed, having made his debut for Valencia as a 17-year-old back in 2015, the £1.35m-rated man went on to impress during a loan spell at CD Numancia in 2018/19, scoring four goals and registering seven assists over his 39 LaLiga 2 appearances that season.

This form was enough to convince Birmingham of a move for the £5.3k-per-week midfielder, awarding Villalba a three-year deal at the club back in 2018.

However, having scored just one goal over his 17 Championship appearances in the first half of the club’s 2019/20 campaign, the Spaniard failed has failed to make a single for Birmingham appearance since, being loaned out to UD Almeria for the second half of the season, as well as for the entirety of 2020/21.

As such, the fact that Bowyer has the chance to keep the man once likened to David Silva off the club’s books next season is sure to have left the 44-year-old buzzing, as both the space the departing Spaniard would free up in his squad, as well the money saved on his wages, will help the manager land one of his own targets in the position this summer.

In other news: Nixon drops transfer claim on 21 y/o gem with a “huge future”, it’s good news for BCFC