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Journalist Patrick Berger has now revealed who Newcastle United’s ‘top target’ is after Sven Botman.

The Lowdown: Botman deal agreed

It has been reported that a deal has now been agreed for Botman to move to St. James’ Park from Lille, making him their third summer signing after Matt Targett and Nick Pope, assuming he agrees personal terms.

With a central defender, left-back and goalkeeper already signed, the North East club can now focus on strengthening in other areas of the pitch ahead of the new season.

The Latest: Diaby the ‘top target’

Taking to Twitter, Berger of SPORT1 has revealed that Diaby is now the ‘top target’ for the Tynesiders after Botman, although he has ‘no intention’ of moving to the Magpies:

“Moussa Diaby is the top target for Newcastle United. NUFC set to pay €35-40m for the Frenchman. Leverkusen demanding way more then €60m. I am told player is open for a move but has no intention to go to Newcastle. The winger is also on the list of Paris Saint-Germain.”

The Verdict: Shame

It is a shame that Diaby does not seem to want to move to the Toon, despite them registering their interest.

In a similar mould to Allan Saint-Maximin, the French winger has been praised by German media for his ‘amazing’ dribbling, ‘irresistible’ pace and ‘astonishing’ speed of thought, and he was even called ‘unstoppable’ after scoring one goal and setting up another in a 4-0 thrashing of Borussia Monchengladbach last season (Bundesliga).

Diaby scored no fewer than 17 goals and supplied a further 14 assists in total over all competitions last term (Transfermarkt), and would give Eddie Howe’s team another dimension in attack, should they be able to persuade him to join.

Journalist Rudy Galetti of Sport Italia TV and Tribal Football has shared an exciting Manchester City transfer development involving Leeds United star Kalvin Phillips.

The Lowdown: City earmark Phillips…

Club legend Fernandinho has drawn the curtain on a glittering nine-year stay at Eastlands as manager Pep Guardiola targets possible midfield replacements.

The Brazilian will be remembered by Blues for his crucial contribution over City’s decade-long dominance of the Premier League and whoever comes in may have some big shoes to fill.

Guardiola and co, looking to build upon their dramatic final day title-win last season, have reportedly earmarked the possible signing of Phillips with things expected to develop in the coming weeks.

The Latest: Galetti shares exciting update…

According to reporter Galetti, sharing news on Twitter, talks are ‘progressing quickly’ to sign the 26-year-old with an ‘official offer’ set to be ‘presented soon’.

He explained:

“Next hours in Manchester, City side will be hot for Kalvin Phillips: the official offer to Leeds should be presented soon. As reported in preview in the last days, the negotiation is progressing quickly.”

The Verdict: Promising…

Valued at around £60 million and revered for some of his performances over the last year, we believe the dynamic England international could be an ideal heir to Fernandinho in front of City’s back four.

According to WhoScored, when fit and available, he averaged more successful tackles per 90 than any one in Guardiola’s squad over 21/22 with teammate Liam Cooper even branding Phillips one of the best in the world.

City’s interest is of no surprise ahead of what will be an interesting 2022/2023 campaign with the likes of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez already arriving.

In other news: Man City now a ‘dream’ destination for very exciting defender…find out more here.

Pundit Paddy Kenny has been left bemoaning some worrying news that he has now heard from Glasgow Rangers.

The Lowdown: Scoulding to leave…

As per The Daily Telegraph, chief scout at Ibrox Andy Scoulding is now set to join Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the start of the new season.

He has played a big part in some successful signings for the Gers over the years, including Joe Aribo from Charlton Athletic, Calvin Bassey from Leicester City’s academy and Ryan Kent after a loan spell from Liverpool, all who have seen their market value increase significantly and attract interest from the Premier League during their time at the club.

The Latest: Kenny reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, Kenny has now given his reaction after hearing the news, with the 44-year-old claiming that it is a ‘massive, massive blow’ for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team:

“It’s important for Rangers to get these sorts of players in.

“It’s important to get them in for cheap or on a free before moving them on for big money, that’s how they keep going.

“To lose someone like him to Spurs, I’m sure it will be a massive, massive blow to Rangers going forward.

“I’m sure there are other scouts there who can do that job but if this guy is going to Tottenham then he must be good.

“Rangers have never struggled with transfers but to lose a guy like that, who has signed those players, it’s a blow.”

The Verdict: Worrying

It certainly is worrying for the Light Blues going forward to lose someone in Scoulding who has such a big influence at the club.

The summer transfer window is now open, and they will no longer be able to rely on his expertise in terms of finding hidden gems in the market.

Nonetheless, the Teddy Bears will need to bring in a replacement as soon as possible, so that they can continue the great work that Scoulding has done.

In other news, find out which ‘unstoppable’ predator RFC now hold an ‘interest’ in here!

Liverpool are apparently willing to listen to offers for reported Aston Villa target Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. 

The lowdown

The Daily Mirror’s chief football writer John Cross wrote late in May that Villa are keen to sign Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Villa are said to be on ‘red alert’ as they potentially look to pounce on a player Steven Gerrard has ‘long’ admired.

Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has won the Premier League and Champions League at Anfield, is out of contract in 2023.

Cross suggested that an offer in excess of £10million may be enough to tempt Liverpool.

The latest

Paul Joyce, Northern Football Correspondent for The Times, shared an update on Oxlade-Chamberlain in an article on Monday.

The Reds will allow the Englishman to depart the club this summer if they receive a suitable bid.

The verdict

Oxlade-Chamberlain will surely be open to departing. His last appearance of the 2021/22 season came in an FA Cup quarterfinal against Nottingham Forest on March 20.

This isn’t doing his hopes of adding to his 35 England caps any good whatsoever.

The 28-year-old is a highly versatile player, having been deployed in central midfield and on both flanks.

Jurgen Klopp even fielded him as a centre-forward when Aston Villa visited Anfield in December 2021.

Gerrard would potentially value this, while he’s also commended the player’s ‘power’, ‘speed’ and ‘class’ during a punditry stint at BT Sport.

Oxlade-Chamberlain even said during his time at Arsenal that he’s ‘always wanted to be Steven Gerrard’, and so he may relish the chance to work with him.

In other news, Steven Gerrard has a left-back target in mind. 

Tottenham Hotspur risk making a disaster amid mooted interest in Clement Lenglet…

What’s the word?

According to football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, the FC Barcelona centre-back features on Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici’s defensive shortlist and as a left-footed option, he makes a lot of sense.

Spurs have also targeted Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol but could be priced out of a move for either.

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It’s thought that the Italian sporting director tried to sign the France international on loan during the early days of his tenure last summer but he wanted to remain at the Catalan giants.

However, their financial woes now mean that the 26-year-old could be expendable, though it remains to be seen how much he’d command. CIES Football Observatory value him at €30m (£26m).

Big mistake

Whilst the 6 foot 1 colossus fits the bill as the left-sided centre-back that Conte desperately needs, a move for him could spell disaster as he’s just not good enough to elevate Spurs onto the next level.

Lenglet started only seven LaLiga games during the 2021/22 campaign, often being sat behind the young duo of Eric Garcia and Ronald Araujo, which is a rather damning indictment of his quality.

That’s if his 6.3 average WhoScored rating didn’t tell enough – the worst of any Barca player to feature in over 500 minutes of game time.

During last summer’s European Championships, the 26-year-old’s defending was described as being “comically weak” by The Athletic reporter Liam Twomey.

When you factor in his £92k-per-week wages, on top of his current estimated value, this transfer swoop could indeed be something of a disaster from Paratici.

He delivered with Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur but Emerson Royal and Bryan Gil have struggled to make much of an impact, and Lenglet would likely fit into the latter bracket, given his recent performances on both the domestic and international stage.

When you consider the other names on the shortlist, mainly the aforementioned pairing of Bastoni and Gvardiol, then you’d imagine the Frenchman is the weakest choice and Conte shouldn’t settle for that after sealing Champions League qualification.

He’d only hold back their ambition.

AND in other news, Antonio Conte’s centre-back summer wish list revealed…

Leeds United have been dealt a setback in their pursuit of Morgan Gibbs-White.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sun, who claim that Southampton are now leading the race to sign the Wolverhampton Wanderers attacking midfielder – who is also reported to be a target of Victor Orta – this summer.

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The report goes on to state that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side are willing to offer a figure in the region of £20m in order to land the England U21 international, while it is claimed that Wolves could be tempted into a big-money sale of the forward – despite recent reports suggesting that Bruno Lage has offered Gibbs-White a new contract at Molineux.

Imagine him & Aaronson

With Victor Orta having already sealed the extremely exciting signing of Brenden Aaronson this summer, the prospect of the Spaniard pairing the USA international with Gibbs-White in Jesse Marsch’s midfield will certainly be a mouthwatering one for the Elland Road faithful.

Indeed, over his 37 Championship appearances on loan at Sheffield United this season, the £9.9m-rated forward undoubtedly proved he is ready for top-flight football next term, scoring 12 goals, registering ten assists and creating 16 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.5 shots, making 1.6 key passes and completing 1.4 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the £1.5k-per-week talent who Pete Smith dubbed “dangerous” and Chris Basham claimed “glides past players” average a quite extraordinary WhoScore match rating of 7.14, not only ranking him as Paul Heckingbottom’s best performer in the league but also as the joint fifth-best player in the division as a whole.

As such, while it would appear as if Orta will face a tough battle in order to get a deal over the line for Gibbs-White this summer, the struggle would very much look to be worth it, as the 22-year-old would undoubtedly make an excellent addition to the former Red Bull Salzburg starlet in the Whites attack next season.

And, if he is available for a figure in the region of £20m, the England youth international would also represent something of a bargain, leading us to believe that Orta must do everything in his power to land the Wolves starlet in the coming months.

AND in other news: Jesse Marsch could unearth Rice 2.0 with 8-figure Leeds bid for “sensational” target

Tottenham Hotspur winger Dejan Kulusevski put on an attacking masterclass as he terrorised Norwich City to secure Champions League football in N17 next season.

The Sweden international bagged two of Spurs’ five goals before he was substituted in the 68th minute but by then, he had long made his mark, allowing Heung-min Son to swoop in and capitalise on a broken Canaries backline.

Indeed, the South Korean sensation also bagged himself a brace, which was enough to see him share the Premier League’s Golden Boot with Mohamed Salah but it was the Juventus loanee who was arguably the clear-cut standout at Carrow Road.

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Earning an 8.9 rating on SofaScore, the 22-year-old dynamo was a constant threat in the final third, not only registering a total of three shots but also managing a whopping five successful dribbles from six attempts, easily bypassing Dimitrios Giannoulis on the right flank.

Kulusevski also provided two key passes, meaning he created a pair of chances for his attacking counterparts, Son and Harry Kane. Furthermore, he amazingly won eight of his nine duels (88%), only further emphasising how he had his way with Dean Smith’s defence.

Elsewhere, the £31.5m-rated marksman also put in one tackle and one interception as he capped off his fine half-season at the club in style.

His contribution took his total tally for Spurs to five goals and eight assists from 20 appearances, averaging a direct contribution once every 97.5 minutes – almost one every game.

It’s no wonder manager Antonio Conte was able to turn things around to guide the north Londoners back into Europe’s top competition.

As The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick wrote in his post-match ratings column, Kulusevski was “decisive again” before going onto praise his selfless nature.

Once lauded as a “monster” by Italian Football expert Nima Tavallaey Roodsari, Juventus’ loss has certainly been Tottenham’s gain and we got to witness yet another fine display from the young winger.

Kulusevski absolutely terrorised the Canaries with his attacking exploits as he helped secure a lucrative top-four finish in the Premier League.

AND in other news, Spurs dealt Cristian Romero injury setback…

Former Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has been left excited by a potentially ‘perfect’ signing for David Moyes at West Ham United.

The Lowdown: West Ham set for busy summer…

The signing of a striker is just one wish for Moyes as he reportedly eyes three major additions.

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West Ham also have their sights on a central defender and midfielder but priority should arguably be given to a new centre-forward, especially since they’re too overly-reliant on Michail Antonio in that position.

Some promising reports have emerged in recent days, particularly surrounding Arsenal striker and soon-to-be free agent Eddie Nketiah.

The Daily Mail claim West Ham are in pole position and seen as favourites to sign the 22-year-old on a Bosman deal, prompting Kenny to give his excited verdict.

The Latest: Kenny reacts…

The 43-year-old, excited by this development, has told Football Insider this would be a ‘perfect’ signing for Moyes and ‘brilliant piece of business’.

He explained:

“West Ham have needed a backup striker since January.

“I think it has cost them in the end because Antonio has dried up and his fitness is always in question anyway.

“If they have the opportunity to sign Nketiah on a free, well, he’s already in London. I imagine they are favourites.

“West Ham is a massive club as well, with a massive fan base. Any player would be lucky to go there.

“For me, it’s a great signing and it would be a brilliant piece of business if he comes on a free.

“I think he’s perfect for what they are looking for.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

The Englishman arguably fits Moyes’ idea of a top striker – young, hungry, homegrown and can find the net.

He’s been in fine recent form, scoring four goals in his last five top flight games under Mikel Arteta, and pundit Noel Whelan has also claimed in the past that he would be a ‘fantastic signing’ for West Ham – even likening Nketiah to Jermain Defoe (Football Insider).

As this many ex-professionals urge the Irons to do a deal, we believe this summer is better time as any given the forward’s pending exit.

In other news: West Ham ‘monster’ set to leave as golden opportunity emerges for summer transfer, find out more here.

Steve Bruce is reportedly now ready to raid Newcastle United in the summer by signing Karl Darlow for West Brom.

The Lowdown: Darlow out of favour

The goalkeeper has largely been out of favour at St James’ Park this term, having played just eight times in the Premier League and not featuring since November (Transfermarkt).

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This is in contrast to last season, when he played 26 times in the top flight, and he even kept current number one Martin Dubravka on the bench after some impressive displays.

Former Tottenham and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson even went as far as to call the 31-year-old “exceptional”, but it seems as if the Slovakian is firmly the number one now under Eddie Howe.

The Latest: Darlow wanted by Albion

As per The Sun, Bruce is now ready to raid his former club for Darlow this summer, and West Brom could get him on loan should Newcastle bring in another goalkeeper.

However, the Magpies would prefer to sell him on a permanent deal in order to help raise funds for new arrivals.

The Verdict: Time to sell

Given that he is now 31 years of age and is clearly not first choice under Howe, it is perhaps the right time for Newcastle to sell Darlow.

The 6 foot 3 colossus was impressive when called upon last term, but the board may want to bring in a new and established goalkeeper to replace Dubravka, with Manchester United ace Dean Henderson the latest such name to be linked with a move to Tyneside.

Nonetheless, Darlow needs to be playing more regularly, and he will probably not get much game-time if he stays at St James’ Park.

In other news, find out who NUFC are now ‘confident’ of signing this summer

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Manchester City midfielder Fernandinho will leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season.

The Lowdown: End of an era

The 37-year-old joined the Cityzens in a £30m move from Shakhtar Donetsk back in 2013 and has enjoyed plenty of success during his time in Manchester, winning 13 trophies including the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup on multiple occasions.

The Brazil veteran revealed during a press conference with the media last month that he had decided that this would be his final campaign playing for City, but with Guardiola admitting that he would love the midfielder to remain at the club, there was a possibility that he might have had a change of heart.

However, it appears as though that’s not the case…

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The Latest: Fernandinho returning to Brazil

Taking to Twitter to deliver a fresh update on Fernandinho’s future, Romano shot down any lingering hope that there may have been of a U-turn from the 37-year-old.

The journalist outlined: “Fernandinho hasn’t changed his mind and he’ll leave Manchester City in the summer, as already announced. His priority is to go back to Brazil.

“Pep wanted Fernandinho to stay but it’s a personal decision… and Man City will go a new midfielder this summer.”

The Verdict: He’ll be a massive loss

The departure of the 53-cap Brazil international will come as a huge loss not only to Guardiola but the club as a whole, with Fernandinho making an astonishing 380 appearances, scoring 26 goals and registering 33 assists across all competitions during that time, via Transfermarkt.

The City skipper was once dubbed a “sensational” player by Sky Sports pundit and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville, and he has been a massively influential player in the middle of the park where there will be huge boots to fill, no matter who City end up signing as his replacement.

If Fernandinho is to return to his homeland, this would more than likely take him to the end of his playing career given his age, and it’s fair to say that his time in English football is something that he will be able to look back upon as a very successful one in years to come.

In other news… a talkSPORT pundit has defended Guardiola over this recent decision