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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly leading the race to sign Franck Kessie…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Italian outlet Calciomercato, who claim the 25-year-old midfielder is yet to agree on a contract extension at Serie A giants AC Milan and with his current deal set to expire in the summer, he could depart the San Siro for nothing.

Spurs are among the Premier League teams chasing his signature and are the favourites to seal him, whilst Paris Saint-Germain are also interested.

Kessie is free to speak to teams outside of Italy from January, meaning the north London outfit could secure a pre-contract agreement with the 52-time Ivory Coast international, who is currently valued at €30m (£26m) by CIES Football Observatory.

Shades of Dembele

Whilst manager Antonio Conte may have to wait until next season to see the talents of Kessie in action, he would still be a mighty fine addition to his engine room.

The bustling midfield enforcer could well bring shades of Mousa Dembele back to N17. He’s capable of being an absolute rock defensively with his big physical attributes, whilst also being able to drive forward with the ball. He even has a goal or two in him, too.

Among Milan’s three best performers in the Serie A this season, Kessie has scored five goals in 13 starts, to add to his 13 goals last term.

Meanwhile, since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, he’s averaged at least 1.3 tackles, 0.8 interceptions, 0.9 dribbles and 0.8 key passes, via WhoScored, which shows his influence at both ends of the pitch.

Such consistent form has led to high praise indeed.

His former Rossoneri boss Vincenzo Montella once lauded him as an “extraordinary player” with “sublime intelligence”, whilst ex-Milan frontman Antonio Cassano likened him to Yaya Toure and dubbed him “devastating.”

“I want Kessie in my team, he scores, he assists, he has personality, he has quality, he doesn’t lose the ball, he’s intelligent. I’m watching him carefully, with Roma it was devastating,” he said. “It reminds me of the Yaya Toure of the best times. He is a different player, but in terms of impact. He is holding Milan’s midfield alone.”

You could argue that Spurs have lacked that sort of physical ball-carrying beast in the heart of their midfield for quite some time and it would appear that Kessie seems a perfect fit to solve that lingering problem.

Therefore, it would make sense for sporting director Fabio Paratici to push ahead to try and land the Ivorian machine over some of their biggest rivals.

It would be an absolute steal, not having to pay a transfer fee, and in Kessie, the Lilywhites could well discover their next Dembele – a mouth-watering prospect indeed.

AND in other news, Conte can finally axe Spurs’ “liability” by signing £36m-rated “absolute beast” in Jan – opinion

As per The Athletic, an update has emerged involving Aston Villa, Leeds United and West Ham United goalkeeper Darren Randolph as more January news comes to light.

The Lowdown: West Ham have quiet window…

In the last week of the winter window, multiple reports of marquee bids and last gasp striker signing attempts came out of the woodwork as the Hammers left it too late to bring someone through the door.

Indeed, West Ham and manager David Moyes apparently made big offers for star Leeds United duo Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips before turning their attention to deadline day striker swoops for Benfica’s Darwin Nunez and Duvan Zapata of Atalanta.

Jesse Lingard was also the subject of intense final day interest but recruitment chief Rob Newman fell short in all of these last gasp attempts.

In some exit news, sharing who West Ham and Moyes stopped from leaving, The Athletic have made a claim involving Randolph.

The Latest: West Ham block Randolph exit…

According to their sources, the Irons told their third-choice shot stopper he couldn’t join Leeds or Villa as both sides plotted loan moves for the 50-cap shot stopper.

Indeed, despite being on the very fringes of West Ham’s first team, Moyes held firm and refused to green-light a temporary exit for Randolph.

The Verdict: Wrong move?

Given the 34-year-old’s lack of game time at the London Stadium, we believe not sanctioning a move away is a strange call.

Loanee second-choice goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has barely been granted game-time himself, starting just one Premier League game all season, making you wonder what purpose Randolph has sitting behind the Frenchman.

Randolph’s current deal expires in 2023, giving West Ham two more transfer windows to make a profit off his sale, and letting him attempt to establish game time at another Premier League side could’ve potentially done wonders for his market value.

Ex-Real Madrid defender Jonathan Woodgate, Randolph’s former boss, even called the player ‘outstanding’ during their time together at Middlesbrough – perhaps indicating he is wasted on the sidelines.

In other news: ‘Fancies West Ham’…£18m man ‘let down’ after failed January move, find out more here.

According to a report by the Daily Star, making a big contract claim, Tottenham Hotspur attacker Son Heung-min is close to agreeing a new deal in north London despite the noise surrounding Harry Kane and his future.

Tottenham closing in on welcome Son contract news

Indeed, as per this report, Son is in the final stages of agreeing an extension to his deal at Spurs which has been on the table since September – with the South Korean star looking ‘set’ to commit his future.

The 28-year-old has been brilliant at points this season, particularly earlier in the 2020/2021 campaign when he partnered Kane to devastating effect going forward.

Excluding the England skipper, Son has accumulated the team’s most goals (15) and assists (9) combined this season (WhoScored), and this development that Tottenham are closing in on a new deal for him could come as ‘welcome news’, as explained by the Star.

Transfer Tavern take

Amid all the reports linking Tottenham with a plethora of new managers, Lilywhites will be hoping that they can indeed secure someone who is arguably their second most valuable player.

Still in his prime, Son has plenty of seasons ahead of him and his stay could prove even more crucial to Spurs if Kane opts for pastures new this summer.

Judging by his and Kane’s once formidable partnership, Spurs fans will be praying both men remain and rediscover that form for the 2021/2022 season, and perhaps agreeing a new deal for his mate can actually convince Kane his future belongs in north London too.

In other news: This manager now eyeing the job at Tottenham, find out more here.

Rangers are open to offers for youngster Josh McPake this summer, according to The Daily Record’s Live Sports Editor Gavin Berry. 

The lowdown

The 20-year-old right winger is currently in the midst of a fifth spell out on loan from Ibrox.

After temporary stints with Dundee and Greenock Morton, he has since spent time with three English clubs in Harrogate Town, Morecambe and most recently Tranmere Rovers.

The Morecambe loan was terminated in January following an ankle injury, with Rangers hopeful of an upturn in fortunes when he dropped down a division to the Merseyside club in League Two.

He still has more than two years left to run on his contract at Ibrox.

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The latest

Berry wrote for The Daily Record that McPake ‘hasn’t kicked on in the way that he or Rangers would have hoped this season’.

As a result, he is unlikely to make a first-team breakthrough at Ibrox, so the Gers will look to facilitate either a permanent exit or a further loan move during the transfer window.

The verdict

The start of McPake’s time at Prenton Park was positive, with Tranmere manager Micky Mellon handing him six straight starts. However, clearly the Rovers boss wasn’t all that impressed as the 20-year-old has now fallen down the pecking order.

Indeed, since that run of games in January, he has only made the starting XI on three occasions, and he has been an unused substitute in four of the team’s last six matches, featuring for a meagre three minutes.

He is no doubt a talented player, having featured for Scotland’s under-21s in June last year and earned some rave reviews. Simon Weaver, his manager during his time at Harrogate, said that the ‘excellent’ winger is ‘blessed with ability’ and proved ‘too hot to handle’ at times.

However, McPake – who has five goals and three assists to his name so far in his senior career – hasn’t taken the next step this season, and the outlook now looks fairly bleak for him under Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Rangers.

In other news, Jordan Campbell reacts to this Rangers development

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to a stunning run by Mohamed Salah during international duty with Egypt.

The 28-year-old has matured into one of the biggest names in world football in the last few years following his incredible performances for the Reds.

Salah has scored a remarkable 119 goals in 192 appearances for Liverpool, chipping in with 45 assists for good measure.

This season, the Egyptian has carried his side’s attack in many ways, with Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino out of form and Diogo Jota injured for several months.

It isn’t just at club level where Salah is the main man, either, with the world-class forward Egypt’s undisputed star player. He has scored 43 times in 69 caps for his country, inspiring them to the 2018 World Cup, and is mobbed everywhere he goes in his homeland.

On Monday, Salah produced a stunning Lionel Messi-esque run in during Egpyt’s 4-0 win over Comoros, with the Reds superstar also scoring twice.

Liverpool fans laud Salah

Here are the best reactions from Reds supporters on Twitter as they showed their love for Salah.

“Imagine he got a goal out of it. Oh my days, he’s too good”

Credit: @tashaaa2000

“Salah cAnt dRibbLe”Credit: @SmittyJimbo”Ramos shaking”Credit: @NazH92″Reminiscent to the Watford game”Credit: @CurtisEra20″Real Madrid, he is coming for you…”Credit: @ournumberfour”Messi who?”Credit: @abougalala_adam

In other news, some Liverpool fans are worried about the future of one Reds player after a big transfer report on Monday. Read more here.

According to Fichajes, Southampton are interested in signing Real Sociedad winger Adnan Januzaj this summer.

The Lowdown: Saints prepare for new season

The Saints had a mixed season last time out, reaching the FA Cup semi-finals but also finishing in 15th place in the table despite briefly going top in November.

As such, Ralph Hasenhuttl is likely to target a number of new signings this summer, and one former Manchester United man is said to be on his radar.

The Latest: Saints eye Januzaj

It has been reported that Southampton are interested in capturing the services of Januzaj, who currently plays in Spain for Real Sociedad but has been touted for an exit from the club.

Brighton are also said to be in pursuit of the 26-year-old winger, according to Fichajes.

The Verdict: Still plenty to give

Many football fans will remember when the Belgium international burst onto the scene as a teenager in 2013 – he scored four goals and provided four assists in the Premier League in his first full campaign at Manchester United (Transfermarkt). He was even compared to Old Trafford legend Wayne Rooney by then-Red Devils manager David Moyes (Sky Sports).

However, he has been unable to live up to those initial expectations, managing just 24 goals throughout his professional career. Still, he has played in many of Europe’s top leagues and has won 13 caps for a Belgium side ranked first in the world, and he could still bring plenty of attacking endeavour to the Saints.

Nimble with the ball at his feet, Januzaj averaged 1.7 dribbles per game last season – for context, only Stuart Armstrong (2.1) could beat that within Southampton’s squad.

For the right price, it could be a good deal for Hasenhuttl and co to bring in the former Manchester United talent, especially if he is open to leaving Real Sociedad.

In other news, many Southampton fans have reacted to news on this in-form striker.

Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has been tipped as a possible shrewd addition at Aston Villa.

A number of Villa supporters have been sharing their thoughts on comments from pundit Dean Windass on social media regarding this potential transfer.

Alli has three years remaining on his Spurs contract, but he has fallen out of favour in north London over the past 12 months. The England international started just seven Premier League games last term under Jose Mourinho and Ryan Mason, five of which came in the final five fixtures of the campaign, having been a scorer of 18 league goals in 2016/17, the best season of his career so far.

Nuno Espirito Santo is the new man in charge at Tottenham and Villa have made the signing of a number 10 their transfer priority; and Windass feels that Alli could shine in the Midlands if he makes such a move.

Speaking to Football FanCast, the former Hull striker believes that the Spurs playmaker could fit in at Villa, saying:

“The new manager might want to keep Alli, but I don’t think Kane will be staying so their main focus will be trying to get another centre forward quickly.

“I think Dele would fit in well at Villa and he needs to start playing again.

“He needs to start being a bit more confident as well because it does demoralise you when you don’t play and the manager doesn’t rate you.”

Villa fans react

@AVFC_News shared their story regarding Windass’ comments on Alli multiple times on Twitter.

Here is what these Villa fans had to say in reply, with many in favour of a possible swoop. One describing him as ‘quality’, while another alluded to the off-field friendship between the 25-year-old and Jack Grealish.

“Yes please!! Dele is a quality player who’s been wronged by his club! He looked quality when he came in towards the end of the season and he’s just coming into peak age!! Good pals with Jack too so bonus there too”Credit: @danskyba”I think it’s worth a gamble”Credit: @Sean_2431″Yes, simple answer”Credit: @mattym1985″Did see sparks of his former self after Mourinho left and he’s still only 25. Who knows what the issue has been but surely there’s still a class player in there. It’s possibly still a risk but coming to a positive environment and at the right price – maybe? Jack might like it too”Credit: @JamieChesterman”People comparing Dele to Barkley are jumping the shark imo. Dele is spectacular and can win a game on his own. If the teams struggling Ross switched off. Don’t see Dele doing so”Credit: @DarthVaDan”Unfair to put him in same bag as Barkley….. don’t believe his attitude would be the same…Yes of course we’d prefer Smith Rowe but if we don’t get him I think Dele Alli would be a great addition”Credit: @CliffRoberts1

In other news: ‘Absolute madness’, ‘Leave us alone’ – Many AVFC fans erupt at ‘garbage’ transfer news, find out more here.

Southampton have been linked with moves for Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Winks recently but who would be the better addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side?

Harry Winks:

According to Football Insider, Southampton are keeping tabs on the England international, who has struggled to force his way into Jose Mourinho’s plans at Spurs in recent months.

The 25-year-old has made just seven starts in the top-flight this season and has struggled to impress, as he seemingly doesn’t suit Mourinho’s counter-attacking style of play, which perhaps relies on hard-tackling, box-to-box midfielders rather than a playmaker such as Winks.

Although he has now made 167 appearances for Spurs having progressed through their academy, he has just four goals and four assists to his name, so wouldn’t offer Hasenhuttl’s side much in an attacking sense.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles:

According to The Telegraph, Southampton are likely to return for Maitland-Niles in the summer after seeing a January loan move for the 23-year-old breakdown, with the Arsenal academy graduate keen to leave his boyhood club after a lack of first-team opportunities under Mikel Arteta.

Since joining West Brom on loan, the England international has made eight appearances for the Baggies and averaged a solid 6.61 rating for Sam Allardyce’s side and will have a chance to impress Hasenhuttl when Southampton travel to the Hawthorns on Monday evening.

Although he has suggested that he wants to play as a midfielder, some of his most impressive displays at Arsenal have come as a wing-back, so he could offer the Austrian manager excellent cover at full-back next season should he join.

Who would be better?

Maitland-Niles has clearly outperformed Winks this season despite playing in a poorer team, so would arguably be a better option in the summer for Southampton.

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He would offer Hasenhuttl more versatility and is younger than Winks so has more scope to improve in the future, whilst his reported interest in leaving Arsenal could see his asking price lowered.

Stuart Pearce claimed earlier in the season that he thought Maitland-Niles had been “outstanding” for Arsenal at the start of the season, so he could definitely add something to Southampton if he were to make the move to St Mary’s.

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Therefore, Martin Semmens should perhaps forget about signing Winks and instead focus on bringing the £16.2m-rated Maitland-Niles to Southampton this summer.

And, in other news… Bye-bye Bertrand: Saints could repeat KWP masterclass by signing £9m-rated gem

According to Gazzetta dello Sport (via sportslens.com), Tottenham are still interested in signing Marcel Sabitzer from RB Leipzig this summer.

The Lowdown: Spurs prepare for new campaign

While Tottenham remain without a permanent manager, Daniel Levy will surely be looking to bring in new players this summer.

With Harry Kane asking to leave the club (Sky Sports) and the likes of Davinson Sanchez (Football Insider) and Dele Alli linked with the exit door, it promises to be a busy few months.

The Latest: Spurs remain in the hunt for Sabitzer

Tottenham were heavily linked with a move for the Austria international last year (SportBild), but he ended up staying at Leipzig.

However, this latest report suggests they are still eager to sign him from the Bundesliga outfit. He was a strong target for Jose Mourinho, but he remains on the north London outfit’s radar even without the Portuguese boss in charge.

The Verdict: Top quality target

Sabitzer has enjoyed another impressive campaign with Leipzig. He scored nine times and provided seven assists in 39 appearances in all competitions (Transfermarkt) as he captained the team throughout the campaign. He will also be representing Austria at the upcoming European Championships. Such is his importance to Leipzig, journalist Archie Rhind-Tutt labelled him as a “lynchpin” earlier this year (inews.co.uk).

With 109 goals to his name throughout his career for club and country despite being a midfielder, £37.8m-valued Sabitzer (Transfermarkt) could be a real threat in the Premier League. He has just one year remaining on his contract this summer, so the German side could face the decision of cashing in to avoid losing him for free next season.

In other news, Tottenham could sell this Champions League star this summer.

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…