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Liverpool are plotting a summer move for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice, and he could make the perfect partner for Fabinho.

What’s the story?

According to journalist Dean Jones (via GIVEMESPORT) Liverpool are ‘going to be interested’ in Rice when the transfer window opens this summer.

He said: “Of course, they’re going to be interested in Declan Rice because if Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea have had that player on their radar, then you kind of at least have got to consider whether you’re going to need him.”

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They are among a number of Premier League clubs who are interested in signing the Englishman to bolster their options in the middle of the park.

The report says that Rice has recently turned down a contract offer at the London Stadium and would be open to a move. However, his contract doesn’t expire for another two years, and the Hammers are said to have the option to extend that by a further year, so he would fetch a high price. The Daily Mail have reported that the club would be asking for a British record £150m fee for him.

Imagine him and Fabinho

Although Liverpool supporters shouldn’t get too excited as they will face stiff competition for his signature, he would be the perfect signing for them and would partner Fabinho extremely well.

Earlier this month it was reported by Football Insider that Jurgen Klopp has his sights set on signing a ‘world-class’ midfielder, and that Rice was on the list of options. With Jones now confirming this, he may be the Reds’ priority, especially when you consider that he’s been described as “world-class” already by reporter Toby Cudworth and many others.

He has been key for West Ham in the league this season appearing 32 times with one goal and four assists from defensive midfield. He also often captains the side when Mark Noble isn’t playing, so has great leadership qualities as well.

The England international ranks in the top 3% amongst Premier League midfielders this season when it comes to his pass completion percentage and the top 2% for interceptions.

Liverpool already have two incredible midfielders in Thiago and Fabinho, if they added a third the team would be complete with a stellar player in every position.

Klopp is famous for the constant pressure he likes his teams to put on their opponent, and Rice would fit perfectly into that. His percentage when it comes to successful pressing this season is 33% which is almost identical to Fabinho’s 32%.

The fact he came through the youth setup at Chelsea may well have an impact on which club he ends up moving to, but the chance to win with Liverpool and play under Klopp must be an attractive option.

IN other news: Sky Sports: Liverpool will need mega £55m to sign “unstoppable” gem, he’s Salah 2.0…

Writing on Twitter, reliable West Ham United insider ExWHUemployee has explained that Declan Rice’s return to the side is ‘unlikely’ to come against Everton this weekend and he could miss the encounter.

The Lowdown: Moyes missing Rice

Irons boss David Moyes has been without star man Rice since he picked up a knee injury on international duty at the start of last month, with the Scotsman implementing various changes to cope.

The likes of Mark Noble have been used in the 22-year-old’s stead to partner fellow midfield colossus Tomas Soucek while traditional attacker Manuel Lanzini was even placed in that role against Burnley.

Moyes, providing his latest Rice update on Friday, remained cryptic in regards to a timeframe for Rice’s return to the side – merely stating he hopes to have the Englishman available as soon as possible (football.london).

The Latest: ExWHUemployee shares information

Writing on social media, reliable insider ExWHUemployee has said Rice could miss the Everton clash this weekend and is more likely to be back for the Brighton game.

When asked by a supporter if there is any chance Rice could be fit for the Toffees encounter, Ex explained in a five-word message (via Twitter): “Unlikely, more likely Brighton game”.

According to reports, the Hammers are also set to be without Noble and Andriy Yarmolenko while Angelo Ogbonna and Arthur Masuaku have been given just ’50/50′ chances (Claret & Hugh).

The Verdict: Big blow for Hammers?

The colossal midfield star has been, arguably, Moyes’ most important player all season-long – making the most interceptions per 90 out of any West Ham player (WhoScored), being a key component of their defensive record.

England manager Gareth Southgate backed the ‘outstanding’ star earlier this season when waxing lyrical over his ball recovery in midfield (whufc.com), and as the Irons continue chasing their European dream, supporters will be praying for his return as soon as possible.

If Manchester City can do them a favour by beating top four rivals Chelsea this afternoon, depending on West Ham’s result against Everton tomorrow, the race for a Champions League spot could be blown wide open.

Rice’s return will come as a welcome boost for the final two games, but judging by this ExWHUemployee update, he is unlikely to feature at the London Stadium on Sunday.

In other news: Pundit drops Arnautovic to West Ham verdict, find out more here.

West Ham United have another new striker on their shortlist ahead of the summer…

What’s the word?

According to Eurosport, the Irons are tracking Atalanta forward Duvan Zapata ahead of the upcoming window as they fear Tammy Abraham could be out of reach financially.

It’s claimed that David Moyes will have around £35m to spend on a new forward but that is still short of Chelsea’s £40m valuation, and that’s on top of his desired £140k-per-week wages.

Zapata provides an interesting alternative and sits alongside Brentford talisman Ivan Toney and Sparta Prague’s Adam Hlozek on Hammers’ priority list.

Sign him up

If Abraham is too expensive, then Moyes should absolutely target the Serie A goal machine instead. It’s no secret that his squad needs another forward and at the very last that’s one extra frontman.

GSB never replaced Sebastian Haller after sanctioning his exit during the January transfer window after just 18 months at the London Stadium, meaning the Scottish manager was left with an injury-prone Michail Antonio as his only senior option.

The 30-year-old powerhouse has proven to be a prolific marksman in Italy throughout his career and this season he has been in fine form, providing 18 goals and 12 assists in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

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That has taken his overall tally for Atalanta to a whopping 65 strikes in only 126 appearances, which is around a goal every other game.

His physical attributes make for the most appeal as at 6 foot 2, he has the stature to cause many Premier League defences nightmares, and that is something that his former teammate, Papu Gomez, alluded to last season.

Speaking on Instagram (via Goal), he claimed:

“Zapata’s shorts look like underwear, he is so big. Sometimes I don’t even want to get close to him in a match because he’s a beast and it hurts. When he is feeling good he’s like a train – you throw the ball forward and ‘ciao!'”

Furthermore, ex-Colombia boss Jose Pekerman praised Zapata after his international debut and suggested that they “need him with his power.” He has since gone onto land 16 caps for his national side.

It remains to be seen how much of that £35m would be eaten up by a move for the Atalanta sensation but given CIES value him at €30m (£26m), he should certainly come a lot cheaper than Abraham, who is yet to deliver as consistently as Zapata.

Moyes will also finally get another option up front, ending the nightmare of the last few months.

AND in other news, Huge blow: Moyes handed injury setback, Irons star “may not play again this season”…

Everton will return to action today at Goodison Park hosting Brentford in the FA Cup fourth round, with newly appointed manager Frank Lampard leading his first starting eleven out in front of the home fans.

There are a number of injuries to take into consideration, with both Abdoulaye Doucoure and Fabian Delph confirmed to be out for at least a month in a club statement and in his pre-match press conference the new Toffees boss has revealed the first blow to his squad as Dominic Calvert-Lewin has picked up a knock and won’t be available for the game this afternoon.

Lampard also faces another blow to his squad, as both Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli remain cup tied, but it could be a blessing in disguise as they will be raring to go when the side take on Newcastle United in the Premier League on Tuesday night.

With that being said, this is how Football Fancast expects Lampard to line up his first team against Brentford…

We expect to see four changes from Duncan Ferguson’s line up that lost to Aston Villa in the Premier League before the winter break, with Jonjoe Kenny axed from the side in place of youngster, Nathan Patterson.

Patterson, who was hailed “amazing” by his Scotland team mate Che Adams, could make his debut in the first team for Everton today after he was spotted in Lampard’s initial training sessions this week.

This could be the perfect opportunity for the 20 year old to make his mark on the team and make a good first impression on his new manager, who is renowned for developing and giving debuts to young players with potential.

We predict that due to the two cup tied new signings being unavailable, Andre Gomes will play alongside Allan in the deeper midfield roles to cover for Doucoure’s absence through injury and Anthony Gordon will take the 10 role behind Richarlison who is pushed up front in place of an injured Calvert-Lewin.

This season’s joint top goal scorers for the Toffees so far, Andros Townsend and Demarai Gray, are expected to be on hand to link up with Richarlison to seal goals and cause problems for the Brentford defence today.

Lampard will be hoping he can give something to the fans that they can be happy about after a number of protests took place just before his arrival and progressing in the domestic competition could really help to build confidence in the players going forward ahead of important must win Premier League games, where they need to pick up points to avoid a relegation battle.

In other news: Lampard must unleash Anthony Gordon against Brentford

Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham is nearing a permanent Parkhead exit after agreeing personal terms with Greek side AEK Athens, according to the Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Celtic face losing key players ahead of 2021/22

As the Celts get their ducks in a row ahead of 2021/22, it now seems that the Frenchman will become a fall guy as their summer rebuild continues to take shape.

Celtic have been linked with moves for the likes of Mathew Ryan and Kaoru Matoma in recent times.

Despite this, prospective departures seem to be taking centre-stage amongst the Celtic squad. Odsonne Edouard has been linked with a move to Leicester City [Sky Sports], whilst Kristoffer Ajer is being targeted by Bayer Leverkusen, Newcastle United and Norwich City [Glasgow Times].

However, it looks as though Ntcham could be the first casualty of the Celtic reconstruction after spending four years in Glasgow [BBC].

The Latest: Ntcham agrees personal terms with AEK Athens

As per reports, the 25-year-old is said to have agreed personal terms with the Greek side [Daily Record].

So far, it is unclear whether any such agreement has been reached between the two clubs. Nevertheless, Celtic are said to be considering waiving the final year of the midfielder’s contract which is due to expire in May 2022 [Transfermarkt].

Ntcham endured an unsuccessful loan spell at Marseille in the second half of 2020/21, making just four Ligue 1 outings [Transfermarkt].

The Verdict: Right time for Celtic and Ntcham to part ways

All things considered, it may be the correct decision for Celtic and the former Manchester City youth to part ways this summer.

Signing from the Citizens in 2018 [BBC], the roaming playmaker made 147 appearances for the Hoops; recording 24 goals and 13 assists [Transfermarkt]. Contributing effectively to the Celtic set-up, he has aided the Scottish giants to eight trophies across his Parkhead stay [BeSoccer].

After he fell out of favour under Neil Lennon, the Hoops may be best suited to maximising any potential revenue they can obtain for his signature as it looks like the player had no intention of staying in Glasgow, so a move is the best option for all parties.

In other news, Celtic have been linked with a move for an international goalkeeper.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans are delighted after the club confirmed the signing of free agent John Lundstram.

The Gers have been heavily linked with a move for the midfielder in recent months (via Glasgow Live) ever since it became clear he would be leaving former club Sheffield United at the end of his contract. The 27-year-old impressed in particular during the 2019/20 campaign, the Blades’ first season back in the English top flight, as he scored five goals in 34 Premier League matches from the middle of the park (Transfermarkt).

Alan Nixon had previously revealed that the Gers could be set to announce Lundstram’s arrival, but the speed of the announcement has been a surprise. On Monday, the Ibrox outfit confirmed that the Liverpudlian has put pen to paper on a three-year deal (rangers.co.uk).

The news was later shared by Rangers’ official Twitter account and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on Lundstram’s arrival at Ibrox.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about Lundstram signing

“oh hello 56”

Credit: @Robbiehdgy_

“Wow this amazing scenes”

Credit: @FreeAgent_Boom

“Yassssss Big Johns here for 56”

Credit: @RFCGW

“Mega staunch”

Credit: @Ben81102511

“Excellent business. Well done Rangers”

Credit: @GerUndercover

“Belter, area of need, EPL experience and a right good age…best of all, free, but does SG not like spending cash on his position. Welcome to the champions John”

Credit: @DavidGJohnston0

In other news, this man has been urged to leave Ibrox.

The Daily Record journalist Keith Jackson believes that an offer of £10m would be enough for Glasgow Rangers to part ways with Glen Kamara.

The Lowdown: Kamara attracting interest

The 25-year-old spent the early part of the summer away with Finland at Euro 2020, starting all three of his country’s games at the competition (Transfermarkt).

That has only seen interest in his services increase, with the likes of Arsenal (The Daily Record), Watford and Leeds (TEAMtalk) all linked with a move for his services.

The Latest: Jackson discusses Kamara

Jackson and a number of other reporters were taking part in a Q&A for The Daily Record and they were asked whether the Gers would accept selling Kamara now they have signed John Lundstram. Jackson said:

“That’s seven players fighting for three starting paces so it does look as if the Rangers squad is now top heavy. Kamara has been an excellent signing but it makes sense to cash in now so long as the price is right. A bid of around £10m should do it.”

The Verdict: Not necessarily a replacement

The signing of Lundstram (rangers.co.uk) means Steven Gerrard has a lot of options to choose from in midfield. Along with Kamara, Rangers also have Joe Aribo, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield, while Ryan Jack is another option when fully fit. While the Gers may well play a large number of games next term, you still feel there are too many players and not enough slots.

Kamara is clearly the player in that position with the biggest sell-on value, and £10m would represent a huge profit on the £50,000 they originally spent to sign him from Dundee. Still, whether Gerrard would be willing to get such an important player depart is another question.

In other news, many Rangers fans slammed this man’s pre-season performance against Tranmere.

As per SofaScore, Tottenham Hotspur trio Ben Davies, Steven Bergwijn and Giovani Lo Celso struggled for Nuno Espirito’s Santo’s side as we analyse the number’s from their 1-0 Carabao Cup victory over Burnley.

Spurs edge into quarter-finals…

Lucas Moura bagged the eventual winner as Spurs edged into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday evening, easing some pressure off the under-fire Nuno following a regrettable week of action.

Defeats to both Vitesse and bitter London rivals West Ham had attracted heavy fire but the Lilywhites’ victory against Burnley ensures they remain fighting on all fronts for now.

Here, we take a take a statistical look at Tottenham’s three worst players from the night with the trio of Davies, Bergwijn and Lo Celso sticking out in particular.

Giving away the ball 50 times, losing 19 duels and spurning one big chance in total, it’s safe to say they didn’t enjoy the best outings.

Steven Bergwijn: 6.4/10

The Dutchman had been one of the Spurs players actually looking revitalised under Nuno at the start of the season, attracting praise from the Portuguese in particular as a ‘very talented’ and ‘unique’ asset.

However, since returning from his injury lay-off, you could make an argument that he hasn’t hit those same heights and it showed against the Clarets last night.

Coming in as Tottenham’s worst player on the night to start and play the majority of the game, being hauled off after 66 minutes, Bergwijn was handed a 6.4/10 match rating having lost possession 17 times whilst losing half of his duels and three in total (SofaScore).

Giovani Lo Celso: 6.7/10

Lo Celso is one player who has attracted criticism over the beginning of 2021/2022 and it’s safe to say his performance was once again in question last night.

The 25-year-old hasn’t evolved into that Christian Eriksen-type creative figure badly needed by Spurs and Nuno with Lo Celso’s numbers, again, hardly worthy of celebration.

He ranked in as Tottenham’s second-worst performer behind Bergwijn, again having started and played the majority against Burnley.

While he did make two key passes in the final third, Lo Celso also spurned a big chance to get on the scoresheet – giving away possession 16 times and losing the vast majority of his duels, seven out of nine to be exact (SofaScore).

 Ben Davies: 6.8/10

The best of the worst, Davies still didn’t particularly enjoy a great evening against Sean Dyche’s men and it would have done little to silence his critics.

The Wales international, being ranked a 6.8/10 and playing the whole game for Tottenham, was dribbled past twice on that flank and lost nine of his duels.

As well as this, Davies gave away the ball 17 times and recorded no accurate long balls or crosses from out wide (SofaScore).

In other news: Talks ongoing…Sky Sports journalist makes exciting Spurs transfer claim involving ‘phenomenal’ star, find out more here.

Celtic might not have removed all of the rubble from a dismal 2020/21 campaign at Parkhead but Ange Postecoglou’s Bhoys team look like they’re on the right track again.

The Hoops have secured three consecutive wins, scored 13 goals in the process and kept successive clean sheets. They have also moved into the next round of European qualifying after a 7-2 aggregate win over Czech opposition Jablonec.

The performance last week in their 4-2 victory was swashbuckling, but while the offensive play was again dominating on Thursday night, it was a more professional performance at the back in their 3-0 win.

Joe Hart made some top-class saves to prove his worth to the club after arriving from Tottenham, and together with Carl Starfelt, they look like they could be a phenomenal partnership.

Starfelt hasn’t had the easiest of rides since arriving at Parkhead but the big Swedish defender showed signs of stealing the show last night, putting in a combative and elegant performance.

He’s attracted criticism in his opening few matches in Glasgow, with a bizarre back pass towards Scott Bain almost costing Celtic a goal in their defeat to Hearts.

The Swede was fortunate not to give away a penalty against Jablonec this week, but otherwise it was an impressive display.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-transfer-news-larsson-lovric-thomas-henry-diego-costa-postecoglou” title=”Read the latest Celtic transfer news!”]

We know that Starfelt is a fantastic passer of the ball and that was apparent on Thursday evening as he completed a whopping 91% of his passes in front of a raucous Parkhead crowd. Furthermore, the centre-back won back possession on nine occasions, the second-highest number by a Celtic player.

Speaking at full-time on A Celtic State of Mind, Paul John Dykes was keen to praise him: “Starfelt had his best game in a Celtic jersey so far,” he began.

“He might have given away a penalty and got away with that one but he’s starting to look like the player we thought he was when he first came in.”

Dykes concluded: “He’s got a bit of Tony Mowbray about him. He reminds me of Tony Mowbray with the way he moves about the park.”

Although there was a slight mishap, the Swede was much improved beyond that and looks as though he could be a real find for the Hoops.

After a turbulent start to the new campaign for Nir Bitton, it will delight Postecoglou that he can now rely on Starfelt and Stephen Welsh to set the tone at the back.

AND in other news, Celtic must sign 25-goal “great talent” who could become “better” than Henrik Larsson…

A number of Rangers supporters have been reacting in delighted fashion to a key update ahead of the Europa League clash with Lyon next week.

Steven Gerrard’s team open up their Europa League group stage account with the visit of the Ligue 1 giants next Thursday, in what promises to be a real test of the Gers’ credentials.

A key update has emerged ahead of the game, however, with three Lyon players set to miss out after representing their countries during the international break.

According to journalist Robin Bairner on Twitter, the Scottish Government has not given permission for Lucas Paqueta, Bruno Guimaraes and Tino Kadewere to take part in the match, having played in ‘high-risk’ countries during the international break.

It is an undoubted boost for Rangers, especially because Paqueta – arguably Lyon’s key man – will miss out.

The Brazilian playmaker has scored four times already this season for club and country, and is the man who links midfield and attack for the Groupama Stadium outfit.

Rangers fans love pre-Lyon update

These Gers fans took to Twitter to react to the news, with many joking that they are big fans of the current Scottish leadership…

“Always liked the SNP”

Credit: @StuPollock1

“Brilliant from Sturgeon always been a big fan of her work”

Credit: @Bjc1999_

“The SNP will do ANYTHING to get the Blue Vote”

Credit: @R11Loading

“This might be the first time I ever say this but cheers @theSNP”

Credit: @Fahdy824

“SNP – Scottish National Protestants helping Scotland’s premier club in Europe”

Credit: @jaket1872

“The establishment is back baby!”

Credit: @AndTheNew55

In other news, one Rangers player is set for a spell on the sidelines. Find out who it is here.