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An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their reported pursuit of Lucas Paqueta in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has confirmed that the club are not interested in a deal to bring the Brazil international to St. James’ Park ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

He Tweeted: “#nufc are not looking to sign Lucas Paqueta from Lyon, contrary to rumours being spread on here and elsewhere. He is recognised as a talented player but not someone they need at the moment. More transfer updates on Botman and Ekitike to follow on @TeleFootball shortly.”

This comes as a twist after it was reported, last month, that the club were ready to swoop for Bruno Guimaraes’ former teammate.

Supporters will be gutted

Edwards’ transfer twist will leave Toon supporters gutted as Paqueta, on paper, would be an excellent addition to the team.

Eddie Howe would surely love to have a player of his quality in his squad as the 25-year-old has proven his ability at the top level in Ligue 1.

In the 2021/22 campaign, the gem produced nine goals and six assists from midfield whilst averaging a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.13. This shows that he has the talent to make things happen in the final third whilst maintaining a high level with his performance week-in-week-out.

His displays are not a flash in the pan, either, as he caught the eye in his debut season for Lyon – averaging a rating of 7.17 as he scored ten goals and assisted five in Ligue 1. He is a consistent player who has proven that he has the tools required to be a top player in a major European league.

On top of that, he also has a pre-existing relationship with Guimaraes because they played alongside each other at Lyon and both play for Brazil at international level. This means that he would have had a smooth transition into life at the club, which could have helped him to hit the ground running in England.

Alas, the Magpies clearly feel that other positions are more of a priority at this moment in time. Hopefully, they will re-visit a potential move for him in a future window if they are in need of a midfielder as, for the aforementioned reasons, he would be a superb signing for Howe.

For now, though, the supporters will be gutted that Paqueta will not be a Newcastle player next season and will be hoping that the other signings the club plan to make will make them forget about the talent.

AND in other news, Decision imminent: Romano drops “serious” update that’ll leave NUFC supporters nervous…

A transfer claim has emerged regarding the future of Celtic loan star Cameron Carter-Vickers which will surely have Ange Postecoglou buzzing.

What’s the news?

In a recent online Q&A for football.london, Tottenham Hotspur journalist Alasdair Gold was asked what the current situation is regarding Cameron Carter-Vickers and the possibility of him joining Celtic on a permanent basis after his recent season-long loan spell at Parkhead.

In response, Gold said on the matter: “Again it’s purely my opinion, but if Celtic pay the option and give Spurs the agreed price which is believed to be £6m, which could become £10m down the line with future add-ons, then Carter-Vickers has suggested he’d be happy to remain in Glasgow.

“He wants to leave Tottenham now and he’s had a great season for Celtic and felt at home there with a manager who suits him well. It seems to be a move that fits all three parties.”

Great news for Postecoglou

Carter-Vickers’ loan move to Celtic ended up being a stroke of genius from the Hoops and their hierarchy, as the defender went on to become a pivotal part of Postecoglou’s side which reclaimed the Premiership title from their Old Firm rivals Rangers.

In 33 league appearances, the 24-year-old made more interceptions (43) than anyone else at the Parkhead club. He also ended their title-winning campaign with a higher average of clearances per game (4.2) than any other Hoops player.

This shows just how crucial a figure he was for the Bhoys and goes some way to explaining why they secured the league title with the best defensive record in the top flight.

The American’s overall league performances earned him a season rating of 7.36/10 from WhoScored, making him the fourth-highest rated player to feature at Parkhead beyond last August.

This rating also makes him the fifth-highest rated player in the entire Premiership, which highlights just how well-suited he is to playing in Scotland and why he’d be a great asset for the reigning league champions for the foreseeable future.

With Gold’s claim that a permanent switch from Tottenham to Celtic for Carter-Vickers this summer would suit all parties, this would surely be great news for the Hoops manager and give the fans hope that the deal can get done.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops big behind-the-scenes transfer claim, it’s bad news for Celtic

There is no doubt that Rangers will be approaching this transfer window with the hope to sign another few talented individuals who can improve the first team before potentially making the club a fortune further down the line.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has had to rely on the addition of loan players during the second half of the season, but with a full summer transfer window now ahead of him, he will likely be looking at players who could instantly make their mark in Scottish football.

One such player could well be Flamengo attacker Lazaro, with journalist Lahcen Senhaji stating on Twitter that both Rangers and Monaco are in for the 20-year-old this summer.

With the Light Blues lacking in serious depth across the frontline, a much-needed boost is needed. The Brazilian has even been compared to German superstar Marco Reus, with both players having tremendous pace, and the youngster also being dubbed a “creative” attacker by Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig.

This is a quality that Van Bronckhorst needs at Ibrox. Far too many times last season, especially on the domestic front, Rangers struggled to break down stubborn opponents, and Lazaro could be a positive solution.

The youngster is valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt, and while this seems like a bargain price, Flamengo will surely want a heftier fee than this to even consider a deal.

The 20-year-old has shone at under-17 level for Brazil, scoring twice in just three appearances as his ever-growing talent looks likely to take him to Europe sooner rather than later.

With the Rangers squad ideally needing some freshening up over the summer, signing players such as Lazaro would be a big statement from the Ibrox club, especially if they can fend off the interest from Monaco.

The Gers should capitalise on their Europa League final run, with one report estimating that it has earned the club nearly £50m, and delve straight into the transfer market.

Van Bronckhorst won’t want to waste any precious transfer funds, but in Lazaro, he might just have a superstar in his sights.

AND in other news, Huge Ibrox summer development now emerges, Rangers supporters will be buzzing

Celtic and Ange Postecoglou showed during the previous summer transfer window that they can be ruthless when it comes to bringing players into the club and moving others out.

Even before this summer’s transfer window has opened, the Hoops have said goodbye to two long-serving players in the form of Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic.

With that in mind and Postecoglou eager for his side to not only retain the Premiership title next season but also to go as far as they can in Europe and get their hands on even more silverware, the next few weeks could be a pivotal and very busy period for the club.

One man with whom the Bhoys have been linked in the past and who could be a solid addition to Postecoglou’s ranks this summer is Callum Styles.

With 121 appearances to his name for his current club Barnsley, the 22-year-old has scored nine goals and delivered six assists along the way.

This season saw the Hungary international feature in all but three of the Tykes’ matches across all competitions this season, playing in a wide range of positions across the midfield and attack but predominantly in a central midfield role.

This suggests that his versatility could make him a very useful option for Postecoglou and potentially fill the void left by the departures of Bitton and Rogic.

Furthermore, Styles could also be an upgrade on current Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor.

Better than McGregor

To compare the duo from their individual 2021/22 league seasons, the Barnsley ace racked up more shots on target, crosses, interceptions and tackles than the Celtic captain.

Labelled a “massive talent” by Oakwell team-mate Cauley Woodrow, Styles also had one of his goals for Barnsley last August described as a “rocket” by journalist Sanny Rudravajhala.

Taking all this into account, if the departures of Rogic and Bitton will force Postecoglou to add some new midfield options to his squad, then Styles’ name should definitely be near the top of his list.

With a reported asking price of £8m, securing a deal for the 22-year-old could be rather straightforward for the Hoops after the Yorkshire club were relegated from the Championship, meaning that a move to Scotland to try and win trophies and compete in Europe could be rather tempting for the player.

In other news: Postecoglou heading for big transfer error as Celtic eye move for £2m dud

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly now fighting their Old Firm rivals to bring Tom Lawrence to Ibrox for Giovanni van Bronckhorst this summer.

The Lowdown: Rangers busy?

The Gers look set to be busy in this upcoming window, having recently been linked to the likes of Joe Rothwell and Ross Stewart, while they could also lose one or two of their key players, notably Ryan Kent and Calvin Bassey.

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Calls from the Premier League may be too hard to turn down, but after their recent Cup win and UEFA Europa League run, the Light Blues will now be hoping that those players will have been persuaded to stay.

The Latest: Lawrence interest

Writing in his latest piece for TEAMtalk, transfer insider Graeme Bailey has revealed that the Teddy Bears are now ‘keeping tabs’ on Lawrence’s situation at Derby County, but will also face competition from Celtic.

Southampton, Leeds United, AFC Bournemouth, Fulham, Watford, West Brom and Nottingham Forest are also thought to be ‘keen’ on his signature, with his contract set to expire this summer.

The Verdict: No-brainer

It is a no-brainer for RFC to sign Lawrence on a free transfer, not to mention the fact that they would be getting one over their city rivals.

Described as a ‘magnificent‘ player by his manager Wayne Rooney earlier this term after two goals in an impressive display against Sheffield United, the winger managed 11 goals in total and a further five assists in the Championship for the Rams (Transfermarkt).

Considering that he was playing for a relegated side, these are impressive numbers indeed, and at 28 years of age, Rangers would be getting a player bang in his prime.

Nonetheless, as captain of his club, Lawrence possesses leadership qualities that would be so useful to the Gers going forward, especially if they find themselves going into big cup finals next campaign.

In other news, find out what ‘huge’ boost Rangers are now set to gain here!

Sunderland striker Ross Stewart is a wanted man after what has been a miraculous first full season in League One with Sunderland.

in 49 League One appearances, including the play-offs, the Scotland international has racked up a staggering solitary assist in 19 appearances for Ross County.

Under Alex Neil, he has turned into a ruthless, talismanic goal-machine, which has attracted the likes of Rangers who have sniffed out the 25-year-old and may offer him the opportunity of a homecoming.

Earlier this month it was said that Rangers were keeping tabs on the Sunderland talisman with Pete O’Rourke telling GIVEMESPORT:

“It looks like he’s obviously on their wanted list, Ross Stewart. It’s been talked about now for quite a few weeks that Rangers are keeping tabs on him.

“If Rangers do come calling, it’s going to be hard for somebody like Ross Stewart – a Scottish player – to turn down their advances.”

Wyke 2.0

It’s not the first time that Sunderland have had clubs sniffing about their top goalscorer.

Just last season, Charlie Wyke put up some strong metrics very similar to the aforementioned numbers from Stewart, scoring four assists in 43 appearances for a Sunderland side that failed to achieve promotion.

He was consequently surrounded with interest and moved on a free transfer to League One rivals and now Champions Wigan Athletic.

Having achieved promotion themselves, the Black Cats will need to do everything in their power to keep hold of a player who is going to be integral to their Championship survival bid next season.

Though, an offer from the likes of Rangers, who narrowly missed out on Europa League glory last week, could prove tempting for the former Ross County man.

Neil must do everything to avoid a ‘Wyke scenario’ again this summer.

In other news: Neil can save millions on “impressive” 29yo SAFC gem, imagine him in the Championship