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Santi Aouna has dropped an update on the future of reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target  Nicolo Zaniolo.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Foot Mercato journalist revealed that, following a number of reports linking Fabio Paratici with a move for the AS Roma midfielder this summer, the Italian sporting director is set to enter into fresh negotiations with the Serie A side over a deal for the 23-year-old this week.

In his tweet, Aouna said: “Info: New discussions planned this week between Roma and Tottenham for Zaniolo.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Considering just how exciting an addition Zaniolo would undoubtedly make to Antonio Conte’s options in the middle of the park next season, Aouna’s update concerning Paratici’s talks with the Giallorossi regarding a deal for the Italy international is sure to have left supporters buzzing.

Despite having already suffered two serious cruciate ligament injuries in his career, the £33.5m-rated talent more than proved last season that he is back on track to become one of the most talented Italian midfielders currently playing the game.

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Indeed, over his ten appearances in Roma’s Europa Conference League campaign last time out, the £76k-per-week centrocampista highly impressed, scoring five goals, providing four assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.0 shots, making 1.1 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per game.

These metrics saw the former Inter Milan starlet – who is also more than comfortable operating from attacking midfield, as well as on either wing – average a quite astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as Jose Mourinho’s sixth-best player in the Giallorossi’s European triumph. With that in mind, it’s clear to see why he’d be such an exciting signing to Conte’s ranks this summer.

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Furthermore, although his returns were not quite as spectacular domestically, the 23-year-old still impressed over his four big chances for his teammates – playing a key role in his side securing a sixth-place finish in the Italian top flight.

As such, with it being reported that Conte would still like to add a new attacking midfielder to his Tottenham ranks prior to kick-off against Southampton on Saturday afternoon, Zaniolo would very much appear something of a perfect fit for the 52-year-old and his Spurs side – leading us to believe that Paratici must do everything he can to get a €50m (£42m) deal over the line for the nine-cap international in the coming days.

Sky Sports pundit Kevin Campbell has backed Liverpool to complete a surprising swap deal involving Sadio Mane and Serge Gnabry this summer.

The Lowdown: Both players out of contract next year

The 30-year-old is approaching the final 12 months of his current contract at Anfield, and according to Sky Germany, Bayern Munich are interested in signing the Reds forward during the upcoming transfer window.

Gnabry’s deal with the German giants at the Allianz is also set to expire at the end of next season, and following reports that he is considering a Bundesliga exit amid interest from potential suitors around Europe, this has created the possibility of an exchange between clubs, if both players do indeed leave their current teams.

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The Latest: Swap deal on the table?

When asked during an interview with Football Insider whether or not there could be any good value in a swap deal for the Merseyside outfit, Campbell said it would be a ‘great signing’.

“That could be worth pursuing.

“Gnabry is going to be a sought-after player this summer. I know there is a lot of clubs who like him.

“He is a player who will be hotly pursued because he is still relatively young. We are talking about a Germany international who can play on either side, score goals, is quick and direct.

“He would be a great signing for Liverpool. There will be a lot of competition for Gnabry though. I think Arsenal would like to speak to him if there is an opportunity.”

The Verdict: Would be a shock to lose Mane

There’s no doubt that Gnabry would be a great signing for any team considering how much of a threat he can pose in the final third, having already found the back of the net 17 times and registered ten assists across all competitions for Bayern so far this season, as per Transfermarkt.

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However, despite not getting any younger, Mane would be a huge loss to Jurgen Klopp, as he has been part of the furniture in the Reds’ starting XI since joining in a £34m move from Southampton back in 2016.

During his time at Anfield, the Senegalese superstar has made a staggering 267 club appearances and has recorded 167 goal contributions, and even though the likes of Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota have now provided serious competition for places upfront, Mane still has a hugely integral role to play in leading the line for Liverpool for at least a few more years to come.

In other news… an exciting Reds youngster looks set to leave the club this summer.

David Moyes’ West Ham United side head into Tuesday evening’s Premier League fixture against Watford on the back of a rather unconvincing 2-1 (AET) victory against Kidderminster Harriers last weekend.

As is to be expected against such a close-run encounter against a side who were 113 places below the Hammers in the English football pyramid, a number of the West Ham starting XI turned in extremely disappointing performances against their non-league opposition on Saturday.

A collectively huge improvement is now required if Moyes’ side are to have any hope of besting Roy Hodgson’s Watford outfit at the London Stadium tonight.

So, how many changes will the 58-year-old make to the side that started the win over Kidderminster last time out? Here’s how we think West Ham could line up against the Hornets, along with the latest team and injury news…

With Moyes recently stating that Lukasz Fabianski is set to return to the starting XI against Watford, as well as suggesting that both Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio could also start, we expect the West Ham boss to make ten changes to the team that lined up against Kidderminster last weekend.

There are wholesale changes in the Irons’ back five, with Alphonse Areola being replaced by the fit-again Fabianski between the West Ham sticks, while Ben Johnson, Kurt Zouma, Issa Diop and Ryan Fredericks all also make way.

The outgoing defensive quartet are replaced by Aaron Cresswell, 21-year-old Aji Alese – who podcaster Tom Edwards dubbed a “seriously good” talent – Craig Dawson and Vladimir Coufal.

In midfield, Mark Nobel and Alex Kral drop out of the XI for Moyes’ first-choice central midfield pairing of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek, while Nikola Vlasic, Said Benrahma and the £100k-per-week Andriy Yarmolenko – whose display against Kidderminster was dubbed “embarrassing” by Dion Dublin – all have to make do with a spot on the bench.

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In their place, Pablo Fornals and Lanzini line up on the left wing and in the number 10 role respectively, while Jarrod Bowen returns to his natural position on the right flank, with the returning Antonio leading the line for the Hammers.

In other news: Moyes must brutally axe “shocking” WHU flop tonight, it’s “frightening” how bad he is

Liverpool currently have a number of players in their senior squad that have made their way through the youth ranks at the Merseyside club such as Curtis Jones, Caoimhin Kelleher and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

One other player that has worked his way through the youth sides at Liverpool to become a member of Jurgen Klopp’s squad is Neco Williams.

Williams made his senior debut for the Reds back in October 2019 in a Carabao Cup victory over Arsenal after racking up a total of 33 appearances for Liverpool’s U18 side and 25 for their U23 side, scoring two goals and providing two assists in the process.

Since making his senior debut, Williams has only managed to make 28 appearances for the Reds across all competitions, which can be put down to the fact that the Welshman has had to compete with Alexander-Arnold for the right-back spot, who has managed to score 11 goals and provide 50 assists in 191 appearances.

However, with Liverpool set to temporarily be without Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane during the upcoming AFCON tournament, journalist Ben Bocsak has recently suggested that Klopp could utilise Williams in a more attacking position with Mane and Salah away.

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Bocsak also said that if this were to happen, Liverpool could well “discover their very own Gareth Bale in the process,” who played as a left-back in the early stages of his career before becoming one of Europe’s top attacking talents.

Given how Williams will have spent time with Bale during their time with Wales during the Euros over the summer, the 20-year-old, who is currently valued at £7.2m according to Transfermarkt, will have some knowledge of knowing how Bale plays and trains.

Moving forward, while it would be a gamble to play Williams in a more attacking position this season while Mane and Salah are away given how he’s only played in the full-back positions for Klopp’s side, it could be a gamble that would be worth taking if it pays off and Williams manages to be a useful attacking threat for the Reds.

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However, with Liverpool having the likes of Diogo Jota, Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino in their squad to fill in for Mane and Salah while they’re away, who are predominantly attacking players, it would make sense for Klopp to utilise those players before taking any risks.

In other news: LFC gem who’s “out of this world” has just shown in 122 touches why he’s Klopp’s hero – opinion

Newcastle United have now been backed to bring in more players before the summer transfer window ends, on one condition.

The Lowdown: Hayden going?

According to Football Insider, Watford have now ‘set their sights’ on signing Hayden, and it is understood that the central midfield player is ‘keen’ on a move to Vicarage Road before the window closes.

A source from the Hornets has claimed that they are now interested in signing him, and a potential move down south appears to have turned his head.

The Latest: Campbell claim

Speaking to Football Insider, Campbell, who is now a pundit after playing as a striker for the likes of Everton and Arsenal, has now claimed that he can see the St. James’ Park faithful bringing more players in, so long as they sell Hayden first of all:

“Newcastle need to move and shake and freshen things up and if he leaves I think they could bring in one or two more.

“I think they need that. A couple of fresh faces could revitalise that team. They’ve been stagnant for a little while now.

“If he wants to go down back down south you don’t stand in his way if the money is right.

“Let him leave and get somebody else in. I’m sure Newcastle will have targets.”

The Verdict: Keep and add more!

If the North East club are to avoid a potential relegation battle this season, then they need to keep hold of Hayden and add more players in the squad around him.

Dubbed an ‘outstanding’ player by Magpies legend Alan Shearer after impressing in their 3-2 home win against Southampton in the Premier League back in February, Hayden was a key player on Tyneside in the last term, winning no fewer than 5.5 of his duels per game, as well as averaging 2.2 tackles, 1.9 clearances and 1.8 interceptions per match (Sofascore).

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With just Joe Willock signed so far, who was part of the squad anyway from January onwards in a loan spell from Arsenal, the Toon need to bring in some more bodies as soon as possible, given that the deadline is ticking.

In other news, find out which ‘talented’ ace NUFC could lose in the next few days here!

Leicester City are set to complete the signing of RB Salzburg striker Patson Daka in the coming days.

What’s the story?

According to well-respected journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Foxes have had an official proposal accepted for the 22-year-old and will announce his arrival next week.

Daka had been linked to several top European teams after an impressive 2020/21 campaign with the Austrian champions, but it seems as though Leicester have won the race to secure his signature.

Fans will be buzzing

The Zambia international bagged an incredible 34 goals in 42 appearances for Salzburg last season, adding a further 12 assists as Jesse Marsch’s men secured a domestic double.

His arrival will add significant strength in depth to Brendan Rodgers’ first-team squad as the former Celtic and Liverpool boss aims to build a side capable of fighting on multiple fronts.

While Jamie Vardy has been crucial to Leicester’s past success, the 34-year-old is starting to look his age and suffered a significant drop-off in form towards the backend of the recently concluded campaign – he scored just four goals in his last 16 Premier League games after coming back from a groin injury.

Therefore, the arrival of Daka will surely have the club’s supporters buzzing. He’s a forward known for his electric pace, willingness to make clever runs in behind the opposition, and smart finishing, making him the perfect heir to Vardy.

The Midlands outfit have continually punched above their weight in recent years, largely thanks to smart work in the transfer market.

Young stars have been bought for relatively low prices, before being sold for astronomical profits, and then the proceeds are reinvested to start the process all over again.

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Daka could well turn out to be the most exciting purchase of them all, though. He has the potential to play for football’s biggest clubs and compete for the sports major prizes, so securing his services will be seen as a significant coup by Leicester.

Rodgers will be aiming to bring Champions League football back to the King Power Stadium next term, and the addition of Daka may just be enough to earn the current FA Cup holders a place at Europe’s top table.

And, in other news…Rodgers can save millions by unleashing “incredible” rarely-seen Leicester colossus 

Former Tottenham defender Graham Roberts has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that Jose Mourinho must win the Carabao Cup to avoid Daniel Levy wielding the axe.

This comes after The Telegraph reported that the Portuguese coach is fighting for his future in north London following his side’s shock elimination to Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League last month.

Tottenham are also out of the FA Cup and risk missing out on Champions League football next season after taking just one point against Newcastle United and Manchester United, making that League Cup final clash against Manchester City later this month that more important.

And for Roberts, it could be what ends up keeping Mourinho in the dugout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“I think Jose needs to win the cup,” the Spurs legend told FFC. “If he doesn’t, then he’s had a poor season. He needs to get in the top four. If not the top four, he needs to get into Europe [the Europa League]. And then I think that, you know, the club will make a decision there.

“For me, I’m not a fan of the way we play. I love to see us play good football, but if it wins a trophy playing that way, then it’s fair enough.

“But for me I love… when Poch was manager the way we played, we got to Champions League finals and League Cup and FA Cup semi-finals and things like that, but he never won a trophy. So if Jose wins a trophy then, yeah, I’m sure he will be given another year.”

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If Mourinho does end up leaving Tottenham in the summer, one manager the north London club could target as a replacement is Julian Nagelsmann.

According to The Telegraph, the RB Leipzig boss is the top target if Mourinho’s work is deemed unsatisfactory come the end of the season.

A first home defeat in five matches will have come as a bit of a shock for Manchester United, with Manchester City the beneficiaries.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side slipped up in their pursuit of silverware as they succumbed to a surprise 2-0 defeat to City at Old Trafford.

Despite a bright start from the Red Devils with Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford wasting decent opportunities, the home side found themselves behind shortly after the break.

Fernandes forced a fine save from City goalkeeper Zack Steffen before United suffered a defensive lapse in concentration when John Stones latched onto a free kick from Phil Foden to open the scoring.

City added further gloss to their performance soon after as Fernandinho took advantage of some more slack defending to double their lead and put the game to bed.

Whilst you could pick many holes in Solskjaer’s side after a dreadful defensive performance from the hosts, it was Fred who massively let Solskjaer down after he lost his individual battles in the midfield for the most part.

The middle of the pitch is often one area in particular where many games are won and lost. Against their arch rivals, United were far too often outnumbered as City’s five-man midfield swarmed all over Fred, Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba.

As per SofaScore, the 27-year-old was given a low grade of 6.4 out of ten for his efforts – lower than Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire – he lost possession eleven times, won only three out of a possible ten duels, was dribbled past once and committed two fouls to sum up his frustrations.

Deployed as a deep-lying midfielder, Fred struggled to get a foothold in the game, as he failed to record a single clearance or interception, as per SofaScore.

The Manchester Evening News were left unimpressed by his poor performance, giving him an average grade of 6/10 and claiming he ‘compromised United’s attacking fluidity,’ whilst The Sun seemed to agree, adding he ‘showed his frustration at times as the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden passed him by with precise passes.’

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It’s no wonder he was replaced by new summer recruit Donny van de Beek in the 88th minute but by then it was too late to correct things. Both his teammates Pogba and Bruno Fernandes managed more tackles (2) than the Brazilian (1) as he couldn’t cope with the intensity.

As solid as United have looked when Fred has been in the side in recent weeks, Solskjaer will surely have to consider other options after his latest showing.

AND in other news, Manchester United must swoop for Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho after latest masterclass…

Southampton are now eyeing Russell Martin as a replacement for Will Still, who was dismissed on Sunday night, but there could be competition for his signature from their Championship rivals.

After being relegated from the Premier League last season, the Saints were expected to mount a promotion push, but it has been nothing short of a terrible start to the campaign, having taken just 12 points from their opening 13 matches.

The 2-0 defeat at home to Preston North End was the final straw for Sport Republic, who relieved Still of his duties on Saturday, and Under-21s head coach Tonda Eckert has now emerged as a contender for the first-team manager’s job.

It would be a gamble to appoint Eckert, however, given that he is just 32-years-old and yet to prove himself at senior level, and an external appointment is also being considered…

Southampton eyeing Russell Martin to replace Will Still

According to journalist Alan Nixon (via GiveMeSport) Southampton are now eyeing former manager Martin as a replacement for Still, with the 39-year-old on standby for a swift return to management, having recently been dismissed by Scottish giants Rangers.

The Saints are not the only Championship club that hold an interest, however, with it being revealed that Norwich City are also considering the Englishman, given that there are doubts over Liam Manning’s future.

The Brighton-born manager is available without any compensation, which means he is an appealing option for the two Championship clubs, who could do battle for his services.

In truth, the former Rangers manager’s spell at Ibrox was a complete disaster, being sacked after just 17 games in charge, making him the shortest-serving permanent boss in the Scottish side’s history.

That said, the “exciting” manager, as hailed by analyst John Walker, could still be a good appointment for Southampton, considering the work he did at St. Mary’s previously, guiding them to promotion in the play-off final in the 2023-24 campaign.

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The ex-Swansea City boss, who prefers to implement a 4-3-3 system, is also very experienced at Championship level, having taken charge of 138 second tier matches.

Russell Martin’s Championship record

Games

138

Wins

60

Draws

34

Losses

44

Points per match

1.55

That said, it would arguably be a backwards step to appoint Martin, given that he was sacked by the Saints less than one year ago, after being unable to make the step-up to the Premier League, with his side losing 13 of their opening 16 Premier League games.

Southampton plotting move for James Ward-Prowse in January Related He's been told to leave: Southampton now plotting move to sign £30m PL star

The Saints could pull off an impressive move.

Posts ByTom Cunningham

Leeds United are now believed to be right in the mix to complete the signing of an exciting young Premier League player in the summer transfer window.

Who are Leeds trying to sign this summer?

Nikola Krstovic has emerged as a rumoured transfer target for the Whites this summer, with the returning Premier League outfit even reportedly tabling a £29m offer for his services. The Lecce attacker scored 11 goals in 37 Serie A appearances last season, and could add much-needed firepower to Daniel Farke’s squad.

Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz has also been linked with a move to Leeds before next season gets underway, with the Turin giants willing to move him on, despite his quality. He could be a signing of real intent by the Whites, having shone for Aston Villa previously.

Meanwhile, Joe Gomez has been backed to join Leeds if he wants to leave Liverpool this summer, but unfortunately, he has seemingly committed his future to the Reds on Instagram: “It’s been a blessing to be a part of the different dressing rooms and getting to create such special memories over the years with so many great players & staff.

“I felt it was important to share my thanks to you all for the support throughout the years, it’s always meant the world and I will never take it for granted. A decade in red… and still hungry to keep going.”

Leeds pushing to sign "incredible" Premier League ace

According to a fresh update from Marca [via Sport Witness], Leeds are battling Feyenoord for the signing of Wolves left-back Hugo Bueno this summer. The 22-year-old spent last season loan at the Eredivisie side, and they are now keen on turning his temporary move into a permanent switch.

Bueno could be exactly the type of shrewd squad signing that Leeds are after this summer, coming in and providing squad depth, having proven himself as a solid squad player in the Premier League.

The Spaniard has made 43 appearances in England’s top flight, while former Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs has lauded his impact from a very young age at Molineux.

“Since joining us as a 16-year-old number 10, the work that Hugo and the coaches have put into changing his position, and the acceptance he had of doing that, shows what a good pro he is. To be able to get his head around a new position and develop at the rate he has was incredible.

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“Hugo’s one of the huge success stories of the club. Bringing him in from a grassroots team in Spain when he was just 16, and he’s now 21, playing in the Premier League and being a regular Premier League player, it’s testament to everyone involved.”

Related Better than Nmecha: Leeds submit £29m bid to sign dream Muniz alternative

Leeds United could soon win this striker who is both a better option than Lucas Nmecha and also a dream Rodrigo Muniz alternative.

Posts ByKelan Sarson

Bueno could provide stiff competition for Sam Byram at left-back next season, and given his age, there is no reason why he won’t blossom more as a player as the years pass.