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Aston Villa have been handed a huge boost in their attempts to sign Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Villa’s interest

Football Insider suggested at the end of June that Villa registered their interest in Tuanzebe, with Dean Smith looking to sign a centre-back following Bjorn Engels’ move to Royal Antwerp.

They hold a ‘concrete’ interest in Tuanzebe, who can play at centre-back and right-back, and would make a move if given encouragement by United.

They have been handed just that, according to a recent report, with links to the Englishman, who has already made 35 appearances for Villa during a loan spell, heating up.

The Latest: Source shares update

According to Football Insider, who were informed by a Villa source, the club have been given encouragement over a potential deal for Tuanzebe.

United are planning to part ways with the 23-year-old this summer and Villa have held talks over a transfer.

The Red Devils will listen to offers for the defender who Gary Neville hailed last season, if they land a replacement.

One centre-back who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford is Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane, and it seems as should a deal go through, Tuanzebe could well return to Villa Park.

The Verdict: A great move

With just Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Kortney Hause Villa’s only senior centre-backs, a fourth could prove to be a shrewd move by Smith.

He’s already worked with Tuanzebe in the Midlands, so will know just what he would add to the squad. A £7m fee was touted as possibly being enough back in May, and should that still be the case, it could turn out to be a bargain in the long run.

Tuanzebe’s current Transfermarkt valuation stands at £7.2m, so signing him for £200,000 less than that appears to be a no brainer for a versatile defender who already has Premier League experience and still has plenty of years to develop further.

In other news: Emile Smith Rowe update emerges, Villa’s patience could be about to pay off, find out more here. 

Fulham have been dealt a huge blow to their hopes of keeping Harrison Reed at Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Mail, who claim that Leeds United are considering a move for the 26-year-old midfielder in the upcoming transfer window.

It is reported that, following Fulham’s relegation back to the Championship, Scott Parker’s side are facing a battle to keep some of their biggest stars this summer, with Reed thought to be one of the Cottagers’ more sought-after talents.

Parker will be gutted

Considering how impressive Reed has been since joining Fulham from Southampton back in 2019, in what was originally a season-long loan deal which Fulham turned into a £5.85m permanent move last summer, reports that the midfielder is attracting interest from a Premier League team like Leeds is sure to leave Parker gutted.

Indeed, in his first season in west London, the £9m-rated man played a big part in securing promotion with the Cottagers, providing one assist and creating one big chance over his 25 Championship appearances, as well as averaging 1.4 interceptions and 1.9 tackles and winning 4.5 duels per game.

These metrics saw Reed earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.81, ranking him as Parker’s joint 16th-best performer in the division.

The £31,000-per-week former England under-20 international once again impressed over his 31 Premier League appearances for Fulham last season, registering two assists and creating two big chances, in addition to averaging of 1.6 interceptions and two tackles and winning four duels per match.

These returns saw the 26-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.90, ranking him as the club’s 11th-best performer in the top flight.

As such, if Parker were to lose the services of the player Shane Long dubbed “immense”, it would undoubtedly hamper Fulham’s hopes of securing another immediate return to the Premier League next season – an outcome which would represent something of a disaster for the west London club.

In other news: Get him gone: Khan must ruthlessly axe “difficult” £67k-p/w Fulham flop this summer

Many West Ham United fans have been left to fume as a transfer update emerged on Aaron Ramsey.

As per Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the East London club, as well as a number of other teams in the Premier League, are interested in signing the Juventus man in the summer window.

The London Stadium faithful are one of the frontrunners for his signature along with Crystal Palace, but his €7m (£6m) a year wages may prove to be a stumbling block.

Coupled up with the fact that he is now 30 years of age and has had a lot of injury problems throughout his footballing career so far, it is not a surprise to see so many Hammers supporters opposed to a potential deal for the former Arsenal central midfield player.

David Moyes’ team do need to strengthen in the middle of the park, with Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek and Mark Noble the only real senior options for the Scotsman at the moment, but Ramsey should not be the answer given his fitness troubles.

West Ham fans on Ramsey transfer update

These Irons fumed as the transfer update was shared on Twitter:

“As much as I love the bloke, I’m done with the club signing injury prone players”

Credit: @hammer_welsh

“Surely not we don’t need a past his best, overpriced Prima donna I would like young hungry players”

Credit: @dav_dickson

“Please no”

Credit: @jjscoyi

“No he is average and his wages are massive”

Credit: @oliver76329318

“Noooo please”

Credit: @Johnath03607801

“Hope not”

Credit: @7697236f9edf41f

In other news, find out which ‘outstanding’ striker WHU are battling to sign here!

Leeds United youngster Alfie McCalmont may feel ‘devastated’ about an update regarding his future, according to ex-Whites striker Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: McCalmont’s future up in the air

The 21-year-old has still only made two first-team appearances for Leeds, spending last season on loan at Oldham Athletic.

According to Peterborough United’s director of football, Barry Fry, McCalmont has been offered to the Championship club as part of a deal to bring an unnamed player the other way.

They have turned down the move, however, meaning the youngster’s future remains very much up in the air.

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The Latest: Whelan feels sorry for youngster

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan admitted it is a tough position for McCalmont to find himself in, saying he may need to move elsewhere, in order to kick on in his career:

“I think as a player, if I was out Alfie, I’d feel devastated. He’s done very well when he’s been out on loan this season. That will be very disheartening to the player.

“But depending on whether they’ve had talks and saying they’re going to need a different type of player and he will be used very sparsely, then on a player’s point of view again, you’ve got to feel that you need to kickstart your career.

“Sometimes it’s not at the respective club where you’ve been at for a number of years and come through the academy. Sometimes you have to break away and start your own future in football. Maybe it needs to be away from a very big club like Leeds.”

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The Verdict: Time for a fresh challenge?

The fact that Marcelo Bielsa was seemingly willing to let McCalmont leave suggests he has no future at the club, assuming it would have been a permanent exit.

Leeds have made giant strides in recent years and it may simply be that they have reached a level where the Northern Irishman cannot cut the mustard.

It is a reminder of the brutal nature of top-level football and a move away from Elland Road for McCalmont could be beneficial for all parties.

In other news, Leeds have been linked with a move for a player who impressed in the Premier League last season. Find out who it is here.

Manchester United could be set for a significant windfall if Inter sell star striker Romelu Lukaku this summer.

What’s the story?

According to the Manchester Evening News, United negotiated a sell-on clause into the 28-year-old’s £74 million sale back in 2019.

With his current club experiencing financial difficulties, Lukaku is reportedly up for sale, meaning the Old Trafford outfit could receive a substantial, and welcome, boost to their transfer budget.

Ole would be buzzing

The Belgium international was a crucial component of Antonio Conte’s title-winning side in 2020/21, bagging 30 goals and providing 10 assists in 44 appearances as Inter secured their first Serie A crown in over a decade.

However, it’s widely believed that the Nerazzurri need to raise around £80m through player sales over the upcoming window due to stay afloat, and with Lukaku being one of the San Siro outfit’s most valuable assets, he could be one of the first names out the exit door.

Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City have been linked with a move for the prolific target man as Pep Guardiola searches for Sergio Aguero’s replacement, while one of Lukaku’s former clubs Chelsea have also shown an interest.

His potential return to the English top-flight could be bad news for United if he strengthens one of their main title rivals, but the prospect of extra funds to spend on new players for themselves would surely have Ole Gunnar Solskjaer buzzing.

The exact percentage the sale-on clause is worth is not known, but the Red Devils’ hierarchy are thought to have inserted a 25 per cent clause into the deal that took Wilfried Zaha back to Crystal Palace.

If a similar figure was included in the Lukaku move, then Solskjaer may get a nice top up of his transfer budget.

The likes of Harry Kane, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane have all been linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent weeks, but the financial impact of the ongoing pandemic has made securing all of the Norwegian’s targets virtually impossible.

Therefore, a potential boost to the kitty from Lukaku’s proposed Inter exit is bound to excite the United boss and the club’s supporters.

And, in other news…Get it done: United could seal their next Fernandes in “outstanding” £19.8m-rated gem 

According to a report by Football Insider, West Ham United and GSB have made an approach to sign Liverpool attacker Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – with the club ultimately assessing his availability this summer. 

The Lowdown: Oxlade-Chamberlain emerges as target?

Links to the Liverpool midfielder have emerged as fairly new, with the wider consensus being manager David Moyes’ top priorities are both a permanent deal for Jesse Lingard and a new striker.

However, ExWHUemployee did recently claim that Moyes will look to strengthen at left-back, centre-back and in central midfield once he has acquired a new forward in particular (Patreon).

The Latest: GSB make approach…

Now, a West Ham United source has told Football Insider that GSB could look at Oxlade-Chamberlain as an option to bolster their midfield options.

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It is said that the club have made an approach to ultimately assess his availability whilst also making third party contact over the possibility of signing Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer.

The Anfield club, however, value him at around £22 million and West Ham will have to invest considerably if they wish to bring him to the London Stadium.

He comes as a possible alternative to Lingard with the Irons loanee attracting plenty of suitors after a stellar few months in Claret and Blue.

The Verdict: Avoid…

On a reported £120,000-per-week, if Oxlade-Chamberlain were to command a similar salary in east London, it would make him the highest paid player at West Ham (spotrac.com).

Blighted by a serious knee injury this season, the 27-year-old missed 20 matches for Liverpool over 2020/2021 (Transfermarkt) and the last thing West Ham need is an injury prone signing.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, speaking on Oxlade-Chamberlain at the end of last year, was adamant that the Englishman is still an ‘outstanding player’ despite his fitness issues (The Guardian).

However, with the £22m price tag and salary, we believe that he is simply not worth the price for West Ham.

In other news: West Ham fans blast this ace who lost the ball 17 times against WBA,  find out more here.

Derby County have been dealt a double injury blow as Wayne Rooney confirmed that both Andre Wisdom and Beni Baningime are set to miss the Rams’ crucial upcoming Championship fixture.

What’s the latest?

According to the Derby manager, Wisdom is yet to recover from a groin injury he picked up in the 3-0 loss at Preston North End, while Baningime is sidelined due to a hamstring injury, meaning that both players are likely to miss the clash with Swansea City on Saturday.

As cited by Derbyshire Live, Rooney said: “I don’t think there will be any players back. There are no new injuries from the game on Saturday, so the squad will be the same.”

As such, Derby will also be without Lee Gregory, Teden Mengi, Jack Stretton, Curtis Davies and Krystian Bielik, in addition to the two aforementioned players.

Big blow for Derby

So far this season, Wisdom has been a regular part of the Derby defence, with the 27-year-old featuring in 38 Championship fixtures for the Rams. In those games, he has helped his side to keep 10 clean sheets, as well as making an average of one interception, 0.7 tackles and 3.2 clearances per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 6.76.

Meanwhile, Baningime – who is on loan from Everton – has featured in just two league games since his arrival back in February, with the 22-year-old making an average of 0.5 key passes and taking 0.5 shots per game, earning an average SofaScore match rating of 6.85.

As such, the absence of both players is likely to come as unwelcome news to Rooney, whose side must leave the Liberty Stadium with all three points on Saturday in order to give themselves the best chance of securing their Championship survival.

With a potentially seismic clash against relegation rivals Sheffield Wednesday coming up on the final day of the season, the 35-year-old will undoubtedly be praying for the duo to make a speedy return to action, especially if Derby’s fate is still unresolved going into that clash at Pride Park next week.

In other news: Rooney must sanction Derby County swoop for “faultless” £4k-p/w ace this summer – opinion

Everton had scouts watching Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare in their 3-0 win over Lens on Friday night, according to a report from the Daily Mail.

The lowdown

Soumare, a predominantly defensive midfielder, has made 41 appearances in all competitions for Lille this season.

He has helped them move to within touching distance of ending PSG’s run of three consecutive French titles. They are three points clear of the Parisians with two rounds of fixtures left.

The 22-year-old played all 90 minutes at Stade Bollaert-Delelis as Lille took a step closer to a first Ligue 1 title in a decade. His SofaScore rating of 7.7/10 was the second-highest among Lille’s midfielders, with only two-goal striker Burak Yilmaz (8.4) exceeding him.

Soumare finished the game with a passing accuracy of 92%, completing five of his six long balls. He also won three of his four ground duels and pitched in with five interceptions (SofaScore).

The latest

Both Everton and Leeds officials watched on as Soumare turned in an impressive display against Lille’s northeast rivals, but the Daily Mail claimed that Leicester are currently leading the race for his signature.

The Foxes have apparently opened talks over a £21m deal for the Frenchman, with Lille hoping that ‘rival bids’ will drive up the 22-year-old’s price.

The verdict

Everton spent £21m last summer to sign a specialist defensive midfielder in the form of Allan, but Soumare, who is eight years the Brazilian’s junior, might be viewed as a more viable long-term option. The former Napoli man has also missed 13 games through injury this season.

Soumare would be quite a coup, and beating Leicester to his signature would in itself be a statement of Everton’s own Champions League ambitions, but they might have to act swiftly if they are to lure him to Goodison Park.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano dropped this update on a potential Everton transfer target.

Danny Mills has slammed Glasgow Rangers’ lack of due diligence after they appeared to block Ianis Hagi from competing at the Olympics for Romania.

The Lowdown: Hagi will not play in Tokyo

It appeared Hagi would be selected to appear for his country in the football tournament at the Olympics in Tokyo this summer, but the Gers have refused to let him go (The Scottish Sun).

Romanian football legend Mircea Lucescu was livid at Rangers’ decision not to release him for the competition.

The Latest: Mills slams Gers lack of due diligence

Speaking to Football Insider, Mills does not appear to agree with the club’s decision. He said:

“[Lionel] Messi played in it, [Sergio] Aguero played in it.

“If you sign a talented under-23 player who’s possibly going to be in the Olympics, if the Olympics goes ahead, then you’ve got to be prepared for that.

“You can’t sign a player that plays for one of the African Cup of Nations teams and then go ‘I don’t want him to be away in January.’

“You can’t sign Son Heung-min who plays for South Korea in the Asia Cups and the military service and all the rest of it…

“Surely you have to do your due diligence and know that’s going to be a possibility. If you’re player’s good, he’s going to get called up.

“I get that they’re trying to persuade their players and say ‘Do you really need to go?’

“But it’s the opportunity to play in an Olympics. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. Why would you not want to go and represent your country?”

The Verdict: Difficult decision

You can understand both sides of the argument here. From Hagi’s perspective, it is not hard to understand why he would want to travel to Japan. Representing your country at the Olympics is a huge opportunity, and it would be a hard one to pass up.

However, the tournament will coincide with Rangers’ Champions League third qualifying round. The Ibrox outfit will be desperate to make it to the group stages, and they clearly believe £5.4m-valued Hagi (Transfermarkt) has a role to play in that quest, and a FIFA directive means they have more authority to block players from taking part in Tokyo. Hagi will be hoping he is at least heavily involved at the start of next term for his club.

In other news, Rangers are planning a bid for this 21-year-old.

Aston Villa should make a big-money swoop for Newcastle star Allan Saint-Maximin this summer amid Lee Hendrie’s transfer claim.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days and weeks have suggested that Villa’s co-owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens are ready to back Dean Smith in the transfer market with a major spending spree.

Hendrie has now thrown Saint-Maximin’s name into the hat, saying that he could provide the kind of spark and “flair” that Villa should “certainly be looking at”.

Speaking exclusively to FFC’s sister site, Football Transfer Tavern, he said:

“He is one that I would certainly take. He’s got that Premier League credibility. We’ve seen what he can do.

“He’s got that attack rate, he’s got flair, you know, all sorts. He could be a key addition to a Villa side that I feel… that’s where they’ve really lacked, in wide areas. Touched on Trezeguet before, I think he’d certainly come into the side, he reminds me in certain elements of (Bertrand) Traore, but he’s possibly got that little bit more element of pace going forward and he’s very direct, so he’d be someone I’d certainly be looking at.”

Premier League proven

After arriving from French side Nice with a reputation for the flashy – Gucci headband, anyone? – Saint-Maximin has proven that his skills and trickery are up there with the best in the Premier League.

This year has been heavily disrupted by his long-running battle with the virus, but that still hasn’t stopped him from averaging an impressive 3.2 dribbles per game in the top flight, a statistic which ranks him second among all players in the division.

One man who has seen Saint-Maximin’s talents up close is teammate Callum Wilson, with the Magpies striker waxing lyrical about his ability and how far he can go in the game.

The 29-year-old said: “I think the world’s his oyster, really. He’s got all the potential in the world and his attitude matches that as well. He’s quite a quiet, humble guy – he wears some lively clothes at times, but he’s a good guy. He’s got all the talent in the world, he can beat a player – sometimes once you’ve beaten him, get some end product, like he has been doing.

“He makes the game look so easy; for my goal against Burnley, the way he’s done a little bit of trickery himself and then just put a ball in the box – great end product, unstoppable, unplayable.”

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While it’s uncertain how much it would take to prise away the £26m-rated Frenchman, Smith should certainly be urging the Aston Villa board to be making a move for Saint-Maximin this summer – even more so if Newcastle end up getting relegated.

His top-flight experience, and the fact that he’s been impressing at a team like the Magpies who have been struggling, offers an exciting glimpse at what he could do for a team in Villa which wins more often than loses.

Meanwhile, Villa could wreak havoc in the Premier League by signing this star…