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Glasgow Rangers are reportedly now fighting a number of clubs in the UEFA Champions League to try and bring Oscar Gloukh to Ibrox.

The Lowdown: Scouts sent

Speaking on the Heart & Hand podcast’s The Transfer Show (via Rangers News) a couple of weeks ago, podcaster and Gers supporter Andy Barnett – who is based in Israel – claimed that scouts from the Gers were ‘looking’ at Gloukh play for Israel’s under-19s in their 4-2 win over Austria last month.

The Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder also played in the European Under-19 Championship final for Israel against England and scored a brilliant opening goal on that occasion.

The Latest: More competition…

As per The Sunday Mirror (via Glasgow Live), Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team now have some added competition when it comes to potentially signing Gloukh.

Tottenham Hotspur, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax, who will all be playing in the 2022/23 Champions League, as well as Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma, are all thought to be interested in Gloukh, who is valued at around £10m.

The Verdict: Aribo replacement?

After Joe Aribo joined Southampton, Rangers will surely be looking for another attacking midfielder to fill the void left by the Nigeria international.

At just 18 years of age, Glouk is one of the most promising players coming through in world football. Indeed, journalist and podcaster Sam Tighe has even claimed to get a ‘whiff of Ozil’ about the teenager’s creative style, likening him to the 2014 World Cup winner and former German Player of the Year (Transfermarkt).

That is a very big compliment indeed, and respected outlet ESPN (via The Daily Record) go further in their praise, claiming that he is ‘technically brilliant’ and a ‘brilliant dribbler’ with an ‘exquisite touch’, even going as far as to say that he is ‘unplayable’ at times.

Nonetheless, to beat all of the European heavyweights to Gloukh’s signature would be a huge coup for the Teddy Bears.

Tottenham Hotspur could now make a surprise move for Jesse Lingard, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Daily Telegraph believe the free-agent midfielder is being considered by the Spurs hierarchy as they look to improve their homegrown quota heading into the 2022/23 season.

After sealing deals for wing-back Ivan Perisic, midfielder Yves Bissouma and Everton attacker Richarlison, the former Manchester United star is viewed as a central creative option.

Premier League rivals West Ham United remain keen on the 29-year-old, whilst the Toffees have also been linked with interest. Given that he is now out of contract, he would not cost a penny to Lilywhites owners, the ENIC Group.

Homegrown bargain

Spurs boss Antonio Conte isn’t afraid to strengthen his squad for the here and now, as seen by Perisic’s arrival. Even over in Italy at Inter Milan, the 52-year-old was quick to add some experience, with veteran Ashley Young making the switch from Manchester United in 2020.

Adding Lingard to his current options would certainly be a wise and shrewd move, especially considering their homegrown problems.

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The 32-time England international has racked up 165 appearances in the Premier League and has played a further 43 games across UEFA’s top competitions, via Transfermarkt.

Despite a 26.35), a key attribute which will tick a box for Conte.

FBRef also likens his playing style to Arsenal duo Martin Odegaard and Emile Smith Rowe.

Once dubbed “top-class” by former United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and “absolutely phenomenal” by talkSPORT presenter Adrian Durham for his form during a lucrative loan spell at the Hammers towards the end of the 2020/21 campaign, the Englishman could bolster Conte’s squad in a key area and, at the same time, fix their homegrown problems.

Signing Lingard, who won’t cost anything in terms of a transfer fee, would surely be a very wise decision from sporting director Fabio Paratici this summer.

AND in other news, Spurs agree on personal terms with this 21 y/o gem…

The agent of Leeds United transfer target Otavio is now in England ahead of a potential move for his client, according to The Mirror.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Otavio

The Whites have been heavily linked with a move for the ‘exciting’ forward (as dubbed by ESPN commentator Marc Lewis) in recent days, with reports suggesting that Leeds saw a £26m bid turned down.

Victor Orta and co were set to launch a new offer in the region of €40m (£34m), which would make the player the Yorkshire club’s most expensive signing of all time. However, it looks as if Leeds may have to rival Liverpool for the 27-year-old, with an update now emerging on that front.

The Latest: Otavio’s agent in England

The Mirror shared a story on Saturday evening regarding Otavio, with Leeds once again brought up in conversation.

They claimed that the player’s agent Israel Oliveira is in England trying to get a deal over the line, with Porto willing to do business at £38m.

Otavio has a release clause set at £51m, with the Portuguese champions expecting to receive an official offer from Liverpool and an improved bid from Leeds.

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The Verdict: Look elsewhere?

Leeds have never spent in excess of £30m on one player, but it looks as if they will need to do just that in order to land Otavio.

Not only that, they might also have to battle Jurgen Klopp’s side for his services, with the Reds offering Champions League football and the genuine possibility of winning major trophies.

Therefore, with a potentially lofty fee involved and Liverpool now in the race, it could be wise for Orta to look elsewhere for a potential Raphinha replacement in what could be a busy few weeks at Elland Road.

Leeds United and Manchester City have agreed a fee for Kalvin Phillips, Phil Hay reports.

The Lowdown: City rumours

Phillips has been heavily linked with a move to the Etihad over the past five weeks, with the Premier League champions identifying the 26-year-old as an ideal replacement for Fernandinho.

The Athletic previously claimed that City were visualising a final agreement between £45m and £50m for the Leeds man, and it looks as if that figure was extremely accurate.

The Latest: Hay’s post

Hay, who was one of the first to share Ryan Edmondson’s move to Carlisle United in recent days, took to Twitter on Friday evening to provide more exit news, this time on Phillips.

He stated that Leeds and City ‘have agreed a fee’ for Phillips and that a deal was ‘set to go ahead with clubs on the same page’. Fabrizio Romano has stated that a transfer will be worth an initial £42m which could rise to £50m with add-ons.

The leagues start earlier this season because of the World Cup in Qatar. That only confirms that this summer is going to be way more interesting compared to the previous one. But, as a bettor, you need to prepare yourself properly! Finding the most appropriate betting sites is one of the options that you have.

Generally speaking, there are a couple of features you should put into consideration when looking for the best betting platform. Let’s find out more about them!

The Verdict: Time to act

It looks as if it is just a matter of time until Phillips, labelled as ‘special’ by former Leeds man Andrew Hughes, is officially a City player, so Leeds should now be hard at work looking to bring in a replacement.

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Two players who have been linked with filling the gap left set to be left by Phillips are RB Leipzig’s Tyler Adams and RB Salzburg’s Mo Camara, both of which have worked under Jesse Marsch.

Camara has been teasing a move to Elland Road by replying to Whites supporters on social media, so it wouldn’t come as a shock if Leeds were to make a formal bid for the Mali international or Adams over the coming days following the news with Phillips.

Photo by Unsplash

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Nicolo Barella for a while and now a new update has emerged that details the club’s continued interest in signing the player this summer.

What’s the latest?

According to Italian news outlet Calcio Mercato, Liverpool are preparing a move for Inter Milan midfielder Barella, with a potential swap deal on the cards to bring down the club’s asking price for the player.

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As per the report, the Reds are willing to offer Naby Keita to lower the transfer fee of €90m (£77.2m) wanted by the Serie A club.

Klopp’s De Bruyne

It is no secret that Jurgen Klopp has been exploring the idea of bringing in a new midfielder at Anfield with Aurelien Tchouameni reportedly agreeing terms with Liverpool before making his move to Real Madrid earlier this month.

Liverpool’s midfield have a number of players who are already in their 30s with Thiago Alcantara, Jordan Henderson and James Milner occupying spots in the centre of the pitch, and it is clear that the club is looking to the future with the desire to add youth into their already talented team.

Klopp is already a huge admirer of Barella, reserving high praise for the 25-year-old who he dubbed “top class” ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Inter Milan in the Champions League last season;

“He’s a really good player, a really good player and I like him a lot. He has all the things you want from a midfield player: he is aggressive, he is technical, he can run for ages and all these kinds of things. That’s a top-class player.”

The German coach could sign his very own Kevin De Bruyne to compete with Premier League title rivals Manchester City next season, as according to FBref, De Bruyne is the third most comparable player to the Italian star over the last season.

Although the Man City midfielder has a much better record when it comes to goal contributions, scoring 15 goals compared to Barella’s three, Klopp rarely deploys his midfielders with expectations of scoring and prefers to see effective link-up play and pressing from the centre of the pitch.

Barella has completed over 300 more passes, won over twice as many tackles, completed more dribbles and has a better pressure percentage (29%) than De Bruyne, all of which Klopp will value highly if he can acquire Barella’s services next season.

The midfielder also ranked first for the most key passes completed and ranked third in chance creation last season in the entirety of the Serie A.

With that being said, signing Barella would be a major coup for Liverpool if they could secure a deal for the player ahead of next season and offering Keita could be a great way to sweeten the deal with Inter Milan.

AND in other news: Klopp can repeat Konate masterclass as Liverpool plot move for “invincible” £103m gem

West Ham United are reportedly eyeing a deal for Hertha Berlin defender, Jordan Torunarigha, according to reports in Germany.

What’s the word?

As per journalist Florian Plettenberg, the Hammers have been named as one of the clubs who have “enquired” about the 24-year-old centre-back ahead of a possible move this summer.

The transfer insider has revealed that the 6 foot 3 giant has rejected a move to Gent – where he spent the second half of last season on loan – opening up the possibility of a €5m (£4.2m) move elsewhere: “News #Torunarigha : Gent made an offer (about 2 million € + bonuses). Player & Hertha have declined. Wolfsburg & West Ham have inquired about him. Probably: change within the Bundesliga! Price: around 5 million € ! conversations are ongoing”.

This news would suggest that David Moyes and co are plotting further centre-back additions, despite reportedly being close to confirming the signing of Rennes’ Nayef Aguerd.

Moyes’ next Zouma

Torunarigha may be something of an unknown quantity to most, although impressed during his temporary stint in Belgium last term, averaging 1.2 interceptions, 1.3 tackles and 2.3 clearances per game from his 11 league outings, while also winning a solid 55% of his total duels and keeping four clean sheets.

The towering colossus had previously spent all of his career in his native Germany with Hertha, with the academy product scoring six goals and providing five assists in his 81 games in all competitions for the Bundesliga outfit.

Although unlikely to come straight into the starting XI at the London Stadium, the £4.5m-rated man would provide quality depth to what had been a problem area last term, with Moyes in need of additional reinforcements as the club once again get set to compete in European competition.

He would also seemingly be a player that the former Manchester United man could gradually help to nurture and improve without the weight of expectation of a big transfer fee, with the Scot having previously proven his astute nature in the transfer market.

The £21k-per-week gem – who was part of Germany’s Olympic squad in Tokyo – could also prove to be the club’s next Kurt Zouma, with the pair sharing a number of statistical and stylistic similarities, according to FBref.

Signed from Chelsea in a £29.8m deal last summer, the Frenchman enjoyed a fine debut campaign in east London – despite off-field controversy – averaging 1.4 interceptions and 5.5 clearances per game in his 24 Premier League appearances, while also winning an impressive 62% of his aerial duels.

Like the younger man, Zouma is also 6 foot 3 and provides an imposing presence in the backline, with his recovery speed also proving vital on occasion.

The same can be said of Torunarigha who was been labelled “mobile and comfortable on the ball”, as per the Bundesliga website, albeit with one notable difference coming in the fact that he is left-footed – offering a unique option to Moyes’ side.

The “rough diamond” – as he has previously been dubbed by former boss Pal Dardai – may not be of the quality of the current Hammers man just yet, although he could blossom into a player of similar ilk if a deal can be done this summer.

IN other news, “A chance…”: Ex drops exciting West Ham transfer claim, supporters will be buzzing

Transfer insider Alex Crook has revealed some exciting news that he has now ‘heard’ from Everton on Christian Eriksen.

The Lowdown: Out of contract

Eriksen only signed a short-term contract at Brentford in the January transfer window over fears of his heart problems, leaving it to expire at the end of the month.

However, he has shown that he can still play consistently at the top level, scoring one goal and making a further four assists in 11 games in total in the Premier League (Transfermarkt).

Thus, a number of clubs in the top flight are expected to swarm for his signature this summer, once he becomes a free agent again.

The Latest: Everton move?

Writing in talkSPORT’s latest transfer notebook, Crook has revealed that while Brentford have now ‘offered’ a deal to Eriksen to become their highest-paid player, Goodison Park is another ‘potential destination’ for the Denmark international, as well as his former club Tottenham Hotspur:

“Brentford have offered him a deal to become their highest paid player. 

“I know there’s interest from at least two Premier League clubs, we believe he wants to play in the Champions League.

“I was told that his family are quite settled in London, that would obviously link him to Tottenham, we’ve heard Everton as a potential destination.

“My hunch is that he will leave Brentford, although I know some journalists in Denmark have said that he will stay because he owe them a debt of gratitude.”

The Verdict: No-brainer

If Eriksen can carry on playing at a consistent level as he has shown, it is a no-brainer for the Merseyside club to sign him up on a free.

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The 30-year-old averaged more key passes, crosses and long balls per game in the top flight than any outfield Toffees player, highlighting how much of a creative influence he has on the team.

Nonetheless, his Premier League experience means that it should take little time for Eriksen to settle in, should he make the move to the Blues.

In other news, find out who EFC are now fighting Leeds United to sign here!

Manchester United are reportedly keeping tabs on Villarreal attacker Arnaut Danjuma ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils “are still fond admirers of the Dutch winger a year after he was considered as an alternative to Jadon Sancho”.

After scoring 17 goals and delivering eight assists in 52 appearances for Bournemouth, Danjuma joined the La Liga club last August in a deal worth a reported £21.3m.

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The 25-year-old has since enjoyed an impressive debut season with Unai Emery’s side as he racked up 16 goals and four assists in 34 appearances across La Liga and the Champions League.

Having scored against the likes of Juventus, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid this season, this shows just how capable the attacker is at performing against some of the top clubs in Europe and making himself a real threat in front of goal.

Better than Rashford

While the versatile attacker was once reportedly seen as a transfer alternative to Sancho last summer, Danjuma could now be a better option for Erik ten Hag at United than another attacking figure at Old Trafford, namely Marcus Rashford.

To compare the two players from their latest individual league campaigns, the Villarreal star totalled more goals, assists, dribbles and crosses than his Red Devils counterpart. This suggests that the former Bournemouth attacker could be a better attacking option for Ten Hag than the Englishman.

It also backs up what Kevin Phillips had to say about the Dutchman when he spoke about him earlier this year, saying: “On his day he is a nightmare for defenders. He can create and score goals. He can hurt any defence with his pace and directness.”

To further highlight his attacking prowess, no other player in Villarreal’s squad could match the number of shots (59) or shots on target (25) that Danjuma racked up in La Liga this season.

With a reported price tag of £50m on the 25-year-old, the Villarreal hotshot could be just what Ten Hag needs to freshen up the United squad and add a bit of life to their attack ahead of his debut season in charge of the Red Devils.

In other news: MUFC now want £54m-rated “phenomenon” as Ten Hag’s first signing, imagine him and Timber

West Bromwich Albion were ultimately lacking enough firepower in their squad to give them a good chance of securing promotion back to the Premier League in 2022.

In their recent Championship campaign, the Baggies ended up scoring just 52 times, fewer than a significant number of teams who finished below them in the table.

To try and fix their attacking issues, Albion secured the signing of Daryl Dike during the January transfer window. However, after just two appearances for the Midlands club, the former Barnsley and Orlando City striker unfortunately suffered a hamstring injury which prematurely ended his season.

This led to West Brom securing a deal for Andy Carroll to see out the season and help them finish as strongly as possible. After the club chose to quickly get rid of the 33-year-old target man, the focus can now turn their attention to finding another attacking option who could come in and give the Baggies some extra strength and depth in that area.

One man who has been linked with a move to The Hawthorns in recent months who could fit this bill and potentially form a deadly attacking duo with Dike next season is Dwight Gayle.

Imagine Gayle and Dike for WBA

With 286 senior club appearances under his belt, the Newcastle United striker has scored 103 goals and delivered 30 assists along the way, showing that he certainly has plenty of experience in finding the net.

This sort of experience could not only be useful for the West Brom team as a whole but also for Dike, who is in the early stages of his career with the Baggies, helping him to strike up what could be a formidable attacking partnership.

Speaking about the Magpies striker in the past, Bruce said: “I’ve said on record that I’ve tried to buy him three times. If you’re looking in the Championship, the first one on your list was always Dwight Gayle because of his natural finishing.

“I’ve said all along that I want him to stay fit because as you saw with the way he scored his goal today, he’s got that crucial thing of being able to score. He’s got the knack, and when you’ve got that, it’s invaluable.”

Having only played nine games across all competitions for Eddie Howe’s side this season, it seems as though Gayle could be more valuable for West Brom rather than wasting his time at St James’ Park, which could make a move to The Hawthorns this summer rather appealing for him.

In other news: Bruce can secure huge Phillips upgrade as WBA eye swoop for “terrific” £3m dynamo

Rangers defender Calvin Bassey could leave Ibrox behind this summer with Giovanni van Bronckhorst facing a battle to keep him in Glasgow.

What’s the news?

That’s according to a recent report from The Times, who suggest that van Bronckhorst could lose one of Rangers’ star men this season.

It’s said that Aston Villa are ready to step up their pursuit of the Gers defender in the coming weeks as he reportedly fits the bill for the defensive reinforcement that Steven Gerrard wants in his side.

The report also adds that Villa scouts were impressed by Bassey’s performance at Hampden during Rangers’ Scottish Cup victory over Hearts and that Gerrard is keen to reunite with the player after bringing him to Glasgow two years ago.

Disaster for Van Bronckhorst

As mentioned in the report, Rangers secured a deal for the Nigerian back in 2020 from Leicester City.

After securing the former Leicester youngster, Gerrard had this to say about him.

“He’s a strong and dynamic athlete who is very much the modern-day full-back. He’s left-footed, physically powerful and enjoys driving forward and is certainly equipped to thrive in the combative nature of Scottish football.”

During his time with the Ibrox side, Bassey has gone on to make 64 appearances for the Europa League finalists across all competitions, chipping in with one goal and six assists along the way.

With 49 appearances under his belt this season, the 22-year-old has been deployed in the left-back and centre-back positions, highlighting his versatility and usefulness to van Bronckhorst.

In addition to making 20 interceptions and 28 tackles in the SPFL this season, the Nigerian also racked up the third-highest number of crosses in Rangers’ squad with 92 completed.

Praised by Owen Hargreaves for his “astonishing” performance in the Europa League final against Eintracht Frankfurt, this shows just how much the defender can step up on the big stage when it matters for his current side. It also shows why letting him go at this stage of his career would be a disaster.

He is the future of Rangers and is demonstrating outstanding qualities. Combine that with how Rangers have a number of older defenders in their squad like Leon Balogun, Borna Barisic, Filip Helander and Connor Goldson, it only furthers the blow of potentially losing a younger talent this summer.

Evidently, if the club were to see Bassey leave Ibrox in the coming weeks, it would surely be a disaster for the club and the backroom staff.

In other news: Imagine him & Aribo: GVB can form deadly Rangers duo by signing “complete” 18 G/A gem