All posts by n8rngtd.top

Southampton have submitted a bid for Manchester City striker Liam Delap, although it has not been accepted by the Premier League champions.

What’s the word?

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, who shared the update via Twitter.

He outlined: “Southampton have submitted an official bid this week around £16m to sign Liam Delap on permanent deal. Manchester City have turned down the proposal.

“Delap, top target for Southampton but there’s still no agreement in place.”

 Supporters will be buzzing

Even though City rejected the offer for Delap, it appears that Southampton are finally making their move to fill their vacant striker role, following Armando Broja’s return to Chelsea after his loan spell at St Mary’s.

It will be music to Saints fans’ ears that they have honed in on a top target and are at least making moves to get him, and this particular target has a remarkably high ceiling.

Delap bagged eight goals and two assists in just 10 Premier League 2 games last season, suggesting that he may have outgrown that level. Following City’s recent acquisition of Erling Haaland, though, chances up front will be few and far between for the England underage international.

Standing at 6 foot 1 but also possessing a blistering change of pace, this physical marvel would be a remarkable coup for the Saints, who would more than replace Broja in one fell swoop.

Pep Guardiola has been full of praise for the striker, hence his reluctance to let Delap leave. In February, the City manager said: “He is the type of striker we don’t have. He is a killer, a typical British striker, an incredible finisher.”

Now that the Citizens have signed arguably the best striker of this mould in Haaland, Delap is certain to fall down the pecking order at the Etihad Stadium. Given Southampton’s fine track record of developing young talent, it could be the perfect platform for him to showcase and hone his skills.

His limited first-team experience could be an issue, but given the Saints’ recent Premier League finishes of 15th in the last two campaigns and 11th the season before that, they have something of a safety net to allow him to acclimate.

Supporters will be buzzing that the club are intent on trying to get their man, and this would represent the perfect purchase for Ralph Hassenhuttl as he looks for a focal point from which his team can build. They’ll be even happier if Southampton go back in with another offer for Delap.

AND in other news: Semmens can sign Ralph his own Haaland in Southampton swoop for “unplayable” £25m gem

Liverpool target and Aston Villa youngster Carney Chukwuemeka has rejected a new deal and shown ‘no sign’ of extending his stay in the Midlands.

The Lowdown: Liverpool keen on Chukwuemeka

The 18-year-old is an extremely talented young prospect at Villa Park, already being handed 16 first-team appearances and being described as a ‘fantastic’ player by Steven Gerrard.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Chukwuemeka this summer as Jurgen Klopp potentially eyes up midfield additions, with Neil Jones reporting the Villa gem is ‘highly thought of’ at Anfield.

The Englishman’s current Villa deal expires at the end of next season, meaning he could leave for a compensation fee in 2023 if he doesn’t extend his stay before then.

The Latest: Youngster rejects deal, ‘no sign’ he’ll stay

According to The Telegraph‘s Mike McGrath on Twitter, Chukwuemeka has turned down a new contract offer at Villa and now looks set to move:

“Carney Chukwuemeka has rejected #AVFC contract extension and no sign of agreement. He can seal pre-contract with another club in January and leave for around £400,000 next summer, which many would explore in his situation. Clubs expected to bid before that.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“398089″]

The Verdict: Part of the Reds rebuild?

At some point, Klopp is going to have to rebuild his midfield at Liverpool, considering James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Thiago are now all in their 30s, while Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are 29 later this year.

[freshpress-poll id=“399042″]

Jude Bellingham could be the big signing who comes in next summer but Chukwuemeka may be one for the here and now, coming in as a squad player and maturing into a regular over time alongside the likes of Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho.

The Villa man would surely jump at the opportunity to play for arguably one of the two best sides in world football, whether that be arriving now or next year after a pre-contract agreement is signed in January.

Either way, Chukwuemeka certainly has the potential to be an exciting addition, considering he has just won the Under-19s Euros with England and was named in the Team of the Tournament.

Tottenham Hotspur are unlikely to sign another centre-back before deadline day on September 1st…

What’s the word?

That’s according to transfer insider Dean Jones, who delivered a fresh update on Spurs’ plans to This Is Futbol this week, where he said:

“I think that the January window would probably make more sense to them anyway [to sign another centre-back].

“Barring an injury crisis, they’ve definitely got enough to get through to November when the season pauses, and then they could address it over the next mini pre-season I guess that you’re going to have and over the World Cup games.

“I don’t think we’ll see a centre-back coming in, if I’m totally honest.”

Conte will be fuming

It has been reported that Spurs’ next move would be to bolster Antonio Conte’s backline with another addition, despite adding Clement Lenglet on loan from Barcelona in recent weeks.

Ivan Perisic and Djed Spence have also been added to the wing-back ranks as part of a summer spending spree that has seen six new names walk through the door at Hotspur Way.

talkSPORT’s Alex Crook claimed to GIVEMESPORT last week that “a centre-back is more of a priority” than signing a no.10 or playmaking option.

The likes of Pau Torres from Villarreal, Torino colossus Gleison Bremer and Conte’s former Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni have all been linked with a switch to north London throughout the summer window, though the latter two won’t be happening.

Juventus are now closing in on a deal for the Brazilian, whilst the Italy international is keen to remain at the San Siro, so perhaps it is no surprise to see Jones suggest that they will wait to bolster the defence again.

Given Conte’s desire to transform the Lilywhites into a better side this season, this news will surely leave him gutted, if not a little fuming as he is only a few more pieces away from having a team that can challenge on all fronts in 2022/23.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more-2″ title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Spurs will need to rotate regularly, having qualified for the Champions League, and the addition of another centre-back would certainly have allowed them to keep a back three, with Cristian Romero and Eric Dier the only two guaranteed ‘first-choice’ options.

Whilst Tottenham have done well to keep Conte happy with six new arrivals, he will surely not be pleased by this update.

AND in other news, Spurs have “been offered” £34m-rated “special talent”, he’s way better than Moura…

Tottenham Hotspur are weighing up a move for Leicester City’s James Maddison, player representative and Spurs fan Paul O’Keefe reports. 

The lowdown

According to Dan Kilpatrick of The London Evening Standard, Antonio Conte wants to sign a creative midfielder this summer.

Spurs reportedly held an interest in bringing Christian Eriksen back to North London, but he’s now joined Manchester United.

Maddison, 25, is under contract at The King Power Stadium for another two years.

The latest

O’Keefe, an FA registered intermediary, was asked on Twitter for news about Spurs’ pursuit of a playmaker.

He replied that ‘they are very seriously considering’ a move for Maddison.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-developments-2/” title=”Tottenham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The verdict

It would seem Maddison ticks the key boxes for Conte. He provided eight assists in last season’s Premier League in addition to his 12 goals, ranking him joint-tenth in the division.

And he also ranks inside the league’s top 30 for key passes per 90 match with 1.4.

Some Spurs fans, however, may be less than pleased with some of the player’s old tweets.

In 2013, he declared that he didn’t ‘like’ the Lilywhites and that he wanted then Liverpool striker Luis Suarez to ‘destroy’ them.

And he also ripped into Gareth Bale, whom he hated ‘with a passion’. He claimed that the former Gunners midfielder Jack Wilshere was ’10x better’ than the Welsh winger.

It seems unlikely that that would come into the club’s thinking, though, particularly when you consider that they made light of some of Matt Doherty’s tweets when he joined the club in 2020.

Nottingham Forest have reportedly ‘made an offer’ to try and sign Lille defensive midfielder Amadou Onana this summer.

The Lowdown: Busy transfer window

The newly-promoted Premier League outfit have already made three solid additions in the summer transfer window so far, securing the loan signing of goalkeeper Dean Henderson from Manchester United along with deals for striker Taiwo Awoniyi and right-back Giulian Biancone.

They are also closing in on the signing of defender Moussa Niakhate from Bundesliga club Mainz, who looks set to become their fourth summer signing already, and it does not look like they will stop there.

The Latest: Onana ‘offer’

Taking to Twitter, reliable journalist Sacha Tavolieri has revealed that Steve Cooper’s side have ‘also made an offer’ for Onana, but it has been ‘refused’ by Lille and his entourage.

The reporter tweeted: “Among the clubs interested in #PremierLeague, the club of #NottinghamForest has also made an offer to Amadou #Onana. A proposal refused by #DiablesRouges and his entourage.”

The Verdict: Go again

Even though their first offer has been pushed back, Forest should look to go in with an improved offer for Onana.

A player who has been courted by the likes of Liverpool and West Ham United, the 20-year-old certainly seems a ‘huge talent’, in the words of talent scout Jacek Kulig.

With 42 appearances across all competitions last season, he was a mainstay in Lille’s line-up, featuring in all eight of their Champions League games (WhoScored).

His impressive performances earned him his first senior cap for the Belgium national team in June, so this is a potential transfer which should have Forest fans greatly excited.

West Bromwich Albion have been handed a boost by boss Steve Bruce, who has issued a positive update on his squad.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report from BirminghamMail who claim that the vast majority of Bruce’s squad are in “ship shape” and are slowly building up fitness levels before their pre-season friendly campaign which begins next Monday.

As per the report, the Albion squad are in the Portimao region of Portugal in pre-season camp, with Bruce and his staff watching the players closely.

And the boss has issued a positive update that will please the WBA faithful. As per BirminghamMail, Bruce said:

“Dike is okay, Mowatt is okay, Bartley not for the first week at least, and Kean Bryan is still a few weeks away from joining in with us,” Bruce explained.

“We set up a training camp in Portugal and took my staff out there with the physios. Dike and Zohore both did a couple of weeks, so did Townsend, so did Mowatt, so they’ve got themselves in good nick.

“The only ones missing are Bartley and Kean.”

Supporters will be buzzing

West Bromwich Albion look to be serious about achieving their ambition of Premier League promotion this season.

You can see this from their movement in the transfer market, as well as the reports surrounding their pre-season preparation.

But from the update issued by Bruce, perhaps the biggest news for supporters, aside from new signings in Jed Wallace and John Swift joining up with the squad, is the status of Dike.

The 22-year-old American is highly rated and has proven himself in all three full seasons of his career, scoring 28 goals in that time frame.

Essentially, it’s a case of where there is game time, there is most certainly goals for Dike, and he has not been afforded the former due to an unfortunate situation with a hamstring problem that ruled him out for the majority of the campaign.

As such, he has not had a chance to prove his worth at The Hawthorns, but the latest developments from Bruce, who was careful with his minutes at the end of the season, paints a positive picture for supporters who will be eager to see him bagging goals on the regular across the upcoming campaign.

AND in other news: Journalist drops big 8-word West Brom transfer claim that supporters will hate 

Liverpool have again been linked with a move for Real Madrid winger Marco Asensio, with the Spaniard’s future expected to lie away from the club.

The Lowdown: Asensio saga rumbles on…

The Reds have been tipped to sign the 26-year-old in recent weeks, as they look at potentially replacing Sadio Mane during the summer transfer window.

Asensio lost his regular place in the Madrid team last season, with Vinicius Jr and Federico Valverde preferred out wide in the Champions League final win over Liverpool, and recent reports have boosted Liverpool’s chances as the player is now expected to leave.

The Spain international has just one year remaining on his current deal.

The Latest: Journalist drops update

According to COPE journalist Melchor Ruiz [via Sport Witness], Liverpool are definitely in the conversation, with Asensio getting ‘increasingly‘ closer to the Madrid exit door.

He has ‘decided to listen’ to offers from elsewhere, which is where both the Reds and AC Milan are mentioned, although neither are picked out as favourites to sign him.

[freshpress-quiz id=“398089″]

The Verdict: Still feels unlikely

Asensio has already had a brilliant career, winning the Champions League three times, among numerous other trophies – Jorge Valdano once compared him to Lionel Messi – so it is easy to envisage him being a force at Liverpool.

[freshpress-poll id=“399042″]

He has become an injury-prone player in recent years, however, which immediately works against the move happening, with no more than 21 La Liga starts coming his way in a single campaign since the 2015/16 season.

Asensio would also have to be content with playing second fiddle to Mohamed Salah on the right-hand side, putting him in a similar squad role to the one he’s currently seeking out of in Madrid. For that reason, Milan feel the more likely to snap him up.

Premier League and BBC journalist Andy Sixsmith has been left wowed by what Newcastle United are plotting after the imminent signing of Nick Pope.

The Lowdown: Pope signs

The St. James’ Park outfit have confirmed that Pope has now signed from Burnley on a four-year deal, as he becomes their second summer signing after Matt Targett.

Their early arrivals means that they can now focus on other areas further up the pitch, with both the North East club and Arsenal reportedly leading the race to sign Fabian Ruiz from Napoli.

The Latest: Sixsmith wowed

Taking to Twitter, Sixsmith was left wowed when he heard that the Tynesiders are in for Ruiz this summer, even going as far as to claim that he would be ‘right up there with the Bruno Guimaraes signing’:

“There was NUFC interest in Fabian Ruiz in January – seemingly now again in the summer. A wonderful player with fantastic vision & an incredible left foot, this would be right up there with the Bruno Guimaraes signing if NUFC make a move.”

The Verdict: Exciting

The fact that the Magpies are being linked with a player of Ruiz’s quality is so exciting for the Toon Army.

He has consistently played at the highest level for Napoli over the last four campaigns, playing in both the UEFA Champions League and Europa League as well as in Serie A (Transfermarkt).

A midfield maestro like Bruno, the Spain international has scored 22 goals and 15 assists during his time in Naples so far (Transfermarkt), and would surely relish the opportunity to play alongside the Brazilian in the middle of the park.

The former Lyon star is already adored by NUFC supporters despite only joining in the January transfer window from Lyon, and so adding Ruiz to the mix would be a dream.

Former Rangers defender Alan Hutton has claimed that Ibrox goalkeeper Allan McGregor could stay at the club and embark on his coaching career in Glasgow.

The Lowdown: Mega-money offer

According to reports, the veteran stopper has been offered the chance to end his career in the United Arab Emirates after receiving a lucrative two-year contract. However, it is also claimed that the ‘keeper has entered talks with Rangers over a combined role involving coaching and playing duties.

The 40-year-old is reportedly weighing up his options after his contract at Ibrox expired at the end of May.

The Latest: Hutton’s claims

Hutton has claimed that he can now see his former team-mate heading down the coaching path, rather than accepting the offer from the UAE.

When asked in an interview with Football Insider whether a coaching role would be something that McGregor would consider, the ex-Scotland right-back claimed: “I think he would.

“If you asked me that a couple of years ago, I would have said definitely not. But the older he has got, the more you can see that pathway into coaching opening up.

“If Rangers are there to help him along the way with badges and so on, it’s always a little bit easier when you’re already in the building. You know everybody and you feel comfortable – so it’s something he’ll look at.

“I’ve always told him that he needs something to keep his mind active when he does retire, and that could be the route forward for him.”

The Verdict: Sign him up

Despite his age, the former Scotland international played 47 times for the Gers last season, including 14 matches in the Light Blues’ incredible Europa League campaign.

Having played more than 330 times in the Premiership, Rangers could utilise McGregor’s experience on their coaching staff, with the ‘keeper clearly knowing the club inside and out from his 446 appearances in blue.

Furthermore, Giovanni van Bronckhorst could continue to use the 40-year-old as a squad option, adding depth to a crucial position. Therefore, a joint role would be brilliant for all parties involved.

In other news: Rangers have now ‘approached’ to sign this transfer target

West Ham United are reportedly close to sealing their first signing of the summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report from Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth, via GIVEMESPORT, who claims that the Hammers are closing in on a deal for Rennes defender Nayef Aguerd.

Sheth revealed that the signing is close and that the unveiling as a West Ham player will take place if he goes through his medical without any issues.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Sheth said:

“There are two signings that look quite imminent as it stands, and one of them is the Rennes central defender Nayef Aguerd. He’s either been having a medical today, or tomorrow he’ll be having that medical at West Ham.”

As per the Metro, the Hammers will sign the Moroccan for a fee of £20m.

Moyes will love him

From a West Ham perspective, this would be some start to the summer transfer window.

Injuries to Angelo Ogbonna and Issa Diop left Moyes with a shortage of established centre-backs at the club, with pressure piled on the likes of Craig Dawson and Kurt Zouma to remain fit.

Ogbonna’s omission from the squad will arguably have hindered Moyes the most, with the Italian defender the only left-footed centre-back at the club.

In order to successfully build sustained attacks from the back, natural-footed centre-backs are seen as an effective way to boost possession stats, making it easy for a right-footed centre-back to play a switch towards the left-flank.

Aguerd, being a left-footed defender can not only offer that option to Moyes, but is proven in doing so effectively, averaging 64.37 passes completed and 3.26 switches with a progressive passing distance of 482.48 yards per 90.

The Morrocan has all of the technical ability needed to thrive as a ball-playing centre-back in the league and will bring something different to Moyes’ side who are clearly looking to improve on their 47.7% average possession metric. As a result, the Scot will love to have him in his team next term.

In other news: WHU can unearth a new Zola by signing £18m-rated “machine” who can “chop people down”