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An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s chances of landing Goncalo Ramos ahead of the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, the Magpies target is set to be available for a fee in the region of £25m as a host of teams sniff around his services.

The report names Manchester United, Newcastle and Bayern Munich among the interested parties, with the Red Devils having already made contact with the player’s representatives.

It is stated that he has a £100m release clause in his contract at Benfica but the Portuguese outfit are willing to cash in on him for £75m less than that figure.

Big Chris Wood upgrade

Eddie Howe must push to land a deal for Ramos in the January window as the 21-year-old has the potential to be a big upgrade on Chris Wood.

Football scout Jacek Kulig previously described the gem as “incredibly prolific” and his form for Benfica and Portugal justifies that comment.

In the 2022/23 campaign, Ramos has plundered eight goals and five assists in 12 competitive appearances in all competitions for the Portuguese side.

He had made his step up to the first team after producing 27 goals and nine assists in 55 outings across various youth levels, scoring 22 in 71 matches since making his senior bow.

The youngster has also caught the eye at international level. In 33 caps for Portugal at U19 and U21 level, he has found the back of the net an eye-catching 23 times – highlighting his exceptional ability in front of goal.

At the age of 21, he has shown that he has huge potential as he has been able to translate his prolific youth form into Benfica’s senior team. He has plenty of time left ahead of him to hone and develop his skills and could be a terrific signing for Newcastle, if he is able to adapt to English football.

Chris Wood, meanwhile, has struggled badly in front of goal since his £25m move to St. James’ Park from Burnley in January earlier this year. He has scored two goals and failed to register a single assist in 24 Premier League outings for the Magpies to date and has found himself behind Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson in the pecking order.

The New Zealand international has not offered much at the top end of the pitch and that is why Ramos could be a big upgrade on the dud. Wood, 30, is not an up-and-coming player like the Benfica gem, 21, and this means that the Magpies could improve their team in the immediate term and in the future by making this switch.

Ramos would also suit Howe’s pressing style of play as he has been described as an aggressive and determined presser from the front, whereas Wood is distinctly average in this sense – ranking in the 57th percentile among strikers in Europe’s top five leagues over the last 365 days for pressures per 90.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that Everton supporters will ‘really appreciate’ Idrissa Gueye.

The Lowdown: Second coming

The 32-year-old made his Premier League on Saturday after re-signing from Paris Saint-Germain in the transfer window.

The defensive midfielder came on in the second half for Tom Davies and put in a solid performance, winning four of his five duels, while he also recorded two interceptions, one tackle and committed no fouls (SofaScore).

The Latest: Gueye claim

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke has claimed that Everton supporters will ‘really appreciate’ the ‘dirty work’ that Gueye will do in for the team in the middle of the park, adding that the Senegal ace has ‘great energy’ and noting that he was a ‘big fan’s favourite’ during his first spell at Goodison Park.

The journalist said of Gueye: “He was a big fan’s favourite during his first spell, so I’m sure he will be this time around as well.

“He’s a great defensive midfielder with great energy and likes to do the dirty work in midfield, which I’m sure the Everton fans will really appreciate.”

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The Verdict: Smart signing

Bringing Gueye back was certainly a smart move by Frank Lampard and Everton, given how well he did in his first spell at the club.

He made 108 appearances in total over three seasons, scoring four goals and supplying a further five assists (fan favourite at Goodison Park.

The Senegal international should add some extra solidity in the middle of the park for the Toffees, on top of the Premier League experience that he has already accrued.

Nottingham Forest are plotting a shock move for Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko in the summer transfer window, journalist Luca Bianchin has claimed.

The Lowdown: Midfield addition needed?

Steve Cooper will be delighted with his business this summer, with the Reds signing a whole host of exciting players from Neco Williams to Taiwo Awoniyi.

Forest’s midfield could still do with reinforcements, however, as highlighted by their apparent raid of Atalanta’s ranks, eyeing up both Remo Freuler and Ruslan Malinovskyi.

Yet another midfielder has now appeared as a potential target, with the transfer window ending in just under three weeks.

The Latest: Forest eye up Bakayoko move

Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Bianchin, who covers Milan for La Gazzetta dello Sport, claimed that Forest want to sign Bakayoko from Chelsea, ending his loan spell in Italy:

“Tiemoue Bakayoko is an option for #NFFC. Bakayoko could end his two-year loan at #Milan to sign with Forest. Talks ongoing to find an agreement on the player’s wages.”

The Verdict: Is he good enough?

The 27 year-old enjoyed a triumphant 2021/22 season for Milan, winning the Serie A title and playing a decent squad role, making 14 league appearances in total.

While he would likely be a strong acquisition for Forest, given his pedigree as a newly-crowned title winner and the fact that he has won one cap for a France side littered with quality, he has struggled in the Premier League before.

His 43 appearances for Chelsea have been forgettable, hence the loan spells at Milan, Monaco and Napoli, although he has matured as a player over that time. Forest would, therefore, be wise to try a loan move, arguably getting the best years of his career without the risk of being saddled with a potentially expensive flop.

Glasgow Rangers kicked off their 2022/23 campaign with a 2-1 win away from Ibrox in the Premiership over the weekend.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst was able to field a few of his new signings as John Souttar, Antonio Colak, and Tom Lawrence all started the match, with Malik Tillman coming off the bench.

One player who missed the game through injury was summer arrival Rabbi Matondo and supporters will surely be keen to see him in action sooner rather than later.

The 21-year-old talent scored nine goals in 23 starts in the Pro League on loan at Cercle Brugge last season and registered a goal and an assist at Ibrox in a 3-1 win over West Ham in pre-season.

He is an exciting young player and Rangers can now find the dream partner for him to play alongside for many years to come in a deal to sign Oscar Gloukh from Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The Gers are one of the clubs in the race to land him this summer and Tel Aviv are reportedly looking for a fee in the region of £10m.

Gers podcaster Andy Barnett previously told the Heart & Hand podcast: “They (Rangers) were meant to be looking at Oscar Gloukh, who I’ve seen play in person and is an absolutely superbly talented youngster, a wonderkid.

“He came on for Maccabi Tel-Aviv in the final third of the season and was just the best player in the league in the final third. He scored against Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Tel-Aviv which are the two biggest games and there was meant to be clubs from La Liga as well as Rangers looking at him last night.”

Talent scout Jacek Kulig also named the gem in his U19’s European Championships Team of the Tournament this summer, as Israel lost to England in the final of the competition.

Barnett’s comments and his performance for his country in the tournament last month highlight his vast potential as an attacking midfielder.

At the age of 18, he has already played 12 times for his club in the first team – scoring three goals – and has been capped by Israel at U21 level. This shows that Tel Aviv believe that he has the quality to perform amongst senior professionals and his goal return suggests that he has handled the step up well.

The youngster could, therefore, be one for the future at Rangers whilst contributing in the present, much like 21-year-old Matondo.

Now, imagine the pair developing alongside each other with Gloukh in the number 10 role and the Welshman out wide on the right. It is an exciting prospect and, hopefully, one that can be turned into reality in the coming weeks.

Glasgow Rangers and Giovanni van Bronckhorst are interested in signing Josh Tymon but face competition from England, according to a report from The Mirror.

The lowdown: Bassey replacement?

This interest resurfaces as speculation linking left-back Calvin Bassey with a move to Ajax goes into overdrive, with contact reportedly being established between the 22-year-old and the Dutch Eredivisie champions.

Signed by Stoke City on a free transfer in 2017, Tymon is an academy graduate from the Hull City ranks having made just 14 appearances for his hometown club.

The 23-year-old England youth international has developed impressively since making the switch and has now amassed 87 outings for the Potters, also spending time on loan at MK Dons and more recently FC Famalicão.

The latest: Gers’ interested

As per The Mirror, both Rangers and Leeds United are ‘interested’ in the five-cap England Under 20 starlet.

A journalist for the outlet, David Anderson, wrote in his column that the Glasgow giants would need to pay ‘more than the £5million being quoted’ in order to sign Tymon.

Elsewhere, Van Bronckhorst appears to be edging towards completing a fifth summer signing in the shape of talented Bayern Munich midfielder Malik Tillman on loan (Sky Sports).

The verdict: Ready-made

Although losing a player of the magnitude of Bassey would be a huge blow to the Gers’ cause ahead of next term, Tymon represents more or less a like-for-like replacement for the Nigeria international when it comes to age, profile and desire to influence matches at both ends of the pitch.

Capable of playing as a central defender, the man recently hailed for an ‘incredible season’ by journalist Sam Egerton predominantly operates as a natural left-back and can also play in more advanced wide areas.

During 2021/22, Tymon scored three times and provided four assists from 49 appearances across all competitions, earning an impressive 6.80 Sofascore rating whilst winning 3.7 duels, completing 1.1 dribbles and making 1.2 key passes per game in the Championship – highlighting remarkable defensive acumen, attacking prowess and all-important durability.

Valued at £1.62million and under contract until 2025 (Transfermarkt), signing the Englishman for a little over the mooted demands would make plenty of sense for the Ibrox hierarchy, particularly upon receipt of the likely healthy Bassey windfall.

The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare has dropped multiple exit claims for departures which could take place among Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur squad this summer.

The Lowdown: Busy transfer window

Managing director Fabio Paratici has been busy at work this window as Spurs have already confirmed five signings to date.

Inter Milan star Ivan Perisic and Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster were brought in early in the summer as free transfers who arrived upon the expiry of their previous contracts.

Yves Bissouma was the next arrival at Hotspur Way, joining from Brighton for a fee in excess of £25m. This was shortly followed by club record signing Richarlison, who joined the Lilywhites from Everton in a deal worth around £60m.

Most recently, Barcelona centre-back Clement Lenglet came to the Premier League giants on a season-long loan, bringing Paratici’s tally of signings up to five so far this summer.

The Latest: Eccleshare’s news

Eccleshare has now shared news on Tottenham’s latest squad omissions for their upcoming tour of South Korea.

Taking to Twitter, the journalist revealed: “Lo Celso, Winks, Reguilon and Ndombele all left behind from #THFC’s travelling party to Korea. Rodon misses out with illness, Lenglet couldn’t get visa in time. Devine and Scarlett given time off after Under-19 Euros.”

Adding to the original tweet, Eccleshare claimed: “Confirms Spurs trying to get rid of those four. Reguilon the only one there had been any doubt about on that front. Shame for him it hasn’t quite clicked – thought he was going to be such an exciting option.”

The Athletic journalist then shared news of their potential exits, stating: “Understand Spurs are in talks with other clubs about those players. Big part of this summer is about moving players on.”

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The Verdict: Ruthless

With Conte seemingly keen on a summer exodus this summer, Paratici has been ruthless in the transfer market, securing new players in the positions needed for Spurs to compete in the Champions League next season.

However, with that comes inevitable departures.

Whilst it always seemed likely that Lo Celso and Ndombele would leave the club upon their return from their loan spells, the prospective exits of Winks and Reguilon would appear to illustrate how Conte is not willing to keep hold of those excess to his high standards.

Therefore, with their possible departures, we could see more incomings this summer as the rebuild of Tottenham’s squad continues.

Further updates have now emerged regarding reported Leeds United target Florian Grillitsch.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Grillitsch

Hailed as ‘exceptionally gifted’ by Hoffenheim director Alexander Rosen, the Bundesliga club’s midfielder was linked with a move to Elland Road in April.

Transfer insider Dean Jones revealed in recent weeks that the Austria international is still a target for the Whites and could come to Yorkshire even if Kalvin Phillips remains at the club.

Valued at £14.4m by Transfermarkt, the 26-year-old is out of contract at Hoffenheim at the end of this month, with Leeds still name-checked with an interest in recent reports.

The Latest: Romano provides Grillitsch transfer latest

MOT Leeds News relayed an update regarding Grillitsch from Austrian newspaper Die Presse Am Sonntag. They claimed that he has rejected a new contract offer from Hoffenheim, with Leeds, Arsenal, Everton, Lazio and Fiorentina all keen.

The report stated that Fiorentina have reached a verbal agreement, but according to an update from transfer expert Fabrizio Romano on Saturday night, ‘there’s still no agreement’ between the Serie A club and Grillitsch.

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The Verdict: Time for Leeds to swoop?

Romano’s update is an apparent boost for Leeds, who still appear to be interested in securing Grillitsch’s services over the coming weeks.

However, they seem to be busy at this moment in time in looking to wrap up the signing of defensive midfielder Marc Roca from Bayern Munich.

It seems as if Victor Orta may want Grillitsch alongside Roca in midfield, with Phillips now expected to move to Manchester City, so the Whites may need to act fast in order to snap up the Austrian on a free transfer.

In other news: Leeds now won’t sign ‘superb’ midfielder despite Phil Hay revealing talks

A teasing update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their chances of bringing a goalkeeper to Ibrox in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Journalist Alan Nixon – in response to a fan asking for an update on the club’s business – has claimed Rangers have a realistic chance to land goalkeeper Jack Butland ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

He Tweeted: “Rangers maybe need an exit to do Tymon… Butland is there to be done if they figure out how to do it…”

This comes after The Sun claimed that the Gers and Bournemouth are both interested in signing the former England international shot-stopper.

Gio van Bronckhorst will be excited

The Ibrox head coach will be left feeling excited by this claim as Nixon has made it sound like Crystal Palace are open to selling him to Rangers.

This teasing update suggests that the Premier League team will not go all out to keep Butland at Selhurst Park and the Gers can take advantage of his situation by snapping him up.

With Allan McGregor out of contract and the club yet to confirm whether he’s leaving or signing a contract extension, the Light Blues are in need of reinforcements in the goalkeeping department. They need a shot-stopper to either replace or compete with the veteran Scot and that is exactly what Butland can do.

The Englishman is experienced at the very top level as he has played in five separate Premier League campaigns for Stoke and Palace combined.

He played nine times in the top-flight for the Eagles last term and did not make a single error leading to a shot or goal. In fact, he has only made one error directly leading to a goal in his Premier League career, which suggests that he is a reliable figure between the sticks.

McGregor, meanwhile, made three errors directly leading to goals in the 2021/22 Premiership season. The 40-year-old allowed mistakes to creep into his game and that is why van Bronckhorst will be excited by the prospect of bringing in Butland to potentially be his new number one.

The Palace man is 11 years younger than the Scot and this means that he can be the Dutch head coach’s go-to option in goal for many more years to come, which is another reason why he will be delighted with the club’s pursuit of the Englishman.

AND in other news, “Rangers will…”: Jordan Campbell drops big transfer update, supporters will be livid…

Roker Report’s Philip West has been reacting to the news that VAR will be used in Sunderland’s League One playoff final clash with Wycombe Wanderers, warning of the ‘ridiculous fingernail offside’ decisions.

The Lowdown: Season-defining day at Wembley

The Black Cats face their biggest game of a gruelling season on Saturday afternoon, as they take on Wycombe at Wembley for a place in the Championship.

Alex Neil’s side overcame Sheffield Wednesday in a dramatic semi-final clash but they must now make sure that all their hard work doesn’t go to waste against a stubborn opponent.

It has been confirmed that VAR will be used for Saturday’s game – something that Sunderland and Wycombe haven’t experienced in the league all season long.

The Latest: Journalist unhappy about VAR

Reacting to the news on Twitter, journalist and podcaster West was unconvinced about the controversial technology coming into play at Wembley:

“Mixed thoughts on VAR being used for the playoff final. The system itself is OK in theory (the ridiculous idea of a fingernail being offside notwithstanding) but it’s only as good as the people operating it. Hopefully we have experienced officials for Saturday.”

The Verdict: Could it prove key?

Fans will always be divided when it comes to VAR, with some feeling it ultimately leads to correct decisions and others believing it has taken some of the heart and drama out of the game.

There is every chance that it will cause some kind of controversy on Saturday afternoon and the hope is that Sunderland aren’t on the receiving end of it, as they look to break out of League One after a four-year stay.

That being said, it can clearly be beneficial a lot of the time, so it could be that West and others are happy come Saturday night, should it have aided a Black Cats win.

In other news, James Copley is stunned by some other Sunderland playoff final news. Find out why here.

Rangers will now try to maximise the fee they receive for wantaway starlet Rory Wilson, according to The Daily Record’s Graeme Young. 

The lowdown

The 16-year-old is regarded as one of the best young players in the United Kingdom and has already been courted by sports clothing giant Adidas, who have beaten off competition to commit him to a ‘big’ boot deal.

Wilson’s recent exploits include a match-winning strike against Celtic’s under-18s last weekend and a goal in the Scottish Youth Cup final triumph over Hearts.

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The latest

Young reported for The Daily Record that Wilson looks set to leave Ibrox this summer after informing Rangers of his intention to move on.

The club are keen to retain him and tie him down to a professional contract, but it seems that they are increasingly resigned to the undesirable outcome.

Their objective is to earn as much money as possible from his likely exit, with English Premier League side Aston Villa currently his most likely destination.

The verdict

Rangers appear to have done all they can to try and keep hold of the 16-year-old prodigy.

Director of football Ross Wilson and manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst reportedly met with the player and his family in attempt to persuade him, but to no avail.

Having scored more than 40 goals this season for Rangers’ youth teams, he has left the club under no illusion as to the talent that he possesses.

They might have accepted that they wouldn’t be able to hold onto him forever if he lives up to his potential, but selling him in a few years’ time – by which point he may be scoring at first-team level – could have proven far more lucrative than being forced to let him leave now if he is dead-set on going.

In other news, Andy Newport warns Van Bronckhorst over his Leipzig team selection after one man’s ‘rotten’ first half performance v Celtic