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Nottingham Forest are reportedly looking to make a bid to sign Wolves midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from journalist Alan Nixon in The Sun, Bruno Lage will try and convince the player to sign a new deal at Molineux this summer as Forest and Southampton are “poised with offers should negotiations not go to plan.”

As a product of Wolves’ youth system, the 22-year-old has gone on to make 103 appearances across their U23 and senior sides, scoring five goals and delivering six assists in the process.

The Englishman recently completed his second loan spell away from the Midlands club, this time with Sheffield United after he had a short period with Swansea City between August 2020 and January 2021.

Great news for Cooper

During his time with the Blades, the youngster found the net 12 times and supplied ten assists in 37 appearances, which is why his parent club are keen to secure his long-term future at Molineux and why the likes of Forest and Southampton are reportedly willing to splash the cash to sign him.

To further highlight how deadly he was for the Yorkshire club this season and why he’d be a good signing, Gibbs-White racked up more shots at goal (86) and more shots on target (33) than any other United player.

He also ended the campaign with the joint-highest average of key passes per game in the squad and the highest overall performance rating (7.14/10) according to WhoScored.

This shows the attacking capabilities he has and how he could be a big asset for Forest as they prepare to take on their upcoming campaign as a Premier League team.

Should Wolves fail in their attempt to get the youth talent to sign a new deal with them, it would be great news for Steve Cooper to see his side bring in a young player like Gibbs-White that has proven what he can do in the Championship and has some experience of playing in the top flight.

This situation is certainly one that Forest should be keeping a close eye on and potentially make a bid should an opportunity to do so present itself.

In other news: Huge boost: Exciting NFFC transfer update emerges that’ll leave supporters buzzing

Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has provided an update on Raphinha’s Elland Road future.

The Lowdown: Key to survival

In recent months, the Brazilian has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona. Raphinha has a €25m relegation release clause in his current contract, but he played a key role in helping the club remain in the top flight.

He ended the season as the top scorer with 11 goals and was the club’s best-rated performer, as per WhoScored. Survival has seemingly made a move to the Nou Camp trickier, and reliable reporter Hay has dropped a development regarding his immediate future.

The Latest: Hay reveals price tag

Hay shared a story on The Athletic on Friday morning regarding Raphinha.

He learnt from ‘sources’ close to the club that ‘it is likely to take a bid of between £60m and £70m’ to get the winger out of Leeds this summer, with the club not expecting the 25-year-old to sign a new deal in Yorkshire.

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The Verdict: Correct valuation

Reports had previously stated that Leeds would accept £40m for their star man despite staying up, but it’s good to see that Hay has cleared that up with a valuation way above that mark.

With two years left on his current deal, this summer could be the only time the club can value Raphinha in the £60m-£70m bracket.

As Hay mentions, though, the club are under no pressure to sell this summer or accept any cut-price bid, so it looks as if there is now a real possibility we could see Raphinha remain at Elland Road, with Leeds in firm control of any potential sale.

In other news: Reporter says Leeds and Orta may now hijack rivals’ move for ‘outstanding’ star. 

Reliable club insider ExWHUemployee has now backed some promising transfer reports involving West Ham United and Manchester City star Oleksandr Zinchenko.

The Lowdown: Hammers eye move…

The Hammers and manager David Moyes are well in the mix to sign City’s versatile gem this summer with The Mirror claiming they are set to battle Arsenal for his signature.

Zinchenko has proved a brilliant asset for Sky Blues boss Pep Guardiola, as evident by his phenomenal contribution on the final day of their 2021/2022 Premier League season.

The Ukranian’s introduction in the second half of their dramatic 3-2 victory over Aston Villa, a title-clinching win, helped to change the game and add more balance on City’s left channel.

He added real threat and helped to turn the tide on a memorable afternoon, potentially prompting interest from West Ham as they eye his possible signing.

The Latest: ExWHUemployee makes Zinchenko claim…

Club insider Ex, speaking to The West Ham Way, has now backed these reports of Moyes’ interest in signing Zinchenko.

He explained:

“We are definitely very interested in Zinchenko. However the player has made it clear he wants to play a midfield role rather than a defender. So it could be that would suit us well with him filling in at left back if need be.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

The 25-year-old, as explained by 90min journalist Toby Cudworth, would be a ‘superb signing’ for Moyes, and we believe he should be a priority target.

Adept at playing further forward as an attacking midfielder and at left-back, Zinchenko’s addition would plug more than one hole in the West Ham squad.

One major obstacle could be the presence of Arsenal in the race, especially since manager Mikel Arteta already knows the player well from their time together at Eastlands.

In other news: ‘I believe…’ – ExWHUemployee has ‘great news’ for West Ham supporters…find out more here.

Aston Villa submitted an offer for Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma and were then joined in the running by Antonio Conte’s Tottenham, it has been revealed.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report from 90minwho claim that Aston Villa were in the running ahead of Spurs, who now seemingly have a £26m agreement with Brighton over the Malian midfielder, despite entering the race at a later date.

As per a report by Graeme Bailey who took to his personal Twitter page; “Aston Villa held talks but [the] player indicated preference to move to London.”

Gerrard surely upset

The signing of Bissouma would have represented an astute level-up in the engine room for Aston Villa and Gerrard will be aware of this, considering his desire to move for the 25-year-old.

Bissouma would have fit right into Villa’s aggressive transfer approach this summer and, more so, would have bolstered their defensive numbers quite drastically.

With an average of 3.11 tackles per game, 2.34 interceptions and 2.17 clearances per 90, Bissouma has put up some numbers that demonstrate his defensive excellence in the centre of the pitch, bettering N’Golo Kante’s respective numbers of; 2.74 tackles, 2.09 interceptions and 0.61 clearances per 90. A real statement from the Malian man.

The 25-year-old would certainly have bolstered Villa’s resistance and helped them improve on their average of 1.4 goals conceded per match – a metric that sees them ranked 11th in the Premier League, five places below Brighton.

Under the guidance of a tactician like Potter, defensive astuteness has been drilled into Bissouma and makes him a real destroyer in the engine room.

In fairness to Villa, they were in the queue first and bided their time over his availability, willing to spend some of their transfer kitty on the number 8 wearing midfielder. Though, they cannot help their location and as such will miss out on what is defensively elite player, something that will leave Gerrard rather upset.

In other news: Lange could land the new James Milner as AVFC plot bid for “athletic” £14.4m-rated gem 

Leeds United correspondent Beren Cross has stated that the club are yet to make an offer for Manchester City attacker James McAtee.  

The Lowdown: McAtee links

The Whites are thought to be ‘very keen’ on a move for McAtee, according to The Athletic.

The 19-year-old, described as ‘exceptional’ by Pep Guardiola, has contributed to 46 goals in 52 games for City’s U23s and has made six senior appearances at the Etihad.

City could look to use youngsters as makeweights in a move for Leeds star Kalvin Phillips, although they reportedly don’t want to lose McAtee.

The Latest: Cross shares update

Cross, responding to a Whites fan in a Q&A for LeedsLive, provided updates on Manchester City duo McAtee and midfielder Romeo Lavia, who has also been linked with an exit from Eastlands.

He claimed that Leeds ‘like them’ but ‘right now’, there is only a ‘basic interest’, with no offers made as of yet.

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“On Lavia and McAtee, Leeds like them as players, but so do a great many clubs across the PL and Championship, if not further afield too. I understand there are offers on the table for neither right now. I don’t believe there’s much beyond a basic interest in them currently.”

The Verdict: Unlikely?

McAtee appears to be extremely highly rated by City officials having already broken into Guardiola’s star-studded squad, so a move to Elland Road does seem unlikely at this stage.

A swoop for holding midfielder Lavia could be the more realistic addition, with his route to first-team football possibly suffering a setback should Phillips join City.

Leeds need to be careful about City potentially looking to drive Phillips’ price down by including a youngster, though, and you’d expect there could be further developments over the coming weeks.

In other news: Orta now working on signing 31-goal striker for free; famous Leeds fan may help Elland Road move. 

Everton want to keep deals for Richarlison and Tottenham’s Harry Winks separate, which could prove to be a ‘stumbling block’ for the north London club’s attempts to sign the Brazilian, according to Daily Star journalist Paul Brown.

The Lowdown: Winks to Everton?

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has said that the Spurs midfielder remains in discussion with Toffees manager Frank Lampard over a potential move to Merseyside ahead of next season. Bridge claims that the Lilywhites are keen on selling the England international this summer, whereas Everton favour a loan deal with an obligation to buy.

However, Tottenham are hoping to use Winks as a bargaining tool in their bid to sign Richarlison, who is currently valued at £50m.

The Latest: Brown’s claim

Brown doesn’t believe that the Toffees will be interested in any type of swap deal involving the two players.

Speaking with GiveMeSport, he claimed: “From Spurs’ point of view it would make it a lot cheaper if they could try and package that all together, but as far as I understand, Everton want it kept totally separate and that might be a stumbling block at the moment.”

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The Verdict: Good for Everton

Whilst this will be frustrating for Spurs chief Fabio Paratici in negotiations, it is easy to see why Everton are favouring keeping the two deals separate from one another.

If the Toffees sign Winks on loan and then offload Richarlison for £50m, this will open up funds for Lampard to continue reshaping his squad, adding further reinforcements to what he already has at Goodison Park.

Also, considering how influential the Brazilian was last season as Everton’s top scorer and highest-rated performer from WhoScored, anything which could help the Toffees to keep hold of him ought to be welcomed as good news for the club.

Newcastle United managed to rescue what was heading towards being a disastrous season for the Tyneside club.

Having won just one Premier League game by January, the Toon ultimately finished 11th after only losing five games during the second half of the campaign.

One mam who the Magpies had to make do without for a significant period of time is Callum Wilson.

After scoring two goals in Newcastle’s three opening league games of the season, the striker picked up a hamstring injury which kept him out for their next four games. The Englishman was then out of action for four months between January and April with a calf issue.

Ultimately, the 30-year-old ended the campaign with eight goals to his name in 18 league appearances. With that in mind, it could be argued that, had he been fit for the entire season, Newcastle could well have broken into the top half of the table for a finish.

Looking ahead to next term, it’s safe to say that the striker will be hoping to avoid any more injury problems and play as much as he can for the team.

In terms of the current transfer window, one man with whom the Toon have been linked and who could give Eddie Howe the chance to form a scary duo with Wilson is Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz.

With 166 appearances to his name for the Serie A club, the Spaniard has scored 22 goals and delivered 15 assists along the way.

Labelled a “beautiful person” who has had a “spectacular” growth in terms of his play on the pitch by former Barcelona manager Quique Setien, Ruiz is currently valued at £49.5m by Transfermarkt.

Having racked up 80 shot-creating actions in his 32 Serie A appearances last season, and also the second-highest number of live-ball passes which led to a shot at goal (74) in Napoli’s squad, he has shown how capable he is of creating goalscoring opportunities.

Having this sort of creativity next to a player like Wilson who can find the net on a regular basis would be an exciting combination for Howe and Newcastle moving forward.

In other news – “I am told..”: Journalist drops huge Newcastle transfer update, it’s bad news for Howe

TalkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has revealed that Southampton will only allow Adam Armstrong to leave the club if they find a suitable replacement.

The Lowdown: Championship interest

The 25-year-old first made the step up to the Premier League when he joined the Saints from Blackburn Rovers last summer, but has failed to make the impact many hoped for, scoring just two goals in 28 appearances in all competitions during his debut season at St. Mary’s.

Even though the striker still has three years remaining on his contract on the south coast, The Sun have reported that Championship clubs Watford and Middlesbrough are both weighing up the possibility of a loan move.

It’s stated within the article that the forward is reluctant to drop down to a lower league, creating a roadblock for the two potential suitors, and it sounds like Hasenhuttl won’t let him go easily either.

The Latest: Crook breaks inside update

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Crook provided an update on Southampton’s transfer stance regarding the future of Armstrong. He said:

“Adam Armstrong, I’ve been told, would only be allowed to go if they get another striker in.

“At the moment, there’s no real interest in moving him on.”

The Verdict: Keep hold of him

With Armando Broja having returned to Chelsea following the conclusion of his loan spell, not to mention the fact that Shane Long’s contract expired earlier on Friday, Che Adams and Dan N’Lundulu are now the only other senior strikers on the books, so Southampton can’t afford to let Armstrong go.

Despite not having a successful first campaign in red and white stripes, the £13.5m-rated gem has got an outstanding track record in front of goal, having netted 28 times in just 40 outings for Rovers in 2020/21, via Transfermarkt.

If he can get a good pre-season under his belt, there’s always a chance that he will be able to replicate that form for the Saints next term as Hasenhuttl looks to guide his team back towards a top-ten finish.

Arsenal transfer target Amadou Onana has a similar stature to Gunners legend Patrick Vieira, and Mikel Arteta would be ‘delighted’ to have him at the Emirates Stadium, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Onana linked with Arsenal

As per a report by RMC Sport, the north London club have opened talks with the Belgium international over a potential move this summer.

West Ham are also keen on securing the 20-year-old’s services, having made the first move with a €23m (£20m) bid. However, this was swiftly rejected by Lille, who claimed that the player is not for sale.

Onana arrived in Ligue 1 less than 12 months ago but has since gone on to impress with Les Dogues, having made 31 appearances in the league last season.

The Latest: O’Rourke’s claim on Onana

O’Rourke has drawn similarities between Onana and former Arsenal captain Vieira, claiming that the 20-year-old has all of the tools required to succeed in the Premier League.

Speaking with GiveMeSport about the young Belgian, the journalist claimed: “He’s got the stature of Patrick Vieira, and if he’s half as good as Vieira was for Arsenal then I think Arsenal will be delighted to have him at the club.

“He does have all of the attributes to be a success in England. He’s a good ball player and has great energy.”

The Verdict: Great potential

When analysing the 20-year-old’s underlying statistics, his potential to become a top-level player is clear to see.

When compared with positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, Onana ranks in the 94th percentile for tackles and the 88th percentile for non-penalty expected goals (via FBRef).

Arsenal are on the lookout for further depth in the midfield, with 22-year-old Albert Sambi Lokonga having fallen out of favour under Arteta during the second half of last season.

Therefore, if the Gunners are keen on adding more potential talent to their youthful squad, signing Onana could be a shrewd piece of prospective business for the club.

West Ham United have been named among the suitors for Espanyol striker Raul de Tomas, according to reports from Spanish sources.

The lowdown: Striker needed

The Hammers are yet to find a suitable replacement for Sebastien Haller after the now-Borussia Dortmund star headed to Ajax in January 2021.

Instead, David Moyes has had to make do with only Michail Antonio as a recognised senior centre-forward, occasionally utilising Andriy Yarmolenko and Jarrod Bowen in a makeshift capacity as alternative options.

Having already been heavily linked with Chelsea sensation Armando Broja and Sassuolo talent Gianluca Scamacca throughout the summer, it has now emerged that another frontman could be on the radar in east London…

The latest: Long-standing admirers

As per reports from Spain, West Ham have been ‘following’ the four-cap Spain forward since he moved from Real Madrid to Benfica in 2019.

It’s claimed that De Tomas would ‘undoubtedly’ be one of the ‘main targets’ at the London Stadium, although there is competition from Premier League rivals Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Everton.

The report added that Espanyol would be willing to accept offers of €35m (£29.7m) for the man described as boasting ‘plenty of skill’ by ESPN editor David Cartlidge, marking a reduction in his asking price from previous transfer windows.

The lowdown: Smart option

A graduate of Real Madrid’s academy, De Tomas has 129 career goals in 316 outings across senior and youth/reserve team levels, with the well-travelled striker enjoy multiple successful loan spells before seemingly landing at an ideal home in Espanyol.

Sharing stylistic traits with Luis Suarez, Jonathan David and Joao Pedro (FBRef), the £22.5m- valued hitman boasts a well-rounded overall game and level of quality which would be a welcome addition to Moyes’ ranks.

De Tomas scored 17 goals and provided three assists in 34 La Liga outings last season, earning an impressive 7.09 Sofascore rating whilst winning 4.5 duels, completing 1.5 dribbles and taking 3.1 shots per game.

Signing a centre-forward before the 2022/23 campaign is imperative for the Irons, and the Spaniard certainly ticks plenty of boxes for the east Londoners, particularly at the freshly-mooted reduced asking price.