All posts by n8rngtd.top

Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has again been linked with a move to Liverpool, with the Reds reportedly making ‘calls’ regarding a switch.

The Lowdown: Milinkovic-Savic impresses for Lazio

The 26-year-old enjoyed another impressive season for Lazio in 2020/21, scoring eight goals and registering nine assists in Serie A.

Milinkovic-Savic continues to stand out as arguably one of the best midfielders in the league and he may not be without suitors this summer.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

The Latest: Liverpool update emerges

According to Calciomercato [via Sport Witness], ‘there have been some calls’ from Liverpool about a potential move for the Serbia international.

That being said, the Reds are only thought to be willing to pay less than the rumoured €70-80m (£59.9-68.4m) that Lazio want for his services.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-6/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Great player, but unlikely

In truth, a move looks unlikely, given the amount that is required to pay for the £63m-rated midfielder.

However, Milinkovic-Savic is a wonderful footballer who could be a great addition in the middle of the park, with his aforementioned end product standing out. He could resolve one problem area for Liverpool, with goals from midfield proving rather scarce in Jurgen Klopp’s squad last season – Curtis Jones was the most prolific player in that position with just four in all competitions.

The Serbian also averaged 1.8 tackles and 1.3 clearances per game in the league last season, showing what a formidable all-round player he is and how he could help fill the Gini Wijnaldum-shaped void in the Reds’ midfield.

In other news, some Liverpool fans are keen on the Reds signing a Euro 2020 finalist – find out who it is here.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to a photo of Steven Gerrard at Liverpool’s training centre as the Gers continue their pre-season plans.

The Light Blues are preparing for the 2021/22 campaign as they aim to build on the success of the previous term, when they won the Premiership for the first time in 10 years, which means they are partaking in the Champions League qualifiers. They started their pre-season programme with a 1-0 win over Partick Thistle and will next face Tranmere.

That clash with the Liverpool-based club will be away from home, meaning the Gers have travelled down to Merseyside. It appears that Liverpool have allowed Gerrard, who is an Anfield legend, to use their training centre for his Rangers side ahead of their next warm-up clash.

A photo of Gerrard at the training ground was shared on Twitter by Rangers’ official account, and it attracted plenty of attention from the Scottish champions’ supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with some jokingly fearing that he may ultimately be tempted to return to his former club.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the photo of Gerrard

“Iconic”

Credit: @GraemeCairns

“Dunno what’s more sexy.. that zipper top ..or the man in it”

Credit: @Annie_bear1872

“You love to see it”

Credit: @L3ewis21A

“I just pray we keep the badge on his top for as long as possible before he moves on til the one behind him!”

Credit: @eddie_cotter

“Don’t be getting any ideas Stevie”

Credit: @_ScottCairns_

“This pic gives me the fear.”

Credit: @xxxFisherxxx

In other news, this man has revealed that he snubbed a move to Rangers

Get French Football News features writer Adam White has called for Everton to sign Zeki Celik as Seamus Coleman’s long-term replacement.

New Everton boss Rafa Benitez is looking to strengthen his options after succeeding Carlo Ancelotti in the hotseat last month.

Coleman has been on the Toffees’ books for more than a decade, having joined from Irish side Sligo Rovers in 2009, and the 32-year-old has gone on to make 299 Premier League appearances.

Celik, who featured for Turkey at Euro 2020, has been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester United all said to be interested.

The right-back played a key role as Lille upset the odds and beat Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue One title last season.

The 24-year-old made 35 appearances in all competitions and despite Spurs, Arsenal and Manchester United being the frontrunners for Celik’s signature, White feels Goodison Park is where he could fit in best.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “He has been great for Lille and been so consistent. He is great at both ends of the pitch, very accurate with his crossing and is good defensively.

“Seamus Coleman is an extremely underrated player and has been for a decade. It would be a step up to the Premier League for Celik, which is always a difficult one, but he is certainly talented enough to slot into that role at Everton.”

Steve Howey has exclusively told Football FanCast it would be “mad” for Manchester City to sell Raheem Sterling this summer.

Sterling made 49 appearances but scored just one Premier League goal in the final three months of last season.

The loss of form resulted in the former Liverpool winger reportedly being put up for sale by City boss Pep Guardiola.

Premier League rivals Arsenal are among those to have raised an interest in Sterling, while it was also reported the 26-year-old could be offered to Tottenham Hotspur in a swap deal as the Premier League champions look to sign Harry Kane.

However, Sterling went on to impress at Euro 2020, with him scoring three goals en route to England reaching their first-ever European Championships final.

Although he could not inspire England to glory at Wembley, Sterling has been named in UEFA’s Euro 2020 team of the tournament.

Ex-City defender Howey has called for Guardiola to have a rethink and block bids for Sterling.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “I think it would be mad to sell Sterling. Where is he going to go, first and foremost?

“We all know how much of a quality player he is and every player has a bit of a dodgy spell. Guardiola loves him and I think Sterling was annoyed when these kind of reports came out.”

According to an update in the paper edition of Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur managing director Fabio Paratici is only €3 million (£2.5m) from Bologna’s valuation of defender Takehiro Tomiyasu.

The Lowdown: Tottenham in Tomiyasu talks…

Spurs have been attempting to tie up a deal for the Japan international since the beginning of July, with Sky Sports lifting the lid on an initial opening bid from Paratici being rejected.

The Athletic then dropped a promising update last week, claiming that Tottenham were ‘closing in’ on Tomiyasu and that the two clubs were finalising details.

The Latest: Spurs only £2.5m away…

As per this update by Corriere dello Sport, Paratici is only €3 million (£2.5m) from Bologna director Riccardo Bigon’s demands for Tomiyasu after their latest bid for the player.

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

The same outlet stated on Tuesday (via Sport Witness) that Bologna’s valuation is around €25 million (£21.4m) and they continue the story with a fresh update, going on to claim that the Serie A side will not lower their asking price for the defender.

This is despite the fact negotiations over Tomiyasu’s sale are in fact slowing down their own transfer market activity, with there apparently being a need to get something done soon.

Bologna’s chairman, however, has made it clear they will not sell below his valuation and Paratici may just need that little bit more to seal an agreement.

The Verdict: Pay the money…

Tomiyasu, as well as being described as a ‘warrior’ by teammate Mitchell Dijks (Tuttosport), played a starring role under manager Sinisa Mihajlovic last season.

Indeed, he started 31 league matches for Bologna over 2020/2021 whilst averaging the joint-most clearances per 90 out of Bologna’s entire squad (WhoScored).

He is also versatile and able to deputise at both centre-half and right-back, potentially shoring up two problem positions for Spurs in one swoop.

Therefore, we believe Tottenham should get this over the line as soon as possible.

In other news: ‘News regarding Tottenham’…Sky Sports drop big transfer update on live TV, find out more here.

Former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey has told Football FanCast that he would be surprised if Joe Willock chose Crystal Palace over a return to St. James’ Park.

Newcastle manager Steve Bruce has made it clear that he wants to bring Willock back to the club after a successful loan spell last season, but doing another deal with Arsenal is looking far from simple.

Mikel Arteta has claimed that the 21-year-old is currently in his plans, while Patrick Vieira and Palace, according to 90min, are interested in bringing him to Selhurst Park if he does become available this summer.

Howey, though, while not ruling anything out, would be surprised if Willock ended up picking the Eagles over the Magpies.

“Would he pick Newcastle if it was a choice between the two? You never know,” the ex-Newcastle centre-back said. “The lad is obviously based down in London, but I’d be surprised if he went to Crystal Palace.”

Willock really looked at home during that loan spell at St. James’ Park last term, scoring eight goals in 14 league games.

Ultimately, having proof that he can develop there, if the English youngster is to depart the Emirates this summer, then joining Bruce’s side again looks to be his best bet.

Fulham are closing in on a deal which would bring Rodrigo Muniz to Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Brazilian media outlet O Dia, who claimed that Cottagers CEO Alistair Mackintosh contacted Flamengo executive director Bruno Spindel on Thursday to confirm the proposal of an €8m (£6.8m) offer for the centre-forward, a deal which is split into two €4m (£3.4m) instalments.

The report added that Middlesbrough also made an offer for the 20-year-old, believed to be a €5m (£4.3m) bid for 50% of his rights, although Muniz prefers the idea of a move to Fulham.

Following the report, Vene Casagrande provided a further update on the situation of the striker, with the journalist revealing on Twitter that the Flamengo forward is set to travel to London in the coming days in order to link up with Fulham.

Silva will be buzzing

With it being reported that Marco Silva personally informed Muniz that he wanted to complete his signing to replicate the acquisition of Richarlison while at Everton, reports that a deal for the centre-forward seems to be all but done is sure to have left the 44-year-old buzzing.

Indeed, the youngster would appear to be a player with a significant amount of potential, and one who could well light up the Championship next season.

Over his nine Serie A appearances for Flamengo so far this term, the £2.7m-rated man has bagged three goals, provided one assist and created two big chances for his teammates, averaging 0.6 key passes and 2.4 shots per match.

These metrics have seen the man who Rene Simoes dubbed a “very good” player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.16, ranking him as the club’s joint eighth-best player in the Brazilian top flight.

As such, following on from the already impressive signings of Harry Wilson and Paulo Gazzaniga this summer, the possible addition of Muniz is clear evidence of the direction in which Silva wishes to take Fulham, with the club’s transfer dealings so far under the Portuguese boss very much sending a message to the rest of the Championship that the Cottagers mean business this season.

In other news: Marco Silva drops Fulham transfer hint which will be music to the ears of fans

Italian football expert Conor Clancy thinks that West Ham target Nikola Milenkovic would be affordable this summer. 

The Fiorentina defender has less than one year left on his current contract which expires June 30 next year, and the Serie A outfit could look to cash in on him this summer rather than risk losing him for free then.

West Ham insider ExWHUemployee has claimed that the club are in talks over a deal for the 23-year-old, however the Hammers face competition for the defender. The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare reported that Tottenham Hotspur also have an interest in Milenkovic and he believes a fee of around €15m could be enough to conclude a deal.

On the fee for Milenkovic, Clancy told Transfer Tavern: “I think he’d be affordable from an English perspective because Italian clubs tend to sell when English clubs come knocking. What an Italian club sees as a good fee and what an English club see as an affordable fee are usually quite similar.”

Milenkovic can also operate as a right-back and grabbed himself three goals in Serie A last season, and with the reported interest in him, West Ham are going to have to move swiftly if they are to capture the signature of the defender this summer.

Manchester United have suffered a potential blow in their pursuit of Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves.

What’s the story?

The Red Devils have been strongly linked with a move for the 24-year-old in recent weeks as United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to strengthen his first team squad.

However, Neves has now hinted that he would instead be happy to remain at Molineux next season after expressing his eagerness to work under new boss Bruno Lage.

“He (Lage) is a very good coach. I am really happy to work with him,” he told Wolves TV (as reported by The Mirror).

“I spoke with a few friends when he signed for Wolves – that were players in Benfica and are good friends of mine – and they said a lot of good things about him.

“I can see it now. He’s a very good coach with lots of good ideas. I think that when things are completely together, we’ll be a really hard team to beat.”

Solskjaer will be gutted

After arriving on English shores four years ago, Neves has played a key part in Wolves’ recent success, making 176 appearances for the Midlands outfit. He has helped the club claim the Championship title, record two consecutive seventh-placed finishes in the Premier League, reach the FA Cup semi-finals and the Europa League quarter-finals since his arrival.

Neves has cultivated a reputation for scoring the odd spectacular goal, while also showcasing an impressive array of passing throughout his career, earning praise from several pundits.

“It’s a magnificent pass; he’s a terrific player,” Jamie Redknapp said on Sky Sports (as per Daily Mail) in July 2020.

“I’m such a fan of Neves and the way he can just control the midfield. He can defend, he can attack, he’s so talented. He can do it at Wolves, but I think he’s going right to the top of the game; it’s effortless for him.”

With Paul Pogba yet to commit his future to United, Solskjaer is thought to be in the market for a new central midfielder this summer. Therefore, news that the £40.5m-rated Neves is looking forward to working under Lage at Wolves rather than clamouring for a move to Manchester will surely leave the Norwegian feeling gutted.

If Pogba departs Old Trafford over the coming months, then the 20-time English champions will need a readymade replacement. With Neves scoring more league goals and winning more tackles and interceptions per game than the Frenchman in 2020/21, he could well have been the ideal candidate, but his desire to remain in the Midlands may well put him out of Solskjaer’s reach.

In other news… Ole must move £7.2m-rated Man Utd ace this summer, he’s not been good enough so far 

Former Manchester City defender Michael Ball reckons a switch to the Etihad Stadium could hinder Antonee Robinson’s career.

According to The Mirror, the Premier League champions are targeting a move for the USA left-back, who was recently relegated with Fulham.

Robinson joined the Londoners from Wigan 12 months ago, although that deal only came around soon after the 24-year-old had seen a sensational move to AC Milan collapsed in January 2020.

But the defender put the disappointment of that failed transfer behind him to feature 28 times in the Premier League for Fulham in what was his first taste of top-flight football.

And the flying winger is now on the radar of Pep Guardiola, who’s still not been able to find a settled left-back despite having the likes of Benjamin Mendy, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Joao Cancelo, who is predominantly a right-back, at his disposal as potential options.

But former Citizen Ball doesn’t think he would play regularly at the Etihad and has advised Robinson to decide against a possible move.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“I don’t think a move to Manchester City would help him. I think he needs to stay at a team to develop, gain experience and play week in, week out.

“Of course, he will like the links, but will he play week in, week out? I don’t think he will, so it would hinder his career.”