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Now that Wolves look set to say goodbye to winger Adama Traore with an initial loan move to Barcelona this month followed by a potential permanent deal being on the table for the Spaniard in the summer, this could pave the way for the Midlands club to spend the remainder of the January transfer window trying to secure a suitable replacement for the 26-year-old.

In terms of who they could look to bring in to fill the void left by Traore’s imminent absence, one figure that has been mentioned with a move to Molineux in recent weeks that may not be too difficult for the Old Gold to secure is Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele.

With Barcelona apparently telling the Frenchman that he must sign a new deal at the club this month or else he’ll have to leave, which has then led to Dembele saying in a public statement that he won’t give in to blackmail, Wolves could step in and work out a deal that would suit all parties and bring the 24-year-old to England and draw a line under his time in Spain.

Labelled as an “exceptional” player by Dani Alves, the winger has proven throughout his career what a capable attacking asset he can be by racking up 53 goals and 50 assists in 208 club appearances across all competitions including La Liga, the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and the Champions League.

This could make him the perfect replacement for Traore given how he wasn’t much of a regular goalscorer for the Old Gold having found the back of the net on just 11 occasions in 154 appearances.

Having also been labelled as a “phenomenon” by former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi, Dembele could be tempted with a move to Wolves this month to test his game in the Premier League at a club aiming to secure European football.

Moving forward, with the January transfer window set to close on Monday, Wolves will have to move swiftly if they want to have any chance of signing the £27m-rated attacker and hope that their dealings with Barcelona over Traore and Francisco Trincao back in the summer will put them in good stead to secure Dembele’s signature.

In other news: Wolves eyeing transfer swoop for £14k-p/w “man mountain,” Lage would be delighted – opinion

West Ham United are set for talks regarding a deal to bring Duje Caleta-Car to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed in a recent post on The West Ham Way that Rob Newman and the Hammers’ transfer team are set to meet with Olympique de Marseille to discuss a deal for the centre-back.

The Irons insider goes on to state that David Moyes’ side are hoping to land the 25-year-old on a loan deal that includes an option to buy, while the Ligue 1 club are only prepared to part with the defender on a permanent basis – with a fee of £15m being widely reported as the Croatia international’s asking price.

Regarding West Ham’s interest in Caleta-Car, Ex said: “We believe talks will happen with Marseille for Caleta-Car to see if a compromise can be reached on the deal. We would like to initially loan [the defender], as he is unproven in England, but Marseille do not. It will be interesting to see how this develops.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Caleta-Car has been in France this season, in addition to the fact that West Ham are in rather urgent need of a new centre-back following the season-ending injury suffered by Angelo Ogbonna, the news that Newman is set for talks with Marseille in order to negotiate a deal for the 25-year-old is sure to have left the London Stadium faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 11 Ligue 1 outings this term, the £14.4m-rated defender has been in remarkable form for Les Phoceens, helping his side keep five clean sheets and scoring one goal, as well as making an average of 0.7 interceptions, 1.2 tackles, 1.9 clearances, 68.2 passes and winning 74% of his duels per game.

These returns have seen the £47k-per-week man average a SofaScore match rating of 7.15, ranking him as his club’s fourth-best performer in the French top flight.

As such, with both Craig Dawson and Issa Diop – particularly the latter – having done little to convince Moyes that they are capable of making the step up to becoming one of the 58-year-old’s bonafide starters in the absence of Ogbonna, it would indeed appear extremely wise for the club to do all they can to bring in Caleta-Car in the coming days – as the arrival of the centre-back would undoubtedly provide West Ham’s top-four hopes this season with a significant boost.

In other news: Contact made: Moyes can land the next Drogba as WHU make move for “explosive” £8m gem

Steven Gerrard certainly had a busy first transfer window in charge at Villa Park, and he wasted no time in signing players, securing four first-team recruits over the last month including Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne, who have had an instant impact on the side, but the manager isn’t stopping there, as he already eyes up his summer window moves.

What’s the word?

Aston Villa journalist, Ashley Preece, held a Q&A with fans to discuss the transfer window and future prospects on BirminghamLive, revealing a huge update on the pursuit of Yves Bissouma.

When asked by a fan about the potential signing of the Brighton star in the summer, Preece replied:

“Bissouma is that little less likely, I get that, but Villa have made him aware of their interest.”

“A lot can change at ‘big clubs’ in the summer and it’s Villa who could well pounce, as Gerrard likes to call it.”

“Villa will give the Bissouma deal a right good go in the summer.”

It was reported that Brighton rejected a £25m bid for the midfielder earlier this month, and Villa decided against further pushing for a move on Deadline Day.

Fans will be buzzing

Aston Villa are already enjoying having the Liverpool legend, Gerrard, as their manager due to his success pulling the side from 16th, just two points off the relegation zone after the first 11 games, to 11th in the Premier League since his appointment in November last year.

Fans will be buzzing that a hot prospect like Bissouma is still on the radar, despite not being able to secure his signature in January, the fact that Gerrard maintains his ambition to improve the squad will excite fans about the future.

After all, this is a player who possesses a phenomenal amount of potential and would immediately improve the manager’s ranks. So far this term, the Mali international has recorded 3.6 successful tackles per match, a number that would top the tree at Villa Park with John McGinn their top performer in that area of the pitch on 2.9 per game.

The only problem Gerrard might have to face in signing the defensive midfielder is that many other Premier League clubs are reportedly interested in securing his signature in the summer, including Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal.

Aston Villa will return to action in the Premier League next Wednesday against Leeds United, and they will be hoping to take all three points from the midweek game at Villa Park to break into the top half of the table upon return from the winter break.

In other news: Gerrard could unearth next Villa hero with Ben Chrisene

Writing for 90min on Tuesday afternoon, journalist Graeme Bailey shared some interesting news on in-demand Reims striker Hugo Ekitike, this time involving Liverpool.

The Lowdown: Rising star…

The teenager, arguably one of Europe’s brightest attacking talents, has been a wanted man since the very beginning of the January transfer window.

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West Ham and Newcastle are two Premier League sides to have registered their interest recently with winter window bids even made, highlighting just how highly-rated Ekitike is in some sectors despite his young age.

The 19-year-old has dazzled for Reims in France this season, scoring ten goals in 23 appearances across all competitions, with Liverpool and manager Jurgen Klopp now reportedly entering the picture.

The Latest: Anfield reps spotted on weekend trip…

According to Bailey and 90min, Liverpool were ‘represented’ as one of the many sides to have sent officials to cast their eye on Ekitike as his side cruised to a 5-0 home win over Bordeaux in the last few days.

They were joined by a plethora of representatives from other Premier League clubs as well as from abroad, with the likes of Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Porto, Benfica, Paris Saint Germain and Lyon all having people in attendance.

The Verdict: Big competition…

Amid all the potential competition for Ekitike’s signature going by this long list of teams taking note, it’s fair to say a bid for the teenager should certainly be considered.

Called an ‘outstanding talent’ by Bailey, with many in France believing he could become the next Kylian Mbappe (Twitter), FSG could sign a future superstar to bolster Klopp’s forward options, all before he develops into the player who could cost an extortionate sum.

He will, however, cost a pretty penny already – Newcastle apparently agreed a fee totalling £33 million for the centre-forward only for Ekitike to reject a deadline day move to St. James’ Park.

In other news: Journalist: Liverpool set for talks to sign ‘super’ player who wants to join Klopp! Find out more here.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has dropped some early team news ahead of the Bhoys’ upcoming Europa Conference League fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Glasgow Evening Times, the 56-year-old Bhoys boss confirmed that, after missing the Hoops’ last two fixtures due to illness, Josip Juranovic will once again be available for selection for the visit of Bodo/Glimt on Thursday evening.

Speaking about the current state of his Celtic squad, the Greek-Australian coach said: “Josip Juranovic is available.”

Fans will be buzzing

Having joined Celtic in a £2.5m deal last summer, Juranovic has wasted no time in establishing himself as one of the most important players in Postecoglou’s first-team setup at Parkhead.

Indeed, over his 20 Premiership outings this term, the £16k-per-week defender has been in quite astonishing form for the Hoops, having already scored two goals and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.4 key passes and taking 1.4 shots per game.

The £3.6m-rated Croatia international has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, helping the Bhoys keep eight clean sheets, in addition to making an average of one interception, 1.6 tackles, 1.5 clearances, 50.6 passes and winning 3.1 duels – at a success rate of 60% – per fixture.

These returns have seen the 26-year-old, who Scottish legend Ally McCoist dubbed an “outstanding” talent, average a rather remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.25, ranking him as the joint 10th-best player in the Scottish top flight so far this season.

As such, while Anthony Ralston is far from a terrible backup option for Postecoglou, the availability of Juranovic will undoubtedly provide Celtic’s chances of sealing a first-leg victory against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday with a substantial boost – something that will certainly leave the Parkhead faithful buzzing.

In other news: Forget Forrest: Ange must axe Celtic star who “could play in a tuxedo” vs Bodo/Glimt

Kevin Campbell has now shared a concern that he has about Aaron Ramsey after Glasgow Rangers revealed some injury news on the midfielder.

The Lowdown: Minor knock

As confirmed by the Ibrox faithful, Ramsey missed their 1-1 draw away at Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership over the weekend as he had a minor knock.

The Wales international also missed a recent bounce match against Premier League club Brentford, which resulted in a 2-2 draw.

With a big second leg against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Europa League coming up on Thursday night, and the Teddy Bears leading 4-2 from the reverse fixture, Giovanni van Bronckhorst will now be sweating over Ramsey’s fitness ahead of the clash.

The Latest: Campbell reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former Everton and Arsenal striker Campbell, who regularly features on Sky Sports, has since raised his concern with Ramsey due to his history with injuries:

“His injury record is always a worry, a problem.

“That was the gamble for Rangers. When a player starts to get into his 30s it takes them longer to recover. It doesn’t look good for Ramsey.

“It is only a loan until the end of the season though so Rangers haven’t invested loads of money.

“It’s important to remember injuries can happen to anyone though. It just feels doubly difficult when it’s a player of Ramsey’s quality and history of injuries.”

The Verdict: Worrying

Given his injury record, and the fact that he is not getting any younger at 31, it is always worrying when Ramsey has even the slightest of niggles.

The Light Blues will no doubt be hoping that he is fit enough to play a part against Dortmund, a team that he has won four times and scored against, and they can really use all of his European experience to help them get over the line.

Nonetheless, Ramsey himself will be looking to prove his fitness while out on loan from Juventus, so that he can potentially secure a move away in the summer.

In other news, find out ‘massive’ Gers news Alan Hutton has reacted to here!

Former RB Leipzig manager Jesse Marsch is ‘waiting in the wings’ to replace Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Bielsa under pressure

The Whites find themselves in a worrying run of form at the moment, with Wednesday’s 6-0 defeat away to Liverpool another low point in their season.

There seems an increasing feeling that Bielsa may have taken Leeds as far as he can, with a Premier League relegation battle now genuinely on the cards.

With the 66-year-old’s current deal at Elland Road expiring this summer, it remains to be seen what will happen next.

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The Latest: Marsch eyeing up Leeds job

According to The Telegraph, Marsch is ‘waiting in the wings’ to come in as Leeds’ next manager, should Bielsa move on at the end of the season.

There is no specific claim that it will be the case, though, with the Argentine known to ‘leave it late in the summer to sign new deals’.

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The Verdict: Is it time to part ways?

Bielsa has been a wonderful manager for Leeds, become an almost God-like figure in the city after ending their 16-year Premier League exile, but there are signs that he may well have peaked with his current squad.

One thing in his defence is the spate of injuries to key players, with the absences of Liam Cooper, Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford clearly not helping the Whites during this difficult season.

If Leeds can get influential figures back as soon as possible and show some improvement over the rest of the campaign, it could be enough to show that Bielsa is still the man to take the team forward. If not, a summer change feels like the logical option.

In other news, another name has also emerged as a potential Bielsa replacement. Find out who it is here.

Glasgow Rangers have now been given a triple injury boost after five players were ruled out in their upcoming game in the Scottish Premiership tonight.

The Lowdown: Five out

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match against St Johnstone, Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed that the Ibrox faithful have as many as five players ‘not available’ for the fixture.

Aaron Ramsey, Steven Davis, Amad Diallo, Ryan Jack and Filip Helander are the ones who have been ruled out, although the Dutch manager did give a further update on the anticipated return dates of three of those players, and it’s good news for the Ibrox faithful.

The Latest: Return dates

Adding to the news, van Bronckhorst also confirmed that both Helander and Jack ‘should be back’ for their weekend clash at home to Aberdeen, while Diallo should now be available ‘next week’:

“Helander and Jack should be back for the weekend, Amad next week.”

The Verdict: Boost

It is at least a boost that three of those players ruled out for tonight’s game should be back over the next week, as van Bronckhorst will need as much of his squad available from now until the end of the season.

They could get away with it tonight against a St. Johnstone side who are currently second-from-bottom in the SPFL table, but they remain three points behind rivals Celtic in the race for the title, and so will need as strong of a squad as possible for the run-in.

Nonetheless, with both Ramsey and Davis ruled out for the foreseeable future, Jack returning especially will give the Teddy Bears a welcome boost in the middle of the park.

In other news, find out who has now been touted for a potential Gers return here!

In recent years, Everton’s transfer business hasn’t exactly been sensible – particularly having spent over £100m in the last few seasons in transfer fees alone despite the club lingering above the relegation zone in the Premier League.

Midfield duo Andre Gomes and Jean-Philippe Gbamin both arrived for £25m each, but with Gomes now valued at £18m and seemingly out of favour while Gbamin is worth just £8m and on-loan at CSKA Moscow, both signings make up just two of the players that Everton have got wrong in recent seasons.

In departures, Rangers ace John Lundstram was let go on a free transfer back in 2015 by the Toffees, while Ross Barkley was sold for £7m-less than he was worth at the time back in January 2018.

It hasn’t been often that the Merseyside club have got it right when it comes to transfers, but one player that they did make a great decision on was youth academy graduate Tyias Browning, who left Goodison Park in February 2019 for Guangzhou Evergrande.

Somehow, the club managed to negotiate a £4.1m fee for the centre-back, likely due to his grandfather on his mother’s side being Chinese and the demand for players of that nationality in the top flight being high due to registration rules.

At the time though, he was worth just £900k, and the deal represented great value to the Premier League club – with it being worth 16% of the total fees earned from Everton departures in the 18/19 season.

Since moving to China, the 27-year-old’s value has risen slightly to £1.08m, but the defender who was once described as “outstanding” and as a “rock” by Everton U23’s Head Coach David Unsworth, remains a successful piece of business with the decline in valuation today from the fee he was bought for standing at -73%.

Browning has since become a “naturalised” Chinese citizen and now plays under the name Jiang Guangtai, making 11 appearances for the Chinese national team as well as appearing 19 times this season in the Chinese Super League, with his team currently sitting third in the Championship group after winning 13 out of 22 games this campaign.

In other news: Lampard could unearth a new £40.5m-rated “threat” in Everton’s never-seen 16 y/o

Joe Gelhardt is likely to attract interest and could leave Elland Road if Leeds United are relegated, according to The Telegraph (via MOT Leeds News).

The lowdown

Leeds paid £900,000 to sign Gelhardt from Wigan Athletic in the summer of 2020, committing him to a four-year contract. He’s gone to make 18 first-team appearances for the club, and 28 at Under-23 level.

The striker scored what could prove to be a crucial goal against Norwich City in March, snatching all three points for Leeds in the 94th minute.

Jesse Marsch’s side are battling to avoid demotion to the Championship two seasons after their Premier League return.

They’re currently two points ahead of 18th-place Everton, but the Toffees do have a game in hand.

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The latest

Journalist Mike McGrath writes (via MOT Leeds News) that it would be ‘foolish’ to think that clubs would not consider a move for Gelhardt if Leeds drop.

He would also expects opportunistic suitors to present themselves for Raphinha, Illan Meslier, Patrick Bamford and Kalvin Phillips.

A number of contracts at Leeds include relegation release clauses, but it’s unclear if that applies to Gelhardt.

The verdict

Gelhardt may feel that he should have had more opportunities for Leeds’ senior side. He’s featured in 16 Premier League matches this season, but only two of those have been starts.

That’s despite the fact that Bamford has only been fit for ten games as a result of injuries. But he should think twice about leaving, even if Leeds fall to the second tier.

If another club does snap up Bamford, the manager may be willing to place more faith in Gelhardt as the team’s primary striker at a lower level.

The teenager may have offers from other Premier League clubs, but it could be a similar story to this season. Any suitors may also regard him as one for the future given his limited experience.

But if he’s the man to fire Leeds to promotion, then he could make the spot in his own in the top-flight at the second time of asking.

In other news, this man is unlikely to stay at the club.