All posts by n8rngtd.top

Manchester United are interested in Inter Milan defender Stefan de Vrij, according to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown

The Red Devils are poised to announce their first signing of the summer in the form of full-back Tyrell Malacia, as transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano told GiveMeSport that the £14.6m deal for the Feyenoord man is effectively ‘done’.

Erik ten Hag might now turn his attention to a centre-back, with The Athletic reporting that talks over Ajax’s Lisandro Martinez are already at an advanced stage.

However, it seems that the 52-year-old may also be interested in De Vrij, who is now into the final year of his contract with Inter.

The latest

Gazzetta dello Sport claimed (via Sport Witness) that Inter may look to offload the 30-year-old this summer for two reasons.

First of all, they want to avoid losing him on a free transfer next summer, and secondly, they can put the funds towards further incomings.

United have ‘turned on their radar’, which suggests that this situation has alerted them and that a formal approach might be in the works. De Vrij is ‘waiting for a call’ but isn’t expected to try to force through a move of his own accord.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-man-utd-news-4/” title=”Latest Man Utd news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The verdict

It wouldn’t be a surprise if United sought multiple defensive additions this summer. After all, they set a new club record last season for goals conceded in a Premier League campaign.

To that effect, Ten Hag may feel that it is an area in need of a revamp ahead of his first full season in charge at Old Trafford.

Martinez’s capacity to play as a full-back and as a defensive midfielder, in addition to centre-back, is also worth noting. With that in mind, both he and De Vrij could certainly fit into the same squad.

The £25.2m-rated Dutchman brings appropriate pedigree, having won Serie A with Inter in 2020/21 and earned a host of individual accolades. He was named the league’s Defender of the Year in 2019/20 and also made the best XI in 2020 and 2021.

Aston Villa and Newcastle United have both made offers to sign Italian defender Alessio Romagnoli.

The Lowdown: Romagnoli profiled

Romagnoli has been with AC Milan since 2015, however, the centre-back’s contract with Milan is set to expire in the coming days.

The 27-year-old, described as a ‘great champion’ by England defender Fikayo Tomori, has made 247 appearances for the Italian giants – 26 of which came last season.

Valued at £15.3m by Transfermarkt, it looks as if Romagnoli will become a free agent at the end of the month, with Villa seemingly keen.

The Latest: Villa offer

According to Corriere dello Sport, relayed by Lazio News, Villa and Newcastle have both joined Lazio in the race to sign Romagnoli.

They claim that the Premier League sides have offered the defender a €4m (£3.4m) yearly salary, more than Lazio’s €2.8m offer.

The Verdict: Smart move?

Villa’s offer works out at around £65,000-a-week, which could prove to be a shrewd move, should Romagnoli become Steven Gerrard’s fifth summer signing.

The club have already brought in Diego Carlos from Sevilla and now have five senior centre-backs to choose from. However, the futures of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa have been up in the air in recent months, so bringing in Romagnoli could result in one of them leaving for a big fee.

Romagnoli has plenty of experience at the highest level for both club and country and leadership from being Milan’s captain, and with no fee to pay up front, similar to their move for Boubacar Kamara, it could be a wise decision.

Tottenham Hotspur remain interested in a deal for Paulo Dybala this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian media outlet Tuttomercatoweb (via Sport Witness), who claim that, despite Inter Milan looking to be nearing a deal for the Juventus forward, both Tottenham and AS Roma are said to be keeping a very close eye on the situation of the 28-year-old ahead of a potential late move.

The report goes on to state that Fabio Paratici – who signed the Argentina international for Juve back in the summer of 2015 – is said to have explicitly expressed his interest in the attacker, while Roma are also said to be sending continuous signals to the player’s representatives regarding their own interest in a deal.

“Unreal”

While it would appear as if Paratici will very much have his work cut out if he is to steal Dybala from Inter’s grasp this summer, should the Italian manage to pull off a late move for the 28-year-old, it would undoubtedly be an unreal signing for Tottenham.

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

Indeed, over his 29 Serie A appearances in 2021/22, the £31.5m-rated forward was in breathtaking form for Simone Inzaghi’s side, scoring 10 goals, providing five assists and creating 11 big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 3.4 shots, making 1.3 key passes and completing 1.6 dribbles per fixture.

These metrics saw the £225k-per-week talent who James Horncastle dubbed “unreal” average a quite astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.43, not only ranking him as the Bianconeri’s best performer in the league but also as the joint fourth-best player in the division as a whole.

As such, the prospect of Dybala linking up with the likes of Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski and Harry Kane in the Tottenham attack next season will undoubtedly be an extremely tantalising one for supporters and Antonio Conte alike, while we believe that, should Paratici indeed pull off a swoop for the Argentine, it would be one of the signings of the summer.

AND in other news: “Talks are…”: Sky Sports journo drops big Spurs transfer update supporters will love

Manchester United have received a boost over one of their defensive transfer targets.

What’s the word?

That is based on a report from super-journo Fabrizio Romano, who via GIVEMESPORT, has revealed that a move to the Premier League for Pau Torres is a “serious possibility.”

As per the report, it is said that whilst this is the case, United are still considering all of their options right now as we move towards the mid-point of the summer window.

Speaking to GMS, Romano said:

“I see Pau Torres playing in the Premier League next season because it’s a serious possibility, but at the moment, it’s still not something advanced between clubs. So I think they are considering together with Erik ten Hag the best option and then they will jump into it.”

Ten Hag will be delighted

Romano’s latest claim around Torres comes as a big positive for United boss Erik ten Hag, who is prowling the market for a left-footed central defender who can slot seamlessly into his possession-based system.

25-year-old Spain international Torres fits the bill and represents a similar option to Lisandro Martinez, who was Ten Hag’s left centre-back at Ajax in the season just gone.

It seems as though the Dutchman is willing to mimic his Eredivisie title-winning approach, which in United’s case may start with a natural left-footed defender to help create sustainable build-up sequences from deep.

With five goals and one assist from 33 La Liga games for Villarreal this season, Torres has demonstrated his ability as a ball-carrier and offers stability in both phases of the attacking and defending phases of the game.

His match average of 4.71 progressive carries and 1.05 carries into the final third demonstrate his desire to progress the ball, whilst his average of 6.72 passes underline his comfort in keeping possession.

Interestingly, we’ve seen Torres shine both with and without the ball, playing in Unai Emery’s low-possession, counter-attacking Villarreal side against Liverpool in the Champions League, whilst featuring for Luis Enrique’s mass-possession Spain side in the same season.

Torres is versatile in his style and would shine under Ten Hag.

In other news: Sky Sports journalist drops big MUFC transfer update, it’s great news for supporters 

Liverpool have reportedly maintained a long-term interest in Raphinha and now a new update has emerged on the club’s intentions to ramp up their interest in the player this summer.

What’s the latest?

According to Spanish news outlet Sport (via Daily Star), Liverpool have now submitted a £60m bid for Leeds United star Raphinha.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-liverpool-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-salah-gnabry-isak-romano” title= “Read the latest Liverpool news!”]

As per the report, Jurgen Klopp seems keen to add more depth to his attack this summer and wants Raphinha to be a direct replacement for Sadio Mane.

The Brazilian and his agent Deco have, however, rejected all bids that have been offered so far the report goes on to state, and the winger is holding out for his favoured move to Barcelona.

Imagine him & Nunez

Liverpool have officially completed the club record-breaking signing of their second incoming transfer of the season with Darwin Nunez sealing a deal, keeping the Uruguayan striker at Anfield until 2028.

If the Reds manager can convince Raphinha to join Nunez this summer he could form a formidable attacking partnership between the pair that will ignite the next chapter of Liverpool’s famous front-line.

The Leeds winger has caught the attention of some of the biggest clubs in Europe with La Liga giants Barcelona in hot pursuit of the exciting talent following impressive performances with the West Yorkshire club.

The Brazilian who was hailed “world-class” by Paul Robinson has scored 17 goals and delivered 12 assists for his Premier League club over the last two seasons with a goal contribution every 184 minutes.

This season Raphinha was Leeds’ top goal scorer, in his 35 Premier League appearances he scored 11 goals and created ten big chances, making 1.9 key passes, 1.5 tackles on average per game and winning 5.2 duels on average per game.

Teammate Illan Meslier even dubbed the 25-year-old a “storm” in an interview:

“All the time he can make skills and shoot. Sometimes Raphinha is a storm. He’s amazing, unbelievable.”

Klopp has already acquired a new goal machine in Nunez but if the reports are true about the bid submitted for Raphinha he is clearly looking for a direct replacement to fill the gap Sadio Mane will leave in the team due to his imminent move to Bayern Munich this summer.

With that being said, FSG will need to offer something very attractive to the Leeds forward in an attempt to distract him from a move to Spain and secure a deal to convince him to make the short move across the north to Merseyside instead.

AND in other news: Liverpool have “genuine” interest in signing “wonderful” £42m gem, imagine him & Nunez

Aston Villa are keen on a summer transfer that would see England international Kalvin Phillips swap Elland Road for Villa Park.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report from the Telegraph who have reiterated Aston Villa’s link to Phillips but have also mentioned a couple of factors that will be perceived as stumbling blocks in their bid to grab the 26-year-old from the clutches of Leeds United.

As mentioned in the report, Phillips is said to be high on the list of Manchester City, with Liverpool also thought to be monitoring the situation.

There is also a possibility that the England star stays at Elland Road for another season, amidst ongoing contract talks with the club.

The Telegraph estimate that Phillips will cost between £50m-£60m.

Big statement signing

When the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool are eyeing a player, there is a high chance that he will bolster the majority of teams in the league – whatever the position.

So it goes without saying that the acquisition of Phillips, who has been dubbed a “destroyer” by Steve McLaren,  would bolster Gerrard’s engine room by providing stability, merged with technical excellence and undoubted range of passing.

The kicker would be his price tag, especially considering his injury woes as of late.

In all honesty, it would be too much of a risk for Villa to fork out that kind of money on a player who could feature as little as Leon Bailey did last season but it would be a truly phenomenal statement if they can get a deal over the line.

His defensive metrics are truly outstanding and it’s easy to see why he was deemed “immense” by Marcus Rashford, with his average of 28.42 pressures per 90 and total of 5.58 tackles & interceptions per 90 placing him in the utmost elite category, as per FBref.

Though it is also worth noting that new signing Boubacar Kamara is not too far off the latter mentioned metric, achieving 4.75 tackles & interceptions per 90.

In truth, with the signing of a promising defensive talent like Kamara, Villa do not need to spend extra funds on Phillips, but if they do, it will serve as a real luxury signing and a real statement of intent from Johan Lange to improve on their average of 1.4 goals conceded per match.

In other news: “Could be in trouble..”: Journo drops big AVFC transfer claim that’ll worry supporters

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United and their pursuit of Clement Lenglet heading into the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

According to Spanish outlet Sport, the Magpies are among a number of Premier League clubs interested in signing the French defender.

Tottenham, Arsenal and Everton are also said to be keen on him as all four clubs have enquired about a potential swoop to sign him from Camp Nou.

The report claims that Barcelona want a fee in the region of €15m (£13m) for his services but are aware that his wages may force them into sanctioning a loan deal.

PIF’s first Newcastle error

PIF are heading for their first error in charge of the Magpies, as signing the Frenchman would be a disastrous move for the club.

He is an underperforming player and is reportedly on more than €10m (£8.5m) per season in wages, so it would be a huge financial commitment to make for a defender who has been in dreadful form over the last two years in Spain.

In the 2021/22 campaign, he averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.30 across 21 appearances in La Liga, while he was called out for his behaviour in Europe.

After Barcelona’s 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the group stage of the Champions League, which eliminated them from the competition, Spanish pundit Jota Jordi heavily criticised the defender for laughing at full-time.

He said: “By the way, Lenglet, if you see this, you have no shame. You have no shame. Because you’re wearing a badge that represents millions of people. Today, we have cried. Today, we haven’t been able to sleep. Today, we haven’t had dinner.

“And you were laughing for a minute after the game ended. So you have no shame. If it were up to me, Lenglet wouldn’t come back on the same plane. He’d come back walking. And when he gets to Barcelona, he has to go to the club offices to cancel his contract.”

The Athletic’s Liam Twomey previously described Lenglet’s defending as “comically weak”, and these comments on the centre-back do not paint the picture of a player who will be able to come in at St James’ Park and make a positive impact on the Newcastle team.

His statistics in the season just gone also back that up and he did not produce much better in the 2020/21 campaign as he averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.59 in 33 league outings.

Lenglet would cost a significant amount of money to sign, given his valuation and wages, and his poor statistics for Barcelona indicate that it would be a big waste of funds from PIF. The Saudi Arabian consortium must avoid greenlighting any deal for the centre-back and move on to alternative targets in the upcoming transfer window.

AND in other news, PIF plotting NUFC bid for “tremendous” £30m “champion of the world”, he’s Ben Arfa 2.0…

Tottenham have been boosted in their quest to sign Ivan Perisic, with Inter Milan chief Giuseppe Marotta admitting he is heading to the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Perisic strongly linked with move

Antonio Conte has plenty of money to spend after Spurs’ Champions League qualification, with a number of new signings expected in the summer.

Perisic is the player most strongly linked with a move to north London, as he looks for a new challenge away from Inter ahead of next season.

It looks increasingly likely that the winger will be heading to Spurs – Fabrizio Romano has already given his trademark ‘here we go’ – and a fresh update has further suggested that that will be the case.

[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 Latest: Inter chief admits defeat

Speaking to TuttoMercatoWeb [via Sport Witness], Marotta confirmed that Perisic is heading to north London and Inter are already seeking replacements:

“There is regret, but he wanted to try a new experience in the Premier League. We weren’t in a position to present better offers, his choice was simply based on a different future than the current one.

“Maximum respect for this and also a big thank you. We will find the right replacement and, in any case, we have already taken Robin Gosens.”

The Verdict: Surely a matter of time?

This update surely means that Perisic is a Spurs player incoming and it has the potential to be a very exciting signing this summer.

The Croatian legend has been hailed as ‘fantastic’ by Jose Mourinho and has a mammoth 113 caps for his country, highlighting his pedigree as a footballer.

At 33, Perisic may not be coming in as a guaranteed starter every week but he could be a great squad player, giving Conte more options in the final third and at wing-back.

In other news, a journalist has dropped a Tottenham transfer claim. Read more here.

Leeds United have been dealt a setback in their pursuit of Morgan Gibbs-White.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sun, who claim that Southampton are now leading the race to sign the Wolverhampton Wanderers attacking midfielder – who is also reported to be a target of Victor Orta – this summer.

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

The report goes on to state that Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side are willing to offer a figure in the region of £20m in order to land the England U21 international, while it is claimed that Wolves could be tempted into a big-money sale of the forward – despite recent reports suggesting that Bruno Lage has offered Gibbs-White a new contract at Molineux.

Imagine him & Aaronson

With Victor Orta having already sealed the extremely exciting signing of Brenden Aaronson this summer, the prospect of the Spaniard pairing the USA international with Gibbs-White in Jesse Marsch’s midfield will certainly be a mouthwatering one for the Elland Road faithful.

Indeed, over his 37 Championship appearances on loan at Sheffield United this season, the £9.9m-rated forward undoubtedly proved he is ready for top-flight football next term, scoring 12 goals, registering ten assists and creating 16 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.5 shots, making 1.6 key passes and completing 1.4 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the £1.5k-per-week talent who Pete Smith dubbed “dangerous” and Chris Basham claimed “glides past players” average a quite extraordinary WhoScore match rating of 7.14, not only ranking him as Paul Heckingbottom’s best performer in the league but also as the joint fifth-best player in the division as a whole.

As such, while it would appear as if Orta will face a tough battle in order to get a deal over the line for Gibbs-White this summer, the struggle would very much look to be worth it, as the 22-year-old would undoubtedly make an excellent addition to the former Red Bull Salzburg starlet in the Whites attack next season.

And, if he is available for a figure in the region of £20m, the England youth international would also represent something of a bargain, leading us to believe that Orta must do everything in his power to land the Wolves starlet in the coming months.

AND in other news: Jesse Marsch could unearth Rice 2.0 with 8-figure Leeds bid for “sensational” target

West Ham United manager David Moyes has been dealt an injury setback ahead of their final Premier League game of the season away to Brighton this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Race for Europa League…

The Irons have already gained a pathway to European football for next season, with at least a place in the Europa Conference League play-off round already guaranteed. However, depending on results elsewhere, Moyes’ side could sneak back into the Europa League for 2022/23 after their unprecedented run to the semi-finals this season.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-developments-5/” title=”West Ham latest developments!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

If West Ham can beat Brighton at the Amex Stadium and Manchester United fail to gain all three points against Crystal Palace, the east Londoners would secure Europa League qualification for the second season running.

As the final match of the season looms for Moyes, there is still plenty of play for, but it looks like he will be without one man for West Ham’s clash with the Seagulls.

The Latest: Diop setback…

Giving an injury update, whilst attacker Said Benrahma looks set to return, the Hammers boss couldn’t say the same for defender Issa Diop he looks unlikely to recover in time.

Moyes explained (via whufc.com):  “Saïd Benrahma should be fit for the game. Issa Diop, we still don’t think his ankle is quite right yet, but we expect Benrahma will be fit and available.”

The Verdict: Big miss?

According to WhoScored, the Frenchman ranks in West Ham’s top three for clearances (3.2) and successful blocks (one) per game, coming in just behind first-choice centre-back pair Craig Dawson and Kurt Zouma in those regards.

Diop comes with certain strengths, with pundit and former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan believing that the 25-year-old is a ‘quality player’, and it could be a slight setback for Moyes not to have him as an option for Brighton.

Qualification for the Europa League is still within reach depending on developments at Selhurst Park today, but West Ham will first need to get their own job done against Graham Potter’s side.

In other news: ‘Close…’ – Sky Sports journalist shares major West Ham development from the last 72 hours! Find out more here.