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West Ham United have a ‘strong interest’ in Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic but now face competition from European giants Juventus, according to Calciomercato. 

The lowdown

23-year-old centre-back Milenkovic made 34 Serie A appearances for Fiorentina last season. He averaged three successful aerial duels, 3.6 clearances and 1.4 tackles per 90 minutes (via WhoScored).

West Ham currently have the likes of Angelo Ogbonna, Craig Dawson and Issa Diop available in the centre of defence. Fabian Balbuena, who played 14 league games last season, left at the end of his contract.

Team-mate Pol Lirola has described Milenkovic as a player of ‘extraordinary quality’ and declared him ready for ‘a great team’.

The latest

The report states that Juventus ‘could turn to’ the Serbian depending on developments with Merih Demiral.

Atalanta are pushing to sign Demiral, who wants to play more regularly, on loan with an option to buy. The two clubs have yet to reach ‘total agreement’ on figures but there could be a breakthrough ‘in the next few hours’ of talks.

Juventus would then be joining the Hammers and La Liga outfit Sevilla in the race for Milenkovic, who’s valued at €16million (£13.7million) by Fiorentina.

He’s into the final year of his contract and has ‘no intention’ of agreeing a renewal, with The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare recently claiming any deal for the defender would be ‘relatively straightforward’ when discussing interest from Tottenham.

The verdict

This could change the landscape. While Milenkovic may not play immediately for Juventus – as he probably would for West Ham – he could be sold on the idea of succeeding Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci as Mathijs de Ligt’s long-term partner.

The Old Lady boast a historic list of legendary defenders down the years, and that may seriously appeal to a youngster already plying his trade in Serie A.

Nonetheless, the Hammers do very much need to recruit a centre-back in the four remaining weeks of the window. Having Winston Reid, a player who’s well past his best, as fourth-choice simply isn’t good enough.

In other news, West Ham are said to be ‘very close’ to their second deal of the summer.

Aston Villa have been credited with an interest in Southampton midfielder Oriol Romeu.

And a number of Villa fans have been giving their thoughts to the links on social media.

John Percy of The Telegraph shared in the site’s transfer notebook on Tuesday evening that Villa see a defensive midfielder as a vital position to strengthen.

Romeu, on £59,000-a-week, is admired by Villa’s recruitment side, however, Percy adds that the Saints will be very reluctant to sell, making a deal unlikely at this stage.

As we know with Arsenal’s Emile Smith Rowe, that may not put Villa off moving for Romeu after planning a second bid for the Gunners midfielder.

Romeu still has two years remaining on his St Mary’s deal and has made 212 appearances for Southampton since joining the club in 2015.

Villa fans react

@villareport shared the links to Romeu late on Tuesday evening. Here’s what these Villa supporters had to say in reply, with one describing the holding midfielder as a ‘tank’.

“No way”Credit: @CarlvHarris”PERCY AT IT AGAIN”Credit: @joshcrispp”Guy is a tank, loves a tackle and a yellow card. Oh go on then.”Credit: @lewastbury”Percy on a mad one”Credit: @aston_1997″we’re actually winning the league”Credit: @catrinedwards18″Decent DM”Credit: @AVFCFaithful_

In other news: ‘Crown us champions’, ‘Massive’ – Many AVFC fans erupt at ‘tasty’ Percy claim, find out more here. 

No matter who Tottenham Hotspur’s next manager will be they are in desperate need of at least one centre back who can be a leader but also be good on the ball, and Merih Demiral fits the bill according to Forza Italian Football editor Conor Clancy, who has raved over the Turkish international’s qualities.

Demiral is regarded as one of the best defenders in the Serie A so seeing links suggesting he could be set for a move to the Premier League is quite surprising considering the two clubs interested, Everton and Spurs, have nothing on Juventus in terms of winning silverware.

The Turkey international would surely have a great chance of becoming Spurs’ first-choice centre-back when in competition with the likes of Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier or Toby Alderweireld, and Alasdair Gold has confirmed that the club do have one eye on Demiral this summer.

And if Demiral was to join Spurs this summer then he would easily walk into the starting line-up and make them a better team almost immediately – that’s according to Clancy who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“He can pass the ball well and he’s a little bit old school as well so he’s more than happy to go into the trenches and he will go to war with a striker if he needs to, and I think he improves any team he goes into.”

After being handed just 10 starts in the league Demiral may be frustrated at his lack of game time, especially considering his competition to play alongside Matthijs de Ligt is a 33-year old Leonardo Bonucci and a 35-year-old Giorgio Chiellini.

Juventus would be making a huge mistake by selling Demiral even if they receive the reported £40 million price tag that Everton are looking to meet, as they need replacements for both Bonucci and Chiellini sooner rather than later.

Goalkeeper Rui Patricio is edging closer to leaving Wolves to join AS Roma, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The lowdown

Wolves signed Patricio back in 2018 after he terminated his contract with Sporting Lisbon (via BBC Sport).

He penned a four-year deal at the time, so is now entering the final 12 months of the agreement.

The 33-year-old has made 127 appearances for Wolves in all competitions, keeping 37 clean sheets.

He started all but one Premier League match last season and shut-out the opposition on 10 occasions.

Patricio is valued at £9million by Transfermarkt and could link up with compatriot Jose Mourinho at the Stadio Olimpico.

He’s currently representing Portugal at the European Championships, which may delay the completion of any move.

The latest

Romano tweeted that talks between the two clubs are ‘progressing’, with Roma pushing to ‘complete the deal’.

Wolves are ‘set to sign’ £6.75million-rated Jose Sa from Olympiacos as a replacement if indeed Patricio does seal his exit.

“AS Roma are progressing in talks to sign Rui Patricio from Wolves. Personal terms agreed, negotiations going on between clubs to complete the deal,” Romano revealed.

“Wolverhampton are set to sign Jose Sa as replacement if Rui Patricio will be sold, confirmed.”

The verdict

Patricio looked an excellent signing at the time, particularly for a club who had only just been promoted.

And so it has proved. He played an important role in securing back-to-back seventh-place finishes for the club and rarely fumbled.

It feels like the Wolves team who achieved that hugely impressive feat is being disassembled. Matt Doherty left last summer, Nuno Espirito Santo has gone and Ruben Neves could well join Patricio in leaving.

Bruno Lage may well struggle to hit the heady heights of his predecessor if the club are not savvy in securing adequate replacements.

In other news, serious questions are being asked of Wolves’ ownership. 

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Marcus Bent has ruled out Everton signing Jack Wilshere this summer.

The 29-year-old is looking to get his career back on track having been released by Bournemouth back in May but hasn’t been a regular in the Premier League for five seasons.

Wilshere finally left Arsenal back in 2018 to make the short trip to boyhood club West Ham, but turned out just 19 times across two years before they let him go 12 months ago.

Bournemouth, who he’d spent the 2016-2017 campaign with under Eddie Howe, then offered him a lifeline in January, and despite proving his fitness to make 18 appearances, he wasn’t rewarded with a long-term deal.

Despite remaining injury-free, Wilshere has only managed 30 or more games once in the previous eight seasons following several injury setbacks.

And although Bent previously told FFC that his former side Everton are looking to bring in a central-midfielder this window, he believes there’s better options out there than the ex-Arsenal man.

He told Football FanCast:

“No, he’s 29 now, injury prone having been released by Bournemouth.

“He was a brilliant youngster, did well for Arsenal, but I don’t think Everton want to take the chance on someone like that – I think for the money they can go out and get someone else for younger and as talented as he is.”

According to TuttoMercatoWeb, Tottenham are among a number of clubs interested in recently-freed up manager Christophe Galtier this summer.

The Lowdown: The search goes on

Tottenham’s search for a new manager continues as they remain without a permanent boss following the sacking of Jose Mourinho in April.

In recent weeks, Mauricio Pochettino has been heavily linked with a return to north London (football.london). However, if they aren’t able to persuade him to leave Paris Saint-Germain, they may have already lined up an alternative.

The Latest: Spurs eye Galtier

It is being reported that Galtier is on Spurs’ radar. He has left Lille despite winning the Ligue 1 title with the club this season.

Along with Tottenham, Real Madrid and Lazio are also believed to be in pursuit.

The Verdict: Top target

Galtier has achieved unexpected success with Lille. PSG’s billions meant they had won the league in seven of the previous eight seasons prior to this one, and the only side to break that run, AS Monaco, have also received heavy investment over the past decade.

Les Dogues, on the other hands, have sold top talents such as Nicolas Pepe and used the funds from such sales wisely. Galtier and his side won 24 out of 38 matches on the way to the title and conceded just 23 goals in the league, less than any other team (Sky Sports).

What he has achieved is hugely impressive, and now he is a free agent. If they are unable to secure Pochettino’s return, Spurs should not pass up on the opportunity to lure the Frenchman to N17.

In other news, Tottenham eye this Bundesliga midfielder.

According to a report by football.london journalist Alasdair Gold, free agent boss Massimiliano Allegri ‘certainly has his admirers’ within Tottenham Hotspur – backing up previous claims in the media. 

The Lowdown: Allegri on Spurs shortlist

Reports have emerged recently that Italian serial winner Allegri has entered the Tottenham shortlist for a possible new manager, with the Daily Mail claiming last week that he is indeed on the radar.

The 53-year-old has six Serie A titles to his name over the last decade and averaged a hugely impressive 2.27 points per match with Italian giants Juventus over a five-year stay in Turin (Transfermarkt).

Currently a free agent and possible cheap appointment, it’s little surprise that he is now being linked with the vacant Spurs managerial position.

The Latest: Gold backs reports of Allegri interest

Now, writing on Twitter and relaying his article for football.london, reliable correspondent Gold has shared ‘the fact or fiction as I understand it behind 20 managers linked with the vacant Tottenham job in the past couple of weeks,’ trying to break down the remarkable horde of names linked to the role.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-story-roundup/” title=”Spurs story roundup!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

In his piece, Gold says that Allegri ‘certainly has his admirers’ in north London and comes as a potentially strong candidate for the job given he is currently out of work.

However, while interest from Spurs chiefs within the club is there, Gold also says there are concerns over the language barrier as well as his playing style – with Allegri apparently not quite ticking every box for their profile of new manager.

The Verdict: Yes please…

His glittering CV is evident and record in Italy stunning, having picked up 13 major honours with the Old Lady from 2014 to 2019 in an era of total domination (Transfermarkt).

There are drawbacks, with Spurs reportedly wanting a manager who will implement an attacking philosophy and bring back the Lilywhites way of playing football – not to mention a ‘young’ and ‘dynamic’ coach to put the Jose Mourinho era at Tottenham behind supporters (the Daily Mail).

However, Allegri has plenty of experience on the world’s biggest stage and comes as a possible bargain appointment given his free agent status.

He has also been described by Sky Sports news reporter Ben Ransom as ‘perfect for Tottenham’ – and we’re inclined to agree given his record of winning silverware.

Therefore, we believe Spurs moving for Allegri is an absolute no brainer.

In other news: Levy will be ‘jumping for joy’ after a development, says pundit…find out more here.

Lawrie Sanchez has exclusively told Football FanCast that he believes Mikel Arteta will be given time to turn things around at Arsenal.

The Spaniard has bagged the FA Cup since replacing Unai Emery last Christmas, but Arsenal’s Premier League form has been underwhelming during his 18 months at the club.

The north London outfit had the perfect opportunity to put their shocking league results behind them by winning the Europa League.

However, the Gunners were unable to overturn a 2-1 deficit in their semi-final against Villarreal last Thursday – with the ultimate humiliation being that it was at the expense of their former manager Emery, who was the man sacked and replaced by Arteta.

Arsenal have responded to their European exit with victories over West Brom and Chelsea, and despite the prospect of their lowest Premier League finish since the 1995-1996 campaign, Sanchez believes the former Gunners midfielder will be given at least the summer window to prove himself.

He told Football FanCast:

“It was embarrassing to be knocked out of the Europe League by Emery, but, the one thing he has got on his CV is winning the FA Cup.

“I think they will bear with him – fans not being in the stadium has probably benefited managers that have struggled, like him. Once you started getting booed off pitches, owners start to take notice.

“I think they will give him another year, give him another transfer window, and give him the benefit of the doubt.”

Leeds United splashed the cash last summer and look set to do so once again as they look to improve on this season’s top half finish, and someone like Matheus Cunha would have to start at Elland Road if they could afford to attract the Brazillian, according to former Whites striker Brian Deane.

Cunha was part of the Hertha Berlin side that were almost relegated from the Bundesliga before a late revival saw them lose just once in their last nine games, albeit it was a meaningless final game of the season against Hoffenheim.

The Brazillian can play as either a winger or a striker but injuries have hampered him this season, however he’s still managed to return seven goals and six assists in 27 games for Hertha and despite this, he’s being linked with a £40 million move away.

With Marcelo Bielsa set to extend his stay with Leeds beyond this summer, signing someone like Cunha for such a large fee could be on the cards but Deane believes that he would have to start most games for Leeds to be worth that much money, as he explained exclusively to Football FanCast:

“Yeah, he would have to start because you don’t bring in a player for that kind of money and not expect to play him but you look at Rodrigo and he hasn’t really pulled up any trees, from a goal-scoring point of view.

“It’s always going to be difficult coming in, but I think there’s enough at Leeds to help support somebody new arriving at the club, as long as they are the right type of character as well.”

Cunha was only signed in January 2020 from RB Leipzig for a fee of around £16 million and during the second half of the season his five goals in 11 games helped Hertha put together a late, but unsuccessful push for the Europa League.

Leeds are certainly well stocked in attack with Raphinha, Patrick Bamford, Rodrigo and Jack Harrison all likely to be at the club next season, so another wide player may not be at the top of the club’s priority list.

Many Arsenal fans have been left to fume at some comments made by Bernd Leno before their UEFA Europa League tie away at Slavia Prague.

Speaking in the pre-game press conference ahead of the match, the Germany international said that he is ‘open to everything’, and added ‘maybe for a new adventure’ when asked about his future at the Emirates Stadium.

The fact that he has not ruled out leaving Mikel Arteta’s team has angered several members of the Gunners faithful, with some even going as far as to question whether they sold the wrong goalkeeper in Emi Martinez, who is now thriving at Aston Villa.

Leno could be questioned for not being 100% committed to the North London club at this moment in time after these words, and Gooners will be hoping that that does not translate onto the pitch as they face a crucial second leg in Prague off the back of being held 1-1 at home in the first meeting.

Arsenal fans on Leno comments

These AFC fans fumed upon reading the comments made by Leno on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that the 29-year-old is a ‘fraud’:

“He hasn’t earned the right to talk like this”

Credit: @jamser428

“Pls. Average at best GK!!!”

Credit: @arsenalmad37

“Emi always clear than this fraud”

Credit: @AyZhar_

“What a weird and non-committal thing to say about a club that has shown so much faith to you”

Credit: @thegoonersnews

“Bin him immediately. Another overhyped player not good enough for Arsenal.”

Credit: @Matteo_Olie

“Get rid.. poor attitude”

Credit: @chadfoster_9

In other news, find out what Arteta update from Fabrizio Romano has been slammed by Gunners here!