All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

According to a report by The Athletic, it is now Everton who are the club most keen on signing Manchester City left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko.

The Lowdown: Zinchenko leaving Man City

As per 90min, the 25-year-old is open to leaving the Etihad Stadium this summer in pursuit of fulfilling his ambitions as a midfielder.

Whilst the Ukraine international has received a decent haul of first-team minutes under Pep Guardiola, most of those have come with him playing at left-back.

Therefore, Zinchenko is looking to explore his options elsewhere in search of guaranteed minutes in the middle of the park – a role in which he excels in for his national team, for whom he has amassed 52 caps.

The Latest: Everton now the most keen

With the Ukrainian linked with an exit this summer, The Athletic have named Zinchenko as one of three players considered to be on Manchester City’s departure list.

The Athletic went on to report that, whilst the 25-year-old has had plenty of Premier League interest in the past, it is now Everton who are understood to be the most keen to sign him this summer.

If Zinchenko were to leave the Etihad, this would open up a spot to sign Brighton’s Marc Cucurella at left-back in Guardiola’s squad.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-7/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: He’d be a great signing

Given that Zinchenko can play at left-back and across the midfield, his arrival at Goodison Park would provide Frank Lampard with a versatile option who could be relied upon to play in a variety of positions when needed.

The Ukraine captain is known for his technical play, with his teammate Kyle Walker even going as far as to claim that he is ‘more gifted’ than City superstar Kevin De Bruyne, as he is simply ‘incredible’.

The 25-year-old would also bring some valuable trophy-winning nous to Goodison Park, having lifted silverware 11 times during his spell at the Etihad.

Therefore, with Zinchenko’s experience of achieving success at the highest level, this would appear to be a great signing for the Toffees, whose wait for a trophy now stands at 27 years.

In other news: Everton are going head-to-head with a Premier League rival in the chase for this transfer target

Wolverhampton Wanderers are believed to have offered Morgan Gibbs-White a new contract in a bid to keep him at the club amid transfer interest, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Gibbs-White profiled

As per the club’s official website, the 22-year-old is an academy graduate of the Midlands outfit and has been at the Molineux for more than 11 years, having worked his way up through the ranks before going on to make his first-team debut in 2017 aged just 16.

Last summer, the midfielder joined Sheffield United on a season-long loan after making just two appearances for Wanderers throughout the 2020/21 campaign, but after displaying some outstanding performances for the Blades, the maestro has caught the eye of some new potential suitors, and it looks like the Premier League side are prepared to do whatever it takes to fend off any interest.

The Latest: Gibbs-White offered new deal

In a new article published by the Express and Star, it’s claimed that Gibbs-White has been ‘offered a new contract on improved terms’ in an attempt to ‘ward off interest’ from other clubs in the summer, with both Southampton and Nottingham Forest believed to be monitoring him.

The source states that Bruno Lage is ‘ready’ to guarantee the England U21 starlet regular playing time next season, and that the club ‘remain determined’ to keep the young prospect during the upcoming window.

The Verdict: Making an instant impact

During his loan at Bramall Lane, the Stafford-born talent played an integral role in helping Sheffield secure a place in the Championship top six after recording an outstanding goal return.

The creative midfielder found the back of the net 13 times and provided ten assists in 40 appearances across all competitions for the Blades, as per Transfermarkt, and managed to get plenty of much-needed minutes under his belt.

After seeing the scintillating form that Gibbs-White has been in over the last year, it’s no wonder that Wolves want to do everything within their power to keep hold of their rising star, and if successful in doing so, he could prove to be a pivotal player in Lage’s starting XI at the Molineux next season.

In other news… Wolves have now joined the race to sign an exciting Premier League forward.

Liverpool have rejected Bayern Munich’s opening £21m bid for Sadio Mane, according to reliable journalist Paul Joyce.

The Lowdown: Mane leaving Liverpool?

After six years at Anfield, it looks as though the Senegal forward will be departing before the start of next season as he looks for a fresh challenge.

The 30-year-old has been one of the true modern greats for Liverpool, scoring 120 goals in 269 appearances, along with winning the Champions League and Premier League.

Bayern are the clear favourites to sign Mane this summer, and an official bid has now been tabled from the German champions.

The Latest: Liverpool reject Bayern bid for Mane

Taking to Twitter late on Sunday night, Joyce confirmed that the Bundesliga giants have seen their first bid turned down by the Reds. He revealed:

“Liverpool have turned down Bayern Munich’s opening bid for Sadio Mane. It was for £21m guaranteed, plus £4m in add-ons payable if, for example, Bayern won the Champions League.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“398089″]

The Verdict: Ridiculously low offer

Frankly, for Bayern to expect such a low bid for Mane to be accepted is bordering on ludicrous, considering the forward’s current standing in the game.

He has been described as ‘world-class’ by Jurgen Klopp in the past and is still one of the foremost attacking players in Europe, having netted 23 goals in 2021/22.

If Bayern want to get their man, they will have to pay a far bigger amount than £21m, with Liverpool needing to remain stubborn in the coming weeks and demand a fee which is much more indicative of Mane’s phenomenal abilities.

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly ‘ramping up’ their interest in one player. Find out who it is here.

Manchester United are considering a surprise move for Chelsea star Mason Mount.

The Lowdown: Mount’s contract talks

Mount, who was heavily praised by Lionel Messi last year, is entering the final two years of his Stamford Bridge contract. The 23-year-old has seen talks over a new deal stall, with his future at the club no longer secure.

Ten Hag appears to be on the hunt for midfield additions, especially with Paul Pogba out of contract at Old Trafford at the end of the month, and it seems as if Mount is on the Dutchman’s radar.

The Latest: United links

The Sun shared a story regarding United and Mount on Tuesday afternoon. They claimed that the Red Devils have already registered their interest with Mount’s camp. It is believed Ten Hag would jump at the chance to sign the 23-year-old after first becoming aware of Mount’s quality during his time on loan in the Netherlands.

Sky Sports even relayed the news regarding Mount and Manchester United to their 8.4m followers, describing it as a ‘shock move’.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-man-utd-updates-3/” title=”Latest Man Utd updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Interesting…

It certainly would be a huge shock if Mount made the move to Old Trafford, however, with contract talks seemingly stalling in London, a move could well be a possibility.

You’d expect that United would have to write a big cheque to sign the £67.5m-rated Englishman, even though he will be entering the final two years of his deal.

An attacking midfielder appears needed in Manchester as Jesse Lingard and Juan Mata are out of contract over the coming weeks, leaving Bruno Fernandes as the only senior choice available to Ten Hag.

In other news: Man Utd and Ten Hag now hold talks over yet another target; interest ‘serious’. 

Liverpool have had a great season winning two trophies and getting to the Champions League final, however after losing the Premier League by one point and the Champions League final in Paris, there is no doubt the club will want to strengthen to emulate their run of form again next season.

With the summer transfer window ahead there has already been speculation that Sadio Mane wants to leave Anfield this summer, and if that was the case FSG would need to act fast in finding a replacement for the £72m-rated winger who has played a huge part in their success.

The AFCON winner has scored 120 goals and contributed 48 assists since joining the club in 2016, with a goal involvement every 128 minutes of game time he has tallied up over the years, so filling his boots should he depart from Merseyside ahead of next season will be a challenge for the club.

With that being said, Liverpool have reportedly maintained a long term interest in West Ham United winger Jarrod Bowen and with Mane’s future hanging in the balance it could be a great opportunity for the Reds to finally make their move for the Englishman.

The forward has had a phenomenal season with the Hammers scoring 18 goals and contributing 13 assists in all competitions, playing a key role in the Europa League challenge with the side going all the way to the semi-finals of the competition

Bowen scored three goals in the European competitions, with two of his strikes coming against Olympique Lyon going towards their successful progression to the semi-final against Frankfurt.

In the Premier League, it is not just his goal contributions that have earned him the status as a standout talent. He’s produced nine big chances, made 1.9 key passes, 1 tackle and won 4.6 duels on average per game, that’s as well well as being successful in the majority of his dribbles, proving that he has been a solid presence in David Moyes’ team.

Klopp has given the West Ham star high praise after he hailed Bowen as “unbelievable” in a pre-match press conference, illustrating that there is clearly admiration from the Liverpool manager for the player.

With that being said, Bowen is clearly a player the powers at Anfield and the manager have their eye on and should Mane leave this summer it could be the right time to make a move and act on their long term interest.

AND in other news: Liverpool can land dream Mane heir in £43m deal for “exceptional” 25 y/o “nightmare”

Italian football expert Conor Clancy has delivered his verdict on reported Aston Villa target Stefan De Vrij.

What’s been said?

In a recent interview with Football FanCast, Clancy revealed that the Dutchman – who has been linked with a move to Villa Park – could offer Steven Gerrard’s invaluable quality both on and off the pitch, while also proving something of a coup at a reported £15m for a player of vast experience.

Asked whether the 30-year-old’s addition would prove to be a bargain buy for the Midlands outfit, the journalist said: “I think so. And the Villa project is interesting because they’ve got Steven Gerrard there and they’ve probably underachieved given the players that they have this season.

“But for a player like him to come in – because they are still relatively newly promoted into the Premier League – he’s the kind of player that can offer a lot in terms of he’s been there and done it all before with other clubs. He’s got a lot of experience and he’s capable of leading a team on the pitch.”

Axe Mings

The arrival of the Inter Milan defender would no doubt enable the club to part ways with current captain Tyrone Mings, following reports that Gerrard is keen to move the 29-year-old on this summer following his dismal displays this term.

The 17-cap international has come in for fierce criticism from pundit Danny Mills this season, with the Englishman insisting that he has a “mistake in his game somewhere” and that the Villans need a “top-quality centre-half” in order to go to that “next level”.

The club captain has formed part of a backline that shipped 54 goals in the recent campaign – the tenth worst record in the division – with the current boss failing to settle on a regular defensive pairing, shifting between both Calum Chambers and Ezri Konsa alongside the skipper.

As their collapse at the Etihad at the weekend proved, there is a soft spot in this Villa side, with it time that NSWE bolstered their defensive ranks after splashing the cash on attacking reinforcements, such as Philippe Coutinho.

Mings himself had cost the club £20m just under three years ago, although it would appear that his race is run at Villa Park, with De Vrij seemingly the man set to replace him.

The former Lazio defender was part of an Inter side that narrowly missed out on a second successive Serie A title to rivals AC Milan, with the £116k-per-week gem having featured 30 times under Simone Inzaghi in that title challenge.

Although he has largely featured on the left of a back three, the 55-cap international would seemingly be able to comfortably slot into Gerrard’s preferred back four, proving the solution to the club’s left-sided centre-back problem.

One notable benefit to his arrival would be his quality in possession, the £31.5m-rated gem averaging a 92% pass success rate in the Italian top-flight in the recent campaign, while also ranking in the top 5% among those in his position across Europe’s top five leagues for pass completion.

Mings, by contrast, had just an 80% pass accuracy rate in the 2021/22 season in the league – squandering possession 10.3 times per game on average – while he also ranks in just the top 84% for pass completion among centre-backs on the continent, as per FBref.

Those statistics don’t appear good enough for a side seeking to finish far higher up the table next term, with De Vrij the club’s ideal, quality replacement.

IN other news, Imagine him & Kamara: NSWE can form “unreal” duo as AVFC eye “exceptional” £60m target

Sporting Lisbon will reportedly now ‘open talks’ with Everton to bring in Joao Virginia on loan again for next season.

The Lowdown: Lack of game-time

Virginia was sent out on loan to Sporting at the start of the campaign, but has only played in eight matches in total over all competitions.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-5/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Now that the Goodison Park faithful have secured their safety in the Premier League, they will not be under as much pressure to sell England number one Jordan Pickford, so one would have to question whether Virginia would want to play second fiddle to the 28-year-old.

The Latest: Another loan?

As per Record (via Sport Witness), Sporting are now set to ‘open talks’ with the Merseyside club as early as next week to sign Virginia on loan once more.

There is a buyout clause of €5m (£4.2m) to sign him on a permanent deal, but the Portuguese outfit have deemed that price to be ‘excessive’.

The Verdict: Sell

Given his lack of game-time at Sporting this term, another loan for Virginia to the same club does not seem sensible from the Toffees’ point of view.

Having rarely featured for the senior team, they would surely want the goalkeeper to gain more experience in order to eventually challenge Pickford’s spot in net.

However, at 22 years of age, the 6 foot 3 colossus who David Unsworth once dubbed ‘unbelievable‘ surely needs to be moved on now, and the Blues should be looking to get as much money as possible from his sale.

In other news, find out what ‘significant breaking news’ from Sky Sports has now emerged involving EFC here!

Liverpool are among the current favourites to sign exciting Birmingham City youngster Jobe Bellingham this summer, according to a fresh transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Jobe shines for Birmingham

At just 16, Bellingham is already making waves at St Andrew’s, much like his brother Jude had done before he traded Birmingham for Borussia Dortmund.

The youngster has admittedly made just two appearances this season, totalling 21 minutes, but that is impressive in itself given his tender age.

Big things are predicted for Bellingham and it looks as though top clubs are already circling for his signature, including Liverpool.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-32/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Latest: Reds in Bellingham transfer hunt

According to The Mirror, the Reds are among the front-runners to snap up Bellingham during the summer transfer window, with Manchester City and Newcastle United also expressing an interest.

The teenager is ‘free to sign a contract’ away from Birmingham because of his age, with the Championship club offering him a scholarship, although it remains to be seen what his decision will be.

The Verdict: Sign both brothers?

Liverpool have also been linked with a move for Jobe’s older brother Jude and this update is hugely exciting, with the brothers both clearly prodigious.

The younger Bellingham has already broken into Birmingham’s first team before turning 17, while the elder has made 90 appearances for Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund and won 12 England caps prior to his 19th birthday.

It would be heartwarming to see the Reds sign both eventually – allowing them to settle in easier – with Jude a potential target at the end of next season, at which point he may be looking for a fresh challenge away from Dortmund.

Jobe could equally be seen as one for the future – similar to Harvey Elliott, who Liverpool signed as a 16-year-old in 2019 – as Jurgen Klopp looks to continue building a dynasty at Anfield well into the future.

In other news, James Pearce has dropped a key Liverpool transfer update. Read more here.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke believes Stuart Dallas will be a ‘big miss’ for Leeds United in the relegation battle after he picked up a serious injury last weekend.

The Lowdown: 12 months out?

Dallas faces a lengthy period in the Thorp Arch treatment room after he suffered a femoral fracture against Manchester City.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-updates-2/” title=”Latest Leeds United updates!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Northern Irishman, who has started 121 of Leeds’ last 122 league games, was stretched off at Elland Road and had surgery on the injury within 48 hours.

A Leeds source believes Dallas’ injury could be worse than first feared in a ‘devastating’ blow that may rule him out for the majority of next season.

Jesse Marsch is gearing up for his first full campaign as Whites boss, however, it remains to be seen whether or not Leeds will still be a Premier League club heading into the 2022/23 season.

The Latest: O’Rourke’s comments

Talking to The Transfer Tavern, O’Rourke had this to say on Dallas, describing the versatile full-back as a ‘big miss’ both on and off the pitch ahead of the trip to Arsenal.

“He’s versatile and willing to play anywhere for the club. I think off the pitch now it’s going to be a big miss because he’s a big character and a leader in that dressing room.

“The situation that Leeds find themselves in right now, they need all those leaders and characters to come to the fore and help them get out of trouble. So yeah, it’ll be a big miss, not just on the pitch, but also off it.”

The Verdict: Transfer plans changed?

Marsch already has a fairly small squad as it is, and the injury problems at Elland Road haven’t stopped after he replaced Marcelo Bielsa at the end of February.

Alongside Dallas, Tyler Roberts, Crysencio Summerville and Adam Forshaw are out for the rest of the season, while Junior Firpo and Patrick Bamford have also suffered serious injuries during Marsch’s time in Yorkshire.

On that basis, you’d expect that a number of additions could be made over the summer to bolster the squad, regardless of what division they are in. Dallas was normally the answer to any problems at left-back, right-back or in midfield, so Victor Orta may well be on the hunt for a versatile signing to replace the much-beloved Leeds star this summer.

In other news: Leeds officials sent abroad as Radrizzani plots move for 56-goal attacker. 

Leeds United are in a great position to bring Brennan Johnson to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Dean Jones, with the transfer insider and journalist revealing in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that, should Leeds go on to secure their status as a Premier League side this season, coupled with Nottingham Forest failing to secure promotion to the top flight in the Championship play-offs, Victor Orta will be in a fantastic position to land his reported £20m transfer target this summer.

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

Regarding the Whites’ interest in the 20-year-old attacking midfielder, Jones said: “They should make him their number one target, 100%. They are in a great position to sign Brennan Johnson if they do stay up and Forest don’t manage to get promoted.”

Supporters will be buzzing

While it is undeniable that Leeds’ place in the Premier League next season appears extremely uncertain following the weekend’s results, should the Whites go on to secure survival, the prospect of landing a player as talented as Johnson is undoubtedly something that will leave the Elland Road faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 46 Championship appearances this season, the £900k-rated forward has been a revelation in Steve Cooper’s attack, scoring 16 goals, registering ten assists and creating 15 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots, making 1.3 key passes and completing 1.2 dribbles per game.

These metrics have seen the £2.5k-per-week Wales international average a quite breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him as Nottingham Forest’s fourth-best outfielder in the second tier – with the 20-year-old playing a starring role in the Reds’ widely unexpected securing of a top-six finish in the league.

As such, the suggestion that – as long as Leeds stay up and Forest remain in the Championship – Orta is in a great position to secure the signing of Johnson this summer is undoubtedly incredibly exciting for everyone involved with the Whites.

However, with Jesse Marsch’s side currently sitting 18th in the Premier League standings, it would appear a wise move for Leeds to hold off on printing shirts donning the attacking midfielder’s name just yet.

AND in other news: “Very possible…”: Phil Hay drops big Leeds injury update, supporters will be buzzing