All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

Journalist Pete O'Rourke has shared a "major" Harry Kane update after Tottenham Hotspur's "jaw-dropping" behind-the-scenes contract offer recently.

Will Harry Kane leave Tottenham?

This isn't the first time Spurs' star striker has been linked with a move away from north London, with treble-winners Man City showing a very serious interest around two years ago.

Pep Guardiola's side lodged bids in excess of £100 million for Kane, who was rumoured to have a "gentleman's agreement" with Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy to leave the club. That ultimately didn't come to fruition, and City instead ended up capturing star striker Erling Haaland one summer later.

Tottenham were in a strong position to refute City's advances back then, but with Kane's contract expiring in 2024, they're in a far more precarious situation this year. The England star has just 12 months remaining on his current deal, meaning he can leave for free next year.

Ange Postecoglou, speaking in his first Spurs press conference the other day, is in no doubt that Kane would prefer to stay at the club and battle to make them successful.

"Kane is one of the premier strikers in the world and I want him involved here," Postecoglou said.

"I just want to introduce myself to Harry, give him my vision, get an understanding from him over what his vision is and try to be successful.

"My conversation with him will be about how we can make this club successful and there is no doubt that is what he wants as well."

Bayern Munich, though, are seriously knocking at the door for Spurs' talisman and have made a second proposal to Levy – an offer apparently amounting to around £68.5 million plus add-ons.

According to Football Insider and O'Rourke – who claim to share a "major" Kane update in the last 24 hours after Tottenham's "jaw dropping" contract offer – Spurs are set to reject Bayern's second bid and will refuse all offers for him this window.

Despite this, it's believed Kane still has no intention of signing a new deal, regardless of the mammoth numbers behind it, before the window shuts – meaning a stalemate is on the cards.

The 29-year-old is keen to join Bayern in the coming weeks, despite Tottenham's offer to make him one of England's top earners, but Levy is set to dig his heels in over Kane.

Spurs have privately made it clear that their superstar is not far sale under any circumstance.

How good is Harry Kane?

The Three Lions forward has thrived at Tottenham over the last 12 months, scoring 30 league goals in 38 matches last season.

Former Spurs boss Antonio Conte heaped praise on Kane for his quality and attitude, calling him "world class" in an interview with the press last season.

"I am happy for him because we are talking about a world class striker,” he said.

“He deserves the best because he's a great worker, hard worker… this is not normal because usually the players that have talent many times don't like to work hard because they have talent.

“In my career I didn't have great talent [so] for this reason I worked hard. What I liked about him from the first time was his ability. He was a big example for his team-mates."

An update has emerged on Tottenham Hotspur over a player who could be on their way out of the club ahead of the 2023/24 campaign…

What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?

According to the Daily Mail, Atletico Madrid have opened talks with Spurs over a potential deal to sign central midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this summer.

The report claims that the two clubs are having discussions as the Spanish side are attempting to convince the Premier League team to part ways with their battler, as they are currently reluctant to sanction a transfer.

It is stated that the Denmark international is interested in making the switch to La Liga as they have Champions League football to offer him next season.

Who could replace Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at Tottenham?

Ange Postecoglou could forget all about the former Bayern Munich enforcer by securing a deal to sign Fiorentina star Sofyan Amrabat before the end of the summer.

Tottenham were keen on signing the Morocco international in the January transfer window and have reportedly retained their interest throughout the year.

Fiorentina are reportedly demanding €30m (£26m) for the defensive midfielder and Daniel Levy must work with the Australian head coach to bring him to England as a replacement for Hojbjerg, should he move to Madrid in the coming weeks.

As you can see in the above graphic, as provided by Opta, the Danish dynamo excels at winning possession back and taking plenty of touches of the ball across the pitch in comparison to his positional peers.

This shows that he is a possession-based midfielder who is also excellent at breaking up opposition attacks to protect his own goal.

Meanwhile, Amrabat, who has been hailed as "criminally underrated" by journalist Muhammad Butt, is a similar type of number six as he is also impressive in those aspects of the game – as shown in the Opta chart below.

Their respective statistics from last season suggest that they are both defensively excellent midfielders, which means that Postecoglou would not be weakening his side from a defensive perspective by signing the Serie A star to line up in Hojbjerg's place next season.

However, the former Celtic boss could improve the quality of his team's play in possession by making this switch as Amrabat is exceptional at using his range of passing to progress the ball.

The 26-year-old titan has averaged 7.93 progressive passes per 90 over the last 365 days, which places him among the top 8% of players in his position in the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions in that time.

Whereas, Hojbjerg has completed 6.59 progressive passes per 90 during that period and does not crack the top 20% of midfielders in that statistic.

Therefore, Amrabat, who was described as an "absolute colossus" by Morocco by ex-England ace Stuart Pearce, could offer more in possession to find his teammates in better positions, as he is capable of progressing the ball more frequently than the former Southampton man.

These statistics indicate that Postecoglou could forget all about Hojbjerg in a swoop for the Fiorentina gem due to his outstanding ability in and out of possession, which would allow the manager to sanction an exit for the 27-year-old general.

Leeds United defender Robin Koch is now wanted by Serie A champions Napoli this summer, according to a fresh transfer update.

Which players are leaving Leeds?

The Whites' relegation from the Premier League last month was a bitter pill to swallow for anyone associated with the club, following three years back in the top flight of English football.

It will create problem for so many reasons, not least the fact that Leeds are going to find it extremely difficult to keep hold of key players beyond the summer. Playing in the Championship will not appeal to many of their top young talents, especially if they have the opportunity to return straight to the top level at another club.

A host of current Whites heroes are being linked with summer moves away from Elland Road, with the likes of Wilfried Gnonto and Jack Harrison among those in the mix to depart.

Koch is another who has been tipped to move on, however, as he looks for a new challenge.

Is Koch potentially joining Napoli?

According to Sky Italia journalist Franceso Modugno (via Gianluca Di Marzio and Sport Witness), Napoli are eyeing up a summer move for the £38,000-a-week defender, as they look to bring in a tailor-made replacement for centre-back Kim Min-jae, who looks set to join Bayern Munich.

The report claims that the Serie A giants see Koch as a strong target because he "stands out for his physicality and ability in aerial play", with a bid now possibly in the offing.

In truth, these are the sort of departures that Leeds simply have to accept in the summer transfer window, with someone of Koch's standing no doubt intrigued by the idea of joining a Napoli side that excelled so much last season.

While it would be nice to see the 26-year-old stay put with the Whites and help them make a speedy return to the Premier League, it is difficult to be too critical of him moving on if a club of such stature comes in for him.

Granted, Koch hasn't always covered himself in glory for Leeds, starting 36 of his side's 38 league games en route to relegation in 2022/23, but he has been hailed as a "machine" by teammate Max Wober and he would be a loss, certainly boasting the physicality to thrive in the second tier.

The fact that the German's current Whites deal expires next year does make this a realistic time to sell him and receive good money, though, which is the one positive to take from his likely exit.

Chelsea are “confident” that they can complete a summer deal for Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.

What's the latest Chelsea transfer news?

The Premier League playmaker still has another four years remaining on his contract with Roberto De Zerbi’s side, but having established himself as last season’s top-performing defensive player at The Amex, he’s caught the eye of Mauricio Pochettino in SW6.

The Evening Standard have reported that the Blues have identified the 21-year-old as the leading contender to replace Mateo Kovacic who is close to joining Manchester City, with Galetti also claiming that the boss has personally “asked” to bring him to Stamford Bridge.

As well as Kovacic, N’Golo Kante has left to embark on a new adventure in Saudi Arabia and Denis Zakaria has also confirmed his return to Juventus upon the conclusion of his loan, so reinforcements in front of the backline with definitely be needed, and the Seagulls star could be the perfect candidate.

Are Chelsea signing Caicedo?

Taking to Twitter, Galetti revealed that Chelsea are closing in on Caicedo, with Brighton’s midfielder expected to green-light the deal imminently. He wrote:

“#Chelsea are still pushing for Moises #Caicedo. Understand that #CFC are working to close the gap with #Brighton and they're confident to reach an agreement for the MF. Personal terms set to be agreed: evolving situation.”

Could Caicedo be a strong recruit for Pochettino?

Caicedo may only be 21 years old but he’s already been dubbed a midfield “leader” by talent scout Jacek Kulig and he’s at the age where you could build a team for the long-term future around him, so he would definitely be an excellent addition for Pochettino.

The Ecuador international, who earns £60k-per-week, is stronger in the natural aspect of his game protecting the backline, having made 100 tackles last season which was higher than any of his teammates, via FBRef, whilst averaging 1.5 interceptions per top-flight game.

The World Cup participant, however, is also capable of chipping in at the opposite end of the pitch on occasion, having scored one goal and provided an assist during the previous campaign too.

Finally, Caicedo is a versatile operator having been deployed at right-back and slightly higher up in central midfield alongside his usual role, which will be yet another attractive quality to the boss, so should he put pen to paper, it would be a massive coup for the Blues.

The task for West Ham, David Moyes, and his conquering squad is to keep going.

The Europa Conference League title is a ceremonial moment in the history of the club that will forever be revered and cherished.

However, the Irons cannot rest on their laurels, another year of European football beckons and the team must be moulded to keep up with this demanding ask.

Players of sufficient pedigree and experience must be landed with Joaquin Correa touted as a possible addition to the London Stadium.

What’s the latest on Joaquin Correa to West Ham?

According to the Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the East London outfit and Everton have opened 'tentative' talks to sign the Inter Milan man.

In a previous report, it has been suggested that the 28-year-old could be available on the market for as little as €15 (£13m).

David Moyes supposedly tried to sign the Argentine in the summer of 2021, before he joined the Nerazzurri, and the Hammers look set to reignite their interest in the forward.

Would Joaquin Correa be a good signing for West Ham?

The 6 foot 2 star has played in Italy since 2018 and has developed a solid reputation as a dependable and productive player. He has recorded 51 goal contributions in 175 Serie A outings.

However, the 19-cap international has endured a rather frustrating campaign, managing just 15 starts in all competitions and was an unused substitution in the Champions League final defeat to Manchester City.

Therefore, the former Sevilla star is seeking a new challenge, which could come in the form of the Irons.

Despite his lack of game time, the statistics still make for impressive reading – in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers, Correa ranks within the top 13% for assists per 90, progressive passes per 90, and successful take-ons per 90.

Furthermore, his chameleonic nature to appear in various positions across the frontline demonstrates a fascinating versatility that could make him crucial for Moyes next season.

Indeed, according to FBref, he possesses a similar profile to that of World Cup winner Angel Di Maria.

Not only do the two attackers share nationality but they also have a nimble frame, an effortless first touch, a venomous strike, and a hypnotic dribbling technique.

Described as “sensational” by Matteo Bonetti, Correa performs relatively closely to his compatriot in various metrics, such as goals and assists per 90 (0.38 vs 0.53), % shots on target per 90 (36.4 vs 32.4), pass completion (79.2% vs 72.1%), and shot creating actions per 90 (3.51 vs 5.48).

This signing would provide depth in various positions, whilst adding quality and attacking thrust hoping to regain a position in the top half of the Premier League and win a European competition for a consecutive season.

Chelsea are holding an interest in Juventus defender Gleison Bremer, according to a report from Calciomercato via the Chelsea Chronicle.

Will Chelsea sign Gleison Bremer?

The 26-year-old currently plays for Juventus, who he joined at the very beginning of the 2022/23 season. Despite only just joining the Turin outfit, he has already become a first-team regular for them and played often in Serie A, featuring on 30 occasions and even managing four goals and an assist along the way.

Whilst Juventus struggled with off-field difficulties and slipped to seventh in the standings, Bremer was able to flourish and become a key player, standing out as one of the few silver linings in their campaign.

He's clearly a very offensively minded centre-back too, with the Brazilian standing out as one of the best in his position in the Men's 'Top Five' big leagues in Europe when it comes to hitting the back of the net. His rate of 0.15 non-penalty xG for example puts him in the top 1% of defenders in that stat – and suggest he is constantly able to get chances for himself and putting himself in positions to score for his team. His 1.63 blocks per 90 and 4.34 clearances per 90 also point at a player who is equally adept at putting in a real defensive shift too.

It's this form that has caught the eye and now, despite being a first-teamer at Juventus, he could be on the move this summer. According to a report from Calciomercato, via The Chelsea Chronicle, the defender is now a target for Chelsea, who have registered their interest.

Another Premier League side in Man United are also credited with interest, so it appears as though both could go head-to-head for the player, who would cost around 60 million Euros (or £51m).

When does Bremer's contract expire?

It is no surprise that Juventus would want so much already for the player, with his contract not set to expire until 2027.

That's because Breimer has already caught the eye for his breakout with Torino and now their cross-town rivals. He's been praised for his work at the back in the past, with football journalist Josh Bunting calling the player "superb" and adding that he can dribble out of the defence "with quality" too.

It shows a centre-back that is confident with the ball at his feet and with Chelsea wanting to strengthen their backline, they could clearly do a lot worse than Breimer this window.

Tottenham Hotspur are dreaming of signing Galatasaray's Nicolo Zaniolo, who could be on the move this summer, according to recent reports from Italy.

Which midfielders could Tottenham sign?

Tottenham have their eye on a new attacking midfielder this summer, having now opened talks with Leicester City's James Maddison, with Ange Postecoglou giving the green light to make a move for the England international.

Sporting CP's Pedro Goncalves has also been linked with a move to north London, while Postecoglou could look to raid his former club for Celtic's Reo Hatate, who he signed for the Hoops back in December 2021.

Zaniolo told AS Roma he wanted to leave back in January, amid interest from Spurs, however after signing for Galatasaray for an initial €16.5m (£14.1m), the Italian could already be on the move again this summer.

According to a report from TuttoJuve (via Sport Witness), the Lilywhites are battling Aston Villa for the 23-year-old, and he has an offer on the table from the Premier League, although it is not specified which club has made a bid.

The midfielder has a €35m (£30m) release clause included in his contract, and the interested clubs will have to work out whether they are willing to match that, or they may try and persuade Galatasaray to do another deal.

AC Milan and Juventus would like to propose a loan move, or potentially a swap deal, however the price tag is unlikely to pose as much of an issue for Tottenham.

Is Nicolo Zaniolo leaving Galatasaray?

Although he has only been a Galatasaray player for a matter of months, and he is contracted until 2027, the release clause in the Italy international's contract means he could be on the move this summer, if the interested clubs are willing to shell out £30m.

Since making the move to Turkey, the former Roma man has been very impressive, scoring five goals in ten Super Lig games, however he did not perform quite as well for his previous club prior to his departure.

With an average WhoScored match rating of just 6.21, the maestro was ranked among the worst-performing players for Roma in the Serie A last season, registering just one goal contribution in 13 games.

Zaniolo's performances in Turkey indicate that he clearly has quality, however his failure to produce in Italy this season should be a worry for Postecoglou, as it suggests he may not be ready to make the step up to the Premier League.

Leeds United have written to the Premier League to question if Everton have broken Financial Fair Play rules, according to Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Everton safe, Leeds in the bottom three

The Whites take on Brentford this afternoon knowing that defeat would send them back to the Championship.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-updates-3/” 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”]

Leeds have been battling both Burnley and Everton in recent weeks to avoid the final relegation spot, but the Toffees are now mathematically safe after a dramatic comeback against Crystal Palace on Thursday.

Burnley also picked up a point away at Aston Villa, meaning that Jesse Marsch’s side need to better the Clarets’ result against Newcastle later today to stay up.

The Latest: Sky Sports claim

Sky Sports provided a ‘significant’ update live on air on Friday afternoon regarding Leeds, Burnley and Everton. They stated that both Leeds, who are owned by Andrea Radrizzani, and Burnley have made contact with the Premier League, questioning if the Merseyside club have broken Financial Fair Play rules.

Everton have recorded losses of £371.8m over the past three years, £266.8m more than the maximum permissible amount of £105m. However, the Toffees are ‘comfortable’ that they have ‘complied with the rules’ and argue that the pandemic has had a huge impact on their figures.

The Verdict: One to watch…

Regardless of who goes down out of Leeds and Burnley this afternoon, this story could well get very messy and rumble on over the summer.

You’d expect that a potential punishment for Everton wouldn’t come into play this season, although they could be affected heading into the 2022/23 campaign if they have breached any fair play rules.

That won’t be of any help to whichever team drops back down to the Championship at the end of play today, but you can see why both the Whites and the Clarets want answers from those at the top regarding those extreme losses.

In other news: Big setback for Marsch as Phil Hay shares final major injury blow for Leeds pre-Brentford

Antonio Conte has admitted something that left him ‘very angry’ despite Tottenham Hotspur giving their Premier League top-four hopes a timely boost with a 3-0 victory over north London rivals Arsenal on Thursday night.

The lowdown: UCL hopes boosted

The Lilywhites injected a whole new impetus into their chances of qualifying for next season’s UEFA Champions League with a ruthless performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs talisman and derby day top marksman Harry Kane got the scoring underway, converting a 22nd-minute penalty. The night’s work was made easier when Arsenal centre-back Rob Holding was dismissed for two bookable offences before Kane doubled the lead ahead of half-time.

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

On fire forward Son Heung-min completed the resounding display shortly after the break to take his own goalscoring tally to 21 for the season, just one behind Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah.

The latest: Conte admits to being ‘very angry’

Speaking in a press conference after the match, Conte spoke about his time at Spurs so far and looked ahead to the next fixture against Burnley.

As quoted by football.london he said: “Now we are very close for a big achievement. We are one point less than Arsenal. There are two games to go. I think we have an important game against Burnley.

“We lost against Burnley and you know very well that after this game it made me very, very angry. I think it was a good step for me, for my players, for the club to understand what I wanted of my players and now to stay in this position I think at that time, none of us could think that two games to we would have the possibility to play for a place in the Champions League.”

The Italian infamously offered to quit in his press conference following the 1-0 defeat at Turf Moor.

The verdict: Coming full circle?

Whilst nobody could suggest that Tottenham are the finished article under Conte, the upcoming meeting with Burnley is an opportunity to lay some demons to rest and showcase just how far the side has come under the Italian.

Clearly improving all the time, the meticulous coach has certainly got Spurs facing in the right direction on the evidence of Thursday’s result and indeed the 1-1 draw at Anfield.

Qualify for a place amongst Europe’s elite and Daniel Levy may have little choice but to offer the resources required to make fundamental changes to the squad and allow Conte to emulate his previous successes that have seen the 52-year-old lift five top-flight titles during an illustrious managerial career.

In other news: Reliable source: Tottenham agreement now ‘very likely’ as Conte closes in on ‘top signing’, find out more here.

West Bromwich Albion have finished their first season back in the Championship in tenth, which will surely be hugely disappointing to fans who were hoping for their side to bounce straight back into the Premier League this season.

However, after a change of hands in the managerial role with Valerien Ismael being sacked and replaced by four-time promotion winner Steve Bruce in January big changes are set to happen this summer.

Bruce has made it very clear that the squad needs a “major overhaul” during the transfer window, and has spoken out on what he believes is needed to get the Baggies back where they belong in top-flight football.

When asked about transfers, Bruce stated (via BirminghamLive): “I think we need as many as five or six – a major overhaul is needed.

“The supporters need a new face or two who they can get right behind.”

With that being said, a new name has been put into the West Brom transfer rumour mill and if the Baggies could secure the signing of League One Player of the Season, Scott Twine, it could completely solve one of their biggest problems.

According to TEAMtalk, the MK Dons attacker has a whole host of clubs fighting to secure his signature this summer with West Bromwich Albion named amongst Burnley, Norwich City and Middlesbrough, and it’s no wonder when you consider his output for his League One side this season.

Twine who was hailed “magic” by BBC journalist Sanny Rudravajhala, has scored 20 goals and contributed 13 assists in 46 appearances for his team, with 17 big chances created, 2.7 key passes on average per game and successful in the majority of his duels combined (57%), proving that he has real potential and has made a huge difference in MK Dons push for promotion.

The 22-year-old has been attracting high praise from big voices in football, with former Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson hailing Twine a “talent” during his commentary on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday;

“What a talent this kid looks!” Merson remarked after the youngster scored against Plymouth.

West Brom could be onto a major coup here if they can beat off their competitors to the signing of the goal-machine, as he could fit seamlessly alongside midfielder Alex Mowatt to not only create a deadly attacking partnership but to drastically improve the number of chances converted in the team which has been a major problem this season.

Bruce will need to provide a tempting offer for the in-demand midfielder this summer if he has any chance of competing with Burnley and Norwich City for his signature.

AND in other news: Never mind Grant: WBA’s 104 touch star stole the show on Sat, he’s a Bruce masterclass