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Everton are reportedly now fighting Tottenham Hotspur to sign Rodrigo Becao this summer.

The Lowdown: Another centre-back?

James Tarkowski is expected to join the Goodison Park outfit on a free transfer from Burnley, but they may not be done there in terms of bringing in central defenders.

The likes of Kim Min-jae and Chancel Mbemba have recently been linked with moves to Merseyside, as Frank Lampard is clearly looking to strengthen his defence further going into the new season.

The Latest: Becao interest

As per Tutto Udinese, as reported ‘in recent days’, the Toffees have now ‘come forward’ to sign Becao, as well as Spurs.

He has had an ‘excellent’ individual campaign with Udinese, and is valued by the Serie A side at between €15-20m (£12.8-17.1m).

The Verdict: Low risk

If the Blues can sign Becao for as little as £12.8m, then it would provide a relatively low-risk option as they look to strengthen elsewhere in the squad with limited financial wiggle room.

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The six-foot-three colossus was a standout player for Udinese last term, ranking highly among his teammates in terms of aerial duels won and average tackles, interceptions, clearances, blocks and passes per game in the Serie A (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, at 26 years of age, the Brazilian is about to enter his prime, and so this would be a smart deal to do so long as the price is right.

In other news, find out what ‘amazing’ EFC update has now emerged here!

Leeds United have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Takumi Minamino to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that Wolverhampton Wanderers are now leading the race to sign the Liverpool forward this summer, with the Molineux club said to have made contact with the Reds regarding a £17m move for the Japan international.

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The report added that the likes of Leeds, Fulham, Southampton and AS Monaco are all keeping a close eye on the winger’s situation ahead of a potential move of their own in the coming weeks, but it is clear that Wolves now hold an advantage in a deal for the former Red Bull Salzburg star.

Marsch will be gutted

While it is true that Minamino has not had the impact he would have hoped for after his £7.25m move to Liverpool in January 2020 – making just 55 appearances for the Reds, with only 21 of these coming as starts – the news that Wolves are now leading the race for the 27-year-old will nevertheless have left Jesse Marsch fuming.

Indeed, over his 22 outings under the American’s management at Salzburg, the £10.8m-rated winger proved just how clinical he can be in the final third when given the chance, scoring nine goals and registering 11 assists during the 48-year-old’s stint in Austria.

Furthermore, while the £72k-per-week attacker was not afforded a great deal of first-team minutes this season, he still managed to turn in some very impressive metrics. FBRef data showed that Minamino averaged 1.45 goals, 0.88 non-penalty xG, 0.25 xA and 1.13 npxG+xA and made 30.5 pressures per 90 minutes in 2021/22.

Indeed, it is abundantly clear that, when he’s given the opportunity to impress, the Japanese forward often does so. It is also evident that Marsch is a coach who knows how to get the best out of the 27-year-old when looking at their mutual time in Salzburg.

As such, should Wolves go on to beat Leeds to the £17m signing of the player who Klopp dubbed an “outstanding” talent this summer, it would undoubtedly come as a gutting blow to the 48-year-old American. Therefore, we believe that Victor Orta simply must sanction a swoop for Minamino in the coming days.

AND in other news: Graham Smyth reveals Leeds transfer development now “seems likely”, supporters surely buzzing

West Ham United have been urged to sign Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins this summer.

What’s the word?

That is the recommendation of journalist Pete O’Rourke, who has stated that the mooted signing of the seven-cap England international would be an exciting one for the east London club.

The Daily Mail reported that Watkins is a striker that David Moyes would consider this summer, although it is reported that a deal could be difficult to pull off due to the 26-year-old’s prominence as Villa’s top scorer in the 2021/22 campaign.

Meanwhile, The Guardian claimed that Villa are likely to demand at least £50m if they decide to sell Watkins, so luring him from the Midlands could well be a tough ask.

Nonetheless, O’Rourke told GIVEMESPORT: “I think he’d be a really exciting signing for West Ham and all their fans. He’s really proved at Aston Villa over the last couple of years that he is a top player, who I think can only get better as well.

“West Ham, obviously they’ve needed a new striker for the last few transfer windows and haven’t been able to bring the right one in.”

Imagine him and Bowen

Whilst it will surely be tricky to prise Watkins from the clutches of Villa, it would indeed make for an exciting move and a mighty statement of intent from the Hammers.

The 26-year-old, who has been dubbed a “work-force” by CBS Sports’ Luis Miguel Echegaray, has maintained consistency in the English top flight. In helping himself to 11 goals this season, he has scored ten or more in his first two Premier League campaigns.

Whilst Antonio is similarly consistent with three consecutive seasons of exactly 10 league goals, the 32-year-old isn’t getting any younger. If anything, he would likely benefit from the arrival of Watkins, who could reduce the goalscoring burden that the Jamaica international has carried at the London Stadium over the last few seasons as the Irons’ one reliable centre-forward.

However, the most fruitful aspect of this move would be the scarily promising link-up between the England international duo of Watkins and Bowen.

The latter has been a lot more direct this season, with his efforts paying dividends for both himself and the Hammers. His ten assists have been just as important as his 12 goals scored, and with his ability to cut inside, the prospect of a partnership between prolific pace merchants Watkins and Bowen would serve as a huge threat to the rest of the league.

Watkins would surely suit Moyes’ counter-attacking transitional style down to a tee.

In other news: Journalist drops 7-word West Ham transfer claim that’ll leave supporters buzzing 

Wolves manager Bruno Lage met with Benfica striker Haris Seferovic over the weekend, according to a fresh report which has emerged.

The Lowdown: Attacking reinforcements needed

The Old Gold were rather goal-shy in the Premier League this season, scoring only 38 times in as many matches, so attacking reinforcements could be needed this summer.

Wolves’ end product often left a lot to be desired and it arguably played a part in their European hopes eventually evaporating late in the campaign.

A new rumour is now doing the rounds which suggests that a new striker could be heading to Molineux.

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The Latest: Lage meets with Seferovic

According to A Bola, Lage met with Seferovic in Lisbon on Saturday ahead of Switzerland’s UEFA Nations League clash against Portugal.

However, the report suggested that this meeting could have been ‘a mere courtesy’, with the two men knowing each other from their mutual time at Benfica.

The 30-year-old Swiss marksman scored three goals and registered two assists in four Primeira Liga starts last season, netting 74 times in 188 appearances for the Lisbon club overall and 110 times in total across his senior club career.

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The Verdict: Potential Jimenez replacement?

Should the meeting have been transfer-related, Seferovic could be viewed as a strong replacement for Raul Jimenez further down the line, with the 31-year-old Mexican experiencing a downturn in form last season and reports claiming that the Switzerland striker has previously expressed a desire to play in the Premier League.

The Benfica marksman has pedigree, having scored 24 goals in 84 caps for Switzerland, although he would likely cost a substantial amount considering that his contract doesn’t expire until 2024.

It is again worth stating that the meeting could simply have been social, but if it turns out that it were with an eye to a possible Molineux move, it could be an exciting link to keep an eye on over the summer as a prospective much-needed addition to Lage’s ranks.

In other news, one Spanish source has dropped a Wolves transfer claim. Read more here.

Newcastle United are reportedly now ‘preparing an offer’ to sign Lucas Paqueta this summer.

The Lowdown: Shades of Bruno

A deal to bring Paqueta to St. James’ Park would certainly draw comparisons to when Bruno Guimaraes arrived in the North East in the January transfer window.

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Paqueta is also a silky Brazilian midfielder who plays for Bruno’s old club Lyon in Ligue 1, and he is even thought to be a ‘good friend‘ of the now Toon fan favourite.

The Latest: Paqueta offer

Taking to Twitter, transfer insider Rudy Galetti has revealed that the Tyneside outfit are now ‘preparing an offer’ for Paqueta, and talks over personal terms are ‘at a good stage’:

“#Newcastle are preparing an offer to #OL for Lucas #Paquetá. The English club would like to buy at least one top player and the Brazilian is among the favourites.  

“Personal terms under discussion, at a good stage: rapidly evolving situation.”

The Verdict: No-brainer

Given the instant impact that Bruno has had on Eddie Howe’s side, scoring five goals and making one assist in the Premier League and ranking as their third-best performer in the division (WhoScored), it is surely a no-brainer to link him up with his old teammate in Paqueta.

The 24-year-old has managed an impressive 11 goals and seven assists from midfield in all competitions this season (Transfermarkt), and the prospect of him playing in a midfield with fellow Brazilians Bruno and Joelinton is a truly mouth-watering concept for the Toon Army.

Nonetheless, signing Paqueta should encourage other top players to follow him to the Magpies, which would really help kickstart the long-term project.

In other news, find out who NUFC have now ‘watched’ ahead of a potential move here!

Leeds United could revive their move for Noa Lang after securing Premier League survival. 

The lowdown

Leeds snatched 17th place and safety from Burnley on the final day of the season as they beat Brentford 2-1 and the Clarets lost 2-1 to Newcastle United.

It emerged last August that Leeds were interested in Lang, but he wound up making his loan from Ajax to Club Brugge permanent instead.

And Football Insider reported earlier this month that the Whites have held fresh talks over the potential deal.

Lang is predominantly a left winger but he’s showcased some impressive versatility in the early years of his career, featuring as a second striker, attacking midfielder, central midfielder and right winger too.

He has three years left on the contract he signed last summer with the Jupiler Pro League champions, and is valued at £19.8million by Transfermarkt.

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The latest

Speaking to GiveMeSport on Saturday, journalist Pete O’Rourke said Leeds’ fate in the relegation battle would likely determine whether a move for Lang was realistic.

“A lot depends on where Leeds are next season. If they’re in the Premier League they might have a chance of signing Noa Lang, but if they get relegated to the Championship, it’s not going to happen because he will be looking to play at the highest level as possible.”

Now that they are safe, it follows that they may well ‘have a chance’ of landing the Dutchman.

The verdict

If Lang does join Leeds, it will be intriguing to see where he slots into the side.

He’ll certainly be pushing for a starting spot, having combined nine goals with 15 assists this season and making his debut for the Netherlands, a top ten international side.

Analyst Filip Joos has described him as ‘the best player in the [Belgian] league’, while retired Dutch player Pierre van Hooijdonk likened him to Robin van Persie.

Lang could compete with Jack Harrison for a place on the left-hand side, but The Athletic’s Phil Hay has also raised the possibility that he could replace Barcelona-linked Raphinha.

And there’s even a chance Jesse Marsch might seek to utilise him through the middle, as he did with Rodrigo and Dan James.

His versatility opens up a whole host of possibilities.

In other news, read this journalist’s key Laurens De Bock claim. 

West Ham United are one of the Premier League clubs expected to target a move for Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer.

That’s according to former Scotland defender Alan Hutton, who said to Football Insider: “West Ham, Newcastle, Aston Villa, even the likes of Everton and Palace, all these teams are building for the future. They’re building something special as well and why would you not want to be part of that?

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“He could be an integral cog for one of these teams moving forward. He’s still got a lot to give, plenty of time. The only question mark is the injuries.”

It was reported by the Daily Mail earlier this month that the midfielder was considering his future with game time at Anfield currently scarce.

However, the Hammers must ensure that they aren’t the club that takes a gamble on the 28-year-old.

West Ham must avoid Oxlade-Chamberlain

With just nine Premier League starts this term, Oxlade-Chamberlain’s season, from a personal point of view, has been pretty uneventful.

Despite his side playing the maximum amount of games possible this season with a quadruple still on the line, the Englishman has played 1,526 minutes of football across 29 appearances, an average of 52.6 minutes per appearance.

In truth, his entire Liverpool tenure has been of mixed fortunes with an impressive start followed by a horrific knee injury that ended up keeping the 28-year-old out of football for 16 months.

It does appear that Oxlade-Chamberlain will have to depart Merseyside in order to boost his playtime, however, David Moyes must avoid being the one who takes a shot on the midfielder.

The Hammers already have a pretty unbreakable midfield partnership in Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek with the duo making a combined 99 appearances this term.

Even if Rice was to leave this summer amid serious speculation, the Liverpool man wouldn’t be a suitable replacement.

In the Premier League this season, Oxlade-Chamberlain has averaged 31.6 touches a match whilst completing 18.3 passes at an 82% accuracy.

Moreover, defensively the £125k-per-week Englishman provides 0.4 interceptions, 0.9 tackles and 0.3 clearances a game.

As for Rice, the 23-year-old has made 54.5 touches a game whilst completing 54.5 passes at a 92% accuracy as well as making 1.7 interceptions, 2.1 tackles and 1.3 clearances.

West Ham will undoubtedly need recruitment in the middle of the park this summer, especially if Rice is to leave. However, Oxlade-Chamberlain isn’t the answer and the deal would have glimmers of the Hammers’ Jack Wilshere failure a couple of seasons ago.

The former Arsenal midfielder left the Emirates on a free transfer, moving from north London to east in 2018 but made just 19 appearances for the Irons.

Signing Oxlade-Chamberlain would spell nothing but disaster for West Ham given the midfielder’s injury record as well as being below the level of player Hammers supporters would expect to see signed if Rice was to be sold.

AND in other news: “Definitely a target…”: Ex drops major West Ham transfer update, Moyes will love him

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.

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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.

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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