According to Tuttomercatoweb, Southampton have joined the race for Barcelona centre-back Yerry Mina, who is not exactly short of offers this summer.
Mina struggled at Barcelona in the second half of last season, but the defender had an excellent 2018 World Cup for Colombia – scoring three times in four appearances.
The 23-year-old put in a towering performance for his country against England in the round of 16, and certainly left a lasting impression.
A whole host of clubs – including Everton – have been credited with an interest in the central defender, but Southampton are now seemingly also in the race.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”273047″ player=”12034″ title=”Power Ranking the 1819 Premier League kits”]
Indeed, according to Tuttomercatoweb, the Saints have made an offer worth up to £17.8m.
The Southampton fans have been discussing the potential move on social media, and it would be fair to say that the vast majority want him to arrive at St Mary’s.
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That said, there are plenty who feel that their club will find it very difficult to beat a number of clubs to Mina’s signature.
A selection of the best Twitter reaction can be seen below:
According to the Guardian, Crystal Palace are in pole position to seal the signing of Max Meyer on a free transfer this summer.
The report notes that the 22-year-old has been linked with Arsenal and Liverpool, amongst other major European sides, highlighting what a coup it would be for the Eagles to secure his services ahead of the upcoming Premier League campaign.
Following a falling out with the Schalke hierarchy over a new contract last season, Meyer now finds himself as a free agent. As one of the most exciting young German talents out there, who has already been capped 4 times at senior level, this is a great chance for clubs to land such a promising youngster in an affordable manner.
Before Palace can get a deal done, other Premier League clubs should be prepared to fight them over this signing.
Burnley, for instance, would be wise to do all they can to make Meyer their own.
The Breakdown
The Clarets are preparing for Europa League football this season, and Sean Dyche will be keen to ensure that his squad has the requisite depth to cope with this extended schedule.
Despite that, Burnley have yet to make a single new signing during this transfer window.
That could all change if the club were to try and convince Meyer to join them at Turf Moor. The lure of European football could sway him towards a move to Burnley over a switch to Selhurst Park.
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Dyche’s side have gotten this far by being tough, hard working and by doing the basics well. If they want to go any further though, they’ll need something more.
Meyer would be the sprinkling of star quality that they currently lack, and because of that, Burnley should be doing all they can to land him on a free transfer this summer.
As we enter the final few days of the transfer window, Arsenal’s transfer business seems to be pretty much complete.
Under the guidance of Emery, Mislintat, and Ranllehi, the club worked quickly and early to bring in five new players who have improved the squad massively.
Unlike other teams, Arsenal haven’t splashed out large sums of money on their players but rather spent wisely and relatively cheaply.
After a disappointing season last year, Emery will be hoping that these new faces will help him build a team capable of challenging for the top four, and better yet, challenge for silverware.
Despite the positivity surrounding the club at the moment, the contract situation of Aaron Ramsey remains the one dark cloud on the horizon for the Arsenal.
Recently reports have suggested that Chelsea and Liverpool are interested in the Welshman and now the Express is stating that Chelsea are ready to bid £35 million before the window closes.
The Breakdown
With only 12 months left on his contract, Arsenal are very much at risk of entering the season like last year burdened with a player whose future at the club is very much uncertain.
At this late stage of the transfer window, selling Ramsey wouldn’t give Arsenal much time to find a replacement but they just might have to do it.
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Yes, the midfield man was probably the club’s best player last season but as the Gunners enter a new era, to start it off with the negativity surrounding Ramsey’s contract situation might be a bad way to begin but it might just be Arsenal’s only option now.
What’s your opinion on this transfer Arsenal fans?
Aston Villa will be hoping to bolster their attacking options this summer, but Dean Windass exclusively told Football FanCast that he doesn’t think they’ll turn to Josh King.
Villa considered exploring the option of signing the Norwegian striker 12 months ago prior to bringing in Ollie Watkins from Brentford.
But reports say that the 29-year-old is on Dean Smith’s radar once again as Villa look to improve on the 11th-place finish they achieved last season.
King, who ex-Villa striker Stan Collymore once labelled “unplayable”, will become a free agent at the end of this month following his release from Everton after his spell at Goodison Park didn’t go to plan.
He failed to start a single Premier League match since joining from Bournemouth, making just 11 substitute appearances and didn’t score, meaning he went the entire campaign without finding the net in the league.
And Windass believes that after his frustrations at Everton, King will want regular first-team football, something Villa cannot guarantee, with the impressive Ollie Watkins their first-choice striker.
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“I don’t think they’ll come in for him. It’s not worked out at Everton, but every footballer has a level,” he told Football FanCast.
“Is the Championship his level? He needs to find somewhere where the manager trusts him. I can’t see him going to Villa, I can’t see him being understudy to Watkins, he’s not going to play, so why would he go if he’s not going to play.”
After being signed for £36 million, many expected Fabio Silva to be one of the brightest talents in the Premier League.
However, after being thrown in at the deep end his flaws were quickly exposed, with Wolves legend Steve Bull claiming that the striker still has a lot to learn.
Silva was signed to be nurtured and to learn alongside Raul Jimenez in training but, after the Mexican fractured his skull mid-season, Silva became the go-to striker at Wolves, going on to feature in 32 Premier League games.
Very quickly, it was clear to see that Silva was not capable of carrying Wolves and leading the line but his total of four goals in the league was not a bad return for someone his age.
The 19-year old could not be expected to be as good as Jimenez during his debut Premier League season, though, but there are still high expectations for him at Molineux and he still has so much to learn, according to Bull, who exclusively told Football FanCast:
“I think he’s still got a lot to learn but I do think he’s come on leaps and bounds over the last six-eight months and he’s starting to bulk out a lot more and I think he can still learn a lot from Jimenez.
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“He needs a mentor and Jimenez certainly isn’t finished at Wolves, don’t worry about that.”
When Wolves had made the bold decision to splash such a huge transfer fee on Silva last summer, many raised their eyebrows as he had only made 12 Liga Nos appearances for Porto.
Reading have recently been linked with a move for Derby County youngster Louie Sibley, according to a recent report from The Reading Chronicle.
What’s the story?
Sibley has found regular game time hard to come by in Wayne Rooney’s side in recent months, which will be frustrating for the youngster, who impressed after breaking through to the senior squad.
The 19-year-old was restricted to ten league starts last term, as the Rams narrowly avoided relegation into League One on the final day of the 2020/21 season.
Reading’s financial situation has been well-documented, with the club previously being under a transfer embargo after breaching FFP regulations in recent years.
However, they’ve been given the green light to add to their squad, with Watford’s Tom Dele-Bashiru and former Nottingham Forest full-back Yuri Ribeiro being linked with moves to the club recently.
Sibley has three years remaining on his contract with Derby County, but it remains to be seen as to whether any potential agreement with Reading would be a loan or permanent deal at this stage.
‘Complete’
The Derby talent’s future remains ‘up in the air’ at this moment in time, but Reading could be the ideal move for him, as he goes in search of regular game time in senior football.
The Royals need additional strength in depth, as they’ve been reliant on the club’s Under-23s players over pre-season, which is far from ideal heading into the new Championship campaign.
Yakou Meite has been ruled out of action for the foreseeable future, as he recovers from surgery on an ACL injury, so it makes complete sense for Veljko Paunovic to target an attack-minded player this summer.
Sibley will be eager to make a name for himself in senior football as well, and if he can find game time with Reading consistently this term, then he could turn out to be a shrewd signing for the Berkshire-based side.
The 19-year-old netted a hat-trick for the Rams against Millwall back in June 2020, but has since gone on to find minutes hard to come by, which will be frustrating for the youngster.
Speaking after Sibley’s hat-trick against Millwall (quotes sourced from FourFourTwo), Phillip Cocu gave high praise to the young talent, and labelled it as a ‘complete’ game from the Derby youth academy graduate.
“He played a massive game. Not only the way he played, but his total development as a young player is a real positive for us as a club.
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“He scored great quality goals, a very complete game in his position. When we don’t have possession he does his job, he works for the team.”
Reading finished seventh in the Championship last term, and will be keen to make a serious push for promotion once again this season.
If Sibley can find some consistency in his performances if he does sign for Reading, then the Royals could strike gold in landing his signature this summer, even if that is to be on a temporary basis.
Reading are set to return to action this weekend, where they’ll be looking to pick up their first win of the 2021/22 season, when they take on Preston North End, in what could potentially be a tricky test for Paunovic’s side.
Liverpool are set to launch a big-money move for Villareal star Arnaut Danjuma in this January transfer window as they look to try and cover for Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
What’s the story?
According to Spanish publication Fichajes, Jurgen Klopp’s side are preparing a £37.5m bid for the Netherlands international this month as they look to try and cover for their two AFCON-bound superstars.
The report adds that there is doubt over whether Villareal would be willing to sanction a sale for the winger, but such a deal would represent a significant amount of profit from when they signed him from Bournemouth.
He can replace Salah and Mane
Speaking to This is Futbol about Danjuma, former Leeds man Carlton Palmer simply said: “He’s an exciting player. He’s got flair, he’s got pace and he scores goals” – exactly what he showcased in his time with Bournemouth.
The former Cherries speedster netted 17 goals and provided another eight assists in all competitions last season, and it was no surprise that his performances earned rave reviews.
No categories
Speaking on The Official EFL Podcast, former Bournemouth boss Jonathan Woodgate said: “He’s an exceptional player, in a really good place at the minute, Arnie. He’s another one who I’ve always done a lot of work on him at his previous clubs, so I knew all about him coming into this role, I knew what type of player he was.
“He made an unbelievable run for one of the goals, I showed him that, but then I showed him what he did winning the ball back, when he had to sprint 50 yards and get the ball back. That’s what makes a really good player, for me, getting that work rate in because we know, with the ball his feet, he’s a top player. Can he do the rest going the other way? And he’s starting to show that now, so yeah, he’s doing well.”
His debut campaign at Villareal has seen him hit the ground running, scoring nine goals in just 18 games in all competitions, proving he is the kind of goal-scoring winger that could try and fill the boots of Liverpool’s much-vaunted wide-men.
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The Villareal star is exactly what Liverpool need given that the likes of Salah and Mane are off to AFCON, and can help ensure they don’t miss the sheer number of goals and assists they produce.
Meanwhile, Liverpool must make a swoop for this Bundesliga midfielder…
West Bromwich Albion had a rather flat Championship season in terms of their firepower, which ultimately went a long way to costing them promotion back to the Premier League.
In 46 matches, the Baggies found the net just 52 times, fewer than a number of teams who finished below them in the table.
To further highlight how lacklustre Albion were in the attacking department, they have the joint-second lowest rate for goals per shot and as the lowest percentage for shots on target in the entire Championship.
The Baggies’ only real shining light in attack was Karlan Grant, who racked up 18 goals and six assists in 44 league appearances.
Now that the season is over and the summer transfer window is on the horizon, improving the squad and making them a more potent team should be at the top of Steve Bruce’s priorities.
One man with whom the Midlands club have been linked in recent weeks (and endorsed by Alan Nixon over the last two days) and who could be an ideal signing, potentially giving Bruce the chance to form a deadly attacking duo with Grant, is Joe Rothwell.
Imagine Rothwell and Grant
With 41 league appearances for Blackburn Rovers this season, the £4.1k-per-week midfielder has scored three goals and provided 10 assists along the way.
This shows his knack for find the net and providing goalscoring opportunities, and it illustrates why he could be just what West Brom need moving forward.
To further highlight how effective a creative figure the 27-year-old is, he ended the recent campaign with an average of 1.7 key passes per game, which is more than any West Brom player managed.
Taking this into account, the potential link-up between him and Grant could be game-changing for the Baggies if it would make them a much more competent and scary attacking team.
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Labelled a “super talent” by Tony Mowbray, Rothwell is available on a free transfer this summer after he recently revealed he will be leaving the Lancashire club after four years of service.
With all that in mind, Albion should be knocking on the 27-year-old’s door to try and convince him to join their squad and help them potentially return to the Premier League.
In other news: Bruce can save WBA millions by unleashing rarely-seen 19-ear-old prodigy who “scores goals”
Manchester United have something of a conundrum in the goalkeeping department, and might be inclined to solve their issue through swooping for Borussia Monchengladbach’s Yann Sommer.
What’s the word?
Sommer is out of contract at the end of the campaign, and according to Sport BILD, Man United are joined by the likes of Bayern Munich in gunning for the colossus’ signature, with Bavarian ‘keeper Manuel Neuer ruled out for the rest of the season following a skiing accident that resulted in a leg break.
While the idea of adopting a central position between the sticks at the dominant German Champions is enticing, BILD reports that playing in the Premier League is a lifelong dream for the Switzerland No. 1.
And with uncertainty clouding over the scrutinised David de Gea’s future at Old Trafford, a move might yet materialise with the January transfer window merely weeks away.
Out with De Gea
The report from Germany remarks that should Gladbach receive an offer of around €5m (£4.4m) for their 34-year-old shot-stopper, his club might be unwilling to let such a sum slip away, especially considering he will depart for nothing should he reach the end of the campaign at the BORUSSIA-PARK.
Such a small fee is certainly within United boss Erik ten Hag’s capabilities, and it could ail the woes that De Gea is seemingly unable to counter at present.
United’s Spanish stopper has recorded a Sofascore rating of just 6.79 in the Premier League this term, languishing below the 6.0 mark on three occasions thus far: versus Brentford (5.3), Manchester City (5.2) and Aston Villa (5.8).
He has saved just 66% of his total shots faced and conceded 20 goals from 14 outings at a rate of 1.4 per contest.
And the poor performances of the “liability” – as slandered by BBC Sport’s Phil McNulty – are nothing new; in 2020, Evening Standard sport writer Dominic Booth branded the 32-year-old as “woeful” for a mistake against RB Leipzig, continuing to lament the ace by saying “a good goalkeeper smothers that and gets rid” in a detrimental 3-2 Champions League defeat that dumped United out of the Champions League.
Should a deal for Sommer be forged, Old Trafford could welcome a star with more assurance and greater calibre in one-to-one situations.
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Via FBref, the 80-cap Swiss “monster” – as described by journalist Okon Nya – ranks within the top 18% of goalkeepers for save percentage across Europe’s big five leagues this last year – De Gea, in retrospect, ranks within the bottom 45% – also ranking in the top percentile for touches.
Sommer has also been excellent in the German Bundesliga this term, with Sofascore recording his average rating at an impressive 7.4, a veritable wall with a 77% save percentage and a remarkable level of distribution illustrated by an 81% passing accuracy.
His particular skill set fits the modern, ball-playing approach that Ten Hag seeks to implement on the United squad, and with De Gea on a reported £375k-per-week, a cost-effective swoop appears to be a no-brainer.
Nottingham Forest captured the attention of the English football community and media when they signed 22 new players ahead of their return to the Premier League this summer, and it is safe to say the newly-built team hasn’t delivered to the ambitious expectations set.
The Tricky Trees have spent the majority of their top-flight campaign so far in the relegation zone following a poor start that has seen them pick up just 13 points from a possible 45 so far.
Following a review of the recruitment drive in the summer transfer window, Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis sacked both the club’s head of recruitment and head scout but it won’t be just the £150m spent on players that Marinakis will be regretful of.
Surprisingly, there were some targets missed by the powers at The City Ground during their rebuild of the Forest team with one player in particular who has been thriving ever since an offer from the club was rejected in the summer.
PSV Eindhoven and Netherlands star Cody Gakpo has been impressing at both club level and on the international stage during the World Cup and his success will be something that will be a hard watch for Marinakis.
The talented 23-year-old winger has been a stand-out performer for PSV over the season so far and considering his contributions in front of goal so far, would have been a hugely valuable asset to Forest in their pursuit to retain their Premier League status.
Over 14 Eredivisie appearances, Gakpo – who was hailed a “sensation” by Tom Allnutt – has scored nine goals, delivered 12 assists and created a whopping 12 big chances, as well as averaging 4.3 key passes, 1.9 successful dribbles, 3.6 shots at goal and 54.7 touches per game.
Not only that, the £35m Dutch international has been “on fire” and the linchpin in the Netherlands’ successful progression to the knock-out stages of the World Cup in Qatar, scoring three goals in three games and is currently joint-top goal-scorer in the prestigious tournament alongside Kylian Mbappe, Marcus Rashford and Enner Valencia.
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Considering that Forest have scored the second joint-fewest amount of Premier League goals so far this season, it is safe to say that the signing of Gakpo would have been a much more worthwhile investment than Jesse Lingard who is currently collecting £200k per week at the club but has registered not a single league goal or assist over his 13 appearances so far.
With that being said, Gakpo has now become one of the most sought-after players in the world following his performances at the World Cup leaving little hope for Forest to reignite their interest in the winger and will likely now just remain a ‘what if?’ for Marinakis, Steve Cooper and the Forest supporters.