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Taking to Twitter, reporter Ekrem Konur has backed some transfer news out of West Ham United involving Clermont Foot striker Mohamed Bayo.

The Lowdown: Newman in striker chase…

While manager David Moyes is coping well so far without a natural back-up option to star man Michail Antonio, there is always a worry this could change if the Jamaica international gets sidelined again.

Indeed, the 31-year-old’s injury record has proved a concern for West Ham in recent seasons and that has prompted the club to look at other options in the transfer market.

They haven’t been able to sign a new forward for the past two windows and it is surely a priority for new recruitment chief Rob Newman – who has already been linked to a couple of forwards.

Now, some news has emerged on who else he could be targeting.

The Latest: West Ham eye Bayo move…

As per Konur, West Ham ‘continue to be linked with a move’ for Ligue 1 striker Bayo – who’s prolific record over the last few seasons has turned heads.

The reporter even dubs him ‘the new Lukaku’ as Newman and co apparently eye a swoop – coming after he played a starring role in securing Clermont a promotion to France’s top flight last season.

He scored 22 goals and assisted seven others in 38 Ligue 2 appearances over 2020/2021, attracting West Ham’s alleged interest.

The Verdict: Best option?

Despite his fairly eye-catching record of 44 senior career goals since 2018/2019, and the fact Bayo has labelled himself a ‘big’ striker, we believe Moyes and Newman could be served looking elsewhere.

Andrea Belotti, for instance, should be at the very top of West Ham’s priority list given his contract situation at Torino and proven goalscoring record at both club and international level.

In other news: ‘Disgrace’, ‘Get him gone’…Many West Ham fans slam ‘painful player’ after ‘shocking’ Genk display, find out more here.

Everton are set for a battle to keep hold of star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin over the coming months after Real Madrid reportedly entered the race for his signature.

What’s the story?

The highly-rated 24-year-old has been linked with a move to fellow Premier League outfit Arsenal in recent weeks as they search for Alexandre Lacazette’s successor.

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Los Blancos are also now reportedly eager to secure Calvert-Lewin’s services as former Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti plots a reunion with the forward.

The report stated: “Arsenal is not alone in the footsteps of Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The 24-year-old Everton striker is also liked by Ancelotti’s Real Madrid.”

It will take a substantial fee to prise the England international away from Goodison Park, though, after he signed a contract extension until 2025 just last year, so a substantial payday could be on the horizon for the Blues.

Hammer blow inbound?

Calvert-Lewin enjoyed the most productive season of his career under Ancelotti last term, finishing as Everton’s top scorer in the Premier League with 16 goals, so reports of a potential exit will surely have the club’s supporters feeling incredibly worried.

His impressive performances for the Merseyside club drew eye-catching praise from his former manager, who even compared him to former AC Milan legend Filippo Inzaghi.

Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s show ‘Between the Lines’, which airs on BT Sport’s YouTube channel, Ancelotti said: “Calvert-Lewin is improving a lot. I don’t want to say ‘has improved’, he is improving because I think he didn’t reach his best level in my opinion.

“I don’t see Inzaghi in him because he has a different structure and different characteristics. Calvert-Lewin is faster. Calvert-Lewin is better with the head. Calvert-Lewin is stronger than him. If Inzaghi listens to this he will kill me!

“But I have to say, Inzaghi in the box was the best striker that I ever had. I think this is natural instinct. He can be dangerous like Inzaghi in the box, for sure. He is faster than any defender, he jumps higher than any defender.

“It is a question of movement and details. He has to be focused, and he is. He is focused in the box,” Ancelotti concluded.

Under new boss Rafa Benitez, Calvert-Lewin began the current campaign in a similarly emphatic fashion, scoring in each of his opening three top-flight encounters in 2021/22. However, a fractured toe has sidelined the forward ever since.

His departure would be a hammer blow and an almighty setback in Benitez’s future plans for the Toffees, and the Spaniard will be hoping that the 6 foot 2 gem stays put for the foreseeable future. His goals are simply too important to lose.

In other news… Brands must sanction Everton swoop for “incredible” £19.8m-rated gem, Benitez needs him 

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has told Football FanCast that Moussa Sissoko has no future at Tottenham.

The Frenchman has been a regular in the team for much of the five years he’s spent in north London, but the signing of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg 12 months has seen the midfielder’s opportunities decrease quite significantly.

Sissoko is yet to feature in either of Spurs’ two competitive games this season after being an unused substitute against Manchester City before being left out of the travelling party that were beaten in Portugal in the UEFA Conference League.

According to The Athletic, he’s one of several players that have been told they can leave the club this summer, but with less than two weeks remaining, it doesn’t appear that a move away from north London is likely.

And Bridge told Football FanCast that he’s worried the midfielder might end up staying despite some surprise interest from the Middle East:

“Sissoko, I think he had some interest from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, but I don’t think he wants to go. He’s 32, has no future at Tottenham, but where’s he going to go?”

Leeds United centre-back Pascal Struijk is still suffering from a hip injury and will remain unavailable to Marcelo Bielsa, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Struijk missing for Leeds

The Whites enjoyed more stoppage-time drama on Sunday afternoon, drawing 2-2 at home to Brentford in their Premier League clash, thanks to Patrick Bamford’s last-gasp equaliser.

Bamford’s return was another indication that Leeds’ injury problems are slowly easing, but one player who is out is Struijk.

The 22-year-old went off at half-time against Crystal Palace last week after picking up a hip issue and missed Sunday’s clash with the Bees.

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The Latest: Hay gives injury update

Taking to Twitter after the weekend action, Hay confirmed that Struijk was still nursing that injury and is working on making a swift return:

“Struijk has a hip problem and is finishing his recovery.”

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The Verdict: Key figure to have available

Struijk may not be one of the first names on Marcelo Bielsa’s team sheet but he is a strong squad player due to his versatility, with Dominic Matteo claiming he’s ‘got it all’ as a player.

He is capable of playing at both centre-back and in a defensive midfield role, giving his manager more options as he looks to rotate his players during the busy festive period.

The hope is that Struijk is back fit for Saturday’s taxing trip to Chelsea, especially if Kalvin Phillips is injured for the game, having picked up a knock against Brentford.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly eyeing up a loan move for a player. Find out who it is here.

Former Everton frontman Marcus Bent has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Ben Godfrey could be the key to the Toffees signing Max Aarons.

The 21-year-old, who came close to making a sensational move to Barcelona 12 months ago, has been on Everton’s radar for some time, with the Merseysiders still searching for a long-term Seamus Coleman replacement.

Aaron won’t turn 22 until January but has already racked up almost 150 senior appearances for Norwich and has achieved to promotions and an impressive season at Premier League level.

Wherever Aarons ends up, he’s more than likely to remain in the topflight after helping the Canaries make an instant return.

Two of Everton’s Premier League rivals in Tottenham and Manchester United are both keen on signing the high-rated full-back, but Rafa Benitez’s side have a slight advantage in Aarons’ former Norwich teammate Godfrey.

The pair not only came through the ranks together at Carrow Road but are also teammates at England Under-21 level.

Bent exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“He’s a good, young player, and Everton said that if Ben gets in his ear, they might get him. Hopefully, he will come to Everton, but I don’t think he’d want to be second or third choice.”

An update has emerged on Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane, regarding Manchester City’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic, Manchester City have an informal interest in Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane. Chelsea are said to hold a similar position to City, whilst Manchester United are working the hardest to sign the French international at this moment in time.

The report claims that Real Madrid are open to selling Varane this summer as he heads into the final 12 months of his contract at the Spanish club. Real could be willing to do a deal for a fee in the region of £40m to £45m, to avoid losing him for free next summer.

Last year, Varane labelled himself as a “leader” within the Real Madrid squad. He told BeIN Sports, as transcribed by AS: 

“I am a leader in my own way. With my teammates, I talk a lot before matches about tactics and positioning. We each have our own way.”

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville hailed Varane as an “amazing” player and said that he is better than Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk. He told Sky Sports, as transcribed by The Mirror:

“That’s why I put Varane ahead of Van Dijk purely because this moment in time, Varane’s won so many European cups, he’s an amazing player. You can’t separate their talent, but Varane’s a brilliant player.”

Imagine him and Dias

Earlier this week, we advised City against going in for a deal to sign Varane’s Real Madrid centre-back partner Sergio Ramos due to his age, 35, and his wage demands. Varane, however, is a completely different prospect as he is seven years younger than the Spanish defender. He only recently turned 28 and could still have a number of years left in the tank at the top level, which is why Txiki Begiristain should be actively looking to swoop for the defender.

Varane has proven himself for both Madrid and France over the past decade or so. In the best part of 400 competitive first-team games, Varane has averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.94. This shows that he has been able to maintain a consistently high standard with his performances over the course of 10 years, having joined Madrid in the summer of 2011 from RC Lens. His honours list also stands out, with four Champions League trophies, three La Liga titles and a World Cup under his belt, among others.

The £63m-rated beast could form a formidable partnership with the Premier League Player of the Season Ruben Dias at City. Varane is athletic and quick and could provide cover in behind for the slower Dias, whose positioning is excellent – as shown by his 0.7 blocks per game in the Premier League and Champions League.

Dias’ defending in the box could make up for any lapses in concentration Varane may have and the latter’s pace could make up for any time Dias is outpaced by a forward making a run off the back of him.

This is why they could form an excellent duo at the heart of City’s defence and why Begiristain must get a deal over the line for the Frenchman. Begiristain must pounce on the opportunity to snap Varane up with 12 months left on his Real contract. It could also push Aymeric Laporte and John Stones to improve their own games, to win a place in the XI ahead of Dias or Varane.

AND in other news, Txiki must ruthlessly axe “dropped off” dynamo to land “exceptional” £200k-p/w beast…

Celtic head into their match this weekend needing an immediate response from what occurred in the Old Firm derby.

The Hoops were beaten by their biggest rivals and, all of a sudden, Ange Postecoglou’s men look as though they lack a bit of confidence again.

However, as the Bhoys get ready to face Ross County on Saturday afternoon, they will do so boosted by three deadline day signings.

Will any of those new faces start today? Here’s our predicted XI…

We anticipate Celtic to make four changes to the side which lost to Rangers two weeks ago.

The first change comes in the centre of defence, where Carl Starfelt – a man with an error in his system – is axed in favour of Cameron Carter-Vickers.

The Tottenham defender was a surprise late arrival on deadline day as Postecoglou managed to secure him on loan.

With Greg Taylor’s fitness unknown after pulling out of the Scotland squad, Josip Juranovic starts again on the left, with Anthony Ralston on the right.

The biggest change is in attack, where Kyogo Furuhashi is forced to drop out. The forward picked up a knee injury on international duty which will rule him for a month at least.

That means there is also a Hoops debut for Giorgos Giakoumakis, who is likely to be charged with leading the line.

There is no Odsonne Edouard anymore either, so he is replaced in the starting XI by Jota, who penned temporary terms from Benfica and could be the third of the Celtic debutants today.

The final change is behind the striker, where Ryan Christie is replaced by Tom Rogic. The former sealed a late move to Bournemouth and is no longer on the wage bill at Parkhead.

David Turnbull is likely to feature in midfield alongside the in-form skipper Callum McGregor.

Celtic have played some excellent attacking football this season, so it will be interesting to see how they fare with a huge change in personnel.

AND in other news, Forget Soro: Celtic must unleash rarely-seen 20 y/o with a “wand of a left foot”…

Birmingham Live reporter Ashley Preece gave his thoughts to Jack Grealish’s recent comments on his Aston Villa exit on Friday.

And a number of Villa supporters have reacted to Preece’s story on social media.

Grealish, who completed a £100m move to Manchester City in the summer, started for England in their 4-0 win over Hungary on Thursday.

However, prior to the game, ITV shared an interview with the 25-year-old where he reacted to his £100m release clause in his Villa contract.

Preece gave his thoughts to the interview and referenced Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips, England’s Player of the Year, when Grealish admitted that he needed to be playing Champions League football to enhance his international career.

Preece labelled the interview as a shocker that lacked class, with the Birmingham Live reporter’s story available to view in full here.

Villa fans react

He posted a link to his story on Twitter on Friday morning, and although Grealish himself has disputed the piece, these Villa fans were all in agreement, with one describing the report as ‘fantastic’.

“Ashley Preece, take a bow son. Brilliant article! It’s 100% spot on. The reason why I and others have lost any respect and love we had for a player we all once idolised. ”

Credit: @B6_Dave

“This is so good to read, Grealish utterly killing his remaining Villa respect he had left. The bloke is either genuinely stupid or he really doesn’t care.”

Credit: @JordAVFCx

“this is a fantastic article and really outlines how villa fans feel about the move.”

Credit: @avbiIly

“Spot on here. Fame and adulation clearly going straight to the head. We move.”

Credit: @RickyPopat

“This is bang on. He’s unrecognisable already.”

Credit: @GlennMorris_

“Absolutely bang on, anyone who plans on not giving Grealish the hardest night of his life in November, read this.”

Credit: @OwXnJ

In other news: Preece name-checks ‘brilliant’ free agent as potential Villa signing in area Smith will address.

Beren Cross has delivered a major transfer update on Leeds United’s pursuit of Hertha BSC star Matheus Cunha.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from German publication Bild (via Sport Witness), Bielsa’s side have already expressed their interest in signing the forward, and that a move could be on the cards after the 22-year-old received approval from Hertha to leave.

And now, speaking on a Facebook Live video, Cross said: “Cunha, yeah I mean I think anybody that’s done a basic level of analysis or read some of the stuff around Cunha will know that he’s a bit like (Rodrigo) De Paul, really, he’s a very exciting footballer – he’s got a lot going for him.  

“There’s a lot in his profile which would suggest he would fit Leeds United’s model. But from what I’ve been told, he’s on a long list rather than a shortlist. He’s somebody that they are aware of and they do like but as I’ve said, I think half of Europe is interested as well, and I think his price, if he does move, will skyrocket.”

Great fit for Leeds

Dubbed as “something special” by former Hertha BSC boss Bruno Labbadia, the £55k-a-week earning Cunha enjoyed a superb campaign in the Bundesliga last season, scoring eight goals and providing another eight assists in all competitions.

At 22, he has still got plenty of time to realise his potential, and Bielsa will likely feel that the versatile forward could thrive under his leadership.

Cunha often found himself either playing as the number ten or out wide on the left, but also had a stint up front too, and saved some of his best performances for Germany’s best sides – he scored and assisted against Bayern, bagged a brace against Borussia Dortmund, and also netted against Bayer Leverkusen too.

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The Brazilian looks every inch a big-game player, and given his performances last season, will surely have Leeds fans buzzing at the prospect of him linking up with the likes of Raphinha at Elland Road in the Premier League.

Given that supporters have already made their feelings clear about just how excited they would be to see Cunha at Leeds, Cross’ latest update about Leeds definitley having him on a list of targets is a promising one, to say the least.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have opened talks with this Premier League star…

Roberto Firmino is likely to be offered a new deal at Liverpool according to Liverpool Echo correspondent Theo Squires. 

The lowdown: Declining influence

For so long the man signed from Hoffenheim in 2015 has been the lynchpin of Jurgen Klopp’s side and an integral element of the famous front three that has fired the Reds to UEFA Champions League and Premier League glory.

However, the recent acquisitions and subsequent impacts of Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz have meant that the Brazilian forward has fallen down the pecking order somewhat.

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Out of contract in the summer of 2023 (Transfermarkt), a decision needs to be made on the future of the 30-year-old.

The latest: Squires delivers update

Taking part in a Q&A session for the Liverpool Echo, journalist Squires was asked whether Firmino is likely to be offered a contract extension alongside both Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah.

“It’s an interesting one with Firmino. For so long he was Liverpool’s go-to man and rarely injured but they have evolved beyond him this season. I agree, I struggle to see Liverpool keeping all three forwards beyond next summer but never say never. Mane has obviously done his own hopes of a new deal no harm, with his agent recently saying talks were on hold until the summer. Plenty has been written about Salah with no breakthrough yet.

“I’d imagine the club will see what happens with Salah and Mane and then decide what to do with Firmino. They’ll make an offer they consider fair at some point and will just expect him to want to stay. Then it’s up to the Brazilian if it’s right for him or time to move on.”

The verdict: Deal earned

Despite a drop off in appearances this term and perhaps, more importantly, persistent injury issues, Firmino’s trophy-laden time at Anfield warrants a new deal for the 55-cap Brazilian.

The man once described as ‘unbelievably valuable’ to the team by Klopp amidst a two-month Premier League goal drought has already lifted five major honours on Merseyside and could be set for more before the end of the ongoing campaign.

Very few players in world football can offer what the Samba star can offer and when using Fbref to find comparable operators, only RB Leipzig ace Christopher Nkunku tops Liverpool’s own Jota when it comes to sharing traits with the expert false nine.

Whether or not Firmino, who has ten goals and four assists this season, is willing to accept a bit-part role moving forwards remains to be seen, but either way, this upcoming summer has all the hallmarks of a busy one for the Reds.

In other news, one Liverpool player has been backed to leave this summer. Find out who it is here.