According to RMC Sport, Manchester United will launch a £26m move for Napoli defender Faouzi Ghoulam in this summer’s transfer window.
The Red Devils are expected to be in the market for a new left-back at the end of the season as speculation surrounding the future of Luke Shaw continues to gather pace.
Matteo Darmian and Daley Blind could also depart Old Trafford in the summer, leaving Jose Mourinho short of options in the left-back position.
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Ghoulam started the 2017-18 campaign in impressive fashion for Napoli – managing two goals and three assists in his first 11 Serie A appearances of the season.
The 27-year-old, who has also been linked with Liverpool and Manchester City, has been on the sidelines since the end of October, however, having suffered a serious knee injury.
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The United fans have been debating the potential arrival of Ghoulam, and it would be fair to say that many would rather Shaw was kept at Old Trafford this summer.
A selection of the Twitter reaction to the transfer rumour can be seen below:
Ruben Neves scored yet another ridiculous goal for Wolves on Tuesday night, and Leeds fans don’t seem too confident they’ll get the same from Eunan O’Kane anytime soon.
Wolves moved one step closer to a title-winning promotion last night, as they ran out 2-0 winners over playoff chasing Derby County.
The home side took the lead early on thanks to Diego Jota, but it was controversial summer signing Ruben Neves that stole the show, looping an incredible volley into the top corner from 30 yards.
Neves has now scored six times in the Championship this season, all of which have been fantastic goals, and Leeds fans are annoyed that their club for failing in the transfer market.
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While Wolves had a remarkable summer, Leeds fans were underwhelmed by their club’s business, and they weren’t exactly convinced when owner Andrea Radrizzani claimed he would follow the Wolves model this coming summer.
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Leeds are one of the biggest clubs in the Championship, but their fans are fed up of seeing the same old mistakes year after year, and Neves’ wondergoal was the icing on a very depressing cake.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho rang the changes for the trip to Bournemouth – making seven in all – and gave hope to some of his fringe players that they might force their way into contention for the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on Saturday.
In contrast to Saturday’s opponents – Mauricio Pochettino also made alterations but then saw his team held 1-1 by Brighton – United were more fluid as a result and ran out 2-0 winners, with Chris Smalling and Romelu Lukaku securing the win in a routine victory.
Second place looks all but theirs now so their attention can be fully turned to the FA Cup – United’s only remaining chance of silverware – and one man who did his chances of securing a surprise inclusion no harm was Luke Shaw.
The defender, valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, enjoyed a solid return to the first-team on his first start since the FA Cup quarter-final against Brighton, after which he was severely criticised by Mourinho.
Here, he made amends with a solid, energetic performance. In an attacking sense, he showed what he can offer United – that maybe Ashley Young cannot – with three crosses to go with a shot and a key pass apiece.
At the other end, he made four tackles and two clearances against a lively home attack, which should serve as something of a reminder to Mourinho of his defensive capabilities.
Ashley Young has emerged as something of a lieutenant for Mourinho this season, but the former Aston Villa man has been average at best since he muted Mo Salah at Old Trafford in March.
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If that does open the door to Shaw, he showed here that he is primed to take advantage on Saturday.
According to Goal.com, Everton are eyeing former Watford and Hull manager Marco Silva to take the club forward in the long term.
Silva was first choice to replace Ronaldo Koeman in October. But the Portuguese manager decided to stay to Watford and former England manager Sam Allardyce took the hot seat.
What’s the story?
Allardyce steadied the ship and it looks like he will keep the Toffees up this year. However, he has not been a popular figure around the club. Fans were opposed to his appointment as they felt that he is not the man to take the club forward.
Allardyce is adamant that he will remain at the club next season but Goal.com are reporting that the club are keeping their options open.
The Toffees have several options available to them and will assess these over the summer. They have been linked with Eddie Howe, Duncan Ferguson, Louis van Gaal and Roberto Mancini.
Everton should gamble on Silva
Despite Everton having a number of options, Silva would not be the safe choice.
He has shown in small glimpses that he is a very good manager but is yet to prove himself across an entire Premier League season. The way he left Watford could put Everton off, too.
Sticking with Big Sam or hiring someone like Van Gaal or Mancini would be safe choices for the Merseyside club.
While they have a proven track record, they would be short-term appointments. Bill Kenwright and Farhad Moshiri should appoint someone who can implement a long-term plan at the club.
Silva is only 40-years-old and has the potential to become a great manager – he proved at Hull that he can revitalise a squad. At Watford, he showed he is shrewd in the transfer market, signing the likes of Richarlison, Nathanial Chalobah, Will Hughes and Andre Grey.
His time at Watford ended sourly and it was clear that the attention from Everton had distracted him. However, before this, he had taken the Hornets from fighting to stay in the league to a top-eight side.
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On the face of it, Everton have a very good squad. A few signings in the summer and appointing Silva could see Everton finally fulfil the ambition their fans expect. He got the best out of an average Hull squad and made Watford an extremely dangerous side.
It might be a gamble but Marco Silva would be a gamble worth taking.
Tottenham Hotspur are likely to be in the market to improve their defence this summer.
The future of Toby Alderweireld has been a major talking point this season, with many wondering whether the Belgian will be at the North London outfit beyond the summer.
If not, manager Mauricio Pochettino will have to identify a new centre-back, but not only does he have the back line to consider.
Michel Vorm is expected to be a free agent in the summer and could be let go due to failing to provide stern enough competition for Hugo Lloris’s position as number one goalkeeper.
The Mirror cites Spanish publication Marca as saying that Napoli shot-stopper Pepe Reina will be available at the end of the season.
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It is believed that Liverpool will try to re-sign their former keeper, but perhaps Tottenham should be in the running.
Even though Lloris is unlikely to lose the number one tag, having Reina in the mix would keep the Frenchman on his toes.
Plus, Reina’s experience could prove important when sharing responsibilities in various competitions.
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At the moment, there does not seem to be any concrete interest from Tottenham in the ex-Liverpool keeper, but should there be?
Everton ended the English Premier League season in eight place despite losing on the final day away to West Ham United.
The pressure continues to grow on manager Sam Allardyce, with fans again showing their discontent with his leadership in the stands at the London Stadium.
The 3-1 defeat was their seventh in the top-flight since the turn of the year and many supporters are looking for the club to move in a different direction to Allardyce’s pragmatic style of play.
It was a day when no played shone for the Toffees, with usually consistent performers like Jordan Pickford even playing poorly.
Pickford has arguably been the most impressive of last summer’s big signings, but he struggled between the sticks on Sunday, at fault for two of the Hammers’ goals.
Fans, although recognising his contribution this season, were unhappy with his performance, noting it could hamper his chances of starting for England in this summer’s World Cup.
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Arsenal are yet to appoint a new manager following the departure of Arsene Wenger last week.
The Frenchman bid an emotional farewell to the Gunners faithful following a 22-year reign at the North London outfit.
Numerous names have been linked to the vacancy, but the club are yet to make an official appointment.
Despite this, the rumour mill suggests that Arsenal are pushing ahead with transfer plans for the summer.
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According to German publication Bild, the Premier League giants are closing in on the signing of Borussia Dortmund defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos.
The report states that Arsenal will part with around £17.4m for the Greece international, who is valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt.
The Gunners certainly need to improve their defensive options due to Laurent Koscielny’s injury and Shkodran Mustafi’s blunders, but Sokratis has left some fans feeling uncertain.
The 29-year-old, who has been at Dortmund since 2013, started 41 games in all competitions for the German club this season, including 28 in the Bundesliga.
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There was so much hope within the red half of Merseyside that Liverpool would come home from Kiev with their sixth European crown.
However, it was not to be as Real Madrid nabbed their third in a row with a 3-1 victory over Jurgen Klopp’s side on Saturday evening.
The Reds suffered the worst luck of all when their star man Mohamed Salah was substituted just after the half-hour mark with a dislocated shoulder.
It was a huge blow that the team failed to recover from, and it was made worse when goalkeeper Loris Karius gifted Madrid the opening goal by attempting to roll the ball out.
It was a poor decision as Karim Benzema latched on to simply knock it home, but Liverpool will given some hope when Sadio Mane equalised.
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Substitute Gareth Bale ruined the Merseyside outfit’s dream with a stunning overhead kick, and Karius was at fault again towards the end of the game as he fumbled the Welshman’s shot.
The German keeper made two costly howlers, and he tried to redeem himself by apologising to the fans after the final whistle with tears streaming down his face.
Even though the majority of the Reds’ support have managed to forgive him, plenty are desperate for a new goalkeeper to be bought this summer.
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Atletico Madrid shot-stopper Jan Oblak has done the rounds in the rumour mill a few times, and fans believe that he should certainly be under consideration by the club.
The 25-year-old – valued at £63m by Transfermarkt – made 49 appearances in all competitions this season, conceding 28 goals and keeping out 29.
It wouldn’t be a typical West Ham United summer without the club being linked with a number of big-name players in the press, with fans often saying their owners, David Gold and David Sullivan, release the names to the media to increase season-ticket sales at this time of year.
The east London club have certainly pulled off a few coups in recent years when you look at the signings of the likes of Dimitri Payet and then Javier Hernandez last summer however, and perhaps this year is their best chance of improving upon that record now they have the experienced and well-known Manuel Pellegrini at the helm.
The owners looked to have pulled off a blinder by bringing the former Manchester City boss, who would be making a calamitous start to his reign if he signs reported 6ft 3in target, to the London Stadium, and now they are so close to making their best decisions in terms of player recruitment, too.
The Irons have already been linked with ambitious moves on paper for Paris Saint-Germain attacking midfielder Javier Pastore – who is demanding wages of £190,000-a-week according to Sky Sports – Lazio winger Felipe Anderson and Barcelona midfielder Rafinha, as they look to strengthen a squad that found themselves far too close to the relegation zone last season.
There are plenty of positions that need reinforcements, with Ryan Fredericks proving to be the first addition when he joined from Fulham on a free transfer last week.
The addition of the right-back for nothing should mean that even more money is available elsewhere, and now Gold and Sullivan have got the calibre of manager that they wanted in charge, they have to back him in terms of meeting transfer fees for his targets.
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Reliable Italian journalist Ginaluca Di Marzio has already confirmed on his website that West Ham have made a £17.6m bid for Anderson, although they may need to double it to succeed in bringing the Brazilian to the London Stadium.
While of course the club needs to negotiate and get the best deal possible, they shouldn’t be that far apart in terms of what they are offering and what Lazio want for the player, and perhaps they need to significantly up their bid in order to ensure they get a player that Pellegrini obviously feels would be a key player for them.
As well as Anderson and Pastore, West Ham are also reportedly keen on two of the standout players in Ligue 1 in Nice’s Jean Michael Seri and Marseille’s Florian Thauvin, according to reliable club insider @ExWHUemployee on his latest The West Ham Way blog.
The former in particular has been heavily linked with a move to Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal previously, and if the Irons really are serious about getting him then there won’t be too much room for negotiation when it comes to a transfer fee, with them likely having to pay the £35m that the French club reportedly want, as per the Daily Mail.
Gold and Sullivan have often left Irons fans frustrated in the past when the clubs has been linked with big-name players that they haven’t delivered, but they are so close to making their best decision since they took over if they invest in Pellegrini’s project.
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It is something that would help get the London Stadium faithful on side, and also ensure that the Chilean boss maintains his record of never finishing outside of the top seven during his managerial career in European football.
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According to The Chronicle, Newcastle United could be priced out a move for West Bromwich Albion centre-forward Salomon Rondon in this summer’s transfer window.
Rondon will leave West Brom this summer following their relegation to the Championship, and a number of clubs have been credited with an interest.
West Ham United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur are all believed to be sniffing around the experienced striker, with the view to launching a bid.
According to The Chronicle, Newcastle are also interested, but the Magpies might well be priced out a move.
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Rondon is believed to have a release clause in the region of £16.5m, but that does not include a sign-on fee or wages, which reportedly could make it difficult for Newcastle to pull off the deal.
The Newcastle fans have been reacting to the reports, and it would be fair to say that the bulk are frustrated with the situation.
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Indeed, they are finding it hard to believe that their club will find it difficult to sign a striker from a team that has been relegated to the second tier of English football.
A selection of the Twitter reaction from the club’s supporters can be seen below: