All posts by z3u9t.icu

Tottenham Hotspur are now close to agreeing personal terms with David Raya over a potential move to north London this summer.

How much does David Raya earn?

A difficult campaign for the Lilywhites has seen the expected departure of Hugo Lloris emerge with the Frenchman enduring a particularly difficult season.

The 36-year-old only made 25 appearances in the Premier League with injuries seriously hampering his game time as Fraser Forster stepped up in his place.

However, even when he was fit enough to play, the veteran did not exactly impress having conceded 39 goals in those games and only managing to keep seven clean sheets (via Transfermarkt).

It is believed Lloris now has an opportunity on the table from Saudi Arabia to make a big-money move to the Middle East and even the possibility to return to OGC Nice.

And with this in mind, it is said the Lilywites are looking for their Lloris successor this summer and Brentford's Raya is believed to be on their list.

Despite being out of contract in a year's time, the Bees are thought to hold the high valuation of £40m for their shot-stopper this summer.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has claimed the north London club are ahead of any other club in the race to potentially sign the Spaniard:

"Tottenham are now ahead of any other club because they are on the verge of reaching an agreement for personal terms with David Raya.

"The player said yes, they are finalising the contract so everything is almost ready between David Raya and Tottenham as new goalkeeper to replace Lloris.

"But the agreement between Tottenham and Brentford is still not completed. Brentford want £40m, for Tottenham, this is way too much especially because the player is out of contract next summer."

Who wants to sign David Raya?

Clearly, the north London side are keen to bring in the Brentford goalkeeper this summer with Tottenham close to agreeing personal terms with the player.

And this is a significant update as it seems the 27-year-old is keen to make the move across London to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

This comes amid reported interest from other clubs with both Manchester United and Chelsea also linked with a potential move for him this summer.

Raya has now established himself as a highly-regarded shot-stopper in the Premier League with Sky Sports man Dan Bardell hailing him as "next level with his feet".

And this is something which could be massively improved on at Spurs with Lloris boasting just a 64.3% pass success rate this season (via Fbref).

In comparison, Raya was able to rack up an impressive 77.1% pass success rate as he outperformed the Frenchman in short, medium and long-range passes (via Fbref).

Spurs will be hoping Brentford evaluate the possibility of losing Raya for nothing next summer and lower their price tag, however, it is apparent his manager, Thomas Frank, thinks very highly of him:

"We are very happy with David here, everybody knows he is a £40million-plus goalkeeper if anyone is interested. There is a possibility he will maybe leave this summer for the right price. If that happens we need to be prepared like we are at left-back, right-back, striker."

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been linked to a goal machine ahead of the summer transfer window, as Julen Lopetegui looks to fix his side’s scoring woes.

Wolves found the net just 31 times in 38 games this season, making them the Premier League’s lowest scorers.

The club could end their low scoring streak in one signing this summer, despite pressures of FFP putting strain on the Spaniard’s ability to spend.

What’s the latest on Georges Mikautadze to Wolves?

According to French outlet le10sport last week, the Midlands club are “ready” to position themselves to sign FC Metz striker Georges Mikautadze.

The report states that the asking price from the Ligue 2 club would be around the €20m mark, making him available to Wolves for just £17m.

What could Georges Mikautadze bring to Wolves?

For only a snip price, Lopetegui could get his hands on a prolific goalscorer who has found the net on 24 occasions in all competitions this season.

Playing in Ligue 2 with Metz, the 22-year-old ended the campaign as the league's top scorer, with 23 strikesin the competition, as well as scoring one in the Coupe de France.

Hailed as “incredible” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the young forward has more than just goal-scoring ability in his arsenal, having registered nine assists across all competitions also.

His talents could provide Wolves with an essence of the spirit at Molineux when Raul Jimenez was firing, and the club were pushing towards the top six.

In both the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns, the Midlands club finished seventh in the Premier League under Nuno Santo, with the two recurring successes in those seasons being the form of the Mexican striker.

The talisman scored a combined total of 30 goals and registered 14 assists over the impressive terms, however, since his devastating injury the goals have dried up and so has Wolves’ form.

Lauded as “remarkable” by former teammate Conor Coady back in 2020, the forward was the battery fuelling Nuno’s attack, and inspired his team to dream about competing with the big fish in the Premier League.

What Wolves relished in having during those years is what the club is missing now, being absent going forward which has punished their performance in the competition, with the club sitting bottom of the table on Christmas day last year.

Lopetegui must improve his side’s ability to find the net, which he could do so in signing the “Georgian killer” Mikautadze, who has an innate ability to contribute to goals, just as Jimenez did in those glory years.

This season, the Georgian has a scoring frequency in Ligue 2 of every 134 minutes, averaging 1.1 shots on target per game, similar to that of the Mexican in 2019/20 who averaged 1.2 on target per game and a frequency of 191 minutes – as per Sofascore.

At just 22-year-old, the Spaniard could have a talent to lead the line at Molineux for years to come in a player that would cost the club less than £20m.

Newcastle United's fate has been sealed and the Tyneside giants will compete in the Champions League next season after emphatic seasonal success this year, and requisite moves on the transfer front must now be made.

What's the latest on Newcastle's pursuit of Harry Maguire?

One name that has entered transfer circulation is Manchester United's world-record £80m centre-back Harry Maguire, with a recent update from Dean Jones stating that the defender is set to depart Old Trafford this summer after falling out of favour under the tutelage of Erik ten Hag.

While there is a vested interest in the 30-year-old from Serie A outfits such as AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus, Newcastle have also been credited as possible suitors, should the Red Devils grant Maguire's departure to a top-four Premier League rival.

It's thought a potential loan move could even be on the cards for the centre-back.

Should Newcastle sign Harry Maguire?

While Maguire has endured a turbulent ride in Manchester at times, perhaps none more so than this season where he has found a regular starting berth hard to come by, he is a commanding and aerially superlative "colossus" – as dubbed by Simon Jordan – to wield at the foot of the pitch.

In March, 90min reported that Maguire was among the players at the Theatre of Dreams informed that they are free to depart at the conclusion of the season, with the Magies stated to be 'monitoring' the situation.

Maguire has made 31 appearances across all competitions this term but has started only eight times in the Premier League, and with £190k-per-week wages, it is unlikely he will remain beyond the summer with a utility role.

Praised for his "dominating" demeanour on the pitch by Ten Hag, Maguire would be a good addition for Newcastle because injecting an imposing presence into a defence that boasts the joint-meanest defence in the English top-flight this term – alongside champions Manchester City – will only enrich the flourishing current crop.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 17% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues for pass completion, the top 20% for progressive carries, the top 11% for rate of blocks and the top 12% for aerials won per 90.

He would surely thrive alongside Sven Botman, who has been a revelation at St. James' Park since signing for £35m from Lille last summer.

While Maguire isn't the most mobile of defenders, he does boast an imposing physicality, which could run in tandem with Botman's own brutish approach to his play.

Indeed the £90k-per-week Dutchman has been lauded as a "leader" by journalist Josh Bunting, a quality he certainly shares with Maguire, while averaging a Premier League match rating of 6.99, as per Sofascore, completing 87% of his passes, making 3.3 clearances per match and winning 67% of his duels.

Such a tenacious and iron-clad partnership would only bear fruit for Howe, and signing Maguire might actually be a shrewd move to take as the Magpies continue their ascent.

Talks will soon commence between Chelsea and a rival club over Mason Mount, with a large bid set to be made, journalist David Ornstein has claimed.

What's the latest on Mason Mount?

The England international is entering the final year of his contract at Stamford Bridge, and as things stand, a renewal looks unlikely.

The 24-year-old is believed to be attracting interest from a number of top clubs including Man United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Bayern Munich, and it has been reported that his preferred destination would be Old Trafford.

Speaking on Sky Sports News, Ornstein claimed that Chelsea still want to keep the midfielder, but they will soon speak to Man United over a big-money transfer.

"The soundings we're getting is that despite Chelsea, maybe trying to give it one last go and hoping to keep him, that it is very possible now that he will leave," he stated.

"As I understand it, the other clubs who are interested are aware of his preference, and that there are talks expected between Manchester United and Chelsea in due course."

Should Chelsea sell Mason Mount?

The club were in negotiations to extend his contract, but a previous breakdown in talks has led to the current situation where his departure seems likely.

The midfielder has had a difficult season, managing just three goals and two assists in an injury-hit league campaign, with Chelsea suffering a nightmare campaign under four different head coaches.

Chelsea were unwilling to further increase their wage bill and hand Mount a big-money contract, but given the high turnover of players they have had in midfield, it may be worth trying harder to keep the Englishman.

Jorginho left in the January transfer window, whilst Mateo Kovacic has been linked with a move away. Having to replace Mount as well may prove costly, even if they do gain a big transfer fee from his departure.

Mount has previously been described as "unbelievable," and given his experience at the club since graduating from the youth academy, he could become a key player under Mauricio Pochettino.

The incoming Chelsea manager reportedly wants to build around an English core within the squad, including Mount, and the club could do themselves a disservice by selling a player that Pochettino may wish to keep.

If he does join a rival club and succeeds, then there may be yet more sale regret at Chelsea, years after huge mistakes in the transfer market saw them sell Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah, who went on to become two of the best players in the Premier League for rival competitors.

After a disappointing Champions League final for Liverpool the supporters were hit with more bad news as it was reported that Sadio Mane plans to leave the club this summer, and now a reliable source has given an update from the club’s perspective.

What’s the latest?

Liverpool reporter for The Athletic James Pearce has given a deeper insight into the potential departure of Sadio Mane this summer and how the club are set to approach the situation.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-liverpool-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-salah-gnabry-isak-romano” title= “Read the latest Liverpool news!”]

As per Pearce’s report for The Athletic, senior sources at Anfield have revealed that the club will not accept the reported €30m (£25.5m) and the club believes that it would be more beneficial to keep the player for another 12 months and let him go on a free transfer in 2023.

However, Liverpool value Mane at around €50m (£42.5m) and would only be interested in sanctioning a deal for the winger if they can find a suitable replacement this summer.

Supporters will be gutted

Mane has been a consistent and outstanding performer for Liverpool over the last six years since he joined the club in 2016, and has played a key part in winning huge honours including the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

Not only that, the Senegalese attacker has won the Premier League golden boot and finished fourth in the Ballon d’Or in 2019, proving that he has been considered one of the best players in the world during his time on Merseyside, so supporters will surely be gutted at the prospect of him leaving this summer.

The rumoured decision on Mane’s part to leave the club comes as he has one year left on his contract alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, and it was believed earlier this month that FSG would work to open contract negotiations with the two wingers in particular to secure their future at Anfield.

With that being said, Pearce’s update does offer an element of positivity for supporters as Liverpool are clearly not ready to let the player go easily and will work to either find a like for like replacement to make sure the club does not suffer from Mane’s exit in the upcoming season should they reach an agreement that is mutually beneficial.

Either way, the news that a player who has scored 120 times for them is set to depart is not ideal at all. It’s certainly a huge blow to Klopp’s Anfield empire.

AND in other news: Forget Mane: Klopp can land new LFC hero in deal for “tenacious” £100m “predator”

Everton will be relieved that they avoided Premier League relegation this season, but they may feel that their squad needs to be improved so that they don’t suffer a similar brush with danger next time around; and it seems that they are already reportedly lining up their summer transfer targets as a new update emerges.

What’s the latest?

According to The Telegraph’s football reporter Mike McGrath, Everton have joined the race to sign Burnley winger Maxwel Cornet.

As per McGrath’s latest article for The Telegraph, the Toffees are now looking closely at the £17.5m relegation clause attached to Cornet’s contract which has been triggered in the past week.

The reporter also revealed that West Ham United will rival Everton for the Ivory Coast international’s signature this summer.

Lampard will love him

With doubts surrounding the futures of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin at Goodison Park, it appears that Frank Lampard is looking to add attacking reinforcements to his squad this summer. Cornet would duly be a major coup for Everton, especially for such a low fee.

Despite being relegated with Burnley, the Ivorian winger – who was dubbed a “fabulous finisher” by Owen Hargreaves – has been drawing attention to himself since he joined the Clarets last summer, with the BT Sport pundit also labelling him “one of the signings of the season”.

As per SofaScore, Cornet has scored nine goals and contributed one assist, creating two big chances and taking 1.8 shots per game for Burnley. This shows that the 25-year-old is hungry for goals and could be a great addition to boost Everton’s productivity next season.

It has been reported that Salomon Rondon will be one of the Toffees players set to be offered out to other clubs this summer after a disappointing and ineffective season from the striker.

The prospective sale of the 32-year-old could give Cornet the perfect opportunity to come into the side and positively impact matches, while also being a promising prospect for the future at Everton. He has already proven his worth in his first season of Premier League football, and he could develop very well under an attack-minded coach like Lampard, who would surely love to have a player of such prowess at Everton.

Ultimately, if the powerbrokers at Goodison Park can secure a deal for Cornet ahead of West Ham, it would be a significant step forward for Everton in their pursuit to improve the squad, especially if they can sign him for his £17.5m relegation clause this summer.

AND in other news – “Sources tell me..”: Journalist drops big Everton transfer claim, it’ll delight supporters

Leeds United secured Premier League safety with a dramatic final day victory over ten-man Brentford on Sunday afternoon, thanks to goals from both Raphinha and Jack Harrison.

After having a goal chalked off in the first half for offside, the Whites could be forgiven for thinking that things wouldn’t be going their way down in Hounslow but a spot-kick from the Brazilian sensation got them on their way.

Sergi Canos equalised before being sent off before the former Manchester City winger fired home in the 94th minute to seal a famous victory for the Yorkshire giants, on the same day his old club won the title for a second successive year.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more-2″ title=”Read the latest Leeds news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Both Harrison and Raphinha will take plenty of plaudits, especially the latter, who proved to be a constant nuisance and Leeds’ main threat all game. However, Kalvin Phillips put in an absolute Rolls-Royce of a display in the engine room to help steer his boyhood club over the line.

Despite going up against the more creative exploits of Christian Eriksen (65), it was the England international who led the match for touches, registering a whopping 92 in total across the 90 minutes, effectively making one touch every minute played.

With his dominant possession, Phillips made 58 passes, in which one was a key chance created, whilst he also did his usual defensive duties as that anchor-like rock in front of the backline.

As per SofaScore, the £45m-rated powerhouse recorded a team-high three clearances, a match-best of three interceptions, and he also made two tackles and won six duels in midfield.

LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross was equally impressed by the long-serving star, claiming that he ‘Roamed across the field making the tackles the team needed him to. Brought steel to the middle of the park and read a lot of danger’ in his post-match ratings column.

The 26-year-old, who has been lauded as a “destroyer” in the past by Steve McClaren, was certainly all over the Bees’ pitch and as such, he absolutely ran the show for manager Jesse Marsch.

If that was indeed his final game in a Leeds shirt, then supporters can be delighted to have seen him at his very best one last time.

AND in other news, Beren Cross issues fresh Marcelo Bielsa claim at Leeds…

Leeds United’s time under Andrea Radrizzani has been plagued by mistakes in the transfer market, largely through a lack of spending or rueing that one that got away.

Of course, there have been numerous examples of success stories, namely the likes of Raphinha, Illan Meslier and Patrick Bamford.

But with every Raphinha, there’s a Laurens de Bock, Vurnon Anita or Jay-Rot Grot – a trio of weird signings that made only a total of 51 appearances combined.

Back in 2017, though, the Yorkshire giants missed out on one of Europe’s most frightening strikers and in a time where Leeds have missed last season’s top goalscorer Patrick Bamford and are staring down the barrel of relegation, they must be reeling.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more” title=”Read the latest Leeds United news and rumours!”]

That man is Erling Haaland, who this week was announced as a Manchester City player.

The defending Premier League champions have signed the Borussia Dortmund forward in a €60m (£51m) deal, activating the 21-year-old’s release clause ahead of the summer transfer window, as per the BBC.

For a little over £50m, that has to be considered an absolute steal considering he’s valued at a whopping £135m by Transfermarkt.

But it could have been a different story for both Leeds and the Norway international.

Speaking on The Athletic’s ‘The Phil Hay Show’, football agent Hayden Evans revealed:

“He was at Molde, around about 17 [years old], and he was ripping it up but also fervently following Leeds United.

“We spoke to Victor [Orta, Leeds’ sporting director] and said, ‘Look, I can bring Erling to Leeds and the rest will be over to you,” before later adding:

“It went quite well, we went back, but the bottom line was that [Molde] wanted around four million pounds. Leeds were not in the stable [financial] position they are in now and he was not going to play, even the talent he was, he was not going to play first-team football at that age.”

After that move fell through, a young Haaland would go on to sign for RB Salzburg for around £7m in August 2018, where he quickly made a name for himself before completing a move to Borussia Dortmund, where he has consistently banged them in.

The Norwegian sensation netted a whopping 29 goals in 27 games in Austria and over the last two-and-a-half seasons for Der BVB, he’s bagged 85 goals in 88 appearances, as per Transfermarkt.

Such form and consistency has seen the 6 foot 4 talisman lauded as “a goal scoring cyborg” by journalist Alex Truica and a “one-man wrecking ball” by Gregor Robertson in The Times.

There’s no doubt that the 21-year-old is one of the most promising and lethal marksmen across the continent and Andrea Radrizzani’s failure to sign him for just £4m will be forever remembered as a catastrophic mistake.

AND in other news, Jesse Marsch drops Raphinha injury update ahead of Brighton…

Manchester City have been rather proactive when it comes to signing new players during recent summer and winter transfer windows.

As the Manchester club are looking to secure their fourth Premier League title in five years, it seems as though they have been dealt a blow in regards to one potential transfer deal for the upcoming window.

What’s the news?

In a recent Twitter post, journalist and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano relayed comments from RB Leipzig director, Oliver Mintzlaff, regarding the future of Christopher Nkunku, who has been linked with a move to City.

He said: “We have clearly discussed it internally: we won’t let Nkunku leave this summer, we told him and his agent.”

Romano then added that Leipzig “will also try to extend his contract but talks are still at [the] early stages.”

Guardiola will be fuming

Now that it has been revealed that Leipzig will not be allowing their star figure to leave in the summer, this will surely be bad news for City, thus leaving Pep Guardiola fuming.

Since joining the German club back in 2019 from Paris Saint-Germain, the Frenchman has gone on to make 134 appearances for Leipzig across all competitions.

In those appearances, the 24-year-old has found the net 46 times and delivered 47 assists along the way with a whopping 54 of those involvements coming this term alone. That shows precisely why a team like City would have their eye on adding him to their ranks.

To further highlight how much of an impressive attacking and creative figure he is, no other player in the Bundesliga has racked up more shot-creating actions than Nkunku (129) this season.

He also ranks fourth for shots on target (36) and successful dribbles throughout the current Bundesliga campaign, making him a real handful for defenders and goalkeepers to deal with.

However, with it recently being reported that a deal for Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland is close to being completed, this could take some of the sting away from City fans and Guardiola over potentially missing out on signing Nkunku.

Although should the Manchester club fancy their chances of swaying the hierarchy at Leipzig into selling their French talent, he would certainly be an exciting addition to what is already a rather deadly attacking side if he doesn’t sign a new deal at his current club.

In other news: “Man City will..”: Romano drops behind scenes transfer claim, it’s bad news for Pep

It’s D-Day for Nottingham Forest on Tuesday evening, as the Championship outfit take on Scott Parker’s Bournemouth side in what could prove to be a pivotal encounter as to who secures that much craved automatic promotion spot.

With Fulham having already wrapped up the title – and with the bottom three already confirmed – all that is left now is to determine who will make the four play-off spots and who will be joining the Cottagers in the Premier League.

In what is the penultimate game of the campaign for both sides, Forest will be looking to close the three-point gap on their promotion rivals with victory at the Vitality Stadium, as they look to extend their current four-game winning run in the league.

Ahead of that mouthwatering meeting, here’s how the Football FanCast predicts manager Steve Cooper will line his side up…

Barring any late injury concerns, it is likely that the Forest boss will refrain from any significant alterations from the side that thrashed his former club Swansea City at the weekend, although we have predicted there will be one change from that crushing 5-1 victory.

The defensive unit – which has the best record in the division with regards to goals conceded (38) – is set to remain the same, with the back three of Joe Worrall, Scott McKenna and former Cherries’ skipper Steve Cook lining up ahead of ‘keeper Brice Samba.

In midfield, reported Premier League target Djed Spence and former Newcastle United man Jack Colback will retain their places on the right and left flank, respectively, while the solid midfield pairing of Ryan Yates and James Garner are unlikely to be dislodged, with the Manchester United loanee having chipped in with 12 goal contributions this season.

The only tactical tweak then could well come in attack, with 20-year-old prospect Alex Mighten – who has been dubbed “elite” by Gary Brazil – lining up alongside Brennan Johnson and Saturday’s hat-trick hero, Sam Surridge, in place of Philip Zinckernagel.

The Danish playmaker has been labelled “unbelievable” by former teammate Lyle Taylor for his form this term, although after a quiet showing last time out – for which he received just a 6.4 match rating – he should be replaced by the hungry Mighten, who bagged his first league goal of the season against Russell Martin’s men.

IN other news, Forget Zinckernagel: Cooper must unleash Forest “livewire” who’d terrify Bournemouth …