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A Tottenham Hotspur ‘source’/insider has reportedly shared an update on chairman Daniel Levy’s £320m sponsorship deal with AIA amid political pressure.

The Lowdown: AIA controversy…

The All-Party Hong Kong parliamentary group has apparently written to Levy expressing their discontent with AIA whilst asking the Spurs chiefs to reconsider their sponsorship deal with the firm.

This comes after AIA publicly supported a 2020 bill from the Chinese Communist Party which aimed to bring about ‘stability’ by curbing pro-democracy rallies. However, human rights activists have hit back at the legislation, arguing that it impedes freedom of speech and the right to peaceful demonstration.

As a result, it is claimed that Spurs and Levy are under a degree of pressure to ditch their relationship with AIA after their links to the 2020 bill – much like Manchester United severed their ties with airline Aeroflot due to their Russian state affiliation following the invasion of Ukraine.

The Latest: Spurs source shares AIA update…

As per a ‘source’/insider, there has been an update on Tottenham and Levy’s stance on their eight-year, £320m AIA sponsorship agreement.

It is claimed that Spurs are ‘unlikely’ to break off their lucrative deal despite the potential for backlash, especially considering that early termination fees would apply.

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This information comes courtesy of Football Insider as an informant with ‘internal knowledge’ of the sponsorship market shares these claims.

The Verdict: Interesting…

Amid Levy’s quest to seal Spurs’ stadium naming rights, the Lilywhites would perhaps be more inclined to reconsider their AIA relationship once Google’s talks over the former are completed.

For now, it appears that their £320m agreement with AIA is too valuable to jettison regardless of the political consequences, especially given Tottenham’s mounted club debt since lockdown.

Glasgow Rangers haven’t exactly had the greatest of weeks on the pitch.

A 7-1 Champions League defeat at Ibrox against Liverpool on Wednesday was bad enough, and a serious injury sustained to the ever-reliable Connor Goldson that night means that Giovanni van Bronckhorst is facing something of an injury crisis in defence.

The Engilishman joins Filip Helander and John Souttar on the treatment table, with all three looking like long-term absentees.

It also looked like Ben Davies might be joining them, as the defender was assessed following the Liverpool match with a suspected injury complaint.

However, The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell delivered a big boost to Rangers ahead of the Premiership clash against Motherwell tomorrow, tweeting: “Hearing positive news re Davies ahead of Sunday after further tests. He’s been positive in the last four starts. Been really composed and Rangers need him at the moment.”

This is great news for the Gers and will surely be a sigh of relief for Van Bronckhorst, especially as he would otherwise have had only Leon King and James Sands available to play at the heart of defence.

Davies arrived at Ibrox in the summer for £4m and has started for Rangers in their last four matches. In his three Premiership appearances for the club, the 27-year-old has averaged 54.7 touches and completed 92% of his attempted passes, proving that he is comfortable on the ball and can display an excellent passing ability.

The defender has also won 53% of his duels and lost possession just 4.3 times per match, showing that he is strong in one-on-one scenarios and doesn’t often make mistakes on the ball.

Van Bronckhorst will be praying that Davies is 100% fit for tomorrow’s clash against Motherwell, and the Dutchman will be looking at his team to grasp the opportunity to redeem themselves following the woeful midweek result in the Champions League.

Having the former Liverpool defender available will come as a huge boost to the Gers, especially in the wake of the Goldson body blow, and it looks like there is finally one piece of good news on the injury front for Van Bronckhorst.

Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Lewis Pirie to Elland Road.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a recent report by the Daily Record, who claim that all of Leeds, Brighton & Hove Albion and Fulham are keeping a close eye on the Aberdeen forward ahead of launching a potential move for the 15-year-old further down the line.

The report goes on to state both the Whites and the Cottagers watched the striker in action for Scotland U16s’ 4-2 victory over Denmark – a fixture in which the teenager scored twice – earlier this month, while the Seagulls are also believed to have taken a look at the attacker in action for Aberdeen last week.

Finally, it is claimed that Championship side Sheffield United are also interested in the Scottish sensation, while the Dons are thought to be extremely eager to tie the youngster down to professional terms on his 16th birthday in January next year.

Orta’s next Perkins

While it is true that Pirie is still an incredibly young talent, considering how much interest there appears to be in the 15-year-old’s signing, should Orta manage to get a deal over the line for the player who DD Advanced Coaching dubbed “unreal” ahead of the likes of Brighton, Fulham and Sheffield United, the Spaniard could well have unearthed his next Sonny Perkins.

Indeed, having arrived on a free transfer this summer, the former West Ham United centre-forward has been in sensational form for the Whites’ U21 side, having already bagged six goals in just five Premier League 2 appearances for Michael Skubala’s youth team – returns that saw the 18-year-old win the division’s Player of the Month award in August.

And, in order to seal the England U19 international’s signature back in July, the Whites’ director of football had to fight off the interest of a number of Leeds’ Premier League rivals, including clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.

As such, while Pirie looks to have a little way to go before he is achieving the returns of a player who has already made his Premier League and Europa League debuts, considering the sheer amount of excitement surrounding the 15-year-old’s potential, the Aberdeen starlet could well prove to become Orta’s next Perkins-esque discovery in youth football – a prospect that is sure to delight everyone involved with the Elland Road club.

Newcastle United are waiting on a response from West Ham United over a deadline day move for right-back Harrison Ashby, according to Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope.

The Lowdown: Career so far…

The 20-year-old has been tipped for a bright future after bagging two goals and eight assists in 31 Premier League 2 appearances for the Hammers youth sides.

With such promise at academy level, the U21 Scotland international has been handed six senior appearances for West Ham, having made his Premier League debut back in March.

Ashby even featured once for the Irons during their impressive Europa League run last season.

The Latest: Hope’s news

With Emil Krafth out for several months after suffering a serious knee injury, Newcastle are keen on signing Ashby as a direct replacement.

Hope has shared an update on the Magpies’ pursuit, with the club hoping to get a deal over the line before tonight’s 11pm deadline.

Taking to Twitter, the reliable journalist claimed:

“Newcastle are waiting for a response from West Ham re Harrison Ashby & would like to do a deal today. For now, that is the only move they are pursuing. #nufc”

The Verdict: Promising talent

With Krafth out injured for a considerable amount of time, it is imperative Newcastle bring in another right-back to St James’ Park before the transfer deadline, otherwise leaving Kieran Trippier without an understudy for months.

Therefore, Ashby’s proposed move to Tyneside could be brilliant for the youngster’s development, as he would be learning from an experienced professional and would likely get plenty of playing time with fixtures coming thick and fast.

West Ham U21 coach Dmitri Halajko previously singled out the ‘real quality’ of the 20-year-old after an impressive EFL Trophy display.

And in truth it was surprising that Ashby’s Irons contract was allowed to get down to the final 12 months, with the Irons triggering a one-year extension only to take him to 2023.

The talented full-back clearly has the potential to succeed at the highest level for years to come, so if the Magpies can secure this move for a cut-price, this would be a shrewd bit of business for Newcastle.

As such, should the teenager continue his quite astonishing rate of development following a potential switch to Leeds this summer, Orta could well have unearthed the next Sterling in the Italian sensation – something that is sure to be an incredibly exciting prospect for both the Elland Road faithful and Jesse Marsch alike.

talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook has dropped a West Ham transfer update.

What’s the word?

The update concerns Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis with Crook recently speaking to GIVEMESPORT to give an update on West Ham’s reported pursuit of the player, saying:

“Now they’ve got Scamacca, I wonder if they’ve done some background checks on him because, from what I’m told, maybe he’s not necessarily the type of character that David Moyes wants to bring into the dressing room.”

It appears that Moyes and West Ham have dropped their interest in the 24-year-old following this update and it could be a decision that the manager regrets.

Moyes needs another striker

West Ham opened up their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 defeat at home to Manchester City. Erling Haaland grabbed a double for the away side and although Moyes won’t be able to recruit players of his calibre, another striker is required if they are aiming to build on last season’s success.

The club has signed Italian frontman Gianluca Scamacca from Serie A side Sassuolo, but this still just leaves the Hammers with two senior centre forwards in their ranks. With another demanding campaign ahead with continental fixtures, injuries will be commonplace and thus, not signing Dennis could be a decision they live to regret.

A move for the striker looked to make a lot of sense. He wouldn’t break the bank, with Watford valuing him at £20m and he has top-flight goalscoring experience.

The Nigerian international scored ten goals and grabbed a further six assists for Watford last season as they were relegated from the Premier League. With West Ham relying on wingers Said Benrahma (11) and Jarrod Bowen (17) and Michail Antonio (13) for goals last season, its clear that further additions to the front three are required.

Moyes could regret not signing Dennis as the 24-year-old generated more shot-creating actions per match than Antonio last season (3.17 to 3.09) and had a higher percentage of shots on target (44.3% to 32.5%), showing that he could have been a worthwhile addition to the West Ham squad.

Moyes will look at other targets, yet this decision might not be one of his wisest moves.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring James Maddison to north London this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Paul O’Keefe, who revealed on Twitter that, despite a deal for the 25-year-old appearing dead in the water earlier this month, Fabio Paratici is now ‘seriously considering’ making a move for the Leicester City attacking midfielder in the coming weeks.

The Spurs insider went on to clarify his earlier statement that Tottenham were out of the running for the England international’s signing this summer, revealing that his previous information was incorrect and that Antonio Conte’s side are now moving towards the Foxes playmaker.

In response to a supporter asking for an update on Spurs’ attacking midfield targets this summer, O’Keefe said: “They are very seriously considering James Maddison.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Maddison has been for Leicester in recent years, O’Keefe’s claim that Spurs are hugely interested in pursuing a deal for the 25-year-old this summer is sure to have left the Tottenham Hotspur faithful buzzing.

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Indeed, over his 35 Premier League appearances in 2021/22, the £45m-rated talent was in magnificent form for Brendan Rodgers’ side. He scored 12 goals, registered eight assists and created 11 big chances for his team-mates, along with taking 2.1 shots (one on target), making 1.4 key passes and completing 0.9 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the one-cap England international average a hugely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.32, not only ranking him as the Foxes’ best performer in the league but also as the joint 13th-best player in the entire top flight.

The £110k-per-week midfielder also caught the eye in Europe last season, scoring one goal, providing two assists and averaging a quite astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.68 over his five outings in the Europa League.

He also scored three goals, created one big chance and averaged a SofaScore match rating of 7.28 over his eight Europa Conference League outings, which saw him rank as Leicester’s best and second-best player in the respective competitions.

As such, it is clear to see that the versatile Maddison – who can operate from central and attacking midfield, and on either flank – would make a fantastic addition to Conte’s options in north London next term, even if his reported £60m price tag would be yet another hefty fee for Daniel Levy to cough up this summer.

AND in other news: Conte eyeing “very tempting” £7.1k-p/w Spurs target, he’s a “tactical evolution” dream

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph has shared an interesting revelation on the deal that saw Celtic sign Jota from Benfica this week. 

The lowdown: Deal done

After much deliberation and apparent procrastination, the Hoops finally confirmed the capture of Jota following a successful loan spell at Celtic Park from Benfica.

The 23-year-old admitted he fell ‘in love’ with the Scottish Champions during his time at Parkhead and the club have managed to tie up a deal to sign the versatile winger on a five-year deal.

Celtic triggered a £6.5million option to buy clause as part of the initial loan deal to land the Portuguese star and as the details of the switch begin to emerge, one well-informed source has provided some key information…

The latest: ‘They wanted more’

Taking to Twitter, Joseph has claimed that Benfica ‘regret’ including the clause in the loan move.

He stated: “Been told by one source that there’s a lot of regret at Benfica for allowing an option-to-buy clause, for so cheap, on Jota’s loan last season. Another buying club would’ve had to pay a lot more this summer. That’s why they’ve got a 30% sell-on in the deal – they wanted more.”

The verdict: Masterclass

Make no mistake about it, this deal has already proven to be somewhat of a masterstroke from the Bhoys’ hierarchy.

Already boasting a rising market value of £6.75million (Transfermarkt), Jota seems certain to continue on an upward trajectory both as a commodity and in a career that has blossomed in Scotland.

Predominantly operating as a left-winger by trade, the versatile forward offers so many options to Ange Postecoglou’s squad and will attract major attention should the 18-cap Portugal Under 21 starlet enjoy another stellar campaign, particularly with the Hoops now set to be on show to the rest of Europe in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

Hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by Postecoglou after a standout 8.40 Sofascore-rated display against Dundee United which included an assist, three key passes and four shots on target, Jota will undoubtedly have a huge role to play again next season.

Arsenal are reportedly ready to break the bank in order to land RB Leipzig striker Christopher Nkunku, according to the latest reports.

What’s the word?

As per the Independent, the Bundesliga side have set an asking price of around £100m for the exciting Frenchman, with the Gunners – as well as Paris Saint-Germain – believed to be ‘willing’ to match that figure.

That potential deal would eclipse the £72m, club-record fee that the north Londoners paid to prise Nicolas Pepe from Lille in 2019, with the Emirates outfit in need of new forward additions following the recent departure of Lyon-bound Alexandre Lacazette, having already allowed former skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to join Barcelona in January.

Premier League rivals Manchester United are also named by the report as another potential suitor, although the Red Devils are ‘unlikely’ to cough up such a sizeable fee with other areas of the squad still to address.

Superstar signing

Having only brought in backup goalkeeper Matt Turner and promising Brazilian, Marquinhos, so far this summer, Gunners supporters will no doubt be impatient for more high-profile additions, with these latest links to Nkunku likely to set pulses racing.

Dubbed a “superstar” by journalist Robin Bairner earlier this season, the versatile 24-year-old would no doubt be able to make an instant impact in the Premier League, fresh off the back of an explosive, breakthrough campaign in Germany last time out.

In 50 games in all competitions in the 2021/22 season, the former PSG gem fired in a truly staggering 35 goals and 19 assists, notably netting a goal every 117 minutes in what was a simply breathtaking and relentless scoring spree.

That haul also included 20 league goals – the fourth-best record in the German top-flight – while he also fired in seven goals in just six games in the Champions League, despite Leipzig having crashed out in the group stage.

That tally – which included a devastating hat-trick in the matchday one defeat to Manchester City – ensured he was the joint-fifth highest scorer in the competition, while he also went on to add a further four goals after dropping into the Europa League.

Such a prolific nine months has come somewhat out of the blue, with the £72m-rated man only having scored 12 goals in all competitions across the last two seasons combined, yet that will do little to temper the excitement regarding a possible link-up with Mikel Arteta’s side.

Arsenal are undoubtedly in need of a new focal point in attack, with Nkunku seemingly the superstar attraction who can help fire them back into top-four contention.

IN other news, Arsenal now have “genuine interest” in signing £45m “baller”, it would be a huge coup 

Crystal Palace have looked into possible summer swoops for Manchester United duo Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Donny van de Beek, according to transer insider Dean Jones. 

The lowdown

The English right-back came through the youth ranks at Selhurst Park, playing 46 times for the south London club and winning their Player of the Year award in 2018/19.

In 2019, United shelled out up to £50m to snap him up, making him the third most-expensive full-back in the history of the Premier League.

However, after featuring in the 2020/21 Europa League Squad of the Season, Wan-Bissaka has fallen down the Red Devils’ pecking order more recently, starting just six Premier League matches since the turn of the year.

Meanwhile, Van de Beek spent the latter half of the 2021/22 campaign on loan at Everton after playing a mere 68 top-flight minutes between August and January.

The latest

Writing for GiveMeSport, Jones insisted that there is a ‘genuine feeling’ that Wan-Bissaka could return to Selhurst Park this summer, following recent transfer links touting him to go back to Palace. Palace wouldn’t be able to afford a permanent deal for the 24-year-old right now but could sign him on loan initially.

Elsewhere, the club’s recruitment team have ‘explored’ the possibility of signing Van de Beek, although the expectation at this point is that he will stay at Old Trafford and reunite with his former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag.

The verdict

The £27m-rated Wan-Bissaka appears to be the more realistic signing of the United duo, but should Palace fans be excited about a potential second coming?

The 24-year-old’s offerings going forward are limited, with just two goals and 10 assists to his name after 126 appearances for the Red Devils.

However, he is regarded as a rock-solid defender in one-v-one situations, with team-mate Luke Shaw and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher hailing him as the best in the world in that department, so it may all depend on what Patrick Vieira wants from his full-backs.

If the Frenchman’s priority is defensive security while other players in the team take on the creative responsibility, then Wan-Bissaka – who Jermaine Jenas claimed ‘must be so annoying to play against’ because his ‘legs are everywhere’ – is the man to target this summer.

Furthermore, with Van de Beek also struggling for game-time on loan at Everton after an injury-plagued spell, there may be some reservations about Palace possibly signing the Dutchman.

In other news, another target for Vieira has emerged.