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Manchester United are eyeing a swoop for Ajax centre-back Lisandro Martinez as they aim to reinforce the defence and reunite the player with manager Erik ten Hag.

What’s the story?

According to The Mirror, United have met with the representatives of Martinez and were told that £42m would be what’s needed to secure his services.

They face competition for his signature from fellow Premier League club Arsenal who also met with his agent. The Gunners recently had a £25m enquiry for the player turned down with United planning a bid of £30m.

The report said that the player wants to move to the England but fears the asking price could put suitors off.

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Ten Hag desperately needs him

If United are to improve on last season then recruiting defensively is a must. The Red Devils conceded more goals than they ever have done in a single league season (57) and ended with a goal difference of 0.

Their defenders came under a lot of media scrutiny last season and rightly so, new manager Ten Hag needs to reinforce the backline if they are to have any chance of qualifying for the Champions League.

Signing Martinez could help solve the problem, he is a talented defender who has been described as a “bulldog” by journalist Casey Evans and his statistics seem to back that claim up.

He has won 69% of his total duels in the Eredivisie last season which shows his aggressive nature and ability to win his battles. It’s this willingness to fight that United have lacked recently and if signed maybe he could influence others.

It’s not the only area where he excels, he has a passing accuracy of 92% in his own half and made 0 errors leading to a shot or goal last season.  This proves his reliability and composure when playing out from the back.

Above all else, Ten Hag was his coach last season, so he wouldn’t need time to adapt to his methods and could slot straight into the back line at United.

The competition would also likely bring the best out of current defenders Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof.

While Ajax might be asking for a high fee, he’s currently paid just £43k-per-week so United could save money on wages.

If it means securing him ahead of their rivals, we think United should pay the money they’re asking for.

AND in other news: Ten Hag closes in on Man Utd swoop for £54m-rated “genius”, he’s a big upgrade on Fred…

A rival Premier League ‘insider’ has suggested that Liverpool cannot allow Mohamed Salah to follow Sadio Mane out the Anfield exit door. 

The lowdown: Contract impasse

Currently set to enter the final 12 months of his contract at Anfield (Transfermarkt), negotiations regarding a new deal for the forward signed from Roma by Jurgen Klopp for a reported £34m in 2017 have seemingly reached a standstill.

Having previously been believed to have requested a salary of £500,000 per week, a recent report from The Athletic claimed that the Reds’ hierarchy would need to offer ‘significantly improved’ terms to the 30-year-old to avoid losing him on a free transfer in 2023.

After Liverpool allowed Sadio Mane to join Bayern Munich already this summer, talkSPORT claim there have been ‘one or two murmurings’ of Salah following suit, and one rival onlooker has had his say on the prospect of the 156-goal Salah leaving Anfield in the near future…

The latest: ‘Monumental blow’

Speaking to Football Insider, John Wenham – an insider who breaks news about Tottenham on the Lilywhite Rose social media channels – has been reacting to what he’s heard from the Anfield faithful, claiming it would be ‘monumental’ to lose their Egyptian King.

He said: “I speak to Liverpool fans and I’ve heard some say they would rather Salah had gone instead of Mane. They watch Liverpool a lot more than I do but they say he is a very frustrating player to watch at times.

“Since the AFCON he has been so wasteful, so there is talk about wanting more money. I thought that was quite interesting because it seems as though things are coming to a head now. It would be a monumental blow if Liverpool were to lose Salah as well as Mane because, as much as you hope players like Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliott kick on, there is no guarantee they will hit the same levels.

“There are other options there, of course. I do think Firmino will take a back seat this season with Diaz and Nunez starting with Salah. They still have Jota as well so I don’t understand the rhetoric of Tottenham catching Liverpool next season, there is still some way to go.”

The verdict: Spot on

While the January arrival of Luis Diaz and the recent capture of Darwin Nunez have the capacity to go some way to replacing the output and overall impact of a player as extraordinary as Mane, it’s certainly not a given.

In 2021/22, the African duo provided a combined 75 direct goal involvements, with Salah ending the campaign with 31 goals and 16 assists across all competitions whilst Mane finished his last season on Merseyside with 23 strikes and five assists. Those numbers won’t be easy for others to replicate.

If newly-appointed sporting director Julian Ward is suddenly tasked with replacing Salah – who was recently hailed as ‘exceptional’ by sports journalist Daniel Moxon – as well as Mane, then the Reds would certainly be facing a transitional season ahead instead of another potential tilt at the Premier League title.

Journalist Paul Brown has said that Everton could now sign Lucas Moura this summer.

The Lowdown: Richarlison swap deal?

As per The Telegraph, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Richarlison from the Toffees and are prepared to offer both Harry Winks and Moura as part of a potential swap deal for the 25-year-old.

The arrivals of Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski from Juventus in the January transfer window pushed the aforementioned Spurs players down the pecking order in terms of minutes played last season, so they do not seem to be in Antonio Conte’s long-term plans.

The Latest: Moura transfer speculation

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Brown has said that Moura has ‘come up in talks’ at Goodison Park, but there is ‘less of a push’ to sign him over Winks.

The reporter said of Eerton’s interest in the duo: “They certainly do like Winks, while Lucas Moura has come up in talks, but there’s less of a push for Everton to sign him and there’s also the Dele Alli situation with Everton still owing Spurs money for him.”

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The Verdict: Sign Moura over Winks

If Everton could sign only one of the players mentioned, they should go for Moura over Winks.

They already have a plethora of central midfield options, whereas Anwar El Ghazi has returned to Aston Villa from his loan spell, leaving Andros Townsend as the only recognised senior right winger (Transfermarkt).

Moura should certainly add quality from the flanks, having scored 38 goals and supplied a further 27 assists over the course of his Spurs career (Transfermarkt).

Also, at 29 years of age, the Toffees could take advantage of a player who is currently in the peak of his career and has plenty of big-game experience from his time with Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham.

In other news, find out who Everton have now made contact with over signing here!

Everton are in desperate need to add reinforcements to their squad after a difficult season in the Premier League, and now a potential setback has been revealed from a reliable source.

What’s the latest?

Italian journalist and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed more details on the ongoing situation with Everton and Tottenham Hotspur over their interest in signing Richarlison this summer.

Romano took to his Caught Offside column to confirm that Spurs are in talks with the Brazilian winger’s new agents, however, the Merseyside club wants €70-75m (£60.4m – £64.8m).

So far their valuation of Richarlison has not been met according to the report, but Tottenham are interested in the player along with other clubs.

Supporters will be deflated

There is no doubt that supporters will be deflated with the news that Richarlison is looking likely to leave Goodison Park this summer, especially when you consider his importance in the team.

Richarlison was the top goal scorer for the Toffees this season with 11 goals and came to the rescue at the business end of the Premier League campaign to deliver six important goals in the last ten games, making a huge impact on Everton’s survival following a difficult relegation battle.

The 25-year-old’s goal contributions and influence would surely be a huge loss to Frank Lampard if he was to leave ahead of next season, however if the club can earn the transfer fee they have set for the Brazilian it would give Everton the chance to reinvest and identify a worthy replacement.

The Toffees have been linked with a number of potential forwards with Lucas Moura and Armando Broja both named as potential transfer options for the club this summer, and Farhad Moshiri will need to make sure he works hard to identify the right replacement to ensure Everton are not caught short.

Ultimately, Lampard will need to prepare for the worst-case scenario that Richarlison will leave this summer and focus on planning for the season ahead to ensure the Merseyside club does not find themselves repeating the mistakes of last season all over again.

AND in other news: Lampard now “keen” on Everton deal to sign £50m machine, he’s “Kante with goals”

Yves Bissouma has long been touted as one of Aston Villa’s top transfer targets for the summer but in an unexpected twist, it now seems as if they have given up on signing him from Brighton.

What’s the word?

After seeing a bid for the Malian midfielder rejected in January, Villa were widely expected to return for the former Lille man this summer, although reports suggested that Brighton would demand as much as £50m.

Villa were still heavily linked, however, with some reports claiming that he was Gerrard’s top target as he looks to bolster his midfield options ahead of next season.

However, the Athletic’s Aston Villa correspondent Gregg Evans has now revealed the latest on Villa’s interest in Bissouma, writing:

“AVFC may still look for a new No.8 this summer, but BHAFC Yves Bissouma is no longer on the list. Villa have moved on.”

Villa supporters will be gutted

While Villa have already brought in Boubacar Kamara on a free transfer from Aston Villa, Bissouma would have offered Gerrard a box-to-box midfielder with plenty of Premier League experience.

The 25-year-old was Brighton’s best performer in the Premier League last season (of those to make at least 10 appearances) according to WhoScored, averaging an impressive 6.99 rating for his performances.

The same rating would have seen him ranked behind only John McGinn in Gerrard’s side, which suggests that he could have been an excellent addition at Villa Park.

Graham Potter was full of praise for the midfielder after a superb individual performance in Brighton’s impressive 1-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur last season, saying:

“Tactically Yves was really good. He understood when to cover and when to release and when to put pressure on and then you could see his qualities.

“His high-end actions are Champions League level. I think you saw the full array of his quality.”

Villa’s early transfer business has certainly suggested that they are targeting a European qualification spot next season and Bissouma could have added that extra quality to Gerrard’s midfield.

It is a surprise therefore that the Villans have ruled him out before the transfer window has even officially opened, and Villa supporters will no doubt be disappointed that he won’t be playing in claret and blue next season.

And, in other news… Gerrard now given green light for “fantastic” £10m Aston Villa move, Lange must act 

Aston Villa are keen on signing Nantes left-back Quentin Merlin, according to The Sunday Mirror (05/06, p72), via Birmingham Mail.

The lowdown

Steven Gerrard has already completed four signings for the summer transfer window – Diego Carlos, Philippe Coutinho, Robin Olsen and Boubacar Kamara – but his recruitment drive shows no signs of stopping.

Indeed, The Athletic's Gregg Evans reported after the capture of Kamara that a left-back is on the agenda for the 42-year-old.

Merlin has been with Nantes since the age of 11 but only made his Ligue 1 debut this season. He would go on to start 21 of his team's top-flight matches, making seven more substitute appearances.

The 20-year-old, who can also operate as a left midfielder, is contracted to Nantes until 2026 and is valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt.

The latest

The report from The Sunday Mirror (via Birmingham Mail) claimed that Merlin grabbed Gerrard's attention during a Ligue 1 scouting mission a few weeks ago.

The Villa manager travelled to the Stade Velodrome for a match between Marseille and Nantes on 20 April, intending to watch Kamara, but Merlin reportedly impressed him too.

The verdict

Merlin, who has been labelled a 'serious talent' by Jacek Kulig, looks like he could be a strong back-up to Lucas Digne and a potential long-term starter, with Matt Targett's Villa Park future uncertain.

The French youngster ranked in the 86th percentile among full-backs in the top five European leagues for shot-creating actions in 2021/22, notching three assists in addition to his two goals (via FBRef). With high volumes of progressive carries and dribbles too, he's clearly very active up and down the left flank.

He may only have played 20 minutes on the night that Gerrard was in attendance, but that speaks to the strength of his cameo against Marseille. Merlin won three of the four duels that he contested, completed two dribbles and was successful with eight of his 10 passes (via SofaScore).

He also shone against Paris Saint-Germain in February, scoring what sports journalist Josh Bunting called an 'incredible' goal, and he looks like an astute replacement for Targett if the latter has played his last game in a Villa shirt.

In other news, Matt Maher lays out his Villa transfer expectations

Tottenham Hotspur are prioritising the addition of a left-sided centre-back this summer and it’s thought that they have two clear choices…

What’s the word?

According to ever-reliable journalist Alasdair Gold of football.london, the north London outfit have made Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni and RB Leipzig gem Josko Gvardiol their two main targets this off-season.

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Both are likely to cost in excess of £51m, though it is the latter who could offer Spurs more, even despite manager Antonio Conte previously working with the Italy international.

In the past, The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke has stated that it could take “as much as £70m or £80m” to prise the Croatian away from the Bundesliga club. Meanwhile, Transfermarkt value him at just £27m, having cost Leipzig around £13.5m plus add-ons.

Better than Bastoni

It’s no surprise that the Spurs boss would be keen on bringing Bastoni over to England, having managed him at the San Siro on their way to the club’s first Serie A title in over a decade in 2021.

He certainly has plenty of attributes which could appeal to Conte, too. However, when comparing them to the former Dinamo Zagreb starlet, there’s evidently only one winner.

The 20-year-old colossus has emerged as one of Europe’s most talented young defenders, enjoying a run in Leipzig’s starting XI this season. Only two other players registered a better seasonal WhoScored rating than him – the free-scoring Christopher Nkunku and his defensive partner Willi Orban.

He has also offered Domenico Tedesco great versatility by also being capable of playing at left-back, being a natural left-footer – the one gap in Spurs’ backline right now.

“Since he was a child, he’s been built like a tank. He can go forward, he can jump, he can tackle – he can do everything you want,” once claimed Germania Sport assistant editor Izak Ante Sucic, who also compared him to a current Premier League monster.

“In Croatia, we like to compare him to Virgil van Dijk, because he’s built that way (6ft 1in). He’s one of his role models in football and he’s also mentioned Thiago Silva and Sergio Ramos.”

Over the course of their respective careers to date, Gvardiol outranks Bastoni in pretty much every metric that Conte should be looking for in a central defender in his system.

As per FBRef, the young colossus is performing greater defensively, averaging more interceptions (3.30 vs 1.07) and tackles (2.01 vs 1.68) per 90, whilst his passing ability is unrivalled, too.

The 6 foot 1 star makes nearly two more progressive passes per 90 than the Inter man, meaning he’s successfully playing the ball forward more, whilst an xG&A of 0.16, compared to Bastoni’s 0.09 suggests that he can be a bigger threat from set-pieces and when attacking the opposition.

That’s also backed up by the fact that Gvardiol also outranks him for aerial duels won per 90 (2.65 vs 1.97). You have to consider just how defensive the Italian top-flight game is as well, making the Leipzig talent’s numbers all that more impressive when comparing the two.

All in all, it could be very worthwhile for sporting director Fabio Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy to pay up for Gvardiol over the £51m-rated Bastoni, on the above evidence alone.

His form and potential at just 20 years of age is surely too enticing to ignore. He must be the no.1 option between the two main targets.

AND in other news, Conte could land his next Perisic as Spurs now plot bid for “unstoppable” £17m “beast”…

Everton boss Frank Lampard could ‘use his contacts’ to send a ‘big message’ and bring Armando Broja to Goodison Park.

The Lowdown: Interest in Broja

According to a report by GOAL, Premier League sides West Ham and Newcastle, along with Serie A clubs AC Milan, Inter Milan and Napoli, are all in the race to secure the Albania international’s signature.

The 20-year-old made 32 top-flight appearances whilst on loan at Southampton this season, and Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl made it clear that he wanted to keep hold of the talented striker.

However, a recent farewell message on Instagram suggests that Broja will not be heading back to St Mary’s next season.

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The Latest: ‘Big message’

Whilst there has been other Premier League interest in Broja, transfer insider Dean Jones thinks Everton should be the club to go all out for the youngster, believing Lampard could send a ‘big message’.

Speaking with GiveMeSport, he claimed:

“I’m not sure West Ham have got the interest that they had at one point, so I don’t think there’s the competition level there for Broja anymore.

“Lampard obviously can use his contacts to get into Broja early, speak to him himself, and just try and convince him that Everton is a club that’s going to be in transition but in a good way. That’s going to be the big message that they send out.”

The Verdict: Strong signing

With the ongoing financial fair play situation at Goodison, Lampard may be forced into selling one of Richarlison or Dominic Calvert-Lewin (via 90min).

If the England international were to go, Broja could be a strong replacement due to his similar profile. Coming in at 6 foot 3, the Albanian ranks in the 86th percentile for aerials won when compared with positional peers across Europe (via FB Ref).

Therefore, if Lampard can use his contacts at Chelsea to get a deal over the line, the man dubbed ‘athletic and powerful’ by talent scout Jacek Kulig could be a very good signing for Everton.

In other news: Everton: Oleksandr Zinchenko touted for Toffees move

Morgan Gibbs-White can become a key player for Wolves next season after returning from his loan spell, according to journalist Ryan Taylor.

The Lowdown: Gibbs-White excels away from Wolves

The 22-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements by Bruno Lage last summer, with the manager struggling to promise him regular starts at Molineux. Instead, Gibbs-White joined Sheffield United on loan for the 2021/22 campaign, as he aimed to continue his progress and enjoy regular first-team action elsewhere.

The midfielder did exactly that, scoring 12 times and registering 10 assists in 37 Championship appearances as the Blades reached the play-offs, and he will now return to Wolves this summer riding the crest of a wave.

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The Latest: Gibbs-White backed for big season

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Taylor claimed that Gibbs-White could now become a fixture in Wolves’ team from the start of the 2022/23 season and backed him to quickly move on from the disappointment of penalty shoot-out heartache for Sheffield United in the Championship play-offs.

The Daily Express journalist said:

“Morgan Gibbs-White could be a player that sort of really kick-starts his career next season. He’s had an unbelievable loan spell with Sheffield United.

“He missed a penalty in the shoot-out, but Conor Coady’s already said what a player he’s going to become.”

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The Verdict: Will he stay?

While there is great hope that Gibbs-White could become a star at Molineux – he has been described as ‘brilliant’ by ex-Blades team-mate Billy Sharp – there is also no guarantee that he will stay put at Wolves.

The youngster has been linked with a move to newly-crowned Serie A champions AC Milan, further highlighting what a gifted player he is, so he may be weighing up his options.

However, one can certainly hope that Gibbs-White will realise that Lage may now see him as a big part of his plans in the Black Country, so that he ends up committing his future to Wolves, helping to fill the midfield void which could be left by the likely departure of Ruben Neves.

In other news, Bruno Lage has been backed to bring one player to Wolves. Find out who it is here.

A huge Newcastle United injury lift has emerged regarding centre-forward Chris Wood…

What’s the latest?

The New Zealand international was not in the matchday squad for the 2-0 win against Arsenal on Monday night, but Eddie Howe has now hinted that he could be back at the weekend.

An own goal from Ben White and a strike from Bruno Guimaraes sealed the three points for the Magpies as Callum Wilson led the line in place of Wood on the night.

The Athletic’s Chris Waugh tweeted after the game: “Javier Manquillo missed NUFC’s 2-0 victory over AFC tonight with chicken pox, while Chris Wood was absent with a hip injury which Eddie Howe “hopes isn’t too serious”. Wood has a chance of being back for Burnley, his former club, on Sunday.”

Howe will be delighted

The Toon boss will be delighted that the striker’s blow is not a serious one, as it suggests that Wood will be back for the final game of the season on Sunday.

Newcastle are two points off the top half of the table heading into their clash against Burnley, and they have a realistic chance of finishing in the top 10 if they are able to beat the Clarets – potentially consigning them to relegation from the Premier League in the process.

This means that there is still a lot riding on this game for both teams, although the Magpies have already secured their place in the top flight for another year. Therefore, it may be a tense, cagey encounter at Turf Moor as Mike Jackson’s side scrap for their lives to avoid the drop.

With this in mind, having a player with Wood’s physical prowess available will be a big boost to Howe’s team. In the Premier League this season, the striker has won a whopping 6.2 aerial battles per game, which highlights his strength in the air.

The 30-year-old will be a useful option for Howe to call upon as he can win headers to create counterattacks and alleviate pressure from the defence. Burnley may start the game quickly and attempt to load the box with crosses in what could be a must-win clash for them, and this would mean that the Newcastle defenders will need a target to hit when they clear the ball. That is what Wood can be.

Therefore, the Magpies boss will be buzzing by the prospect of having the attacker available and may utilise his strengths against the club that he left to come to St James’ Park in January.

AND in other news, Forget Guimaraes: £59k-p/w NUFC dynamo who won 100% duels was a monster on Monday…