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An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their pursuit of Benfica striker Darwin Nunez heading into the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Uruguayan reporter Sebas Giovanelli has claimed that the Magpies are now rivalling Manchester United for the attacker’s signature.

He Tweeted: “Man Utd and NUFC are bidding for Darwin Núñez and are the teams that are closest to signing the attacker at this time.”

Liverpool have also been linked with a swoop for the centre-forward, who is reportedly available for a fee in the region of £85m.

Supporters will be buzzing

Supporters will be buzzing with this news as the prospect of Nunez signing for the club is an exciting one and they will be delighted to read that the Magpies are willing to bid for his services.

The 22-year-old goal machine would be an exceptional signing for the Toon as he enjoyed a sensational 2021/22 campaign and has the potential to get better at his young age.

Almeira fitness coach Javier Agenjo dubbed him a “beast” and his former Benfica manager Jorge Jesus previously tipped him for big things, stating:

“All this decision-making ability, finishing and speed… He was Benfica’s most expensive purchase, and when there is no pandemic, he will be the most expensive sale. He will be a world-class player. Unfortunately for me, maybe I will lose him in a short time.”

Nunez’s statistics for Benfica in the 2021/22 campaign suggest that he is now fulfilling the potential that Jesus saw in him.

These stats from his Liga Portugal season show that he was lethal as he scored more than a goal every start in the division. His chance creation numbers also prove that he offers more than just goalscoring and can link up with his teammates to set them up for opportunities to score.

The gem has also proven himself in the Champions League as he managed six goals in six starts in Europe’s elite competition, playing ten games in total. Two of those goals came against Liverpool and one came against Bayern Munich, showing that he can do it against some of the biggest teams on the continent.

Newcastle supporters will be buzzing with the club’s interest in a player of his quality and will be pleased with the standard of targets Dan Ashworth is looking at. Even if they are not able to secure a deal for Nunez, it shows that the sporting director is ambitious and wants to pull off big deals to improve the team.

AND in other news, Ashworth “looking” at Newcastle deal for “clever” £75m gem, he can be Howe’s own Salah…

Wolves are gearing up for a busy transfer window this summer with Bruno Lage already making it clear what he wants to achieve, and now a new update has emerged on a potential transfer target who could make the move to the Molineux this summer.

What’s the latest?

According to a report in Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Noticias (via Sport Witness) Wolves could ‘close the deal’ with Joao Palhinha soon.

As per the report, there is a market for Palhinha in the Premier League however Wolves are leading the race to sign the Sporting CP star.

They further claim that Manchester United are also interested in the player but have not made a formal proposal, so Wolves are set to steal Palhinha’s signature in a deal reported to be worth €24m (£20.5m).

Lage needs him

There have been numerous reports of Ruben Neves being linked with a move away from Wolverhampton this summer, and signing Palhinha could be a great start for Lage this summer as he clearly will need him if the Wolves midfielder leaves during the transfer window.

The £17m star who was hailed “special” by Sporting manager Ruben Amorim, has been a consistent and reliable performer for his Portuguese side this season.

According to SofaScore, Palhinha has scored three goals and created one big chances, making three tackles, one interception and winning an impressive seven duels on average per game, whilst also completing the majority of his dribbles successfully (60%), proving that he is a complete nightmare for his opponents.

If Neves does leave this summer, Wolves will need to quickly identify a replacement worthy of taking up his position in the centre of the pitch and considering Palhinha is reportedly wanted by Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint Germain this summer, he is clearly a hot prospect worth snapping up.

Ultimately, this signing could be a major coup for Lage if he can secure the deal for Palhinha over competitors this summer, and would surely soften the blow in the long run upon a potential departure for their current star midfielder.

AND in other news: Tim Spiers now reveals major Wolves transfer twist, supporters will be buzzing

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Nordi Mukiele to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sunday Mirror (29/5: page 76), who claim that Fabio Paratici is keeping a very close eye on the situation of the RB Leipzig full-back ahead of a potential move this summer.

Previous reports had claimed that, with one year remaining on his current deal at the Red Bull Arena, the Bundesliga side had initially planned to cash in on the 24-year-old ahead of 2022/23, with a figure in the region of €10m (£8.5m) believed to be enough to get a deal over the line.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-news-updates-transfer-rumours-gossip-spurs-thfc-conte-paratici” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

However, it is now believed that Domenico Tedesco is eager to tie the France international down to a new deal in Germany, although, with interest from Tottenham, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, the defender’s future appears very much up in the air at present.

The next Thuram

Considering just how talented a player Mukiele evidently is, in addition to the right-back looking to be available for an extremely reasonable asking price, it is easy to see why Conte and Paratici would be interested in a deal to bring the 24-year-old to north London this summer.

Indeed, according to FBref data, the £22.5m-rated talent ranks in the top 12% of full-backs in Europe’s big five leagues for interceptions per 90, as well as the top 3% for aerial duels won, the top 14% for clearances, the top 26% for pressures, the top 22% for progressive passes and the top 4% for touches in the opposition penalty area over the last 365 days.

Furthermore, FBref also rank the £40k-per-week defender – who is also more than comfortable operating at centre-back – in the top 22% for non-penalty goals per 90, the top 4% for non-penalty xG, the top 12% for shots, the top 21% for assists, the top 30% for xA and the top 11% for npxG+xA over the last 12 months.

These metrics see the right-back who has drawn comparisons to legendary French defender Lilian Thuram rank among some of the most prestigious full-backs currently playing the game, with FBref suggesting Mukiele’s most comparable peers are Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso, Aston Villa’s Lucas Digne and Tottenham’s own Sergio Reguilon.

As such, it is clear to see that the £8.5m signing of the “powerful” – in the words of Andrew Gibney – Frenchman would be something of a steal for Spurs, leading us to believe that Paratici must do everything he can to beat both United and PSG to a deal for the former Montpellier starlet this summer, as Mukiele could well prove to be Tottenham’s own Thuram under the management of Conte next season.

AND in other news: “Tottenham are..”: Fabrizio Romano drops big transfer update that supporters will love

Everton are keen to sign Ismaila Sarr after Watford suffered relegation from the Premier League, according to French outlet Jeunes Footeux. 

The lowdown

Watford wound up finishing 19th in the table, a full 15 points adrift of safety and only a point above bottom-place Norwich City.

Sarr, who has two years left on his contract, has now experienced two demotions in the past three seasons.

He’s played the vast majority of his minutes as a right winger, but also has 36 games’ worth of experience on the left and 31 through the middle.

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The latest

Sarr apparently has a ‘good chance’ of securing a move away from Vicarage Road during the summer transfer window.

If an ‘interesting offer’ arrives, Watford will be willing to let him go, with ‘several’ PL sides and an unnamed German club in the equation. Everton, Newcastle and Crystal Palace are all name-checked as interested parties.

The report adds that Sarr is unlikely to be sold for less than €35million, which equates to around £30million.

The verdict

The season got off to a promising start for Sarr as he bagged four goals in his first six matches, but things soon tailed off.

In November, he sustained a ligament injury that would keep him out until February, and he missed six more matches before the campaign was over.

Since the end of September, he’s only been able to contribute one goal and two assists.

But this is a player who’s previously been courted by giants. His agent revealed that he was on verge of signing a contract with Everton’s local rivals Liverpool in January 2021 before the Reds refused to meet Watford’s demands.

What’s more, team-mate Ben Foster has marvelled at his ‘scary’ abilities and even described him as a ‘freak’, insisting he’s never seen anybody with so much acceleration.

Could Everton make Liverpool rue their transfer stance?

In other news, Lampard is eager to sign this Chelsea gem.

An injury expert has now dropped some worrying news for Glasgow Rangers involving Kemar Roofe.

The Lowdown: Roofe returns

Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference ahead of the UEFA Europa League final, Giovanni van Bronckhorst revealed that Roofe is ‘available’, having trained for the first time since his injury on Monday.

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He has not featured in the team for over a month because of the issue, but could well be in line to make a dramatic comeback against Frankfurt.

The Latest: Not so fast…

Speaking to Football Insider, Ben Dinnery, who has a background in both medicine and data analysis, has shared that Roofe’s sharpness may be ‘lacking’, and that he may struggle to get through even a 20-minute cameo:

“He will have been out for over a month.

“If we look at his player profile, Roofe is expected to make short, sharp, quick movements. His small percentage decrease in output might be exacerbated further because of the type of role he plays.

“So the truth is that it is not ideal but his baseline levels of fitness should be fairly good. That sharpness, however, might be a little bit lacking.

“But it’s a Europa League final and the adrenaline will be pumping. If he has a 20 or 25-minute cameo, hopefully that adrenaline will be enough to carry him through when he’s struggling.”

The Verdict: Don’t start him

Given what Dinnery has said about Roofe’s lack of sharpness, the Ibrox faithful must not risk playing him from the start, and instead hope that he can come on for the last 25 minutes or so of the game as he suggests.

With Alfredo Morelos injured, Joe Aribo has played as a makeshift striker in recent matches in the Scottish Premiership, and so should be comfortable in fulfilling that role from the start tonight, before being drifted back into midfield for Roofe to come on.

Of course, this will likely depend on how the game is going, as if the Teddy Bears are winning, van Bronckhorst may not feel the need to risk him, but if they are behind, then he may not have another choice.

In other news, find out which transfer target Gers have now missed out on here!

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to secure a deal to extend Pierluigi Gollini’s stay at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

What’s the word?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication TuttoMercatoWeb (via Sport Witness), who claim that, despite previous reports suggesting that Tottenham will not be looking to make the Atalanta goalkeeper’s loan deal a €15m (£12.5m) permanent switch this summer, Fabio Paratici now would like to extend the stay of the 27-year-old in north London.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-news-updates-transfer-rumours-gossip-spurs-thfc-conte-paratici” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more!”]

However, the report goes on to state that Torino are also interested in a move for the Italy international this summer, with the Serie A side believed to already be in contact with the shot-stopper regarding a switch to the Olympic Grande Torino Stadium.

Paratici must axe Gollini

Considering just how little Gollini has featured for Tottenham since joining the club last summer, in addition to the widespread reports that Spurs previously had no intention of activating the goalkeeper’s purchase clause, the news that Paratici could now be considering a deal to keep the shot-stopper on is certainly surprising.

Indeed, over his four appearances in the Europa Conference League this season, the £9m-rated stopper did little to convince that he would be a worthwhile signing for Spurs, being unable to keep a clean sheet against the likes of Stade Rennais, NS Mura and Vitesse, in addition to conceding an average of 1.5 goals and making just 1.3 saves – at a success rate of 45% – per game.

These returns saw the £23k-per-week Italian who John Wenham dubbed both “damaging” and “unnecessary” average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.25, ranking him as Conte’s second-worst performer in the competition.

Furthermore, with it being reported that Tottenham are closing in on the signing of West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone on a free transfer – an England international who highly impressed during his last campaign in the Premier League – a move to sign Gollini for around £12.5m appears to make even less sense this summer – leading us at Football FanCast to believe that Paratici simply must axe the Atalanta shot-stopper at the end of the current campaign.

AND in other news: Paratici could land Spurs their own KDB with £68m signing, he’d be “unreal” for Conte

Former Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has backed Celtic for success in Europe next season thanks to a ‘lucrative’ summer spending spree. 

The lowdown: UCL spot booked

Not only did the Hoops reclaim the Scottish top-flight with a 1-1 draw against Dundee United on Wednesday, but a place in the UEFA Champions League group stage in 2022/23 was also confirmed as a result.

Following an improved co-efficient status in Scotland, this term’s league winners were granted an automatic spot in the groups, confirmed recently when Russian clubs were banned from participation in next season’s competitions.

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As the Bhoys prepare for a jaunt into the competition proper for the first time since 2017/18, one pundit has suggested a European adventure could be a real possibility.

The latest: ‘Will be laughing’

Speaking to Football Insider, ex-Leeds United stopper Kenny claimed that the financial windfall will be a huge boost to Ange Postecoglou’s summer plans, even if he just gets some of the £45m expected to come from UCL participation.

The 43-year-old explained: “£45million is a lot of money and if Postecoglou gets a lot of that to spend, he will be laughing.

“I’m sure he is delighted to win the two trophies but the poor form in Europe will need to be fixed next season. The club will take some of that prize money but you would hope the manager gets a bit to spend.

“With that kind of money, to that club, there is no reason they can’t do what Rangers have done in Europe. They won’t get to the Champions League final but we know how lucrative the latter stages of the Champions League can be.

“They have a great first 11 but they need a bit more depth to really push on and £25ish-million can give them that.”

The verdict: Exciting times

Once the rightfully unbridled celebrations have settled down, Postecoglou can look back and ahead with immense pride and anticipation about what is to come at Parkhead.

Having already proven to be an astute operator in the transfer market, the Hoops hierarchy will undoubtedly be willing to sanction further deals as the Greek-Australian boss plans to dominate domestically and at least compete on the continent.

So far Postecoglou has been responsible for such masterstrokes as Liel Abada, Carl Starfelt, Kyogo Furuhashi and Josip Juranovic for a combined £15.66million (Transfermarkt), all of whom have played a large part in helping the Hoops achieve title glory.

Success breeds success, particularly in the financial led world of elite football, and Celtic would be wise to jump on the money-spinning bandwagon whilst it’s in town.

In other news, Kenny Dalglish hails Celtic man following title win. Find out who it is here.

Newcastle United have had a length layoff since their last Premier League game, but after 14 days they return to action as they host Bournemouth.

Despite opening the season with a win over Nottingham Forest, the Magpies have failed to win any of their following five league games.

Eddie Howe is having to contend with numerous injuries at the moment but might have some good news for this clash against a managerless Cherries side.

With that in mind, we’re predicting two changes for today’s line-up from the side which began the goalless draw at home to Crystal Palace a fortnight ago.

Here’s the Newcastle XI that we expect to face Bournemouth this afternoon…

Having secured yet another call-up to the England squad, Nick Pope will be hoping to continue his fine form in between the sticks today, aiming to at least maintain his place as the joint-most clean sheets holder in the current Premier League campaign.

We expect one change to the back four, with Dan Burn coming back into the side to replace Fabian Schar. He will likely partner Sven Botman, and the two will be flanked by Matt Targett and Kieran Tierney.

Sean Longstaff has deputised well in midfield given the enforced absences of Jonjo Shelvey and Bruno Guimaraes, but with the latter now returning from injury, it seems likely that he will return to the side.

It will be a delight to Geordies to see the “magic” 25-year-old return to midfield. He could sit just behind Joe Willock and Joelinton, reforming the midfield which helped the Magpies to finish third in the form table over the final 19 games games of last season.

With Allan Saint-Maximin likely to just miss out on the game, Ryan Fraser will likely retain his berth as the left-sided attacker. Miguel Almiron will occupy the opposite flank, with the Paraguayan hoping to add more goals to his game after his first of the season against Manchester City last month.

That leaves the centre-forward spot, where club-record signing Aleksander Isak will probably continue. He has one goal in just two appearances for his new team and may see this match as a fine opportunity to add some more goals to his embryonic Newcastle career against a team which shipped nine goals to Liverpool three weeks ago.

The Swede will continue up top whilst the reliable Callum Wilson remains sidelined, but upon the latter’s return, Howe could well have another big selection headache to ponder.

Leeds United are thought to be interested in a move for Linfield teenager Cole Brannigan.

The Lowdown: Academy additions

The Whites were proactive this summer when adding to their youth ranks, with a number of players brought into the Thorp Arch academy.

Darko Gyabi and Sonny Perkins were the two high-profile arrivals from Manchester City and West Ham respectively, whereas younger players Max McFadden and Charlie Crew joined from Colchester United and Cardiff City respectively.

Leeds also secured the services of goalkeeper Rory Mahady from Celtic, and it appears as if the club are now eyeing an out-of-window move for Brannigan.

The Latest: Brannigan next?

According to The Sun on Saturday evening, Leeds are among a number of Premier League sides who are keen on Brannigan.

The report claims that Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are also interested in the Northern Ireland under-16 international.

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The Verdict: Good to see

Leeds have been building for the future and have already reaped the rewards with the likes of Illan Meslier, Pascal Struijk and Joe Gelhardt all now regulars under Jesse Marsch.

The likes of Gyabi and Perkins could follow suit in years to come, so a clear pathway to first-team football at Elland Road might tempt Brannigan over joining Chelsea, Liverpool or Man City.

It could prove to be another academy coup if the Whites get a deal over the line, so we’ll have to wait and see if Victor Orta can do just that.

Glasgow Rangers find themselves in the promised land of the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2010/11, beginning their schedule on Wednesday evening with a trip to the Netherlands.

It marks the natural progression of this Rangers squad, who reached the Europa League final last season, losing on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Ibrox club’s preparations have taken a bit of a confidence dent after the 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Celtic in the Premiership on Saturday, but the away clash against Ajax will provide a new test and an opportunity to see where they stand amongst the European elite.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst will surely shake up the team from that woeful defeat to their arch-rivals, with one man in particular needing to be unleashed against the Dutch champions.

Alfredo Morelos has only netted injury sustained at the tail end of last term, and his appearances have all been from the bench in recent weeks.

This should not deter Van Bronckhorst from throwing him in from the start against Ajax, though, as the Colombian is a striker who thrives on the European stage and can inflict plenty of damage on the home side’s defence.

Morelos currently sits third in the all-time Europa League/UEFA Cup goalscoring charts, proving just how vital he is on the continental stage; while he is Rangers’ leading European scorer, overtaking Ally McCoist’s tally with his 22nd goal against Benfica in 2020 (he is now up to 33).

Last season, he netted important goals against Sparta Prague, Borussia Dortmund and Red Star Belgrade, which were all crucial in the Light Blues’ progression to the final.

The £31.5k-p/w talent’s European impact has been limited this season, but he is ready for the glitz and glamour of the Champions League.

Journalist Jordan Campbell has lavished praise on Morelos in the past, dubbing him “unreal” following a header against Feyenoord in 2019 and more recently calling him a “machine”.

If the 47-year-old can get the Colombian back into the form which saw him run teams ragged on the continent in 2021/22 and unleashes him from the start, then the Ajax backline could be in for a massive fright on Wednesday night.