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Everton reportedly now ‘want’ to sign AS Roma attacking midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo, but there is a ‘meeting in progress’ involving a rival suitor.

The Lowdown: Bournemouth deal collapses

Sky Italy journalist and transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio reported this afternoon that Zaniolo ‘accepted’ an offer from AFC Bournemouth on Monday night, ‘ready to go’ this morning.

However, the Premier League club then ‘blocked’ a move over concerns about finances, meaning that Zaniolo is now free to move to another team before the transfer window closes.

The Latest: Everton in the race

Taking to Twitter, journalist Alessandro De Felice reports that the Goodison Park outfit now ‘want’ to sign Zaniolo, but there is a ‘meeting in progress’ with rival suitors Sassuolo, which could see their player Davide Frattesi sent to Roma as part of a swap deal:

“Plot #Everton – #Roma – #Sassuolo: The Toffees want Zaniolo, Frattesi can end up in red and yellow. Meeting in progress between the Carnevali and the Neroverde midfielder’s (Frattesi’s) agent.”

The Verdict: Time ticking!

Time is certainly ticking for Sean Dyche’s side to get new faces through the doors before the deadline at 11pm tonight, having not spent any money on any signings yet and only recalling Ellis Simms from his loan spell at Sunderland.

They also lost winger Anthony Gordon to Newcastle United, and so need to bring in at least one new attacker in the next few hours in order to compensate for his loss.

Hailed as a ‘tremendous talent’ with an ‘amazing ability’ to decide games by journalist Alvaro Canibe, Zaniolo has scored 24 goals and made a further 18 assists in 128 games for Roma, and has played in all three major European competitions for them including the UEFA Champions League (Transfermarkt).

The Italy international is a player who likes to get on the ball and take responsibility, ranking in the 96th and 81st percentile of all midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shots and touches respectively, and at 23 years of age has not yet hit his peak.

Nonetheless, Zaniolo could be a tidy signing for the Toffees if they can beat Sassuolo to his signature.

Arsenal could already have a perfect heir to Granit Xhaka.

According to The Secret Scout earlier this week, the Gunners have tied down “one of their top academy players” in 16-year-old sensation Myles Lewis-Skelly to a new contract.

It’s no secret that the famed Hale End academy is capable of producing real stars of the future, with Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah being the finest and most recent examples.

There is also a belief that the north Londoners are looking to bolster the engine room in the coming months as moves for the likes of Declan Rice of West Ham United and Moises Caicedo of Brighton and Hove Albion being mooted.

But manager Mikel Arteta may well already have his natural heir to the Swiss vice-captain, with Lewis-Skelly catching the eye for the youth setup.

The teenager has recently been dubbed as “one of the most talented U17s in England” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, who has also put together a profile of the relatively-unknown jewel.

It’s thought that he has very strong passing, vision and athleticism attributes which makes him comparable to a former Premier League monster in Mousa Dembele – ‘energetic, hardworking, and determined in the defensive phase with good anticipation sense to provide key interceptions and tackles,’ he wrote.

Lewis-Skelly was part of the U18 side to defeat Watford earlier in the week and his performance saw The Sun journalist Daniel Cutts suggest that the youngster “could be absolutely anything in the future.”

Next Generation Arsenal, who frequently covers the Gunners’ academy, once claimed that the Hale End gem was “like a train thundering down the line,” whilst he has clearly already caught the eye of Arteta as he was part of first-team training before the north London derby last month.

Xhaka very much plays a Dembele-like role for the Spaniard, so even if their top target in Rice were to join in the summer, then you’d imagine Lewis-Skelly’s chance at progressing isn’t actually thwarted at all.

Given the aforementioned reviews of the 16-year-old prospect, it’s clear that Hale End has produced yet another immense talent and in the “very highly-rated” Lewis-Skelly – as lauded by journalist Jeorge Bird – Arsenal could well have a midfield machine for the future.

AND in other news, Arteta could unearth the new Saka in “skilful” Arsenal teen who’s “Hale End’s finest”…

Journalist Dean Jones has shared a very promising update on midfielder Mason Mount’s proposed new deal at Chelsea.

The Lowdown: Blues eye new deals…

According to reliable reports, the west Londoners are attempting to tie their best players down to fresh terms after another very eventful transfer window.

Chelsea broke the British transfer record for midfielder Enzo Fernandez and there are suggestions owner Todd Boehly is by no means done there.

Fabrizio Romano recently shared that Graham Potter’s side are in talks with the likes of Lewis Hall and N’Golo Kante new deals with Jones now dropping an update on Mount.

The Latest: Jones shares exciting Mount contract update…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, the reporter has shared news from a ‘well-informed contact’ regarding the midfielder.

Jones states that Mount’s new contract at Stamford Bridge could be a ‘matter of time’ as Chelsea pursue an agreement over fresh terms.

The Englishman is one of Potter’s most used players but he will also need to be fully convinced this is the place to remain.

The Verdict: Good news…

Despite Mount arguably not being at his best overall so far under Potter, we believe he will have a major role to plat at Chelsea in the coming years – if he pens a new contract.

The 24-year-old’s importance for Chelsea is clear, having been played among the most times by Potter this Premier League season.

Only the likes of Thiago Silva and Kai Havertz can boast a similar amount of minutes played to Mount and the player’s performances last season showcase real quality.

The former Derby County loanee registered 21 goal contributions in the league alone with 11 goals and 10 assists – not to mention their highest rate of attempts at goal per 90 (WhoScored).

As Mount’s contract ticks down, with it currently set to expire in 2024 as things stand, we believe tying down the homegrown ace should be among Chelsea’s top priorities.

Tottenham are now readying a bid to sign Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine ‘Bono’ Bounou, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Spurs linked…

The north Londoners are looking for a long-term Hugo Lloris successor as he enters the final 17 months of his contract at Spurs.

Antonio Conte’s favourite is currently sidelined through injury but has been criticised for some Premier League performances this season, leading to Fabio Paratici’s search for a goalkeeping heir.

Bono is one of the names to have been linked with a move to N17 with reports suggesting he is a firm transfer target for Tottenham.

The Latest: Tottenham plan Bono bid…

According to reports out of Spain, as shared by Sport Witness, the Lilywhites are planning to make a €20 million (£18m) offer for Bono.

It is claimed that Spurs are one of three teams set to lodge a bid for the Morocco international, who starred for his nation at the 2022 World Cup.

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The Verdict: Perfect candidate?

There are few names who could filly replace Lloris considering his phenomenal tenure as Spurs number one overall.

The Frenchman has been a mainstay since joining from Lyon in 2012, but as the time nears to say goodbye, Bono could at least come as a safe pair of hands.

The 6 foot 4 shot stopper made a name for himself in Qatar, standing out as one of the keepers of the tournament with manager Walid Regragui calling Bono ‘one of the best’ in world football.

As well as this, after his showings for Morocco, members of the media branded Sevilla’s keeper one of football’s ‘rising stars’ as Bono swiftly rose to prominence.

£18 million for such a player would come as a real steal for Spurs but it remains to be seen if Sevilla are willing to accept.

Newcastle United will be hoping their opponent’s hectic schedule ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final is something which will play to the Toon’s advantage.

Who will Newcastle play in the final?

Eddie Howe’s Magpies are obviously up against Manchester United on Sunday at Wembley Stadium but this is a United side who have had a much busier schedule than the Toon in recent weeks.

Since the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, Newcastle have played just three games in the Premier League, whereas, the Red Devils have now played six games across all competitions.

Having also played more recently than Newcastle in the lead-up to the trip to Wembley on the weekend, there is the notion Newcastle may hold the upper hand going into the game on Sunday.

Speaking on The Magpie Channel TV YouTube account, Sky Sports man Keith Downie has suggested this is a potential factor which could play into Newcastle’s favour:

(5:00) “I personally think and I asked Eddie Howe this the other day when I spoke to him. I think the fact that Newcastle are missing [Nick] Pope and they’ve got [Loris] Karius in goal. I think that compared to Man United playing Barcelona on the Thursday night and only having a couple of days to prepare. I think that’s a bit of a leveller, I think there’s a bit of a leveller there.

“And there’s going to be at some point, Man United have played that Thursday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday. I know they beat Leicester last Sunday, but at some point, that’s going to have to come back and catch them out.”

What will this mean for Newcastle’s chances in the cup final?

Certainly, a view can be taken from this to suggest Newcastle may have the upper hand with their player’s potential fresher than their opponents.

As well as playing an extra five games, the United players have had to travel to Barcelona for the first leg of their Europa League clash and even played on Thursday night.

Playing just a matter of days before the cup final is something which surely Erik ten Hag will not view as the ideal preparation for their trip to Wembley on the weekend.

However, this does lead us on to an alternative viewpoint which takes into consideration the form of both sides going into the game at the national stadium.

Although Newcastle have played much fewer games than United, they have failed to win any of their games since the Carabao Cup semi-final game against Southampton.

Indeed, the Toon have been held to underwhelming draws against West Ham United and Bournemouth as well as a defeat on the weekend at home to Liverpool.

In comparison, the Red Devils have accepted the challenge of their fixture build-up and have not only strengthened their league position but also secured a spot in the next round of the Europa League.

A game on the Thursday night before a final is far from ideal, however, it will be interesting to see if the victory against Barcelona is something which will galvanise the United side or whether a toll will be taken on their players over the coming days.

Fulham are reportedly preparing a new contract offer for left-back Antonee Robinson in order to fend off interest from Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Top target

It was reported last week that Robinson is Newcastle’s ‘top target’ as they aim to bring in a new left-back in the summer transfer window.

Scouts from St. James’ Park have watched him on a regular basis this season, and have given ‘rave reviews’ over his performances.

The Latest: Contract offer prepared

As per Football Insider, Fulham are now preparing a contract offer for Robinson, in order to try and fend off the Magpies’ interest.

He is only on £25,000-per-week at Craven Cottage, one of the squad’s lowest earners, and his current deal is set to expire in 2024.

Robinson would be ‘enticed’ by the prospect of playing in the UEFA Champions League, which the North East club could achieve for next season, but Manchester City, AC Milan and Inter Milan are also thought to be interested in his signature.

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The Verdict: Upgrade

Robinson would be a big upgrade on the left-back options that the Tynesiders currently have.

He averages more tackles, interceptions, blocks, dribbles, crosses and long balls per game in the Premier League than Dan Burn, Matt Targett and Jamal Lewis, and at 25 years of age, still has room to improve.

Hailed as ‘magnificent‘ by ESPN journalist Luis Miguel Echegaray after impressing at the FIFA World Cup with USA, Robinson also has international pedigree, and sharing the same agent as Eddie Howe, the Toon should be confident of getting a deal done in the summer, although they may have to pay a premium if his value is protected by a new contract.

Everton manager Sean Dyche may think about replacing Idrissa Gueye ‘in the near future’, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Everton targeting midfielder

Despite bringing the midfielder back to Goodison Park from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, Everton are already mulling over new options in the engine room, given the very poor season they have had up to this point.

Benfica defensive midfielder Florentino Luis has recently been touted as a potential ‘marquee signing’ for the Toffees by O’Rourke, and judging by his recent comments, he could be brought in to replace Gueye…

The Latest: Gueye to be replaced?

In an interview with GiveMeSport, O’Rourke indicated that Dyche may choose to overhaul his squad this summer if they manage to avoid relegation to the Championship.

The journalist said: “If Everton do stay up, then Sean Dyche will be looking to rebuild that squad and improve things.

The Athletic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke has insisted that Tottenham Hotspur players are no longer on Antonio Conte’s side.

The Lowdown: All falling apart at Tottenham

After what was another bore performance and amid some bizarre decisions from Conte, the Spurs fans didn’t hold back in showing their disgruntlement as they watched their side get dumped out of the Champions League having registered five shots on target across home and away ties against AC Milan.

The defeat didn’t just lead to a reaction from Spurs fans, however, as £60m striker Richarlison – who’s scored just two goals since joining last summer – came out firing post-match.

Richarlison ripped into Spurs and Conte for his management and the way he’s constantly left him on the bench this season, which appears to have given an insight into what looks like a fractured dressing room behind the scenes.

The Latest: Spurs players now against Conte

Writing after the game last night, Pitt-Brooke felt that the players no longer want Conte at the club, with the feeling seemingly mutual from the manager, who doesn’t want to be in N17 any longer.

He said: “As far as I can tell, he doesn’t want to be there, the players don’t want him to be there and the fans don’t want him to be there any more either. Does anyone gain anything by maintaining a pretence otherwise?”

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The Verdict: Time for Levy to make a change

Given Richarlison’s comments last night and the fact Conte quipped that the club may wish to sack him, it looks as though this is only going to end one way, and that’s with the two parting company.

However, according to Fabrizio Romano, there are no meetings planned between Conte and Tottenham until the end of the season, so it looks as though Daniel Levy is not eager to make yet another managerial change right now.

Though if this is how Richarlison is willing to speak about his manager to the media, it raises the question of what players are saying behind the scenes.

This can’t make for a great environment for the players going into training and matches, so a change and clean break from the Italian has to be seen as the most viable option for everyone involved.

YouTuber Mark Goldbridge has claimed that if Manchester United are bought by Qatari-linked Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, “there might be a situation” where Kylian Mbappe joins in the future, while the likes of Harry Maguire go to Paris Saint-Germain.

What’s the latest on the Qatar-linked bid for Man United?

The Glazers may well be looking to sell the Premier League club in the near future and so a number of interested parties have been tipped as possible new Man Utd owners.

Indeed, alongside Sheikh Al Thani’s bid, British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe and a third “mystery” US bidder have all been reported in the media as having made offers for the Glazers to consider.

Of course, the ownership group already have strong ties to PSG and it remains to be seen if the Qatar-based consortium can get passed UEFA rules to own both clubs who of course regularly play in the Champions League.

While speaking about it all on The United Stand, Goldbridge pointed out that the Red Bull-owned clubs in Salzburg and Leipzig often both play in the same European competition and are allowed to do so despite being owned by the same company.

He explained: “That’s my point. There’s already two clubs in Europe that play in the same tournament in Europe and they feed each other players, so I don’t think it would be unprecedented.”

Goldbridge then suggested that the club would have to be “subtle” to avoid “dodgy” transfers but could end up agreeing to some exciting deals with PSG if a relationship was established.

He said: “It won’t happen anyway, it will be way more subtle than that. We won’t have a situation where [Marco] Verratti and Mbappe come to Man Utd for £5m and Maguire and [Scott] McTominay go to PSG for £100m. That would be dodgy.

“But you might have a situation where Mbappe leaves PSG and comes to Man Utd because of the relationship he’s got with the Qatari ownership of PSG and they’ve got close ties with our ownership – that might happen.”

What could a Qatari bid mean for Mbappe to MUFC and Maguire to PSG?

Interestingly enough, there have already been reports in The Sun that Harry Maguire could end up joining PSG in the summer for a touted £50m transfer fee.

That rumour, as far-fetched as it sounds, might be something the Ligue 1 outfit want to pursue regardless of any relationship with Man Utd – especially seeing as the Glazers may not even end up selling.

But if there is any truth to the report, then you can see how negotiations could be made less complicated in the summer if the Red Devils are owned by the Qatari-linked Sheikh Al Thani.

And so, in theory, if a deal was sorted this could then open the door for other future transfers, potentially such as Mbappe, who has been urged to join the club in recent times, so perhaps it wouldn’t be too out of the ordinary if United can put themselves in a position to fund such a move.

Sky Sports’ Vinny O’Connor has spotted that Dominic Calvert-Lewin has missed yet another Everton training session.

The Lowdown: Injury woes continue to hamper Everton

Ever since the beginning of last season, Calvert-Lewin has not been able to stay fit or put a run of consistent starts together for the Toffees, with the England international only starting 24 league games over the last two campaigns.

When Sean Dyche was appointed at Everton, he vowed to get to the bottom of Calvert-Lewin’s injury woes, with the club looking into his mattress and the car he drives. However, he is yet to return to the pitch.

Just last week, the striker was finally back doing training sessions with his Everton teammates, but with their next game on Saturday afternoon swiftly approaching, it looks as though Calvert-Lewin may well have suffered a setback.

The Latest: Calvert-Lewin struggling to get fit

Reporter O’Connor had been at Finch Farm to take in Everton’s latest training session prior to this weekend’s clash against Chelsea, and dropped the worrying news that Calvert-Lewin wasn’t out on the grass.

He said: “Someone like Dominic Calvert-Lewin in a relegation battle, if he can find his top form and get the trust of his manager in terms of form and the ability to play game after game after game, he’s a much-needed weapon as Everton look to pull away from that drop-zone.

“But at the moment, Dominic Calvert-Lewin is not out there training with his Everton teammates.”

The Verdict: Everton may rue Calvert-Lewin’s injury problems

Despite the positive news of Calvert-Lewin returning to first-team training, the fact he was not seen with his teammates just days before a tough game away to Chelsea will be devastating for Evertonians and Dyche.

If Everton can somehow manage to get Calvert-Lewin fit for at least five games before the end of the season, he could prove to be the difference between staying up and experiencing their first-ever relegation from the Premier League.

He’s an experienced and established striker in the top flight and certainly has the mentality needed to lead the line for Everton as he did so whenever fit last season, and popped up when it mattered against Crystal Palace last year, although they’ll likely have to wait a while longer with Dyche since admitting they’re still ‘monitoring’ the striker and being very careful with his situation.