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Liverpool ‘very much admire’ Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo but a deal would be ‘messy’, according to CBS reporter Ben Jacobs.

The Lowdown: Caicedo allegedly wants to join

The Premier League giants have held a long-standing interest in the 21-year-old having targeted a late move for him last summer, and whilst it failed to materialise at the time, he’s recently offered his admirers fresh hope that a future deal could get completed.

Football Insider report that the Ecuadorian, who they claim to be valued at £70m, has told his friends that he’d love to make the move to Anfield should the opportunity arise and has even changed agents to prepare for a big-money transfer.

The Latest: Problem…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jacobs confirmed that the Merseyside outfit are hugely fond of Caicedo, but revealed that striking a deal this month could prove ‘problematic’ due to the agents involved.

“They very much admire the player and have done historically. When he was at Independiente del Valle before he joined Brighton, they did explore signing Moises Caicedo.

“It’s what’s been termed to me as a messy deal because even though Brighton could be persuaded to sell for a high price this January, the representation side of things is problematic. There’s more than one agent and he also changed his agent towards the back end of the summer.”

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The Verdict: Hold off for a bit

Caicedo is undoubtedly one of the top-flight’s most attractive players right now, but the Reds would be best waiting to pursue him until the summer if they are serious about landing him.

The Santo Domingo native’s contract at The Amex isn’t set to expire until 2025 so the Seagulls are under no pressure to let him go, and even if they did, £70m is a hefty sum for FSG to cash out in January, especially having already signed Cody Gakpo.

The Brighton star is seemingly keen to make the switch to Merseyside, but it’s important that the two parties reach an agreement when both the time and costs involved are right.

Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Julen Lopetegui got off to the perfect league start with a 2-1 victory over Everton on Boxing Day, however, there will be tougher matches ahead.

The win marked the club’s first three points since October and the Spaniard will be hoping this can be a catalyst for a markedly improved 2023 under his leadership.

The January transfer window is looming into view and with Lopetegui still assessing his squad, there could be plenty of ins and outs during the month.

Joao Moutinho hasn’t quite lived up to his high standards this season and with Wolves having reportedly been offered American Weston McKennie, it might be time for the club to ditch the Portuguese midfielder.

Lopetegui must ditch Moutinho

This season, the 36-year-old veteran has seen his influence wane in the starting XI. He has played 14 Premier League matches so far this term and registered just one goal contribution, taking an average of 55.8 touches, and having a pass success rate of 85%.

These numbers may sound impressive enough, but compared to last season, where he averaged 68.5 touches and a pass success rate of 87%, there is a noticeable drop-off.

Serie A side Juventus are interested in signing Rayan Ait-Nouri and have offered McKennie as part of the deal according to reports in Italy and the American would make a good signing.

The 24-year-old has struggled for game time this season, starting just nine times, however, he has achieved a solid enough Sofascore rating of 6.84/10 for his performances.

He has double the amount of goal contributions than Moutinho while creating three big chances and making 0.6 key passes per match.

Defensively, the £55k-per-week star has made 0.6 tackles, 0.5 interceptions and 0.8 clearances on average per match and his versatility could be another bonus for Lopetegui, as the player can also operate in a centre-back role if required.

His former sporting director at Schalke, Christian Heidel claimed four years ago that McKennie could be destined for big things, saying: “Weston is a very good footballer, but he also has a lot of traits that are very, very important to Schalke. The fans love the way he plays, and the work he puts in. His body language is extraordinary.”

He may not have lived up to this potential as of yet, but a move to the Premier League where he would get much more regular game time could help massively.

This in turn would allow Lopetegui to ditch Moutinho and move towards a future filled with younger talent who can steer Wolves away from danger.

West Brom have been boosted by the news that Grady Diangana and Kyle Bartley could make a return from injury this weekend, reports journalist Joe Chapman.

The Lowdown: Baggies back in action

The Baggies picked up an excellent result on Monday evening, coming from behind to seal a 2-1 victory away to Sunderland in a key Championship clash.

Carlos Corberan’s side are back in league action on Saturday afternoon, this time welcoming Rotherham United to the Hawthorns for what looks a winnable fixture.

West Brom were unable to call upon Diangana and Bartley against Sunderland but that could be about to change.

The Latest: Double injury boost

Taking to Twitter, Chapman confirmed that the duo could be in line to return this weekend, bolstering Corberan’s options in the process:

“Diangana & Bartley could be back as soon as this weekend.”

The Verdict: All coming together

After a dire start to the season, in which West Brom were rooted to the relegation zone and Steve Bruce lost his job, this does feel like a positive spell.

Corberan has come in and made an immediate impact and if he suddenly has Diangana and Bartley to call upon as well, his squad options will be looking strong.

The former will bring added firepower to the team, having registered three assists and scored two goals this season, while the evergreen Bartley has averaged an impressive 4.9 clearances per game in the competition in 2022/23.

Transfer expert Dean Jones has stated that Glasgow Rangers winger Ryan Kent is attracting interest from Germany as well as England ahead of January.

The Lowdown: New talks planned

It was reported earlier this week that Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team are ‘making a fresh attempt’ to try and tie down the 26-year-old to a new contract at Ibrox and are planning to use the international break to ‘open new talks’ over his future.

Premier League side Fulham are thought to be ‘monitoring’ his situation, and they will ‘weigh up’ whether or not to make an approach in the January transfer window.

Kent’s current deal expires in the summer, meaning that he can leave as a free agent then, or for a cut-price fee in January.

The Latest: Plenty of interest

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has stated that not only clubs in England but Germany too are interested in signing the Rangers forward, adding that his future should be decided by the end of the year.

The journalist said of Kent: “I know he’s got a couple of clubs interested in him in England, there’s been a couple of clubs in Germany tracking him for a little while now as well too.

“So, we should know by the end of the year exactly which way this is going.”

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The Verdict: Keep him!

Kent has perhaps not been at his best this season, with some of his performances criticised as his team have struggled to keep up with Celtic at the top of the Premiership.

However, the winger has still managed five assists in the division, the joint-most out of his team-mates at Ibrox.

Hailed as a ‘wizard’ by his former Gers team-mate Leon Balogun, Kent managed an impressive 19 assists in all competitions last season, including five on the Light Blues’ journey to the Europa League final (Transfermarkt).

He is still only 26 years of age, and he has plenty more to offer for the Teddy Bears should they extend his contract.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Stefan de Vrij to the Premier League in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that Antonio Conte has already opened talks with the Inter Milan centre-back – with whom Spurs have been heavily linked ever since the 53-year-old’s arrival at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – regarding a potential switch to north London this winter.

The report goes on to state that, despite the 30-year-old being informed by Nerazzurri chiefs that he will be offered a new deal at the San Siro, the Serie A side are yet to put a new contract on the table, something that is said to see the Netherlands international become available for a knockdown price in the January market.

Conte’s dream

With recent reports suggesting that Conte is looking to strengthen his defensive options ahead of the second half of the 2022/23 campaign, it is not difficult to see why the Italian would be keen on sealing a reunion with his former centre-back at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this winter.

Indeed, the 30-year-old was a crucial part of Conte’s title-winning Inter side back in 2020/21, with the £15.5m-rated talent helping the Nerazzurri keep 11 clean sheets over his 32 Serie A appearances, as well as making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 2.9 clearances and winning 3.3 duels – at a success rate of 60% – per game.

The £118k-per-week defender also impressed going forwards, scoring one goal and creating one big chance, in addition to completing an average of 57.4 passes – at a success rate of 94% – playing 2.7 long balls and making 0.2 key passes per game – demonstrating his ability to play the ball out from the back.

These returns saw the player who Mauricio once dubbed a “monster” average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking the centre-back as Conte’s 10th-best performer in the top flight of Italian football that season.

De Vrij also caught the eye for all the right reasons over his six Champions League fixtures that year, helping Inter keep two clean sheets, as well as making an average of 2.8 interceptions, one tackle, 2.5 clearances and completing 65.7 passes – at a success rate of 95% – per game.

These metrics saw the 59-cap international average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.97, ranking him as the Nerazzurri’s joint fifth-best performer in Europe’s most prestigious club competition in 2020/21.

As such, considering just how much success Conte has enjoyed with the Dutchman in a three-man backline, De Vrij would very much appear to be a dream signing for Fabio Paratici to bring to Tottenham in January – especially if the defender is available for as little as £10m this winter.

The Athletic’s James Pearce has reacted to the latest injury update ruling Liverpool star Diogo Jota out of the World Cup.

The Lowdown: Jota’s injury

The Reds came away with three points at the weekend after a fiery tussle against Manchester City saw Mohamed Salah bag the only goal of the game in the 76th minute.

Whilst it was a fantastic result for Jurgen Klopp’s men, in the final few minutes of the match, Liverpool suffered a major blow as the Portugal international went down with an injury, requiring a stretcher to get him off the pitch.

Following the game, reliable journalist David Ornstein revealed the 25-year-old was set for a scan, with fears that he may be out of action until after the World Cup now confirmed.

The Latest: Pearce reacts

Pearce took to Twitter to react to Jota’s injury nightmare, saying his ‘worst fears’ are ‘confirmed’ and the calf injury is very ‘serious’.

As quoted by The Athletic, Klopp echoed the sentiment, revealing Jota will be out ‘a long time’ and calling it ‘very sad news’.

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The Verdict: Huge blow

Alongside missing the World Cup with the Portugal national team, Jota will also be unavailable for the Reds’ next five Premier League games and their last two Champions League group stages fixtures – all scheduled before the international break (via The Athletic).

In four continental appearances this season, the 25-year-old has impressively contributed four assists to Klopp’s side, with three of those coming in the demolition job against Rangers.

With Luis Diaz already out injured for the next couple of months, the Portugal ace was expected to come in as a regular in Liverpool’s front line.

Therefore, with this injury news, both Portugal and Reds fans will be grieving, with the talented attacker missing out on a huge individual chance to shine.

Former Swansea City manager Carlos Carvalhal has emerged as a candidate to replace Bruno Lage at Wolves, according to a new report which has emerged.

The Lowdown: Wolves looking for new manager

Bruno Lage’s sacking was confirmed on Sunday after the drab 2-0 defeat at West Ham the previous day left the Old Gold in the Premier League relegation zone.

Attention must now swiftly turn to who will replace the 46-year-old in the role, with the likes of Julen Lopetegui and Ange Postecoglou emerging as early candidates.

A report from Portugal has seemingly thrown another name into the hat.

The Latest: Carvalhal emerges as Wolves candidate

According to Record [via Sport Witness], Carvalhal ‘would not turn his nose up’ at taking the Wolves job but isn’t interested in taking charge at Hull City, where there is also a managerial vacancy.

The 56-year-old is currently manager of Al Wahda FC in Abu Dhabi, having been appointed earlier in the year.

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The Verdict: Risky appointment?

Carvalhal perhaps doesn’t sound as convincing a prospective appointment as someone like Lopetegui or Postecoglou, given his inconsistent record in England in the past.

Granted, he did largely well with Sheffield Wednesday, guiding them to the Championship play-off final in 2016, but he was only at Swansea for half season before departing following their relegation from the top flight four years ago.

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Carvalhal has plus points – his innovative tactics have earned plenty of column inches and Sergio Conceicao once hailed his ‘stunning brand of football’ – but it feels like there may be stronger, more reliable candidates available than than a manager currently operating outside of Europe.

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has provided an update on Brendan Rodgers’ future at Leicester City.

The Lowdown: International break rumours

The Foxes headed into the international break rock bottom of the Premier League with six defeats from seven.

A 6-2 defeat to Spurs led to speculation of Rodgers being sacked during the international break, with Fabrizio Romano stating there would be internal discussions at The King Power Stadium.

As we know, Rodgers is still in charge, with reports suggesting that it could cost the club £10m in compensation to part ways with the Northern Irishman.

The Latest: Sheth’s comments

Talking to GiveMeSport, Sheth said he’s been ‘told’ by a ‘source’ that it will actually be ‘very difficult’ for the club to part ways with Rodgers due to their ‘financial issues’.

“One source has told me that it will be very difficult to actually sack Brendan Rodgers anyway because Leicester have got a lot of financial issues, which Brendan Rodgers even alluded to during the transfer window.

“We all know what happened with Leicester during the transfer window as well. Even though they brought in so much money by selling Wesley Fofana and getting Kasper Schmeichel’s wages off the bill, they only brought in one outfield player for a cost of around £12-15million. It was a really, really quiet transfer window as far as Leicester are concerned.”

The Verdict: Final life?

The Foxes only recently escaped sanctions from UEFA regarding financial fair play, so their off-field worries may have saved Rodgers’ job.

However, if there are no immediate improvements, then the club may decide to pull the plug no matter what the cost, leaving Rodgers on his final life.

The likes of Sean Dyche, Thomas Frank and Rafael Benitez have all been linked as possible Rodgers replacements, but it seems as if he’ll be in the dugout against Nottingham Forest next Monday.

Leeds United could make a late move to bring Pedro to Elland Road on transfer deadline day.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, with the Italian journalist revealing in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that Victor Orta has been tracking Flamengo centre-forward over the course of the summer transfer window. He went on to suggest that, should the Spaniard wish to bring the 25-year-old in the final hours of the market, he will have to move extremely quickly.

Regarding the Whites’ interest in the Brazil international, the transfer insider said: “I’m told that the player they have been monitoring for a long time is Pedro from Flamengo, the Brazilian striker. But the problem with South American transfers is the timing. Of course, now we’re close to the end of the window, so they need to be fast if they want to do a South American deal.”

A huge coup

Considering just how impressive Pedro has been for Flamengo this season, coupled with the fact that all of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Southampton and Crystal Palace have been linked with the striker this summer, the argument that the 25-year-old would be a huge coup for the Whites is an extremely easy one to make.

Indeed, the £10.8m-rated forward has been in scintillating form over his 19 Brazilian Serie A appearances – only eight of which have come as starts – in 2022, scoring seven goals, registering three assists and creating four big chances, as well as taking 1.9 shots, making 0.6 key passes and completing 0.5 dribbles per game.

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However, it is his returns over his 11 Copa Libertadores fixtures which have most caught the eye, with the 25-year-old bagging 11 goals – including a hat-trick in the first leg of the semi-final – providing one assist and creating six big chances, in addition to taking 2.2 shots – 1.4 of which have hit the target – making 0.9 key passes and completing 0.5 dribbles per game.

These metrics have seen the striker – who boasts a £110m release clause – average an impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.35, not only ranking him as Flamengo’s third-best performer in the competition but also as the joint 27th-best player in the tournament as a whole.

With Patrick Bamford and Joe Gelhardt having both struggled with injuries so far this season, coupled with Rodrigo suffering a dislocated shoulder in the draw against Everton on Tuesday, it is clear that Jesse Marsch could use greater depth up top prior to the passing of tonight’s 11pm transfer deadline.

It may well be a tricky deal for Orta to pull off, but considering just how deadly a striker Pedro has proven to be in Brazil, the 25-year-old would very much appear to be an exceptional signing for the Spaniard to get over the line in the coming hours.

Southampton have endured a very difficult start to the new Premier League season and have suffered another setback ahead of their home game against Leeds United this weekend.

Following their 4-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, the Saints sit bottom of the Premier League, and rumours of unrest at the club have quickly surfaced.

It has been reported that manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has lost the dressing room, with a number of players surprised that the Austrian was able to keep his job after a shocking end to the 2021/22 campaign.

The former RB Leipzig boss opted to deploy a five-at-the-back formation against Spurs, with Yan Valery a surprising choice at centre-back.

Unfortunately for the Saints, Hasenhuttl’s gamble did not pay off as they shipped four goals, meaning they sit bottom of the Premier League ahead of the visit of Leeds United.

The Austrian confirmed in his pre-match conference that Brazilian centre-back Lyanco will miss the game against Jesse Marsch’s side, in what is another blow to Southampton’s chances.

He said:

“We had only Lyanco during the week not training with the team because he had a problem with his knee.”

Since joining from Torino last summer, the 25-year-old has made 18 appearances for the Saints, and with Hasenhuttl opting for a five-at-the-back, there are likely to be more opportunities for the defender this season.

Hasenhuttl was full of praise for the Brazilian last season after a 1-0 win against Aston Villa last season, saying:

“This guy is a fantastic character.

“You see how he was celebrating his first Premier League game and now again he is happy, you know how much it means to him to play for us.

“This is exactly the kind of player we want in our team.”

However, he will be without the centre-back as the Saints look to turn their fortunes around on Saturday, and not having him available in defence will undoubtedly come as a blow to the Austrian, especially when you consider how defensively poor they were against Spurs.