Liverpool have been linked with a move for Mason Mount over the last few weeks, and now a new claim has emerged ahead of the January transfer window about the club’s potential pursuit of the player.

What’s the latest?

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has weighed in on the potential of Liverpool securing the signing of the Chelsea and England midfielder.

O’Rourke told GIVEMESPORT:

“It’d be a huge coup. Mason Mount has been a top performer in the Premier League now for the last few seasons with Chelsea.

“I think it would come as a massive shock if Chelsea weren’t to agree a new deal with Mason Mount.”

Klopp could land a huge coup

There is no doubt that Mount is one of the most promising young midfield talents in the Premier League at the moment and with Liverpool in a position to rebuild their personnel in the centre of the pitch it could be the perfect opportunity to snap up his services.

It has been reported that the 23-year-old’s future at Stamford Bridge is uncertain which has led to speculation surrounding a potential move to Merseyside in the summer, as Chelsea’s loss could be Liverpool’s gain.

Over 14 Premier League appearances, Mount – who was hailed an “incredible player” by sports reporter Joe Krishnan – has scored two goals, registered two assists and created two big chances, as well as averaging 1.3 key passes, 1.7 tackles, 1.6 shots on goal and 4.1 duels per game.

Not only that, the £80k-per-week England star has been representing his country at the World Cup in Qatar and has found himself becoming a relied-upon and trusted first-team player for Gareth Southgate who has started Mount in both group-stage games so far.

Over two World Cup appearances, Mount has tallied up an 86% pass completion rate, completed 100% of his long balls, won 59% of his ground and aerial duels combined and successfully completed 67% of his dribbles, proving that he is a real solid presence in the centre of the pitch.

Jurgen Klopp is set to lose Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as their contracts expire in June 2023, whilst Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara are at the latter stages of their respective careers so there is certainly an opportunity to start building the next generation of talent at Anfield.

With that being said, the signing of Mount would indeed be a huge coup for Liverpool but would depend on Chelsea’s plans for the player and also whether they would be keen on selling to a league position rival, but there is no doubt that the midfielder could add quality to the team.

Former Glasgow Rangers defender Alan Hutton has claimed that Alfredo Morelos could still leave Ibrox if Michael Beale is appointed the new manager.

The Lowdown: Beale expected to join

It has been widely reported that QPR manager Beale is expected to become the next Gers manager in place of the departed Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Morelos had been a bit-part player under the Dutchman so far this season, and it will no doubt be interesting to see what his role would be under Beale should he be appointed.

The Colombia international has been linked with a move away from the Light Blues in the January transfer window, as his contract is up in the summer.

The Latest: Morelos could still leave

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton has claimed that there is a possibility that Morelos could still leave the Teddy Bears, even if Beale comes in:

“Depending on who comes in. If Michael Beale comes in, the tendency might be leaning towards maybe staying.

“The likes of Morelos, to me, it looks like he wants out of there. He got the opportunity in the last game, and it didn’t go well for him at all.

“He still looks that moody player and he’s not giving us that aggression on the pitch where he scores goals.

“I think someone like him will, possibly, leave.”

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The Verdict: Get rid

It is safe to say that Morelos has not been at his best this term, with some of his performances criticised by various parts of the media.

New striker signing Antonio Colak is out-performing him, with 14 goals in his opening 24 appearances in total over all competitions, going into the break for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar as the club’s top scorer.

With only a few months left on his contract, Rangers need to sell Morelos in January in order to get a transfer fee for him, and Beale could then use that money to potentially invest in another striker to compete with Colak, should he be appointed.

Newcastle United are reportedly strongly interested in signing Frankfurt central defender Evan Ndicka ahead of the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Out of contract

Ndicka is out of contract in the summer, meaning that he can leave on a free transfer or for a cut-price in January.

The Frankfurt ace can also sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club in the winter window, and is sure to attract plenty of interest around Europe.

The likes of West Ham United, Manchester United and Arsenal have all been linked over the past few months, so a move to the Premier League could well be on the cards.

The Latest: ‘Strong’ interest

As per Italian news outlet Romagiallorossa.it, the St. James’ Park outfit, as well as fellow top-flight rivals Tottenham Hotspur, hold a ‘strong’ interest in Ndicka, as well as Serie A sides Roma and AC Milan.

Other clubs in the Premier League are also thought to be interested, so it will be interesting to see if they look to try and sign Ndicka in January, or as a free agent in the summer.

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The Verdict: No-brainer

Signing a player of Ndicka’s quality, especially for a cut-price, is surely a no-brainer for the North East club.

The Frenchman, who was unlucky not to make the France squad for the FIFA World Cup, has been described as an ‘exciting’ talent by Frankfurt journalist Christopher Michel at just 23 years of age, while Michel has also hailed his goal threat from centre-half as ‘enormous’, and his injury record as ‘incredible’.

Aside from the six-foot-two colossus’ defensive qualities, where he has won more aerial duels and made more clearances per game than any of his team-mates in the Bundesliga this season (WhoScored), the fact that he has an added goal threat makes him such a dangerous player in both boxes.

Indeed, Ndicka managed an impressive four goals and four assists in the Bundesliga from centre-back last term (Transfermarkt), and the fact that he stays injury-free is an added bonus which could really help the Magpies in the second part of the campaign.

Queens Park Rangers could appoint Neil Critchley as the man to replace Michael Beale and the former Blackpool boss could be the ideal man to get the best out of Tim Iroegbunam at Loftus Road.

After Beale’s decision to join Rangers was confirmed earlier this week, the Hoops have been linked with a number of potential managers as his replacement, with Critchley seemingly near the top of the list.

Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas revealed on Twitter that the “fantastic” former Liverpool academy coach was high up on the list of candidates for QPR.

He said: “Neil Critchley high on list of potential candidates to replace Rangers-bound Mick Beale at QPR. Critchley worked with him at Liverpool and then replaced him as Gerrard’s assistant at Aston Villa. QPR looking at others too of course.”

Critchley established himself working with Gerrard in Liverpool’s academy before taking over at Blackpool in 2021, leading the Tangerines to promotion from League One in his first season with the club.

After consolidating in the Championship in the last campaign, he made the bold decision to swap Bloomfield Road for Villa Park, becoming Gerrard’s assistant at Aston Villa, where he was sacked just a few months into the job, meaning he is now available without the concern of any compensation fee.

Having joined Villa in June, Critchley will have worked closely with one of the most highly-regarded talents at the Midlands club in Iroegbunam, ahead of his loan move to QPR a few months later.

Ahead of Beale arriving at Loftus Road, he would call the young midfielder “super-impressive,” so it is perhaps no surprise that he wanted to sign him for the Championship campaign.

During his time at Loftus Road, the 19-year-old has made 13 appearances in the Championship averaging a solid 6.67 rating from WhoScored for his performances, but he is yet to contribute a goal or an assist, which suggests that Hoops fans are yet to see the best of him.

Given that Critchley has made a name for himself at Liverpool and Crewe Alexandra for establishing talents such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones and Harry Wilson, he clearly knows how to get the best out of young players.

Therefore, he could be the ideal man to get the best out of the exciting Iroegbunam should he arrive at Loftus Road as Beale’s replacement.

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.

West Ham United haven’t lived up to the highs of last season so far during the current campaign, with David Moyes’ side struggling in the Premier League, winning just four times in 15 matches.

Their European form has been somewhat more exciting, with the club recording six straight wins to top their Europa Conference League group and ensure they have continental football to look forward to after the break.

What’s the word?

Despite the Jekyll and Hyde form, any notion of Moyes losing his job should be dispelled.

Indeed, Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth recently spoke to GIVEMESPORT claiming the 59-year-old still has the full backing of GSB: “As far as I’m aware, in a word, yes. I think he does. I think he’s built up enough credit in the bank.

“And what happened to him the first time as well, there’s probably a feeling that, you know, David Moyes is owed that time because of what happened.”

GSB have got it spot on

This is, of course, Moyes’ second stint in charge of the Hammers. He took charge back in 2017 when the club were in relegation trouble and he led them to a solid 13th-place finish, but his contract was not renewed and he left at the end of the season.

Arriving back in London in December 2019, he has taken the club to new levels during his second spell. His first two full campaigns saw the club secure sixth and seventh-placed finishes in the Premier League.

The Europa League semi-final run last season has arguably been the highlight, however, with the club coming so close to reaching just their third European final, defeated by eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt in the last four.

It’s been a great journey so far and with that in mind, it looks like GSB are making the correct choice in backing Moyes. The Irons may be in a rut but he deserves time to sort things out with relegation still quite an unlikely proposition.

The World Cup break will give him a chance to reassess his squad and spend some more preparation time before a crucial second half of the campaign begins.

A trip to table-toppers Arsenal on Boxing Day is the first match back for West Ham and Moyes will be hoping to spring a surprise by sealing an important victory.

Newcastle United target Christian Pulisic ‘wants to stay’ at Premier League rivals Chelsea despite being linked with an exit, according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg.

The Lowdown: Monitored by the Magpies

The USA forward is close to entering the final 18 months of his contract at Stamford Bridge, and having not been offered a new deal, he has been attracting interest from elsewhere.

PIF made an initial enquiry for the American over the summer, and some outlets have recently suggested that the Magpies are still monitoring developments, although an update has now emerged which contradicts those reports.

The Latest: Plettenberg’s update

Taking to Twitter, Plettenberg denied all claims linking Newcastle to Pulisic by revealing that the player wants to fight for his place at Chelsea after the World Cup.

The Sky Sport reporter tweeted: “News #Pulisic: Rumours about Dortmund, United & Newcastle not hot. Been told that he wants to stay at #CFC in winter! He really tends to this plan. But: Talks could take place if he would receive a great and interesting offer after the World Cup. But it’s unlikely.”

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The Verdict: Blow for Howe

Newcastle missing out on Pulisic in January will come as a huge blow to Eddie Howe, who will have seen what the American is capable of since arriving in the top flight in 2019.

The 24-year-old has clocked up 47 goal contributions during his time at Chelsea and has the ability to operate in five different positions (Transfermarkt), which surely will have been a striking attribute to the Magpies boss .

Newcastle have got off to a flying start this season, so they should definitely be able to attract some big names in the winter, but it seems that they will now have to turn their attention to other targets following this fresh claim on Pulisic.

Tottenham Hotspur are among the multitude of teams interested in signing Josko Gvardiol, who was one of the standout players of the World Cup group stages.

Tuttomercatoweb reported last month that current Lilywhites star Ivan Perisic had been tasked with convincing the 20-year-old that his future should lie in north London.

During the summer window, RB Leipzig’s asking price was thought to be in the region of £70m and that would have only increased after announcing himself on the world’s biggest stage, with the likes of Chelsea and Real Madrid also keen on his signature.

Whilst he would cost sporting director Fabio Paratici a club-record fee, it should not put the Italian off from sealing a real piece of the future. Gvardiol could be one of, if not the, best centre-back in the world considering he’s already delivering at just 20.

And by winning the race to land him, Spurs could well eclipse the signing of Heung-min Son, who has undoubtedly been one of the Lilywhites’ best-ever deals. His returns of 136 goals and 76 assists for just £22m have been unmatched.

Croatia kept two clean sheets across their three matches, despite being in Group F with Belgium, one of the favourites for the tournament, though they didn’t qualify for the knockout stages.

Gvardiol played an integral role for the Vatreni, combining his frightening physicality with his deft touch on the ball – form that led transfer guru Fabrizio Romano to laud him as a “monster”.

Across those three matches, the Croat colossus has averaged a 90% passing accuracy, despite managing near 70 attempts per game, via Sofascore. A feat that outranks every one of Spurs’ current starters, including Eric Dier, who averages an 87.6% accuracy rate from 66.7 passes per game.

Gvardiol has also managed a whopping 5.7 clearances, 1.7 interceptions and 1.3 tackles per game at the World Cup too. By comparison, not even Cristian Romero has averaged more interceptions, whilst the Leipzig titan would also lead the way for clearances.

Meanwhile, his performances have also seen him dubbed as the Erling “Haaland of defenders” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, only further emphasising just how much of an instant impact he has made.

Journalist Zach Lowry even praised him as a “Rolls-Royce” and as a “sensational centre-back,” having been the best player on the pitch despite sharing it with Kevin De Bruyne and Luka Modric.

With Romero now a permanent presence at Hotspur Way, Paratici and co could really land their best-ever signing by luring the Leipzig superstar to north London in 2023. They may need to wait until the summer and fork out in excess of £70m but he’d be worth every penny and more.

AND in other news, Conte could land dream Maddison alternative in Spurs move 22 y/o World Cup “superstar”…

An update has emerged on Glasgow Rangers and their attempts to improve their academy side ahead of the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, the Light Blues are eyeing up a swoop to sign 15-year-old striker James Wilson from Hearts next month.

The report claims that the Gers are set to open talks with the teenager over a potential move to Ibrox as he can officially sign professional terms when he turns 16 in January.

It is stated that Hearts are fighting to keep hold of the talented youngster and are trying to convince him that his long-term future should be with them, rather than Rangers.

Steven Naismith 2.0

Gers head coach Michael Beale could unearth his own version of former Light Blues forward Steven Naismith by signing Wilson and bringing him through into the first-team set-up in the coming years.

Naismith arrived at Ibrox from Kilmarnock as a youngster before plundering 33 goals and 30 assists in 132 appearances in all competitions for Rangers, whilst playing as a striker or as a second striker.

The now-retired attacker won six trophies with the club, including three top-flight titles and three cup successes, and knows what it takes to succeed as a forward in Glasgow.

He went on to play for Norwich and Everton in England before returning to the Premiership with Hearts, where he is now the under-18 head coach.

The Daily Record claim that he has been working with Wilson this season and the former Scotland international could be imparting his knowledge to the teenager, given that he played in the same position as the current prodigy and knows Rangers inside and out.

There are no statistics available on the gem’s goalscoring record for Hearts at youth level but the club did name him as their Academy Player of the Season for the 2021/22 campaign, which indicates that he enjoyed a strong year in front of goal.

Wilson, who has been called up by Scotland and Northern Ireland’s youth teams at international level, has clearly shown enough to warrant Rangers’ interest in him and, therefore, could have the potential to make the step up to the first-team in the future.

This means that he could follow Naismith’s Gers story by arriving at the club as a young player and going on to be a success in front of goals in the future, if he is able to develop under Beale and make the grade with the senior squad in the coming years.

Scottish champions Celtic currently have a few representatives at the ongoing World Cup, with the likes of Aaron Mooy, Josip Juranovic, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Daizen Maeda all having been selected by their respective national sides.

The latter man was something of a surprise pick as the only member of the Hoops’ Japanese contingent to be included on the plane to Qatar, with both Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate having been notable omissions from Hajime Moriyasu’s squad.

Hatate, in particular, can seemingly count himself unlucky amid his sparkling form at Parkhead in recent times, with the 25-year-old having emerged as a leading asset for manager Ange Postecoglou since his January arrival.

The former Kawasaki Frontale man – who scored 12 goals and laid on ten assists during his time in his homeland – has been on the periphery of the international fold in his career thus far, having been afforded just a solitary cap at senior level to date.

Despite that inexperience for his country, the diminutive ace seemingly could well have made a difference had he been part of the World Cup list, having been simply “tremendous” during his time in Glasgow to date, in the words of pundit Frank McAvennie.

Dubbed the “best signing” made by Postecoglou in his tenure thus far – as per McAvennie – the £12k-per-week maestro has scored six times and laid on seven assists in 41 games in all competitions for the Bhoys to date, notably producing two assists in the comeback win over Ross County last time out prior to this current halt to proceedings.

The 5 foot 8 ace has perhaps shown Japan just what they are missing having also gone on to impress during the Sydney Super Cup clash with Everton, with journalist Sacha Pisani having dubbed him a “beast in midfield” following that display.

Pisani also commented on Hatate’s World Cup snub, suggesting that the player could well go on to become the “heart of that team moving forward”, while the aforementioned McAvennie suggested that the Asian nation must have “one hell of a midfield” if they are to able to leave the Hoops ace out the side.

In his absence, Moriyasu’s side went on to stun 2014 champions Germany late on in their opening group game, although were brought crashing back down to earth after slipping up against Costa Rica on matchday two.

Following that dismal showing, journalist Josh Bunting expressed his belief that Hatate could well have made a real difference had he been selected, stating: “baffles me that Reo Hatate isn’t in that squad to break the lines.”

Bunting had also suggested that it was “insane” that the Suzuka-born ace had been left out of the travelling party to begin with, with such a decision potentially set to prove costly as far as Japan are concerned if they are unable to secure progression.

As for Celtic, the Scottish Premiership side will likely be thankful that the player has been able to enjoy a well-earned rest after putting in an “enormous shift” in recent months – according to Postecoglou – with Hatate likely to be chomping at the bit to show his quality once again when club action resumes next month.