West Ham United have now set a ‘big focus’ on a ‘very smart signing’ for manager David Moyes this summer, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Moyes eyes summer reshuffle…

The Hammers boss, reportedly earmarking the signing of a new central defender, midfielder and striker in the next transfer window, will need substantial backing from club owners GSB.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-newest-updates/” title=”West Ham newest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Head of recruitment Rob Newman is also tasked with negotiating deals to give Moyes exactly what he wants as the Scotsman aims to maintain West Ham’s status as a high-flying Premier League side.

Reaching the Europa League semi-finals this season represents a big achievement for the east Londoners and symbolises their remarkable rise, coming after they were fighting relegation just two years ago.

Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill is allegedly one man who Moyes believes could make a difference with the Clarets ace emerging as a target.

The Latest: Cudworth makes ‘big’ claim…

According to 90min reporter Toby Cudworth, while West Ham hold an interest in Leicester City playmaker Youri Tielemans, there is a ‘big’ focus on signing Brownhill this summer.

He explained (via Twitter):

“WHUFC are known admirers of Tielemans. Potential asking price of less than £40m will be attractive for many, many clubs… Still, big focus on Burnley’s Josh Brownhill at the moment – he’d be a very smart signing.”

The Verdict: Lodge bid?

The 26-year-old, who currently ranks as one of Burnley’s top five domestic performers going by average match rating, is a real all-rounder in midfield – according to WhoScored.

He has intercepted the second-highest amount of passes in Mike Jackson’s squad over 2021/2022 whilst also coming joint-second in terms of key passes made per 90 in the final third.

Effective defensively and further forward, his potential £15 million price tag seems fairly reasonable – leaving little wonder West Ham have now prioritised him as a target for Moyes.

Going by his value and quality, it appears the east Londoners have very little to lose by lodging a bid.

In other news: Sky Sports: GSB set for ‘powerful’ player move as they also eye ‘fantastic signing’ for West Ham, find out more here.

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United and their pursuit of Raphinha heading into the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that PIF are plotting a swoop for the Leeds United forward and will need to battle it out with an elite European club to land his signature.

Speaking on the Wondergoal Podcast (12:45), Romano said: “A player they (PIF) love is Raphinha from Leeds. We know that Barcelona are leading the race to sign to him, but Newcastle are exploring the possibilities for a long time.

“They know this is going to be more than complicated because Barcelona are already in advanced talks with the player’s side. It depends if Leeds will get relegated or not (as) it will be important to understand if the clause will be activated or not.”

Imagine him & Allan Saint-Maximin

PIF must work hard to win the race for Raphinha, as he would be an exciting addition to Newcastle’s squad for next season.

Premier League defenders will be trembling at the thought of playing against the Toon if Saint-Maximin and the Brazilian are both lining up on the wings for the Magpies, as they both have the technical ability to cause huge problems in the final third.

Whilst Leeds are struggling at the wrong end of the table, the 25-year-old attacker has been a shining light at Elland Road throughout the campaign.

As you can see from these statistics, via SofaScore, Raphinha – who joined the Yorkshire club for £20m – has been in electric form at the top end of the pitch, both in terms of scoring and creating goals.

He only has three assists to his name, in spite of him creating nine ‘big chances’, and his team’s failure to finish off the opportunities that he is creating could tempt him to make the switch to St James’ Park. Raphinha’s statistics prove that he is a quality player at Premier League level, and Leeds are not making the most of his creative talents.

The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland previously dubbed him “magic”, and the Brazil wizard’s 1.9 dribbles per game to go along with his chance creation figures would suggest that such praise is deserved.

Meanwhile, Saint-Maximin has completed a whopping 4.4 dribbles and 1.5 key passes per game in the current top-flight campaign. This shows that he has been a constant threat with the ball at his feet and that Eddie Howe would have a frightening wide duo if he can play him and Raphinha in the same team next season.

AND in other news, Howe can land the next Shearer as Newcastle “prepares” £59m bid for 68-goal “diamond”…

Crystal Palace are among the clubs interested in signing Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, according to a report from 90min journalist Toby Cudworth.

The lowdown: Nketiah set for summer move

Out of contract at the end of June (Transfermarkt), the Gunners ace has already rejected offers of a new deal to stay in north London.

Having come to the fore in recent weeks for Mikel Arteta’s side, the 22-year-old’s future is coming under increased scrutiny as the end of the season fast approaches.

It now appears that a move away from the Emirates Stadium as a free agent could be on the horizon…

The latest: Palace interested in Nketiah

Taking to Twitter to share the in-depth report from 90min, transfer expert Cudworth explained the current situation regarding the England youth starlet’s future.

The reporter outlined: “It’s increasingly unlikely Eddie Nketiah will stay at Arsenal – #WHUFC, #NUFC, #EFC and #CPFC all chasing. Liverpool and Chelsea also monitoring situation – 22 y/o could provide attractive squad depth option.”

Furthermore, within the report, it was claimed that Palace are ‘firmly interested’ in signing the youngster, who was hailed as ‘extraordinary’ by his manager following one match against Manchester City in June 2020.

The verdict: Make it happen

Whilst the progress at Selhurst Park since the arrival of Patrick Vieira has been superb, it does feel as if the Frenchman could do with strengthening Palace’s centre-forward options.

As things stand, Wilfried Zaha once again tops the Eagles’ scoring charts, with attacking midfielder Conor Gallagher in second. Strikers Odsonne Edouard and Jean-Philippe Mateta are in the top five but neither have managed to reach double figures this season.

That is an area which needs to be addressed if Palace are to move on to the next level under Vieira, and the capture of Nketiah from the Gunners would go a long way to solving the issue.

Overall this season, the Londoner has scored nine goals and provided one assist in 26 outings across all competitions, starting to translate a remarkable record at youth level, scoring 16 times in 17 England under-21 appearances and 28 goals in 40 games for Arsenal’s under-23s.

With Nketiah soon to be a free agent, this move seems like a no-brainer for Crystal Palace.

In other news: Palace are now eyeing Championship star for summer transfer, read more here

Everton are interested in securing the services of Bologna’s Swedish midfielder Mattias Svanberg this summer.

What’s the word?

That is according to Italian outlet 1000 Cuori Rossoblu, as per Sport Witness, who claim that the Serie A side have offered Svanberg a new contract but the Swede is not interested and is “the most likely young person to be expendable for a profitable sale in the summer.”

As noted in the report, the 23-year-old midfielder is wanted by Everton, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur.

It’s also highlighted that Bologna refused an offer of €15m (£12.8m) last year, but state that this time around “it’s difficult for them to deprive themselves of him for a figure much less than €20m (£17m).”

Imagine him and Doucoure

Part of Everton’s downfall this season has been their ability to create chances, hence their status as the fourth worst goal scoring team in the league, having managed just 37 goals this season.

With Donny van de Beek injured and Fabian Delph filling in to form a partnership with Doucoure, the defensive stability is there, but there is almost no attacking threat.

With Van de Beek set to return back to parent club Manchester United at the end of the season, Lampard will need to find a more positive central midfielder who can look to cause more threat.

His average of 1.13 crosses per match also poses as an upgrade and would present a more composed option in the Toffees’ engine room who could look to ignite that creative spark for the forwards to benefit from.

This is where Svanberg, who has been described as “red hot” by Bologna’s official Twitter account, comes in, with his average of 2.14 shot-creating actions and average of 1.47 shots. In comparison to Delph’s numbers of 0.62 shot-creating actions per 90 and 0.15 shots per match average, they massively falter when aligned with the Swede’s metrics.

With that in mind, partnering him with the bullish Doucoure could be just the ticket that Everton need in order to make them a more menacing prospect in the middle of the pitch.

Lampard would be wise to look into the signing of Svanberg, though there are more creative assets out there so it would not hurt to look around.

In other news: “I’m told..“: Insider drops major Everton transfer claim, Lampard will be ecstatic 

Newcastle United reportedly now ‘want’ to sign Jules Kounde in what would be a club-record move this summer.

The Lowdown: January bid

As per Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), the St. James’ Park faithful ‘offered’ Sevilla as much as €70m (£59.3m) to try and sign Kounde in the January transfer window, but a move never materialised.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-6/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

That would have been a club-record deal, and now it seems they are going to try their luck again in the summer.

The Latest: Wanted

According to Mundo Deportivo (via Sport Witness), the North East club still ‘want’ to sign Kounde, and are now a ‘rival’ to FC Barcelona for his signature.

However, the La Liga giants cannot afford to pay his €90m (£76.3m) release clause, which could well open the door for the Tynesiders.

The Verdict: Difficult

With teams like Barcelona weighing up a move for Kounde, there is no doubt that he will be a wanted man this summer, and so the Magpies may find it difficult to persuade him to join without any European football to offer.

Dubbed ‘world-class’ by former Tottenham Hotspur and England international goalkeeper Paul Robinson, the France international has played in the UEFA Champions League this season, and will be next term should Sevilla get a point in their last match of the league campaign.

Nonetheless, he is only 23 years of age, and may not feel like a move to the Toon suits him at this stage of his career.

In other news, find out which £36m-rated star NUFC could now sign for free here!

The Chronicle journalist Charlie Bennett has revealed what he has now been ‘told’ from Newcastle United in relation to Dean Henderson.

The Lowdown: One to watch

With the Premier League season now completed, transfer rumours are already heating up for the summer, none more so than at St James’ Park.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-6/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

One player who has been strongly linked with a move to the northeast recently is Manchester United goalkeeper Henderson, and an update has now been given on that situation.

The Latest: Henderson deal ‘close’

Taking to Twitter, Bennett has revealed that Henderson is ‘keen’ on a move to Tyneside and would ‘prefer’ to sign permanently than on loan. The 25-year-old’s camp believe that a deal is now ‘close’ after meeting representatives of Newcastle in Northumberland last week.

Bennett tweeted: “Understand Dean Henderson is keen on a Newcastle move and has made it known he prefers a permanent transfer to a loan deal.

“Also told player’s camp believe a deal is “close” after meeting club representatives in Northumberland last week.”

The Verdict: Get it done

Given Henderson’s desire to move to the Magpies, and a seemingly positive meeting with their representatives, one would suggest that the Toon shouldn’t have to do too much more to get this deal over the line.

However, given his reputation in the top flight after keeping 13 clean sheets while on loan at Sheffield United in the 2019/20 season, and having played for England at international level, Henderson is likely to be a man in demand this summer.

Therefore, the Newcastle board need to wrap up this deal as soon as possible in order to fend off any other potential suitors.

In other news, Newcastle have now scheduled a meeting over signing this transfer target

Aston Villa could have a big say on where the Premier League title ends up this season as they prepare to take on Manchester City on the final day of the campaign.

If the Villans can stop Pep Guardiola’s side from winning on Sunday and Liverpool win at home to Wolves, then Steven Gerrard’s former club will be crowned champions.

While the Midlands club will undoubtedly be aiming to get a result for themselves and their own fans rather than anyone else, it seems as though the Villans have been dealt a double injury blow which could impact their chances of doing just that.

What’s the news?

City’s defensive duo of John Stones and Kyle Walker are reportedly in contention to feature in Sunday’s clash after returning to training, having recently been sidelined with injuries.

Taking into account how Guardiola’s side have the best defensive record in the Premier League with just 24 goals conceded in 37 games, having two of their main defenders back in the frame will undeniably make them a tougher opponent for Villa to try and beat.

With Stones having one of the highest percentages for passing accuracy (93.2%) and has the highest percentage for aerial duels won out of players to be involved in more than two per game in the top flight this season, he will be a welcome addition back in City’s line-up.

The England centre-back is also listed higher than the likes of Aymeric Laporte, Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake in terms of overall performances this season according to WhoScored, with a rating of 7.13/10.

As for Walker, the fact that City have conceded 10 goals in the league throughout the 17 games in which he hasn’t played this season suggests that they are much better defensively when he’s in the team.

Taking this into account, if the league leaders are able to play both England internationals this weekend, it will be worrying for Gerrard and undoubtedly make it harder for Villa to end their season on a high note with a win against the title-chasing Citizens.

The Villa manager must now be hoping that his attacking players have what it takes to trouble City’s defence and give their travelling fans something to shout about after the 1-1 draw against Burnley on Thursday.

In other news: Gerrard already heading for big summer disaster at AVFC over £13.5m-rated “magician”

Gabby Agbonlahor has shared a big ‘issue’ for Glasgow Rangers after some transfer news that he has now heard involving Calvin Bassey.

The Lowdown: Transfer interest in Bassey

The Daily Record reported over the weekend that scouts from an English club were sent to watch the 22-year-old in their Scottish Cup final victory as they ponder a move.

The Times since confirmed strong interest in the defender from Aston Villa.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/rangers-news-4/” title=”Rangers news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

As per Football Insider, the Ibrox club are lining up new contract talks with Bassey and will offer him a ‘massive’ pay rise in order to try and convince him to stay, but calls from the Premier League may be too hard for him to turn down.

The Latest: Agbonlahor reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, Agbonlahor has now claimed that Rangers will have an ‘issue’ in not being able to offer Bassey as much money as a club in the English top flight, admitting that he does not see the 22-year-old signing a new deal and staying at Ibrox beyond this summer.

The former Villa striker – who contributes as a pundit for Sky Sports – replied when asked if the defender will sign a new deal with the Gers: “I don’t think he will, to be honest.

“The problem with Rangers and Celtic is they can’t pay the money that teams in the Premier League can. Goldson’s trying to move for financial reasons.

“What can Rangers offer Bassey? That’s the issue. He could probably get double the money at Aston Villa.

“I’m sure he would be reluctant to sign a new contract and see what is out there for him, to be honest.

“There will be clubs out there for him, 1000 per cent. He’s quick, calm on the ball, strong and good in the air.

“I’d take him at Aston Villa tomorrow. A lot of clubs in the Premier League will look at him.

“I’m surprised that Leicester let him go, to be honest. That’s very strange.”

The Verdict: Departure seems inevitable

Unfortunately for the Light Blues, it seems inevitable that Bassey will move on if Villa or another club in the Premier League were to put in a serious offer for him.

The 22-year-old has already shown that he is made for the big stage with his impressive performance in their Europa League final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, making three interceptions and two tackles on the night, while his display was described as ‘astonishing’ by BT Sport pundit Owen Hargreaves.

Nonetheless, with a new contract on the table, Bassey’s future now lies in his own hands, and it looks set to be a big couple of months over the summer for the Nigeria international.

In other news, find out who has now emerged as a Gers target

A huge development has emerged on Rangers gem Steven Davis and his future at Ibrox heading into the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to the Scottish Daily Express, the Gers are closing in on an agreement to keep him in Glasgow for another season. His current deal expires ahead of the 2022/23 campaign and Ross Wilson has moved to secure his future with fresh terms.

The report claims that Premiership clubs Motherwell and St Mirren are both keen on signing the veteran gem and the Light Blues have fended them off to retain his services.

Supporters will be delighted

The Gers supporters will surely be delighted with this news as keeping hold of Davis will be a boost to Gio van Bronckhorst’s squad next season.

He is an experienced and valuable member of the team who can offer a great deal for the club on and off the pitch in 2022/23. The Northern Ireland international has played a whopping 344 games for Rangers in separate spells and played 306 matches down south in the Premier League.

This shows that he knows exactly what it takes to play at the top level and has a wealth of experience to impart to the other members of the squad.

He can, therefore, play a huge role off the pitch as he helps the younger players by giving them tips and keeping them grounded as they make their way into the first team. Davis can be an example to the likes of Alex Lowry and Charlie McCann with his professionalism, setting an example for them to strive to match.

On the pitch, he can also have an impact for van Bronckhorst. In the Premiership, he averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 6.96 across 18 appearances, making 1.9 tackles and interceptions per game and completing 88% of his attempted passes.

He also played seven times in the Europa League and was trusted to come on in the final of the competition against Frankfurt, before starting in the Scottish Cup final win over Hearts. This shows that the Dutch head coach believes that the 37-year-old still has the ability to perform in huge games for Rangers.

Supporters will, therefore, be buzzing with the news that he is set to sign a new contract and will be hoping that he can continue to be a reliable option for van Bronckhorst to call upon next season.

AND in other news, Wilson could land Rangers’ next £20m talent with bid for “top notch” £3.4k-p/w target…

After narrowly losing out on the Premier League title to Manchester City at the weekend, Liverpool will go back to the drawing board after next weekend’s Champions League battle vs Real Madrid.

Klopp’s side have hardly put a foot wrong this season, but if we’re critical, they lack quality midfield depth – a flaw that has been highlighted by Thiago’s injury against Wolves.

As such, the latest report will come as a boost to the Anfield faithful.

What’s the word?

As per the Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle, who clarified more on the Reds’ transfer targets via a Q&A, Klopp’s side are keen on signing Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham with the 18-year-old said to be “a player that they really like.”

Can’t get enough Liverpool football content? Watch Liverpool FC live streams and other videos at StreamFootball.tv.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-liverpool-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-salah-gnabry-isak-romano” title= “Read the latest Liverpool news!”]

Whilst Doyle believes that Liverpool will not make a move until next year, due to BVB’s reluctance to lose another key player after City’s capture of Erling Haaland, it still makes for a positive admission.

A generational Talent

With the domino effect playing a big part in football over the last few years, you cannot rule out a move for Bellingham – despite Haaland’s recent departure.

Dortmund are a forward-thinking club that seemingly have ready-made targets lined up if their big players are to leave. The most recent example of this is Dortmund’s capture of Karim Adeyemi in place of the Norwegian wonderkid.

At 18-years-of-age, Bellingham has asserted himself as “another generational talent” in the eyes of YouTube personality and radio host Mark Goldbridge, and has put up some numbers that evidence the hype that surrounds him.

With an average of 3.16 shot-creating actions, 19.58 touches in the attacking third and 10.84 passes under pressure, Bellingham’s poise in an attacking sense has developed astonishingly over the last year – with his defensive acumen already noted, with an average of 5.78 pressures in the attacking third more than good enough to fit into a Klopp system.

Bellingham has gone from a total of 14 assists in all competitions this season for Dortmund.

Liverpool would be the ideal destination for the youngster, so with news of the Reds’ interest, it bodes well for both parties, particularly Klopp who would love to have the £100m talent in his squad.

In other news: Terms agreed: Liverpool closing in on “magnificent” £60m gem, he’s Thiago 2.0