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Liverpool are lining up a move to bring Chelsea striker Timo Werner to Anfield as Jurgen Klopp seeks to bolster his attacking options.

What’s the news?

That’s according to Football Insider, who stated that the Reds are eyeing up a move for the Germany international this summer as Klopp looks to add another forward to his squad.

Chelsea will be looking for a fee of around £33m if any potential transfer is to take place and this is comfortably inside Liverpool’s budget, especially with funds generated from the sales of Sadio Mane and (imminently) Takumi Minamino.

This will be the second time Klopp has wanted to bring the striker to Liverpool after missing out on him in 2019.

Just imagine him and Diaz

The move for Werner may come as a surprise to the Anfield faithful, especially considering the player’s underwhelming spell in the Premier League during his two seasons at Chelsea.

A £47.5m signing in 2020, Werner has scored 23 goals in 89 appearances, adding 21 assists, not exactly setting the world on fire at Stamford Bridge.

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Nonetheless, he could well fit into Klopp’s style of play and become a useful signing, especially with the departures of Divock Origi, Mane and most probably Minamino which have lessened the Reds’ attacking depth.

Despite his struggles in England, the 26-year-old German could still offer something different to the Liverpool attack, and his figures when he was at RB Leipzig may suggest that Klopp could get the best out of him.

Werner netted an incredible 93 goals and registered 40 assists in just 158 matches with the Bundesliga club, a record which promoted Chelsea to splash the cash on the player.

He has shown glimpses of what he is capable of over the last 12 months, ranking in the 98th percentile among strikers in Europe’s top five leagues for touches in the attacking penalty area with 8.12 per match, while also taking 3.16 shots per game.

If Werner can return to the form which saw him dazzle at Leipzig, he could form an effective duo with Liverpool winger Luis Diaz – who made an instant impression upon coming to England in January – and add to his Premier League goal tally. It’s not for nothing that his Chelsea teammate Kai Havertz dubbed him “unpredictable”.

It might be a risky move, but if Klopp pulls it off and it works out, it could be one of his finest Liverpool signings to date.

AND in other news, Klopp can finally axe £125k-p/w dud in LFC deal to sign “top class” £77.2m metronome

Newcastle United have been mentioned with a summer move for Wales winger Gareth Bale.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from The Guardian, Newcastle are a potential destination for the former Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur player this summer.

It’s thought that Spurs and Aston Villa are also after a move for the Welsh forward.

Howe would love him

After making 258 appearances for the Spanish giants across all competitions, in which he scored 106 goals, provided 67 assists and won numerous trophies along the way, including five Champions League, the 32-year-old said goodbye to the club at the end of last season.

In the Premier League, during spells with Tottenham and Southampton, the attacker has found the net 54 times and supplied 33 assists in 166 appearances, highlighting the vast experience he has of playing in the top flight and being a deadly goal threat while doing so.

Labelled as a “frightening” player by Ian Darke, Bale has also been described as being a “freak of nature” on the pitch in the past by former Wales international Dean Saunders.

Despite originally leaving England for his mega-money move to Madrid back in 2013, Bale showed during the 2020/21 season that he still has what it takes to be a useful attacking player in the Premier League.

During his loan spell back at the north London club, the Welshman, who was picking up a rather hefty weekly wage of £528k-per-week at the Bernabeu, scored 16 goals in 34 appearances for the Lilywhites.

Taking all of this into account, having an experienced and clearly incredibly talented attacking figure like Bale in the dressing room and in his squad at Newcastle would surely delight Eddie Howe, especially if the former Spurs star can get back into the rhythm of the Premier League and be a terrifying attacking force once again.

With Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett suggesting that the winger could make a return to England this summer, Newcastle should definitely make it clear that they would be willing to take the player and make a real statement of intent at St. James’ Park.

However, with this latest report suggesting, rather unsurprisingly, that Newcastle aren’t the only team in the mix to sign him, it could be an interesting battle to see who wins his signature.

In other news: NUFC make approach to sign £51.6m machine who’s “one of the best”, he’s Bruno 2.0

Liverpool have enjoyed a successful season winning both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, but they are now ready to go again next season and could be set to bolster their squad beyond finding a Sadio Mane replacement this summer.

What’s the latest?

According to Italian news outlet Calciomercato, Liverpool are interested in signing Matthijs de Ligt this summer.

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As per the report, the Reds are one of the most interested clubs in taking advantage of stalling contract talks between Juventus and the young defender, but they are not alone in their interest.

Manchester United, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are all named as parties who will compete with Liverpool to secure the signing.

The news comes amidst a potentially record-breaking swoop for Benfica striker Darwin Nunez who could move to Merseyside this summer.

Dream VVD heir

There is no doubt that Liverpool have one of the best defensive set-ups in European football boasting top talents like Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson and Joel Matip, however Klopp could be planning for the future when it comes to their most recent rumoured transfer target.

Both Matip and Van Dijk are now in their 30s and whilst they have many years ahead of them as well as a reliable youngster in Ibrahima Konate rotating into the centre-back partnership, if the reports are true FSG are clearly planning ahead to make sure they’re not caught short in their back-line.

De Light who was hailed an “absolute monster” by journalist Carlo Garganese has had an outstanding season in Serie A with Juventus.

According to SofaScore, the £83.6m star scored three goals and created three big chances, whilst making 1.1 tackles, 3.1 clearances and taking 64.5 touches on average per game.

He also won the majority of his duels (62%) and was successful in the majority of his dribbles (67%), proving he is a nightmare for any forward line.

The 22-year-old dubbed “incredible” by Andrea Barzagli would be the perfect heir to eventually succeed Matip and van Dijk when the time comes, but there is one huge problem that puts the entire idea of the potential transfer in question.

De Ligt would only be willing to make the move to Liverpool if he was paid £200k-per-week, something that would be unfathomable in FSG’s tight wage structure and would put him at the top end with the likes of Mo Salah and Van Dijk who perform and play week in week out, which would be unlikely for the youngster due to the strength in defence.

With that being said, FSG will need to carefully consider their move for De Ligt and weigh up their options as there are other areas of the squad that need strengthening, so to offer a player they don’t necessarily needs the kind of salary he demands would likely be a non-starter.

AND in other news: Offer made: Liverpool now “want to sign” 34-goal “diamond”, Klopp absolutely loves him

Liverpool and Manchester City are both eyeing up a future move for Arsenal and England star Bukayo Saka, according to The Daily Mail.

The Lowdown: Saka shines for Arsenal

The 20-year-old has already blossomed into arguably the first name on Arsenal’s team sheet these days, having made enormous strides in recent years.

Saka scored 11 goals and registered seven assists in the Premier League last season, also averaging 1.8 key passes per game, and has been valued at a whopping £58.5million by Transfermarkt.

While the England international may not be available this summer, Arsenal could find it hard to keep hold of him for years to come, with his contract currently ticking towards a conclusion in 2024.

The Latest: Liverpool and City keen on move

According to The Daily Mail, City have ‘stepped up their interest’ in Saka ahead of a future move but Liverpool are also mentioned in the conversation.

The Reds have ‘earmarked’ him as a target, as Jurgen Klopp looks to rebuild his squad for the long term.

Saka actually shares an agent with Liverpool winger Sheyi Ojo, who has 12 months remaining on his contract at Anfield.

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The Verdict: Next summer, perhaps?

While this summer looks like a no-go for Liverpool and Saka, a move for him this time next year could make more sense, at which point he would only have 12 months left on his current deal.

Mohamed Salah could also be on the verge of leaving Anfield then, judging by the current situation, and the Arsenal hero could be perfect to fill that void, such is his left-footed brilliance on the right-hand side with the Gunners.

He is also supremely versatile, racking up appearances in north London all the way up both flanks, at centre-midfield and even up front.

Saka is arguably one of England’s most exciting players and a leading figure for many years to come – Ray Parlour has called him a ‘revelation’ – and his style of play feels perfect for Liverpool, given his trickery out wide, goal threat and work ethic.

In other news, a journalist has bemoaned a Liverpool transfer rumour. Read more here.

A Sunderland development has emerged regarding Ross Stewart heading into the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

According to The Northern Echo, the Black Cats are set to make a contract offer to the centre-forward as they attempt to keep him at the Stadium of Light.

Middlesbrough and Rangers have been linked with a swoop for the Scotland international, and the Wearside club are now ready to ward off interest by extending his current terms.

On that note, Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman hinted at potential deals for existing members of the squad as he said: “From our contractual status and planning, we have got players that are on contracts where it’s Sunderland’s decision what happens to those players to a certain degree.

“We are constantly negotiating with players. You want happy players in the club to obviously then perform but ultimately we are putting ourselves in position where we are protecting the club. We are looking after the players and therefore everyone is happy.”

Supporters will be delighted

The supporters will surely be delighted by the prospect of Stewart signing a new deal, as keeping him at the Stadium of Light would be a major boost for Alex Neil.

Sunderland will need to keep their best players to give them the best chance of being able to compete in the Championship next season, and the striker certainly falls into that category.

In the 2021/22 campaign, the Scot scored a whopping 26 goals in 49 games for the Black Cats in League One. He has proven that he can find the net on a consistent basis and is the biggest goal threat in the team by some distance.

Nathan Broadhead’s tally of 10 goals was the next highest in the squad and he has now returned to Everton following the end of his loan deal, illustrating how important Stewart’s goals will be to Sunderland next term.

It is also worth mentioning that the 25-year-old started all 46 games in the regular season and then the three play-off matches for the club. This proves that he is reliable in terms of his availability as well as his goalscoring, and this will be important in another gruelling 46-game season.

Stewart has proven that he can withstand a high volume of matches without breaking down due to injury, and Neil would be buzzing if he can keep hold of a player he can rely upon at the top end of the pitch.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Wright: Neil can land “perfect” Sunderland signing with deal for “superb” brute…

Aston Villa are reportedly interested in Anderlecht defender Sergio Gomez, as Steven Gerrard plots further summer additions.

What’s the word?

As per The Athletic, the 21-year-old is one player that ‘has been monitored’ by the Midlands outfit, with sporting director Johan Lange on the hunt for a ‘young and progressive’ understudy to January arrival Lucas Digne at left-back.

Villa are believed to be scouting and assessing emerging talents across Europe who have ‘first-team experience and the potential to grow’ should they be brought to England in the upcoming window, with adding a new left-sided defender seemingly a priority, as well as an additional midfielder and a striker.

The club have already made three summer additions thus far, despite the window having not yet officially opened, with loanee Robin Olsen also expected to sign on a permanent deal in the coming days/weeks.

The next Iniesta?

Gomez appears to fit the bill of an exciting young prospect who already has a wealth of experience under his belt and room to grow, the Spaniard having risen through the youth ranks at Barcelona, before joining Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in 2018.

Despite making just two league appearances for the German outfit, the £9m-rated gem enjoyed a successful two-year loan stint at Spanish outfit Huesca, before eventually moving to Belgium on a permanent deal last summer.

Since then, the attacking full-back has proven a revelation under Vincent Kompany – who is set to link up with Burnley this summer – netting six goals and registering 11 assists in 39 league outings, while also averaging an outstanding 7.38 average match rating – the second-highest among the Anderlecht squad.

What is most impressive is that prior to this campaign, the £9k-per-week playmaker – who has been dubbed a “great talent” by one journalist – had largely featured as an attacking midfielder, although has put his creative talents to good use from his left-back berth.

With his roots in La Masia, the Spain U21 international had been earmarked to be a star of the future at the Nou Camp in the centre of the park, with journalist Ronan Murphy previously dubbing him the “heir to Iniesta” such is his talent.

That is high praise indeed considering the lofty career that the now-veteran ace has enjoyed, winning a multitude of honours at both club and international level, as well as being widely recognised as one of the finest midfielders to have graced the game – both of his own generation and beyond.

Although it may be as a defender that Villa view the 5 foot 7 starlet, his versatility and flexibility may prove something of a bonus, while Gerrard could well uncover a real diamond if he does opt to reinstate the former Dortmund man into an attacking midfield role.

Comparisons to the great Andres Iniesta aren’t made lightly, Villa should well take note and act swiftly.

IN other news, Gerrard can land AVFC’s next Southgate with move for “outstanding” £120k-p/w warrior

Tottenham Hotspur are thought to be among the teams interested in Richarlison…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Daily Mail’s Sami Mokbel, who delivered a fresh update on the Brazilian’s status at Everton heading into the summer transfer window.

European heavyweights Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are also mooted by the report as the 25-year-old faces an uncertain future in Merseyside.

Richarlison has two years to run on his current £90k-per-week deal, so the Toffees will be in no rush to sell their star man; and given his importance to Frank Lampard’s side, it remains to be seen if they’d even let him go and for how much.

He is currently valued at £45m by Transfermarkt and may well represent an opportunity to bolster their transfer budget due to financial constraints.

[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!”]

Shades of Lautaro Martinez

Antonio Conte’s quest to find another option up top has certainly taken a surprising twist, with the Everton frontman a potential candidate to either provide back-up to Harry Kane or play alongside him.

It could suggest that the Italian may be keen to replicate his successful tactics at Inter Milan, where he secured the Nerazzurri their first Serie A title in over a decade in 2020/21.

At the San Siro, Conte enjoyed a free-scoring duo of Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez, two very different profiles of strikers. The former is more of a brute force, a target man, whilst the latter is shorter, quicker and can cause trouble in behind the defensive line.

Kane is a far superior striker to the Chelsea marksman, as he can drop deeper and act as a playmaker with his impressive passing range, so the prospect of a proven attacker like Richarlison playing off him is certainly an intriguing one.

He is also the perfect fit for the 52-year-old Lilywhites boss – as per FBRef, the Brazil international ranks inside the top 1% for blocks (1.71 per 90), top 5% for tackles (1.43 per 90) and top 8% of pressures (21.05 per 90) when compared to his positional peers across Europe’s ‘Big Five’.

This suggests he has an impressive work rate in the final third and will help the side defend from the front, thus retaining possession in dangerous areas, where he or Kane can then wreak havoc.

He bagged ten goals in a struggling Toffees side last season, taking his total for the club to 53 across 152 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

Also lauded as a “complete” player by his former manager Carlo Ancelotti, the 25-year-old could well emerge as Conte’s next Martinez should Spurs follow up their interest with a firm offer.

His versatility to play on either flank would also provide further cover for the likes of Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski, so on the above evidence, Richarlison would indeed be a fine addition to Tottenham’s frontline.

AND in other news, Paratici could unearth the next £100m talent as Spurs now eye “unbelievable” signing…

Rangers fell at the final hurdle as they looked to secure the Europa League title by beating Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville last night.

After getting through extra time with a 1-1 scoreline, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side ultimately lost on penalties after midfielder Aaron Ramsey failed to covert his attempt.

As well as this major disappointment, the Ibrox side were also dealt another blow which not only impacted their penalty shootout on the day but could also impact their upcoming Scottish Cup final clash against Hearts on Saturday.

What’s the news?

Shortly before the end of extra time, Rangers left-back Borna Barisic went off with an injury. This not only forced Van Bronckhorst to bring Kemar Roofe on in the full-back’s place but it also made him rejig his order for penalty takers according to the Daily Record.

With 43 appearances under his belt across all competitions this season, the Croatian is definitely an important figure for his side and Van Bronckhorst, who will surely be worrying over his fitness now.

In their Europa League campaign, the 29-year-old had appeared in all but one of their 15 matches, showing that the Dutchman certainly trusted him to deliver on the big stage.

To further highlight how significant the defender has been for his side in the SPFL this season, he ended their recent campaign with the joint-highest average of tackles per game (2.1) out of players to start more than one league game.

He also racked up the second highest number of crosses (158) in Rangers’ squad behind James Tavernier (398), showing how useful he can be in defence and attack.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that it would be a big blow for Rangers to potentially not have their left-back available to play at the weekend.

With Saturday’s clash being the club’s final attempt at being able to win some silverware this season, there’s no doubt that everyone connected with the Gers will want to see them win the trophy and put Wednesday’s disappointment in Seville behind them.

Moving forward, there will surely be many fingers crossed at Ibrox that Barisic will be able to be fit enough to play in Saturday’s final and that the team can end the season on a positive note with another trophy in their cabinet.

In other news: Fewer touches than McGregor: Rangers dud who won just 33% duels let GvB down yesterday

With Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United currently staring down the barrel of relegation from the Premier League, whether or not the 48-year-old manager remains at the club in the event of the Whites dropping down to the second tier appears very much up for debate.

Indeed, this question was posed to the American in a recent press conference, with the former RB Leipzig head coach appearing to suggest that he was not brought into the club by Victor Orta to simply oversee the remaining fixtures of the season, but rather to build a project at Elland Road.

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Regarding his future in LS11 beyond the end of the current campaign, Marsch said: “I am so focused on what we are doing right here, right now. My vision was not 12 games. It’s over years. The first step is staying in the Premier League. The club deserves it and the club has earned it. But we have to earn it in the moment right now.”

However, despite the 48-year-old’s rather optimistic outlook, the fact remains that, should Leeds find themselves playing Championship football next season – an outcome which, following the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea on Wednesday, is now a 65% probability – he will have failed in what will undoubtedly the primary objective given to him by Orta and Andrea Radrizzani back in March.

In a recent article for The Athletic, Phil Hay suggested that securing survival for the Whites is the only real way the American can back up his positive outlook concerning his future, with the journalist writing:

“He is nine games in and you cannot tell at this stage if you are seeing all of the coach or the man, which creates confusion over whether to be convinced or perplexed by some of what he is saying. Gandhi won’t get Leeds United out of trouble and neither will Mother Theresa. Marsch, on the other hand, can. It is an essential first step in proving he can walk the walk.”

Indeed, despite Leeds’ brief upturn in form following Marsch’s arrival at the club, results in recent weeks, as well as individual player performances – have been well below par, rendering Sunday’s meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion a must-win game if the Whites are to remain a Premier League side heading into 2022/23.

However, aside from deciding the club’s immediate future, the visit of the Seagulls could also determine whether or not Marsch will fulfil his prophecy of spending a number of years at Elland Road – as a defeat against Graham Potter’s outfit will force both Orta and Radrizzani into making a decision as to whether the 48-year-old is the man who they want to lead the Whites into a campaign in the second-tier of English football.

And, in the event of relegation, while it is true that a number of the current playing staff – including the likes of Rodrigo and Mateusz Klich – should be moved on this summer, we at Football FanCast also believe it would be wise to axe the £80k-per-week American, as the 48-year-old once again appears to be “out of his depth.”

AND in other news: Forget James: “Completely anonymous” dud should’ve just played his last game for Leeds

Newcastle United journalist Dominic Scurr has been left thrilled by some news that has now emerged before they play Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Darsley Park plans

As per The Athletic, the Magpies have now submitted ambitious plans to North Tyneside Council to upgrade their training ground at Darsley Park in Benton.

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They admitted that their current facilities do not meet the standards required for a club in the Premier League, and perhaps even in the Championship.

The Latest: Scurr reacts

Taking to Twitter, Scurr shared the kind of upgrades that have been planned at the training ground, labelling them as ‘exciting’.

The Shields Gazette journalist added that it is ‘welcome news’ for the St. James’ Park faithful, and claimed that Darsley Park was in ‘dire need’ of an upgrade.

The Verdict: Exciting

The plans to upgrade the training ground are exciting ones indeed, and show the ambition from the new owners to take the North East club to the next level.

In truth, this should have come much sooner, with former owner Mike Ashley seemingly neglecting the thought of bettering the facilities, but now the plans are finally in place.

Nonetheless, the improvements should also attract new players to the Toon, as they look to move to the next stage of their long-term project.

In other news, find out what big NUFC update has Liam Kennedy buzzing here!