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Arsenal bringing in Ilkay Gundogan this summer on a free transfer from Manchester City would be an 'exciting' deal for the club, according to journalist Paul Brown.

What's the latest transfer news involving Ilkay Gundogan?

According to The Guardian, Arsenal are said to be 'pursuing a move' for Manchester City captain Gundogan, whose £140k-a-week contract at the Etihad Stadium is set to run out this summer.

The 32-year-old has worked with Gunners boss Mikel Arteta in the past and it is believed that he could be tempted by the possibility of linking up with the Spaniard again heading into 2023/24.

90min report that Barcelona are also keen on the Germany international and he may be open to the fresh challenge and opportunity to live in Spain with his family.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola hasn't given up hope of keeping Gundogan and gave an update on his future in the aftermath of the Citizens' 2-1 victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup final last weekend where the player bagged a brace, as per BBC Sport, stating: "He knows what I think. (Football director) Txiki (Begiristain) is working on it (a new contract). Hopefully he can be successful."

Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic has agreed personal terms with Manchester City ahead of a potential move to the club, which may signal that the Sky Blues are looking to replace Gundogan in the off-season, as per talkSPORT.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Brown thinks Arsenal would be pulling off a coup if they were able to attract Gundogan to north London this summer.

Brown told FFC: "It may, from City's point of view, not depend on them getting Kovacic if he's allowed to leave. It really depends on where Gundogan sees his future, but I think it'd be quite an exciting one if Arsenal could pull that off."

What have Ilkay Gundogan's stats been like this season?

Gundogan has been in fine form for Manchester City this campaign as they close in on what would be a historic treble comprising the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League if they can defeat Inter Milan on Saturday in Istanbul.

In 2022/23, the 32-year-old has made 50 appearances in all competitions for his current employers, registering 11 goals and seven assists, as per Transfermarkt.

Leading by example, WhoScored shows that Gundogan maintained a pass success rate of 88.2% in the Premier League this term, demonstrating his constant reliability in the engine room for Manchester City.

As per FBRef, Gundogan has also completed 124 shot-creating actions this campaign, contributing heavily to attacking phases of play for his side.

Arsenal will look to build from a position of strength looking ahead to 2023/24 and Gundogan would be a world-class addition to boost Arteta's midfield options.

Newcastle United have been successful in their ambitions by achieving the dream of playing in the Champions League again.

Nnow a new update has emerged on a potentially massive transfer for the Magpies that could put them in contention to go a long way in that competition.

What's the latest on Lionel Messi's future?

According to Argentinian journalist Pablo Gravellone, Newcastle are one of the Premier League clubs interested in signing World Cup winner Lionel Messi this summer.

Gravellone took to Twitter on Saturday to make the stunning claim: "From England, it’s assured today that Chelsea and Newcastle have entered the race to sign Messi."

Will Newcastle sign Lionel Messi this summer?

Whilst the idea of Messi's arrival on Tyneside might seem far-fetched to most, it would be a huge statement of PIF's intent to make Newcastle a global brand both on and off the pitch.

It has been proven on many occasions that Messi's influence on his club's global recognition and of course, his phenomenal impact on the pitch is completely unrivalled by any other player on the planet. For example, Paris Saint Germain lost a remarkable 600k followers on Instagram this weekend following the Argentine's final game for the Ligue 1 side.

Despite becoming one of the richest clubs on the planet when the Saudi-led takeover went through in November 2021, the Magpies have found themselves restricted on how much they can spend due to Financial Fair Play rules and the club's lack of commercial revenue compared to the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City.

As a result, the signing of the £1m-per-week superstar could play a key role in unlocking the financial capabilities Newcastle boast with merchandising profits, advertising opportunities and commercial deals of all kinds likely to skyrocket if a move was completed to bring the 806-goal phenomenon to St James' Park.

In terms of where Messi stands on his future, it has been reported heavily that the 35-year-old – hailed the "Mozart of football" by Radomir Antic – is eyeing up a lucrative move to Al-Hilal of the Saudi Pro League.

However, Italian journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has dispelled these rumours to claim that the former Barcelona whiz wants to remain in competitive football.

With that being said, the opportunity to sign Messi will be hard to ignore for the powerbrokers at St James' Park and would be without a shadow of a doubt the biggest move for PIF and Newcastle in their entire club's history.

With Champions League qualification secured and an unmatched ambition being shown by the owners, it could be an incredibly attractive prospect for the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Betting and football have always been interconnected. In today’s hyper commercialized and information-driven players market, betting companies saw a golden opportunity and took it. Betting on transfers can be a fun way to take your interest in the transfer market to the next level, and by making accurate predictions you can also make, or lose, some extra cash. 

Betting is now incorporated into everything in modern football. From sponsors and logos on the players uniforms to highly publicized ads with former greats promoting some obscure gambling company. In this text we’re going to go through everything you need to know in regards to betting on football transfers and what you need to keep in mind as you go. 

However, we’re not going to provide you with a list of the best companies to use and so forth. Instead we’ll direct you to:https://www.thepunterspage.com/player-transfer-betting/ where you can get more information on everything regarding betting on transfers.

Betting on football transfers 

Betting on football transfers are, for obvious reasons, relatively straightforward. You place money on a certain player going to a specific club, and the wager pays out if you’re right. It can however become relatively tricky pretty quickly. 

In today’s world of agents and the interest in transfers being so extremely high, it’s not uncommon for the future club address of top players to be more or less open secrets. The gambling companies, as everyone else, read the news and have their own contacts in the clubs. Therefore it can be somewhat tricky to receive fair odds every time you want to bet on a transfer. 

If you’re interested in taking it a step further it’s therefore better to instead focus on domestic transfers and the like. You don’t have to go down into the first division to find interesting bets, but betting on Lewandowskis next club or speculating on where Messi will play the following season can be more or less a waste of your time. 

An alternate revenue stream for the betting companies 

Regardless of what all the ads say: the betting companies are not your friend. Like all companies their goal is to make money, and they’re very good at their jobs. The betting industry is highly lucrative and companies are always on the hunt for various alternative sources of income. 

Therefore, betting on football transfers is just one part of the growing market for alternative betting. 

Photo by Unsplash

Manchester United have begun their new chapter under Erik ten Hag and are said be vying for the signature of Villarreal defender Pau Torres.

What’s the word?

That is according to Marca, via Sport Witness, who have stated in their latest report that the Old Trafford side are the club that yearns “most strongly” to sign the Spaniard.

It is said that Ten Hag has requested a centre-back who is comfortable on the ball, with the club believing that 25-year-old Torres “fits perfectly” into the 52-year-old’s plans.

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As per the report, Manchester United are “willing to pay up to €50m (£42.5m)” for the defender, which has placed them ahead of the competition.

The 25-year-old’s agents reportedly “plan to travel to Manchester this week” to negotiate contract details, as long as United “can reach an understanding” with the Yellow Submarine.

Ten Hag will love him

Since the departure of Daley Blind, who ironically returned back to Ajax to garner even more success playing under Ten Hag, United have lacked a natural left-footed central defender.

Like Pep Guardiola recently, the Dutchman is an advocate of natural centre-backs who fit into one of the two positions in a four-at-the-back set-up which means Torres is someone he’d love to sign.

With the way that both coaches seek to achieve mass possession, the centre-backs effectively become the midfield base in possession, so ball-playing defenders whose foot is suited to their respective position in the backline can offer stability.

Torres can be that option for Ten Hag, and with the latest news stating their yearn to sign the Spaniard, it looks as though United understand the importance of the Villarreal man too.

The 25-year-old’s numbers in possession over the last year would see him become the most esteemed ball-playing centre-back among the United squad, with his average of 4.64 progressive carries, 1.04 carries into the final third, 4.31 progressive passes, and 6.70 passes under pressure just some of the metrics that would drastically improve the United backline, whilst predictably toppling both Raphael Varane’s and Harry Maguire’s numbers.

Based on that, it’s hardly a surprise to see the defender dubbed “extraordinary” by former Villarreal player and coach Javi Calleja.

With six goal contributions this season in La Liga, in the form of five goals and one assist, Torres is fully established in possession and has scored more goals than the likes of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Edinson Cavani this season.

United could pull off a masterclass with a signing like Torres in what would be a fierce statement of intent towards the rest of the Premier League.

In other news: Offer made: Man United have submitted bid to sign £85.4m “lion”, he’s Lewandowski 2.0 

Crystal Palace have identified FC Porto veteran Pepe as a potential target, according to transfer insider Dean Jones. 

The lowdown

The centre-back, who spent a decade of his career at Real Madrid between 2007 and 2017, turned 39 in February. He has played 664 games in his club career to date, scoring 34 goals, providing 34 assists and racking up 172 yellow cards and 13 reds.

Pepe, who has a further 124 caps at international level for Portugal, has one year remaining on his contract with Porto but is valued at just £900,000 by Transfermarkt.

Vieira’s current centre-back options include Marc Guehi, Joachim Andersen, Nathan Ferguson and James Tomkins. However, injury woes have restricted Ferguson to just one appearance for the club, while Tomkins is out of contract at the end of June.

The latest

Writing for GiveMeSport, Jones explained that Palace are ‘looking to make smart acquisitions that may also offer good value’.

He named Pepe as one of the players that the Eagles’ recruitment staff had ‘checked out’ ahead of a possible summer move.

The verdict

Pepe usually started whenever he was available for Porto in the 2021/22 season, and he may not want to forego the opportunity to play Champions League football once again. On the other hand, if he would like to experience the Premier League before he retires, he may view this as his last chance to do so.

He would bring immense pedigree to south London, having been named in the team of the tournament at three European Championships (2008, 2012 and 2016). In the latter, he was named man of the match in the final against hosts France, when his nation triumphed 1-0 after extra time.

Even Cristiano Ronaldo, his much-celebrated international team-mate, has referred to him as a ‘king’, and the 39-year-old could be an immensely popular player among the Selhurst Park faithful if he links up with Patrick Vieira and co.

In other news, Palace are also tracking this potential signing

Manchester United have already established contact with Benfica over a potential deal for Darwin Nunez. 

That’s according to journalist Ryan Taylor, who was speaking to GiveMeSport.

The lowdown

New United boss Erik ten Hag is preparing for his first summer transfer window at the club.

On Monday, the Dutchman officially began work at Old Trafford, having opted to make an early start.

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, ‘sources close’ to Benfica think that 22-year-old forward Nunez will be available for around €60million (£51million).

CBS reporter James Benge also said last week that the Uruguayan was on ‘Ten Hag’s list’.

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The latest

Taylor thinks that United will look to support Ronaldo with the addition to another no. 9.

They admire Nunez and have opened a dialogue both with Benfica and his camp to establish the feasibility of a move.

“I do sort of question where United’s priorities lie; it’s probably a striker to help Ronaldo,” he told GMS.

“So, Darwin Nunez, I know he’s a player definitely that United like, and they’ve initiated contact with Benfica and his agent to sort of gauge what kind of price tag would be enough to get him.”

The verdict

Nunez very much looks like an elite striker in the making.

He’s enjoyed an outstanding season, netting a remarkable 34 times in 41 appearances across all competitions, averaging one every 82.9 minutes.

The Primeira Liga may be outside Europe’s top five divisions, but Nunez has also delivered on the Champions League stage with six goals in ten appearances, including two against Barcelona, two against Liverpool and one against Bayern Munich.

Cristiano Ronaldo finished the season with 24 goals following his return to Manchester, but he’ll turn 38 next year and he’s suffered from a recurring hip issue this term.

Fresh blood may be needed in that position, especially a young goalscorer in red-hot form hailed as ‘brilliant’ by former top-flight striker Kevin Campbell.

In other news, the representatives of this Man Utd target have arrived in the UK. 

James Copley has been left stunned by what he has now heard from Sunderland before their League One play-off final clash against Wycombe Wanderers next Saturday.

The Lowdown: Sold out

As per the Wearside club’s official website, they have now sold out all of their ticket allocation for the final, which equates to more than 43,960.

They have now made a request to the EFL and Wembley Stadium to further increase their ticket allocation, and a further update will be issued in due course.

The Latest: Copley stunned

Taking to Twitter, Sunderland Echo journalist Copley was stunned when he heard the news, claiming that it was an ‘outstanding effort’ by the Sunderland supporters.

He gushed: “Over 43,960 tickets sold to Sunderland fans for Saturday… request is now into the EFL for more. What an outstanding effort!”

The Verdict: Great support

Sunderland are a huge club and have a large fanbase, drawing by far the biggest average attendance in League One, but to sell almost 44,000 tickets for the play-off final, with the potential to add thousands more, really shows their great support.

Wycombe have a much smaller fanbase by comparison and would not be able to sell as many tickets, so the remaining seats left in the stadium should be given to other Sunderland supporters who are willing to make the trip to London for the final.

They should be given the opportunity to be there to see Alex Neil’s team potentially gain promotion back to the Championship, in what could hopefully be the first step towards eventually getting back in the Premier League.

In other news, find out what big decision has now been made for Saturday’s final

Liverpool are targeting a summer move for highly rated Aberdeen right-back Calvin Ramsay who has been likened to João Cancelo.

What’s the story?

According to GOAL, Liverpool are plotting a £4m move for the Scottish wonderkid who has impressed in the Scottish Premiership this season.

He’s expected to move to Anfield and become a long term back up to star defender Trent Alexander-Arnold. The report states that The Reds expect they will lose Neco Williams and that Ramsay would make an ideal replacement.

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That said, they do face competition from fellow Premier League side Leeds United.

Fabrizio Romano would go on to confirm that Liverpool are also in formal talks to sign the player on Monday morning.

He could be their own Cancelo

One player that the Scotland U21 international has been compared to is Manchester City full-back Cancelo. It’s a bold statement, and if he ends up being anywhere near as good as the Portuguese international then he will have done extremely well.

At just 18 years of age, he has appeared 33 times for the Dons this season and has tallied nine assists and a goal. His attacking ability will be one of the reasons why Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admires him.

Both Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are known for pushing high and being involved in attacking playing, meaning Ramsay would fit in perfectly with Liverpool’s style of play.

The Scotsman has made an average of 1.9 key passes per game this season which is more than City’s Cancelo and shows just how good he is going forward.

He is yet to make a senior appearance for the Scotland national team but having been dubbed as “so special” by scout Jacek Kulig, it surely won’t long before he gets the call. He was targeted by Italian side Bologna in January but Aberdeen rejected their advances.

Given the interest, it won’t be easy for Liverpool to get hold of him as other teams may be able to offer more playing time. However, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the player wanted to stay close to home, and it would be difficult to turn down an offer from one of Europe’s biggest clubs.

The Reds’ interest in Ramsay raises question marks over the future of Williams. The Welshman has spent the second part of this season on loan at Fulham and is rated at £7.2m but could fetch a higher fee after impressive displays. If Ramsay does move to Merseyside it will likely mean Williams is on his way out.

IN other news: Liverpool now plotting move for exciting 17-goal “poacher”, he’s Klopp’s next Jota…

Jordan Campbell has been reacting to the news that Glasgow Rangers youngster Alex Lowry has been rewarded with a new contract at Ibrox. 

The lowdown: Fending off suitors

The 18-year-old playmaker has signed a new deal with the Glasgow giants, having impressed in his four first-team outings to date.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst handed the teenager his debut against Stirling Albion in the Scottish Cup earlier this year and Lowry found the net after coming off the bench in a 4-0 victory.

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Since then, the Scotland youth international – who has been hailed by his former coach Graeme Murty for his “remarkable” self-confidence – has made his Premiership bow and been linked with the likes of Manchester City and Newcastle United.

The latest: Campbell reacts

Taking to Twitter upon the clubs’ confirmation of Lowry’s new contract, Campbell – who is Rangers correspondent for The Athletic – voiced his delight by saying:

“Excellent news for Rangers that they have tied down Alex Lowry on a new deal until 2025. At 18, he’s already shown he has bundles of ability. Should become a more regular presence next season. Important that top talents are retained until they can impact on the first team.”

The extension means that the Uddingston-born starlet will remain with the Gers for at least another three years.

The verdict: Spot on

Whilst the upcoming Europa League final is a sure sign of things moving in a positive direction under Van Bronckhorst following the sudden departure of Steven Gerrard in the autumn, being able to tie down players such as Lowry is a huge positive for the Teddy Bears.

Albeit only a small sample size, the five-cap Scotland under-19 ace has scored three times and provided two assists this season across all levels for Rangers, showing that he can frequently make a difference in the final third.

Furthermore, even tentative links with Premier League big-hitters such as Manchester City would suggest that the teenager is a prodigious talent and one to keep a very close eye on next season.

In other news, Rangers now face a ‘big fight’ to keep another player at Ibrox

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has admitted that the club are ‘in discussions’ with Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota over permanent summer moves.

The Lowdown: Celtic loan duo influential

The Hoops are tantalisingly close to being crowned Premiership champions after missing out last season, with numerous players doing their bit for the cause.

Carter-Vickers and Jota arrived on loan last summer from Tottenham and Benfica respectively, and they have both been hugely influential performers.

The former has been a rock at the back, winning an average of four aerial duels per league game, while the latter has scored 11 goals and registered 12 assists overall.

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The Latest: Postecoglou drops fresh transfer claim

The hope is that Carter-Vickers and Jota both stay on this summer and join Celtic permanently, and speaking to the media [via Daily Record], Postecoglou stated that the transfers would hopefully happen:

“We are in discussions with them obviously, and as I have said all along, with these kind of things it’s never a simple process. But both have had unbelievable years for us and been outstanding contributors and both are really happy here.

“Our intent is to try and keep them at our football club but these things need a point where all parties agree. I am hopeful we will get to that point but at this point we are not quite there yet.”

The Verdict: Get it sorted

Signing both Carter-Vickers and Jota permanently is an absolute no-brainer for Celtic, considering how crucial they have both been to the Hoops’ success this season.

They have slotted in seamlessly despite only arriving on a temporary basis, and at the ages of 24 and 23 respectively, they would both come in as long-term additions under Postecoglou.

There is likely to be interest from other clubs this summer, which could prove to be a stumbling block, but if the duo want to stay put at Parkhead, it is an easy decision for Celtic to make.

In other news, a journalist has made a key Celtic transfer claim. Read more here.