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Alexandro Bernabei will undergo a medical at Celtic imminently and a move could be completed ‘this weekend’, according to reliable journalist Anthony Joseph.

The Lowdown: Bernabei heading to Celtic

Hopefully the Hoops have a productive summer in the transfer window ahead of them as Ange Postecoglou strengthens his options for next season.

One player who looks to be on the verge of a move to Celtic is Bernabei, who has excelled at left-back for Argentine side Lanus, becoming a key figure for the club at just 21. He started 23 league games for them last season and was their fourth-best player according to WhoScored performance metrics.

It now looks as though the youngster’s proposed move to Parkhead is edging closer all the time.

The Latest: Joseph drops Bernabei transfer claim

Taking to Twitter on Saturday, Joseph claimed that Bernabei would have a medical at Celtic imminently, with the £3.75m move potentially being completed before Monday.

The reporter tweeted:

“UPDATE: Alexandro Bernabei is due to undergo his medical at Celtic this weekend, before signing a long-term contract. The deal with Lanus is £3.75m, with a 10% sell-on clause. Bernabei & Jota are expected to be with the Celtic squad travelling to Austria for pre-season in July.”

The Verdict: Strong summer addition

Left-back is an area which could do with added depth this summer for Celtic, with Greg Taylor a good option there but more rotation needed ahead of a hectic 2022/23 campaign.

Bernabei looks like an exciting addition in that respect, coming in as a young player who can mature into a force for the Premiership champions, having won one cap for Argentina’s under-23s to date and established a reputation as a tough tackler – his average of two per game last term was better than any of the Hoops’ regulars.

The defender may not come in as an immediate first-team regular as he adjusts to his new surroundings, but over time there is no reason why he can’t become first choice under Postecoglou at Parkhead.

Yorkshire Live journalist Dom Howson has delivered a transfer update on Sheffield Wednesday’s interest in Hull City forward Mallik Wilks as part of a fan Q&A session.

The Lowdown: Wilks set to leave Hull

The 23-year-old first joined the Tigers on loan from Barnsley in January 2020, before making his switch to the MKM Stadium permanent in the summer of the same year.

Even though the winger still has 12 months remaining on his current contract, he’s reportedly been told that he is free to leave the club this window, something which appears to have caught the attention of multiple suitors, including the Owls, with a move to League One very much a possibility.

The Latest: Howson’s transfer update

During a fan Q&A session, Howson was asked by a supporter whether there is any truth in the rumours linking Wilks with a move to Wednesday, to which the reporter replied:

“Wednesday are still very much interested in Wilks. Hull have made their stance clear. He is not part of the manager’s plans there and is available for transfer.

“Wednesday are focusing hard on the free agency market at the moment and Wilks would require a transfer fee. He has got another year to run on his Hull contract and it is unlikely Hull will let him go for nothing.

“The thing to stress is Wednesday are looking at and have held talks with a number of potential attacking additions. They want to make sure they get the right players in to fit into Moore’s style of play.”

The Verdict: Proven goalscorer

Having recently secured the signings of David Stockdale and Ben Heneghan, Darren Moore will now be keen to add to his ranks even further as he prepares his squad for another big season in the third tier, and Wilks is a player the boss will be determined to get over the line.

The Leeds-born talent will be keen on completing a move away from Hull after only making one appearance for the club since the turn of the New Year, and he has proven himself at the Owls’ level, having racked up 27 goal contributions for the Tigers in League One throughout a red-hot 2020/21 campaign.

This prolific form in the final third is something that will definitely attract the Wednesday manager, and if Wilks is to put pen to paper on a deal at Hillsborough, he could be the man to fire them back up into the play-offs for the second year running.

In other news… a Championship starlet is reportedly ‘open’ to joining Sheffield Wednesday this summer.

Frank Lampard looks like he has been given the green light to sign Oleksandr Zinchenko for Everton this summer following an apparent recent admission from the Manchester City player.

What’s the word?

According to 90min, the 25-year-old is open to leaving the Etihad Stadium this summer, although any club aiming to sign him would need to promise him game-time in a midfield role.

According to The Athletic, the Ukrainian was offered to the Toffees last week as Lampard looks to refresh his squad this summer.

Having excelled at left-back during his time in Manchester, it is believed that Zinchenko wants to play in a midfield role going forward and this has plunged his future in doubt, with Everton looking to make a move.

Lampard could bolster his squad with Zinchenko move

Following Everton’s recent relegation dogfight in the Premier League, which saw them survive by the skin of their teeth, Lampard will be looking to refresh the squad that he inherited from Rafa Benitez.

Having conceded 66 goals last season in the top flight, there is no doubt where the priority ought to lie, although the addition of greater quality to the midfield should also be considered.

Zinchenko could add that extra bit of quality in the engine room at Goodison Park, and with the player being valued at £25m, the fee shouldn’t be a problem for Lampard. His Sofascore rating of 7.07 from the 2021/22 season was not only better than any Everton midfielder, but exceeded every single player in the Toffees’ squad, so it definitely seems like he would be an upgrade on what the 43-year-old already has.

He was dubbed “frightening” by Gregg Evans during City’s comeback win over Aston Villa last month which secured them the league title.

The 25-year-old excels in the centre of midfield for Ukraine, displaying his qualities with a fantastic performance against Scotland in the recent World Cup play-off semi-final victory. As per Sofascore, he was the highest-ranked player on the pitch with a rating of 8.0 as he made three key passes, had 86 touches and dictated the match in Ukraine’s favour.

At left-back for Man City this season, Zinchenko ranks in the top 1% compared to positional peers in the big five European leagues in both progressive passes (8.02 per 90) and progressive carries (9.3). These statistics suggest that he is at his best when moving forward and starting attacks.

Lampard could offer him this sought-after midfield role at Everton, and with the 25-year-old’s recent performances, especially for Ukraine, he would be an excellent signing for the Toffees.

AND in other news, Lampard must now brutally axe Everton’s £22m “walking red card”, he’s Klaassen 2.0

Liverpool have reportedly held a long term interest in Raphinha and with Sadio Mane potentially leaving this summer the club were set to ramp up their interest in the player, but now a new update has emerged that would make the transfer a non-starter.

What’s the latest?

According to Spanish news outlet SPORT, Raphinha and his agent Deco have rejected an offer from Liverpool.

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As per the report, the Leeds United winger is said to favour a move to La Liga giants Barcelona this summer, with Raphinha specifically prioritising negotiating that deal over anything the Premier League club is willing to offer.

The Brazilian is said to be desperate for a leading role in Xavi Hernandez’s side next season, despite being the reported chosen replacement for Mane by Jurgen Klopp.

FSG surely fuming

If Raphinha was the chosen replacement for Mane this summer, FSG will surely be fuming that the winger does not see the move to Anfield as a priority or an option at this point and they will now need to reassess and identify another replacement.

The £60m wizard who was dubbed “phenomenal” by Rio Ferdinand, has been an undeniable force for Leeds finishing the season as the top goal-scorer and leading the side out of their relegation troubles with a goal on the final day of the season that helped the side remain in the Premier League.

In total, the Brazilian found the net on 11 occasions, showing how dangerous he can be in the final third.

The blow with Raphinha comes as Aurelien Tchouameni also turned down a move to Liverpool after agreeing terms with the club, but has since received a more tempting offer from another La Liga club, with Real Madrid now agreeing a deal with the midfielder according to Fabrizio Romano.

Not all is lost for Liverpool though as the transfer window is yet to open and they still have a while to find their replacement for Mane with Darwin Nunez and Christopher Nkunku two of many targets thought to be seen as players who could join the Merseyside club this summer.

With that being said, the Reds must move on fast and work quickly to make sure they are not caught short next season should the Senegalese winger leave in the coming weeks or months over the window, and FSG should have no trouble attracting talented players to the six-time Champions League winning club.

AND in other news: “Will go for…”: Fabrizio Romano drops LFC transfer update that’ll excite supporters

Celtic are reportedly interested in signing Maccabi Haifa midfielder Mohammad Abu Fani this summer.

What’s the news?

According to reports in his homeland (via Daily Record), the Hoops are joined by Eintracht Frankfurt, Standard Liege and Royal Antwerp in keeping an eye on the midfielder during Israel’s upcoming Nations League matches.

A product of Maccabi Haifa’s youth academy, the 24-year-old has racked up 99 appearances for the club across all competitions. In that time, the Israel international – who is currently valued at just £810k by Transfermarkt – has scored 10 goals and delivered seven assists along the way.

With 44 appearances and 12 goal contributions this season across all competitions, this highlights just how important he is for his club and why they may be reluctant to let him leave this summer.

On the international stage, the midfielder has made 45 appearances for his country across their youth and senior teams, scoring six goals in the process.

In January, journalist Sanny Rudravajhala quote-tweeted a now-deleted clip of Abu Fani keeping possession of the ball during a game against Maccabi Tel Aviv when his side won 3-2 having been 2-0 down, with the journalist describing the passage of play as a “thing of beauty”.

Bye-bye Soro

In terms of a potential move to Celtic for the Israeli gem, this could potentially bring Ismaila Soro’s time at Parkhead to an end.

Signed from Israeli outfit Bnei Yehuda in January 2020 in a four-and-a-half-year deal worth around £2m, the Ivorian has made just 43 appearances for the Bhoys.

Taking into account how the 24-year-old only started six of the 19 games in which he appeared for Ange Postecoglou’s side this season (and none since December), it’s safe to say that he is not particularly high in the pecking order at Parkhead.

Also, with a report from The Athletic claiming that the Bhoys intend moving the midfielder out of the club this summer, this could pave the way for Abu Fani to come in and take the Ivorian’s place in Postecoglou’s squad.

Should the Hoops finally manage to get rid of Soro in the coming weeks and months, adding a player like Abu Fani to their ranks, who has experience of playing as an attacking and defensive midfielder at times, could be the best option for the club.

In other news: Ange can finally axe “unbelievable” Celtic flop by signing “feisty” 19-goal sensation

Glasgow Rangers are now set for a big boost as some behind-the-scenes talks at Ibrox have emerged involving Steven Davis.

The Lowdown: Out of contract

A number of players in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s squad are set to be out of contract in the summer, including Davis, prompting reports of a mass exodus from the blue side of Glasgow.

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Ryan Kent, Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey have also recently been linked with exits, which could spark a major turnover of players for the new season.

The Latest: Davis deal

As per The Daily Record, Davis is now ‘close’ to agreeing a new deal with the Gers, after some ‘very positive discussions’ behind the scenes.

It is expected that he will sign on for one more year, amid interest from both Motherwell and St Mirren.

The Verdict: Big boost

Tying Davis down for another year is certainly a big boost for the Light Blues, especially given the number of players that could walk through the exit doors.

In a season where he has struggled at times with knee problems, the Northern Ireland international still managed to make 33 appearances in total over all competitions, scoring one goal and one assist, while also captaining the team three times (Transfermarkt).

He is thought to be a big influence both on and off the pitch, and even if he does not play in as many matches, the 37-year-old can still play a huge part in their campaign.

In other news, find out why Gers have now been branded ‘delusional’ here!

One club in Merseyside has enjoyed enormous success this year, winning trophies like the FA Cup and the EFL Cup as well as being up there in contention for the Premier League and the Champions League.

Under manager Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool has pulled itself out of the very deep rut it had fallen into and has returned to its former glory. Plenty of analysis has been conducted as to why The Reds have been so successful, covering everything from having the right players, to an aggressive approach to control play, and the allocation of training time to traditionally overlooked elements like throw-ins.

This success has made Liverpool one of the teams to beat, and most sportsbooks have had them as one of the two favourites to win most major football competitions for the last few years. As a result, sites like OddsChecker, which list free bet promotions and compare odds from multiple betting brands have seen an increase in the number of punters backing them.

But Liverpool’s neighbours, Everton, a team that has its stadium just the other side of Stanley Park, has endured the opposite fate.

While Anfield has been packed with cheering fans celebrating victory after victory, Goodison Park has been under a cloud of despair, concern, and dread. There has been a real danger in 2021/22 that Everton could be relegated, dropping the team out of the top flight of football for the first time since the 1950s.

But how did it get this bad, and what exactly went wrong for Everton?

The Wrong Managers

Over the park, at Anfield, Klopp has been at the tiller since October 2015. During that time, he has built the team around him and moulded it into the way he needed it in order to achieve success.

During that same period, Goodison Park has seen 10 different men take charge. Granted, three of them were caretaker managers, but that still leaves seven permanent recruits, a sign of serious problems.

Not only has the revolving door been working overtime at the entrance to the stadium, but the longest tenure of any manager recruited during that time was 17 months.

Just like in any business, one person choosing not to stick around for very long says more about them than the company. But when you have seven different people in the same role in as many years, then you need to look at the organisation itself and who is making the hiring decisions.

The club’s owner, Farhad Moshiri, is clearly committed and wants results as he has reportedly spent more than £600 million since taking over at Everton. However, this money appears to have been spent without a clear strategy.

Injuries

Injuries can be a problem for any team; even Liverpool know this. After winning the Premier League in 2019/20, the club saw a temporary drop in form due to key players being out of action due to injury. But once the club had a squad of fit and healthy athletes once again, the wins came flooding in.

But this has been an even bigger problem for Everton. This season alone, they’ve had Dominic Calvert Lewin out with a fractured toe, Richarlison missing due to a knee injury, Yerry Mina suffering with thigh problems, and Andre Gomes on the bench after falling awkwardly.

It’s safe to say that would they have been on the verge of being dumped out of the Premier League if they’d not had so many good players out of action.

Weak Defence

Everton went into their final two Premier League games of the season with a goal difference of -20. This is by no means the worst in the league, in fact, it’s better than all but one team fighting against relegation this season.

However, it’s a drastic drop in form from previous seasons. Last year, The Blues ended the season on -1, the season before on 12, and 2018/19 on +8.

While this decline is partly due to a lack of conversions by the players upfront, it can be attributed much more to the weak defence the team fields each week. Even with Jordan Pickford in goal, Everton needs a stronger back line to protect its goal.

While these issues are not going to be resolved overnight, there are signs that the right changes are now being made at Goodison. But whether they’ll take effect in time or not, is yet to be seen.

Photo by Unsplash

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe wants to tie Sean Longstaff down to a new contract. 

The lowdown

Having come through the youth ranks at Newcastle, the North Shields-born midfielder made his senior debut in August 2018 (via nufc.co.uk). Less than four years on, he’s only seven short of a century of appearances for the Magpies.

The £11.7million-rated 24-year-old was due to be out of contract at the end of the season.

As he contemplates whether to sign on the dotted line, he’s may need assurances over playing time next season. Longstaff has made 22 Premier League appearances, 13 of them starts, so far this term.

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The latest

The Chronicle’s Lee Ryder relayed an update on Longstaff on Twitter on Thursday evening.

“Eddie Howe hoping to complete [a] deal for [the] midfielder,” he wrote.

In the attached story, he explains that Newcastle actually opened negotiations over the contract in 2019, but they stalled.

Longstaff apparently has other offers, but Howe wants to keep him at St James’ Park with a four-year commitment.

The verdict

It was looking a little bleak for Longstaff’s Newcastle future early in Howe’s reign.

He played 19 minutes of the manager’s first game against Brentford, but watched the next five from the sidelines.

However, he’s featured in 11 of the 19 matches since then and though that may not be quite the level of involvement he’d ideally like, it does show his value as a squad player.

Indeed, Howe and the club hierarchy may have decided that replacing Longstaff, who would be leaving on a free, would needlessly consume a portion of their summer transfer budget.

He’s a highly capable of midfielder himself, winning praise from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and Ryder, who dubbed him ‘fantastic’.

In other news, Luke Edwards rages over this Newcastle leak.

Manchester United have reportedly initiated contact with Napoli over a summer swoop for Victor Osimhen.

The Lowdown: United ‘on pole’ for Osimhen

It looks set to be a busy summer at Old Trafford ahead of Erik ten Hag’s first season as Red Devils manager. A number of outgoings are expected, one of which is Edinson Cavani, who is out of contract at the end of the season.

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Ten Hag will be left with limited central attacking options as a result of the Uruguayan’s exit, with reports suggesting that United are ‘on pole’ to sign the ‘highly unpredictable’ Osimhen.

The Nigeria international has contributed to 23 goals in 30 games for Napoli this season, and a further update has now emerged ahead of a possible move to Manchester.

The Latest: Contact made

Sport Witness relayed an update from Corriere dello Sport regarding Osimhen and United. They claimed that the Red Devils have initiated contact with Napoli to find out the forward’s price tag.

The Serie A club have told United that they want €110m (£94.3m) for the 23-year-old, although that figure appears to be negotiable.

The Verdict: Big money…

Osimhen has scored goals in Belgium, France and Italy and is seemingly getting better each season, but it looks as if United may need to pay a huge fee for his services.

Therefore, the Red Devils should be in close discussion with Ten Hag, ensuring that he definitely sees the 23-year-old in his plans before attempting to push through a move.

It looks as if they are already putting plans in place over a mega-money transfer for the centre-forward, who can also play out wide, making this a prospective deal to keep a close eye on over the coming weeks.

In other news: Man Utd want to sign ‘underrated’ defender in £38m swoop following Brighton loss

Barcelona have no intention of executing the option to buy clause in Adama Traore’s contract loan contract from Wolves.

What’s the word?

That is according to the latest report from the ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano, who has claimed that the Catalan-based side do not intend to pay the €30m (£25.5m) fee that was negotiated when the player signed on loan from Wolves.

Taking to Twitter, Romano stated: “The only way to keep him [at Barcelona] has always been a swap deal, with no money included in the negotiation with Wolves.

“As of today, there are chances for Adama to come back at Wolves and then leave again.”

Wolves fans left confused

The latest update from Romano will leave the Old Gold faithful confused as to how they should be feeling.

On one hand, his return to the Molineux could serve as a major boost for both the club and the player, with the Spaniard-of-Malian-descent surely out to prove Xavi wrong.

On the other hand, Lage’s side have drastically struggled to create chances this season, having created just 35 chances this season – the third worst in the league –  and Adama’s direct approach can shake up the Old Gold’s frontline once more.

Traore played around half of the season for Wolves before leaving to join Barcelona on-loan and registered an average of seven successful dribbles per 90, which to this day is still the highest metric amongst the entirety of the Premier League – with Newcastle United’s Allan Saint-Maximin’s average of 4.9 dribbles per game the nearest threat.

Raul Jimenez has certainly looked like a shadow of his former self without his partner Adama pinging crosses into the box. So if Adama was to stay, you could certainly expect a boost in creative numbers at the Molineux next season.

Though as Romano stated in his latest update, “there are chances for Adama to come back at Wolves and then leave again.”

After suffering for game time for the Blaugrana recently, Adama has been affected, with a report from Spanish outlet, Sport, claiming that the 26-year-old was “very upset after not even warming up against Mallorca.”

With Wolves’ reported desire to sign Ez Abde from Barcelona and Ousmane Dembele out of contract at the end of the season, La Masia youth product may just get a second opportunity to show Xavi exactly what he is made of in what would be a second consecutive loan spell for the forward.

In other news: Agent links: Wolves eyeing move for sensational “discovery”, Imagine him and Jimenez