All posts by h716a5.icu

Transfer insider Dean Jones has made a claim involving Wolverhampton Wanderers and Flamengo striker Gabriel Barbosa. 

The lowdown: European woes

Initially brought across the Atlantic by Inter Milan in 2017, Barbosa – known as Gabigol – was loaned to Benfica and then Santos, as he managed a meagre two goals during his time in Europe.

Since returning to his homeland on a permanent basis with a move to Flamengo though, the 25-year-old frontman has scored a sensational 102 goals and registered another 28 assists in 158 appearances for the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A side and has earned senior international recognition with Brazil.

That form has led to strong links with a return to Europe as the likes of West Ham, Arsenal, Everton, Aston Villa and Newcastle United all pay close attention to the flamboyant hitman…

The latest: Hat in the ring?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones has suggested that Wolves could join the list of potential suitors for the 18-cap ace this summer as a Premier League swoop beckons.

He said: “Now, whether that ends up being Aston Villa or Newcastle or West Ham, I don’t know, but I do think that this might be the summer Gabigol finally lands, and whoever takes that punt, it might be worth it.

“Wolves as well, by the way, they might even come into the equation. Somebody is going to take a punt on him.”

The verdict: Marquee signing

Bruno Lage could certainly be on the lookout for an additional centre-forward firepower in the transfer window with Raul Jimenez struggling to recapture his best form after the head injury and Fabio Silva still adapting to life at the elite level.

Those issues, coupled with injuries to key attackers such as Pedro Neto, meant that scoring goals was a major issue at Molineux last term as the Old Gold ended the campaign as the lowest scorers outside of the Premier League relegation zone with just 38 strikes.

Already boasting a well-decorated career, Gabigol – who was described as having ‘everything’ a striker needs by Brazil legend Zico – scored 18 times and registered two assists in 35 appearances during the 2021/22 campaign.

In that time, the mercurial tattoo-laden Brazilian with an eye for the spectacular earned a 6.95 Sofascore rating comprising of 0.7 successful dribbles, 1.2 key passes and 2.4 shots per game in the South American nation’s top flight.

With 147 goals total in 298 career outings, signing the £23.4million valued maverick could be a worthwhile risk from Lage and Jeff Shi as the Wanderers attempt to address an alarming lack of goal threat.

West Ham are one of several Premier League clubs said to be interested in signing former Liverpool and Newcastle United midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum.

What’s the word?

According to 90min, West Ham, Wolves, Leicester City and Everton are all keen on the Dutch midfielder, who looks set to leave PSG this summer after a disappointing first season in the French capital.

Despite having a contract until 2024 and making 38 appearances in all competitions last season, Wijnaldum is reportedly surplus to requirements at the Parc des Princes, as the French champions are awaiting the imminent signing of Renato Sanches from Lille.

The report suggests that a loan move is more likely at this point due to his wages at PSG, but West Ham could be the ones to benefit from any temporary deal, and if he were to rediscover the form he showed at Anfield and St James’ Park, then he would surely be a quality addition.

Would Wijnaldum be a good signing?

Wijnaldum was an integral part of Jurgen Klopp’s squad at Liverpool during his time at the club and more than played his part in their recent success, notably scoring a brace from the bench in their famous 4-0 win against Barcelona in the Champions League.

Even in the build-up to his departure from Anfield on a free transfer, Klopp was full of praise for the midfielder, saying:

“Gini’s character is out of the question: he is a sensational guy, completely committed to the team and the club until the last day, and we’ll see when it will be.”

He certainly sounds like the sort of character that Moyes would love to have both on and off the pitch at West Ham next season.

Although he is 31 now, his form with the Netherlands, for whom he has hit five goals in his last 13 starts, suggests that he is still more than capable of cutting it in the top flight.

Considering Tomas Soucek has been linked with a move away in recent days, Wijnaldum, who his PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino once described as the “complete player”, could be an ideal successor for the all-action Czech titan in Moyes’ midfield next season.

Therefore, GSB should definitely consider a move for the £16.2 million-rated maestro this summer.

And, in other news… West Ham in talks for “rapid” £40m star similar to Mane, it could be bye-bye Bowen

The Rangers Review journalist Jonny McFarlane has now revealed some big Glasgow Rangers transfer news on Alfredo Morelos, contrary to recent reports.

The Lowdown: Sevilla bid?

According to Estadio Deportivo, Sevilla have now made an offer worth €8m (£6.9m) to the Ibrox outfit to sign Morelos this summer.

The Colombia international reportedly sees the potential move as the ‘perfect step’ in his career, and the Gers will supposedly have to decide whether they are to cash in as he only has one year left on his contract.

The Latest: No bid…

Taking to Twitter, McFarlane has revealed that reports of Sevilla making a bid for Morelos have been ’emphatically denied’:

“I’m told Sevilla have NOT bid for Alfredo Morelos. Suggestions coming out of Spain were that an €8m bid has been submitted but this has been emphatically denied.” The Verdict: Relief

It will come as a relief to the Light Blues faithful that a bid has not been made for Morelos, as it will give them more hope that they can keep him and even extend his deal.

There is no sugar-coating the fact that he is such an important player for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team, evidenced by him finishing as their top scorer over all competitions last term with 19 goals in total.

Given his contract situation, the Teddy Bears should be expecting offers to come in for their prized asset this summer, but they need to do everything within their power to keep him in Glasgow.

Leeds United will need to pay €22m to sign Paris Saint-Germain forward Arnaud Kalimuendo, according to journalist Santi Aouna.

The Lowdown: Leeds bid

The Whites haven’t wasted any time this summer when it comes to first-team signings, with midfielder Marc Roca now officially becoming the third addition.

Attention has since turned to a deal for Kalimuendo, with The Independent revealing that Leeds have made a bid in the region of €20m (£17.1m).

The 20-year-old forward scored 12 goals in 27 starts in Ligue 1 on loan with Lens last season, and any switch to Elland Road would likely include a buy-back clause.

The Latest: Journalist’s update

Aouna took to Twitter on Thursday lunchtime following the news of the ‘official offer’ that was reported ‘in England’.

He added some more ‘info’, claiming that PSG will now demand a €22m (£18.9m) fee to part ways with Kalimuendo.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-45/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Good move?

European football expert Antonio Mango has hailed Kalimuendo as a ‘superstar in the making’, and should he arrive in Yorkshire, he would provide Jesse Marsch with a much-needed centre-forward option.

Patrick Bamford missed 30 games through three separate issues last season, and there is little depth behind the England international.

The Frenchman would also be able to provide cover on the left wing or in a deeper central role, but it seems as if Leeds will need to up their initial offer slightly to get a transfer over the line.

Transfermarkt currently has a probability of a move going through at 63%, so it looks like this one does have legs, especially with reporters abroad such as Aouna now getting additional scoops on the news.

In other news: £25m: Leeds now want ‘complete’ Phillips replacement; just waiting for Radz green light. 

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly plotting a swoop to bring a new defender to Ibrox in the upcoming transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, Rangers are one of a number of clubs keen on a deal to sign left-back Emmanuel Longelo ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

The report claims that he has not been deemed good enough to play in the Premier League for West Ham at this point in his career, with a host of teams now ready to offer him an escape from the London Stadium.

Calvin Bassey 2.0

Signing a young left-back from a Premier League club… sounds rather familiar to Rangers supporters.

Steven Gerrard brought Bassey in from Leicester after he failed to make a breakthrough at the King Power and he has been a relevation in Glasgow.

He enjoyed an excellent campaign in the season just gone and is now being linked with transfers at a potential price of £25m, with the price tag illustrating how impressive his performances were.

In Longelo, Gio van Bronckhorst can now find the next Bassey by unearthing another talent from a Premier League side.

The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas previously claimed that he has “serious potential” and he showed glimpses of that in his performances for the Hammers in 2021/22.

David Moyes gave him the chance to catch the eye in the Europa League against Dinamo Zagreb in December 2021. His display was dubbed “very impressive” by journalist Jack Rosser as he made two tackles, one interception and three clearances whilst playing at left-back.

He also impressed whilst playing in the Football League Trophy for the club’s U23 side. Longelo averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 7.00 across games against Gillingham, Ipswich and Colchester – three League One outfits.

In those games, the 21-year-old created two chances per game as he showed that he can make an impact in the final third by bursting forward down the flank. He also made 2.4 tackles and interceptions per match as he won 54% of his duels, proving that he can contribute at both ends of the pitch.

Longelo, however, has not been able to enjoy an extended run of games at senior level and that is why Rangers can offer him. Bassey thrived off playing week-in-week-out in 2021/22 – as shown by his current valuation – and the Hammers gem can use that as inspiration to come to Ibrox and follow in his footsteps.

AND in other news, “Was told..”: Journo makes big Rangers transfer claim that’ll leave supporters excited…

Ex-BBC man Noel Whelan has insisted that Everton should sell Richarlison this summer if Paris Saint-Germain meets the asking price for the Brazilian.

The Lowdown: PSG links

According to a report by 90min, PSG are ready to make a move for the Toffees forward.

It is claimed that the Merseyside outfit need to sell either Richarlison or Dominic Calvert-Lewin in order to ease concerns over potential Financial Fair Play breaches.

Football Insider have reported that Frank Lampard will accept offers over £50m for the Brazil international, and the club are increasingly confident that a deal can be secured.

The Latest: Whelan’s claim

Ex-BBC man Whelan has urged Everton to get the deal done if a suitable offer comes in for the 25-year-old.

Speaking with Football Insider, he claimed: “It’s a no-brainer for me if there is interest in Richarlison.

“He drives me crazy. The antics that follow him on the pitch just completely overshadow what a great player he can be. If you can get a big chunk of money, £50million – then get it done.

“He’s not going to sign a new deal. It’s a way of giving Lampard the money he needs to bring in maybe four new faces this summer.

“Look, it might not just be Richarlison. We’ve seen Calvert-Lewin linked with moves as well. I think they may well have to sacrifice both players to do any business this summer.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-5/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Big loss

Despite an underwhelming season for Everton in front of goal, Richarlison managed to hit double figures and become the Toffees’ top scorer for the 2021/22 Premier League campaign.

Praised by former manager Carlo Ancelotti as a ‘fantastic player’, it is no wonder that Everton fans are desperate for the club to hold onto their star man.

According to the Daily Mail however, the attacker has informed the Everton board about his intentions for the future at the club, and the Goodison faithful may have to just hope the club get the very best deal and reinvest wisely this summer.

In other news: Everton: PSG ready to make move for Richarlison

Newcastle United have seen an approach for Roma winger Nicolo Zaniolo rebuffed, according to Sky Italy (via The Daily Mirror). 

The lowdown

Zaniolo joined Roma from Inter Milan in a £4.05million deal back in 2018, and his estimated value has now climbed to £29.7million (via Transfermarkt).

He earns £75,000 per week at the Stadio Olimpico and has two years remaining on his contract.

Last season, he largely split his minutes between the right wing and second striker roles under Jose Mourinho.

It was a campaign that ended in silverware, with Zaniolo scoring the only goal as Roma beat Feyenoord 1-0 in the Europa Conference League final.

The latest

The report states that Roma are planning to sell Zaniolo this summer in order to fund incomings.

Newcastle saw an opportunity and made a bid, but it was rejected because the player isn’t keen to play in the Premier League.

It remains to be seen whether that stance changes, but domestic offers from AC Milan and Juventus are also anticipated.

The verdict

Zaniolo’s overall record of 22 goals and 15 assists in 111 appearances for Roma may not be particularly eye-catching, but his strike in the ECL final saw him reach a commendable 17 goal involvements in 2021/22 (8G, 9A).

And that return is all the more impressive when you consider that he’s had to come back from two serious knee ligament injuries in the space of two seasons.

Beyond end product, Zaniolo also records high volumes of dribbles (he’s in the 91st percentile among positional peers in the top five European leagues) and receives 8.58 progressive passes per 90 minutes (90th percentile). That speaks to both his technical ability and his positional intelligence.

As per FBRef, he boasts a similar profile to the likes of West Ham’s Said Benrahma and Wolves’ Adama Traore.

Zaniolo, who was named the best young player in Serie A in 2018/19, has been called ‘joyous’ by Italian football journalist Euan Burns and ‘huge talent’ by talent scout Jacek Kulig. It’s easy to see why Newcastle are interested.

In other news, a club chief has confirmed a big NUFC transfer development.

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.

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

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!

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou ended his debut season in charge of the Parkhead club by taking the Hoops to the Premiership title.

The Bhoys did it in style, too, ending the campaign with more goals scored and fewer conceded than any other team in the league.

However, one man who didn’t play a huge part in Celtic’s title-winning season is Ismaila Soro.

Soro an outcast at Celtic

With 19 appearances to his name across all competitions this term, the midfielder only played in eight league games, starting just one of them. That came right at the outset of the campaign, when he played the full 90 minutes in their 2-1 defeat against Hearts.

Since October, the 24-year-old was included in just six league matchday squads and only played three minutes of Premiership action. This makes it quite clear that the £10.5k-per-week outcast is not that high up in the pecking order under Postecoglou.

Now that the season has ended and the summer transfer window is set to open soon, this could give the Hoops the opportunity to get rid of the Ivorian.

Should they end up parting ways with Soro, one player with whom the club have been linked recently and could be an ideal replacement for him is Christopher Scott.

Axe Soro, sign Scott

After working his way through Bayer Leverkusen’s youth ranks, the midfielder joined Bayern Munich’s under-19 side in January 2020.

With 115 appearances to his name at senior and youth levels, the 19-year-old has scored 44 goals and provided 17 assists in the process, showing that he has a knack for scoring and setting up goals.

Described as a “very aggressive accurate passer” according to Bhoys Analytics on Twitter, Scott could be a very exciting prospect for Postecoglou to unearth and to offer a platform to play regular senior football.

Taking into account how Soro only managed a pass success rate of 86.9% in the league this season, having a sharp passer such as Scott in the team could make him the ideal upgrade.

As he is out of contract at the end of June, securing a deal for the German teenager could end up being a great bit of business from Celtic, especially if they’re able to cash in on Soro at the same time.

In other news – Terms agreed: Celtic close to signing “outstanding” ace permanently, Ange will love it

Rangers midfielder Aaron Ramsey has declared himself fit for Wednesday’s Europa League final. 

The lowdown

Rangers are due to meet Eintracht Frankfurt at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium as they go in search of their first European trophy since the 1972 Cup Winners’ Cup and only their second of all time.

Then, on Saturday, they take on Hearts in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park.

These could well be the final two games of Ramsey’s Rangers career, with his loan from Juventus due to expire at the end of the season.

The Welshman only started one of the Gers’ knockout matches – the second leg against Braga – and has only featured in the XI for five Scottish Premiership fixtures, missing out on eight matchday squads overall through injury.

But he got 60 minutes under his belt in the 3-1 victory over Hearts on Saturday.

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

The latest

Speaking to Sky Sports, Ramsey said he is ready to play in Seville after managing to build up his fitness.

“I’ve managed to get some minutes in recently so I’m good to go,” he claimed.

The verdict

It remains to be seen whether Ramsey starts, but his experience of the biggest occasions could be an asset for Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

He won the FA Cup three times while he was at Arsenal and has also claimed the Coppa Italia during his time at Juventus.

Ramsey, named in the Team of the Tournament at Euro 2016, is a player who boasts real trophy-winning pedigree.

Sporting director Ross Wilson regards the £4.5million-rated ace as a ‘leader, a quality player and a wonderful character’, highlighting his value on the field and in the dressing room.

It’s a big boost to have him fit and available after the troubles he’s had.

In other news, Four Lads Had A Dream lavish praise on this man.