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French football expert Adam White believes Brandon Soppy would prove to be a hit if he seals a move to Celtic before the transfer window closes.

Soppy broke into Ligue 1 side Rennes’ first-team last season and made 11 appearances.

According to French media outlet L’Equipe, the right-back has entered the final 12 months of his contract and been the subject of interest from Scottish Premiership giants Celtic, who could complete the signing by meeting his €5m (£4.25m) price tag.

The report claims Celtic are facing competition for Soppy’s services, with newly-promoted Premier League outfit Watford and Udinese, of Serie A, also keeping a close eye on proceedings.

The 19-year-old has won five caps for France’s under-18 side and could add another dimension to Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side after a disastrous start to the campaign.

Having already exited the Champions League in the second qualifying round for the second consecutive year, the Glasgow-based club then lost their opening Scottish Premiership clash of the season at Hearts.

Get French Football News’ White has urged Celtic to boost their options by signing Soppy.

He told Football FanCast: “He’s very inexperienced and very attacking. Soppy likes to take players on and is very good on the ball.

“He has a lot of potential and there’s a reason why all these clubs are interested in him – he has talent.

“I definitely think he has the potential and can make an impact at Celtic, absolutely.”

Derby County are interested in a deal to bring Tom Carroll to Pride Park this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Derby Telegraph, who claim that the former Queens Park Rangers midfielder has started training with Wayne Rooney’s side, and could feature in the club’s pre-season friendly against Salford City on Saturday.

The news comes after the EFL granted Derby permission to sign up to five out of contract players in the summer transfer window, although the Championship side still remain under a transfer embargo.

Finally, the report states that the Rams currently have Phil Jagielka, Ravel Morrison, Curtis Davies, Andre Wisdom, Sone Aluko, Sam Baldock, Richard Stearman and Ryan Allsop training with the first team, all of whom are playing for a contract ahead of next season.

Carroll could finally replace Johnson

While a knee injury saw Carroll sidelined for the second half of last season, the 29-year-old nevertheless demonstrated in his time at QPR that he would prove an extremely useful addition to Wayne Rooney’s Derby side ahead of next season.

Indeed, over his 22 Championship appearances for the Rs last term, the £1.62m-rated man provided one assist and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.5 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

The central midfielder also impressed in more typical metrics for his position, making an average of 0.6 interceptions, 1.3 tackles, 0.7 clearances and winning 2.7 duels per match.

These returns saw the man Jamie Carragher dubbed an “outstanding” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.74, with his performances leading to Mark Warburton trying to tie the 29-year-old down to a new deal at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, although he would ultimately reject the club’s advances.

Furthermore, it could be argued that, following Bradley Johnson’s departure from Pride Park in the summer of 2019, the Rams have failed to adequately replace the midfielder, something that the potential capture of Carroll could prove to resolve.

As such, as long as the former Tottenham Hotspur man can prove his fitness in training with the Rams, it would seem highly advisable for Rooney to do all he can to secure a deal for the midfielder this summer, with his signing very much appearing to be a welcome step in the right direction for the crisis-hit club.

In other news: John Percy drops Derby transfer claim on “frightening” 28 y/o ace, he’d be a huge coup

Queens Park Rangers are looking to sign free agent Moses Odubajo, as their impressive summer recruitment drive continues [West London Sport].

The Lowdown: QPR enjoy extremely busy transfer window ahead of 2021/22

Moving into 2021/22, Mark Warburton has been extremely busy preparing his squad for a push towards the play-off places this time around.

Making major inroads in the transfer window, the Hoops have signed no fewer than seven players in the form of Andre Dozzell, Charlie Austin, Jimmy Dunne, Jordan Archer, Sam McCallum, Jordy De Wijs and Sam Field [Transfermarkt].

Could the R’s now be set for an eighth summer acquisition after recent reports?

The Latest: Odubajo poised to become eighth summer signing after successful trial period

QPR are said to be intent on pressing ahead with bringing in 27-year-old Odubajo after he impressed on trial at the club [West London Sport].

Most recently of Sheffield Wednesday, the full-back featured for Rangers recently in a 2-1 friendly victory over Portsmouth behind closed doors.

He is mooted to be coming in as a replacement for QPR right-back Todd Kane, who is set to be axed from the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, despite having 12 months left on his deal [West London Sport].

The Verdict: Odubajo would be an astute signing by QPR

In the increasingly expensive modern-day market, being able to pick up someone of Odubajo’s quality and experience for nothing would be positive business by the Queens Park Rangers hierarchy.

In 2020/21, the London-born defender made 22 appearances for the Owls across all competitions [Transfermarkt].

Strong in defence, the ex-England Under-20 international managed to make an average of 1.7 tackles per game across the piece [WhoScored]. He also provides some attacking impetus from the flank, racking up 19 goals and 31 assists throughout his career.

Once labelled as ‘terrific’ by Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce, the R’s should look to finalise a deal as soon as possible for his services [My London Sport].

In other news, a former QPR man comments on the Sky Bet Championship transfer market.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has knocked back suggestions that Everton target Conor Coady cannot play in a back four.

Coady has mainly played in a back three during his time at Wolves, with there being a narrative that the 28-year-old would struggle in a four-man defence.

He is currently being linked with a move to Everton and Football Insider claim a bid for him could be launched this summer.

The Toffees often lined up with a back four last season, so some may question this move, but Palmer finds the idea that a central defender can only play in one specific system baffling, an idea he refuses to accept.

“I don’t understand that,” the ex-Leeds United player said. “If you’re a defender, you’re a defender. You’re a central defender; you should be able to play in a three or a back four. I don’t get it.

“If you’re a midfield player, you’re a midfield player. If you’re a striker, you play as a striker. I don’t get it. Are you a defender or not?”

According to the same Football Insider report, it was Nuno Espirito Santo who initially suggested Coady when he was the leading candidate for the Everton job. However, Rafael Benitez has also given the green light to sign the England international in talks with the club.

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith must avoid selling Morgan Sanson this summer as fresh transfer reports emerge over his potential exit.

What’s the story?

It’s been a rather frustrating first few months in English football for the January signing, making just nine appearances in the Premier League and that too only totalling 291 minutes worth of football.

Reports in recent days have suggested that Smith isn’t convinced by his midfield options, and that amid a potential move for Southampton and England star James Ward-Prowse, Villa are unimpressed by what Sanson has shown thus far.

And now, former Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has said: “I don’t see why they wouldn’t sell him if he’s not producing. It’s only six months and sometimes you’ve got to give players a little bit more time. Not everyone settles well in this country.

“But if they are interested in a couple more midfielders then that could be a sign. There’s no shame in cutting your losses and moving on. People make mistakes. You’re never going to get every signing spot-on.”

Fans would be fuming

Speaking after his signing back in the January transfer window, Smith waxed lyrical about the kind of qualities the Frenchman could bring, saying: “He has got a big game mentality, he has played at the top of the French league for the last five years, played in the Champions League.

“He is a great technician and has great tactical awareness. He can play in a number of positions, can set up goals and can score goals. He has a bit of everything in his game so we’re really pleased with the acquisition.”
Dubbed as a “warrior” by himself, the £17m-rated Sanson showed his qualities as a really effective box-to-box presence in his time at Marseille.
Before his move to the Midlands, he averaged an impressive 1.8 tackles and 1.1 key passes per game in Ligue 1, both of which ranked him favourably compared to the rest of Villa’s squad. In fact, only two other players have averaged more tackles per match than him, while again, only three other have averaged more key passes too.
Given that he only arrived in January, and had his fair share of injury issues too, there’s no questioning that Villa fans and Smith have yet to see the best of Sanson.
It would be a ridiculous decision for the Midlands club to sell him so soon after his arrival, and without having first properly given him a chance to shine.
It would be an admittance that they got it completely wrong in the transfer market back in January, and would be a very hasty mistake. Villa fans would surely be fuming at the club cashing in this summer without giving the player a real chance to prove himself.
[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/aston-villa-dean-smith-transfer-window-premier-league-villa-park-emi-buendia-gregg-evans-gossip-rumours-update-news” title=”Read the latest Aston Villa transfer rumours and news!”]
It would be an unforgivable disaster from the club to make such a decision so soon into Sanson’s Villa career.
Meanwhile, David Ornstein has dropped an exciting Aston Villa transfer update…

Harry Kane and Eric Dier's Bayern Munich reunion may soon be cut short, with the club set to cut ties with the defender this summer.

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• Dier not set to stay at Bayern
• Currently on loan from Tottenham
• Bayern currently in crisis

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  A new report from (via ) claims that Bayern hold severe doubts over Dier's ability and his lack of pace with the Bundesliga giants. They signed Dier from Tottenham on loan in January and do hold the option to extend the loan by another 12 months this summer, but the report now claims he is set to return to north London in short order.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Dier has only made five appearances for Bayern thus far, three of which have been starts, but Thomas Tuchel's side have been in dire form. They have lost their last two Bundesliga games, and were also beaten in the first leg of their round of 16 Champions League tie against Lazio, with Dier watching on from the bench.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  It is almost certain that Tottenham will attempt to sell Dier this summer if he does return to the club. Under Ange Postecoglou he made just one Premier League start, in a 2-1 defeat to Wolves. Spurs signed Micky van de Ven in the summer, and also signed Radu Dragusin in January, pushing Dier way down the club's pecking order.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR DIER?

  His agent may well be putting out feelers for a summer move if this report is accurate. Dier will hope to be involved this weekend when Bayern play RB Leipzig on Saturday.

Mason Greenwood is willing to reject a move to Barcelona if he is given the chance to make a Manchester United comeback under Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

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• Greenwood on loan at Getafe
• Ratcliffe says United will take decision in the summer
• Greenwood has interest from major European clubs

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ratcliffe has spoken of the desire to "understand the facts, not the hype", as a potential softening of the ground towards a potential return for Greenwood. The striker was not expected to play for United again after he was arrested in January 2022 on charges of attempted rape and several other offences. Now, reports that Greenwood would be unwilling to move to Barcelona if United were interested, as he feels he owes a "debt" to the Old Trafford club.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Reports claim that both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Greenwood. As a result, United have placed a new price tag on the striker of €40 million (£34m/$43m). United may face fierce criticism if they do pocket a major fee for the striker, given his previous behaviour.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Since joining Getafe, Greenwood has made 24 appearances, scoring seven goals and registering five assists. In his time at United, he scored 35 goals in 129 appearances.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR GREENWOOD?

  The striker could next be in action for the Spanish club against Barcelona this weekend, in a fixture that could potentially be billed as an audition for his future employers. They will then face Las Palmas at home next weekend.

A major update has emerged about Rangers ace Borna Barisic, regarding interest from a Premier League side this week. 

What’s the talk?

According to a major update from Football Insider, Leeds are interested a swoop for the Rangers left-back as Marcelo Bielsa looks to improve his squad ahead of the 2020/21 Premier League season. The report claims that Leeds have prioritised the signing of a left-back this summer and that they are eyeing a deal for Barisic to bolster their team.

Rangers’ stance remains unclear and Barisic is under contract at Ibrox until 2024. Leeds reportedly watched Barisic in action against England for Croatia on Sunday as he started at left-back for his country.

Back in 2019, Rangers boss Steven Gerrard hailed the “outstanding” full-back after an impressive display against Feyenoord in Europe. Gerrard said that he is respected within the dressing room and is used to playing in big matches for club and country. He told Rangers’ official Twitter account:

“Borna was outstanding last night, he is the Croatian left-back and he is used to these high-pressure games.

“He is very highly respected by the staff and in the dressing room.”

Wilson facing disaster

Rangers director of football Ross Wilson could be facing a disaster after this update. The Premier League could be a big draw for players, as it a high-level competition and allows players to test themselves against the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Bruno Fernandes and plenty of other talented stars.

Leeds finished 9th in the table and are managed by the well-respected Bielsa, which could be another reason why this potential transfer could be attractive to Barisic.

The Croatian international may not have many more opportunities to seal a move to a top-five league at the age of 28. He is not a young up-and-comer, like Ryan Kent (24), who still has plenty of years ahead of him to play in the Premier League. This means that he may not want to pass up the chance to seal a transfer to Leeds if the opportunity arises this summer, which could be a huge blow for Rangers as it would place Wilson in the difficult position of sourcing a replacement.

The £18k-per-week beast enjoyed a terrific season in the Scottish Premiership for Rangers. He averaged an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.35 in 30 starts for Rangers, with only four of his teammates managing better scores throughout the campaign.

Barisic was Rangers’ most creative outlet in the league, with 2.2 key passes per game and this shows that he was as important in attack as he was in defence for Gerrard’s side. Therefore, losing him could be a massive blow if Leeds are able to snap him up this summer.

AND in other news, Wilson must seal deal for £720k-rated ace likened to Pogba, Rangers fans would love it…

Fulham have confirmed that Maxime Le Marchand will remain at Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a statement posted on the club’s official website in which the Cottagers confirmed that they have exercised their option to extend the centre-back’s current deal for a further season, keeping him at the club until at least the end of the 2021/22 campaign.

Fans will be furious

Considering how infrequently Le Marchand has featured for Fulham since joining the club in a £3.6m deal from Nice back in the summer of 2018, the news that the club have further extended the defender’s deal comes as something of a surprise and could well infuriate fans of the west London club.

Over his three years with the Cottagers so far, the £1.44m-rated man has made just 48 appearances in all competitions, scoring no goals and providing one assist along the way.

Last season, the centre-back featured just twice in the Premier League for Scott Parker’s side, failing to help his team keep a clean sheet, as well as averaging a mere one tackle and 1.5 interceptions per game. These metrics saw the £24,000-per-week 31-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.75, ranking him as Fulham’s 12th-worst performer in the English top flight.

Indeed, it became clear that Parker had no use for the player – whom Tony Khan dubbed a “valuable” asset – back in February, when the manager allowed Le Marchand to leave the club on a temporary basis to join Royal Antwerp for the remainder of the season.

As such, exactly why Fulham have extended the defender’s contract this summer is anyone’s guess, but considering his hefty weekly wage and significant lack of appearances for the club, the Cottagers’ decision is not likely to be one which goes down very well with too many of their supporters.

In other news: Parker heading for grave Fulham transfer mistake over “unbelievable” £8k-p/w dynamo

Fans have slammed Neymar for appearing to be overweight and say that he should "retire" after returning to Al-Hilal training following his ACL injury.

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• Neymar out with ACL injury
• Brazilian back training at Al-Hilal
• Fans criticise his physique again

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 32-year-old hit back at football supporters who criticised his physique last month as he recovers from hisanterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear he suffered while on national duty with Brazilin October. Now the former Barcelona star is doing individual training work at the Saudi Pro League side, his detractors are once again lambasting the Brazilian.

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• WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

  NBA Memes wrote: "Neymar is on that (basketball player) James Harden diet."

  Agurama JnR commented: "What happened to Neymar??"

  ReecyTM tweeted: "Neymar should just retire from playing football and focus on riding horses."

  UncleKeyz added: "Neymar looks like a blesser now," while Iconic Blanco did a side by side photo of Neymar at 32 versus a ripped Cristiano Ronaldo at 36.

  S.J.O put: "What is happening to all Brazil legends?" and showed a side by side of ex-forward Ronaldo and Neymar.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Former Paris Saint-Germain man Neymar, who left the Ligue 1 outfit for Al-Hilal last summer in a £77.2million ($98.3m) move, is in a race against time to play some part in the Saudi Pro League season – with ACL ruptures or tears typically taking eight to 10 months to recover from. The campaign ends in late May and there is no guarantee the ex-Barcelona ace will kick a ball again this term.