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Aston Villa are reportedly amongst the clubs monitoring Newcastle United winger Allan Saint-Maximin after it was reported that the Magpies would be prepared to sell the Frenchman for £50m.

What’s the story?

According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle are willing to cash in on their star player this summer with Villa monitoring the situation at St.James’ Park.

It is believed that the £50m asking price, if received, would be added to Newcastle manager Eddie Howe’s transfer kitty with the Tyneside club expected to make major additions to their squad following the takeover by PIF.

The 25-year-old signed a six-year contract in 2020 and is a majorly popular figure in the North-East, but could be sacrificed in order to raise funds for a squad overhaul.

Villa must swoop for Saint-Maximin

The idea of Saint-Maximin being available to purchase will undoubtedly prick up the ears of an array of clubs, particularly in the Premier League with the winger’s talents very much known of in England.

Since joining Newcastle from Nice in August 2019, the £28.8m-rated 25-year-old has scored 12 goals and registered 14 assists in 84 appearances for the Magpies and has been previously labelled as “breathtaking” by pundit Gary Neville.

Although that may not seem a tally that justifies a £50m price tag, the Frenchman has largely been playing in a drab, uninspiring Newcastle side since arriving from France.

In the two full seasons under Steve Bruce the Toon Army finished 13th and 12th respectively, with both campaigns seeing some dire football at times, with both seasons seeing the Magpies pick up 44 and 45 points respectively and score 38 and 46 goals whilst conceding 58 and 62.

This term in particular was looking set for disaster for a sustained period of time before Eddie Howe took over and steadied the ship, largely thanks to January arrivals.

Moreover, the Frenchman averages a 62% dribble success rate as well as a 75% passing accuracy and provides 1.5 key passes a game.

However, now that the Tyneside outfit are the richest club in the world following the Saudi-backed takeover, there are undoubtedly ambitious plans for the upcoming transfer window which could see fan-favourite Saint-Maximin sacrificed.

As well as Newcastle, Aston Villa are expected to spend as they enter Steven Gerrard’s first summer transfer window as Villa boss and have already been linked with big-money moves, such as paying £50m for Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma.

Currently, the Villans have the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore on the flanks but only Coutinho can hold his head high for his efforts this campaign.

The Brazilian joined on loan from Barcelona in January and has already become a fan favourite with four goals and three assists and could be set for a permanent move to Villa Park this summer.

Both Traore and Bailey have spent good portions of the season out injured whilst Buendia has scored just twice after becoming the West Midland’s club’s record transfer last summer, joining from Norwich City for £38m.

There is certainly room in the Villa squad to accommodate Saint-Maximin in the Villa ranks who, alongside Coutinho, could establish a cut-throat partnership that would undoubtedly terrorise defences.

Major boost: Aston Villa now handed big double injury lift, supporters will be buzzing

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is set to be without another player alongside Ruben Dias as they gear up for today’s blockbuster Eastlands clash with arch title rivals Liverpool.

The Lowdown: Huge day…

A single point separates the Sky Blues and Jurgen Klopp’s side in the race for Premier League glory with today’s mouth-watering encounter coming as an absolutely pivotal one.

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City boast the best defensive record in England’s top flight, conceding just 18 goals all season, while their competitors today have bagged the division’s most strikes with 77 (Premier League).

Guardiola and Klopp, with barely anything between their sides, are set to go head-to-head again this afternoon in what could be a real 2021/2022 title race six-pointer.

The Sky Blues grabbed a deserved 2-2 draw at Anfield the last time these teams met, but with a win today, City could take one gigantic leap towards retaining their Premier League crown.

Guardiola will be hampered by the absence of star defender Ruben Dias, and as per the latest team news, he’ll be without another player alongside him at the Etihad Stadium.

The Latest: Pep without Palmer…

As confirmed, City’s head coach won’t be able to call upon electric starlet Cole Palmer today.

The homegrown ace has been sidelined for most of the calendar year, coming as a piece of frustration given his head-turning rise to prominence earlier in the campaign.

Palmer has thoroughly impressed at points but hasn’t been able to contribute lately due to ongoing fitness issues, prompting the Citizens to even consider surgery.

The Verdict: Blow for Pep?

The 19-year-old, CFG’s most exciting academy product since a certain Phil Foden, has been an arguable miss off the bench and City supporters will be hoping he can return to full fitness as soon as possible.

Palmer has attracted huge praise for some of his cameos this season with club legends Paul Dickov and Shaun Wright-Phillips raving over the exciting attacker.

Wright-Phillips in particular, speaking after the talent notched a goal and assist in City’s 4-1 FA Cup third round victory away to Swindon Town, labelled Palmer ‘outstanding’ for his form over the campaign (City’s matchday live show via The Manchester Evening News).

Guardiola could’ve done with the teenager’s obvious talent as an option off the bench, but alas, the Spaniard will be without him yet again as he prepares for Liverpool.

In other news: Man City discussions held as ‘unbelievable’ £33m star decides he wants to join Pep! Find out more here.

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Rangers midfielder Ryan Jack played alongside new boy Glen Kamara in the 5-0 Scottish Cup thrashing of Kilmarnock at Ibrox on Wednesday, and his comments to rangers.co.uk after the final whistle suggest that he enjoyed the experience.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Kamara completed his move to the Glasgow giants from Dundee on the final day of the January transfer window, but didn’t make his debut for the club until the 0-0 draw with St Johnstone last weekend – one Jack incidentally missed because of an injury issue.

However, the duo were both named in the starting XI as Steven Gerrard opted for a 4-1-4-1 system against Killie, and it proved to be a happy night for the hosts as Alfredo Morelos netted four times and Andy Halliday scored another in the comprehensive win.

Speaking post-match about his new teammate, Jack told rangers.co.uk: “Yeah it was good.

“Obviously I’ve trained with him a couple of times, and Glen’s a good footballer.

“I thought he was really good tonight and I really enjoyed playing alongside him. He’s good at keeping the ball, I really enjoyed it and hopefully there’s more of that to come.”

Budding partnership on the cards?

There might well be, with Jack’s comments certainly suggesting that he is keen to play with the Finland international more often.

The fact that Rangers have only just signed Kamara suggests that he has a big role to play at Ibrox in the coming years, while at 26 years of age his Scottish teammate has already established himself as a key man for the club.

The pair are likely to feature prominently in Gerrard’s central midfield both now and in the future with the likes of Scott Arfield and Steven Davis getting no younger.

A big update has emerged regarding Newcastle United and their pursuit of Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford.

What’s the talk?

Transfer insider Dean Jones has claimed that the Magpies are one of two clubs set to be at the front of the pack for the England international this summer. He has revealed that PIF are ready to go head-to-head with Arsenal to land the Red Devils ace, with the attacker potentially on his way out of Old Trafford at the end of the season.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “I think as soon as Rashford’s future came into doubt, we did a story on the fact that Arsenal and Newcastle would be the two teams expected to lead the chase for Rashford, and I think that is the case.”

Joy to watch

Manchester United reporter Rich Fay once dubbed Rashford a “joy to watch”, and that is what the 24-year-old would be to the Newcastle faithful next season if the club can reach an agreement for him.

He is a proven Premier League performer who has the ability on the ball to get fans off their seats with excitement. In 293 games for the Red Devils, he has scored 93 goals and provided 58 assists, including 59 goals and 39 assists in the top flight.

Rashford is reportedly valued at €100m (£84m) by Manchester United, and it may be justified by his age and his form from last season.

Whilst he has only scored four times in the league this term, he managed an outstanding 11 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League in the 2020/21 campaign. This shows that he does have the ability to score and create goals on a regular basis at the top level, even if he is not showing it at the moment.

He also led Europe in completed nutmegs that season, with 18 in the top flight. This was after he also topped the charts in 2019/20 with 13 nutmegs, which suggests that he will be a joy to watch for supporters as he makes defenders look silly with his impressive dribbling.

At the age of 24, he also has plenty of time left to develop and improve even further. He is not at the end of his career and lacking the time to develop his game, which means that Howe can work with him to help the English forward to fulfill his potential and become a major player for the Toon.

It is now down to PIF to ensure that they win the race between themselves and Arsenal to bring Rashford to St James’ Park.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops exciting Newcastle United transfer update, fans will be buzzing…

Manchester United are ready to trigger Erik ten Hag’s release clause at Ajax and announce the Dutchman as their new manager next week, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Previous announcement rumours

Ten Hag appears to be the club’s first choice to replace Ralf Rangnick following ‘positive’ talks with Red Devils chiefs last month.

Reports had suggested that United were holding off over a formal announcement, with one not likely until the end of the season.

However, it looks as if the club have made a major U-turn when it comes to confirming the 52-year-old, judging by a reveal from a United source.

The Latest: Source drops Ten Hag update

As per Football Insider, Ten Hag is now expected to accept United’s proposal, with the Red Devils set to finalise discussions with Ajax.

The club are planning to announce Ten Hag while the season is still live, with a possible announcement coming as early as next week after Ajax’s KNVB Cup final against PSV on Sunday.

The Verdict: Good news for Man Utd

Should this latest report prove accurate, then it is extremely positive news for United ahead of a summer shake-up.

Confirming Ten Hag as the new manager for the 2022/23 season early will give him the chance to evaluate the squad and make a head start on some early transfer business.

This could prove to be crucial instead of the club looking for a new manager during the summer window, and Ten Hag will have a lot of work to do before he takes to the Old Trafford dugout for the first time.

In other news: ‘Interesting’ Man Utd news has pundit talking; says Leeds supporters ‘will be devastated’

West Ham United have failed in their attempts to bring Duje Caleta-Car to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a recent claim made by Claret & Hugh, with the West Ham insider revealing in a recent post that, despite David Moyes’ side’s continued attempts to find an agreement with Olympique de Marseille regarding a deal for the centre-back, sources on both sides of the transfer have stated that a compromise between the two clubs does not look likely to be reached.

It is reported that the Hammers are looking to take the 25-year-old on a loan to buy deal, while Marseille are only willing to part with the Croatia international for an up front fee of £15m.

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In their post, Claret & Hugh said: “West Ham are believed to have finally missed out on signing Croatian central defender Duje Caleta-Car. The Hammers have been chasing the player for several weeks and are likely to continue doing so up until the end of the window.

“But Claret & Hugh’s information from both sides of the deal is that Marseille are unwilling to do a loan to buy option and continue to insist on a £15 million permanent deal. The Hammers have made it clear they have no interest in such a deal at this point and want to take a look at the player over the remainder of the season.

“We are planning to pursue things until the end of the window but Marseille sources insist no deal other than a permanent switch is considered suitable.”

Moyes can kiss top four goodbye

With West Ham’s absolute priority targets in the January transfer window having been a new centre-forward and a new centre-back – neither of which Moyes has managed to land – the news that the Premier League side are set to miss out on a defender they have been pursuing for a large portion of the current market is sure to have left Hammers fans livid with their club’s strategy this winter.

Indeed, with a little under 36 hours until the transfer window closes on Monday evening, each hour that passes from now on looks to reduce the club’s likelihood of bringing a new centre-back to the London Stadium this winter – meaning the stalemate with Marseille regarding a deal for Caleta-Car appears to have been extremely important time wasted.

And, with the Hammers pushing for a top-four finish in the league this season, should Moyes indeed fail to bring in both a new centre-back and centre-forward this month, the Scot may as well kiss goodbye to the prospect of Champions League football next season now – as the 58-year-old’s squad simply does not have enough strength in depth to maintain a top-four push in its current state.

In other news: “I can confirm…”: ExWHUemployee drops huge transfer update, WHU fans will be buzzing

Finance expert Kieran Maguire, featured on Sky Sports, believes the decision to operate a Celtic B team in the Lowland League has been a worthwhile venture. 

The lowdown: Here to stay

Having originally been trialled as a pilot scheme to develop Scottish youngsters, clubs recently voted for the participation of the young Hoops and Rangers sides to continue for the 2022/23 campaign.

Neither side can be promoted or earn relegation but the lure of competitive action has been preferred over the original academy style setup.

Following a report from the Daily Record confirming that the Lowland League had received a financial boost in the wake of the Old Firm’s inclusion, Maguire has given his view.

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The verdict: Good deal for all parties

Speaking to Football Insider, the regular contributor for Sky Sports suggested that the decision has proven to be a hit.

“It was a successful experiment, at the end of the day,” Maguire said.

“The fact the Lowlands League wants it to continue shows that the benefits outweigh any detriment.

“They will have also benefited from higher attendances because people will come to see the Colts teams when they are in town.

“It hasn’t held back the Lowlands League teams themselves.

“They have probably upped their game because it is a feather in the cap to beat Rangers or Celtic, even if it is the Colts teams.”

The verdict: Positive early signs

Whilst it’s difficult to quantify the fruits of the B team’s labour just yet, Celtic certainly appear to have a very promising collection of youngsters on the books at present.

The likes of Mikey Johnston, Dane Murray and Karamoko Dembele have all emerged as options for Ange Postecoglou’s side at various points this season whilst supremely talented teenager Ben Doak recently earned a high profile switch to Premier League giants Liverpool.

Continuing to blood the Lennoxtown youngsters in a competitive environment can only be a positive for the future at Parkhead and it would appear to also be a huge financial boost to the lower reaches of the Scottish football pyramid – win-win.

In other news, a journalist has provided a worrying Celtic transfer update. Read more here.

Diego Carlos could reportedly now be tempted with a move to Newcastle United in the summer.

The Lowdown: January not to be

It was no secret that the St. James’ Park faithful were strongly pushing to sign Carlos throughout most of the January transfer window only for a deal to fall through, with the Magpies opting to sign Dan Burn from Brighton and Hove Albion instead.

This came after the Brazilian himself handed in a transfer request at Sevilla in order to try and force through a move to the North East, and so a move to Tyneside in the future should not be ruled out, so long as they can avoid relegation from the Premier League of course.

The Latest: Summer move?

As per La Razon, Carlos could now be tempted again by a move to the Magpies in the summer.

The news outlet cites that the Toon made an offer worth up to €55m (£46.3m) last month to Sevilla for their central defender, which was turned down, but does not specify how much it would take to get him once the summer transfer window opens.

The Verdict: Get it done

Interestingly, Sevilla considered Carlos ‘untouchable’ in January, despite bids coming in for him and his transfer request, but now it looks like he could try and force through a move in the summer instead.

Whatever price the La Liga club set, Eddie Howe’s simply have to pay it, as he would lift the quality of their backline beyond measure.

The six-foot-one colossus has been dubbed as a ‘real leader at the back’ (The Daily Express) by European football expert Andy Brassell, and is appropriately nicknamed ‘The Beast‘, a no-nonsense defender that would certainly help NUFC concede fewer goals next season, having helped Sevilla keep the best defensive record in La Liga so far.

Nonetheless, after the signing of another Brazilian in Bruno Guimaraes, his arrival would further show a statement of intent from the new owners.

In other news, find out which ‘Rolls-Royce’ Newcastle are now planning to sign in the summer here!

Leeds United were thwarted in their attempts to bolster Marcelo Bielsa’s playing squad during the January transfer window but until the summer, they should forget about the name Brenden Aaronson…

Midfield mess

Indeed, the Yorkshire giants saw two bids of around £15m and £20m rejected by Austrian champions RB Salzburg for the American midfielder and in reality, they were always facing a losing battle.

There was no chance Salzburg were letting the 21-year-old leave halfway through the season, especially when they face Bayern Munich in a Champions League knockout clash later this month.

Leeds are likely to make a successful move for him at the end of the season, should he not garner further interest from some of Europe’s elite teams.

But it does still leave Bielsa light on options in the engine room for the next five to six months.

Forget Aaronson

It’s believed that the recruitment team at Elland Road see another Mateusz Klich in Aaronson.

Of course, it can be argued that it’s in that role – the gap between the midfield, the no.10 and the attack – that the Argentine needs numbers and quality the most.

The Polish international’s form has been sporadic throughout the 2021/22 campaign and whilst he’s been pivotal over the years, he will be turning 32 by the time the new campaign starts, so he will need to be replaced at some point.

And with no Aaronson at the club, Bielsa may need to find a solution from within and he could well have a Klich-like animal in Lewis Bate, who was pictured training alongside the 31-year-old veteran at Thorp Arch recently.

A sign of things to come perhaps?

The 19-year-old gem has been likened to Dutch legend Clarence Seedorf for the way in which he’s able to run games from central midfield – very much in that ‘Klich role’ between the no.6s and no.10.

Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard – now both in management in the Premier League – have been two players that he’s looked up to growing up, only bolstering such claims as the top-flight icons provided plenty of goals and assists from deep.

“His ability to take control of the tempo of a game from deep, dropping into spaces and probing with his mastery of the short and long passing game is where he excels,” once claimed U18 and U23 recruitment analyst, Connor Rowden, to LeedsLive.

Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Phil Hay believes the young 5 foot 6 dynamo is “very gifted” and is a “lovely passer” of the ball, too.

For the time being, it could be Bate who Bielsa needs to call upon to solve the mess in midfield this season. If he delivers, then Aaronson could quickly become something of the past as they won’t need to spend big if they already have the perfect heir to the struggling Klich’s throne right under their nose.

The Argentine must now unleash the teenage sensation in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, Source drops “huge” update from Thorp Arch, fans will be buzzing…

Tonight, Manchester United take on an inspired Liverpool side who have their eyes on an unprecedented quadruple.

The last time these two sides met saw the Merseyside outfit dismantle Manchester United, though that was under the tenure of Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

Nevertheless, it was complete domination from Jurgen Klopp’s side, with the Reds certainly looking to recreate the 5-0 drubbing that was seen in late October.

On the chalkboard

Since the interim appointment of Ralf Rangnick, very little has improved. The Old Trafford side still lack consistency, whilst their tactical identity is also hit and miss.

There are many ways in which Ralf can approach this game, with United looking to derail Liverpool’s Premier League title ambitions and boost their own hopes of securing a Champions League place, come next season.

United are expected to deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation against Liverpool, natively giving them more numbers in midfield.

This could be a viable option, but in order to reduce the threat of Liverpool, Manchester United should look to restrict their freedom within the central areas of the pitch.

They will naturally lose the possession battle against the Anfield side, so will look to create their chances through counterattacks.

Therefore, central pressure from United could create a problem for Klopp, though United will require two strikers who can apply constant pressure on Van Dijk and co, with the Dutchman’s long-balls proving to be a real danger.

Therefore, a slight system tweak could see United contest Liverpool tonight.

A 4-1-3-2 system, could frustrate Klopp’s side and would also see Marcus Rashford recalled to the starting XI for what would be his 11th start this campaign.

The 24-year-old, who has been described as “elite” as per OptaJoe, has struggled for minutes this season and at current, is also having his worst season in a United shirt.

The Englishman has contributed just four goals and two assists in the Premier League this term, though a chance as a central striker, in a likely partnership with Bruno Fernandes, due to Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence, could be enough inspiration to break his 13-game goal duck.

The deployment of the energetic £180k-per-week talent would also improve Fernandes’ game, with Rashford’s blistering pace an unwelcome distraction for the Liverpool backline.

Ralf should unleash Rashford for tonight’s big clash in a partnership that could terrify the Reds.

In other news: Manchester United plotting move for £5.9m-rated “rising star”, he’s better than Fred – opinion