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It might not be as straightforward now in Manchester United's pursuit of Kim Min-jae, with Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg reporting that Bayern Munich have entered the race for the player.

Is Kim Min-jae joining Manchester United?

The defender has really burst onto the scene this season thanks to an incredible year in Italy with Napoli that has seen the club claim the Serie A title. The 26-year-old played a key part in that success, featuring on 35 occasions in the league for the side and even bagging two goals and two assists along the way. It marks his first season in the country but he already looks right at home in the centre of that Napoli defence.

In addition, he's proven himself as having a superb ability to take the ball with his feet and to play out from the back with ease. With a 90.2% pass completion rate, he ranks amongst the top 10% of players in his position amongst the Men's 'Top Five' big leagues for example. It shows that not only is he a standout talent in his domestic league but is one of the best at doing so in Europe.

It's led to big interest in his services from Man United in the Premier League, who have been keen to get a deal done. It had looked like a move was all but completed too, with a report suggesting that he would link-up with Erik Ten Hag's side on July 1, with the Red Devils agreeing to pay his 60 million Euro (£51m) release clause and already agreeing personal terms.

However, according to a report from Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg, there is now competition for his signature. Bayern Munich are keeping tabs on the situation and could launch their own bid for the centre-back. The German giants are seemingly "aware" of United's eagerness to snap up Kim and the Red Devils are now "pushing" to get a deal over the line with this new twist in the race to sign the player.

How many games has Kim Min-jae played?

The Napoli man is an experienced head already, despite being only 26. As well as his 35 league showings for Napoli this campaign, he also featured heavily for Fenerbache in Turkey, playing 31 times for the title-chasing club. Prior to that, he also had three seaons with Beijing Guoan and two with Jeonbuk. It means that he has now accumulated 157 league games worth of action in his career already.

That has led to him becoming the player he is today, with the defender now earning the nickname of "monster" because of his performances. If United can get a deal done then, they would be getting a player who certainly appears capable of slotting straight into their backline.

Aston Villa have their eyes on a Premier League ace ahead of the transfer window, as Unai Emery prepares for his first summer in charge of the club.

The Spaniard is reported to have a monster £150m budget to spend, as the Villans aim to equip their side with star quality as their first European involvement since 2010 comes next season.

In their latest linked player, Villa could sign one of the world’s most talented youngsters, who could be a perfect fit in Emery’s plans.

What’s the latest on Joao Felix to Aston Villa?

As reported by Mundo Deportivo last week, Villa have emerged as one of the ‘options’ for Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix.

The claims have been supported by Football Insider, who yesterday revealed that a move for the Chelsea loanee ‘cannot be ruled out’ ahead of the window, with the player having already been offered to the Villans.

Transfer expert Pete O’Rourke added that the Midlands side are ‘ambitious’ and aim to bring in attacking reinforcements this summer.

What could Joao Felix bring to Aston Villa?

Lauded as being an “excellent player” by international teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner even tipped the starlet to ‘repeat’ his successes in Spain during an interview in 2019.

There’s no denying the talents that Felix has, despite a slightly underwhelming loan spell at Chelsea ending with him scoring four goals in 16 Premier League appearances – via Sofascore.

At just 23, the youngster has already established himself as one of Europe’s most encouraging talents, as supported by his 107 goal contributions in a total of 238 recorded career appearances – as per Transfermarkt.

The youngster could find comfort playing under Emery, who could unleash the Portuguese gem’s full potential which would be a positive action for Villa and specifically, Ollie Watkins.

Playing predominantly as a centre-forward, Felix has become accustomed to playing with a strike partner in Madrid, recording stellar performances in Diego Simeone’s inspired 3-5-2 formation.

During his time in Spain, the £195k-per-week ace registered 52 goal contributions in 131 games, showing the threat he could add to Villa’s attack if paired with Emery’s 15-goal forward.

Hailed as “special” by former strike partner Alvaro Morata, the Spaniard praised the former Benfica star’s ability to provide a ‘great’ range of passing that allowed him to run into space.

Emery has unleashed a strength in positional play in Watkins, that could serve the Spaniard well if he can pair him with the expertise of Felix.

In a piece analysing the Englishman’s performance against Newcastle United this season, Medium journalist Sam Stobbart claimed that the 27-year-old ‘can’t be stopped’ when he makes a run to capitalise on a ball from an advanced position.

Such exploits have been displayed by Felix, who could be Watkins’ perfect strike partner, something that's rubber-stamped by his average of 4.12 progressive passes per 90, ranking him in the top 5% of forwards in Europe in this area – as per FBref.

Emery could create a special duo to grace Villa Park if he can pull the superstar signing off, and with his stance on wanting to “add another striker” clear, the prospect is one fans can get very excited about.

Tottenham Hotspur have now turned their attention to a new central defensive target…

What’s the word?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Spurs manager Antonio Conte is keen to sign AS Roma colossus Roger Ibanez this summer transfer window, though he is facing competition from Premier League rivals Newcastle United.

General manager Tiago Pinto does not view the 23-year-old centre-back as ‘non-transferrable’ but he could cost in the region of €30m (£26m).

It’s also thought that the Serie A outfit, led by former Lilywhites head coach Jose Mourinho, already has potential replacements in mind, with Feyenoord’s Marcos Senesi and Arthur Theate of Bologna mentioned as targets.

Bastoni alternative

Interest in another name should come as no surprise after the north Londoners were dealt a gutting blow in their pursuit of top target Alessandro Bastoni, who now appears to be staying at Conte’s former club Inter Milan.

“Bastoni is definitely staying at Inter,” his agent Tullio Tinti revealed earlier this week (via The Athletic). “He’s an Inter player. He’s happy to play for Inter.”

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Whilst hope of signing him isn’t diminishing despite the news, especially given Inter’s financial status right now, it would make sense to plan elsewhere; and there won’t be a better candidate than Ibanez, who, on the face of it, looks like Bastoni 2.0.

The £42.5m-rated brute has been described as “a talent” by his former manager Paulo Fonseca, who also claimed: “It’s not easy to find fast, aggressive central defenders, but Roger has another side to his game. He has a lot of quality and courage on the ball.”

He has also described himself as being a bit of a speed demon and quite the complete centre-back. “I am quick and strong in the air too. I like to play the ball to feet. All these are words, of course, I want to show what I can do on the pitch,” once claimed Ibanez.

In terms of their respective output in the Italian top flight in 2021/22, both Bastoni and Ibanez were performing at a strikingly similar rate.

When it comes to tackling, the Inter star only managed 0.5 more successful tackles per 90, whilst the Roma man led the way for interceptions, averaging 2.96 per 90, compared to Bastoni’s 1.48.

Also via FBRef, the pair were close for blocks (Bastoni’s 1.56 vs Ibanez’s 1.25).

Meanwhile, in terms of their ball-playing ability, it’s a similar story with the pair ranking closely for progressive carries (4.20 vs 4.14) and passing accuracy (89% vs 87.4%).

This makes for interesting reading and only goes to show why the Brazilian would be a viable, if not the perfect alternative, to Bastoni.

Sporting director Fabio Paratici and Conte must now look to raid Ibanez from Roma.

AND in other news, “A London source..”: Italian journo drops Spurs transfer update, Conte will be buzzing…

Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Sheth has now shared an exciting Tottenham Hotspur transfer update with manager Antonio Conte seemingly getting the club’s full backing.

The Lowdown: Conte eyes major upgrades…

After he sealed a Premier League top four finish and the riches of Champions League football, it appears Spurs will go all out to ensure Conte’s desired transfers are fulfilled.

Their £150 million equity increase will be used to back the Italian after his brilliant first season in charge with the club already confirming two new signings in Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster on Bosman deals.

It is believed that Lilywhites transfer chief Fabio Paratici is now after a left-sided central defender with Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni among Conte’s top targets.

The Latest: Sheth shares exciting update…

According to Sky reporter Sheth, Spurs are now ‘in talks’ to sign the 23-year-old with both Conte and Paratici keen to get business done in early fashion.

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He explained (via Twitter):

“Tottenham in talks with Inter Milan to sign central defender Alessandro Bastoni. Antonio Conte & Sporting Director Fabio Paratici keen to get majority of transfer business done before pre-season. Bastoni played for Conte when Inter won Serie A title in 2020/2021.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

While Bastoni is reluctant to leave the San Siro, a major bid will apparently make chairman Steven Zhang green-light a sale – specifically around €70 million (£60m).

Tipped as Italy’s next generation defensive star after Giorgio Chiellini, the Serie A starlet has also been called ‘technically brilliant’ by Italian football expert Conor Clancy.

If Spurs can make Bastoni their third signing after Forster, it’s safe to say this would be the club’s best start to a summer window before it’s even opened.

In other news: ‘Better and better’ – Tottenham could make announcement ‘in the coming days’, says insider! Find out more here.

Celtic have been linked with a move for Paradou AC winger Adil Boulbina ahead of Ange Postecoglou’s third window in charge of the Hoops.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from DZ Ballon, Celtic are one of the clubs interested in signing the attacker.

The report also claims that Lille, Angers and Eintracht Frankfurt are the other clubs eyeing the 19-year-old.

As a product of Paradou’s youth system, the teenager has made 27 senior appearances for the Algerian club across all competitions.

The next Jota

In those aforementioned appearances, the winger has scored four goals and delivered four assists along the way, highlighting the attacking talent he has at such a young age.

Labelled as a “dangerous” player by Algerian journalist Chebli Ishaq, it’s easy to see why this group of clubs, including Celtic, have Boulbina on their radar.

Last summer showed just how beneficial it can be for Celtic to give a young winger the chance to play regularly and shine at Parkhead.

After securing a season-long loan deal for Jota from Benfica, the winger went on to become a crucial figure for the Bhoys in their recent title-winning campaign.

With 29 league appearances to his name, the Portuguese star scored ten goals and provided 11 assists, helping Postecoglou’s side secure the league title.

Now that the Hoops reportedly have their eye on another exciting wide attacking player at the start of his career, this could present them with their next version of Jota.

Given the fairly even balance of goals and assists that the 23-year-old delivered for the Bhoys this season and the goal contributions that Boulbina has supplied for his current club, it’s clear that the duo are both capable of scoring and setting up goals in equal measure.

Speaking about the Benfica youngster’s talents on the pitch for Celtic, Marvin Bartley had this to say on the matter.

He said: “His all-around game is absolutely brilliant. He’s a striker’s dream, isn’t he? If you go in the right areas, he’ll find you. His head is up all the time. He can play left, he can play right, he’s pro-active, he’s constantly on the move. He’s got that belief he can go past anyone.”

Given the potential that Boulbina has, he could be a very exciting addition to Celtic’s ranks and potentially become a star figure in the first team in a similar way that Jota has.

In other news: Celtic eyeing move for “exciting” teenage prodigy, he can be their next Edouard

Manchester United are willing to pay Villarreal €50m (£42.8m) to sign centre-back Pau Torres, according to Marca.

The Lowdown: Torres linked with United

The Red Devils were name-checked with an interest in Torres by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano towards the end of April, who stated that the Red Devils and their crosstown rivals Manchester City were ‘interested’ in the 25-year-old, who has a release clause of €55m-€60m (£47.1m-£51.4m).

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Erik ten Hag is seemingly keen to bolster his defensive ranks, with Ajax’s Jurrien Timber also of interest at Old Trafford.

The Latest: Torres transfer update

Marca shared an update regarding Torres and United on Monday afternoon. They claimed that the Red Devils, who remain owned by the Glazers, are willing to pay Villarreal €50m (£42.8m) for the Spain international.

The report adds that Ten Hag wants a ball-playing centre-back, with Torres fitting perfectly into his plans.

The Verdict: Smart move?

It appears as if United are looking at lowering the cost of a possible deal and are willing to knock off €5m to €10m (£4.3m-£8.6m) of the defender’s release clause. However, you’d like to think that if push came to shove, the club would be willing to activate Torres’ release clause.

The Spain international, who was hailed as ‘sensational’ by his national team boss Luis Enrique, appears to be entering the prime years of his career, with a career-high Transfermarkt valuation.

He now has experience of playing in the Champions League and for his country on a regular basis, and given that he is also wanted by Pep Guardiola, Ten Hag could strike an early blow to United’s closest rivals shortly after arriving in England.

In other news: Man Utd and Ten Hag launch ‘important offer’ to sign ‘the future’ of football along with De Jong. 

Derby County defender Krystian Bielik has been told by his Poland international manager that he must leave the club if he has any hopes of playing for his country at the World Cup later this year.

The Lowdown: Bielik profiled

The 24-year-old first arrived at Pride Park for an undisclosed fee from Premier League side Arsenal three years ago, where he has since gone on to make 49 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring three goals during that time, as per Transfermarkt.

Despite the centre-back still having two years remaining on his current contract with the Rams, he’s been advised – one could even say warned – to think about departing the Midlands outfit in the coming months.

The Latest: Michniewicz sends clear transfer message

When speaking during an interview with Sport TVP (as quoted by DerbyshireLive), Poland coach Czeslaw Michniewicz revealed that he’s made Bielik aware that he won’t be boarding the plane to Qatar if he is still playing League One football next season. He said:

“I told Krystian that he would not go to the World Cup playing at League One level. I know he has a two-year contract, but he has to leave.

“Even if all the players stay there, including the coach.

“From third-tier level to the World Cup, it will be hard to go and compete with the best. We must have players playing in the best teams, because there will be very little time to prepare.”

The Verdict: Rooney disagrees

Despite being relegated from the Championship just weeks ago, Derby boss Wayne Rooney has claimed that he is ‘absolutely’ confident that Bielik will still be a Rams player at the start of the new campaign, and it’s no surprise to see why he’s such a big fan.

This season alone, the 6 foot 2 colossus has averaged 2.3 long balls, 1.1 tackles, and 1.1 clearances per league 90 minutes, alongside winning 1.9 of his aerial duels, via WhoScored, displaying his physical presence in that defensive backline.

With Chris Kirchner’s takeover of the club close to officially going through after announcing that he’s exchanged contracts for the sale, this now means that with funding about to restart, Rooney can begin planning his major summer rebuild in a bid to bounce back up to the second-tier at the first time of asking next year.

In other news… a journalist has delivered a huge update on the potential sale of Pride Park.

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez is attracting serious interest from Anfield icon and Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard, according to Darren Lewis of The Daily Mirror.

The lowdown

Gomez currently finds himself fourth in Jurgen Klopp’s centre-back pecking order. He’s actually played the majority of his football this season a right-back, providing cover for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The Englishman has only started three Premier League matches all season, as well as two Champions League games.

His £75,000-per-week contract is due to expire in just over two years’ time, but the Liverpool Echo’s Theo Squires has recently reported from club sources that Julian Ward has been tasked with extending his deal.

The former Charlton Athletic man has made 141 appearances for the club, failing to score in that time but registering five assists and racking up multiple trophies.

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The latest

Lewis, an assistant editor at The Mirror, says that Gerrard wants a new centre-half to help prepare his squad for a European push.

He believes that Villa’s ‘poor defensive record’ has held them back during his first season at the helm and he’s identified Gomez as the man to sort that out, so could thwart the plans of Liverpool and Ward to extend the player’s deal.

The verdict

Gomez knows that he’s good enough to be playing regularly for most sides in the Premier League.

After all, this is a player who started 22 matches for the side that won the title with 99 points in the 2019/20 season.

Klopp regards him as a ‘world-class’ centre-back and an ‘exceptional talent’, but hasn’t been able to find room for him for the most part this term.

With Liverpool seemingly inclined to keep hold of him rather than listen to offers, it could come down to what the player decides.

And he may view a move as his best bet of securing the opportunities he needs to earn a place in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad.

In other news, a major development in the race to sign Tchouameni. 

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an update on the future of reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Konrad Laimer.

What’s the word?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Italian journalist and transfer insider revealed that Bayern Munich are preparing an opening offer of around €20m (£17m) for the RB Leipzig midfielder, with Julian Nagelsmann believed to be a big fan of the 24-year-old.

However, Romano goes on to state that a number of Premier League sides – one of whom is reported to be Antonio Conte’s Tottenham – are also interested in a move for the Austria international this summer.

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In his tweet, the journalist said: “FC Bayern are preparing an opening bid [of] around €18/20m to begin talks with RB Leipzig for Konrad Laimer – it won’t be easy but Bayern want him. Julian Nagelsmann is pushing to sign Laimer – as Premier League top clubs are interested too. He’s out of contract in 2023.”

Paratici must move

Considering just how well suited Laimer appears to be for Conte’s tactical setup in north London, in addition to the fact that it appears as if the midfielder will be available for an extremely reasonable fee this summer, it would seem a very wise move for Paratici to launch a bid of his own for the RB Leipzig dynamo at the end of the current campaign.

Indeed, according to FBref statistics, the £23.4m-rated Austrian ranks in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s big five leagues for pressures per 90 minutes, as well as the top 19% for tackles, the top 13% for progressive carries, the top 17% for blocks and the top 14% for dribbles completed over the last 365 days.

The £49k-per-week talent also impresses in attacking metrics, with FBref ranking the 24-year-old in the top 10% of midfielders for non-penalty goals per 90 minutes, in addition to the top 4% of non-penalty xG, the top 13% for shots, the top 4% for assists, the top 13% for xA and the top 5% for non-penalty xG+xA throughout the last year.

As a result of these returns, FBref compare Laimer to the likes of Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham, Liverpool’s Naby Keita, Barcelona duo Pedri and Gavi and Atalanta’s Teun Koopmeiners, demonstrating the calibre of player the RB Leipzig sensation is in and amongst.

As such, should the player dubbed an “elite presser” indeed be available for as little as £17m this summer, Paratici simply must throw Tottenham’s hat in the ring, as it is abundantly clear that Laimer signing that Conte would love to welcome to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ahead of the club’s 2022/23 campaign.

AND in other news: Spurs now set to seal “unbelievable” first summer signing, it’s a Paratici masterclass

As per Tim Spiers’ latest report for The Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers had an opportunity to move for former Lyon and now Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes.

24-year-old Guimaraes had attracted the attention of Europe’s finest outfits after another impressive campaign with Lyon in Ligue 1.

The notable sides who were interested in signing the Lyon star were Arsenal and Newcastle, with the latter signing him for £33.3m plus £6.5m in add-ons.

Spiers states in his report that Wolves “courted” the Brazilian star, before he completed his move to St James’ Park.

“The Best”

Newcastle United’s signing of the 24-year-old has turned out to be nothing short of astute, nor mesmeric.

Despite arriving as one of the most prominent central defensive midfielders around, Howe has been blown away by his technical ability and wants the Brazilian on the ball as much as possible.

As such, he has primarily functioned as a central midfielder for Newcastle United this season – a position that Wolves desperately need with the reported potential outgoings of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho and Leander Dendoncker.

Bruno Lage will surely regret not moving for the No.39 wearing midfielder after he watched him run the show when the two sides met in Wolves’ 1-0 defeat to Howe’s side in early April, completing 86% of his passes, 100% of his dribbles and winning a whopping 12 duels.

Guimaraes, who has been described as “the best” by journalist Charlie Bennett and as “out of this world” by Tom Barclay, has discovered his goalscoring touch in England, having scored three times in his last four Premier League games for the Magpies.

Almost all of Guimaraes’ metrics are in and around the 90th percentile on FBref, with his match average of 6.26 progressive passes, and 3.23 shot-creating actions per 90 a stand out compared to the likes of Dendoncker who registers an average of 1.99 progressive passes per 90, with a match average of 1.50 shot-creating actions.

Howe is right in letting him flourish as a central midfielder, as his attributes are so outstanding that it would be a waste to restrict him to defensive duties. On the other hand, Lage and Wolves were wrong in not actioning this deal if, as reported, they had the option to sign him.

The latest report from Spiers will come as a dagger in the hearts of a passionate fanbase who would have adored the Brazilian sensation.

Wolves have had a nightmare with this deal.

In other news: Lage must unleash “unplayable” £25.2m-rated Wolves reject, he’s better than Trincao