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Aston Villa are said to be close to signing Hearts’ Ewan Simpson as well as Rangers’ Rory Wilson. 

The lowdown

Gerrard is about to take an exciting prospect from the club he managed from May 2018 until last November, with a move for Wilson nearing completion.

Rangers are entitled to a £300,000 development fee for 16-year-old striker Wilson, who bagged a whopping 49 goals in the junior ranks last season.

Simpson is a year younger than his fellow Scotsman Wilson and plays in midfield.

Villa have already been extremely busy this summer, making four additions to their first-team.

The latest

Barry Anderson, a football journalist at The Scotsman/Edinburgh News, relayed the double update on Monday morning.

In addition to Wilson, he reported that ‘Villa [are] also close to signing’ Simpson in a transfer that will cost them £250,000.

The verdict

Based on his remarkable goal record, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the arrival of Wilson generated more excitement amongst the Villa fans.

But they should be very pleased with the capture of Simpson too, because he looks a superb talent.

According to The Daily Mail, he’s been delivering ‘outstanding performances’ despite the fact that he’s playing at Under-18 level as a 15-year-old.

Indeed, Villa have prevailed in a hotly-contested race, with Hearts allegedly fielding ‘a number of enquiries’ for Simpson.

It will of course be a while before he’s ready to compete for a first-team place at Villa Park, but it’s certainly a name worth remembering.

In other news, Aston Villa are eyeing a Champions League star Gerrard saw up close on a scouting trip. 

Liverpool have been heavily linked with Aurelien Tchouameni and reportedly agreed on terms with the player earlier this month, but a new update from a reliable source has emerged which pushes the club even further away from signing the French youngster.

What’s the latest?

Italian journalist and Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Real Madrid are now close to completing a deal for the Monaco midfielder this summer.

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The transfer insider tweeted: “Things are happening behind the scenes of Aurelién Tchouaméni deal… but Real Madrid are still feeling confident and strong in talks with AS Monaco because of player’s decision.”

“Tchouaméni wants Real move as priority – up to the two clubs, still negotiating.”

Liverpool supporters will be fuming

There is no doubt that Tchouameni is a hot prospect in the upcoming transfer window, with Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Liverpool all reportedly chasing his signature, so the news that he will likely complete a move to Spain instead will leave Reds supporters fuming.

The 22-year-old has had a phenomenal season in Ligue 1, proving to potential suitors that he can be the complete midfielder that every team needs.

In the most recent French top-flight campaign, he scored three goals, registered two assists and created six big chances, whilst being successful with most of his dribbles (73%) and completing the majority of his duels (64%).

Tchouameni also proved himself to be a standout right across European football over the most recent campaign, with the Frenchman completing the most interceptions (101) of any other player in the top five European leagues, which is highly impressive for a 22-year-old.

Therefore, signing the Monaco gem would be a major coup for Liverpool, who are looking to bolster their midfield options in the squad this summer, especially with James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara all in their 30s.  Given those circumstances, it seems clear that the Kopites are looking to identify the next generation of talent to follow on from the team who have had so much success over the past three years.

Not all hope is lost for FSG and Jurgen Klopp, as no official deal has been agreed between Tchouameni and Real Madrid, so Liverpool still have a chance to secure the talented youngster’s signature this summer. Romano’s update doesn’t suggest that it is a likely prospect, though.

AND in other news: LFC plotting swoop for “one of the best”, he’s a “frightening” £80m Firmino upgrade

Celtic will likely be working hard on sealing a new contract for Ange Postecoglou imminently, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Ange working wonders

The Australian took charge at Parkhead last summer and has enjoyed an incredible start to life at the club, proving to be a hugely influential figure.

The 56-year-old won both the Premiership and Scottish League Cup in his maiden campaign in Scotland, quickly winning over many Celtic fans in the process as the Hoops put the misery of 2020/21 firmly behind them.

Worryingly, his one-year deal expires on Tuesday, so a new contract needs to be sorted almost immediately.

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The Latest: New deal imminent?

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke claimed that the Celtic hierarchy will already be hard at work behind the scenes to ensure that Postecoglou does not leave any time soon. The journalist stated:

“Celtic are hoping to build on this season and hopefully have Postecoglou around for quite a few years, so I’m sure talks will be ongoing right now to secure the Australian on a long-term contract and reward him for the success he’s had so far.”

The Verdict: Simply has to happen

Frankly, the thought of Postecoglou suddenly leaving Celtic doesn’t even bear thinking about, considering the massive success he has already enjoyed in Glasgow.

It would be a huge surprise if that were to happen, though, and it is surely just a case of the manager and the club agreeing terms on a deal in the coming days, especially with the 56-year-old recently speaking glowingly about his time in Scotland so far.

Postecoglou seems happy at Parkhead and has Champions League football coming his way next season – the hope is that this is just the start for him at Celtic.

In other news, Celtic are eyeing up a move for a Championship player. Find out who it is here.

An update has emerged regarding Glasgow giants Rangers and their plans to bring a new number nine to Ibrox in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, Ross Wilson is plotting a swoop for Zak Lovelace ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

The report claims that the Gers are chasing a deal for the young Millwall centre-forward and may be able to seal a transfer for a fee in the region of £200k. He has been offered professional terms by the English Championship club and will be able to move to Scotland for that nominal fee if he rejects their efforts.

Millwall will be able to rake in £1m for his services if any English clubs come in for his services, whilst Rangers are able to snap him up for a reduced valuation due to being outside of England.

Gio van Bronckhorst would love him

The Ibrox head coach would love to bring the striker to Glasgow in the coming months, as he would be a strong addition to the Rangers youth setup.

Lovelace has played five Championship matches for the Lions to date, despite only turning 16 in January, and he has been called up by England at under-16 level.

This shows how highly-rated he is within The Den, as his club have decided that he is ready to play professional football – at a high standard – at the age of 15 and 16.

Millwall manager Gary Rowett previously lauded the teenager’s attitude after he made his senior debut, saying: “I thought it was going to be one of those moments where the ball isn’t out of play and there’s a 15-year-old stood on the sidelines ready to make his debut. I was actually quite thankful they had a shot that missed, just because it allowed us to get him on. He had a big, big smile on his face and was desperate to get out there.

“We could have taken the easy route and put a senior player on there because we had Smudge [Matt Smith] left on the bench. But I just felt it was a game where we needed a bit of mobility at the end to stop them getting out.

“Young Zak makes a 50-yard sprint to try and stop them. He showed great appetite. He’s going to have a big career ahead of him, I’m sure.”

These comments from Lovelace’s manager suggest that he is doing all the right things in training and on the pitch when given an opportunity to play.

He has convinced an experienced coach to throw him into a pressured environment at such a young age, which suggests that he has the potential to develop into a fine player in the future, as he is already catching the eye for a team in the second tier in England at the age of just 16.

Therefore, Van Bronckhorst would surely love to have him at Ibrox, as he can work with the youngster in the years to come and help him to blossom into a first-team regular for the Glasgow giants.

AND in other news, Rangers can finally replace Defoe in deal for lethal 29 G/A gem who “never gives up”…

Crystal Palace midfielder Luka Milivojevic may depart Selhurst Park this summer, according to Inside Futbol.

The Lowdown: Milivojevic under Vieira

Milivojevic, who Roy Hodgson labelled as ‘outstanding’, has struggled for regular game time under Patrick Vieira this season.

The 31-year-old has made just 10 starts in all competitions this season, the latest of which came against Aston Villa on the weekend.

That was the club captain’s first Premier League start since February, and as he enters the final 12 months of his Selhurst Park contract, it looks as if an early exit could be on the cards.

The Latest: Olympiacos make move

Inside Futbol shared an update on Milivojevic’s future on Tuesday. They claim that former side Olympiacos are keen to bring him back to the club and have already made moves to get a deal in place.

The report adds that Milivojevic is considering his Eagles future and that he could even ask Steve Parish and Co. to terminate his contract.

The Verdict: Additions needed first

Vieira could be fairly short of midfield options in the summer, with Conor Gallagher set to return to Chelsea following an extremely successful season-long loan.

Cheikhou Kouyate is also out of contract at the end of June, so if Palace let Milivojevic go, Jairo Riedewald could be the club’s only senior defensive midfielder on the books.

Therefore, holding midfield additions could be needed first before the club possibly allow Milivojevic, who doesn’t appear to be fancied under Vieira, to cut short his five-year Palace stay.

In other news: Reliable journalist now reveals ‘secret’ Parish and Vieira plan from SE25. 

Everton have had a disappointing season and as a result, many players have been speculated about a move away from the club, with a new update emerging on Richarlison’s potential exit from Goodison Park this summer.

What’s the latest?

According to Goal Brasil, the Brazilian forward’s agent Renato Velasco has been in “talks” with clubs in the top European leagues.

The report suggests that Richarlison is keen on a move to a giant club but prefers to stay in the Premier League, with Manchester United and Real Madrid already showing interest in signing the Everton player.

Lampard set for major disaster

After such a difficult season and a rollercoaster relegation battle, it would be a major disaster for Frank Lampard if he was to lose one of the best players in the squad, especially if they stay in the Premier League next term.

Everton missed out on the opportunity to secure safety in the top-flight after losing to Brentford and going down to nine men at Goodison Park on Sunday, and it could’ve given the Toffees boss a head start in working on the transfer business ahead of next season. However, it will need to continue to be put on pause.

Despite the stressful relegation battle, the £110k-per-week goal-machine who was hailed “hard-working” by teammate Allan, has been highly effective and integral in the challenge for survival scoring five goals and assisting twice in the last nine games, proving he is extremely important to this Everton team.

With that in mind, if he does depart the club, it would surely leave the fanbase at Goodison rather fuming with proceedings.

Losing the 24-year-old who has been dubbed a “match-winner” by former Blues forward Kevin Campbell would be a complete disaster for the club, and they would need to work incredibly hard to replace him this summer if they were to accept an offer to let him leave Merseyside.

The Toffees will play their penultimate Premier League game and last home fixture against Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace on Thursday and fortunately for Lampard their chances of survival are still in their hands with another opportunity to secure safety in the league before the last game of the season this weekend.

AND in other news: Rejected for £60k: Everton snub of £135m-rated “cyborg” will haunt Moshiri forever

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Fiorentina defensive midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, according to French outlet Foot Mercato (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown: Well-traveled star

A product of the youth academy at Utrecht, the 25-year-old made a switch to Feyenoord in 2017 before spells with Belgian outfit Club Brugge, Serie A side Hellas Verona and current club Fiorentina.

The tenacious midfield destroyer has made 57 appearances for La Viola, scoring just once but picking up 12 yellow cards, and has become a mainstay for the Morocco international team.

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Now another move could be on the horizon for Amrabat as Spurs boss Antonio Conte begins to plan for the summer transfer window…

The latest: On the radar

As per Foot Mercato, translated by SW, Tottenham are believed to ‘want’ the 34-cap ace who also represented Holland at youth level due to being born in the European nation.

It’s claimed that Spurs are ‘preparing’ for their end of season business and the man tipped to become ‘world class’ by BBC Africa journalist Mohamed Qoutb is seemingly a top target.

The report states that Conte and transfer chief Fabio Paratici have ‘targeted’ Amrabat as Inter Milan also ‘strongly appreciate’ the Moroccan.

The verdict: No brainer

Despite injuries ruling out the combative midfielder for 44 days, so far this season Amrabat has earned a 6.75 Sofascore rating from 22 league outings, winning 2.0 ground duels per game, completing 90% of all his passes and only being dribbled past on 0.3 occasions per game on average.

Ironically, the £8.1million valued man compares stylistically with Spurs youngster Olivier Skipp as well as Leeds United ace Kalvin Phillips and former Liverpool general Lucas Leiva (Fbref) – that last one is perhaps no surprise given his record of picking up yellow cards.

With the futures of Tanguy Ndombele and Harry Winks still in doubt, signing a player of the quality of Amrabat would be a huge boost to the defensive solidity in Tottenham Hotspur Stadium squad.

In other news: Conte admits one thing this season left him ‘very angry’, find out more here

West Bromwich Albion bowed out of their disappointing Championship season on a high at The Hawthorns, in an impressive team performance that will give fans new hope for next season.

The Baggies put on a four-goal show in the final game of the season in front of their home fans following a difficult campaign of highs and lows for the club, showing resilience and a taster of what is to be expected when they return to chase promotion back into the Premier League in August under new manager Steve Bruce.

West Brom dominated on all fronts throughout the game with 65% possession, five more shots on target, more big chances created and over twice as many accurate passes than their opponents on Saturday afternoon.

Karlan Grant found the back of the net twice to bag a brace, with Adam Reach and Matthew Clarke in an attacking display that Barnsley just couldn’t cope with and one player, in particular, gave an incredible all-round performance despite not getting on the scoresheet.

Jayson Molumby put on a phenomenal display after securing his future permanently at the club earlier this week in a three-year deal and certainly showed the West Brom faithful exactly what he is capable of offering over the time he has in the future.

The Baggies midfielder had an astonishing 104 touches of the ball against Barnsley, completing 76 passes, winning nine out of his 15 duels, making two interceptions and three tackles, proving that the 22-year-old was intent on making his presence known on the pitch and became a complete nuisance for his opponents.

Bruce spoke out this week about the former Brighton player’s new deal (via BBC Sport);

“We’re really pleased to have Jayson on board permanently.

“He’s managed to force himself into our XI recently and now his challenge is to stay there by continuing to show improvements in his game.”

Following the West Brom manager’s comments, Molumby clearly wanted to show his boss exactly why he deserves to be included in the team going forward and show that he can continue to improve at the club, which will surely put him in good stead to regularly feature next season.

Despite Bruce securing this masterclass signing, there is still a huge amount of work to do to ensure that West Brom doesn’t suffer another season of disappointment and can challenge throughout to secure Premier League promotion at the end of their next campaign.

AND in other news: West Brom eyeing summer swoop for “brilliant” 19 y/o “cheat code”, Bruce needs him

New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag may look to sign Tottenham winger Steven Bergwijn this summer, according to The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare.

The Lowdown: Bergwijn hints at Old Trafford move

Ten Hag was announced as Manchester United’s new manager last month, penning a deal through to 2025.

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He looks set to make final decisions on transfer targets ‘in the coming weeks’, with numerous players linked with a move to Old Trafford.

One of those has been Bergwijn, who hinted earlier this month that a move to United could be on the cards.

Labelled as an ‘important player’ with ‘good fitness’ by Antonio Conte, the Dutch winger can play anywhere across the front three but has made just four Premier League starts this season.

The Latest: Eccleshare’s claim

Reliable reporter Eccleshare shared a story for The Athletic regarding Bergwijn on Thursday. One source believes that Bergwijn will “100%” leave north London at the end of the season, with Eccleshare stating that a possible solution could be a move to Manchester United.

Ten Hag is thought to be a fan of the 24-year-old and made multiple attempts to bring the forward to Ajax, however, Eccleshare added that there is nothing concrete from Old Trafford as of yet.

The Verdict: One to watch?

Ten Hag wants to be heavily involved when it comes to signings, sales and new contracts, so if he personally wants to bring Bergwijn to Manchester, it could be a deal to keep a close eye on.

He hasn’t had the best of times in the Premier League with Spurs, scoring just eight times in 80 games, but Ten Hag will know all about his qualities after coming up against the winger at PSV.

Bergwijn is still just 24 years of age, and with Spurs seemingly looking to offload the player, United may well be able to secure his services for a relatively low fee which would bolster Ten Hag’s attacking ranks.

In other news: Ten Hag wants Man Utd to hijack Spurs move for ‘difference maker’; could replace ‘useless’ flop. 

Rangers haven’t had resounding success in the transfer market recently, as numerous signings just haven’t forced their way into the starting XI and only a few geninely improving the first-team at Ibrox.

Along with a sense of regret over the players in whom they invested, they may also rue the ones that got away in terms of prospective signings which didn’t materialise.

Ross Wilson disaster

One player on whom the club will be gutted to have missed out is Brentford striker Ivan Toney. The 31k-p/w marksman – who was hailed as a “lion” by his manager Thomas Frank after an excellent start to his Premier League career – could have easily ended up in Glasgow.

While Toney was plying his trade at Peterborough in 2020, Rangers were linked with a move for the striker, who admitted that he was close to agreeing a move to Ibrox. However, he instead signed for Brentford and has netted a quite ridiculous 47 goals in just 85 appearances (0.55 per game) for the west Londoners.

There seems little doubt the 26-year-old would have been a fantastic success in Glasgow. Instead of signing Toney, Steven Gerrard secured the services of Kemar Roofe, and although the Jamaican has been good in spells for the Ibrox side, in retrospect the Bees marksman would have been the better signing.

Roofe has plundered a solid tally of 34 goals in 71 matches for the club (0.48 per game), but his injury-prone nature often hinders the team, and this return could have been much better if he was fit more often.

There is no chance of Rangers signing Toney now, whose market value is a whopping £31.5m, and it is a case of opportunity missed for Ross Wilson yet again.

With the Premiership winners this season more than likely qualifying for the Champions League group stage next term, Toney’s goals could have made a massive difference if they were for the Gers, especially with Alfredo Morelos missing the last chunk of the season due to injury.

Hopefully, another mistake like this won’t happen again in the future.

AND in other news, 100% duels won: £18k-p/w Rangers “train” was outstanding against Leipzig on Thursday