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Brighton close to fourth summer signing, finalise fee for versatile 23-year-old star – report
Brighton & Hove Albion are set to sign Marc Cucurella after triggering the release clause in his Getafe contract, COPE journalist Gemma Santos reports. The Seagulls have been in negotiations with the Serie A outfit for Cucurella in recent months, but it was always clear that Getafe won’t sell him cheaply. Getafe were looking for a club to activate the £18 million buy-out clause. Graham Potter’s side have finally decided to pay the fee to sign the Spaniard. Sportslens view: Cucurella started his career as a left-back, but over the past two years with Getafe, he has operated in the left midfield position with promising displays. He should fit perfectly into Potter’s plans at Brighton. The 23-year-old could be a regular starter for them from the left wing-back spot this season. Cucur...
West Ham made an ‘interesting’ offer for 38-cap international striker – report
West Ham United are reportedly in the race to sign Sevilla star Luuk de Jong, according to Sport (h/t Sport Witness). Barcelona are also interested in signing the Dutch striker and could make a move in the final week of the summer transfer window. However, Barca could find it hard to lure him away from Sevilla, with the player also receiving an ‘interesting’ offer from the Hammers. Other clubs are vying for his signature, but it seems to be an open race. If Barcelona fail to land de Jong, he would prefer a move to the London club. Sportslens View West Ham desperately need to sign a striker as they cannot go an entire season with Michail Antonio as their only centre-forward. The club have qualified for the Europa League and need more squad depth to cope with the additional workload. T...
Report: Leeds and Dean Smith want player after he severed ties with Everton
Leeds United and Aston Villa want left-back Thierry Small following his Everton exit, according to The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland. The 17-year-old has cut ties with the Toffees after deciding to cancel his two-year scholarship early, and he can sign for a new club but a compensation fee would be payable to Everton. Small’s decision was made by him and his representatives and was not reached by mutual agreement with the Goodison Park outfit. He was offered his first professional contract with Everton earlier this month but declined to sign it. Sportslens View While he played mainly for Everton’s youth team, he became their youngest player when he played the final five minutes of the FA Cup fourth round tie with Sheffield Wednesday in January at just 16 years and 176 days. Small is highly ra...
West Ham keen on £25m-rated midfielder with 18 goal contributions last season
West Ham United have been linked with a move for Lille midfielder Jonathan Bamba. According to the Express, the Hammers want to sign Jesse Lingard permanently from Manchester United, but he wants to stay at Old Trafford. Bamba has been identified as an alternative to the 28-year-old attacking midfielder. Lingard was on loan at West Ham during the second half of last season and was a massive hit for the London club. Bamba was impressive with Lille last year, bagging seven goals and 11 assists across all competitions. Lille are demanding around £25 million for a player who is also being targeted by Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen. West Ham need to add more goals to their midfield, and Bamba could prove to be a superb acquisition. The 25-year-old has the ability to replace Lingard’s attack...
Wolves preparing bid for international striker with 20 goals last season – report
Wolverhampton Wanderers are lining up a move for Cardiff City striker Kieffer Moore, according to Football Insider. The Midlands outfit recently sanctioned the sale of Rafa Mir to Sevilla while loaning out Patrick Cutrone to Empoli. This has left them with just two specialist strikers in Raul Jimenez and Fabio Silva, and they are keen on adding more competition. Moore has reportedly emerged as a top target for Wolves. The club are preparing an offer of around £7 million for his services. Cardiff are open to parting company with the Wales international as they look to raise much-needed cash before the deadline. Sportslens view: Moore had a sublime 2020/21 campaign for Cardiff, registering 20 goals from 42 appearances in the Championship. He followed up with an impressive European Champ...
Burnley remain keen on 26-year-old star…but Southampton are now working on a move – Report
Burnley are keen to sign Ryan Christie from Celtic in the summer transfer window, according to the Daily Record. The Premier League outfit are long-term admirers of the 26-year-old and ‘are ready to ramp up their interest’ over the coming days. They have previously made moves for the Scotland international, but it seems they are now ready to make a concrete effort once again. Christie’s current contract expires in January, but Celtic are determined to keep the attacking midfielder. New manager Ange Postecoglou has already said he would like the club to tie Christie down on a long-term deal. However, a move to the Premier League is an opportunity that he may find it hard to turn down. Burnley face competition for Christie, with the Scottish Sun claiming that Southampton are a...
Boost for Leeds as club preparing to offload 22-year-old target – report
Huddersfield Town are preparing to offload young midfielder Lewis O’Brien, and the news will boost Leeds United’s hope of signing him. According to reports from The Mirror (print edition, page 64, August 22, 2021), the Championship club are prepared to sell the 22-year-old for around £8 million. We have covered a lot of reports previously about Leeds United’s interest in the youngster, with Marcelo Bielsa himself scouting him on one occasion. Only a week ago, The Sun claimed that the Whites are expected to make their first move for the midfielder, while Crystal Palace are also thought to be interested. Leeds are looking to sign a new midfielder to provide a back-up option for Kalvin Phillips, but Bielsa is quite adamant that he has enough resources to tackle the situati...
Tottenham suffer massive blow in the race for £60m star after club CEO makes admission
Tottenham Hotspur have suffered a massive blow in the race to sign Dusan Vlahovic from Fiorentina this summer. Spurs have been looking to sign a striker this summer and they have earmarked the 21-year-old exciting forward as a potential option. La Liga champions, Atletico Madrid, are also interested in signing Vlahovic. Popular journalist, Fabrizio Romano, claimed yesterday on Twitter that Fiorentina have definitely turned down an offer from Atletico. They are planning to keep the striker with them. Manchester City are not working on a deal to sign him, while there hasn’t been any official bid from Tottenham either. Fiorentina have definitely turned down Atletico Madrid bid for Dusan Vlahovic since yesterday night. The plan has always been to keep the striker this summer. ...
Report: Tottenham agree personal terms with £8.6m Villa target, medical completed
Tottenham Hotspur are close to signing Pape Matar Sarr in the next few days. According to reports from the Daily Mail, Spurs are “close to finalising a deal” for the 18-year-old. The Metz midfielder is expected to sign a six-year contract and return to the club on loan for the season once his fee is agreed. The club president Bernard Serin confirmed on Sunday: “We are in advanced talks with Tottenham for Sarr, yes, but it is not done yet. The final fee will be higher than €10m (£8.6m)!” The report claims that Sarr has been wanted by a host of Premier League clubs including Aston Villa, Everton and Chelsea. However, it is Spurs who have brokered a deal for his signature. He was also on the radar of Manchester United and Manchester City. Football Insider have come up...
‘Our best player this season’, ‘An absolute talent’ – Some Rangers fans react to 25-yr-old’s display
Rangers picked up a 4-2 win over Ross County in the Scottish Premiership yesterday. Goals from Joe Aribo, Connor Goldson, Alfredo Morelos and Scott Arfield sealed a much-needed win for the defending champions. Rangers needed to pick up the three points after their recent run of form. They were beaten in the last league game and were dumped out of the Champions league by Malmo. Yesterday’s win will give the Ibrox giants a much-needed confidence boost and they will be looking to put together a winning run now. Steven Gerrard will be reasonably pleased with the performance of his players against the Staggies. Joe Aribo in particular produced an impressive display at the heart of Rangers midfield. The 25-year-old Rangers star was given the licence to venture forward and influence the game in t...
Brighton likely to miss out on £20m player…Crystal Palace now ready to bid for him – report
Crystal Palace are ready to make a bid for Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah before the end of the transfer window, according to reports from The Athletic. The report claims that Brighton wanted to sign the 22-year-old from Arsenal who has only a year left on his present deal. They wanted Arsenal to include Nketiah as a part of the deal for Ben White, but the Gunners refused to do so, as they felt the club can persuade the young striker to sign a contract extension. Arsenal have been unsuccessful in their attempt so far as Nketiah has turned down the proposal. Brighton are unlikely to make a move for him this summer. However, Crystal Palace might succeed in getting him, as they have now joined the race. The Eagles are preparing a bid of around £10 million for the forward as Patrick Vieira...
Lionel Messi Forced To Leave One of His Trophies Behind in Barcelona
Following his shocking exit from FC Barcelona, additional news regarding Lionel Messi and his departure has surfaced. Upon going back to his Barcelona dressing room to clear out his locker, Messi reportedly could not take all his items with him. AS reported, “[Messi] could not take all the objects that he still had inside…Among the items he had to leave behind was the award he received for the best player of the 2018 Joan Gamper Trophy match.” The footballer received the star-shaped awarded when he played against the Boca Juniors, giving an assist and scoring a goal in the 45 minutes he played. The game ended up in a 3-0 win for the player and his team. Messi is aware that his locker will likely have a new tenant this season. All that is currently left of the locker is the number 10 on the...
