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Newcastle United have conducted a scouting mission to assess Brighton & Hove Albion striker Evan Ferguson, according to a report from 90min.

Which strikers are Newcastle United targeting this summer?

Newcastle have recently discovered they will need to fork out €120m (£105m) if they wish to sign Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos this summer, with the Portugal international tripling in value since the beginning of the season. In stark contrast to the huge amount it would take to bring Ramos to St. James' Park, Marcus Thuram will be available on a free transfer this summer, with his contract set to expire at the end of the campaign, and it has recently been reported that talks have already been held about a summer switch.

A report from Tutto Atalanta has also detailed the Magpies are one of the clubs in the race for Rasmus Hojlund, with Napoli and AC Milan headlining the interest from Italy, while fellow Premier League side Arsenal are willing to spend £44m to win the race for his signature.

As per 90min, Newcastle are one of the teams to have scouted Ferguson in recent weeks, although there may be competition for his signature this summer, with the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Liverpool all considering moves. However, despite the level of interest in the forward, there is seemingly a decent chance he remains at Brighton for the foreseeable future, as he is said to be in no hurry to leave, and is in line for a new contract.

Will Evan Ferguson leave Brighton this summer?

Even though the 18-year-old is set for a huge increase on his £3k-per-week wages, it will surely be hard to resist a move this summer, given that some of Europe's top clubs are monitoring his availability.

Hailed as being the "complete package" by football scout Jacek Kulig, the marksman has fired home eight goals in 19 senior games this season, a stellar effort in what has been a real breakthrough season for the teenager, and he is only going to get better.

The Irishman also impressed on international duty recently, scoring his first goal for his country in a 3-2 victory against Latvia, which is great experience to have at such a young age.

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Alexander Isak's return has been a welcome boost for Eddie Howe, with the Sweden international scoring three goals in his last two Premier League games, and Ferguson could be his perfect long-term strike partner.

Manchester United’s business in the January transfer window may not be completely finished, as they could sign a new right-back if Aaron Wan-Bissaka leaves, Fabrizio Romano has claimed.

What’s the word?

Wan-Bissaka looked certain to leave as he failed to make a single start before the World Cup, but has impressed in recent weeks as he covered in the absence of Diogo Dalot.

This improvement meant that United were no longer prioritising a right-back in January, but they could still move for one if the Englishman leaves the club.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano claimed that United could still be active in the market, as Wan-Bissaka will only leave if they can find a replacement.

“I would keep an eye on a new right-back, only in one case,” Romano stated.

“The case is that Wan-Bissaka leaves the club, because if Man United receive a good proposal for Wan-Bissaka, and keep an eye on two clubs: Wolves and Crystal Palace.

“Now Wan-Bissaka is performing well, it is not an urgent situation for Manchester United, but in case they receive a good proposal, there is still a chance for him to leave the club in January.

“In that case, it’s on Manchester United to bring in a new backup option for Diogo Dalot.”

A deal can wait

Given that Wan-Bissaka is starting to find some form under Erik ten Hag – he received a season-high league match rating of 7.5/10 against Wolves recently (via Sofascore) – it may be wise to see if he can fulfil the potential which made United spend £50m on him in 2019.

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If he can prove himself as a useful option over the next few months, he will save United from having to find a replacement, and if he does not perform well, they can let him go in the summer.

Selling him now runs the risk of a replacement not settling well mid-season, and letting him go whilst he is in good form could come back to bite them later if he becomes successful elsewhere.

Tottenham Hotspur have had their fair share of transfer flops and successes over the years as they have picked up bargains, like Heung-Min Son, and signed flops, like Roberto Soldado, in previous windows.

Transfers are not always perfect and you cannot predict what will happen over the course of a number of years after signing a player, whether that is their form, how the manager uses them, or a number of other factors involved.

One player who the club did have a nightmare with was central defender Sebastian Bassong, as his value plummeted during his time in north London.

Tottenham signed the centre-back from Newcastle United in the summer of 2009 for a fee in the region of £8m and then-manager Harry Redknapp said that he was a player with a “good future”.

He enjoyed a fantastic debut season with Spurs as he played 38 games in all competitions, including 28 in the Premier League, under Redknapp.

However, he was then an unused substitute in 30 matches in the following campaign and this did not go down well with the ex-Magpies gem.

The central defender was left confused by his lack of action in the team, saying:

“I know football’s rules and I know that it’s up to the manager. If he likes someone else more than me, I totally get it. But the fact is that after last season, and what we achieved together, I couldn’t even imagine that I would be in this situation.

“I haven’t made some huge mistake on the pitch or anything. It’s just happened. For a bit, I felt lost because I haven’t faced this situation before in my career. I feel that I have gone backwards, like I have gone from heaven to hell.”

The enforcer went on to say that his value, in the market, had gone down because he had not been playing, when speaking about Daniel Levy wanting as much of the £8m back as possible.

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That was not helped by him playing just five Premier League matches in the first half of the 2011/12 campaign before heading out on loan to Wolves and playing nine times.

This led to the defender eventually being sold to Norwich City for a reported fee of £3m in 2012. This meant that his value plummeted by around 63% from the initial fee they paid Newcastle to sign him.

Based on that, it’s evident to see why Spurs had such a nightmare with the defender as their handling of his situation led to a £5m loss.

According to transfer insider Dean Jones, Southampton will find it difficult to sign Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi this summer.

The Lowdown: Hudson-Odoi wants Chelsea exit

The Guardian reported last weekend that the 21-year-old has asked to leave the Premier League giants on loan in a bid to find more game time, and after being omitted from the Blues’ match-day squad for their opening day victory against Everton, an exit looks highly likely.

Fabrizio Romano first credited the Saints with an interest in the forward when he revealed that they have enquired about his availability, but there are doubts regarding the possibility of a deal being pulled off.

The Latest: Jones shares Saints concern

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones admitted that he thinks Hudson-Odoi won’t view Southampton as an ideal club for him to join in comparison with other offers he might receive. He said:

“Southampton is the one that has been most widely circulated. I’m not wholly convinced, at this point in time, that Hudson-Odoi sees that as the best place for him.”

The Verdict: Good deal for both parties?

If Ralph Hasenhuttl could convince Hudson-Odoi to put pen to paper at St. Mary’s, he would be a wonderful addition to the squad, even if it is temporary.

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The Chelsea starlet only made 11 starts in the top-flight last season due to injury, but managed to make a positive impact when given the chance, averaging 1.7 key passes and 1.2 shots per game, via WhoScored.

Hudson-Odoi wants minutes under his belt and he could be a guaranteed starter under the Austrian if he hits the ground running, so a move to the south coast could be a lot more appealing than he thinks.

Luis Suarez could be set for a return to the Premier League, with Aston Villa targeting a deal for the striker, who is set to become a free agent after departing Atletico Madrid upon the expiry of his contract over the summer.

What’s the story?

That’s according to The Telegraph, who claimed that Villa manager and ex-Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard wants to reunite with his former team-mate at Villa Park next season.

It would be a sensational capture for the West Midlands outfit, who have already shown serious intent with the additions of Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos before the end of May.

Gerrard has already tied down one former Reds team-mate to a permanent contract in Philippe Coutinho, and the Brazilian’s former Liverpool and Barcelona colleague could be the next big name to make the move to Villa Park.

Villa must secure a deal for Suarez

Although he wouldn’t be a long-term option at 35, signing Suarez would be a seriously impressive feat by Aston Villa.

The striker is an incredible goalscorer, having scored 436 times at club level during his stellar career, with 82 of those coming at Liverpool.

Having left Anfield for Camp Nou in 2014, the Uruguayan hasn’t played for an English club since departing Merseyside. He made 282 appearances for Barcelona, where he scored 194 goals and registered 113 assists, before joining Atletico in 2020.

Suarez enjoyed an impressive first season with Diego Simeone’s side, helping them to a first La Liga title in seven years with 21 goals in the Spanish top flight.

However, this season hasn’t been as straightforward for the striker, who had fallen out of favour and was limited to just 20 league starts. Despite a significant decrease in game-time, though, the 132-cap Uruguay international still reached double digits in goals, scoring 13 times.

With Atletico refusing to extend Suarez’s contract, Villa can land the forward on a free transfer, although wages could be tricky to negotiate given that he is on a mammoth £263k-p/w. That is more than twice the pay of every Villa player except Coutinho, who is their highest earner on £150k-p/w.

Signing a striker will be imperative this summer, though, with Ollie Watkins blowing hot and cold this term despite scoring 11 Premier League goals. Meanwhile, Danny Ings has appeared to have struggled to settle in at Villa Park, netting seven goals, a significant decrease on his figures at Southampton.

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Labelled “world-class” by his former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers and “probably the best player I have played with” by none other than Gerrard, in Suarez Villa would be getting a serial winner with massive experience and a sensational goal-scoring record.

It wouldn’t be a long-term solution, but it would surely leave Villa supporters ecstatic, with Gerrard already a huge admirer of the qualities that the Uruguay striker possesses.

AND in other news: Contact made: NSWE in talks for “unreal” £100m AVFC target, he’s “perfect” for Gerrard

Aston Villa play host to an impressively in-form Southampton side this afternoon and will be hoping to end the visitors’ seven-game unbeaten run.

Steven Gerrard has the opportunity to guide his team closer to a top-half finish by securing a win at Villa Park today, and he will be pleased to have an almost completely fit squad at his disposal.

Carney Chukwuemeka is out with a knock and Marvelous Nakamba remains sidelined with a long-term injury after receiving surgery at the end of last year, but otherwise everyone else is available for selection.

The former Rangers boss will be thrilled to have Bertrand Traore restored to his attacking options ahead of the clash, with the winger confirmed to be back in training following a hamstring injury picked up during the Africa Cup of Nations.

With that in mind, this is how Football Fancast expects Aston Villa to line up against Saints this afternoon…

We expect Gerrard to make just one change from the side which won against Brighton last weekend, with the 41-year-old staying loyal to most of his team in a ‘don’t fix what isn’t broken’ approach.

The only change we expect to see is in the forward line, with Danny Ings being axed from the centre-forward role as one of the less effective attackers in the side so far this season.

The 29-year-old has only found the net four times so far this season in his 19 Premier League appearances, which is a much lesser output than when he was at Southampton last season, scoring 13 goals for his former club last term.

In his place, we expect to see £85k-p/w gem Bailey return to the starting line-up after being sidelined with a thigh injury which had rendered him unavailable for selection for the last 10 games.

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Bailey has been hailed as “quality” by his former manager Peter Bosz, and Gerrard could give him the opportunity to make his mark this afternoon. If that happens, the Jamaican must seize his opportunity to impress in one of the most competitive positions in the Aston Villa squad.

In other news: Gerrard has revealed an injury update on one Villa player prior to this afternoon’s clash

After saying goodbye to Georginio Wijnaldum at the end of last season, Liverpool didn’t sign a replacement for the Dutchman who joined French club Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer after making a total of 237 appearances across all competitions.

One midfield player, however, that has been linked with a move to the Merseyside club that could be a potential heir for Wijnaldum is LOSC Lille star Renato Sanches.

Recently, the Portuguese international has made a claim that could excite a lot of Liverpool fans that may be hoping to see him in a Reds shirt in the near future.

What’s the latest?

In a recent interview with French media outlet L’Equipe (via Liverpool Echo), Sanches revealed that he feels ready to join a big club again after admitting that he was too young to join Bayern Munich when he did back in 2016.

During his time in Germany, Sanches made 53 appearances for Bayern across all competitions in which he also had a loan spell at Swansea City where he made just 15 appearances before eventually arriving at Lille in 2019.

Since joining the French club, the 24-year-old, who is currently valued at £27m according to Transfermarkt, has managed to score five goal and provide six assists in 67 appearances in all competitions.

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In the recent Euro 2020 tournament over the summer, Sanches’ performance in Portugal’s 2-2 draw against France earned him a lot of praise from pundit Jermaine Jenas who said that the midfielder has got “a lot of character.”

That performance, in particular, highlighted just how impressive Sanches can be on the big stage as an all-round midfielder, a role Wijnladum thrived in at Anfield.

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In the 88 minutes he was on the pitch for, Sanches managed to complete 69 of the 74 passes he attempted, had one shot on target, made one key pass, won nine ground duels, made three tackles and completed all of the three dribbles he attempted, ultimately earning himself a solid overall match rating of 7.1/10 according to SofaScore.

Consequently, this would be an excellent piece of business from the Merseyside club if they can sign him for a relatively low fee considering how his current contract at Lille is set to expire in the summer of 2023. Certainly, it would give them a potential long-term replacement for Wijnaldum given his age and ability in the middle of the pitch.

In other news: FSG may be heading for a big Liverpool disaster in January on “outstanding” 26 y/o ace – opinion

Juninho Bacuna became the latest player to sign for Rangers last week and former Leeds United man Noel Whelan has recently praised Steven Gerrard’s decision to bring him to Ibrox.

What’s the word?

Bacuna joined the Gers from Huddersfield Town last week and will be hoping to replicate some of the performances that he showed during his time with Groningen in the Eredivisie after a disappointing spell with the Terriers.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan was quick to praise Rangers’ transfer business, saying:

“He’s a very talented player.

“Likes to produce a few different hair colours as well but you don’t mind that if the player has got some ability. He definitely has got the ability and I think that’s been seen by Steven Gerrard.

“Very quick, good on the ball, technically wise. He has got an eye for a goal as well. One of these players I feel, in time to come – he’s not even in his best years of football – will probably produce for Rangers.

“I think no better than having a man like Steven Gerrard, a midfield superstar in that position over years and years and years, to give him that guidance. To progress him to the player that, potentially, he really could be.

“I mean, wow, we saw some brilliant stuff from him at Huddersfield during the time he was there. I guess it was just finding that consistency. Plus he was in a team that was getting weaker and weaker by the season.

“He was still a standout there. I think Steven Gerrard has done some really good business there. If he can get the best out of Bacuna, he’s got a really talented midfield player on his hands.”

Will Bacuna be a good signing?

Last season saw the 24-year-old midfielder contribute just five goals and four assists in 43 Championship appearances for Huddersfield, in which he averaged a disappointing 6.53 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

However, you could argue that Huddersfield have been on a downward spiral in recent seasons, and Bacuna might be better able to showcase his attacking talents in a side such as Rangers, who are likely to dominate the majority of games they play in Scotland.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776”]

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Therefore, if Bacuna can learn from Gerrard and build on his obvious talent and potential, then there is no reason why he can’t be a stellar addition to the squad at Ibrox and make a real difference this season as they look to defend their Premiership title.

If he is as good as Whelan suggests, then Ross Wilson may well have delivered another masterclass.

And, in other news… 113 touches, 92 passes: “Out of this world” Rangers ace ran the show vs Ross County

Writing on Twitter, reliable Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has shared a major managerial development now coming out of N17 involving Antonio Conte.

The Lowdown: Spurs and the Conte hunt…

The Italian emerged as a frontrunning candidate for the vacant Spurs job following difficulties in acquiring former favourite Mauricio Pochettino from Paris-Saint Germain.

Indeed, PSG made life difficult for Tottenham in pursuit of the Argentine and have been determined not to let him leave – resulting in the club starting to focus on Conte as an alternative.

Spurs have held extensive discussions with the 51-year-old over this last week.

The Latest: Gold shares major development…

Now, writing on Twitter, yet another twist has emerged in Spurs’ hunt for an heir to former boss Jose Mourinho – who they sacked in late April.

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Spurs have been without a manager for over six weeks now and the wait shows no sign of ending after this latest update.

Backing previous reports, Gold has shared that Spurs’ interest in bringing Conte to N17 has reached its conclusion.

Alas, Tottenham have now ‘pulled the plug’ on talks with the Premier League title-winning boss – despite there being plenty of promise early in negotiations.

“Word just now coming out of Spurs that they’ve completely pulled plug on talks with Conte,” explained the reporter on social media.

“Despite promising early discussions. Utter mess from Spurs really.

“Went in a completely different direction to what they were looking for initially with a very different type of manager and character and then weirdly shocked when they realised he didn’t fit their means or that profile they were looking for.

“Bizarre waste of a week or so.”

The Verdict: Big blow, but hardly surprising…

Losing out on a manager with Conte’s pedigree comes as a massive disappointment for Lilywhites supporters.

Indeed, he appeared to be a very credible option given his record with previous clubs – especially considering his impressive haul of eight major trophies across three different clubs (Transfermarkt).

He has also averaged an impressive 2.01 points per match across his managerial career.

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However, given Spurs’ financial struggles and Conte’s demanding nature, this is hardly a shock.

Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy confirmed his checklist for the type of manager he wants in his annual end of season letter to supporters, with the ex-Chelsea gaffer arguably not fitting into any of the boxes.

It is also unlikely Levy would have been able to back Conte sufficiently in the transfer market this summer.

As Simon Jordan put it on talkSPORT, it would have been a ‘match made in hell’.

In other news: BBC pundit thrilled by ‘great news’ for Spurs, find out more here.

Southampton have been linked with Anderlecht ace Marco Kana recently, and the 18-year-old could prove to be an excellent addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

According to Belgian news outlet Voetbalkrant, Southampton are still keen on the youngster ahead of the summer transfer window, although AC Milan are seemingly leading the race to sign him.

The youngster has established himself as a regular at Anderlecht in recent seasons after coming through their academy and has now made 27 appearances for the first team, in which he has managed one goal and one assist.

Kana can play as both a centre-back and a defensive midfielder and has unsurprisingly earned comparisons to former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany, who currently manages Anderlecht and will undoubtedly be giving the 18-year-old excellent advice on how to become a top defender.

An article from the Daily Mail last year suggested that he has already been labelled as “the next Kompany”, although it added that he would be keen on a move to Liverpool should he make the switch to the Premier League, which is seemingly another blow to Southampton’s chances of signing him.

Kana is currently valued at £3.15m by Transfermarkt, although his contract with the Jupiler Pro League side is set to expire in 2025, so the Brussels outfit may demand a much higher fee should Martin Semmens and Southampton make an official approach ahead of next season.

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WhoScored describes the Belgium under-21 international’s strengths as his passing, dribbling and interceptions, whilst his main weakness is his ability in the air. It is therefore is easy to see why he might be more suited for a defensive midfield role in Southampton’s side until he develops further, when he could perhaps be moved back to a more defensive position.

Kana certainly looks to have a bright future and could be a great long-term option for the Saints, especially if he lives up to his billing of the next Kompany, with the Belgian having been a driving force behind Manchester City’s transformation in the Premier League.

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Therefore, Semmens should do everything he can to try and bring Kana to St Mary’s this summer, as otherwise he might go on to become a top player elsewhere.

In other news… Signed for £19m, left for £0: Southampton endured a nightmare with 29 y/o shocker