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Rangers’ move for Everton starlet Cameron Bell is now at an advanced stage, according to Football Insider.

The lowdown

Rangers haven’t been particularly active so far in the summer transfer market. The only first-team addition they’ve made up to this point is centre-back John Souttar, and that deal was lined up back in January when he signed a pre-contract agreement.

And, according to Transfermarkt, they haven’t brought in any new players for the B-team yet either. Bell, a 16-year-old Scotsman, plays as a defender for Everton at youth level, and looks like he’s about to change that.

The latest

FI revealed the extent of Rangers’ progress on Monday morning after speaking to club sources.

They’re now in ‘advanced talks’ over the prospective signing, and they’re said to be increasingly confident of reaching an agreement.

The verdict

How excited should Rangers fans be? Well, FI describe Bell as a ‘sensation’, suggesting he’s been making waves as a teenager. In September 2021, he was called up to the Scotland Under-17 squad at the age of just 15. That suggests he’s too good for his own age bracket, with his development accelerated.

Bell would make his debut for Brian McLaughlin’s side in a 1-1 friendly draw with Wales, playing 62 minutes.

Journalist Lewis Bower says that Liverpool took Bell on trial at the end of last year, so he’s clearly attracted plenty of elite attention.

And based on a report from The Liverpool Echo in 2016, Bell is a defender who’s also capable of scoring spectacular goals. He fired in a ‘net rippling screamer’ that made into an academy compilation.

Rangers might feel as if they are giving a Premier League club a taste of their own medicine. After all, they’ve lost their own rising star, striker Rory Wilson, to Aston Villa in recent weeks.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United and their interest in Gianluca Scamacca in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

According to Craig Hope of the Daily Mail, the Italian is one of the strikers PIF are plotting a swoop for as an alternative to Hugo Ekitike.

The club had agreed a £25m deal to sign the Stade Reims forward but that move has now been scuppered by demands from his agents, which has left the Magpies scouring the globe for other targets.

It is claimed that Newcastle are keen on Scamacca, who is reportedly set to be available for a fee in the region of €30m, and that they will need to convince him to make the switch as the ‘feeling’ is that he would prefer to remain in the Serie A.

Eddie Howe’s own Jamie Vardy

The Premier League has been host to some incredible goalscorers over the years; Alan Shearer, Wayne Rooney, Thierry Henry, and Sergio Aguero to name but a few.

One player who has put his name up alongside them, against all odds, is Leicester City legend Jamie Vardy. The former non-league attacker has scored 133 goals in 270 top-flight matches for the Foxes – winning one title along the way – and Newcastle can now land Howe his own version of him by signing Scamacca from Sassuolo.

FBref lists the players as being similar to each other based on their statistics over the past 365 days in Europe’s top five leagues.

In the Premier League last season, Vardy plundered 15 goals and two assists in 20 starts as he, once again, showcased his ability to find the back of the net on a consistent basis.

Scamacca, meanwhile, scored 16 goals and created three ‘big chances’ for his teammates in 25 starts for Sassuolo in Serie A. His former Italy U21 coach Luigi Di Biagio once claimed that he plays “on the edge” and this has seemingly allowed him to thrive in front of goal.

This shows that he has the quality to score goals on a regular basis at the top level, just like Vardy has over the years for Leicester. At the age of 23, he also has the potential to be Newcastle’s main man at the top end of the pitch for the next decade – given that the Englishman is still firing them in at the age of 35.

The Magpies would, therefore, be signing a player to contribute over the course of a number of seasons, rather than signing a short-term solution, which is why he would be a fantastic addition to the team.

AND in other news: Offer made: NUFC in talks to sign “world-class” 110-goal “magician”, Howe needs him

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has shared what he’s been ‘told’ on live TV as West Ham United continue their mission to sign Paris-Saint Germain goalkeeper Alphonse Areola permanently.

The Lowdown: After Aguerd…

After the Irons sealed their first major signing of the summer, completing a deal for Morocco international Nayef Aguerd, manager David Moyes is believed to be plotting a few more additions.

Indeed, reliable reports claim that the Scotsman and West Ham are aiming to seal ‘at least’ six new additions before the start of the 2022/23 Premier League season.

This summer may well be the most eventful in east London for quite some time, with Sheth now sharing an update live on TV involving Areola.

The Latest: Sheth shares major Areola update…

As per the Sky Sports journalist, West Ham are ‘increasingly confident’ that they can seal a permanent move for the 29-year-old and ‘will’ trigger the £11m purchase option once personal terms are agreed.

In another development, it appears that the Irons have also fended off ‘late interest’ from Newcastle United in the Frenchman.

Sheth explained: “This will be seen as quite a good deal for West Ham as well because we’re told there was late interest in Areola from Newcastle United, they’ve turned their attention since to Nick Pope from Burnley.

“But it now seems Areola will be, provided they sort out all these personal terms, will be at the London Stadium for next season and beyond.”

The Verdict: Big boost…

The Magpies’ move for Pope is undoubtedly a boost for Moyes and the Hammers, with nothing standing in the way of them sealing their second piece of summer business after Aguerd.

Areola joining indefinitely would be a very shrewd move for West Ham considering his phenomenal cup outings last season and experience on the Champions League stage, and we believe he is a ready-made alternative to Lukasz Fabianski at the London Stadium.

Leeds United are lining up a move for Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge, according to Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Phillips to Man City rumours

Manchester City have been heavily linked with a move for Kalvin Phillips and have reportedly firmed up their interest with an offer this week.

The Premier League champions view the boyhood Leeds fan as a replacement for Fernandinho and to provide competition to Rodri at the Etihad Stadium. Ian Abrahams believes that a move is edging closer, and it looks as if the Whites are now preparing for life without their star midfielder.

The Latest: Berge interest from Leeds

Writing in a column for GiveMeSport, Jones claimed that Berge is emerging as a Leeds target to replace Phillips.

The transfer insider stated that Victor Orta will have a good chance to sign the 24-year-old, should a pursuit receive the green light, with Sheffield United valuing Berge at £25m.

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The Verdict: Too expensive?

A valuation of £25m appears to be quite expensive when you take into consideration that Berge’s Transfermarkt valuation has never hit £20m.

The Norwegian has been labelled a ‘complete midfielder’ by former Blades boss Chris Wilder but he missed large parts of last season with a hamstring injury and played mainly as a box-to-box midfielder.

Berge does have 18 months experience of playing in the Premier League and is primarily a holding midfielder.

However, Orta may well get more value for money outside of England, having looked to do so already this summer with moves for Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen and prospective new arrival Marc Roca.

In other news: Leeds now want to sign £20m ‘game-changer’; Orta’s already made contact

Celtic have cashed in on a number of big-name players over recent years such as Odsonne Edouard, Kristoffer Ajer and Kieran Tierney among others.

One other player the Hoops sold for a significant sum of money in recent memory is Moussa Dembele.

Signed from Fulham as a free agent back in 2016, the Frenchman went on to make 94 appearances for the Parkhead club across all competitions where he scored 51 goals and delivered 18 assists.

In 2018, the striker then joined Olympique Lyon in a deal worth a reported fee of £20m where he has since gone on to score 67 goals in 144 appearances.

Even though Celtic had no issues when it came to scoring goals throughout their latest SPFL season, it seems as though the upcoming summer transfer window could give Ange Postecoglou the chance to seal the next version of Dembele at Celtic Park.

Last month, it was reported that Celtic have set their sights on securing a deal for Ferencvaros striker Ryan Mmaee.

Throughout his debut season with the Hungarian club since joining from AEL Limassol last summer, the 24-year-old scored 19 goals and delivered 11 assists in 37 appearances.

This shows just how much of a consistent goal threat he can be in the same way that Dembele was during his time in Glasgow.

This also backs up why he was described as being “prolific” for Ferencvaros by journalist Maher Mezahi on Twitter.

With 141 senior club appearances to his name, the Morocco international has racked up a total of 74 goal contributions with 49 scored and 25 assisted.

Taking into account how Dembele ended his latest season in France with an average of 2.9 shots per game in the league, higher than any of his teammates, this highlights the attacking prowess he and Mmaee share.

With the Hoops not only setting out to regain their SPFL title but also going as far as they can in Europe next term, adding some extra attacking reinforcements to Postecoglou’s squad may not be a bad idea.

With that in mind, securing a deal for the Ferencvaros hotshot, who has some experience of playing on the European stage, could be a great move for the Parkhead club, especially if he goes on to replicate the same sort of goalscoring record that Dembele had there.

In other news: Shortlisted: Celtic now keen on signing 6 ft 4 “monster”, he once tormented Edouard

An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s interest in Ismaila Sarr heading into the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Transfer insider Dean Jones has claimed that the Magpies are eyeing a potential swoop for the Watford attacker, with Crystal Palace also considering a deal for the relegated winger.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “They (Palace) just won’t want to get into a price battle with Newcastle, who have got some interest in him.

“It’s not major interest right now, but they’re definitely looking at the situation, as they see him as a game-changer and somebody that’s probably a step-up from Saint-Maximin.”

Supporters will be delighted

The supporters will surely be delighted by this claim as Sarr has the potential to be an excellent, exciting, addition to the team next season.

He has managed ten goals and six assists in two Premier League campaigns since making the move to England from France in the summer of 2019.

In between those two seasons, he caught the eye playing in the Championship as he scored 13 goals and provided four assists in their promotion success. This shows that he has the ability to score goals on a regular basis, with glimpses of that also coming through in the top-flight.

At the age of 24, he still has plenty of time left on his hands to develop as a winger. He is far from the finished article and having two full seasons of Premier League football will be useful experience for him moving forward, as he now knows what it takes to compete at this level.

The Senegal international was relegated in both of those campaigns and this means that he was playing in a team that was not good enough to stay in the division both times. Now, imagine what he could do if he was playing for Newcastle in a team that is looking to finish in the top half of the table instead of just avoiding the bottom three.

Sarr is a player the club invest in for the future as well as the here and now. Eddie Howe can work with him on the training pitch to help him fulfil his potential and become a crucial player for the Magpies in the years to come.

Fans will surely be keen to see young, exciting, players developing alongside the club and that is why they will be delighted with the interest in signing the Hornets attacker.

AND in other news, “Newcastle asked..”: Reporter delivers big transfer claim that’ll leave Howe excited…

Celtic have been linked with a transfer move for Shamrock Rovers winger Aidomo Emakhu ahead of the upcoming summer window.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from The Irish Sun, the Parkhead club have been “keeping tabs” on the youngster after he “burst onto the scene by scoring a last-minute winner against Teuta in the Europa Conference League last August.”

The report also adds that clubs such as Roma, Wolves, Southampton and Lecce are also eyeing up the winger.

The next EdouardThe 18-year-old joined Rovers on a free transfer from fellow Irish club Shelbourne back in February 2020.Since then, the teenager has gone on to make 38 appearances for his current club across their youth and senior sides, scoring two goals in the process.After his dramatic winner against FK Teuta in their Europa Conference League first-leg tie clash back in August, Rovers manager Stephen Bradley had this to say about the youngster.He said: “I’m always conscious of when you put young boys in because you can hurt them as well, so you have to mind them. But he’s a really exciting prospect and I felt this was the right occasion for him. You can get that feeling.”He has been knocking on the door. He came on in Waterford a while back and was really good. I watched him here on Sunday for the Under-19s and I knew he was ready. I’m delighted for him as he’s a really good kid and works extremely hard.”With the Hoops saying goodbye to Odsonne Edouard during the previous summer transfer window, Postecoglou could see Emakhu as the next version of the Frenchman, using Celtic’s track record of signing young attacking players from clubs in other countries to get him.Having signed Edouard as one of Paris Saint-Germain’s youth prospects, who then went on to become a pivotal figure for the Bhoys by racking up 86 goals in 179 appearances, the Rovers starlet could well go on to follow in his footsteps and become a household name at Parkhead.Shamrock Rovers note how the youngster’s “speed, strength and skill have made him one to watch”, with the second attribute there very much putting him in the same category as their former Frenchman.Taking into account how the young player has shown his versatility by playing in numerous positions across the midfield and attack, this could make him an ideal long-term replacement for Edouard as he was occasionally deployed in other attacking areas beyond his usual centre-forward role whilst at Celtic.In other news: Imagine him & Turnbull: Ange can form scary Celtic duo by signing £1.08m-rated machine

Malik Ouzia of The Evening Standard has now shared an exciting West Ham United transfer update as manager David Moyes edges closer to a signing.

The Lowdown: Moyes eyeing moves…

The Scotsman, after just missing out on a 2022/2023 Europa League place, has set his sights on improving West Ham’s squad as he steps up talks.

Having already announced four departures, the Premier League side could be on for a real overhaul this summer window as the Irons reportedly chase a left-back, central midfielder and striker (The Evening Standard).

They’re also tipped to strengthen in other areas as they eye a permanent deal for loanee shot stopper Alphonse Areola, all while having their eyes on a central defensive addition in Rennes star Nayef Aguerd.

The Latest: Hammers closing in…

According to Ouzia, writing on Twitter, the Irons are now ‘confident’ of sealing a deal for the Morocco international as a ‘key priority’ for Moyes.

He explained:

“West Ham confident of sealing €15m deal for Nayef Aguerd of Rennes. Highly-rated in France, left-sided centre-back a key priority for Moyes this summer.”

The Verdict: Exciting…

The 26-year-old has been a phenomenal player in Ligue 1 for Rennes over the last season, being described as one of the division’s best in his position and a real bargain.

According to WhoScored, he ranks in Rennes’ top ten for most minutes played over 2021/2022 whilst averaging more clearances per 90 than any of his teammates – backing his obvious ability.

€15 million (£13m) is certainly an absolute snip for a player of Aguerd’s age and class defensively.

In other news: West Ham talks imminent as Moyes steps up chase to sign 6 foot 4 powerhouse, find out more here.

Premier League veteran Ashley Young may have played his last game for Aston Villa on Sunday. 

The lowdown

Young played the closing minutes as Villa lost 3-2 to Manchester City at The Etihad Stadium.

The Englishman, who spent four years at Villa earlier in his career, returned to the Midlands outfit last summer on a free transfer after leaving Inter Milan.

However, he only signed a one-year deal, believed to be worth £50,000 per week.

The 36-year-old needs to play seven more games to reach 400 Premier League appearances.

He’s turned out 215 times for Villa overall, scoring 37 goals and laying on 61 assists.

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The latest

As Young prepared to enter the fray, The Athletic’s Aston Villa correspondent Gregg Evans took the opportunity to provide an update on his future.

“In other news: Ashley Young coming on for #AVFC. 

“Could it be his last game in a Villa shirt? Villa would like to keep him on, but he’s out of contract soon.”

It remains to be seen whether the Englishman grants the club’s wish by penning an extension.

The verdict

Young featured in 24 matches over the course of the campaign, ten times from the start and 14 times off the bench.

His versatility has proven to be an asset for the Villans, with Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard both able to deploy him up and down the left flank, in central midfield and even on the right.

In the autumn, Gerrard said that Young had been ‘perfect’ and labelled him a ‘standards-setter’.

Much may depend on whether Villa are proposing a significant pay cut, and whether Young is happy with this level of involvement as he comes towards the end of his career.

In other news, Villa have been watching this defender.

A promising Tottenham Hotspur transfer update has now come out of Portugal involving heavily-linked Sporting Lisbon star Joao Palhinha.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye midfielder move…

Spurs boss Antonio Conte is thought to be eyeing upgrades to his midfield this summer as the Premier League top-four chasers allegedly plot a major summer overhaul.

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The Telegraph recently claimed that as many as two new additions in the middle of the park could be made at Hotspur Way with both Christian Eriksen (Brentford) and Youri Tielemans (Leicester City) on the radar.

More robust options like Palhinha, repeatedly linked, are also seemingly on the table with newspaper Jornal de Notícias now sharing an update on the situation.

The Latest: Lilywhites ‘initial offer’ imminent…

According to their information (via Sport Witness), an ‘initial offer’ is expected by Tottenham ‘soon’ with Wolves also well in the hunt for Sporting’s tough-tackler.

It is also believed that Palhinha’s club, conceding defeat on his €60 million (£51m) release clause, are now willing to let him leave for around half that amount at €30m (£25m).

The Verdict: Make the move…

The 26-year-old would be a real bargain at £25m and we certainly agree Spurs transfer chief Fabio Paratici should table the initial bid soon.

According to WhoScored, no Sporting player has averaged more tackles per 90 (3) domestically this season with Palhinha also drawing the joint-most fouls – backing just how tricky he can be to come up against.

Members of the media have lavished the ‘sensational player’ as an ‘artist’ over the course of 2021/2022 (Josh Bunting, Islington Gazette) and it’s little wonder, with acclaim and numbers like these, that top English sides have the Portugal international in their sights.

In other news: Paratici also eyeing ‘world class’ player move tipped to ‘excite’ Spurs supporters…find out more here.