According to reports in the Daily Star, Arsenal have told West Ham United that they will need to pay £20m for midfielder Jack Wilshere, and agree to a buy-back clause.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Daily Star says that the England international’s future with the Gunners appears to be over following a season-long loan spell with Bournemouth last term, and that West Ham are interested in bringing the 25-year-old to the London Stadium.

Wilshere is getting back to full fitness after suffering a fracture of his left leg while with the Cherries in April, and the Daily Star adds that Sampdoria have already had an offer of £6m plus £1.5m in add-ons turned down this summer.

Arsene Wenger values the midfielder much higher than that though despite the fact he only has a year left on his contract.

How did Wilshere do last season?

Following a number of injury problems and struggling to cement a spot in the Arsenal starting line-up, the 25-year-old was sent out on loan to Bournemouth last summer.

Under Eddie Howe, Wilshere quickly showed the qualities that he has and made 27 Premier League appearances for the Cherries, providing two assists for his teammates.

With a passing accuracy of 84% and having successfully completed 57 of the 81 take-ons he attempted, the England midfielder showed how comfortable he is in possession and on the ball.

Would he be a good signing for West Ham?

He certainly could be, yes.

While injuries and a lack of form limited his opportunities at Arsenal, Wilshere showed glimpses of the player we all know during his loan spell with Bournemouth last season.

At 25 years of age, the midfielder still has plenty of time to develop and improve and he could make a real difference in the middle of the park for the Irons, as long as they can keep him fit and on the pitch.

With the 2018 World Cup less than a year away Wilshere will also know that he needs to be performing well on a consistent basis to have any chance of going to Russia, and that will only benefit the east London outfit.

What’s the verdict, then?

Well, there is no doubt that Wilshere would be a good signing for West Ham, but it could take some work to negotiate on the £20m asking price – something the Hammers will surely want to do.

According to reports in The Sun on Sunday, Tottenham Hotspur star Eric Dier is a target for Bayern Munich who are considering launching a £50m offer for the versatile Spurs star before the summer transfer window closes at the end of this month, despite Manchester United already failing to get the player.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Sun on Sunday says that Bayern boss Carlo Ancelotti wants to bring the 23-year-old to the Allianz Arena and the former Chelsea manager believes that the England international could be available.

The Sun on Sunday says that Manchester United were rebuffed in their attempts to bring Dier to Old Trafford this summer – instead opting to sign Nemanja Matic from Chelsea – but it hasn’t put off the Bundesliga giants.

While the north London outfit won’t want to lose the midfielder having already sold Kyle Walker to Manchester City, they could be tempted if Dier fancies the move to Munich, and the report adds that it could even finally help them get a deal for the £50m-rated Ross Barkley over the line.

How did Dier do last season?

Despite impressing in the defensive midfield position for the two seasons prior to the previous campaign, the 23-year-old often found himself featuring at centre-back instead last term following the arrival of Victor Wanyama from Southampton last summer.

32 of Dier’s 48 appearances in all competitions came at the heart of the defence where he lined up alongside Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen in a three-man defence.

While the England international has shown that he is a capable performer in defence and in midfield, it remains to be seen whether Mauricio Pochettino could still look to sign a specialist centre-back before the window slams shut.

Could Bayern really get him?

It’s difficult to say.

Spurs certainly won’t want to sell having already seen Walker leave and they will want to keep the group of players together that have come so close to winning the Premier League title in successive seasons.

Additionally, they will want to show their ambitions to the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli for the future, even if it means they keep Dier and shell out a little more cash to bring Barkley to the club.

What’s the verdict, then?

Well, it could all come down to what Dier wants to do but Spurs certainly won’t want to lose another first team star this summer after failing to bring a single player in.

These days in the Premier League, it doesn’t get much tastier than Tottenham vs Chelsea – a fixture that has provided title-deciding drama, a relentless supply of goals and plenty of foul-tempered football over the last few years.

Sunday’s edition comes with the subplots of a shock Chelsea defeat on the opening day of the season and Tottenham playing their first top flight fixture at Wembley stadium.

But away from all the hyperbole and smokescreen debates, Football FanCast takes a look at the four key battles that will decide matters on the pitch.

Victor Wanyama vs N’Golo Kante

With Chelsea’s midfield options seriously depleted, N’Golo Kante will have a huge job on his hands this Sunday regardless of who partners the tenacious Frenchman in the middle of the park. His relentless energy is vital to Chelsea playing with just two in midfield but the last time these two sides met in the Premier League, Kante found himself continuously out-muscled and out-fought by his Spurs counterpart, Victor Wanyama.

The Kenyan operates with a more reserved, anchoring style but he’ll look to assert his height and power over Kante as much as possible – and snuff out the Chelsea star’s breaking runs on the counter-attack.

Dele Alli vs David Luiz

There have been rumours of David Luiz stepping into midfield in the absence of Cesc Fabregas but regardless of where the Brazilian is deployed, he’s Chelsea’s best chance of nullifying the aerial threat Harry Kane and Dele Alli offer Spurs, especially with Gary Cahill suspended.

The midfielder certainly isn’t the tallest and Kane himself only bagged two headers last season, but it’s the former’s ability to find space by running off the latter – combined with Christian Eriksen’s superb deliveries – that poses the most danger.

Chelsea saw enough evidence last season as Alli rose above Cesar Azpilicueta and Victor Moses twice to secure a 2-0 win at White Hart Lane and even last weekend, it was Alli’s run onto an Eriksen cross that broke the deadlock at St. James’ Park.

Luiz has the height and jump to cut out the danger – whether that’s from centre-back or tracking the England international’s runs from midfield.

Marcos Alonso vs Eric Dier

He may not have shown it last week as they suffered a shock defeat to Burnley but Marcos Alonso’s overlapping runs from left wing-back were a pivotal feature of Chelsea’s attacking play last season, creating the space for Eden Hazard to cut inside.

The Spaniard has proved a potent force when venturing forward, finishing last season with six goals and three assists, and with so many attacking players ruled out for Sunday’s game, he’ll likely look to contribute offensively even more than usual.

Despite Kyle Walker-Peters’ impressive debut against Newcastle last Sunday, Eric Dier looks likely to come in at right-back simply due to the quality of the opposition. He’s got the physicality to match Alonso – it’s more a question of where he surrenders space to the Blues defender and how frequently.

Willian vs Ben Davies & Jan Vertonghen

Willian has a knack of always creating problems for Tottenham, a club he notoriously almost signed for instead of Chelsea, with two goals and two assists in eleven outings against the north Londoners.

He was also the Blues’ best player by a country mile last weekend – which is often the case when Chelsea are in poor form – and with the majority of Antonio Conte’s attacking midfield options sidelined, he looks set to take up a pivotal role in the right inside forward berth.

Those two slots just behind the striker have proved incredibly difficult for opposition defences to deal with – which is one of the reasons 3-4-3 has been so successful in English football over the last year – partly because it beckons runs between the centre-half and the full-back.

Always looking to drift inside anyway, snuffing out Chelsea’s top attacking threat this Sunday will hinge on Ben Davies and Jan Vertonghen quite literally working closely together, ensuring they aren’t leaving gaps for the Brazilian to burst into.

As reported by the BBC, former Rangers prospect David Templeton has opened up about his failed stint at the club which ended when his contract expired at the end of the 2015/16 season.

What’s the story?

Templeton was once the future at Ibrox. After a high profile move from Hearts to Rangers in 2012, he was initially hit for the Light Blues, excelling in the then Third Division, scoring 15 goals in 26 appearances.

However, injuries and loss of form hampered the following three years and in the season Rangers were promoted from the Championship to the top-flight he made just one league appearance.

While the 28-year-old doesn’t regret his move to the Glasgow club, he does see the entire experience as rather unfortunate for him.

As quoted by the BBC, Templeton said:

At the time, you could never say no to Rangers and it’s just unfortunate things didn’t work out for me. For all I know, things could have gone a totally different way and I could still be there. At the time I didn’t perform as well as I wanted to and had a few injuries there as well. It is a huge change going there, the expectancy, the pressure, everything. When things aren’t going well, it is a tough place to play. I wasn’t playing as well as I knew I could.

The former Hearts man now plies his trade at Scottish Premiership side Hamilton and has already made six appearances this season as he looks to get his career and love for football back on track.

His story shows how difficult it is to make it at a team like Rangers, especially when you are young and Scottish and have a lot of expectation on your shoulders. Time will tell whether he can find the form that won him a move to the Light Blues in the first place.

For the first time ever, the summer transfer window will close before the start of the season in 2018.

Indeed, following a summer in which a number of managers were unable to adequately plan for the start of the new campaign due to the uncertain futures of their high-profile players, 14 top flight clubs voted last week to end the transfer window before the first game of 2018/19.

Gunners gaffer Arsene Wenger spoke out in support of the change before it was officially passed by the Premier League and it certainly wouldn’t have affected Arsenal on the inward front during the summer, with both of their signings arriving before the end of July.

However, foreign top flights will still be able to buy players from the Premier League until the end of August, something which could cost the English game dearly next summer when the World Cup will be hosted in Russia.

So, Arsenal supporters, when do you think the transfer window should close? Let us know by voting below…

There was a worrying moment for Chelsea fans on Saturday when Alvaro Morata limped off the pitch during the team’s Premier League match against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.

The Spaniard has been a welcome addition to Antonio Conte’s team, scoring seven goals in all competitions so far this season.

However, he was unable to make an impact at the weekend due to being substituted in the 35th minute.

It was a disappointing day all round for the West London outfit as they ended up losing 1-0 following Kevin De Bruyne’s single strike.

Attention has since turned to the extent of Morata’s problem, with a recent report in The Mirror claiming that the striker could be on the sidelines for six weeks.

It has since been confirmed by the Spanish Football Federation that the 24-year-old has suffered a grade II hamstring tear.

The Metro claims that Morata hinted that he was targeting a return for after the international break when Chelsea take on Crystal Palace in the league, but he has since edited the Instagram post.

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Southampton midfielder Dusan Tadic has told the club’s official website that the players need to put on a performance against West Bromwich Albion at St Mary’s on Saturday to send the supporters home happy after a disappointing start to the season, but Saints fans have criticised the Serbia international for his comments.

The south coast outfit have taken just nine points from their opening eight Premier League games of the campaign, and they were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Newcastle United on Sunday.

Now Tadic, who is struggling for form and has scored just one goal and provided one assist in his last 19 top flight appearances, is hoping the team can pick up all three points against the Baggies.

Southampton supporters were quick to have their say on the 28-year-old’s comments via social media, and while some said that he “needs to be dropped”, others say “he offers very little week in, week out”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

According to The Sun, Chelsea are looking to sign Toby Alderweireld, after the Belgian confirmed he has yet to agree on a new deal at Tottenham.

What’s the Story?

Chelsea are reportedly sniffing around Toby Alderweireld after it was revealed that the defender, who is valued at £31.5million by Transfermarkt, is yet to be offered an improved contract at Tottenham.

The 28-year-old is looking to become one of the highest earners at Spurs. However, with the strict control of wage budget imposed by Daniel Levy, the lure of a huge wage from Chelsea may be enough to persuade the Belgian to move from North to West London.

How good has Alderweireld been this season?

Once again, Alderweireld has solidified his reputation as the best defender in the Premier league with a number of fantastic performances for Spurs. While the club haven’t had the best start to their time at Wembley, the Belgian international has remained a composed figure and has looked even better than ever before.

Would Alderweireld be a good signing for Chelsea?

Chelsea have struggled to adapt to life as reigning champions under Antonio Conte. Their season has been filled with inconsistency; excellence one week, mediocrity the next.

It is clear that the Blues need some stability at the back and with Alderweireld, you couldn’t get more stable. However, if the club really want to land the Spurs star, they will likely need to pay a record sum for a defender. After all, they will be dealing with the toughest negotiator in the business in Levy.

According to NTV Spor (via Turkish-Football.com), Newcastle United target Cenk Tosun has had his transfer value significantly increased by Besiktas.

What’s the Story?

After being asked about star player Cenk Tosun and his links with a move to the Premier League during an interview with Turkish based NTV Spor, Besiktas owner Firket Orman had some strong words;

“There’s no figure for him. These players are like my children – I have an interest in their careers. They aren’t machines. Mbappe went to Paris Saint-Germain for €180million, Keita for €70million or €80million, so placing a higher value than €20m on Tosun is not crazy. If Mbappe had played for Besiktas, would PSG have paid that amount? We need to raise the brand value of Turkish football.”

Despite the comments, Newcastle may well continue their chase to sign one of the most in-form strikers in Europe right now.

How good has Cenk Tosun been this season?

In short, superb. Tosun, who is valued at £9.45million by Transfermarkt, has scored 9 times in 14 appearances for Besiktas this season. The striker has been spearheading the Istanbul based clubs’ assault on the Champions League with great success.

Tosun has also been performing at a high level with the Turkeish international team, netting five times in 9 appearances.

Would Tosun be a good signing for Newcastle?

While there is no doubt that the signing of Tosun would be an expensive gamble, it is quite clear that Newcastle desperately need to strengthen their offensive options.

If the Turkish star can contribute as many goals in the black and white of Newcastle as he does for Besiktas, it could be a sensational signing for the Toon Army. Now all that the club need to do is persuade Firket Orman to let his star player go for a reasonable fee.

According to The Sun, Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho will allow Luke Shaw to leave Old Trafford on loan during the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Once regarded as one of the best young full-backs in European football, Shaw cannot buy a minute of Premier League football for United as things stand.

The 22-year-old has only made two substitute appearances in the EFL Cup this season, and he only featured on 11 occasions in the Premier League during the 2016-17 campaign.

Mourinho has avoided questions surrounding the future of the England international, but according to The Sun, Shaw will be allowed to leave United at the start of 2018.

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A number of clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton, have been linked with the defender, who is still said to be in the thinking of England boss Gareth Southgate ahead of next summer’s World Cup in Russia.

What has happened to Shaw?

Shaw, who is valued at £16.2m by transfermarkt.co.uk, joined United from Southampton in the summer of 2014 – signing a four-year contract with the English giants after arriving for a fee in the region of £30m.

He made 20 appearances during the 2014-15 season, but featured just eight times during the 2015-16 campaign after suffering a double leg fracture.

The Englishman has actually made just 32 Premier League appearances in the last three years, and despite returning to fitness from yet another injury earlier this season, Mourinho has not considered him for Premier League selection.

The fact that United have a problem at left-back makes the Shaw situation even more curious, but it does appear that there is no way back for the full-back at Old Trafford.

One thing is for certain, a number of clubs will be interested in taking him on a short-term deal when the winter transfer window opens for business.