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Glasgow Rangers could be set to face a transfer battle over Arsenal centre-back Auston Trusty this summer as new interest has emerged from the Championship for the 24-year-old defender and this could tempt Michael Beale into acting swiftly.

Could Rangers sign Auston Trusty this summer?

The Ibrox side were first linked with the American back in May and The Athletic claimed that the Light Blues were still keen on the player last month, with Beale aiming to bolster his defensive options at the club.

There hasn’t been much more progress on a potential move, although with Leon King suffering a serious injury which will keep him out for the foreseeable future and Leon Balogun signing a one-year deal as cover, the 42-year-old will still be hoping another centre-back arrives this summer.

Championship outfit Ipswich Town have now shown interest in Trusty, according to the East Anglian Daily Times, and if Beale really wants the USMNT defender through the door at Ibrox, a move must now be acted upon – sooner rather than later.

What could Auston Trusty offer Rangers?

If the Gers did lure him to the Premiership, then they could well be signing a player who is capable of playing at a better level, with Birmingham City manager John Eustace saying:

“He's been a pleasure to work with, his training standards have been very high, he never misses a day, and I think he's taken to the level quite easily.

“You can see he's going to go back to Arsenal as a Premier League player.”

The 6 foot 3 brute offers a commanding aerial presence at the heart of the defence, as he won 3.1 aerial duels per game for Birmingham in the Championship last term and only John Souttar among the centre-backs at Rangers won more aerial duels per game (3.3), suggesting he could slot in fairly easily.

The £18k-per-week gem was highly influential during his loan spell in the second tier, ranking as the third-best player in the squad, as per Sofascore, whilst also ranking first for interceptions (1.5), second for tackles (2.3) and fourth for clearances (four) per game as he displayed his excellent defensive abilities throughout the season.

Trusty was so impressive that these numbers would rank him first in the Rangers squad across all three of these defensive metrics, indicating that he would be an ideal signing and could be a perfect partner for Connor Goldson.

The Englishman has been a stalwart for the Gers since joining in 2018, missing just 17 games in total due to injury across five seasons, and he was the highest-rated centre-back in the first-team for his performances last term, helping his side keep 14 clean sheets across 25 matches.

Rangers conceded 15 goals during the 13 matches that he missed through injury however, clearly suggesting they are much more solid at the back when he is fit.

Having been lauded as “incredible” by teammate George Friend for his displays last term, Trusty certainly wouldn’t be fazed by playing regularly for Rangers and with the club aiming to secure a place in the Champions League group stages for the second year in a row, this is surely a much bigger incentive rather than playing in the Championship for Ipswich.

Chelsea are readying themselves to "push again this week" for midfielder Moises Caicedo and are in "direct conversations" with Brighton & Hove Albion over a potential deal, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Is Caicedo joining Chelsea?

Stamford Bridge has been a chaotic place in recent weeks. As players scramble over one another to find the exit door, new boss Mauricio Pochettino still doesn't know what his squad will look like next season.

One thing the Argentine is sure of is that he would like Caicedo to join him, with Chelsea ramping up their interest in the young Ecuador midfielder.

The 21-year-old has consistently shone at Brighton since he broke into the starting lineup and will be imminently granted his wish to leave the club this transfer window.

Caicedo is Chelsea's number one target, but there is still the issue of ironing out the financial details with Brighton before a move can be finalised.

According to Romano, there is nothing concrete yet between the club despite Caicedo and Chelsea being close on personal terms, but the Blues are continually pushing for the South American.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano stated: "For Chelsea it is an important week in terms of contacts for Moises Caicedo because, guys, it's also not easy as a journalist to tell you about this deal because it's a particular deal with the two clubs.

"Chelsea and Brighton are in direct contact, as I explained to you many times, and this is why it is not easy to see in the media many reports about this story for Caicedo. It's not a daily bid, a daily proposal from Chelsea to Brighton and an answer from Brighton to Chelsea. It's a daily exchange between the two clubs, so it's a direct conversation."

He continued: "I can guarantee to you that the conversations are ongoing. Chelsea will push again this week. So, it's not easy to speak about terms of the deal because it's an available conversation, not an official conversation, but for sure this is still ongoing and this week they will work again on the deal – Chelsea and Brighton for Moises Caicedo.

"And the player is still hoping and pushing to join Chelsea because he has an agreement almost done as we know very well with Chelsea on the personal terms. So, the player is not a problem, the player said yes, and now it's on the clubs."

Romano adds that Pochettino hopes to bring Caicedo in as soon as possible, with the Blues heading on their tour of the United States in mid-July. Ironically, they face Brighton on said tour on July 22, but it remains to be seen for which side Caicedo may feature.

Caicedo made 37 Premier League appearances for Brighton last term and helped the Seagulls to a sixth-placed finish and European qualification for the first time in the club's history. Meanwhile, Chelsea slumped to an embarrassing 12th-placed finish, only ten points above relegated Leicester City.

What is Caicedo worth?

The major stumbling block between Chelsea and Brighton at present has been the Seagulls' incredibly high valuation of Caicedo.

Despite having only made 45 Premier League appearances in total, Brighton have slapped a hefty £100m price tag on Caicedo. Chelsea are not keen on paying that much for a player who is relatively experienced, especially given they forked out £106.8m for Enzo Fernandez in January.

The Blues are hoping to compromise, suggesting around £80m, but Roberto de Zerbi's side are holding firm on their appraisal.

Since Todd Boehly's arrival as Chelsea's new owner, the club have spent approximately £500m across two transfer windows and their spending shows no signs of slowing down having signed Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson for a combined £83m.

Admittedly, they have brought in £188m through player sales so far, with more to come, but Caicedo may still eat up a large chunk of any remaining budget.

Burnley are closing in on the signing of Borussia Dortmund teenager Soumaila Coulibaly, according to Fabrizio Romano.

What’s the latest Burnley transfer news?

The Clarets and Vincent Kompany haven’t wasted any time in preparations for the new Premier League season, with some players even reporting back for pre-season at the beginning of the month – before the Champions League final.

In the transfer market, the club have also been making swift moves, with defenders Jordan Beyer and Dara O’Shea joining on permanent deals from Borussia Monchengladbach and West Brom respectively.

Meanwhile, an offer has been made to sign Anderlecht defender Noah Sadiki, whereas Burnley are also preparing a new offer to sign Millwall star Zian Flemming.

To top things off, it looks as if the club are about to break their transfer record to sign Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford following his loan spell with Bolton Wanderers.

Reports have claimed that the 20-year-old, who is currently away with England’s U21s at the European Championships, is close to a £19m move to Turf Moor, and it appears as if Coulibaly is also on the way to Lancashire.

Romano took to Twitter in the last 48 hours to share an update on Burnley and Coulibaly. He revealed that the player is on course to join on a season-long loan which will then become permanent in a transfer worth around €15m (£12.9m).

“Understand Burnley are now closing in on Soumaila Coulibaly deal — it’s gonna be loan from Borussia Dortmund with mandatory buy clause.

“Understand value of the deal is gonna be around €15m total fee. Here we go soon.”

Who is Soumaila Coulibaly?

Coulibaly is just 19 years of age and is primarily a left-footed centre-back who has two caps for France at U20 level.

The defender made the move to Dortmund from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer back in 2021 and has been making the majority of his appearances for the reserve side. Coulibaly has turned out twice for Dortmund at senior level and currently holds a €1m Transfermarkt valuation.

Recently, Coulibaly has been compared to Bayern Munich centre-back Dayot Upamecano, with the media saying:

“At 6'3" Coulibaly has an imposing build, but while the teenager will undoubtedly fill out to add muscle to his wiry frame, he also has the footballing ability to make him the complete package, just like Bayern Munich man-mountain and France international, Dayot Upamecano.”

Coulibaly also appears to be catching the eye of Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic, who said:

"He trains with us regularly. He's been getting better and better and finding consistency in the third tier."

Should he complete a move to Turf Moor as expected, Coulibaly may rival the likes of Beyer, Hjalmar Ekdal, Ameen Al-Dakhil and O’Shea for a starting spot in Kompany’s side.

He could well be viewed as a future star, though, so securing his services could turn out to be an extremely shrewd move in the long run, and by the looks of things, it may be just a matter of time until a transfer is announced.

Celtic were rocked by the departure of manager Ange Postecoglou earlier this month as the 57-year-old coach joined Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.

However, they reacted quickly and appointed Brendan Rodgers as his successor, with the Northern Irish tactician returning to Parkhead for a second spell in Scotland.

The 50-year-old boss won seven trophies in less than three years during his first stint in the dugout at Paradise and enjoyed a largely excellent time with Leicester City in England after moving on from the Hoops.

He won the Community Shield and the FA Cup with the Foxes and worked with some terrific players at the King Power; including the likes of Jamie Vardy, James Maddison, Harvey Barnes.

Rodgers could now uncover his next version of the latter at Celtic after the Daily Record recently reported that the club are scouting Gwangju winger Ji-sung Eom.

What is Ji-sung Eom's style of play?

The 21-year-old dynamo has the quality to be a regular goal threat from out wide, without being much of an exceptional creator for others.

During the 2022 campaign, Eom averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.13 – higher than Kyogo Furuhashi and Liel Abada managed for Celtic in 2022/23 – across 28 K League 2 outings and contributed with nine goals and one assists as a left winger – a strike every 3.1 matches on average.

Barnes, meanwhile, averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.67 across 34 Premier League games for Leicester and chipped in with 13 goals and one assist for Rodgers, followed by Dean Smith, which works out as a goal every 2.6 clashes on average.

Both players struggled to be regular contributors for their teammates as Barnes (0.6) and Eom (0.7) failed to create at least one chance per match, which would not place either of them in the top ten creators for the Hoops last term.

Meanwhile, Jota was the only Celtic winger with a better strike rate than the South Korean U22 international's return in 2022 as the Portuguese wizard scored once every three Scottish Premiership appearances on average (11 in 33).

Eom, who was once described as "underrated" by scout Ali Can Kutlu, could come in as one of the most dangerous attackers, in terms of the goal threat that the young ace could provide, in the squad next term.

The exciting hotshot, who would arrive with room to grow and develop at the age of 21, could be Rodgers' own version of Barnes by lining up on the left flank as a goalscoring winger to complement the likes of Jota and Kyogo Furuhashi in the final third.

Liverpool are prepared to splash the cash to bring in Nicolo Barella it seems, with Italian journalist Marco Barzaghi, via Caught Offside, reporting that the Reds could offer up to £77m to bring the player in this summer.

Has Nicolo Barella been good this season?

The midfielder has been with Inter for four seasons now and has been able to help them to a Serie A title and a Champions League final along the way. This year, they almost conquered Europe but their league campaign led to only a third place finish.

The 26-year-old was once more an important part of the side and featured in 35 Serie A outings for the club over the course of the 2022/23 campaign. Even though he plays in the middle of the field, he was also able to chip in with six goals and six assists – his second-best goal contribution rate over the course of his career with 12.

A look at his FBRef scouting report also proves that the player is one of the best in his position in Europe. When you look at how he compares to others in midfield across the Men's 'Top Five' big leagues, there is a lot to like about Barella. He has a 0.22 non-penalty goal rate per 90, which puts him in the top eight percent in that category, and he also has 3.65 shot-creating actions per 90 too (88th percentile).

It means that not only is he hitting the net a lot more often than other midfielders he is excellent at creating goalscoring opportunities too, both for himself and his teammates.

Are Liverpool signing Barella?

Now, according to a report from Marco Barzaghi, via Caught Offside, the Italian may have earned himself a big money move to England.

That is because Liverpool are could be willing to stump up a lot of cash to bring him to the Premier League. It's believed that the side are preparing to offer a huge amount of £77m to lure him to Anfield and whilst there is no official bid on the table yet, FSG are finally willing to spend big.

Barella is certainly an exciting asset to have in any team, with football journalist Josh Bunting stating that the midfielder is a "difference maker" and can play "beautiful" football with a "winner's mentality" to boot.

He has a lot of positive attributes then and could bring that to a Liverpool midfield in desperate need of rejuvenation. Even if the fee is relatively steep, it could be a price worth paying for the Italy star.

Everton midfielder Amadou Onana isn't going to 'look to drive' a potential exit from the club this summer despite speculation over his future, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest transfer news involving Amadou Onana?

According to The Daily Mail, Everton are under pressure to sell Onana this summer as financial problems threaten to derail Sean Dyche's plans to rebuild his side ahead of next term.

The report states that Everton are in need of another major sale alongside Anthony Gordon's £45 million exit to Newcastle United in January to balance the books, as they are in 'special measures' with the Premier League due to hemorrhaging a loss of over £370 million over the last three years.

Football Insider claim that Onana could be sold for up to £60 million in the off-season to generate transfer funds in light of their financial restrictions.

Manchester United are keen on the £100k-a-week ace; however, he also has interest from other clubs in the English top-flight in his services.

As per The Sun, they reported earlier this year that Onana is a target for Chelsea and they previously held an attraction towards him in the January transfer window.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones thinks that any prospective Onana exit this summer will be driven by the club and their desire to recoup transfer funds rather than by the player himself.

Jones told FFC: "If they are under pressure to sell him, it won't come from him. I think that that's quite important to point out; he's not going to look to drive anything here, even though he's been one of their best players no doubt."

Would losing Amadou Onana be a blow for Everton?

Losing Onana would be a sizable blow for Everton this summer. However, the unfortunate reality of their financial situation means that they may have to sell one or two star men to get out of hot water with the Premier League.

In 2022/23, Onana made 35 appearances in all competitions for Everton, registering one goal and two assists in total, as per Transfermarkt.

WhoScored also takes into account that the Belgium international was strong in the tackle across the campaign, successfully winning 2.2 challenges per match in the English top flight.

As per FBRef, Onana has also excelled in comparison to his positional peers in Europe's top five divisions in the art of aerial duels won, having averaged around 2.17 per game across the last 365 days, putting him in the seventh percentile for this metric.

Everton will be desperate to keep hold of Onana despite interest in his services, though the decision may be taken out of his hands as the club look to balance the books at Goodison Park.

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly set to make a bid for striker Anastasios Douvikas as Michael Beale looks to continue his summer recruitment spree at Ibrox.

What’s the latest on Anastasios Douvikas to Rangers?

According to Greek news outlet Nova Sports, Rangers are getting ready to make a bid of around £7m for the striker with the report claiming that ‘Rangers is determined to submit an official proposal to Utrecht for the Greek centre-forward’ as Beale looks to add another forward to his ranks alongside recent signing Sam Lammers.

The Ibrox side have also been linked with a move for Cyriel Dessers, however, there hasn’t been any recent news regarding a potential move, with Cremonese reducing their demands from £6.5m to £5m and the Greek hitman could be an ideal alternative.

Could Rangers sign Anastasios Douvikas this summer?

There is no doubt more strikers are required at the Light Blues next term in order to push Celtic all the way for the Premiership title. Last season, the Gers scored 93 league goals, which is a fantastic total, yet it was still 21 shy of the 114 that Celtic scored, showcasing the need for more goals across the side.

Dessers enjoyed a decent enough season, scoring ten goals (six in Serie A), Douvikas on the other hand, managed to score 22 goals across all competitions, including 19 in the Eredivisie as he shared the top scorer award with Xavi Simons, underlining how impressive he was during 2022/2023.

Indeed, the “sharp” frontman – as dubbed by journalist Josh Bunting – could well be an upgrade on Dessers ahead of next term as he registered more goal contributions (23 to 11), shots on target per 90 (1.47 to 1.14), shot-creating actions (49 to 44) and touches in the attacking penalty area (142 to 115) last term, suggesting that he manages to get more shots away, increasing his scoring chances.

Furthermore, the 27-year-old was a fare more influential figure in his team compared to Dessers, ranking in the top five for overall rating, shots on target per game (1.2), big chances created (seven) and successful dribbles per game (0.8) in his side, while the Cremonese striker finished outside the top 15 in his squad for overall rating.

Meanwhile, he also ranked fifth for shots on target per game (0.5), fourth for big chances created (two) and 11th for successful dribbles per game (0.5), more evidence that making a move for Douvikas could be a shrewd investment for Beale.

The fee could prove to be a stumbling block, yet in order to win silverware and shine on the European stage, money will need to be spent this summer and the 15-cap international could certainly bolster the squad, no doubt about it.

Newcastle travel to face Burnley at Turf Moor in their final match of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign this afternoon.

The Magpies have enjoyed a stellar second half of the season, as they have gone from battling the Clarets to avoid relegation to now being safe and eyeing up a top-half finish.

Mike Jackson’s side head into the match just above the drop zone and need a win to secure survival, although they will achieve their target as long as they match Leeds’ result against Brentford.

Meanwhile, Newcastle have a top-ten finish to aim for as they sit two points off Brighton in 10th. This would be the icing on the cake for Eddie Howe’s first campaign in charge and set the standard heading into the summer.

Speaking of which, the upcoming transfer window may be a nervy one for fringe players at St James’ Park – and even some more regular starters – as PIF potentially invest more money into the squad.

Players will be wondering whether or not they have a future at the club, and one gem who could be in danger of being axed is Jacob Murphy.

The £35k-per-week dynamo has only started 13 matches this season and has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.68 in the Premier League. This shows that the overall standard of his displays has been underwhelming at best, and PIF will surely not want to have underperforming players wasting a place in the squad.

The 27-year-old has been unable to break into the team on a regular basis, and he may be a player that the club have in mind as someone they can upgrade upon in the coming months.

Howe must unleash Murphy

Murphy does have the potential to come good for Newcastle, though. Howe has previously hailed the winger, saying: “He’s a very good player. He’s physically excellent and I think you can see that from the first goal [against Brighton] he created and the pace he gives you on transitions.

“He’s reliable defensively and tactically very good. There’s a lot to like about him. I think there’s a lot to come as well – there is a lot more [talent] in there.”

The Toon head coach clearly believes that there is something to work with regarding Murphy, and that is why the 27-year-old must be unleashed against Burnley, having only appeared as a substitute in Newcastle’s last three matches.

It is his last-chance saloon to show the club that the £12m signing deserves to stay at St James’ Park and remain a part of the long-term project. He needs to produce a big performance against the Clarets and finally click in a Magpies shirt to put down a marker, given that he has struggled for minutes and form throughout the current campaign.

If he fails to do so, then it may be time for PIF to cut ties with him and replace him with another winger in the upcoming transfer window. It could a huge day at Turf Moor for the ex-Norwich man…

AND in other news, PIF eyeing NUFC swoop for “highly-rated” £30m phenomenon, he can be Howe’s “Benzema”…

Reliable journalist Alan Nixon has backed Nottingham Forest striker Keinan Davis to be the one to ‘make the difference’ in the club’s upcoming Championship play-off final against Huddersfield Town.

The Lowdown: Wembley preparations

Steve Cooper’s side booked their place at Wembley Stadium having defeated Sheffield United 3-2 in a scintillating penalty shootout at the City Ground on Tuesday night, and so will now start preparations for their all-important clash against the Terriers on May 29.

The 24-year-old wasn’t in the starting line-up for the game vs the Blades after returning from injury, but did come on as a substitute at the 75-minute mark to replace fellow forward Sam Surridge, and Nixon believes that Davis could prove to have a huge impact in the looming final.

The Latest: Nixon backs Davis to start

When responding to a fan question on his personal Twitter account asking if he thought Forest could go all the way and gain promotion, Nixon replied:

“Davis needs to start. Would make the difference. Johnson can then move wider. Spence can then go forward and link.”

The Verdict: Instant impact

Despite only making 15 league appearances in the second-tier this season, Davis has still managed to score five goals and provide two assists during that time, as per Transfermarkt, showing just how much of an influence he can have when on the pitch.

Forest defender Steve Cook previously dubbed his teammate an “unsung hero”, so it’s clear to see the admiration that the rest of the squad have for him.

This kind of strong team spirit is exactly what Nottingham are going to need if they want to secure promotion and get the victory over the line against a tough opponent in Huddersfield at the end of the month.

Everton had the opportunity to secure Premier League survival in their game at Goodison Park this evening and instead of taking their opportunity chaos ensued on Merseyside instead.

There is no doubt that Frank Lampard will be absolutely livid with his team after a disappointing and self-destructive performance that cost them crucial points in one of their final games of the season, and now they only have two chances to escape their first-ever relegation from the Premier League.

The first half got off to a promising start with Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring his first goal for Everton since August 2021. It wasn’t the most glamorous goal the striker has scored as he chested it into the back of the net but he will claim it after a long-running goal drought.

Unfortunately, Everton were unable to hold onto their lead when the first mistake from the Toffees was made by Seamus Coleman who headed the ball into the back of the net in a mistimed attempted block that saw the captain head the ball into the back of the net to give Brentford their equaliser.

The hosts were handed a lifeline when Richarlison was taken down by Sorensen in the box and the foul led to a penalty that the Brazilian comfortably converted to put his team back in front ahead of halftime.

Everton at the halfway point were in a position to secure safety if they could just hold onto their lead for another 45 minutes. Despite going down to ten men after Jarrad Branthwaite was sent off in the 18th minute of the game the Toffees showed resilience against Thomas Frank’s side even a man down.

In the second half, the chaos continued but not in the home team’s favour as the side went into freefall with Brentford finding the back of the net twice and another player in blue was sent off the pitch with Salomon Rondon only lasting four minutes on the pitch after being substituted on for Coleman.

On the subject of the Irish defender, he completely let his manager down with a shocking performance that has made a direct impact on the team’s missed opportunity to win safety in the league, something you would not expect from a player who is captaining his side.

According to SofaScore, the defender only made a measly 13-passes during the contest. He wasn’t just lapse in possession of the ball, however.

The full-back lost 100% of his defensive duels and made no interceptions or tackles. He also made no attempts to dribble and no blocks over the course of his awful 84-minute performance before Lampard finally called Coleman back to the bench.

Luckily for the Everton manager, the fight against relegation is still in their hands after Leeds United took a draw and Burnley lost this afternoon meaning they still have a two-point cushion above the bottom three.

Lampard will be hoping they can complete their survival mission when they host Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on Thursday in their final home game of the season.

AND in other news: Huge boost: Lampard drops Everton transfer update that’ll delight supporters