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Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte could make Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni his top defensive target ahead of the summer transfer window, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Bastoni linked with Spurs

Despite his desire to bring one in during January, Tottenham failed to sign a central defender for Conte. As a result, the Italian has ended up employing left-back Ben Davies as a makeshift left-sided centre-back.

However, according to Spanish sources, Spurs are already in the process of bolstering their defensive options and have submitted a £42m bid for Bastoni.

Inter remain reluctant to sanction a sale, so the 23-year-old remains on a list with the likes of Sven Botman, Josko Gvardiol and Nico Schlotterbeck as potential additions (via The Athletic).

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The Latest: Jones’ claim on Bastoni

Jones believes that Conte will make a big push to sign Bastoni from his former club.

Speaking with GiveMeSport, the reporter claimed: “I think there’s a good chance that Bastoni will emerge as the guy.

“At this stage, I keep being told there is no order at the moment, that they’ll see at the end of the season where they’re at and they’ll go from there.

“They have a shortlist, but it’s not in any sort of ranking, as it stands.”

The Verdict: Great signing if it comes off

Described by journalist Mario Sconcerti as a “young Bonucci”, Bastoni is clearly valued quite highly in Italy. This praise is warranted by his underlying statistics – the 23-year-old ranks in the 99th percentile for progressive passes received, the 94th percentile for shot-creating actions and the 91th percentile for progressive carries (via FBRef) among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues.

With Conte’s preferred back-three formation, Bastoni would suit playing on the left-hand side of the defence, with his ability on the ball complimenting this style of play.

Therefore, it would not be a surprise to see Conte make a big push for the Inter centre-back, who certainly seems like he would be an ideal signing in terms of what the Lilywhites boss is seeking in a defender.

In other news: One Tottenham man could lead a potential N17 mass exodus

Alan Hutton believes Alfredo Morelos could leave Glasgow Rangers this summer after Steven Gerrard’s transfer admission.

The Lowdown: Morelos’ future uncertain

Morelos’ future at Ibrox is uncertain. Some reports have suggested he will stay at the club (via The 4th Official), but the Colombia international told Radio Caracol earlier this season that he dreams of playing in the Premier League.

Gerrard recently admitted the Gers could lose star players this summer, which has thrown further doubt on to the future of the 24-year-old.

The Latest: Hutton shares transfer fear

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton has shared his fear of Morelos departing. He said:

“It’s always a difficult one when we talk about Morelos.

“It seems like yes, he loves playing for Rangers. Of course he’ll want to play in the Champions League, every player does.

“But, has his head been a little bit turned from moves, bigger moves, in his opinion, to other clubs? Whether it be England or Italy or France, that’s something that only he’s going to be able to answer.

“I mean, me as it sits as a footballer, Champions League was massive. When that music comes on at the start of the games, you get the goosebumps, that’s what it’s all about.

“I hope that is enough for the likes of Morelos to stay. However, if an offer comes in that’s big enough and Rangers are willing that accept that, it’s simple. He’ll move on.

“The big thing out of that is I think Rangers are going to be given the money to then reinvest. That’s obviously good for the club moving forward.”

The Verdict: Always on the edge

There is no doubt Morelos has been a fantastic signing for the 55-time Scottish champions. In 180 games in all competitions since making the move in 2017, he has 94 goals, including 17 this campaign (Transfermarkt). Although his temperament has sometimes got the better of him – he has picked up seven red cards – he has been a constant menace for opposing defences.

Gerrard’s comments indicate it will be a difficult summer for the Gers, and Morelos will always be one of the first to be linked with a departure. The anticipation of a Champions League run may just be enough to hold on the former HJK Helsinki man until the start of the new term, but failure to reach the group stages may push him out of the door.

In other news, Hutton believes this man could replace Filip Helander.

Celtic are leading the chase for Cardiff City defender Ciaron Brown, according to TEAMtalk.

The Lowdown: Brown’s versatility

Brown spent half of the current campaign on loan at Livingston this season and actually scored and provided an assist in a 2-2 draw against the Hoops back in January.

The Northern Ireland international, predominantly a centre-back, also played as a left-back and a left midfielder this season, and his displays seemingly haven’t gone unnoticed.

The Latest: Hoops not the only club interested

TEAMtalk lead with a title that Celtic are leading the chase for the Cardiff man, however, clubs in Germany and Belgium are also keen on the 23-year-old.

The report adds that Brown is out of contract in south Wales this summer, but the Bluebirds do have an option which they are set to activate which could prevent the defender from becoming a free agent over the coming months.

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The Verdict: A shrewd addition?

The specific clause could prove to be a problem for the Hoops and new CEO Dominic McKay, although, should a deal become available for a reasonable price, we think Brown could be a smart signing ahead of the 2021/22 season.

You’d expect the new Celtic manager to make a number of signings over the coming months, but it seems unlikely each addition will be a high-profile name for big money.

Bringing in someone like Brown, who can play in three different positions, could be a shrewd piece of business in the long run, and at 23 years of age, still has time to improve.

In other news: Journalist claims Celtic have completed a deal as seven-word message emerges, find out more here. 

West Ham United have made an approach in a bid to bring Leandro Trossard to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Pete O’Rourke, with the journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that West Ham have made an enquiry with Brighton & Hove Albion regarding a deal to sign the 27-year-old forward, with David Moyes desperate to bring in attacking reinforcements prior to Monday’s transfer deadline.

In his tweet, O’Rourke said: “Understand West Ham have made a shock enquiry for Brighton attacker Leandro Trossard.”

Fans will finally be pleased

While it is true that Trossard is naturally a winger, the Belgium international’s impressive positional versatility – being able to operate on either flank, in attacking midfield or at centre-forward – is undoubtedly a major reason for West Ham’s interest in the attacker.

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Furthermore, the £15.3m-rated forward is also proven in the Premier League, something that the 58-year-old Hammers manager typically prefers his signings to be – in order to reduce the amount of time it takes for a player to settle into the club.

However, not only does Trossard possess top-flight experience, the winger demonstrated over his 35 league outings last season that he has the ability to thrive in the division, scoring five goals, registering five assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.7 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £35k-per-week Belgian earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as Graham Potter’s fifth-best performer in the Premier League last time out.

As such, while the 27-year-old is not an out and out centre-forward, considering his impressive returns in the final third, his versatility in attacking roles and his experience in the division, the Brighton star would very much appear to make an excellent addition to Moyes’ attacking arsenal at the London Stadium – with fans undoubtedly being delighted to hear that the 58-year-old is finally addressing a problem position in his squad.

In other news: Deal off: WHU insider reveals fresh transfer setback, Moyes can kiss top four goodbye

KV Oostende have moved to activate Celtic defender Jack Hendry’s release clause, as reported by the Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Hendry has went from zero to hero in the last two years

Hendry has become something of a forgotten man at Parkhead in recent years after being signed by former Hoops manager Brendan Rodgers in 2018 for £1.44m [Transfermarkt]. The 26-year-old has not kicked a ball in Celtic colours since a cameo appearance against Partick Thistle in the 2019/20 Betfred Cup [BBC].

Out of nowhere, the defender has enjoyed an unexpected rise to prominence. He linked up with KV Oostende on loan in 2020 following a brief loan spell at Melbourne City.

Incredibly, the Scot has went on to rack up 30 appearances for the Belgian outfit in 2020/21 [Soccerbase], winning the prestigious Sport Voetbal Player of the Year award in the process [Sport Voetbal], so there is little wonder that KV Oostende have now moved to make his stay in Belgium a permanent one.

The Latest: Release clause activated; Hendry will be a KV Oostende player

Celtic look set to make a profit on Hendry, with De Kustboys paying a rumoured fee of around £1.75m for him [Daily Record]. This is due to the release clause included in his deal, which gave the Belgian Pro League outfit first option on the Glaswegian [Daily Record].

Intriguingly, KV Oostende could look to sell him on immediately to the highest bidder for a considerable fee. Subject to interest from England, the likes of Leeds, Burnley and Newcastle are all keeping tabs on the centre-back [Daily Record].

The Verdict: More disappointment for Celtic in their time of need

On assessment, Celtic may feel slightly miffed at the circumstantial realm in which they find themselves with Hendry. Alhough they will make a profit, £1.75m seems a measly amount for someone who scored his first goal for Scotland in a friendly against the Netherlands last week [BBC].

Described by KV Oostende boss Alexander Blessin as someone who ‘has a lot of qualities’ [Celtic Star], Celtic could’ve missed out on a potential solution to their lack of depth in the centre of their defence.

Nonetheless, the Hoops must now move on and put the fee for Hendry towards acquiring a suitable replacement.

In other news, Celtic have agreed a fee to sell their talisman.

Liam Kennedy has dropped some promising insight from Mike Ashley on the upcoming Newcastle United takeover case against the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Arbitration statement

Ashley has launched two separate claims against the top flight – the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) case over the decision-making process in the failing of the deal between him and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group; and the arbitration case, which is set to take place this month.

Earlier this week, Newcastle released a statement on their official website requesting for the forthcoming arbitration process to be made public, but this is only possible if the Premier League also agree to it as otherwise it will remain entirely confidential.

They also claimed in the statement that they have ‘nothing to hide’ with regards to the process, and even suggested that the Premier League should have ‘no reason to be afraid of the public spotlight’, providing that they have acted ‘lawfully and properly’.

The Latest: Ashley insight

Writing in his latest piece for The Shields Gazette, Kennedy – who has been following developments in the takeover saga – has shared that Ashley feels as if he has the ‘winning hand’ when it comes to both cases.

The owner of the Tyneside club is understood to be confident that he can still push through a deal with the consortium, and the call to make the arbitration process is not one over fear that he will lose.

The Verdict: Promising

It is certainly promising to hear how confident Ashley is of winning the case as it comes into fruition later this month. The statement released was a powerful one, and clearly shows his intent when it comes to the arbitration hearing.

If the Premier League are equally as or more confident than Ashley that they will win the case, then they should really be calling for publicity as they should have ‘nothing to hide’, just like the Tyneside club declared.

Nonetheless, it promises to be an intriguing case and should paint a much clearer picture over the direction of where the takeover is heading.

In other news, find out what prediction has been made about the arbitration result

The Athletic have dropped a worrying update on West Ham target Joe Worrall…

What’s the talk?

The Athletic’s Paul Taylor has dropped a concerning update for West Ham in their pursuit of Nottingham Forest centre-back Joe Worrall. The Hammers are reportedly keen on signing the English defender this summer, but he does not appear to be in any rush to leave the Championship outfit.

In a Q&A this week, Taylor revealed that Worrall is not demanding to leave Forest and the club will only cash in on him if the right offer comes in for his services. The Athletic reported earlier this summer that it would take a fee of £10m, paid largely upfront, to prize him away.

He said:

“A few weeks ago, the answer to this would have been a definite yes. Now it does not feel 100 per cent certain. You still get the sense that, if the right offer comes along, Forest will give serious thought to selling — but it would have to be the right offer.

They have already turned down offers for Brennan Johnson, although they were at a low level and the suggestion is that Joe Worrall is not kicking down doors demanding to be given the opportunity to move.”

Moyes will be gutted

David Moyes will be gutted by this latest update as it could negatively impact West Ham’s chances of being able to land Worrall this summer. If the Englishman is not willing to push for a transfer away from the City Ground then the Hammers will not be able to negotiate a better deal with Forest as they will be unable to use the threat of them keeping an unhappy player. This news seemingly shows Forest that they can keep Worrall at the club without him kicking up a fuss, which could allow them to be tough in negotiations.

The Hammers have an ageing group of central defenders at the club. Issa Diop is Moyes’ only option in that area of the pitch who is below the age of 29, with Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson in their 30’s and Fabian Balbuena turning 30 next month. Therefore, signing a talented young centre-back, like Worrall, could be a shrewd piece of business by the club.

He only turned 24 back in January and could add some much-needed youth to the ranks. However, despite his young age, Rangers boss Steven Gerrard once hailed Worrall as a “leader” during his time on loan in Scotland and claimed that he will captain any team he plays for in the future.

He said:

“He will be a captain of whatever team he plays for.”

“He is a leader and he stepped up today.”

This goes some way to showing that Worrall has the mentality and quality to come into the London Stadium and be a good addition to Moyes’ squad and that is why the Scot will be disappointed by this update.

Hopefully, the situation changes between now and the end of the window and the club are able to snap him up for a reasonable price.

AND in other news, Moyes must act swiftly to land “explosive” goal machine, West Ham fans would love him… 

Wolves winger Pedro Neto could make his long-awaited injury return at some point in January, according to manager Bruno Lage.

The Lowdown: Neto missing for months

The young Portuguese star hasn’t featured at all yet this season, as he continues to recover from a fractured kneecap suffered back in April.

Neto had arguably been Wolves’ standout player in the 2020/21 campaign prior to that setback, scoring five goals and registering six assists in the Premier League.

It appears as though his return is edging closer all the time, however, acting as a boost for all concerned.

The Latest: Lage gives injury update

Speaking in his pre-Everton press conference on Friday [via The Athletic], Lage confirmed that he expects Neto to return to first-team action in mid-January, after undergoing his own pre-season schedule:

“The good news is everything is OK with his injury. Now he will start to work harder than he has.

“I think maybe he’ll start with the team in one more month. After he’ll need to do a normal pre-season, for two or three weeks, to work and be fit to play in this competition.

“Maybe in the middle of January we’ll have him in the stadium to start to play with us. He can work harder now, this is the good news.”

The Verdict: Play the long game

Any Wolves fan is going to be desperate to see Neto back on the pitch as soon as possible, but it is vital that the club handle him with care.

Rushing him back too soon could end up having dire consequences further down the line, so an element of caution is required with a player so young and full of potential.

Having Neto back from injury will feel like an almighty boost, though – pundit Adrian Clarke has described him as ‘brilliant’ – adding quality and goal threat to a team who are already thriving at the moment, grabbing ten points from their last four games.

In other news, Tim Spiers has delivered a key Wolves injury update. Read more here.

Celtic unveiled new signing James McCarthy on Friday afternoon after he penned a four-year deal at Parkhead.

As to be expected, a number of Hoops supporters were quick to share their delight at the news via social media.

McCarthy was announced as a Celtic player alongside Joe Hart on Tuesday afternoon, with the latter making his Hoops debut on Thursday against Jablonec. The Irishman didn’t travel with Ange Postecoglou’s side for the 4-2 Europa League qualifier win but was unveiled at Celtic Park 24 hours after the match.

McCarthy will wear the number 16 shirt in Glasgow, with the central midfielder describing the deal as a ‘dream come true’.

The 30-year-old is a boyhood Celtic fan and becomes the club’s latest number 16, following on from Lewis Morgan in the 2019/20 season.

Celtic fans react

Celtic posted the news regarding McCarthy on their official Twitter page on Friday. These Hoops fans were buzzing, with one describing a deal for the midfielder as ‘big’.

“My whole timeline is gonna hate me but I’ve honestly never been happier with Celtic”Credit: @Danielle_McG4″Tasty”Credit: @EuanCampbell_05″Big signing”Credit: @darrand_02″A brilliant signing, can’t wait to see him play for us”Credit: @Marion1888″Excellent signing, bring it home James”Credit: @Sligodamo32″Content I love to see”Credit: @currancharles1

In other news: Hoops linked with new right-back amid Aurelio Buta delay, find out more

Many Everton fans do not want the club to sign Serge Aurier after they were linked with a move for the now out-of-contract right-back.

The Toffees were busy on the final day of the transfer window, bringing in Salomon Rondon from Dalian Professional. However, many Toffees supporters may well have wanted a new player for the right side of defence given Seamus Coleman’s injury problems.

They have started the season well, winning two and drawing one of their three Premier League matches (Sky Sports), but with the 32-year-old right-back picking up an issue while on Ireland duty, Rafael Benitez may have a problem.

The Merseyside club have been linked with a move (The Daily Express) for £18m-valued Aurier (Transfermarkt), now a free agent after leaving Tottenham, but even though he is available, a number of Everton supporters do not seem to want him.

It appears they are not convinced by him after his spell at Spurs, during which Jamie Carragher labelled him “one of the biggest liabilities in Premier League football”.

The news has been doing the rounds on Twitter, and it has attracted plenty of attention from Everton supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what these Everton fans had to say about the Aurier link

“He’s an accident waiting to happen that Serge Aurier btw. He’ll give away at least 1 penalty a game. It’s a no from me”

Credit: @PaulBrownEFC

“Hope not, he’s dross, there’s a reason Spurs wanted shot”

Credit: @malblu1

“Seeing the odd post about Aurier… He is awful and wouldn’t be low wages, NO THANKS”

Credit: @ITalkEverton

“Game of opinions but I think he is awful. Can’t cross, can’t defend. He’s a liability. If we play a back 3 I’d have Townsend as the wing back”

Credit: @paulsteenalbo

“I know we’re desperate for a RB but have you seen Aurier? Like really actually watched him? I’d honestly rather have Kenny.”

Credit: @EvertonPlague

“Aurier? When was the last time a club thought so little of a player who cost millions to buy that they happily terminated his contract by mutual consent? He’s awful. Kenny and Holgate are better options at RB in a flat back 4, especially with Townsend in front of them in a 442.”

Credit: @kieran_balmer

In other news, this man spoke to Everton in regards to a transfer before a move was vetoed.