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Aston Villa are weighing up a move to bring Leeds United defensive midfielder Tyler Adams back to the Premier League, according to reports.

Is Tyler Adams leaving Leeds?

The USA international only arrived at Elland Road from RB Leipzig last summer and was a regular feature having made 26 appearances during his debut season, but despite missing the final 12 top-flight games of the previous campaign with a hamstring injury, his positive impact was clear to see.

The Whites talisman firmly established himself as Daniel Farke’s side’s overall top-performing player with a WhoScored match rating of 6.73, so even though he still has another four years remaining on his contract, it’s understandable that he’s been gaining attention in the market.

Read The Latest Aston Villa Transfer News HERE…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs confirmed that the 24-year-old is a player that has been “looked" at by NSWE and Monchi, but they aren't the only chiefs chasing his services with Nottingham Forest, West Ham United and Brighton and Hove Albion also interested.

However, Chelsea are the club currently in pole position as they have already entered formal talks and are in ongoing negotiations, so the other potential suitors need to act fast should they want any chance at hijacking the deal, something which Unai Emery is hoping to do.

Are Aston Villa signing Tyler Adams?

According to Football Insider, Aston Villa are "keen" on Adams and are "exploring a potential move" before the end of the summer transfer window. The Midlands outfit are "ready" to bolster their central ranks once again and want to "activate" the Leeds star's £20-25m relegation clause included in his deal in Yorkshire.

The LS11 ace is "keen" to make a return to the top-flight, handing all of his potential suitors a boost, but as previously mentioned, he's currently on his way to Stamford Bridge should nothing change.

How good is Tyler Adams?

Aston Villa will know that Adams is much stronger in the natural defensive midfield aspect of his game having recorded zero goals or assists since putting pen to paper at Leeds, but having been dubbed a “machine” in front of the backline by journalist Wes Rucker, he could be a fantastic recruit for Emery.

The New York native, who’s sponsored by Nike, last season ranked in the 99th percentile for tackles and the 97th percentile for blocks, via FBRef, highlighting just how good he is at clearing the danger before it gets through to his defence.

However, the 2022 World Cup participant is also capable of playing at centre-back, left-back and right-back alongside four roles in the centre of the park which is another extremely attractive attribute, so it’s no surprise that the boss is considering a swoop.

Marvelous Nakamba recently completed a permanent move to Luton Town so Emery will need to enter the market to find a suitable replacement. He's seemingly done just that with Adams, but as a result of Chelsea closing in with every day that passes, it won't be easy to convince him to change his mind and instead move to Villa Park.

AFC Bournemouth will host West Ham United on Saturday 12th August as the two teams kick off their Premier League campaigns. Here's everything you need to know about the history of this fixture.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: Who has the best head-to-head record?

These two clubs haven't typically been playing at the same level throughout their respective histories. There aren't too many fixtures to go on, then – only 17 competitive meetings, in fact.

The majority of those have come since the Cherries made it to the Premier League, of course. This will be their seventh season in the top flight.

The Hammers have been a better side and there were a couple of seasons in that span where they were much better. Overall, though, their records when going head-to-head are quite similar.

West Ham have won eight of the 17 games, with Bournemouth winning four. That leaves five as draws, for those keeping count.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: Who has the best record at the Vitality Stadium?

Eight of the 17 fixtures have come at Bournemouth – where the 12th August meeting will also take place. The record there is perfectly split, though, suggesting there's no great advantage for either side.

West Ham have won two, Bournemouth have won two, and the other four have all been draws. The latter feels like a relatively safe choice for anyone predicting a result on the opening weekend.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: Who has the best record at the London Stadium?

However, unlike at Bournemouth, there is a clear advantage to the Hammers when the fixture takes place in east London. Nine of the games have taken place there and the home side have won six of them.

Bournemouth have managed two wins, to their credit, but this one typically sees West Ham claim the victory. 2018 saw the single draw in that particular fixture, and the return game is currently stapled in for 30th January as the Cherries seek to improve their record.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: When did the sides first meet?

Despite recent fixtures dominating the history of this fixture, you do have to go back nearly a century for the first meeting between the two. It came in the FA Cup back in 1929.

It was the Round of 16 and the two sides were pitted against one another at Bournemouth. That game finished 1-1, however, meaning they returned to West Ham for a replay shortly afterwards. West Ham saw the Cherries off in that one, winning 4-1 at home to progress to the quarter-finals.

Portsmouth would then knock them out, if anyone was wondering, with the south coast outfit eventually losing to Bolton Wanderers in the final.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: How many competitions have they met in?

While there have only been 17 fixtures between the two, they've managed to spread them across several competitions, with the sides meeting in four tournaments.

The Premier League has seen 12 clashes, all coming since Bournemouth's 2015 promotion. But as mentioned earlier, West Ham and Bournemouth did first meet in the FA Cup nearly a century ago.

It would be 60 years before they'd come across one another again, though. They were both in the old Second Division for the 1989/90 season, playing each other twice in their first league meetings. They'd draw at Bournemouth before West Ham won 4-1 at home.

Another 10-year break followed, as the next fixture between the two didn't come until 1999 as they were drawn against one another in the League Cup 3rd round. Again, West Ham would win 2-0 at home to progress in that one.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: What is their Premier League record?

We've now had six seasons of Bournemouth vs West Ham and things have been very even so far. Of the 12 games, West Ham have won the most with five, while Bournemouth have picked up four wins, with only the three draws so far.

But breaking this down further, Bournemouth things are literally even – two wins each, two draws from the six games. That changes a little when the fixture is at West Ham as the Hammers have won three to their opponent's two (one draw).

This one has been pretty difficult to predict, then. The two clubs are about as even as you can expect over 12 games of football.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: Which team has the most goals?

17 fixtures doesn't exactly allow for a mountain of goals in this fixture, of course. We've seen 59 in total, spread in favour of West Ham.

And that's perhaps the biggest revelation here. Despite results being quite even, West Ham have managed 37 goals to Bournemouth's 22. When the Hammers win, they tend to win big.

In the Premier League alone, the 12 top-flight games have seen West Ham net 26 times to Bournemouth's 18. Funnily enough, they've scored fewer in east London than they have away from home – 12 to 14. Bournemouth, though, do tend to score more at home, with 11 to their 7 away strikes.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: What is Bournemouth's biggest win?

Bournemouth's biggest win in this fixture is fairly modest. It came in January 2019 as they beat West Ham 2-0 at home thanks to goals from Callum Wilson and Joshua King.

Other than that, the Cherries' wins have always been by the odd goal. Thus, their biggest away win is just a 2-1 victory, with Steve Cook scoring the winner after Wilson cancelled out Marko Arnautovic's opener.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: What is West Ham's biggest win?

West Ham's biggest win in this one is 4-0 – a feat they've achieved twice. The first came in January 2020 at home. This was a season that would eventually see Bournemouth suffer relegation and this result set them well on their way.

Mark Noble scored twice, Sebastien Hallér grabbed one and Felipe Anderson rounded off the scoring.

The other 4-0 thrashing came at Bournemouth, meaning West Ham's biggest away win is the same as their biggest home win. This one happened in the most recent clash between the two teams, too.

Michail Antonio opened the scoring back in April, with Lucas Paquetá, Declan Rice and Pablo Fornals also finding the net – a dominant display that will carry West Ham into the season opener with confidence.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: What were the recent results?

Bournemouth's relegation in 2020 means the last few games between the two have seen a big gap between them. Only the last two feel particularly relevant, as a result.

And last season was West Ham's without a doubt. They won 2-0 at home before smashing the Cherries 4-0 away; 6-0 across two games, six points – you can't really ask for much more.

The last game before that relegation – the third-most recent fixture – was also a dominant 4-0 West Ham win.

But things were brighter for Bournemouth up to that game. In fact, the first of those 4-0 wins was West Ham's first victory in the fixture in seven attempts. They drew 2-2 in late 2019 after Bournemouth beat the Hammers 2-0 earlier that year.

Those results had followed two more draws and a Bournemouth win dating back to early 2017. The Cherries do have a period of success in this fixture, then.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: How did the Cherries do last season?

Bournemouth would eventually finish five points clear of the relegation zone but things were incredibly dicey for a while. A 9-0 defeat to Liverpool early in the season saw manager Scott Parker depart, reportedly over transfer plans.

Gary O'Neil stepped into his shoes and did very well, all things considered, even getting a Manager of the Month nod. It wasn't quite enough to keep him in the job this season, however, as he left the club in June to make way for Andoni Iraola.

Bournemouth vs West Ham: How did the Hammers do last season?

In the Premier League, West Ham were massively disappointing. Their previous seasons suggested they'd compete for European football. Instead, they finished 14th – six points above relegation and just a single point ahead of Bournemouth.

But that isn't the whole story, of course. David Moyes would guide West Ham to the second-ever Europa Conference League title, bringing home a European trophy for the first time since 1965 (not counting the Intertoto Cup, sorry).

Bournemouth vs West Ham: Who are the favourites?

History suggests this one could be close, given it's at Bournemouth. At the same time, West Ham won there 4-0 last season and they'll be entering the new season with plenty of confidence.

Though, at the same time, the influx of cash from selling Declan Rice means no one can be sure what West Ham's team will even look like come the opener. They'll surely make a few signings between then and now – who knows what effect that will have?

Bournemouth, on the other hand, will certainly be an unknown quantity. They've appointed Iraola as their new manager, on top of a few first-team signings that could change the squad quite significantly.

And so, as with most season openers, this one has a lot of questions around it. We likely won't really know what the two teams are like until the game is over.

When is Bournemouth vs West Ham?

Bournemouth will host West Ham United in the Premier League on Saturday 12th August at 3pm UK time. It'll be the 18th competitive meeting between the two sides.

This is the season opener for both sides, with each undergoing big changes over the summer transfer window.

Both will surely feel they have points to prove this coming term, with West Ham looking to return to prominence following their European glory and the Cherries hoping to consolidate themselves as a solid top-flight outfit once again under new management.

Liverpool are pulling no punches in their pursuit of prominence after falling flat last season and failing to qualify for the Champions League and could look to sign Crystal Palace's Cheick Doucoure to continue the summer rebuild.

Alexis Mac Allister and Dominick Szoboszlai have both been signed already after James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain departed upon the expiry of their contracts, while Jordan Henderson and Fabinho are both looking to complete moves to the Saudi Pro League.

The departure of Fabinho in particular would leave a hole in the midfield department, and Doucoure would be a worthy successor after an exemplary maiden campaign in English football that saw the Mali international secure the Eagles' Player of the Season award.

Are Liverpool interested in Cheick Doucoure?

According to journalist Graeme Bailey, speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast last week, the 23-year-old is a player that the Anfield chiefs 'love' after his strong performances in the Premier League.

He said: “Palace don’t need to sell and he’s an important player for them. From what I’m told in the [Liverpool} analytics department he’s a real highlight. They love him.”

The Daily Mail have reported that Palace have placed a £70m valuation on one of their most coveted assets, and while this is certainly a staggering sum, if Liverpool decide to push for the crème de la crème, they should head towards south London.

How good is Cheick Doucoure?

After a year of foiled ambition, Jurgen Klopp's Reds will be pushing to return to the forefront of English football and fight for the league title as opposed to scrambling – unsuccessfully – for a place in the top four.

The midfield's inability to effectively protect the backline was one of the chief reasons behind Anfield's seasonal demise, and for all the work plied on the transfer front to remedy this problem thus far, a top-class pivot is still required to knit the centre together with steel thread.

Enter Doucoure; praised as a star capable of "destroying everyone" in his path by one journalist, the £60k-per-week ace ranks among the top 3% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for interceptions, the top 19% for blocks and the top 18% for clearances per 90, as per FBref.

A veritable machine in the midfield, Doucoure's role would consist of industriously sweeping up danger and instigating promising forward transitions, something that could bring the best out of Mac Allister, who is raring to go after his £35m move from Brighton & Hove Albion.

The 24-year-old "golden boy" – as he has been called by content creator Ryan Adsett – was immense last term, recording an average Sofascore rating of 7.21 in the English top-flight as he scored ten goals from 31 starts, averaging 2.5 shots and two tackles per game, and succeeding with 67% of his dribbles and 57% of his ground duels.

Truly an all-encompassing phenom, and one who could genuinely reignite the fire that has been missing from Liverpool's belly, but he cannot effectively ply his trade with a gaping hole in the defensive midfield behind him.

Moises Caicedo, touted with a £100m move to Chelsea, held the thriving Seagulls ship together last term and left manager Roberto De Zerbi saying that he could "become one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and in Europe."

Doucoure could emulate the impact the Ecuadorian had on Mac Allister, and Klopp must think hard about the best course of action to complete his summer revival and chart a course for success once again.

Newcastle United are still interested in bringing in Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney this summer, according to a new report.

What’s the latest transfer news on Kieran Tierney?

The Magpies and Eddie Howe have been busy so far this summer, making three new signings ahead of the 2023/24 season as they prepare for Champions League action.

First to arrive was winger Yankuba Minteh from Danish side Odense, however, the teenager has since been sent out on loan to Feyenoord for the upcoming campaign.

Midfielder Sandro Tonali was the first big-money signing from AC Milan, and the Italian has recently been joined by winger Harvey Barnes from Leicester City. In total, Newcastle have spent just under £100m (€116m), but it looks as if further additions could be on the cards.

At full-back, Southampton’s Tino Livramento has been linked with a move to St James’ Park, however, the Saints are looking to receive £50m for his services, whereas Newcastle made an approach worth around £30m.

Another defender who is thought to be on the radar is Tierney, however, since reports earlier in the window claimed Newcastle were in pole position to sign the Scot, speculation has gone relatively quiet.

The Evening Standard shared a story on Tierney in the last 48 hours, though, claiming he is attracting interest from a number of clubs but only naming Newcastle, and by extension owners PIF, as one of the sides who are still keen.

However, the full-back isn’t desperate to leave the Emirates Stadium and has admitted he would leave any decision to the Gunners.

"It’s not really up to me. I’m happy, I’m working hard every day and getting minutes. I’m just trying to do as well as I can.

"You can’t play every single game, every single season, every single year. I don’t expect that and I still made a lot of appearances last year."

How much could Kieran Tierney cost?

At the beginning of the summer, it was believed that Arsenal would look for a figure in excess of £30m for the left-back, so he could be viewed as a slightly cheaper alternative to Livramento.

Described as a "top-level" player by Stan Collymore, Tierney picks up a weekly wage of £120,000-a-week and actually shares the same agent as Nick Pope, something which could help in any potential transfer talks.

He could bring more of an attacking threat to Howe’s side, with Dan Burn cementing himself as Newcastle’s first-choice left-back last season. However, the 31-year-old has mainly plied his trade as a centre-back throughout his career and has contributed to 23 goals in 432 appearances during his career, whereas Tierney boasts 64 goal contributions in 295 games, with plenty of those coming for Celtic.

Tierney also has an impressive record against Newcastle, winning all three meetings he has featured in against the Magpies, and by the looks of things, a move for the Arsenal defender could be one to keep an eye on over the coming weeks. Who knows, it may well be a deal that gathers pace later in the window, especially if Newcastle continue to struggle to sign Livramento.

A significant update has emerged on Celtic's attempts to land their fourth fresh addition of the summer transfer window…

What's the latest Celtic transfer news?

According to Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph, South Korea U22 international Hyeok-kyu Kwon has agreed personal terms on a long-term contract with the Scottish giants ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The reporter has claimed that the Hoops are poised to pay a fee within the region of £850k to sign the defensive midfielder from Busan IPark.

He further stated that Kwon and Hyun-jun Yang, who has joined from K League 1 side Gangwon, will both link up with the squad during the pre-season tour of Japan.

Alongside Yang, Brendan Rodgers has also snapped up Australia international Marco Tilio from Melbourne City and Norwegian central midfielder Odin Thiago Holm from Valerenga on permanent deals to bolster his squad.

What is Hyeok-kyu Kwon's style of play?

The South Korean ace is a ball-winning enforcer who is capable of breaking up the play to win possession back on a regular basis, a style that has led to him being described as the 'K League Rodri' by media in his home country.

His ability as a defensive-minded midfielder could make him the perfect fit for Rodgers' 4-2-3-1 system as Kwon could slot in as one of the two in front of the defence in order to facilitate the deployment of a number ten – David Turnbull.

Having an excellent battler who can screen ahead of the back four to stop opposition attacks could allow an attacking midfielder to thrive as it would negate the need for three midfielders to come back when Celtic are defending.

Kwon, who South Korean journalist Jason Lee claimed has "tons of potential", has made an impressive 3.4 tackles and interceptions combined across 18 K League 2 appearances throughout 2023.

This is an impressive 1.2 more per game than any Hoops central midfielder produced during the 2022/23 Scottish Premiership season, as Matt O'Riley and Callum McGregor both made 2.2 per clash.

He has also averaged 1.2 aerial battles won per match for Busan – 0.5 more per game than any Celtic player in his position has managed, with Reo Hatate's 0.7 having led the way last term.

This suggests that Kwon would provide Rodgers with a significant upgrade on his current defensive options in that area of the pitch, due to the talented South Korean's ability to dominate in the air whilst also being able to constantly cut out opposition attacks with tackles and interceptions.

His presence in midfield could, therefore, allow Turnbull to thrive as a number ten without having to worry about too much defensive responsibility.

The Scotland international has not played the majority of his matches in that position since the 2020/21 campaign, which is when he thrived for the Hoops.

Turnbull averaged a phenomenal Sofascore rating of 7.47 across 36 league outings for Celtic as he contributed with nine goals and 2.9 key passes per match.

For context, Jota was the club's highest-rated performer last term with a score of 7.45 and no midfielder at the club produced more than six goals or 2.1 key passes per outing during the 2022/23 season.

This suggests that the potential is there for the former Motherwell star to be an outstanding performer for Rodgers as a number ten, which could be unlocked by the signing of Kwon.

Rangers remain in the hunt for Los Angeles F.C star Jose Cifuentes with Michael Beale personally hopeful of more signings after Leon Balogun.

Who will Rangers sign?

It's been a busy, busy summer at Ibrox so far as the Gers prepare for what will be an interesting 2023/2024 Scottish Premiership campaign.

Beale's side watched on as Celtic, then lead by Ange Postecoglou, clinched a domestic treble last season with the Glasgow giants eager to avoid a sad repeat.

So far, Rangers have spent a combined £7.2 million on new signings, with Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers coming as their most expensive acquisitions from Italy.

The attacking duo are joined by Jack Butland, Kieran Dowell and Dujon Sterling, who signed on free transfers, while Brighton forward Abdallah Sima has also put pen to paper on a loan move.

Most recently, defender Leon Balogun re-joined Rangers on a one-year deal after leaving Queen's Park Rangers on a Bosman – with the club sealing seven major additions in total.

“Leon is a person that I have full trust in both as a footballer and a man," said Beale after Balogun's return.

“He is extremely well-liked by everyone inside the club, and we are very happy to have someone with his experience and leadership qualities re-joining our squad.

"Naturally he will integrate back into the club very quickly and he understands fully our way of working and style of play."

Despite the flurry of new additions, it is believed Rangers may not be done there, as Sky Sports share news of who could come in next after Balogun.

Indeed, the reliable broadcast giant claims Beale is still personally hopeful of adding more quality to his squad in time for the new campaign, with more signings "expected".

They name Ecuador international Cifuentes as a target, who remains on Rangers' radar following repeated links with a move to Scotland.

The 24-year-old, who featured at last year's World Cup in Qatar, is being targeted alongside Nottingham Forest defender Jonathan Ponzo.

Not much else is said on their move for Cifuentes, but given reports of his imminent move have died down somewhat, it appears a transfer is still very much on the cards.

How good is Jose Cifuentes?

The midfielder has been praised by both members of the press and Los Angeles head coach Steve Cherundolo, who recently said that the "sky is the limit" for Cifuentes.

Cherundolo, speaking to Los Angeles F.C's official website, branded the South American a "complete player" with Tim Vickery also long tipped him to be a success.

Speaking to talkSPORT all the way back in 2019, via Football Scotland, Vickery hailed Cifuentes as a terrific midfielder who previously starred for Ecuador's national youth sides.

Raving over his physical attributes as well, Vickery may have hinted that Gers supporters could witness plenty of quality if Cifuentes does move across the Atlantic.

"He was the beating heart of that [Ecuador U20] side and I think he's a terrific midfielder," said Vickery.

"He's strong, he's got quality, he's got a good engine – he's one of the best all-round midfielders, potentially, that I've seen come out of South America in a while."

The closer we get to the start of the new Premier League season, the more anxious West Ham United supporters are growing about a lack of new arrivals at the London Stadium.

With Declan Rice's £105m move to Arsenal dragging on, the Hammers are seemingly holding fire before bringing in any new recruits to bolster a side that underwhelmed domestically last season.

Who have West Ham signed so far this summer?

David Moyes' side have yet to make a single senior signing ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, despite the fact that they have already kicked off their pre-season programme.

Rice's departure will surely be confirmed by the end of the week, whilst Manuel Lanzini is another first-teamer who has departed during the close season following the expiration of his contract.

For all the doom and gloom, though, Denis Zakaria is reportedly close to arriving from Juventus, and Spanish outlet ABC de Sevilla suggests the Europa Conference League winners are in advanced talks for Real Betis defender Luiz Felipe.

How good is Luiz Felipe?

The report indicates that the Irons are confident of completing a €20m (£17m) deal for Felipe – who was once described as "excellent" by FootballClub writer Juanlu Rodriguez – in the coming days.

The 26-year-old titan has only spent one campaign with Betis, having arrived from Lazio – where he had been a regular for five Serie A seasons – in July last year.

Felipe thrives in the defensive aspects of the game – always a priority for any centre-back, of course – as he ranks in the top 1% of all of his positional peers for blocks per 90 minutes (2.39) across Europe's top five leagues over the past year, as per FBref, and in the top 5% for clearances per 90 (2.39).

To put that second figure in some perspective, Kurt Zouma – the most likely candidate to make way should Felipe arrive in East London – averaged 0.77 blocks, placing him in the bottom 8% of centre-backs across Europe's elite leagues.

Felipe was often guilty of overstepping the mark last season, as he became the first player to receive three red cards in his first 11 LaLiga games this century, as per Opta. After the third of those sendings-off at the start of February, however, he did not see red again before the end of the season.

If West Ham's need for a new centre-back – or perhaps even two – was not already clear, the statistics lay it bare. Zouma is in the bottom 1% of centre-backs for tackles per 90 with 0.41, which compares to 1.55 for Felipe (top 56%).

Italy international Felipe does lack in other areas, yet he still ranks higher than Zouma for passes attempted per 90 (47.07 v 37.60) and successful take-ons (0.21 v 0.09), which are becoming increasingly more important traits for defenders to have.

Zouma's performances have noticeably dropped over the past year or so – perhaps coinciding with off-field events – and the time for change is now. Having also previously been touted as a target for Barcelona, Felipe looks well suited to slot in alongside compatriot Ogbonna in the heart of Moyes' defence.

Liverpool continue to track Mainz's teenage striker Nelson Weiper and could look to lodge a formal bid this summer, according to recent reports…

What's the latest on Nelson Weiper to Liverpool?

That's according to German outlet BILD (via Sport Witness), who claim that the 18-year-old is a player who Liverpool have been very keen on for several years now, but his Bundesliga outfit will not sell him for anything under €20m (£17m).

There are even claims that Die Nullfünfer could value the player at around €50m (£43m) in two years' time, given that the meteoric rise he is currently riding shows no sign of abating as he continues his development.

Reds manager Jurgen Klopp is understandably prioritising bolstering the midfield this summer, though the opportunity to sign such a precocious talent could be too good to turn down.

Who is Nelson Weiper?

It's been a tremendous start to life on the major stage for Weiper; having scored 41 goals from 39 matches at youth level, the German "mega-talent" – as hailed by German football consultant Adam Khan – netted twice for Mainz's senior side last season.

Indeed, Weiper scored twice in the Bundesliga from just nine appearances, and given that he is still yet to make his full debut in the competition it is no wonder that clubs of Liverpool's stature are circling.

The teenage sensation has been active for Germany U21s at the U21 European Championships this summer and started once from three outings, no he yielded no goals as the nation foundered in the group phase – albeit demonstrating his striking instincts by registering 2.7 shots per game, as per Sofascore.

While the onus will indeed shy away from the centre-forward position on the red half of Merseyside this summer given the necessity for reinforcements elsewhere and the recent acquisitions of Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez, Weiper would be a remarkable option for the future and is undoubtedly a true footballing "prodigy" – as also proclaimed by Khan.

His prospective move could spell danger for Kaide Gordon, who has been making a comeback from injury after impressing at youth level for Liverpool and scoring one goal from four senior appearances – on his debut against Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup.

Gordon has been described as an "exceptional" prospect by his German manager and does have the advantage of thriving across a multitude of positions, notably the offensive flanks and central striking role, but has indeed been unfortunate to have seen his progress hindered by a cruel injury that has left him on the sidelines for over 16 months.

Regardless, the one-cap England U18 international would likely see Weiper leapfrog him in regard to the ceiling of his career should he be signed, but from a more positive slant, there is every chance that the pair could forge a deadly striking alliance to wreak havoc in the future.

Tottenham Hotspur could tempt Italian giants Inter Milan with a bid to sign midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu this summer, according to reports.

Who are Spurs signing this summer?

The arrival of new manager Ange Postecoglou has also marked the signings of three major players, with Dejan Kulusevski, Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison joining Spurs in that order.

Kulusevski has put pen to paper on a permanent deal from Juventus, after spending the last 18 months on loan, while both Vicario and Maddison have been signed in this summer transfer window.

Postecoglou, speaking to Tottenham’s official website (via football.london), says the latter duo have a perfect mentality suited to a Spurs team he’s looking to build

“It’s not just about the talent they bring as footballers,” said Postecoglou.

“Both those guys have got it in abundance. I could hear it in their voices when I spoke to them. I had a couple of chats with both of them before we signed them and I knew that they were the right types to bring into the dressing room.”

Manor Solomon, who is joining on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk, is also in London for a medical today as Tottenham close in on a fourth signing.

As the hunt for a new defender continues, with both Micky van de Ven and Edmond Tapsoba heavily linked, there is a surprise claim that Tottenham could move for Calhanoglu from Inter.

That’s according to Inter Live.it, who say Spurs could end up tempting the Champions League finalists with an offer of around £30 million for the Turk.

They add this bid comes “out of nowhere” and to “especially” keep on eye out for Tottenham’s approach.

“Several British companies could, in fact, end up attempting an alleged offensive advance against Calhanoglu at any moment,” wrote the outlet.

“United and Chelsea aside, keep an eye out especially for Tottenham: a club that has set itself the goal of strengthening its midfield and that, out of nowhere, could even end up tempting the Nerazzurri by placing an offer of 35 million euros on the plate.”

What’s been said about Hakan Calhanoglu?

Last season, the 29-year-old averaged Inter’s second-highest performance rating per 90 (7.07), a number only bettered by their star striker Lautaro Martinez (WhoScored).

Over his 33 appearances, Calhanoglu racked up nine goal contributions, three goals and six assists, all while making more key passes per than any other Nerazzurri star (WhoScored).

Journalist Josh Bunting, writing on Twitter last year, also lauded the international attacker’s “absolutely sensational” range of passing.

Chelsea have scheduled a meeting this week to discuss a deal to sign Napoli forward Victor Osimhen, according to journalist Sacha Tavolieri.

When does Victor Osimhen's contract expire?

Osimhen is a striker who currently plays his football at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium having moved there from Lille back in 2020 ,where’s he’s since gone on to become a regular feature of the first-team, clocking up 101 appearances to date.

The Nigeria international still has another two years to run on his contract in the Serie A, but having established himself as Rudi Garcia’s both overall and offensive top-performing player last season with a WhoScored match rating of 7.45, has grabbed the attention of Mauricio Pochettino.

Back in May, Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg revealed that the Blues were “pushing” to sign the 24-year-old who is at the “top of the list” for attacking targets in the final third, and it sounds like club chiefs are now planning to take their interest one step further.

Are Chelsea signing Osimhen?

Taking to Twitter on Saturday, Tavolieri revealed that Chelsea, alongside Premier League rivals Liverpool and Manchester United, have all arranged meetings with Osimhen’s representatives this week to present their project. He wrote:

“The Victor Osimhen saga will move on the market! #ManUnited, #ChelseaFC & #Liverpool have meetings planned with the entourage of the top scorer of #SerieA. Next week should define the intentions of his 3 clubs. The priority of #Osimhen is #PremierLeague.”

Chelsea are believed to be close to confirming the arrival of Villarreal centre-forward Nicolas Jackson after he completed his medical over the weekend. And having been dubbed “lethal” by journalist Josh Bunting, Osimhen could be a fantastic recruit should he follow in his footsteps, a more natural number nine than the versatile Jackson.

The Nigeria star posted a remarkable 31 goal contributions (26 goals and five assists) in 32 Serie A outings last season, form which saw him receive five man-of-the-match awards and named his division’s top goalscorer for the 2022/23 campaign.

Napoli’s £90k-per-week earner also recorded a total of 132 shots over the course of the previous term which was higher than any other member of his squad, as per FBRef, highlighting the prolific threat he poses when leading the line.

Finally, Osimhen would also add wonderful versatility to Pochettino’s ranks with his ability to operate everywhere across the frontline, despite his natrual dominance through the middle, so it would be a massive coup if he was to put pen to paper.