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Crystal Palace must revive their interest in PSV Eindhoven winger Noni Madueke over the coming months after missing out on him in the previous window.

What’s the story?

The Eagles were one of several Premier League sides heavily linked with a move for the highly-rated 19-year-old in the summer after he enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2020/21.

However, Madueke decided to turn down interest from his homeland and sign a new contract at the Philips Stadion, committing his future to the Eredivisie giants until 2025.

Despite the teenager putting pen to paper on fresh terms with PSV, the Dutch outfit are a selling club, and their prized assets are always available for the right price, meaning Palace would be wise to resurrect their interest in the England U21 international.

Crystal Palace must revive interest

After leaving Tottenham Hotspur back in 2018 in search of regular first-team minutes, Madueke, who is valued at £16.2m, has established himself as one of Dutch football’s most exciting prospects.

The London-born attacker contributed nine goals and eight assists in 32 appearances for them last term, catching the eye of several impressed onlookers, including his former national team manager Aidy Boothroyd.

“He’s certainly a very talented young man, really excited to be called up by the Under 21s, and a little bit like Phil (Foden) last time, nobody had really heard of him until he came and played in the tournament,” said Boothroyd ahead of the European Championships.

“They knew a little bit about him, but that set him off on a trajectory, and we’re hoping Noni can create even more positive attention for the way that they play. He’s got a lovely infectious character that comes out even over the phone.”

And he appears to have elevated his game to new heights this time around. In just 14 appearances for Roger Schmidt’s side, Madueke has bagged six goals and provided one assist, highlighting his incredible potential and ruthlessness in attack.

With Palace’s squad lacking a natural right-winger following the departure of Andros Townsend, chairman Steve Parish must swoop for Madueke over the next couple of transfer windows, providing Patrick Vieira with a balanced attack.

And, in other news…75% duels won, 96 touches: Palace monster shines on the international stage 

Frank McAvennie has now dropped a big claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United following the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) hearing.

The Lowdown: CAT case underway

The CAT case between the St. James’ Park faithful and the Premier League over the stalled takeover deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium got underway on Wednesday morning.

In a revelation cited by The Daily Telegraph, the North East club were threatened with expulsion from the top flight, and their separate arbitration case will now take place on 3rd January.

The Latest: McAvennie on takeover

Speaking to Football Insider, former Celtic and West Ham United striker McAvennie, 61, has claimed that the takeover will go through, as the Premier League have been put under too much pressure:

“Ashley has done everything.

“He gave a price, he got the price, he’s ready to sell. It’s just the Premier League now.

“I’m sure they will get it done now. There is too much pressure on the league now.

“I think the takeover will go through and that will be really exciting for Newcastle fans, they deserve it.

“They have agreed to sell the club, who are the Premier League to interject in that?”

The Verdict: Arbitration key

There is no doubt that the arbitration hearing is now key for the direction of where the takeover is heading.

The top flight certainly seem to be feeling the heat after threatening the Tyneside outfit with expulsion, and so it makes the proceedings next year more interesting.

Nonetheless, the whole takeover saga has been going on for far too long now, and so a swift conclusion is needed for all of the parties involved in the deal, which should come after the arbitration process has finished.

In other news, find out what an inside source has revealed about Steve Bruce’s future here!

An update has emerged on Crystal Palace’s pursuit of Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah.

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail, Palace are set to intensify their talks with Arsenal over a deal for Nketiah.

The report claims Patrick Vieira is looking to bolster his squad before next Tuesday’s transfer deadline and a move for Nketiah is due to pick up pace in the coming days.

Imagine him and Benteke

Vieira could land a dream attacking partnership by signing Nketiah as he could form an excellent relationship with Christian Benteke. They could be the little and large duo at the top end of the pitch to cause opposition defences problems this season, which is why Palace must ensure that they can get a deal over the line for the Gunners forward.

The 6 foot 3 Benteke won an impressive 6.8 aerial battles per game in 30 Premier League appearances for Palace last term. Nketiah, meanwhile, has a career average of 0.4 aerial battles won per game for Arsenal, which suggests that he struggles with holding the ball up and winning flick-ons for his teammates.

This means that Nketiah may not be the ideal option for Vieira when playing with one striker on the pitch. However, playing him alongside Benteke could create the perfect foil for the attack, with the Belgian striker able to provide the out ball by holding off defenders and allowing Nketiah to use his movement and pace to get in behind or pick up the ball in pockets of space.

The English forward scored five goals in ten starts for Arsenal last season in the Premier League and Europa League, which suggests that he has the quality to score goals at the top level if given the minutes. In 2020, Mikel Arteta hailed Nketiah’s personality as ‘immense’ and said that he is continuing to develop as a player. He said:

“I want him to keep doing what he’s doing. The way he played last night against those players, in those difficult conditions, for me is extraordinary at his age.

“He has an immense personality to play, confidence, he’s powerful and is developing in every area, I think. I have a lot of faith in him.”

This shows that Nketiah also has the potential to improve further, which is another reason why Palace must sanction this deal. They could be getting a player who could work well alongside Benteke, whilst also making an investment on a talent who could grow and become more valuable in the future.

AND in other news, The Athletic drop big CPFC transfer claim that will leave Vieira over the moon… 

Rangers have enjoyed a sublime start to life with Giovanni van Bronckhorst in Glasgow after two wins from two since his official arrival at Ibrox.

The Gers have beaten Sparta Prague, in the Europa League group stage, and Livingston, in the Premiership, and are now looking to make it three wins in a row.

They face up against Hibernian, who they recently lost to in the semi-final of the League Cup, in the league as they look to build on their 3-1 win at the weekend.

How many changes will he make to the team? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three alterations to the side, with John Lundstram, Fashion Sakala and Scott Wright coming in.

With a busy festive schedule set to hit the Gers in the coming weeks, van Bronckhorst may need to make changes to his side based on more than just individual performances from week to week. He may need to offer minutes to players to keep them fresh and rest others to avoid burnout.

The first change we are predicting is John Lundstram coming in for Glen Kamara, with the back four and goalkeeper staying the same. Per SofaScore, the Finland international was dribbled past twice and lost six of his 11 duels against Livingston, which could open the door for the ex-Sheffield United man to step in and have his chance to shine.

FFC published an article explaining why Ryan Kent should be axed from the team, after back-to-back disappointing displays under the Dutchman’s reign. Sakala replaced him off the bench against Livingston and scored the third goal for the Gers with a composed header, which could see the £8.3k-per-week Zambian start on the left of the attacking four tonight with the ex-Liverpool man cut from the XI.

Finally, Wright could start out wide on the right ahead of Ianis Hagi. With a busy schedule coming up, van Bronckhorst could keep the Romanian winger fully fit by resting him for this clash, whilst also offering Wright an opportunity to come in and show that he is deserving of more minutes in the coming weeks and months for the Gers.

The 24-year-old has one goal and an average of 1.3 chances created per game despite only starting three games in the Premiership this term. This suggests that the potential is there for him to be a threat in the final third, but he needs to go and show that he can do it on a consistent basis – starting with Hibs.

AND in other news, GVB must brutally axe £18k-p/w Rangers “wizard” vs Hibernian, he’s been a passenger…

A number of Liverpool fans are delighted with the sight of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk battling alongside one another in training.

The Reds continue to work hard on their preparations for the new Premier League season, with players steadily returning from their summer holidays.

Jurgen Klopp’s side face Hertha Berlin in a friendly in Austria on Thursday night, which is another great opportunity to find more fitness and rhythm.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

Someone who could feature against the Bundesliga side is Van Dijk, who hasn’t played in a match since suffering cruciate ligament damage last October.

On Tuesday, a photo emerged [via Anfield Watch on Twitter] showing the Dutchman tussling with Salah in training, with the two looking competitive alongside one another and no signs of van Dijk being less than 100 per cent.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-9/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Liverpool fans love Salah and Van Dijk photo

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to show their love for the image, with it proving how much progress Van Dijk has made in his injury recovery.

“EPL IS NOT READY”

Credit: @Oteng_18

“What a pic!”

Credit: @kunlennon

“Eeeeeeeesh”

Credit: @BlakeDayne

“It’s about to be scary, not for us tho”

Credit: @KhumaloMphe

“Two best players in the premier league!”

Credit: @shimandhi

“Just seeing him run again makes me incredibly happy”

Credit: @FabianCrusoe1

In other news, some Liverpool fans are unhappy with an update regarding one Reds player. Find out who it is here.

“Sometimes there’s no smoke without fire” – those are the thoughts of Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield on the rumours linking Julian Alvarez to Aston Villa.

Calciomercato reported that the representatives of the River Plate forward are ready to fly to Europe, with Villa been linked with the Argentina international.

Alvarez who can play down the middle as a centre-forward, out on either wing or as an attacking-midfielder, scored four goals and provided seven assists for his teammates last season in all competitions.

On the rumours linking Villa with the 21-year-old, Luke Hatfield told the Transfer Tavern: “It’s one of those where reports kind of came out over the past couple of weeks and I don’t think many Villa fans will have heard of him to be brutally honest. 

“I don’t know how long the club have been watching him, if they have been watching him at all, because there’s not been any solid reports saying that there’s been a bid. There’s journalists here and there mentioning it, the links are there, so you know, sometimes there’s no smoke without fire.”

Aston Villa finished eleventh in the Premier League table last season, with manager Dean Smith already adding to his squad ahead of the new season.

Villa completed the signing of Emiliano Buendia for £33million and were also in the market for Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith-Rowe but had a £25million bid turned down for the player, before the youngster signed a new deal at the Emirates Stadium.

Noel Whelan believes George Edmundson has played his last game for Glasgow Rangers and will therefore leave the club this summer.

The Lowdown: Edmundson in the bad books

Edmundson put himself in Steven Gerrard’s bad books when he broke coronavirus regulations to attend a house party towards the end of 2020 – both he and Jordan Jones ended up receiving a seven-game as a result (BBC).

The 23-year-old was soon out of the door at Ibrox – he spent the second half of the season on loan at Derby County in the Championship.

The Latest: On his way out

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan believes Edmundson’s career at Rangers is finished. He said:

“It was an easy sale when he got himself into bother. 

“He put himself in the shop window. Not through any performances but when you are ill-disciplined and you let the club down there is a good chance you’re going to be sold. 

“Money for a player you don’t want to have is fantastic. I think it’s best for both parties that he does leave in the summer. 

“I don’t think he has any hope of playing for Rangers again, he blew that opportunity. He brought the club into disrepute. 

“I don’t think Rangers will stand in his way and they have more than enough cover in his position.”

The Verdict: Hard to disagree

It is hard to disagree with Whelan in this case. Edmundson made 16 appearances for the Gers during the 2019/20 campaign, his first at the club, but even before his ban, he played just twice for the 55-time Scottish champions in all competitions last time out (Transfermarkt) – he was never really a major part of Gerrard’s plans.

Valued at £450,000 (Transfermarkt) and with two years left on his contract, the Gers should at least be able to bring in a six-figure fee if they were to sell Edmundson. Given he appears to have no future at Ibrox, that would represent a good piece of business for Ross Wilson and co.

In other news, Rangers fans laud this man’s display at Euro 2020.

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has told Football FanCast there have been murmurings about a possible late deadline day move to Everton for Matt Doherty.

Doherty joined Tottenham from Wolves last summer in a £15m deal, but failed to show the kind of form that made him one of the best attacking full-backs in the Premier League at Molineux.

He did make 13 starts in the league last season but has already slipped behind Japhet Tanganga in the right-back pecking order despite reuniting with Nuno Espirito Santo following his appointment in north London.

Doherty hasn’t started a league game this season, playing just seven minutes overall, with the Conference League likely to be his best pathway for regular minutes.

Emerson Royal’s arrival is expected to reduce Doherty’s chances even further of breaking into Santo’s side, and therefore Bridge revealed that a shock move to Everton could be on the cards.

He told Football FanCast:

“I’ve not heard anything yet, but there have been murmurings of Everton, but I don’t know if there’s anything in it. But I do wonder if he’s been touted about, and a club might go ‘well give him a go’.”

Luke Edwards has dropped a big claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United as news emerged on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

The Lowdown: KSA on priority watch list

As per The Athletic journalist Matt Slater, the KSA are staying on the US government’s priority watch list for Intellectual Property (IP) theft for the third straight year.

Slater claimed that this is ‘not a good look’ for the Saudis’ quest to prove they are taking digital piracy seriously, given that they want to invest in football, most notably the KSA group wanting to buy the St. James’ Park faithful off of the hands of Mike Ashley.

The Latest: Edwards reacts

Quoting the tweet from Slater, Daily Telegraph journalist Edwards has since given his reaction to the news, claiming that he does not think Ashley will win the pending arbitration case between him and the Premier League over the failed takeover in the North East by the KSA consortium.

He also claimed that the takeover ‘collapsed ten months ago’ in his opinion, in other words saying that he cannot see a way back into the Tyneside club for the Saudis.

The Verdict: Takeover not done yet

While the latest news with the KSA is alarming, it does not mean that a takeover of the Magpies can be ruled out just yet.

The result of the arbitration hearing will likely give a much clearer picture over the direction of where the potential deal is heading, and Ashley would not have pursued with the case if he was not at least somewhat confident of winning it.

Still, even if the Toon do not end up winning the case, then they still have the anti-competition lawsuit that they launched separately against the top flight to fall back on, which could present the potential takeover with a new pathway.

Nonetheless, Ashley and NUFC will not have given up hope of winning arbitration just yet, as the legal battle with the division looks set to be an intriguing one.

In other news, find out which ace Callum Wilson dubbed ‘unbelievable’ Newcastle are eyeing here!

Tottenham have a ‘pronounced interest’ in Juventus attacker Paulo Dybala ahead of a possible summer move and even hold one major advantage in the race.

The Lowdown: Juve icon on the way out

The 28-year-old has been a great player for Juve over the years, standing out as one of Serie A’s premier attacking players.

Dybala has scored 113 goals in 287 appearances for the Turin giants, not to mention chipping in with 48 assists, outlining the creative side of his game, all while racking up an incredible five league titles and seven domestic cups.

The Argentine’s Juve deal expires at the end of this season, however, and it looks highly likely that he will enjoy a fresh challenge after Fabrizio Romano revealed he is not expected to pen new terms.

The Latest: Spurs eye up summer move

According to But! Football Club [via Sport Witness], both Spurs and Atletico Madrid have a ‘pronounced interest’ in signing Dybala this summer.

While it is also stated that Inter Milan are the current favourites to sign him instead, the article says the fact that Fabio Paratici signed Dybala for Juve ‘could give them (Spurs) an advantage in any race, as would the presence of Antonio Conte as manager’.

The Verdict: Is he worth it?

Dybala has enjoyed an outstanding career – he was once described as a ‘great player’ by Lionel Messi, which speaks volumes – and he would be an exciting, high-profile arrival at Spurs, called a ‘world class’ and ‘massive’ would-be signing by former Lilywhite Paul Robinson.

Admittedly, the Argentina international turns 29 later this year and has had injury problems throughout his career, but he can be a sprinkling of stardust for Antonio Conte, providing match-winning moments when Harry Kane and Son Heung-min cannot.

His ability to thrive in a No.10 role could even help Son and Kane become even more potent, with his pedigree at a top European club proven over an extended period of time.

In other news, Tottenham have reportedly sent officials to watch two players. Find out who they are here.