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Joe Willock ended his short but yet spectacular half-season on Tyneside with his seventh goal in seven games when he netted the opening goal against Fulham, but former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey still thinks £20 million would be a lot of money for the 21-year old.

Since the Arsenal midfielder made his debut in the 3-2 win against Southampton, in which Newcastle finished the game with nine men, the Magpies have only lost four games in the Premier League – against Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Brighton.

Several reports have suggested that the Magpies still intend to test the Gunners’ resolve on Willock and bid £20 million for him, however Mikel Arteta confirmed that the club would be planning his future for the coming years, a huge blow for Steve Bruce and the fans.

Willock was serenaded when he limped off during the 1-0 victory against Sheffield United in front of 10,000 fans as the Geordies told him ‘we want you to stay’, but Howey exclusively told Football FanCast that £20 million is still a lot of money:

“For a young lad, who I think has got a very good future, you’ll be looking at £20 million which I still think is a lot of money and I know in today’s market that bang average players get bought for that amount of money.

“I just think that he’s enjoyed a purple patch and we’ve seen before that players have gone to clubs done really well on loan, signed permanently and then not done great. I’m not saying that would happen with him but in all fairness, from the noises coming out of the Arsenal camp, I don’t think Newcastle are getting him anyway.”

One loan player who did well and then returned to Newcastle, that Howey may have been eluding to is Kenedy. He did not sign permanently but did arrive for a season-long loan after impressing during the second half of the 2017/18 season, however, the following season saw just one goal in 25 appearances.

After he found the back of the net against already relegated Fulham, Willock became the youngest player in Premier League history to net seven goals in seven consecutive league games.

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.

Russell Martin is desperate to sign Sunderland centre-forward Will Grigg this summer, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Speaking after Milton Keynes Dons 5-0 win over Swindon Town on Saturday, Martin stated his desire to sign Grigg – who is currently on loan at the League One side – permanently this summer.

As cited by MK Citizen, Martin said: “We’d like to keep him, he fits in with what we’re doing but he has a contract with another club. He has another year, and Sunderland could be in this league still. We’ll be right in the mix to try and keep him. We’ll have to wait and see.”

On Grigg’s performance in the fixture, in which the 29-year-old bagged four of MK Don’s five goals, Martin remarked: “Today, he got the goals he deserved. He’s playing in a way that he hasn’t been asked to do before. He deserved the goals because he is so humble, has no ego, puts the team ahead of himself.”

Why should Sunderland sell?

While it is undeniable that Grigg has impressed during his loan spell, with the Northern Ireland international scoring eight goals and providing three assists over his 18 appearances for MK Dons, this form is a far cry from anything the striker has managed since joining Sunderland in a £3.06 million deal from Wigan Athletic back in 2019.

This season, Grigg managed no goals or assists over his nine League One appearances for Lee Johnson’s side before departing the club in January, while, in total, he has scored just eight times in 61 appearances for the Black Cats.

This means that, not even factoring in his £6,000-per-week salary, the centre-forward’s goals have cost Sunderland around £382,500 per strike, an extraordinary amount of football for a team who are still playing their football in the third tier of the English pyramid.

As such, regardless of whether Sunderland achieve promotion or not this season, Johnson should do all he can to see that Martin does indeed manage to sign the 29-year-old on a permanent basis this summer, as it is abundantly clear that Grigg and Sunderland are not compatible with each other whatsoever.

Furthermore, while Grigg is in a fine run of form whilst out on loan, perhaps the Black Cats will be able to claw back slightly more of the rather astonishing transfer fee they paid for him, in comparison to how much they could have asked for when he was failing to do the business at the Stadium of Light.

In other news: Move over Sanderson: SAFC could save millions by unleashing “lovely” rarely-seen beast – opinion

Taking to Twitter, these West Ham United fans have been left excited by an ExWHUemployee transfer update involving Sparta Prague striker Adam Hlozek.

Manager David Moyes and recruitment chief Rob Newman have set their sights on a forward signing before January 31 with Hlozek one of the many names recently linked.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-updates/” title=”West Ham latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s recent purchase of a 27% stake in West Ham has only accelerated reports of the 19-year-old potentially moving to east London, with 90min reporter Toby Cudworth saying his influence could ‘sway’ an agreement (Twitter).

GSB, as a result, may have the opportunity to back Moyes with Hlozek’s acquisition and this is reiterated by reliable club insider ExWHUemployee.

He claims that West Ham could sign the prolific teenager and a ‘deal is there to be done’ (via West Ham Views) if Newman and Moyes opt take it further.

West Ham fans excited…

Reacting with their opinions on Twitter, these Irons supporters have been left excited by the fact an agreement to sign Hlozek is indeed possible this month.

He has been making waves for Sparta, notching an impressive 21 goals and 24 assists since the start of 2020/2021 and earning call-ups to the Czech Republic national team so early in his career.

Taking this into account, it’s little wonder these Hammers fans believe he could be a ‘quality’ addition – find all of their best reactions down below:

“Get him to the bowl”

Credit: @Adamsoitis

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Hlozek and David up top together would be deadly, add Kamara to that and we’d be set for a decade”

Credit: @arrrrrrrchie

“So doooooo itttttt”

Credit: @NStampar

“PLEASEEE!”

Credit: @WestHamNRU

“Get it done West Ham.”

Credit: @PakistanHammers

“Absolutely get it done. Quality striker.”

Credit: @chris31demons

In other news: ‘I know for a fact’ – talkSPORT reporter makes on air West Ham transfer claim involving £17m ace, find out more here.

Newcastle United have been gifted a boost in their pursuit of Kristoffer Ajer in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Newcastle pressing to sign Ajer

The St. James’ Park faithful are reportedly pressing to sign the Celtic central defender, with a move to the North East apparently appealing to him.

The Tyneside club are willing to offer £8m for his signature, as he will only have one year left on his current deal at Parkhead in the summer.

The Latest: Leicester out of Ajer race

As per GiveMeSport, Leicester City have pulled out of the race to sign Ajer, meaning that the Magpies have one less club to worry about as they look to obtain his services.

The Foxes could have potentially offered him the chance to play UEFA Champions League football ahead of Steve Bruce’s side, and so the Toon will surely be relieved that they are no longer in the run-in.

The Verdict: Newcastle should sign Ajer

NUFC may not get a better opportunity to sign a commanding centre-back such as Ajer, and so they should take it with open arms.

Described as an ‘outstanding’ player back in March by former Newcastle ace Lee Clark, who managed him during a loan spell at Kilmarnock, the Norway international certainly has the capabilities of stepping up to the Premier League.

At a staggering six-foot-six-inches tall, Ajer would have no problems at all in adapting to both the aerial and physical demands of the top flight, and at just 23 years of age, he certainly still has a lot of potential left to fulfil.

In other news, find out what insight Lee Ryder has shared from sources close to Mike Ashley on the potential takeover here!

Leicester City are reportedly closing in on the signing of Southampton defender Ryan Bertrand on a free transfer.

What’s the story?

The 31-year-old is set to become a free agent when his contract expires on the south coast at the end of the month, and it appears as though the Foxes have won the race for his signature.

That’s according to well-respected journalist Nizaar Kinsella, who tweeted: “Expect Leicester City will win the race for Ryan Bertrand now. They are in pole position with Arsenal having been interested.”

Fans should be buzzing

With the highly-rated youngster James Justin set for an extended spell on the sidelines following a serious knee injury and the departure of Christian Fuchs, a new full-back is high up on Brendan Rodgers’ wish list this summer.

The likes of Nuno Mendes and Robin Gosens have been linked with big-money moves to the King Power Stadium, but the Northern Irish tactician has seemingly opted for Bertrand instead.

Although the proposed arrival of the former Chelsea academy graduate doesn’t carry the same excitement as the aforementioned stars, he is certainly the more pragmatic option, and his signature should still have the fans buzzing.

The effects of the ongoing pandemic mean that funds are tight across all clubs at this moment in time and, therefore, the importance of spending money wisely has never been greater.

Justin is the long-term solution to Leicester’s left-back woes and teenager Luke Thomas is also highly thought of by the hierarchy of the Midlands outfit.

Therefore, bringing in Bertrand on a free in order to provide cover and competition on the left-hand is an extremely sensible move, providing a short-term solution to their full-back issues.

It will allow Rodgers to spend the club’s relatively modest transfer budget on more important positions, such as up-front and central midfield, hopefully allowing them to compete against the upper echelons of the Premier League table once more.

The current FA Cup holders are not be able to rival the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, or Chelsea in the transfer market, meaning astute purchases such as Bertrand are vital to their success.

Foxes fans should be buzzing that their club are about to get an experienced player to fill a position of need without having to spend a penny on a transfer fee.

And, in other news…Rudkin risks ruining Rodgers’ project at Leicester amid worrying transfer update 

An update has emerged regarding Crystal Palace’s pursuit of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Thomas Delaney.

What’s the talk?

According to Sky Sports Germany, as relayed by Sport Witness, the Eagles are one of three Premier League club showing an interest in the 29-year-old.

The report claims that Palace, Southampton and Norwich are all keen on the Denmark international, who is currently competing in the European Championship for his country. He has 12 months left on his contract with the Bundesliga giants and is attracting daily interest from clubs in England.

Fans would love it

Crystal Palace fans would surely love it if Steve Parish managed to secure a deal for Delaney this summer. The Eagles chief must sanction a swoop for him in the coming months as he could be an exceptional addition to the squad and improve the quality of the midfield options at their disposal heading into next season.

Irrespective of who the manager is, the Dane could suit what Palace need in the middle as he brings solidity and quality from the holding role.

In 20 starts as a holding midfielder for club and country in the last 12 months, he has averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.96. This comes after he achieved scores of 7.13 and 6.98 across the two previous Bundesliga campaigns, highlighting his consistency and class at the top level.

He has also shown off his versatility for BVB, as club director Michael Zorc praised the “outstanding” performance of Delaney at centre-back after a 1-0 win over Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga last season. The composed midfielder was forced to play at the back due to the club’s injury issues and stepped up with a solid showing.

Zorc said: “We really deserved to win the game. We had to replace Lukasz Piszczek early on, but Thomas Delaney did an outstanding job in central defence.

“The introductions of Haaland and Reus gave us an additional attacking push and we created many goalscoring opportunities. We should have put the game to bed earlier, but we did our job here very well. When you consider as well that we haven’t won here for so long, I’m very satisfied.”

Therefore, the 29-year-old enforcer could be a brilliant signing for Palace, especially given their current midfield options. Luka Milivojevic averaged a lowly WhoScored rating of 6.55 last term, although James McArthur managed a more respectable score of 6.84.

This suggests that Delaney would come in as a step above both players, especially Milivojevic, and considerably improve the Eagles, which is why fans would surely love to see him bossing the midfield at Selhurst Park in the 2021/22 campaign.

AND in other news, Forget Cooper: Parish could revive CPFC by appointing “exciting” 48 y/o head coach…

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 

“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.

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…