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Aston Villa have been handed an update on their pursuit of Southampton and England midfielder James Ward-Prowse.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from The Guardian, Dean Smith is keen on making a move for Ward-Prowse, and now, Football Insider have delivered an update on the situation.

They claim that a recruitment source has told them that Smith’s side have now registered their interest in the midfielder and that it is very much “concrete”.

The report adds that a potential deal is still in the early stages, but Villa are planning for midfield changes this summer.

Dean Smith will be buzzing

Dubbed a “machine” by his teammates at Southampton, the £27m-rated Ward-Prowse had a fine season in the Premier League, scoring eight goals and providing a further seven assists in the top-flight – that also included a brace against Villa themselves back in November when the Saints ran out 4-3 winners.

The latest update that Villa have now registered their interest in the English ace, and that the Midlands club are “planning for midfield changes” will be music to the ears of the Villa boss.

The Villa midfield is arguably the one part through the spine of the team that was found lacking last season, with Emi Martinez a stand-out in goal, Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings a formidable presence in defence (they conceded just 46 goals all season), and Ollie Watkins up top.

But in central midfield and in the number ten role, Villa were lacking, with the likes of Douglas Luiz, John McGinn and Ross Barkley all well off the pace – none of them managed more than three goals each.

But with Ward-Prowse’s ability to get goals both from open play and from set-pieces, Villa could add a real game-changer to their ranks in the middle of the park.

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And, given what Smith has recently said about what he wants from his new signings, Ward-Prowse fits the bill.

He said: “In terms of our recruitment, we talk about the sweet spots that we’re looking for, which is that the players have Premier League experience and are (ideally) British because there is no adaptation risk at all.”

It’s exactly why this latest update should have Smith buzzing.

Meanwhile, Villa could form a superb partnership with this star…

Manchester City fans are livid after it was revealed the Citizens are set to enter contract talks with winger Raheem Sterling.

Since signing for City from Liverpool in 2015, Sterling has been a fantastic servant for the Premier League champions. In 290 matches for the club, he has managed 114 goals and 86 assists (Transfermarkt), helping them win the title on three occasions. His performances have also seen him grow into one of England’s most important players.

However, this term has not been his best – the 10 Premier League strikes he has managed is the lowest in any of his last four seasons, and he has come in for criticism from the club’s supporters. Still, City remain eager to offer the £90m-valued 26-year-old (Transfermarkt) a new contract – news which has not gone down well with the fans.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Sterling news below

“Hope he doesn’t sign”

Credit: @iD7Mi1

“Please just sell him”

Credit: @kormzee_

“I wish that we sell him!!”

Credit: @IsaacDurn15

“No plz”

Credit: @Kevin57197624

“Bin the fraud Ferran is better”

Credit: @Ferrxn21

“It’s time to sell him whilst he’s still quite young and is a big name”

Credit: @SkinFadeGazza

In other news, Man City fans want to sign this superstar.

Football Insider pundit Frank McAvennie has had his say on Manchester City’s interest in Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish.

The Lowdown: City planning huge Grealish bid

A Manchester City source has recently informed Football Insider on the Premier League champions’ latest stance regarding the 25-year-old. Pep Guardiola’s side hold a strong interest in Grealish and are still plotting a huge bid at the end of the season.

Reports earlier this year have suggested that the playmaker is excited about the possibility of moving to the Etihad Stadium and has informed his friends that he would be interested in a move to the blue side of Manchester.

The Latest: McAvennie shares his thoughts

Talking to Football Insider, McAvennie feels that Villa have a ‘problem’ when it comes to the attacking midfielder and compared it to Harry Kane’s situation at Tottenham. The 61-year-old said:

“That’s the biggest problem for Villa.

“They have to keep Grealish. It’s the same with Harry Kane at Spurs but Grealish hasn’t come out and said anything.

“Villa were challenging now they have gone the other way. John McGinn and Barkley were flying.

“Something happened but if Villa can’t challenge, Grealish won’t stay. They have to prove to him that they can get Europe next year.”

The Verdict: Could Villa’s blushes be spared?

Manchester City are aware of the release clause in Grealish’s contract, but in our opinion, their interest in Harry Kane could be crucial.

Sergio Aguero will leave the Premier League champions over the coming weeks, and following the developments with Kane, it seems as if City are keen on signing the England captain. Should a big-money deal go through, a huge move for Grealish could be put on the backburner due to the finances involved.

However, the Villa captain may want to play in Europe’s elite club competitions at some point in his career, so it is down to his club to try and convince him that he can do that at Villa Park in the future.

In other news: Villa plotting bid for Celtic ace, many AVFC fans torn – find out more here. 

Despite already possessing the scintillating Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Everton’s policy this summer appears to be on strengthening their frontline.

The Toffees forward has 20 goals in all competitions but when did an extra dose of firepower ever hurt anyone?

We’ve seen some eye-catching rumours emerge already with the likes of Sergio Aguero and Andrea Belotti linked with Goodison.

Though, one of the most interesting links is to Leipzig attacker Hwang-hee Chan. He penned terms with the Bundesliga outfit last summer but after a campaign where he’s battled illness, it’s not gone according to plan.

As a result, Leipzig are willing to let him depart in a deal potentially worth £13.5m. That isn’t too much when you consider some of the fees Everton have parted ways with in the last few years.

Hwang would add wonderful depth to this Toffees side but what is his playstyle?

The South Korean is capable of playing out wide while he’s also adept through the middle as an out and out centre forward or as a shadow striker.

With that in mind, he could become Everton’s very own Roberto Firmino. He made a living out of playing as a false 9 for Hoffenheim and since moving to Liverpool, he’s truly made that position his own.

The Toffees won’t like to be reminded of Liverpool’s Champions League and Premier League triumphs but Firmino played a major part in that success because of his positioning; a trait that’s not too dissimilar to the way Hwang plays.

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In an article on the official Bundesliga website, they hailed the South Korean’s exploits against the Reds when he played for Salzburg. The forward scored and assisted during a 4-3 defeat at Anfield as he was praised for his “dexterity and flexibility.”

The article wrote: “In that sense, Hwang is not dissimilar to Liverpool’s former Hoffenheim striker Firmino. Happy leading the line as part of either a duo or a front three, Leipzig’s first summer signing likes to get on the ball and has a trick or two up his sleeve to shake off a defender.

“Comfortable with both feet, with the strength to hold off an opponent and the pace to exploit space, he could cause problems for many a Bundesliga defence – just like Brazil international Firmino did before him.”

The 25-year-old would clearly offer a lot to Everton’s forward line, providing not just goals but also creativity in abundance with his “brutal dynamism”, an attribute Former Liefering and Salzburg head coach Peter Zeidler waxed lyrical about.

Last term Hwang created more goals (22) than he scored (16). Considering he was playing as a centre forward for the whole campaign, this provides the biggest indication yet of why he’s so like Firmino.

The Brazilian isn’t the most devastating finisher but his vision and chance creation is first-class. As Liverpool won the league last season, Firmino similarly produced more goals for his teammates than he scored.

It worked for Liverpool having a player like that, so there’s no reason it wouldn’t work with Everton.

After all, combine him with Calvert-Lewin in a two-prong attack and you could have a very menacing duo.

AND in other news, Forget Holgate: Everton must swoop for “tenacious” £26m gem, he’s an “absolute beast”…

Ezgjan Alioski’s potential move to Galatasaray this summer isn’t yet guaranteed, with the Turkish giants also interested in Patrick van Aanholt.

The Lowdown: Alioski expected to leave

Alioski is widely expected to leave Leeds United at the end of the season, having made 168 appearances for the Whites and being a key man for a number of years. He has scored 22 times and registered 18 assists for the club.

Galatasaray have emerged as the strong favourites to acquire the 29-year-old’s signature, with some reports claiming a deal has already been agreed.

There could be a potential twist in the saga, however, following the emergence of a fresh report on the Turkish outfit.

The Latest: Van Aanholt also a target

According to Sporx [via Sport Witness], Galatasaray also see Crystal Palace left-back Van Aanholt as a possible option, with the Dutchman ironically linked with Leeds in the past, too.

The Turkish giants are set to decide between him and Alioski in the coming weeks.

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The Verdict: Replacement still required

Whatever the eventual outcome, it appears highly unlikely that Alioski will end up staying put at Elland Road, so a replacement will be needed.

Leeds could do with bringing in a similarly experienced figure – someone who is actually a natural left-back, such as Nicolas Tagliafico, who has got three assists and averaged two tackles per game for Ajax in the Eredivisie this season.

Alioski did admirably in an auxiliary role, but signing someone who knows the position inside out could help make the Whites an even more balanced outfit.

In other news, Leeds are believed to be interested in signing a Premier League attacker this summer. Find out who it is here.

An international break usually has a tendency to be a pillar of frustration, especially when your country plays a pretty meaningless friendly.

Players will come back injured and, in the case of Wolves, the last few weeks haven’t been particularly kind to them on the injury front.

They’ve lost Jonny to yet another ACL problem and, during the break, they also lost Joao Moutinho for a period of time. The midfielder picked up a groin problem during Portugal’s 1-0 win over Azerbaijan and didn’t make it back out for the second half of that encounter.

That caused him to miss Wolves’ clash with West Ham on his return to England, despite Nuno Espirito Santo claiming that the issue was getting better.

Speaking in the build-up to that game, the manager commented: “It was an injury that didn’t allow him to play with Portugal. It’s still being assessed, let’s wait. It was at the beginning of the first game, he only made 45 minutes and was not able to continue for the second-half. Since then, he’s not been training as normal, he didn’t join the group yet, but he’s improving.”

Unfortunately for Wolves, Moutinho has not improved sufficiently over the last week or so. As a result, he is set to miss their match against Fulham on Friday night.

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The news was confirmed by Ben Dinnery on Twitter, who said: “No changes on the injury front which means Joao Moutinho (groin) remains sidelined. Willy Boly (COVID-19) will rejoin the group from next week while Jonny faces a 9-12 month recovery after suffering a recurrence of an ACL rupture.”

To lose a player to injury during club action is frustrating but for Moutinho to pick up this problem while on international duty is even worse.

Leander Dendoncker was his replacement last time out and he actually scored a rare goal, but a player of the 34-year-old’s calibre would be a huge absentee for anyone. The midfield general is one of Nuno’s chief quarterbacks and, after a rather disappointing start to the campaign, he has improved in the last few months.

Moutinho scored a screamer against Arsenal and then picked up an assist against Manchester City. He has put in some all-action displays of late, winning nine tackles and playing eight key passes in his last five matches.

That was compared to just six tackles and six key passes in the five outings prior to that. The experienced midfielder has seemingly been ruled out just as his season was improving, and his continued absence will be a huge source of frustration for everybody at Wolves.

AND in other news, Shi will regret awful call on “intelligent” £75k-p/w ace, Wolves could have signed him…

Leeds must surely regret missing out on Celtic starlet Leo Hjelde, amid claims the club “were after him” before he joined.

What’s the story?

The 17-year-old joined fellow Scottish side Ross County on loan, and the club’s boss, John Hughes, has admitted that he could have linked up with Marcelo Bielsa in the Premier League instead.

He said: “Leo is going to be the next Van Dijk – trust me on that. The quality he has shown, the physical challenge, playing real men’s football and standing up to it – it’s been a wonderful experience for Leo.

“Before he came, Leeds United were after him. I think he had to sign an extension to his contract for the loan to go through.”

Orta howler

Despite only being 17, the centre-back has quickly established himself as a key part of Ross County’s defence, starting eight out of the last nine games in the Scottish Premiership.

Hughes has also placed a lot of faith in him by using him in multiple positions, including at left-back and further forward in left-midfield.

And, after seeing him score his first professional goal against Kilmarnock last month, Hughes was quick to shower him with praise.

He said: “He found himself out of the team a little bit, then came on there and got his goal. He’s destined for big, big, big things. He won’t be far away from the Celtic first-team when he goes back, but this is what he needs to be doing.”

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Given his ability to fill in at both centre-back and left-back in particular, Hjelde would have been hugely useful to Bielsa over these past couple of months where Leeds have badly struggled with injuries defensively.

That priceless versatility, and the fact he seems to have an absolute abundance of potential given Hughes’ comments on him, surely marks this down as being somewhat of a Victor Orta howler.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign another Stuart Dallas in this ace…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer believes transfer plans could be holding up David Moyes’ contract extension at West Ham.

Moyes’ current deal expires at the end of the season and he is yet to agree on fresh terms despite the excellent campaign the Hammers are having.

After fighting relegation last term, West Ham are now on course to secure European football this time round, showing just how great of a job the 57-year-old is doing.

Bearing that in mind, it may come as a surprise to some that he has not signed a new contract yet. Palmer, however, believes there is good reason, suggesting the former Manchester United and Everton manager could be waiting to hear how much money he has to spend in the summer.

“David Moyes has put himself in the driving seat with West Ham,” Palmer told FFC. “As long as they meet his demands, in terms of players he would like to bring in [he should sign a new deal].

“I know that they had a bit of a sticking point over the centre-back that they wanted to get out of Burnley [James Tarkowski]. But, you know, to be fair to Sean Dyche, why would he want to sell one of his best players? And if he’s going to sell him, like he said, he wants top dollar for him. So I don’t disagree with the West Ham owners standing their ground on the money that they were asking for him, but that could be a sticking point for David Moyes.”

It is understandable if Moyes is indeed waiting for clarity over funds as he potentially looks to establish West Ham as a side who regularly challenge for European football.

The Scotsman will also feel that he should be trusted when it comes to recruitment after bringing in the likes of Tomas Soucek and Jesse Lingard, who have both made massive impacts at the London Stadium this season.

Leeds should look to move for Fulham midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa this summer amid Carlton Palmer’s transfer verdict.

What’s the story?

The Athletic’s Phil Hay recently suggested that the Cottagers ace should be the man Marcelo Bielsa goes for when the transfer window opens come the summer.

Speaking on The Phil Hay Show, the journalist said: “He’s a player I would go for, yeah, absolutely. I think they’ll try and find somebody potentially younger or somebody who is more willing to be a backstop to Phillips. But Anguissa, to me, looks extremely talented and a player I would have.”

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Palmer responded: “I think he could play the Leeds style because Bielsa has a very distinctive style that he plays, and the one thing you’ve got to do is be mobile. You’ve got to be able to get around the football pitch and he can do that.

“It’ll be interesting to see because I don’t think, obviously unless the player wants to leave, financially, I don’t think Fulham will need to let any of the players go should they get relegated.”

Perfect for Leeds

Like Palmer says, Anguissa seems like he would be a perfect fit for Leeds given his ability to be a presence in both boxes – he ranks top for tackles per game, third for interceptions and top for dribbles for Fulham in the Premier League this season.

Having a dynamic presence in the middle of the park who can do everything from breaking up opposition attacks to kick-starting the counter with a surging run forward will be a dream for Bielsa.

Joachim Andersen, Anguissa’s teammate at Craven Cottage, has also raved about about the £22.5m-rated midfielder, saying: “He’s a top player. He’s a machine in the midfield. He’s winning so many balls and driving forward with it.”

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Given his Premier League experience, and the comments from both Hay and Palmer about his style of play, it’s surely a no-brainer for Leeds’ transfer chief Victor Orta to be eyeing a summer move for Anguissa.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign an ideal partner for Kalvin Phillips in this star…

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been sharing their delight at the club’s official Twitter post on Tuesday afternoon regarding striker Wesley Moraes.

The 24-year-old has been out of action for over 12 months after suffering a serious knee injury against Burnley on New Year’s Day last year.

Since then, Dean Smith’s side have gone from strength to strength, avoiding relegation on the last day of the 2019/20 campaign and racking up 40 points after just 26 games this season.

New striker Ollie Watkins has thrived since his arrival at Villa Park, scoring 12 goals in all competitions.

Wesley, who cost Villa £22.5m back in 2019, has made 22 appearances for the club, scoring six goals.

It seems as if a long-awaited return to the first-team fold to challenge Watkins for a starting spot could be gathering pace, though, after he was pictured in training.

The club shared three images from behind the scenes at training, with one fan descirbing the reveal as ‘excellent’.

These Villa fans were buzzing at the post

“Quality to see. Hopefully can kick on from where he left off before getting injured”

Credit: @ryanavfc7

“yessssss”

Credit: @lrwelizabeth

“get him in the team ASAP and give Watkins a hand”

Credit: @pjhollis74

“Great to see”

Credit: @Mattjacques2

“Excellent to see Wesley again. Can’t wait for him to be back on the pitch”

Credit: @VillaNoFiller

“Genuinely love our Wes”

Credit: @_CamMatthews

“Oh he’s beautiful”

Credit: @NCAVFC 

In other news: Plenty of Villa fans have been having their say on Johan Lange’s summer plans, find out more here.