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West Ham United would show huge ambition by persuading Clement Lenglet to swap Barcelona for the London Stadium, says Jack Rosser.

The Spanish giants are in financial difficulties and looking to offload fringe players after exceeding La Liga’s wage limit. It has resulted in Barcelona being unable to officially tie Lionel Messi down to a new contract, while new signings cannot be registered either.

France international defender Lenglet is among those Ronald Koeman’s side are keen to sell or allow to leave on loan.

Lenglet made 48 appearances in all competitions last season and reports suggest West Ham, along with Everton, have already approached Barcelona.

Hammers boss David Moyes is looking to bolster his squad ahead of a return to Europa League football in the coming season, having broken the club’s record Premier League points tally last term.

Evening Standard journalist Rosser admits signing someone like Lenglet after seeing Fabian Balbuena depart following the expiry of his contract is needed at the London Stadium.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said of Lenglet: “A signing of that sort of bracket would be a real statement of intent and could really help.

“If you’re going to get through a long season, you need a defence you can rely on. While West Ham have that when everyone is fit, if one piece falls out then it gets very difficult.

“Balbuena has left as well so it’s something they’re going to have to look at.”

Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos was left out of the Colombia squad altogether for their clash against Venezuela in the Copa America.

The Lowdown: Morelos selected for Copa America

Morelos has been selected as part of Colombia’s 28-man squad for the South American championship (fcf.com.co), which is being played in Brazil.

The 24-year-old Gers man has one goal in 10 caps for his country, and will be hoping to add to that this tournament.

The Latest: Morelos not selected

Morelos was an unused substitute in his country’s first match of the tournament, a 1-0 victory over Ecuador.

Against Venezuela, though, he was not even selected as part of the matchday squad.

Colombia could only manage a lacklustre 0-0 draw, so perhaps they could have utilised a bit of extra venom up front.

The Verdict: Plenty of depth

While Rangers fans will no doubt be surprised their man did not play a part against Venezuela, he does have plenty of competition for a spot in the starting line-up.

Both Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel have also been selected, and they managed 37 Serie A goals between them for Atalanta last term (infogol.net).

With just two games played, Morelos still has plenty of time to make an impression at the tournament. If Colombia continue to be so poor, boss Reinaldo Rueda may have no choice but to select the former HJK Helsinki man from the start.

In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this Euro 2020 news.

Newcastle United’s deal for Celtic centre-back Kristoffer Ajer ‘will be pushed through in June’, Chronicle Live journalist Lee Ryder has reported.

The lowdown

The 23-year-old has made 176 appearances for the Hoops, winning three Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and three Scottish League Cups. The Norwegian has also racked up 38 appearances in European competition.

However, he’s now seemingly set to leave Glasgow, with only one year left on his contract at Parkhead. He averaged 3.2 successful aerial duels, 1.3 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 3.4 clearances per game in the Scottish Premiership this season (via WhoScored).

The latest

According to Ryder, ‘sources at Parkhead’ are indicating that the transfer will be completed this month, also revealing that the fee will be £6m.

Ajer is poised to become the Magpies’ first signing of the summer as they look to build a squad capable of avoiding a relegation battle. For Newcastle, this deal is the culmination of a ‘couple of seasons’ of scouting.

The verdict

This would be a shrewd and swift piece of business from Newcastle United. They’ve wanted Ajer for a while, it seems, and they’ve struck at the opportune moment.

Importantly, Ajer will also serve as an able replacement for Federico Fernandez, should he leave at the end of his contract in a few weeks’ time. The Argentine made 24 league appearances under Steve Bruce last season, averaging two successful aerial duels, 1.2 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per game in the 2020/21 Premier League (via WhoScored).

Ajer exceeds him for each of those metrics, which suggests that he would be an upgrade on the 32-year-old were he to join with Steve Bruce’s side over the summer.

In other news, Mark Douglas has provided an update on the future of Freddie Woodman. 

According to Tuttosport, via Sempre Milan, Tottenham are to provide strong competition to Juventus in the race to sign Gianluigi Donnarumma this summer.

The Lowdown: Donnarumma to leave Milan

22-year-old Donnarumma, who is Italy’s first-choice goalkeeper, is to leave AC Milan this summer after he decided not to extend his contract at the club (via Goal.com).

Juventus have been previously linked with a move for the shot-stopper.

The Latest: Spurs eye Donnarumma

However, it seems Tottenham are also interested in signing Donnarumma. Arsenal, Chelsea, PSG and AS Roma have also been mentioned as potential suitors.

The Lilywhites are also said to be eyeing Wojciech Szczesny should they not be able to capture Donnarumma.

The Verdict: World class

Even at the age of just 22, Donnarumma has plenty of experience under his belt. He has already made 251 appearances for Milan after making his debut as a 16-year-old (Transfermarkt) – he has been a permanent fixture in the side ever since.

He also has 26 caps for his country, with him having replaced Gianluigi Buffon as his nation’s number one.

The 6 foot 5 ace was even called “one of the best five goalkeepers in the world” by former Juve manager Andrea Pirlo (Reuters).

The competition for £54m-valued Donnarumma (Transfermarkt) is fierce. But Spurs could do with a long-term goalkeeping option as Hugo Lloris’ future remains uncertain (The Sun)

This is a big summer for Daniel Levy and co at Tottenham – the outcome of the chase for Donnarumma could display how ambitious they really are.

In other news, Spurs prepare a contract offer for this four-time Champions League winner.

It seems like Graham Potter is now back in the frame for the vacant manager’s role at Tottenham Hotspur…

What’s the word?

According to talkSPORT reporter Ian Abrahams, Spurs’ managerial search is now a two-horse race, in which the Brighton and Hove Albion boss is being considered.

This has since been backed up by claims from The Athletic, where Jack Pitt-Brooke suggested the North London outfit could go back to their initial shortlist of options, which would see the 46-year-old come back in contention.

The Solihull-born coach, previously of Swansea and Ostersunds, has also been backed by ex-Lilywhites striker Darren Bent, who dubbed him “exceptional” to talkSPORT this week.

Pochettino V2

In Potter, chairman Daniel Levy could go back to what has worked for the club before as it would bear plenty of similarities to the time they poached Mauricio Pochettino from Southampton.

The Argentine wasn’t at St Mary’s Stadium for long as Spurs turned to him to replace Tim Sherwood in 2014 after he guided the Saints to their best finish since 2003.

“We were talking off-air about when Tottenham brought in Pochettino. He’d only been at Southampton for five minutes before they took him, so they could go down that route again,” claimed Danny Murphy on talkSPORT when Potter was first linked.

But the Seagulls coach also earns comparisons to the current Paris Saint-Germain boss for two more reasons.

His development of young talent – seen by the likes of Ben White, Tariq Lamptey and Yves Bissouma – and an attacking brand of football that The Athletic have described as possession-heavy and highly intense, with the side playing out from the back.

These are the criteria that Levy has always been looking for throughout this process, as per the Guardian. Effectively, he wants his next Pochettino. And he’ll get close to it in Potter.

On the face of it, a 16th place finish is nothing to shout home about but the Brighton supremo has earned glowing endorsements from some elite names in the managerial game.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp labelled him “exceptional” whilst Man City’s title-winning manager Pep Guardiola believes he’s “the best” English coach right now, also claiming that he would love to play in his system.

Perhaps most interestingly, it would be an appointment that the players would surely be pleased with after it was claimed by football.london’s Alasdair Gold that Potter had left a “lasting impression” on the current squad.

“Spurs certainly liked him and I know that a number of the players had been impressed by his Brighton team when they played them,” he added in a recent Q&A with fans.

Again, the Argentine was very popular with his team, so on the above evidence, the 46-year-old could well be Tottenham’s next Pochettino.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano reveals new candidate in Spurs’ managerial search… 

Eddie Howe will revamp Celtic’s sports science department when he takes over at Parkhead, according to journalist Stuart Hodge.

The Lowdown: Howe announcement imminent?

It seems as if the Hoops will finally get their man, who they first spoke to at the beginning of April.

According to the Daily Mail, Howe is closing in on becoming Celtic’s new manager, with an announcement imminent.

The process of pushing a deal through was thought to be helped by Bournemouth’s Championship playoff exit, with Howe looking to bring a number of staff members from the south coast to Scotland.

And it seems as if Howe has one area in mind that he wants to improve significantly.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-4/” title=”Celtic updates” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Hodge’s Howe claim

Hodge took to Twitter on Wednesday evening to provide an update on Howe’s proposed move to Glasgow.

He admitted that the sports science department will be revamped, with that area in need of bolstering since Brendan Rodgers left the club back in 2019.

“When Eddie Howe arrives with his entourage at Celtic, it will include a big revamp of the sports science department. This is an area of the Celtic operation which has been in need of bolstering since Brendan Rodgers left the club.”

The Verdict: An exciting time

In our opinion, the news of Howe coming to Celtic and bringing a number of staff members from Bournemouth should be a hugely exciting prospect for Hoops fans.

He’s been out of management since August, so you’d expect he’d be extremely excited ahead of a Scotland switch after admitting his next job would have to be one that ‘really motivated’ him.

Howe seemingly wants every minor detail to be checked before putting pen to paper on an official deal, but as the Daily Record claimed on the weekend, all roads now lead to Parkhead for the Englishman.

Bolstering the club’s sports science department could turn out to be a shrewd move in the long run, and if he can have the same success as Rodgers did at Celtic Park, it will turn out to be an excellent move by the Hoops.

In other news: Versatile attacker passes Celtic medical ahead of Parkhead switch, find out more here.

Rodrigo de Paul remains one of Leeds United’s top targets and they are prepared to break their transfer record to sign him, according to a report from Football Insider.

They claim that a Leeds source has revealed the Whites have continued to closely monitor the Argentine midfielder this season after ‘extensive talks’ last summer failed to yield an agreement with Udinese.

The club have apparently re-opened contact with the Serie A outfit to gauge an idea of their demands. The report states that Udinese slapped a £37million pricetag on De Paul last summer.

Leeds spent £27million to bring Rodrigo from Valencia to Yorkshire ahead of their Premier League return, but they could now exceed that outlay as they seek to push on from their outstanding first season back.

The lowdown on Leeds target De Paul

De Paul, who is predominantly a central midfielder but can also operate in a holding or attacking role, has scored eight goals and provided nine assists this season (via Transfermarkt).

Late in April, he was named as the most in-form player in Serie A by WhoScored, perhaps no surprise given he was man of the match in six out of his last seven appearances and has two goals and two assists in his last two games, via WhoScored.

Having made his international debut in October 2018, he’s now racked up 18 Argentina caps, and according to his former manager Julio Velazquez, the 26-year-old is good enough ‘to play in any club in the world’.

Transfer Tavern verdict

This deal would be another immense show of ambition from Leeds, who will surely have their eyes on a Europa Conference League or even Europa League slot next season.

De Paul, for his part, needs to push for a move. Udinese are sat in 11th in place, and he’s too good for mid-table obscurity.

If the Whites can get a deal done, perhaps it can be the move that really transforms Bielsa’s project that one step further, from lovable underdogs to genuine contenders for European places next season.

In other news, this Leeds ace deserves ‘big, big money’. 

Glasgow Rangers fans were livid with the BBC after they interviewed former owner Craig Whyte.

Whyte’s spell as owner of the Gers was a controversial one, to say the least. He purchased the club from Sir David Murray for just £1 in 2011, and he would end up owning for a year – he contributed heavily to the club going into administration and therefore dropping out of the Premiership and down to League Two.

Recently, Whyte was interviewed by the BBC about his spell at the club. Not only did he say that owning the Gers was the biggest regret of his life, he also revealed that he thought he had done nothing wrong. It is fair to say this did not go down well with the Gers fans – not only because of the interview’s content, but also the fact that the BBC had even given him the column space to share his thoughts.

The supporters were livid, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Whyte interview below

“Chris McLaughlin cementing his Ibrox ban”

Credit: @wardstarfc

“An absolute embarrassment that the @BBCSport think this is newsworthy. And they wonder why so many grudge their ridiculous licence fee.”

Credit: @bbn1978

“Isn’t it embarrassing that @BBCchrismclaug isn’t allowed access to the club so instead goes to a criminal charlatan who tried to defraud and destroy a Scottish institution. Then instead of condemning him for the business & careers ruined he is offered a platform”

Credit: @petera1872

“This is shameful. It’s why McLaughlin and the BBC are not welcome at Ibrox. A puff piece on a guy who tried to kill our club.”

Credit: @Rangers_9293

“Final nail in the coffin for me. It’s not just McLaughlin (He should never be inside Ibrox again anyway) but the entire sports team editors and all need to be gone.”

Credit: @wfl71

“Hope they never get let back in again tbh”

Credit: @Stegthomson1

In other news, Rangers have been linked with this midfielder.

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. 

Many Everton fans have been left to bemoan an injury update on Dominic Calvert-Lewin before they play Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match against Spurs at Goodison Park, Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that the former Sheffield United ace will not be able to play any part, although the Italian boss also said that he will be back for the Merseyside club next week.

Nonetheless, it is a big blow for the Toffees to lose their talisman up top in what could be a crucial six-pointer in terms of fighting to qualify for European competition for the 2021/22 term, with the two teams so close to each other in the top-flight table.

Everton fans on Calvert-Lewin injury update

These Blues bemoaned the injury update on Calvert-Lewin after it was shared on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far as to claim that losing the England international is a ‘big miss’ against Jose Mourinho’s side:

“DCL is gonna be a big miss again tomorrow but positives on the others being available!!”

Credit: @Toffeegirl13

“Sad about DCL”

Credit: @_lauraaj96

“Well my interest in watching the match has dropped massively, for solely aesthetic reasons.”

Credit: @scaredofbones

“Nothing more to hope for than a 0-0″Credit: @efc18789″No DCL. Lovely. But Gomes is available so that will add pace to the midfield”Credit: @Philatty”Allan, King, and Gomes will certainly help vs Spurs. I do not think Everton can win without DCL. King will have to have a vintage performance.”Credit: @LownesMatthewIn other news, find out what transfer plans have left Toffees fuming here!