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According to a report from Italian outlet Siamo La Roma, Tottenham Hotspur are already preparing to make Dejan Kulusevski a permanent member of the squad. 

The lowdown: Bright beginnings

Signed on an 18-month loan deal from Juventus (Sky Sports), the 21-year-old has enjoyed a superb start to life in the Premier League.

The right-winger has scored twice and provided five assists in ten outings for Spurs so far, quickly becoming a fan favourite at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Now an update has suggested that the club have made up their mind about the Sweden international, perhaps no surprise given he is already ranking as the squad’s third-best player (Whoscored) behind Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

The latest: Deal pending

As per the report from Siamo La Roma, Tottenham are believed to be ‘ready to activate’ an obligation to buy the 22-cap ace ‘immediately’.

It’s claimed that Spurs have seen enough to sanction a €35million (£29million) permanent move at the earliest possible juncture.

Having cost an initial £8.3million in loan fees, the move could ultimately rise to roughly £37million to make Kulusevski a Lilywhite.

The verdict: Get it done

There can be little underestimating the impact that the Swede has already had since arriving in north London, particularly during a standout display in the victory over Manchester City.

Described as a ‘non-stop machine’ by Italian Football expert Nima Tavallaey Roodsari, Kulusevski is a constant thorn in the opposition defence, completing on average 1.2 dribbles and producing 1.9 key passes per game (Sofascore).

Still just 21 and already with 209 competitive outings under his belt, adding the versatile attacking midfielder to the Tottenham squad on a permanent basis would is a no-brainer.

In other news: Tottenham installed as favourites to sign England international, find out more here.

A big Newcastle United transfer claim has been made regarding Scottish left-back Aaron Hickey… 

What’s the talk?

In a recent interview with Football FanCast, Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie confirmed that the full-back is a player that the club are aware of heading into the summer.

“Aaron Hickey is one that has been mentioned, that Bologna, young, 19-year-old, Scottish defender. He’s been watched. Hickey is a player that has been watched.”

Fans will be elated

Considering the sheer amount of potential Hickey is quite clearly in possession of, Magpies supporters will be elated by the interest their club is showing in the youngster.

Indeed, what Downie’s claim demonstrates is that PIF are being proactive and looking to scout young, talented prospects with a view to bringing them to St. James’ Park.

It shows that they want to keep an eye on players with potential instead of just focusing on seasoned professionals who bring experience and are proven at the top level.

However, while it is true that, at the age of just 19, the defender would be something of a signing for the future, the Scotland international has nevertheless proven he is more than capable of doing a job at senior level already in his short career.

Indeed, in Serie A this season, Hickey has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.90 across 28 appearances. This shows that he has been performing to an impressive standard in the Italian top flight, suggesting that he has the potential to develop into a superb player in the future if he can continue to progress and hone his skills.

Newcastle fans will, therefore, be buzzing to learn that he is a gem the club are keeping a close eye on – as Hickey could well go on to become a key player within Eddie Howe’s side for many a year to come.

AND in other news, Huge boost: Newcastle handed key injury lift that’ll leave Eddie Howe ecstatic…

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Fabian Schar scored an absolute stunner in Newcastle United’s 2-0 win over Burnley in the Premier League on Tuesday night.

Indeed, the centre-back’s long-range effort sent the Magpies ahead on the night, before Sean Longstaff made it two in the 38th minute.

It was another good night for Newcastle, who are showing good form at a vital stage of the campaign.

A number of the club’s supporters took to social media to comment on Schar’s strike as not many could believe what had happened.

Signed to stop the opposition from scoring, the defender took matters into his own hands against a Burnley team who entered the match full of confidence due to their own run of impressive form.

Former Wigan & Fulham man, Jimmy Bullard recently showed that he’s still got it! Check out the video below…

The Switzerland international’s strike was the story of the match and a lot of Newcastle fans were keen to lavish praise on the 2018 arrival from Deportivo La Coruna.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has delivered an update on Leeds United’s plans for the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

During a Q&A for The Athletic, he revealed: “Selling someone such as Raphinha would raise substantial funds and I can’t see Leeds even entertaining Barcelona’s reported valuation of £30m (according to various Spanish outlets). His asking price is bigger than that.

“The money received would help with recruitment but a departure would leave a large hole in the squad too and if, as George suggests, Leeds look to bring in a clutch of new signings, they will need a budget beyond what they can raise by cashing in on existing players.

“One thing worth adding — they speak a lot about the Leicester City model at Elland Road, and the Leicester City model has never involved selling more than one key player in a single summer window. Leeds have to control any outgoings.”

Big summer for Leeds

With the likes of Raphinha, Kalvin Phillips and Illan Meslier all linked with an exit this summer, it promises to be a really huge period in Leeds United’s history.

Losing any one of them would be a massive blow to their chances of retaining Premier League safety next season, but any more than that would be almost unthinkable.

As Hay says, if Leeds are keen on replicating the Leicester model of buying cheaper, unproven players and then moulding them into stars who can be sold for big profit a la Harry Maguire for example, then the Whites are onto a smart strategy.

But, offloading more than just one of their most prized assets would be catastrophic for a side whose time in the Premier League even this season is still insecure.

Raphinha has been the man of the hour since his arrival from Rennes, Phillips remains the heartbeat of this Leeds team, and Meslier is the undisputed number one and at his age, has already got unprecedented Premier League experience.

Cashing in on one would certainly add a healthy amount to the transfer kitty though for Jesse Marsch, and Victor Orta will have plenty to work with in really strengthening this squad and adding some vital squad depth and first-team quality.

Either way, it’s the kind of seismic summer that should both worry and excite Marsch in equal measure.

Get it right, and the Elland Road faithful will be absolutely buzzing.

AND in other news – Sold at £8m, now worth triple: Leeds had a nightmare over “fearless” 5 ft 9 magician

Wolverhampton Wanderers are keeping a watchful eye on Brentford’s talismanic forward, Ivan Toney.

What’s the word?

That is according to reports from 90min, which state that if Brentford were to sell Toney, of which the club believe will become an England international in the near future, they would demand a fee exceeding £50m.

With or without the upper echelon fee, it would be difficult to prise Ivan Toney away from Brentford, with the 26-year-old reportedly keen to sign a new deal with the Bees.

The 139-goal machine who has been dubbed “elite” by OptusSport wants his new deal to reflect his newly earned status as a proven Premier League player.

The England-touted-international forward has plenty of interest in the Premier League as a direct consequence of his performances this season, with the likes of Arsenal, West Ham, Everton and Newcastle all said to be monitoring him.

An attacking upgrade

With just 33 goals scored this season, Wolves have struggled in attack.

In fact, they find themselves ranked in 16th place when it comes to putting the ball in the back of the net, with the likes of Newcastle United, Southampton and Brentford all ranked higher.

Although top scorer for Wolves in the Premier League this season, Raul Jimenez has failed to hit the heights that we know he can reach, with the Mexican having just six goals to show for his 28 appearances in the league.

Toney currently sits on a goal tally that is double Jimenez’s goal return, with an impressive 12 goals scored in what is his first full Premier League campaign.

Toney has the exact style that Wolves are looking for up top, with a physical yet elegant approach to his play.

There is of course potential for the 26-year-old Toney to hit even greater heights if he is to remain on this upwards trajectory.

Considering his record and their own struggles, the Old Gold supporters will be desperate for the club to sign Toney, though it will admittedly be a challenge according to the latest reports.

In other news: Adama 2.0: Lage must now finally unleash Wolves 22 y/o “ridiculous talent”…

Despite the fact that David Moyes identified a number of areas within his West Ham United squad that needed strengthening in the January transfer window, the 58-year-old ultimately failed to bring any fresh faces to the London Stadium prior to Monday evening’s deadline.

Indeed, it was reported that the Scot wanted to sign at least a new left-back, centre-back and centre-forward last month, with the club being linked with a host of different players in all three positions throughout January.

However, despite having 31 days to do business, West Ham appeared to leave the vast majority of their moves until the final day of the market, something that – rather unsurprisingly – saw the Premier League side exit the window in exactly the same condition they entered it.

So, what could West Ham’s starting XI have looked like if Moyes had managed to land his top targets last month? Here’s what we think.

While West Ham were obviously linked with more players than we have included in our failed transfer XI, including Leeds United duo Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha, as well as Atalanta centre-forward Duvan Zapata, we have decided to focus on the players for whom moves seemed to be most likely last month.

At centre-back, should West Ham have coughed up what looked to be an extremely reasonable £15m for Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car, the 25-year-old would have undoubtedly started ahead of the likes of £67k-per-week Issa Diop – who Stuart Pearce dubbed a “colossus” – and Craig Dawson alongside Kurt Zouma in the heart of the Hammers backline.

The second missed signing comes at left-back, with RMC Sport reporting that the Irons did not make a move for the £8.1m-rated Layvin Kurzawa on deadline day as Moyes could not find Arthur Masuaku a move away from the club.

In attacking midfield, West Ham once again failed to get a deal over the line for Jesse Lingard, after Manchester United blocked both the Hammers’ and Newcastle United’s late moves for the England international – who, as he proved last season, would have made an excellent addition to the Irons’ attacking arsenal.

Finally, the last failed transfer was for Benfica hotshot Darwin Nunez, the centre-forward who appeared to be Moyes’ top target in the position as the window drew to a close, with the Scot submitting a €50m (£41.5m) offer for the 22-year-old.

Indeed, the Uruguay international would have arguably been an upgrade on Michail Antonio in leading the line for the Hammers, however, once again, a move for the £28.8m-rated sensation fell through at the 11th hour.

As such, while it would have been an extremely unlikely scenario in which the club landed all four of these signings in January, should Moyes and the West Ham board have truly wished to give themselves the best possible chance of securing a top-four finish this season, it is undeniable that these four additions to the Irons’ starting XI would have helped to fire them to the Champions League places come the end of the current campaign.

In other news: Forget Nunez: Moyes can amend “criminal” WHU deadline day with “dangerous” 19 y/o gem

Liverpool defender Joel Matip was the standout player in a heated Merseyside derby that saw his side claim a 2-0 victory over rivals Everton.

Whilst he might not grab the headlines due to a great impact from Divock Origi and a goal from Andy Robertson, he really was their stand out player defensively today.

The victory keeps Liverpool within a point of title rivals Manchester City, and on a winning run that stretches to four wins from their last five in the league.

On the other hand, it leaves Everton in the relegation zone as they face a battle to stay in the Premier League. It could be the last derby on Merseyside for a while, and it wasn’t as easy as Liverpool might have thought with Everton holding them to 0-0 in the first half.

Despite the Toffees’ best efforts, Matip remained resilient at the heart of the Reds’ backline, winning 80% of his duels including every single one of his six on the ground.

The £140k-per-week star was SofaScore’s highest-rated player out of anyone on the pitch scoring 8.2 with Robertson second with 7.8.

The 30-yeard-old has been a key part of Liverpool’s on the field success this campaign and has been Jurgen Klopp’s chosen partner to Virgil van Dijk, beating off competition from new signing Ibrahima Konate as well as Joe Gomez.

He played the full 90 minutes and also had a pass accuracy percentage of 89% which was third only to fellow defender van Dijk and midfielder Thiago. His quality is massively appreciated by Liverpool fans but less so by those outside the club.

Former Premier League player Jermaine Jenas has described Matip as “under-rated”, and we agree that he probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

Unsurprisingly when it comes to the amount of goals conceded this season, Liverpool are second only to City, having let in just 21 all campaign and a huge part of that is because of the ability of Matip.

The Reds have already won the Carabao Cup and are still in with a chance of winning every other competition. Matip has consistently proved to be a reliable player and showed again in a tough derby game just why it’s so hard to score against Liverpool’s defence.

IN other news: Sources: Liverpool agree terms to sign “special” £36m-rated ace, Klopp surely buzzing…

Everton must consider their pursuit of Brazilian forward Tete despite a major transfer development on Thursday afternoon.

What’s the news?

French Ligue 1 side Lyon have completed a move for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Tetê, who has signed on an initial loan, but according to their technical director Vincent Ponsot, they are also looking to sign him permanently.

“Tetê has joined until the end of the season,” announced Ponsot. “We are also working on things over the medium term because we would like him to stay past the end of the season. He’s a top-level recruit for us. I would like to thank his entourage.”

The news comes just a couple days after 90min reported that the Toffees had joined the race for the Brazilian, with Southampton at the time believed to be in driving seat.

However, with the player currently on on loan, there is still hope of a deal being done this summer with a suitor like Everton.

Richarlison heir on the cheap

The club’s financial situation could force them into spending smart in the summer, as well as selling a number of their key players in order to facilitate a much-need rebuild.

With the club currently sitting in 17th in the Premier League standings, they have severely underachieved, and manager Frank Lampard will surely be desperate for mass changes ahead of next season.

Richarlison is one of the players linked with a big-money move away from Goodison Park, however, Tete could be the ideal replacement.

Valued at £18m according to Transfermarkt, the forward had scored nine goals and assisted one more in the Ukrainian top flight, making 17 appearances including 11 from the start before the season ended due to the Russian invasion of the country.

The 22-year-old, who has scored 31 times for Shakhtar, will be available for cheaper in the summer, particularly if the invasion continues, and with Everton struggling financially, a cut-price option is something that Lampard and Farhad Moshiri will love.

Making 0.93 goal contributions per 90 minutes in Ukraine, he has bettered Richarlison’s total considerable, who has managed to make just 0.39 goal contributions per 90 minutes in the Premier League.

Admittedly, the quality of the two leagues are vastly different, but there is no denying his ability – having torn Real Madrid apart almost 18 months ago in Shakhtar’s 3-2 Champions League group stage victory in the 2020/21 season, in which he scored a “stunning” goal as well as setting up another.

Described as “very talented” by scout Jacek Kulig, he could save the Toffees plenty of money on a potential replacement for Richarlison, bringing more skill, pace and direct running that will get the Goodison Park faithful on their feet for the first time in what feels like a very long time.

They will, however, now need to battle hard to rival Lyon for a permanent acquisition in a few months.

In other news: Lampard can unearth Everton’s new DCL in “clinical” 16 y/o with 40 goals this season

West Ham United have reportedly offered former Liverpool and Southampton centre-back Dejan Lovren a two-year contract with David Moyes keen to add to his defence this summer.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, the Hammers are reportedly ready to save the current Zenit St.Petersburg defender from any serious complications following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

It’s even thought that the Irons have offered him a two-year deal to come back to the Premier League.

FIFA have opened a one-month transfer window to sign players from Ukraine and Russia which closes on 7 April, although it is believed that the Premier League could block any attempted transfers in order to maintain sporting integrity.

The East London club are currently light on options at the back and will certainly need to add to their defensive arsenal this summer.

Angelo Ogbonna was ruled out for the season in November with an ACL injury whilst Issa Diop has been unreliable at times, making Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson the current first-choice pairing.

West Ham must avoid signing Lovren

The 32-year-old Croatian would undoubtedly add experience to the West Ham ranks, however, based on his spell at Liverpool the defender may not be the answer to the Hammers’ predicament at the back.

Lovren was subject to criticism on numerous occasions whilst at Anfield, notably from NBC Sports pundit Kyle Martino in 2017, who labelled the defender as “a serious liability.”

Former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher also had strong words to say on the Croatian, highlighting him as the Reds’ weak point during a Merseyside derby against Everton, stating: “He’s too emotional, that’s always been his problem. He always feels he has to win a fight, has to win a challenge.

“I used to play that position as a centre-back and at times you have to accept someone may be stronger and quicker. You have to get yourself in positions and try and hold them up.

“I said before they were too often they were putting the ball right down Virgil van Dijk’s throat but as soon as Lovren’s come on they’ve been hitting that channel and that is the channel to hit.”

Lovren left Liverpool for Zenit in August 2020 for a fee believed to be around £10.9m and you would’ve been forgiven if you thought that would be the last time the Premier League would see the defender.

West Ham will undoubtedly need to add to their current options at the back, however, having been linked with the likes of Sven Botman and Duje Caleta-Car, the prospect of signing a player who was certainly unpopular at Liverpool will underwhelm Hammers supporters.

With Diop, the Irons already have a defender who has been subject to criticism, particularly after his performance in the FA Cup against non-league Kidderminster Harriers, and therefore don’t want to add another calamity at the back.

Moreover, at 32 the Croatian wouldn’t be a long-term solution, with Moyes keen to build a project at the London Stadium. It would be wise for the East London club to look elsewhere.

In other news: West Ham must swoop for £75k-p/w monster who Moyes will love, he’s “the new Vidic”

Manchester United have made contact over a move for Ajax defender Jurrien Timber, according to ESPN.

The Lowdown: Timber profiled

Timber is just 20 years of age and is valued at a career-high £27m by Transfermarkt.

The Netherlands international has made 71 appearances for Ajax, all of which have come under new United manager Erik ten Hag.

Timber recently hailed Ten Hag following speculation of a move to Old Trafford, and it looks as if the Red Devils have been in touch over a possible summer swoop.

The Latest: ESPN sources on Timber

ESPN shared multiple Old Trafford updates on Monday afternoon, with United readying a list of centre-back targets.

They were informed by sources that intermediaries acting on United’s behalf have made contact with Ajax regarding Timber’s availability, while Villarreal’s Pau Torres has also been put to Ten Hag.

The Verdict: Sign him

Ten Hag will know just what Timber would bring to Old Trafford, so his acquisition could be a shrewd one both in the short-term and over the long run.

As per WhoScored, Timber has been Ajax’s best-performing centre-back this season with an average rating of 7.39/10 – higher than any Manchester United player.

He will be entering the final two years of his Ajax contract in the summer, so that could be the perfect time for United to swoop ahead of Ten Hag’s first season in charge in the Premier League.

In other news: Ten Hag now wants Man Utd chiefs to sign ‘superstar’ attacker for free