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Former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that he expects Paul Pogba to sign a new contract at Manchester United.

Pogba’s current deal is set to expire next year and he is currently being linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

However, according to The Sun, United are ready to make the France international the highest-paid player in England with a new £400,000-a-week contract.

And now Palmer is expecting him to remain at Old Trafford, believing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men will challenge for the title next season.

“I think he’ll stay at Manchester United,” the ex-Leeds United player exclusively told TT.

“They’re going to sign [Jadon] Sancho, they’re going to go big this summer and I think they’re going to be challenging next season. If they get the players in that they’re going for, I think they’re going to be challenging.

“And the one thing is, if you’re going to be challenging for the league title, you can’t be selling one of your best players, Pogba. You really can’t, so I expect to see Pogba renew his contract.”

Pogba has really shown his quality at Euro 2020, winning the Star of the Match award for his display in France’s 1-0 win against Germany.

If that match is anything to go by, United really should be looking to keep the midfielder around, which does seem to be their aim.

Former Rangers ace Michael Ball says that Steven Gerrard deserves the trust to buy players such as Joey Veerman in the summer transfer window following the success of the Ryan Kent deal.

The Scottish champions have been heavily linked with a move to sign the Heerenveen captain this summer.

One of Veerman’s team-mates, Henk Veerman, believes that his namesake will make the move to one of the clubs interested in him, touting Rangers as a possible destination in an interview with Voetbalprimeur, as transcribed by The Daily Record.

Veerman enjoyed a superb season in the Eredivisie, scoring seven goals and laying on 10 assists from defensive midfield.

It remains to be seen if Rangers will be able to bring the 22-year-old to Scotland but Ball believes that Gerrard deserves to be backed after the success of the Kent deal.

Indeed, Kent arrived for a £7.5m fee from Liverpool, despite only making one senior appearance for the Reds, and he has gone on to become a star at Ibrox, making 128 appearances on the left wing.

Asked if the Rangers board would deliver if Gerrard said he wanted Veerman, Ball told The Transfer Tavern:“If you’d asked me that question two or three years ago I probably would have said no.

“But I feel the Ryan Kent deal, that they trusted Steven, and that was a lot of money. Rangers at that time, I don’t think many people realised Rangers had that money to get that deal done and that’s worked and that’s a big bonus for Steven and his ability to spot players.”

Arsenal may be about to finally find their long-term Mesut Ozil successor…

What’s the word?

According to Fussball Transfers, Julian Brandt is one of the players who could leave Borussia Dortmund this summer and they report that the Gunners remain interested in his signature.

Sport Bild (via Bulinews) believe the Bundesliga outfit could sanction his exit if they receive a bid in the region of €25m (£21.5m), the same amount they paid Bayer Leverkusen in 2019.

The North London outfit have already missed out on one mooted attacking midfield target after Emi Buendia opted to join top-flight rivals Aston Villa instead this week.

Gap finally filled

It’s evident that the no.10 role is a position that is of top priority for Mikel Arteta this summer, with Martin Odegaard set to return to Real Madrid following his loan spell at the Emirates Stadium.

Both he and Dani Ceballos came in from the La Liga giants in a bid to replace the void left behind by Mesut Ozil but neither arrived with a view for the long term.

It leaves the Arsenal boss back at square one, even more so after losing out on Buendia.

Whilst the German playmaker’s time in North London ended on a sour note, registering just 18 league starts in his final campaign, he will always be remembered as one of their best-ever signings in the Premier League.

As per WhoScored, the maestro delivered some absurd numbers, which included a career-best six goals and 19 assists during the 2015/16 campaign.

In Brandt, the Gunners may finally have the perfect – and permanent – solution.

Valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, the 25-year-old has struggled for consistency this season (6.58 average rating) but that hasn’t been helped by the fact that he’s been utilised in a variety of positions (seven) and has rarely started (17 of 31 games).

His manager at Leverkusen saw his future through the middle, though, and once lauded the all-around talent to Bundesliga.com. He said:

“During my time with Dortmund when we played against Bayer, in Leverkusen. Back then he was playing on the wing, but I saw him as a midfielder. He’s such a good player and you’ve got to give good players the ball as much as possible. Today he was really exceptional. He barely lost the ball, he was choosing the right moments to complete the triangles. He’s a great player.”

After those comments, Brandt went onto provide six goals and a handful of assists, so evidently, it could be his preferred position.

Arsenal should waste no time in making a bid for Brandt, Edu Gaspar simply cannot afford to miss out on another attacking target this summer.

AND in other news, Forget Buendia: Arsenal must swoop for £31.5m-rated “leader”, won’t cost KSE a penny…

Kevin Phillips has urged Jonson Clarke-Harris to move to Glasgow Rangers this summer ahead of other clubs with interest in his services.

The Lowdown: Gers eye Clarke-Harris

The 26-year-old has enjoyed a fantastic campaign at Peterborough, scoring 33 goals in all competitions as Posh were promoted to the English Championship (Transfermarkt).

The Gers have been linked with a move for the striker (Bristol Post), but West Brom and Sheffield United are also said to be in pursuit.

The Latest: Phillips urges Ibrox move

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips believes that Clarke-Harris should make the move to Ibrox rather than joining an English Championship club. He said:

“I did the EFL coverage last week and I see him quite a lot.

“My opinion is if he gets the chance to go to Rangers from the Championship you don’t turn that down. 

“It’s different if you have just been promoted to the Premier League because I’d say the player would stay there. 

“But he’s got that chance to go to Rangers and play European football. He’s coming off the back of a brilliant season and he’s only going to get better.

“I’m sure Peterborough fans don’t want to hear that but he’s 26, is that big move going to come around again? 

“It’s a tough decision for him but it’s also tough to turn down.”

The Verdict: Rangers still in the market?

Clarke-Harris is clearly a striker who knows where the back of the net is – he even ended this campaign as League One’s top goalscorer (BBC) – but Rangers may have already completed their business up front. They recently confirmed the signing of Fashion Sakala on a free transfer from Oostende (rangers.co.uk).

That means that Steven Gerrard now has five strikers at his disposal. For the signing of Clarke-Harris to make sense, the Gers would surely need to move on two forwards, and is there any guarantee he would perform better than Alfredo Morelos, Kemar Roofe, Cedric Itten or Jermain Defoe?

The ship may have already sailed on this one, despite Phillips’ endorsement of a potential deal for the Peterborough marksman.

In other news, many Rangers fans laud this man’s performance against Aberdeen.

Portsmouth could be heading for a disaster as former midfielder David Norris says he expects Ronan Curtis to depart the club this summer.

What’s the talk? 

Ex-Portsmouth player Norris has admitted that Curtis will likely want to play at the highest possible level and that could lead to him leaving the club to join a Championship side. He told Football League World:

“The player’s probably eventually going to want to move on and probably earn more money and play as high as he can.

“And then, at the same time, he’s not walking away on a free so the club can bring in some decent money.”

Curtis is under contract at Portsmouth until 2023, with Reading, Derby County, Cardiff and Blackburn all tracking the Republic of Ireland international, according to GetReading.

Heading for disaster

After missing out on promotion from League One this season, it is crucial for Portsmouth to retain as many of their best players as possible for another push next term, with Curtis being one of them.

Curtis was a revelation for Portsmouth in League One, producing 10 goals and seven assists in 36 starts. He added a further four goals and three assists to his overall tally in the various cup competition throughout the campaign, taking him to 14 goals and 10 assists in the 2020/21 season.

His creativity could prove incredibly difficult to replace in the transfer window if he were to depart. Curtis created 1.5 chances per game in League One, the most by any player in the Portsmouth squad, and that is alongside his 10 strikes – second to John Marquis.

Earlier this season, Cowley claimed that the “brilliant” Curtis is going to become a top player if he can control his emotions on the pitch. He told The News:

“There’s a lot of work to do on that because he’s going to be a top player – and to become a top player you must always be in emotional control otherwise the opponent is going to see that as a weakness and try to exploit that.”The higher level you go, the more emotional it is and the more you’ve got to show control.”We are working really hard with Ronan. He is so willing and keen to want to improve in that area and he was brilliant on Saturday.”The £3.7k-per-week attacker averaged an exceptional WhoScored rating of 7.10 for Portsmouth. This was the highest average score by any player in the Pompey squad, with centre-back Sean Raggett the only other player over the 7.0 mark on 7.02. Curtis’ goal contributions and overall performances, therefore, were key for Portsmouth as they just missed out on a place in the play-offs – finishing eighth in League One.This suggests that keeping hold of Curtis could prove key as his displays in the third tier, coupled with Cowley improving the squad in other areas, could allow Portsmouth to challenge for promotion.He has already shown that he can be a quality option at League One level and selling him could weaken Pompey’s chances of going up and failire to get promoted next season could be a huge disaster for a club the size of Portsmouth.

Fans of Glasgow Rangers have been reacting to a post on Twitter, in which the news was confirmed that the Gers centre-forward, Kemar Roofe, has been handed a four-match ban by UEFA.

The ban comes following Roofe’s sending off for a high challenge on the Slavia Prague goalkeeper, Ondrej Kolar, in a Europa League round of 16 clash back in March, with Kolar suffering a fractured skull as a result of the challenge.

The Rangers striker has subsequently been handed a four-game ban by UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body for “dangerously assaulting another player”.

Steven Gerrard’s side were also given a €9,000 (£7,825) fine for ”the improper conduct of the team” during the fixture against Slavia Prague.

However, after Clyde 1 Superscoreboard relayed news of Roofe’s ban on Twitter, fans of Rangers flocked to have their say on the matter, with many appearing to be furious at UEFA’s punishment, as they believed the striker’s clash with Kolar was a complete accident, and therefore should not be punished based on the scale of the unfortunate damage done.

So, what exactly did these Rangers fans have to say in reaction to the news of Kemar Roofe’s ban?

“Just when you think UEFA can’t get any worse. What a joke!”

@harty9

“This is a joke, right?”

@SteveGSmith_

“Seems excessive to me, he clearly went for the ball.”

@Zander82

“I have no words.”

@jackieAG85

“Lesson to all kids growing up and learning the game. Don’t attempt to win the ball. Just stand there and do nothing. Disgraceful ban!”

@big_ashy5

“This is shocking.”

@Dean_Wood23

“UEFA are an absolute disgrace of an organisation.”

@bcamarshall

“Farcical.”

@jordorowan

In other news: Gerrard set to pull plug as rivals near £300,000 move, claims Gers source – find out more here!

Manchester City’s hopes of signing Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish have seemingly been handed a huge boost, with Dean Smith’s side reportedly looking to sign Norwich City winger Todd Cantwell as his replacement.

According to the Daily Mail, the Villans are weighing up a move for Cantwell, which could open the door for Grealish to make the switch to the Etihad, with Manchester City expected to bid for the England international.

City have regularly been linked with Grealish in recent months as he continues to dazzle for the Birmingham-based club in the top-flight.

So far this season, the 25-year-old has contributed six goals and 10 assists in 22 Premier League appearances, which has helped him earn a superb 7.73 average rating.

This ranks him ahead of every single Manchester City player this season, with only Harry Kane rated higher of those playing in the Premier League, which emphasises just how impressive Grealish has been for Villa.

The creative winger signed a new five-year deal with Smith’s side ahead of the 2020/21 campaign and was reportedly valued at £100m by the Villa Park outfit, which made a City move for him seem unlikely.

However, the fact that they have begun to look for replacements for the captain suggests that he is keen to depart this summer, with City seemingly in pole position to sign him.

Earlier in the season, with the duo battling for a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England side, Mason Mount was full of praise for Grealish, saying:

“I look at the way he’s been playing this season, he’s been unbelievable.”

Whilst he won’t come cheap, his performances with Villa this season have marked him out as one of the best players in the Premier League, so there is no doubt that he would be a superb addition to Guardiola’s side.

If City don’t pay the fee, then you feel like another top club could be easily convinced to shell out, so after the news that Villa have already begun looking for a replacement, City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain should do everything he can to bring him to the Etihad this summer.

And, in other news… Txiki should seal bargain City swoop for “top-quality” beast, Guardiola needs him

Pep Guardiola and Manchester City look to have been handed a significant boost ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund, with Jadon Sancho reportedly set to miss the tie through injury.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the England international will likely miss the game at the Etihad later this week after missing training ahead of the game through injury.

The 21-year-old sensation has been sidelined since March through injury and wasn’t fit enough to earn a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad during the recent international break.

Interim manager Edin Terzic has suggested that they are hoping to have the winger back in the near future but hinted that the game on Tuesday would come too soon for him, although he could make his comeback ahead of the return leg at Signal Iduna Park later this month.

Sancho has been in sensational form for BVB once again this season, contributing six goals and nine assists in 21 Bundesliga appearances this season, resulting in a superb average rating of 7.57/10.

This is enough to rank him as Dortmund’s best performer in the German top-flight so far this season, ahead of Erling Haaland, so it is undoubtedly a boost for Guardiola’s side that he seemingly won’t be available for the first leg.

It also would have been the first time Sancho would have faced the club he was at as a youngster, having left the Etihad in 2017 due to a lack of first-team opportunities at the club, so he definitely would have wanted to be fit to play against Guardiola’s side in the hope that he could emphasise what they missed out on.

The young winger has established himself as one of the brightest young talents in world football during his time in the Bundesliga and earned himself a lot of praise from German legend Lothar Matthaus back in 2019, as he said:

“He’s a natural footballer. A player who has everything: fantastic speed, great technique, a good eye for his colleagues and that key pass. For me, he is a perfect player.”

Therefore, it is clear that Sancho would have been one of Dortmund’s biggest threats to City at the Etihad on Tuesday if he were fit, so it is a massive boost to Guardiola’s chances of steering his side to a win in the first leg that he has now seemingly been ruled out.

And, in other news… Txiki must sanction City swoop for “ice cold” £37.8m-rated beast likened to Lewandowski

Patryk Klimala looks set to be closing in on a Celtic exit.

Interim manager John Kennedy admitted on Friday that the 22-year-old is days away from completing his move to MLS side New York Red Bulls.

The Hoops landed Klimala for £3.6m last January, but he has failed to make an impact in Glasgow, scoring just three times in 28 appearances.

Despite his struggles, it seems as if Celtic could be recouping all of their money on the Polish Under-21 international.

Pundit Noel Whelan, talking to Football Insider, had his say on Celtic potentially making their money back, labelling the Hoops as ‘very lucky’ to make back their initial outlay on the striker.

“For someone who’s hardly featured, to recoup the £3.5million that you paid? That’s either very good business by the board or stupidity from the people that are buying him.

“They could have got him for cheaper probably but Celtic will not complain. Surplus to requirements, no club wants to lose money on a player.

“So, all in all, I think they would probably think themselves very lucky in that position that recoups everything that they paid.”

Transfer Tavern take

We’re with Whelan in believing Celtic won’t complain about what they’ll be receiving for Klimala. His Transfermarkt value has halved during his 12 months at Celtic Park to £1.8m, but it seems as if the Hoops will be receiving double that amount from the MLS outfit.

You can understand why the 22-year-old’s valuation has dropped since his move to Parkhead. He has started just three league games during the current campaign and has failed to establish himself under either Neil Lennon or John Kennedy.

It hasn’t worked out for Klimala in Scotland, but financially it seems that Celtic won’t be making a loss on him.

In other news: Expert drops Celtic managerial claim with Monday admission, find out more here. 

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Bull, who made 561 appearances for Wolves, called for VAR to be changed as he has seen Wolves get caught out, like many other teams, by the smallest of margins.

Bull has a point as Wolves find themselves fourth-bottom in terms of VAR decisions having seen three subjective decisions go against them, as well as seeing two penalty decisions overturned despite the on-pith referee originally pointing to the spot, according to ESPN.

Nuno Espirito Santo has been vocal in his displeasure towards VAR and he was happy to offer his feedback in the past two weeks as each club was asked to fill out and give their thoughts on the technology.

Speaking on whether or not VAR should be changed or scrapped altogether and how he would solve Wolves’ offside problems, Bull told FFC exclusively:

“I think it just needs tweaking. I remember watching Wolves when it was first introduced and we were getting caught offside by the smallest of margins.

“So, I said I would buy everybody a pair of green football boots because then you won’t be able to give offside if the foot is the same colour as the pitch.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/exclusive-andreas-sondergaard-wolves-premier-league” title=”Exclusive! Andreas Sondergaard talks all things Wolves”]

“It should just be the body that they look for on offsides because when you’re running you have your arms and legs stretched. So I just don’t get it now and I think it just needs a little tweak.”

Arsene Wenger has put forward a new offside rule which would see attackers now onside if any part of their body is in line with the defender, instead of the other way round like it is now.

Wolves currently find themselves nine points above the bottom three with just nine games remaining, with a few points surely needed to guarantee their Premier League status for another season.