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Tottenham Hotspur have edged one step closer to sealing Adama Traore before deadline day this month…

What’s the word?

Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano delivered a fresh update on the situation to Twitter over the weekend, where he said:

“Adama Traoré deal not done/fully agreed yet but Tottenham are confident to reach the agreement soon. Negotiations with Wolves will continue in the next hours and days.

“Personal terms already discussed with Adama. Spurs are on it.”

It remains to be seen exactly how much the Spain international will cost the Lilywhites but some reports suggest that it could be in the region of £20m after they had a £15m bid rejected last week.

One step closer

This latest development is sure to leave both manager Antonio Conte and the Hotspur faithful absolutely delighted as it seems as if it’s only a matter of time before Traore becomes a Spurs player.

It’s thought that the Italian head coach does not trust summer signing Emerson Royal at right wing-back and Spurs believe their manager can convert the Wolves star into a solid option in the role, just like he did with Victor Moses at Chelsea.

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The 25-year-old possesses the natural speed and strength to thrive in this position and considering his disappointing end product, it really could be the best fit for him and his future.

For instance, this season, Traore has scored just once from 20 league appearances but that’s without factoring in the eye test as he’s often double marked in most outings. That’s because he’s a pacey and strong threat out wide.

He leads the league for average number of successful dribbles per 90 minutes (seven) and that clearly makes him difficult to defend. An average of 1.5 key passes per 90 also suggests that he’s a creative influence, too.

BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand once dubbed him a “machine” who is built like a “powerlifter or a cruiser-weight boxer”, whilst Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has often deemed him to be “unplayable”.

The fact that Spurs have agreed to personal terms is hugely encouraging news and it should have the Lilywhites faithful absolutely buzzing as they close in on the first signing of the Conte era.

AND in other news, Spurs have a “long interest” in £40.5m-rated “beast”, he’s miles better than Sanchez…

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 number of Aston Villa supporters have hit out at Ross Barkley on social media for his first half display against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.

Dean Smith named the same side which beat Everton 2-1 last time out, with Jack Grealish unavailable for the 12th game in succession.

However, it was Barkley’s performance which had a number of Villa fans talking online, and not for the right reasons.

The 27-year-old was making his 17th Premier League start of the season and 26th appearance in all competitions during the current campaign. His display in the opening stages didn’t exactly impress some fans, though, with many venting their frustrations on Twitter.

The attacking midfielder was lining up in front of Douglas Luiz and John McGinn at Villa Park but failed to really get involved, leaving many Villa fans frustrated as he wasted a 14th-minute cross, a moment indicative of his display.

Villa fans react to Barkley’s performance

Here is what these Villa supporters had to say about the England international, with one describing his display as ‘poor’.

“Traore and Barkley really doing us no favours”

Credit: @_C45EY_

“Barkley is a waste of a man on the pitch”

Credit: @MJDodge84

“Dross Barkley strikes again”

Credit: @b0ngs12

“Traore and Barkley are so so poor”

Credit: @UTV_LC

“Can we send Barkley back now?”

Credit: @kandemanUK 

“If Barkley had just some footballing IQ”

Credit: @josh_priv3

In other news: Villa make contact for in-demand defender; report shares brilliant reason for weekend absence, find out more here. 

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…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie revealed that he is keen to see Tammy Abraham link-up with Dean Smith’s men again.

Abraham has struggled for game time under new Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel – though that has partly been down to injury – and is now being linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge.

Villa, where the 23-year-old enjoyed a successful loan spell back in the 2018/19 season, are said to still be admirers of the English striker, meaning the Midlands club could be interested in a move in the summer if he does become available.

And for Hendrie, it is a transfer that he would love to see happen. The ex-Villa player told FFC in an exclusive interview:

“I’m a big fan of Tammy, I really am. I just feel that he’s got great energy. When he was at Villa for that period of time, he was immense, he really was. He was a breath of fresh air, he gave it that belief, he gave fans a lot of pleasure and he scored a lot of goals. It might be that Tammy has to leave Chelsea, and I do feel that coming to Villa, I think it’d be a fabulous fit.”

Hendrie later went on to add:

“He’s a player I’d have all day at the club because, at the moment you’re looking at the overload that Ollie Watkins has gone through this season, [he’s] played a hell of a lot of games. Imagine having those two in your squad. I just feel that’d be a massive positive push for Villa.”

Without a doubt, the last couple of months have been difficult for Abraham, who is up against the likes of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz for that No.9 spot at Chelsea. Furthermore, an exit really could be on the cards if his situation does not change.

Former Glasgow Rangers defender Craig Moore has expressed his concern as Connor Goldson’s contract at the club trickles down.

The Lowdown: Goldson has one year left on current deal

The 28-year-old is one of Steven Gerrard’s most important players but he currently has only one year left on his contract at the club (Transfermarkt).

The Gers are trying to tie him down to a new three-year deal amidst interest from West Ham (Football Insider), but there has so far been no official confirmation as to whether an agreement is close.

The Latest: Moore expresses concern

Speaking about Goldson’s situation, Moore said (via The Daily Record):

“When you’re coming into the last year of your contract you can re-sign if you want to stay and the club want to protect their asset. Or the flip side, which you see sometimes, is that the player just tries to run his contract down.

“I don’t know what Connor’s thinking but he’ll be 29 in December. So I’m surprised that he’s not signed an extension yet like the other senior players.

“I’d like to think that it’s something Rangers and Connor are discussing right now behind the scenes.

“After what the team achieved last season – and how important Connor was to that – hopefully he’ll want to stay at Rangers for a few more years.

“Every player wants to be able to perform at the highest possible level. At your club, that’s the Champions League. So of course Connor will want a crack at that – he’ll want to experience it.”

The Verdict: Crucial

After winning the Premiership last term and duly earning a place in the Champions League third qualifying round, the upcoming season is arguably an even bigger one for Rangers than 2020/21, and having Goldson settled and ready to perform is vital to the Gers’ chances of success.

In the previous season, Goldson was crucial. He played in every single minute of every match in all competitions as he made sure the Gers had a tight and sturdy defence, while he also scored eight times to take his career tally to a healthy 27 (16 of which have come for the Light Blues). At the heart of the back four, the 28-year-old is a leader, and it is vital that the 55-time Scottish champions tie him down to a new deal.

In other news, this Rangers man has received a four-game ban.

West Bromwich Albion winger Matheus Pereira looks set to leave The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a Joseph Masi report in the Express & Star, in which the comments of the new West Brom manager, Valerien Ismael, regarding the future of the 25-year-old forward were relayed.

Pereira has been linked with a host of Premier League clubs, including the likes of West Ham United, Aston Villa, Leeds United and Leicester City, following Albion’s relegation last season.

And, according to Ismael, the Brazilian looks highly unlikely to remain at The Hawthorns this summer, with the 45-year-old confirming that he expects the winger to leave the club ahead of next season.

Fans will be devastated

Considering just how impressive Pereira has been for West Brom since joining the club from Sporting Lisbon on a permanent deal last summer, the fact that Ismael very much appears resigned to losing the services of the forward this summer is likely to devastate Albion fans.

Indeed, over his 33 Premier League appearances for the Baggies last season, the £13.5m-rated man scored 11 goals, registered six assists and created 11 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of two shots and making 1.8 key passes per game.

These returns saw the man Noel Whelan dubbed a “fantastic” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.18, ranking him as West Brom’s best performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, considering how important a part of the West Brom side the £39k-per-week winger was last season, should Ismael go on to lose the Brazilian’s services this summer, it would undoubtedly be a huge blow to Albion’s chances of going on to secure an immediate return to the Premier League come next summer.

However, after the Frenchman’s latest comments, if we were fans of the Baggies, we would not be holding our breath hoping the forward will be playing his football at The Hawthorns next year.

In other news: West Brom plot bid for £12k-p/w beast with “so much potential”, Ismael would love him

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. 

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.”

Liverpool have suffered a double selection setback ahead of their third-round Carabao Cup tie against Norwich City after right-backs Neco Williams and Trent Alexander-Arnold were both ruled out of the game.

What’s the word?

The Reds are already without key midfielders Harvey Elliott and Thiago due to injury issues, and now the club’s only two natural right-backs will also the sidelines for the League Cup game at Carrow Road

After Alexander-Arnold was unexpectedly absent for the weekend’s clash with Crystal Palace due to illness, assistant manager Pep Lijnders confirmed he will once again be unavailable for the trip to Carrow Road.

“He wanted to play, but we took the decision to leave him out. He’s still not feeling 100%. He will not be in the squad for tomorrow. But hopefully ready for the weekend,” Lijnders confirmed in Tuesday’s press conference.

He then also revealed that Williams is “progressing well” but not ready for Norwich, meaning the versatile James Milner is expected to deputise in their absence once again.

Jurgen Klopp will be gutted

Although Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has often preferred to rotate his squad in the domestic cup competitions, he will still surely be gutted to be without both of his senior right-backs as he’ll either have to ask Milner to play there again for the second time in less four days – hardly ideal for a 35-year-old – or use a youngster from the U23s set up.

Their hosts this evening are currently pointless in the Premier League, but thrashed second-tier Bournemouth 6-0 in the previous round of the cup, potentially giving them hope of pulling off a shock result.

The Carabao Cup is one of the trophies to have eluded Klopp since he arrived at Anfield back in 2015, and the German tactician will be hoping to keep his teams chances in this competition alive when they take on a struggling Norwich.

However, he’ll have to do that with his third or fourth choice right-back option playing, which is far from ideal.

And, in other news…Signed for £34m, now worth £90m: Edwards struck gold with “exceptional” Liverpool gem