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Everton may be offered the chance to sign both Aaron Ramsey and Douglas Costa in the summer transfer window as makeweights to sell Moise Kean.

That is according to Tutto Juve, who claimed that Juventus would look to bring in their former striker if they can persuade the Goodison Park club to sell him once his loan spell at Paris Saint Germain concludes at the end of the season.

According to Transfermarkt, Ramsey and Costa are valued at £18m and £10.8m respectively, and the Serie A club would reportedly be willing to add more money on top of that in order to sign Kean.

Everton could use Ramsey and Costa

Both Ramsey and Costa could be very useful squad players to have for Everton should they proceed with this swap deal with Kean.

The former has considerable experience of playing in the Premier League with Arsenal, with a total of 91 goal contributions in 262 games over 11 consecutive seasons (Transfermarkt).

Costa would give Carlo Ancelotti another handy option out wide, and having played 34 times under the Italian, the manager will likely know how to get the best out of the Bayern Munich loanee.

Kean would have to be a sacrifice, but the Toffees potentially getting these two players in exchange should only serve to strengthen the current squad.

In other news, find out whose display against Manchester City was slammed by numerous Everton fans.

After enjoying a superb first-half of the Premier League campaign with Leeds, it’s fair to say Jack Harrison’s form had just tailed off a little in the past few weeks before the international break.

The 24-year-old has failed to score in his last seven top-flight games for Marcelo Bielsa’s side and picked up just the one assist in that time. It’s also seen the Leeds boss even drop the winger to the bench, with Helder Costa coming into the side for a few games between late February and early March.

But with reports in recent days linking the Whites with a potential big-money swoop for Sevilla star Lucas Ocampos, there’s a real chance that Victor Orta could help land an upgrade on Harrison and help Leeds reach a new level.

The Argentina international has scored more goals than Harrison this season and also fares better than the former Manchester City ace in all the key attacking areas.

As per Whoscored, Ocampos averages more shots and dribbles per game than Harrison and he gets fouled almost four times as often as him too – he’s just a far more dangerous and direct customer when it comes to the final third of the pitch.

And just like Harrison, the winger also works extremely hard for the team too, with La Liga Lowdown’s Gregor Chappelle raving about his “great engine”.

He said: “I was surprised by how good he’s been, turning into one of the most important players in the team. He obviously enjoys playing in Lopetegui’s system and he takes a lot of confidence from being the main man.

“But Ocampos also works really hard defensively. He’ll drop back to cut out quick balls out wide, while the full-back on his side will press the opposition to try and force an error. He’s got a great engine on him as well as physicality and strength, so he provides good defensive cover and gives as good as he gets in 50/50 challenges.”

The £36m-rated gem has also played at the highest level with Sevilla in terms of European competitions, playing in the Champions League this season and being a part of the side that won the Europa League last year.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Latest Leeds transfer rumours and news”]

That level of experience is exactly what Leeds will need to sign this summer to help them reach that next step on the ladder, bridging the gap to the Premier League’s perennial big hitters.

Ocampos’ know-how and experience of playing in high-profile games make him an ideal signing for Leeds.

Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano delivers a major Leeds United transfer update…

Celtic defender Greg Taylor has had his say on the possibility of Southampton winger Mohamed Elyounoussi making his loan move at the club permanent in the summer.  

The Norway international is approaching the end of his second loan spell in Glasgow. He has scored 15 goals and registered six assists in 40 appearances this season, with his standout displays coming against Lille and Motherwell towards the end of 2020.

Recent reports have suggested that the Saints could sell Elyounoussi in the summer to boost their transfer funds, with Ralph Hasenhuttl keen to take a look at the 26-year-old before making a decision.

Speaking to the Daily Record, Taylor admitted that the Celtic dressing room would be happy if Elyounoussi made his Parkhead stay permanent. He said:

“You need to ask Moi and the board what is going to happen. It is certainly not a decision for me.

“But we, obviously, always want to always keep our players. If there is an opportunity further down the line for him to stay at the club, then I’m sure the boys would be happy with that. Moi is a talented boy.

“You don’t move for the money he has in his career without being so talented.”

Transfer Tavern take

Elyounoussi’s Transfermarkt valuation stands at £10.8m and he still has more than two years remaining on his St Mary’s deal. However, reports in February suggested that his price tag could crash to just £5m this summer.

Should that be the case, we see a permanent deal as a no-brainer for the Hoops. Capable of playing on the left, behind the striker or as a centre-forward, Elyounoussi has proven his versatility and quality at Parkhead in what has been a disappointing campaign for the club.

He has averaged a goal or assist every 101 minutes in all competitions, taking his total Celtic tally to 62 appearances, 22 goals and 12 assists.

It seems as if he is approaching the prime of his career at 26, so if a £5m deal is achievable, it could be a smart idea to sign Elyounoussi up on a long-term basis, especially with his teammates seemingly on board with the idea.

In other news: Celtic could make embarrassing loss in Odsonne Edouard transfer, find out more here. 

David Moyes should urge West Ham United to launch a summer swoop to sign the perfect target for Aaron Cresswell in VfB Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Kalajdzic has emerged as a potential centre-forward for the Irons to target in the off-season as Moyes continues his search for Sebastien Haller’s replacement.

The towering 6 ft 6 target man is considered to be a cheaper option than Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham or Slavia Prague’s Abdallah Sima, with Stuttgart expected to make Kalajdzic available for around £15m at the end of the season.

Moyes is weighing up a move for Kalajdzic as he strives to find a striker who can hold up the ball and be a threat from set-pieces, with the 23-year-old noted to be a very mobile and technically strong player despite his build.

Kalajdzic, who has scored 12 goals and provided four assists in 23 Bundesliga outings this season – of which he’s only started 13, has been likened to former England international Peter Crouch for being ‘a big man with good feet’. He has also been dubbed as ‘the next Mario Gomez’ in Germany.

West Ham are not alone in monitoring Kalajdzic’s situation at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, with Bundesliga title-hopefuls RB Leipzig and Serie A side AS Roma also said to be keen on the Austria international of Serbian descent.

Other Premier League clubs are also claimed to be compiling scouting reports on the two-cap striker, who does not consider himself to be a classic number nine.

“I’m not a classic No.9, maybe something between a nine and a 10, something like that maybe. A nine and a half,” he told Bundesliga.com following a return of three goals in three games to start the league season after helping Stuttgart gain promotion last season.

Should West Ham sign Kalajdzic?

Depending on what Moyes has placed the greatest emphasis on in his search for Haller’s replacement, West Ham moving to land Kalajdzic in the summer could prove to be a well-thought-out transfer by signing a proper hold-up player for Said Benrahma, Jarrod Bowen and co. to operate off.

Kalajdzic is also scoring freely in the Bundesliga right now, with the £7,500-per-week striker hitting home seven goals in his last six outings having overcome a dip in form after his rapid break out of the blocks.

A decline in output was always expected after the 23-year-old missed much of Stuttgart’s promotion-clinching 2019/20 2. Bundesliga campaign due to a cruciate ligament rupture, which restricted the Wien-born forward to just six appearances across all competitions.

But Kalajdzic has responded magnificently and having a target man of his calibre could also prove to provide Cresswell with his best option, with the full-back a leading creator at the London Stadium through his set-piece deliveries and his eye for a cross.

Cresswell has averaged a team-high 1.7 accurate deliveries and 4.2 unsuccessful crosses per game in the Premier League this season, along with 1.6 accurate free-kicks from 2.1 – only goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski (1.8/3.4) offers more, per WhoScored.

The 31-year-old defender also provides a team-high 0.9 accurate corners per game, which is the most by a Hammers player to date. He further ranks fifth across the division for accurate crosses per game, with more than the likes of Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson (1.6), Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne (1.6) and Everton’s Lucas Digne (1.6).

With six of Kalajdzic’s 12 Bundesliga goals coming from headers, Cresswell could be in dreamland with a target man like him occupying a place in the box.

AND in other news, West Ham are monitoring a nine-goal 21-year-old but face a huge hurdle to strike a deal…

Many West Bromwich Albion fans have flocked to a tweet from The Telegraph’s John Percy in which issued an update on West Brom’s interest in former Leicester City attacker Ahmed Musa. 

Albion have recently been linked with a move for the £5.4m-rated man, who is a free agent after departing from Saudi club Al-Nassr, back in October. 

Now, Percy has revealed that the 28-year-old is set to train with the Baggies for the week, with manager Sam Allardyce thinking about offering him a short-term deal at The Hawthorns. 

So, how have these West Brom fans reacted to this update?

Percy’s update drew a negative reaction from many fans of the West Midlands club after he relayed it via Twitter, with some Baggies fans indicating that they’re embarrassed to see their club linked with a move for Musa.

“Good God, what have we become?”

Credit: @NedJ55135980

“Damn, this is getting embarrassing now”

Credit: @Yacxb

“What is the point in signing any so-called striker? With our midfield, they’ll never get any chances”

Credit: @bluntroger

“What a state our club is in #WBA”

Credit: @DexWBA__

“Stinks of desperation #wba”

Credit: @rmelrose11

“Look at the comments, everyone laughing at us, it’s actually embarrassing supporting this football club at times.”

Credit: @RyanPGlasgow

In other news, Kevin Campbell has had his say on the possibility of West Brom signing Hamza Choudhury.

David Moyes can end his search for West Ham United’s next striker by landing another Michail Antonio in Blackburn Rovers star Adam Armstrong.

What’s the word?

According to Lancs Live, there is an acceptance at the Ewood Park outfit that Armstrong may have to be sold in the summer transfer window in order to fund their recruitment drive.

Rovers are in a position where they cannot rely on owners Venky’s investment to support their activity in the off-season, when boss Tony Mowbray will have several gaps to plug.

Blackburn are due to lose five players once their loan deals expire at the end of the season, and have close to a dozen players also out of contract in June.

The only position in which the Lancashire outfit are not expected to address is in goal, with 28-year-old Thomas Kaminski keeping eight clean sheets in 28 Championship appearances since penning a two-year deal with the option of a third last summer.

Given the situation, Blackburn are inclined to sell their top-talents like Armstrong for the right offer, with a belief that short-term pain could prove worthwhile long-term.

West Ham have been credited with an interest in Armstrong frequently since the turn of the year, though Moyes opted against tabling an £8m offer in January following Sebastien Haller’s exit, per The Sun.

The Irons boss is instead thought to want to see how Armstrong tackles the second half of the season, though could face competition from Everton, Fulham and Newcastle United this summer.

Should West Ham sign Armstrong?

It remains to be seen how Armstrong performs between now and the end of the season, but the striker hit the ground running coming out of the summer and has 19 goals in 30 Championship games to his name.

Only Ivan Toney (24) has found the back of the net more often than Armstrong this term, though the Brentford ace is playing in a side competing for automatic promotion while Blackburn are seeing their faint Play-Off hopes dwindle after five-straight defeats.

Armstrong fired home in two of those loses, and has earned vast praise from his manager, Mowbray, throughout the campaign.

“I think Adam Armstrong is asset rich. He’s lightning fast off the mark, he plays on the shoulders [of defenders], he can score with both feet – he can score all sorts of goals,” the Rovers boss said earlier this month. “He can shoot from distance, he can go round the goalie and he can side-foot it in with both feet; he’s very, very clinical.”

How much West Ham would have to pay to land Armstrong in the summer remains to be seen, with The Sun quoting a £10m+ fee for the £17,000-per-week frontman while Chronicle Live believe Blackburn valued the 2022 free-agent as high as £30m earlier in the term.

But Moyes and co-owner David Sullivan meeting the Ewood Park outfit’s demands, however much they may be, could see the pair bring another Antonio story to the London Stadium.

Antonio arrived at West Ham from Nottingham Forest in 2015 after one full campaign at the Championship side, where he struck 16 goals and provided 15 assists in 50 league games.

The striker is now a fans’ favourite in claret and blue, ended last term as the club’s top-scorer with 10 goals and has fired home six in 16 Premier League appearances this term.

Moyes needs another option behind Antonio after Haller’s exit and could do far worse than signing another in the mould of the Englishman.

AND in other news, David Moyes can discover West Ham’s next Dimitri Payet in a 24-y/o whose protected by a £258m release clause…

Plenty of Aston Villa fans were quick to react to Dean Smith’s comments following the 1-1 draw with Newcastle United on Friday.

Villa looked to have taken all three points at St James’ Park following Ciaran Clark’s own goal late on. However, the hosts stopped Villa leapfrogging Liverpool in the table after Jamaal Lascelles levelled things up with seconds remaining.

Missing Jack Grealish

Without the injured Jack Grealish in recent weeks, Villa have only managed to score three goals in 300 minutes of Premier League action.

They’ve picked up just five points from a possible 15 in that time, with Leicester City the only side above Villa in their recent run of fixtures.

Villa fans react to Smith’s comments

Birmingham Live reporter Ashley Preece posted two tweets from Smith’s post-match comments, with the boss addressing his initial feelings and Villa’s lack of cutting edge.

“You’re disappointed, naturally. We didn’t deserve to win the game. It was an ugly game. But, when we score a goal near the 90th minute, you’ve got to see it out. We could have got the goal to make it 2-0 but we didn’t make the most of those opportunities.

“It’s always a concern when you’re not creating chances. There weren’t many big chances in the game. We’ve got good enough players but some of them are short on confidence and rhythm at the minute, as are a lot of players in the league.”

This is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply to Preece’s posts, with one labelling the boyhood Villa fan’s comments as ‘boring’.

“He’s wrong and needs telling he is wrong. Neither Anwar nor Trez makes the first 11 of any team in the top half of this league.”

Credit: @Son_Lyme

“Smith’s getting boring. It’s like listening to David O’Dreary all over again.”

Credit: @Eamonosh

“Same post match speech as the previous 6 ain’t it”

Credit: @thelogan1975

“If I’m being honest. I’d like see a few of the youngsters. Our season is over, good opportunity to give a couple a few games imo. I know there’s more prize money higher you finish but the experience is invaluable”

Credit: @MTrezzy1981

“We have been ‘ugly’ for weeks.”

Credit: @wilsterdavies1

“Yeah but he talks like it’s got nothing to do with him, Villa are not going down now, so just go out there & attack teams & see what happens!”

Credit: @1966wall

“Lets be honest, without Grealish, we’d be looking at another relegation dogfight again”

Credit: @DMayLovell

After picking up three wins in a row in the Premier League, Arsenal were brought somewhat back to a grinding halt with a drab 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace on Thursday night.

Mikel Arteta’s side just didn’t look like the free-flowing side that thrashed West Brom 4-0 last time out in the top-flight, with the Eagles’ defence restricting them to just four shots on target.

Before the game, the Gunners were handed a major blow when Kieran Tierney was ruled out due to muscle soreness, and that meant Ainsley Maitland-Niles was brought back in from the cold to start at left-back.

It was the perfect opportunity for the England international to stake his claim and show Arteta why he needs to be in his thinking, but he completely fluffed his lines.

As per Sofascore, he lost possession 13 times over the course of the game, but had a particularly shocking start to the beginning of the match that arguably set the tone for the rest of his night – via Squawka, he misplaced six of his 17 passes in the opening 20 minutes, including one inexplicable one that cost his side a corner.

The Gunners desperately needed a fast start to ensure Palace couldn’t just sit back, but Maitland-Niles’ sloppiness and casualness on the ball cost Arsenal repeatedly as they looked to launch forward.

He failed to provide any of the thrust that Tierney usually brings down that left-hand side, making no accurate crosses whatsoever and providing no key passes – compare that to the Scotland international recently, who has provided a whopping 11 key passes and six accurate crosses in his last four games.

Andrew Allen, deputy editor for Arseblognews, described Maitland-Niles as having an “absolute stinker”, whilst Dan Critchlow, senior writer for The Daily Cannon, simply said his passing was “disastrous”.

Such was his performance, that some Arsenal fans took to Twitter wanting him to be sold immediately.

Tierney’s importance to the team has been seen over these past few weeks with his own collection of goals and assists. But his stock rose even higher on Thursday thanks to Maitland-Niles’ shocker, and Arteta simply has to axe him from the starting line-up for the clash against Newcastle.

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s interest in this Eden Hazard-like star could spell bad news for Nicolas Pepe…

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard’s hopes of snapping up Jacob Murphy have been dealt a huge blow, with recent reports revealing Newcastle United are prepared to offer the former Norwich City star a new deal.

What’s the story?

According to Football Insider, Steve Bruce wants Murphy to remain at St James’ Park to stay and fight for a place in the starting line-up, having ruled out a loan exit for the winger amid interest from Rangers in the summer.

It’s claimed that the club want to give the Englishman a new and improved contract to fend off interest from elsewhere, with Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest and Stoke City in the race to sign him in the winter transfer window.

So Rangers chief Ross Wilson must act swiftly if Gerrard is to finally get his long-term target in January.

Major blow?

Murphy himself was thought to be keen on a move to the 54-time Scottish champions, yet now looks set to extend his stay in Tyneside for the foreseeable future. But there is still time for the 25-year-old, who currently earns wages worth £25,000-per-week, to sign a pre-contract agreement to join the Gers on a permanent basis next summer.

Wilson signed forwards Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe on four-year-deals for undisclosed fees in the summer to bolster the firepower at Gerrard’s disposal. Whilst Roofe has been in such fine form, as he has even started on the right wing in recent weeks, it’s fair to say that Itten has been unable to hit the ground running, with a tally of just two goals in total to his name.

The ever-reliable Ryan Kent is one of the first names on the team sheet but if there’s one area the Gers urgently need to improve, it’s the opposite flank, as both Brandon Barker and Ianis Hagi have struggled for consistency at times so far this season. And that’s without even mentioning Jordan Jones, who is deemed surplus to requirements having been suspended by the Light Blues after breaching COVID rules.

Once lauded as a “fantastic” beast by former Aberdeen striker Noel Whelan, in five appearances in the Premier League this season, Murphy has scored one goal, whilst he is averaging 1.2 shots and 2 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

By comparison, both Barker and Jones are managing fewer than one dribble per game in the Scottish Premiership, as per WhoScored, which implies that the former England U21 international would be an immediate upgrade on both Barker and Jones at Ibrox.

Given his age, he still has plenty of time left to continue his development as a player, whilst his strengths lie in his strong finishing and being able to take set-pieces. He’s certainly not just a pacey winger, his versatility could add some much-needed depth to the squad, as he can play on either wing. We’d love to see him don the light blue, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson could land Glasgow Rangers the ideal Steven Davis replacement in John Lundstram…

Leicester have a big battle ahead of them as they prepare to take on Tottenham Hotspur in their next Premier League challenge. The two potential title contenders will lock horns in what will be a massive boost for whoever comes away with the win.

If the Foxes can hurt Spurs on their turf, they will go two points clear of their competition.

Brendan Rodgers has given fans a big chunk of good news ahead of the match, confirming that Timothy Castagne is in contention to start. Having the £50,000 per week Belgian back from his recent hamstring injury is a huge boost that could prove to be crucial against Spurs. Not only will it allow James Justin to take a more attacking role, but it will give Leicester a better chance of defending against Jose Mourinho’s blistering attack.

Castagne must have his wits about him though. After missing seven Premier League games and featuring in just five so far, he could return to the action to face off against one of the deadliest players in the league. Son Heung-min has caused almost every team he’s faced some serious problems this season and he doesn’t look like he’s prepared to show any mercy.

The winger has been linking up beautifully with Harry Kane and is currently the Premier League’s leading goalscorer. Son has tallied a mammoth 11 goals and four assists in 13 games played so far and he will be rubbing his hands together at the idea of facing Castagne.

He will be hoping that the recently injured right-back will be a bit behind his teammates in terms of fitness and will be doing everything he can to try and exploit this potential weakness. Castagne cannot afford to slip up or he will be punished by the South Korean dynamo.

It’s a huge occasion for the returning defender, but if he can keep the Spurs attack at bay, it will be a huge confidence boost for him following his absence.

In other news, Carlton Palmer waxes lyrical about Leicester’s transfer policy…