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Wolves are reportedly looking to tie down Morgan Gibbs-White to a new contract at Molineux.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Football Insider, the Midlands club are “in talks” with the player behind the scenes over the possibility of him putting pen to paper on a new deal. The report added that the Old Gold are “reluctant to see Gibbs-White leave this summer and have set a big-money price tag to ward off any interest”.

A product of Wolves’ youth system, the midfielder has gone on to make a combined 103 appearances across the club’s under-23 and senior teams. In that time, the Englishman has scored five goals and delivered six assists along the way.

His second and most recent loan spell away from Molineux saw him take the Championship by storm with Sheffield United.

In 35 regular season league appearances for the Blades, the 22-year-old found the net 11 times and delivered nine assists in the process. He also scored one goal and supplied one assist in their two play-off matches against Nottingham Forest.

Wolves fans will be buzzing

To further highlight the impressive attacking prowess that he showed throughout this season, he had more shots at goal (86) and shots on target (33) than any other player at the Yorkshire club.

In addition, he also ended the season with the joint-highest average of key passes per game (1.6) and the highest overall performance rating (7.14/10) at Bramall Lane, according to WhoScored.

Taking all this into account, it’s easy to see why the Old Gold are keen to tie down the player to a new deal at Molineux, despite his current contract not set to expire until 2024.

Looking at what he’s done during his latest loan spell away from Molineux, the midfielder should definitely be in Bruno Lage’s plans for Wolves’ next Premier League campaign.

Having played in numerous midfield and attacking positions, this sort of versatility could make him a very useful squad option for the Wolves manager.

If the youngster does end up signing a new deal at the club and becomes a regular first-team figure next term, this would surely be great news for fans at Molineux, especially if Gibbs-White can add some attacking dynamism to Lage’s team.

In other news: Wolves eyeing swoop for “terrific” 20 y/o “hotshot”, he can be their next Moutinho 

PIF enjoyed an excellent first transfer window in charge of Newcastle United back in January as their deals helped to propel the team out of danger.

The Magpies secured safety in the Premier League and the likes of Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Matt Targett and Bruno Guimaraes played a big role in that.

However, the £25m signing of Chris Wood from Burnley was not as successful as the others. The New Zealand international struggled for form as he scored twice – once from open play – in 17 league outings for Eddie Howe’s side.

Howe can now axe the flop, who averaged an unimpressive WhoScored rating of 6.72, instantly by securing a deal for a new number nine to come in and take his place in the team.

One striker who has recently been linked with a switch to St. James’ Park is Napoli centre-forward Victor Osimhen, with Bayern Munich also keen on him.

The Italian side value him at up to £94m (€100m) and it remains to be seen how much the Magpies are willing to offer for his services.

Whilst Wood faltered in front of goal, Osimhen flourished as he plundered 18 goals in 26 starts in the Serie A and Champions League combined.

He scored 14 goals in 23 starts in the Italian top-flight and averaged a sublime WhoScored rating of 7.22, which shows that he is a consistent goalscorer and is able to produce quality performances week-in-week-out.

At the age of 23, the Nigerian international also has the scope to develop further and improve time, whereas Wood is at the other end of his career at the age of 30.

Emmet Gates dubbed Osimhen’s potential as “frightening” and former Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo backed that up, saying:

“He’s the future, he’s going to do so well in football. I love him, he’s down to earth, he’s hard-working, he has a future and he has the mentality of a winner, that’s what I love about him.

“He has that lion’s heart. I love him, I just want him to keep working hard the way he’s doing, he’s going to break so many records in Europe and Nigeria.”

The Napoli predator can, therefore, a big upgrade on Wood both in terms of what he can offer in the short and long-term.

He has shown that he is a prolific scorer, unlike the Burnley man, and the overall standard of his displays have been sitting at a higher level. Throw in the fact that he is seven years younger than the Toon flop and it seems like he would be a fantastic replacement for Howe to bring in.

AND in other news, “In talks…”: Fabrizio Romano delivers NUFC transfer claim that’ll delight supporters…

There is no doubt that Rangers will be approaching this transfer window with the hope to sign another few talented individuals who can improve the first team before potentially making the club a fortune further down the line.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has had to rely on the addition of loan players during the second half of the season, but with a full summer transfer window now ahead of him, he will likely be looking at players who could instantly make their mark in Scottish football.

One such player could well be Flamengo attacker Lazaro, with journalist Lahcen Senhaji stating on Twitter that both Rangers and Monaco are in for the 20-year-old this summer.

With the Light Blues lacking in serious depth across the frontline, a much-needed boost is needed. The Brazilian has even been compared to German superstar Marco Reus, with both players having tremendous pace, and the youngster also being dubbed a “creative” attacker by Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig.

This is a quality that Van Bronckhorst needs at Ibrox. Far too many times last season, especially on the domestic front, Rangers struggled to break down stubborn opponents, and Lazaro could be a positive solution.

The youngster is valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt, and while this seems like a bargain price, Flamengo will surely want a heftier fee than this to even consider a deal.

The 20-year-old has shone at under-17 level for Brazil, scoring twice in just three appearances as his ever-growing talent looks likely to take him to Europe sooner rather than later.

With the Rangers squad ideally needing some freshening up over the summer, signing players such as Lazaro would be a big statement from the Ibrox club, especially if they can fend off the interest from Monaco.

The Gers should capitalise on their Europa League final run, with one report estimating that it has earned the club nearly £50m, and delve straight into the transfer market.

Van Bronckhorst won’t want to waste any precious transfer funds, but in Lazaro, he might just have a superstar in his sights.

AND in other news, Huge Ibrox summer development now emerges, Rangers supporters will be buzzing

The latest indication is that Newcastle United are still hoping to secure a deal for Stade de Reims striker Hugo Ekitike, having previously missed out on the 19-year-old during the January transfer window.

The teenager revealed at the time that he had turned down an offer of a switch to St James’ Park as the “timing wasn’t right” during the winter, although the move could be on the cards again in the upcoming window, with a departure from the Ligue 1 outfit now seemingly likely.

The £18m-rated gem has become hot property following a standout campaign in the French top-flight, having netted ten league goals in 24 appearances, albeit while missing much of the second half of the season due to injury.

Dubbed the “next Mbappe” by journalist Graeme Bailey, the fledgling talent still has plenty to do to reach the heights of his compatriot, although his rapid progression of late has set tongues wagging in the northeast.

During his time at Bournemouth, manager Eddie Howe proved his knack of working and nurturing young talent, with the Englishman likely to be jumping at the chance to help develop such an exciting prospect.

Not that Ekitike will necessarily be the starting striker next term – with two centre-forward additions potentially on the cards – yet the starlet also possesses the ability to feature out wide, proving a useful asset in Howe’s squad.

Equally, the 6 foot 2 marksman is not simply a goalscorer, ranking in the top 3% for dribbles completed among those in his position in Europe’s big five leagues as well as in the top 17 % for progressive carries, showcasing his ability at driving his side up the pitch.

As they say, however, when one door opens another closes, with his potential arrival set to trigger some notable outgoings among the current squad, with 32-year-old Dwight Gayle one man seemingly destined for the axe.

The former Crystal Palace man was named as one of seven players who could be part of a mass exodus this summer, having failed to make any sort of mark in what has been a dismal last few seasons.

Having fired the club out of the Championship during his debut season on Tyneside, netting 23 league goals during the 2016/17 campaign, he has since scored just 11 top-flight goals for the Magpies, with arguably his best campaign having come on loan at West Bromwich Albion in 2018/19 when he again scored 23 second-tier goals.

In truth, the Englishman should likely have departed then with his stock high, yet has since been forced to wither away on the substitutes bench, failing to score a single goal in all competitions this season – albeit having been afforded just eight outings.

The £40k-per-week dud still has two years left to run on his existing contract, however, having bizarrely been handed a new three-year deal last summer.

Journalist Liam Kennedy stated at the time that such a move by the club was a “frustrating” one, as they had effectively opted to extend his contract in order to avoid having to spend money on a replacement.

That was under the Mike Ashley regime, however, with the new owners likely to see things differently.

In a side gearing up for an exciting future – and likely to contain young Ekitike – Gayle should be resigned to a figure of the past.

IN other news, Eddie Howe can now help NUFC sign “spectacular” £64m “nightmare”, he’s better than Saint-Maximin

Reliable journalist Alan Nixon has told Derby County supporters to hold their horses after some contract news this week prompted excitement about Chris Kirchner’s potential takeover.

The Lowdown: Buchanan signs

Kirchner announced on Twitter last week that he has secured a deal to become the new owner of the Rams, but it is still dependent on the sale of Pride Park.

Mel Morris’ ownership of the ground has been a huge roadblock throughout the takeover process, but a recent contract development had fans thinking maybe things were on the up.

Indeed, the news that the club have triggered Lee Buchanan’s contract extension seemed to imply a takeover was as good as done, given the fact that Phil Jagielka was unable to extend his deal in January due to the ownership situation.

The Latest: Not so fast…

After hearing of the developments on Buchanan, Nixon offered a worrying reaction, urging supporters to ease their excitement.

“Before anyone gets ahead of themselves…” he said on Twitter.

“Taking up contract options and making contract offers on time is SEPARATE from any suggestion takeover deal is done. It had to be then or players would walk. The takeover thing depends on stadium and is being worked on.”

The Verdict: Worrying

It is certainly worrying that the situation with the stadium is still not resolved – Kirchner only has until May 31 to complete the finer details on the takeover, so time is running out to pry the ground away from Morris.

Wayne Rooney’s team have already been threatened with more points deductions both for outstanding loans and separately for failure to pay playing staff, so the fact Buchanan’s contract is sorted is of course good, but it’s seemingly not the sign of things to come fans were hoping it was.

Time is ticking for Kirchner to get his deal over the line, and it looks like it’s all going to come down to Pride Park in the next seven days.

Sunderland have joined the race to sign Hull City’s James Scott ahead of this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the word?

That is according to reports via Portsmouth.co.uk, who state that Sunderland, amongst the likes of Derby, Portsmouth, Accrington and Hibernian are all keen to secure his signature.

As per the report, the Hull man may get a chance to prove himself to boss Shota Arveladze, who reportedly wants to see the player in action before deciding the next chapter of his career.

Imagine him and Stewart

21-year-old Scott, who has scored 15 goals in his career so far, has endured a somewhat difficult start to his career as a professional.

After scoring £1.5m.

Having registered six returns in the form of terrific” by former Mackems boss, Jack Ross.

His first 16 appearances for the Edinburgh outfit saw zero returns for the club, but in the final few games, he has demonstrated his ability, having managed hat-trick against St. Johnstone in the final game of the campaign.

It means he has scored four goals in five fixtures in the Scottish Premiership Relegation Round and has given clubs like Sunderland the inclination to look towards the Scotsman, who could form a formidable partnership with fellow countryman Ross Stewart.

Despite his incredible haul of 59 chances, with nine of these classed as big chances this campaign.

Scott, who was described as “perfectly placed” for his second goal against St. Johnstone, has been operating in a Hibernian side that have drummed up just 33 big chances this term, whilst Sunderland have managed to create almost double that with a tally of 64.

It goes without saying, a two-man Scottish partnership between Stewart and Scott could make for an unstoppable duo who could bolster the Black Cats, offensively speaking.

Scott’s finish to this season bodes well for his start to the next.

In other news: Neil can save Sunderland millions by unleashing 19y/o who can “make something happen”

Rangers chief Ross Wilson was active throughout the January transfer window as he brought in a host of players to bolster Gio van Bronckhorst’s squad.

The Gers signed James Sands, Amad Diallo and Aaron Ramsey on loan, whilst also sealing a permanent swoop for Mateusz Zukowski and a pre-contract deal with Hearts centre-back John Souttar.

One player who has struggled to perform on a consistent basis since arriving in Glasgow in January has been Ivorian, Diallo.

The 19-year-old winger joined on a temporary basis from Premier League giants Manchester United and made the perfect start to his career in Scotland as he scored on his Premiership debut against Ross County.

He then went on a run of six straight appearances for the club without registering a goal or assist and was an unused substitute on 13 occasions. Van Bronckhorst rarely used him between February and April and his lack of game time illustrates how poorly the majority of his time at the club has been.

Heading into May, Rangers fans – and the Dutch head coach – may have been looking forward to saying goodbye to him at the end of the season. However, a late burst of form from the attacker has shown that he does have the potential to explode in Glasgow.

In his last three appearances for the Gers, Diallo scored two goals, provided five key passes, and completed eight dribbles in the Premiership. He has been exciting to watch with his direct, forward-thinking, play in the front three and the supporters may now be rethinking their opinions on him.

His former Manchester United teammate Dan James previously lauded his “unbelievable feet” and claimed that he is “like Messi” in the way that players have to kick him to stop him, with the winger now showing why he is so highly-rated south of the border.

This burst of quality suggests that he has finally found his feet in Scotland and that is why van Bronckhorst must now swoop to bring him back for another spell at the club. Imagine how good he could be with a full pre-season and half-a-season of Premiership experience under his belt heading into 2022/23.

Therefore, the Gers coach can light up Ibrox next season by signing Diallo on another loan deal as the attacker has the potential to explode and become a huge player for the club if he can find consistency in his performances – as he has of late.

AND in other news, Teaser: Early Rangers UEL team news hint emerges that’ll excite supporters…

Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips has warned Sunderland of a ‘horrible’ let-down if they get too complacent following the celebrations for reaching the League One play-off final.

The Lowdown: Route to Wembley

The Black Cats went into the second leg of their third-tier play-off semi-final against Sheffield Wednesday with a 1-0 lead following Ross Stewart’s goal at the Stadium of Light, but the game looked set to be going to extra-time at Hillsborough after Lee Gregory found an equaliser for the Owls on 74 minutes.

However, winger Patrick Roberts came up with the goods for Alex Neil’s outfit by adding a winner in stoppage time to give Sunderland the 2-1 aggregate victory, meaning that they will now head to Wembley to take on Wycombe Wanderers in the ultimate showdown on May 21st.

The Latest: Phillips reacts to celebrations

After seeing his former side’s epic celebrations at Wednesday, Phillips has urged them to remain fully focused, telling ChronicleLive: “Enjoy tonight, rightly so and they get ready and start preparing for a week Saturday which is so important because you don’t want to go there and let you down.

“I’ve been there with Sunderland and it’s horrible to lose in a play-off final but believe me when you do win a play-off final it’s one of the best ways to get promoted and I hope these guys feel that on the 21st.

“They’ve [Sunderland] been stuck in it [League One] for four years, they’ve got another opportunity on the 21st to get out of it, but it’ll be a tough tough match. Everyone will make Sunderland the favourites.

“Ultimately, as Clinton [Morrison] will tell you, when these moments come around, you have to enjoy them. Definitely go and have a beer tonight, enjoy yourselves tonight and tomorrow and then come back in whenever you do refocussed to go again.”

The Verdict: Neil’s the perfect man for the job

Alex Neil first joined the Black Cats on an initial 12-month rolling deal back in February where he took over as Lee Johnson’s successor following their 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Bolton Wanderers, which ultimately saw his time at the club come to an end.

The 40-year-old took charge of the last 15 league games of the season after arriving and has quite literally transformed Sunderland’s record, having won eight, drawn six, and lost just one of those outings, as per Transfermarkt, so it’s no wonder they managed to secure a play-off place after displaying such scintillating form.

The Bellshill-born manager already has experience of being in this position having guided Norwich City and Hamilton up through the play-offs and there’s no reason why he won’t be able to do it again later this month.

In other news… a finance expert has dropped a huge claim regarding the club’s potential takeover.

Newcastle United are planning to recruit between four and six players this summer, The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards says. 

The lowdown

Newcastle are gearing up for their first summer transfer window since their Saudi-led takeover went through in the autumn.

In January, the new owners sanctioned a record £90million spend on five new players – Bruno Guimaraes, Chris Wood, Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn and loan signing Matt Targett.

Edwards has previously reported that they’re unlikely to shell out quite that much in the summer market.

The goal may now be to secure at least a top-half finish after Eddie Howe guided his bolstered squad away from relegation trouble.

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The latest

Edwards tweeted on Monday afternoon that ‘multiple sources have confirmed’ Newcastle’s ‘plan’ to bring in ‘between four and six’ new faces ‘to boost first team strength’.

The amount the club can generate through sales will be important, he adds.

They’re also ‘looking closely’ at the loan market and are ‘likely’ to dip into it for ‘at least one’ player ‘towards the end of the window’.

The verdict

Who might some of the new faces be at St James’ Park? Well, one likely addition appears to be Targett on a permanent deal.

Transfer insider Dean Jones said recently the Aston Villa-owned defender had become their ‘number one’ target and that they were looking to swiftly tie up a deal that could be worth £15million.

And according to The Daily Mail, they’re also working on a deal for Jesse Lingard, who wouldn’t demand a transfer fee as he reaches the end of his Manchester United contract.

Predominant frugality could theoretically allow the Magpies to make one blockbuster addition and stay within the confines of their budget.

In other news, Frank McAvennie warns Newcastle against this mooted move.

Adam Jones has been left stunned by what Mason Mount did which saw him get a yellow card for Chelsea against Everton in the Premier League this afternoon.

The Lowdown: Mount cautioned

The 23-year-old found himself cautioned by the referee after he appeared to push Yerry Mina to the ground after a collision between the two players in the first half.

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This sparked a brawl between both teams on the pitch, as things started to get a little heated at Goodison Park.

The Latest: Jones reacts

Taking to Twitter, Liverpool Echo journalist Jones gave his instant reaction to Mount’s antics, claiming that it was ‘very strange’ and ‘unnecessary’ from the England international.

In response to the incident, he tweeted: “Very strange one, that. Looked very off-the-ball and unnecessary.”

The Verdict: Unnecessary

As Jones rightfully points out, Mount pushing Mina back to the ground after their collision was completely unnecessary, and almost warranted the yellow card more than his actual challenge.

Still, the Colombia international did not let that faze him, as Everton got to half-time on level terms, before Richarlison gave them an early lead in the second half.

Nonetheless, the important thing was that Mina did not react to Mount’s antics, instead keeping his cool as the Toffees fought for all three points to close the gap on both Leeds United and Burnley.

In other news, find out what big Everton injury blow has now emerged