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Former Premier League star Carlton Palmer insists that Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger would be willing to move to Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer at the end of the season.

The Germany international’s contract is set to expire at the end of the campaign and he has yet to agree to fresh terms with the Blues.

Reports claim that Chelsea will need to make Rudiger one of their highest-paid players in order to keep him at Stamford Bridge.

Talks are continuing over a potential deal but the defender may be available at the end of the season.

Indeed, Spurs have been linked with the central defender previously and Palmer does not think that the rivalry between the two clubs will prohibit a move.

He said: “Of course. We’ve seen that. Listen, although the rivalry is there, we’ve seen players go from Spurs to Arsenal, Arsenal to Spurs, or to Chelsea, whatever.

“You’ve seen William Gallas leave Chelsea to go to Arsenal, although the rivalry is there, you’ve seen Olivier Giroud leave Arsenal to go to Chelsea. If the deal’s right, the money’s right, the player will move and the club will move him on; that’s just the way it is.”

Rudiger has been with Chelsea since 2017 and has made a total of 156 appearances for the club, while also winning 47 caps for Germany; Transfermarkt value the defender at £25.2m.

Liverpool have received no bids for unwanted Reds pair Loris Karius and Sheyi Ojo, according to reliable journalist Neil Jones.

The Lowdown: No future for duo

Jurgen Klopp has had a quiet summer window overall, only bringing in Ibrahima Konate and selling the likes of Gini Wijnaldum and Xherdan Shaqiri.

Two players with no future at Liverpool are Karius and Ojo, with the former fourth in the goalkeeping pecking order and the latter not playing for the Reds’ first-team since the 2016/17 season.

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The Latest: Jones provides key update

Taking to Twitter on deadline day, Goal‘s Jones claimed that there have been ‘no developments’ regarding Karius and Ojo moving on.

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The Verdict: Sell them on, Reds

Neither Karius or Ojo have any kind of future at Anfield, so it is for their own good that they find a new club before the transfer window closes.

If not, they risk stagnating further at Liverpool and enjoying no first-team football, with Klopp highly unlikely to even play them in the domestic cups based on how little action they’ve seen in recent seasons.

Karius has never recovered from his 2018 Champions League final nightmare, while Oyo simply isn’t at the level required to be a handy squad player, spending time at Wigan Athletic, Wolves, Fulham, Reims, Rangers and Cardiff City in the past.

In other news, one Liverpool player could leave on deadline day – find out who it is here.

Nottingham Forest have been handed a major injury boost ahead of their upcoming Championship fixture.

What’s the latest?

Having missed Forest’s last three league games due to illness, the winger now looks to have taken a major step in his recovery, playing 60 minutes of Nottingham Forest’s U23 side’s 4-1 Premier League 2 victory over Blackburn Rovers on Monday evening.

However, not only did the 29-year-old get a considerable amount of game time under his belt, but he also scored two goals in the fixture – with an onlooking Chris Hughton watching from the stands.

Hughton will be buzzing

Considering how poorly Nottingham Forest have started their 2021/22 Championship campaign, picking up just one point over their opening five fixtures of the season, should Lolley indeed be available for selection for the Reds’ upcoming fixture against Cardiff City on Sunday, it would undoubtedly leave Hughton buzzing.

While the forward was not in the best of form for Forest last term, scoring one goal, registering two assists and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.73 over his 28 league appearances, the 29-year-old demonstrated in the club’s 2019/20 campaign that he has the ability to play a starring role in the 62-year-old’s side this time around.

Indeed, over his 42 Championship appearances that season, the £3.15m-rated man scored nine goals, provided eight assists and created a whopping 11 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.5 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

These returns saw the man Sabri Lamouchi dubbed an “important” player earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.07, ranking him as the Reds’ joint second-best player in the league.

As such, should the £12k-per-week winger be able to rediscover this form upon his return to the Nottingham Forest first team, it would certainly be a major boost for Hughton’s side, who will undoubtedly be hoping that Lolley can play a part in the club securing their first win of the Championship season at the City Ground on Sunday.

In other news: Report sheds light on yet another Forest Deadline Day disaster, fans will be fuming

Birmingham City are reportedly interested in a deal to sign Nottingham Forest forward Lyle Taylor, according to The Sun’s Alan Nixon.

What’s the story?

Taylor has been with Nottingham Forest since 2020, having previously been on the books with Charlton Athletic, where he caught the eye with a number of impressive performances.

The forward scored 35 goals in 67 appearances for the Addicks, which saw him earn a move to the City Ground, but that move hasn’t quite worked out as expected.

Taylor has found regular minutes hard to come by with the Reds, whilst under the management of former Brighton and Hove Albion boss Chris Hughton.

The 31-year-old made 15 league starts for the Reds, as he was often behind Lewis Grabban in the pecking order last term, as Forest finished 17th in the Championship table.

Birmingham City are reportedly keen on reaching an agreement to sign Taylor this summer, but only if Sam Cosgrove is to move on as well, with the former Aberdeen forward being linked with a move of his own, to League One outfit Wycombe Wanderers.

‘Outstanding’

Taylor has shown glimpses of his quality in the Championship, having been a rare bright spark in a disappointing league campaign with Charlton in the 2019/20 season, as the Addicks were relegated back into the third-tier of English football.

With 11 goals in 22 appearances in that season, he’s shown that he can perform to a good enough standard in the Championship, but for one reason or another, his move to Nottingham Forest hasn’t quite worked out.

In the 2019/20 season, Taylor had an average Whoscored rating of 6.76, which put him fifth on the list of Charlton’s best performers from that campaign.

Birmingham could certainly benefit from adding depth to their attacking options, with Lee Bowyer already having the likes of Lukas Jutkiewicz, Scott Hogan and Sam Cosgrove already on the books with the Blues.

But Cosgrove could be set to depart, with Wycombe rumoured to be interested in a deal to sign the 24-year-old.

That could open the door for a new forward to arrive, and Taylor could be the ideal striker to join Jutkiewicz in attack for Lee Bowyer’s side moving forwards.

Bowyer knows what Taylor can bring to a team, with the pair having worked together whilst at Charlton not so long ago.

Stoke City had previously been keen on a deal to sign the 31-year-old, but a move to the bet365 Stadium is unlikely at this stage, with Sam Surridge recently signing permanently from fellow Championship side Bournemouth.

Lee Bowyer has previously labelled Taylor’s work ethic as ‘outstanding’ whilst the pair were at Charlton Athletic together.

“His scoring record isn’t bad against anyone. His work rate was outstanding, again, all-round play, for me he was a full performance from a striker, he had everything.”

Birmingham should push hard to get this deal over the line as a partnership of Taylor and Jutkiewicz would frighten plenty of Championship defences.

AND In other news… Birmingham City show interest in 20-year-old prodigy…

An update has emerged on outstanding Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard, regarding a potential transfer to the Premier League.

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, Premier League clubs are dropping out of the race for Odsonne Edouard due to the Celtic attacker’s wage demands.

The report claims that both Southampton and Brighton have opted against a deal for the ex-PSG man because he is demanding £85k-per-week, with the Hoops wanting a £15m fee for his services.

Fans will be buzzing

Celtic fans will be delighted with this update from Nixon as it appears to increase the chances of Edouard remaining in Scotland beyond the end of the transfer window. His options are diminishing with clubs refusing to meet his extortionate, by their estimations, wage demands and that could leave him with nowhere to go between now and September 1st.

The Frenchman is seemingly pricing himself out of a move and that could come as a massive boost to Ange Postecoglou’s squad, as he is a quality player in the Scottish Premiership. He is a proven goalscorer and the Australian coach could need his ability to put the ball in the back of the net to stand a chance of reclaiming the title from their arch-rivals Rangers this season.

Former Hoops forward Frank McGarvey commented on speculation over the Frenchman in 2020 and hailed him as an outstanding footballer. He said:

“I just love watching Edouard. He has that bit of magic in his feet, and he reminds me of Charlie Nicholas.

“You just know if he gets the ball just outside of the box the other team are in trouble. Edouard has that ability to produce something out of nothing because he has such quick feet.

“I think someone will come in this summer and put £20million on the table for him. You can’t blame Celtic for taking it, especially in the current climate.

“I’ll be sorry to see him go because he is an outstanding footballer. His temperament and his ability are genuinely top class.”

His statistics for Celtic back up these claims. Last season, the forward scored 18 goals in 26 starts across the Scottish Premiership and Europa League and has one goal and one assist in one league start this term. This is why fans will be buzzing that he could now be set to stay at Celtic Park as they will continue to watch him – hopefully – score goals and win games for the club.

The window closing with him still at Celtic could also allow him to fully focus on his football without the distraction of a potential move away. Therefore, fans could enjoy seeing a motivated Edouard showcase what he can do throughout the 2021/22 campaign.

AND in other news, Report drops update on “incredible” £5m beast that’ll leave Celtic fans gutted…

Everton are one of the clubs battling for the signature of Bayer Leverkusen’s Leon Bailey, according to 90Min.

The lowdown

It currently seems to be Aston Villa who are at the front of the queue for Bailey. Dean Smith’s side reportedly submitted a £25million bid but saw it rejected.

Bailey caught the eye after he was directly involved in 17 goals (scoring nine and assisting eight) in just 25 Bundesliga starts last season (via WhoScored).

He also ranked in the league’s top five for successful dribbles per match with 2.5. For context, Richarlison led the way for Everton in this department with only 1.8.

The 23-year-old has predominantly been used as a left winger, but can also play on the right (via Transfermarkt). Intriguingly, Everton have already signed a wide player from the Werkself this summer in Demarai Gray.

Back in 2018, former Bayer 04 coach Heiko Herrlich described Bailey as a player who ‘can do anything’.

The latest

Everton are named by 90min as one of the many clubs ‘keen’ on beating Villa to the signing of the Jamaican attacker.

Leicester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers are Southampton are also identified as suitors.

The report also notes that three Champions League sides in the form of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City have previously monitored Bailey, but currently ‘there’s no indication’ that they’ll enter the fray.

The verdict

Whilst it would raise eyebrows if Everton signed a third winger on the back of Gray and Andros Townsend, it’s clear that Bailey is a cut above in terms of his quality.

However, Leicester’s interest has perhaps changed the landscape. They’re the only named suitor who can offer Bailey European football, having already broken into the top six.

It seems that we’ll either see a bidding war or Bailey will defuse the situation by making his preferred destination known.

For the mid-table clubs in the frame, he’d represent some coup based on his considerable potential and production so far.

In other news, Everton also face a battle for the signature of this defender.

Big money signings at Everton are usually customary but this has, so far, been a rather poor summer for the Toffees.

The Goodison Park outfit have missed out on the likes of Leon Bailey and Ben White, preferring cheaper signings since Rafa Benitez became their new manager.

What’s the word?

Everton are still hot on the heels of Joaquin Correa and Stefan de Vrij but they’ve been urged to dip their toes into the Premier League market again.

That has come from their former striker Kevin Campbell, who has urged Benitez to sign Manchester United’s Anthony Martial.

The Daily Star claimed that United are ready to offload the Frenchman who they signed for £36m.

Reacting to the news, Campbell said: “There could be a loan worked out. You don’t always have to pay all of the wages, although United would like them to pay as much as they can.

“When he fancies it, he’s hard to stop – he’s electric.”

Best deal since Lukaku

Everton have had plenty of great forwards throughout the years but arguably none were better than Romelu Lukaku in the Premier League era.

The Belgian attacker is one of the elite players in world football and truly burst onto the scene during a spell in Merseyside.

Lukaku bagged 87 goals in 166 outings for the Goodison Park outfit, setting the stadium alight and regularly getting supporters on their feet.

Benitez could replicate that kind of impact by luring Martial to his side for a season.

It’s a far-fetched deal but on his day, he’s an incredibly dangerous player. After scoring against Fulham back in 2019, Sunderland legend Stephen Elliot hailed him “unstoppable.”

You only need to look at his dazzling dribbling ability and mesmerising speed to understand why.

Last term, he recorded 1.6 dribbles per game which would have made him the second-best dribbler in the Everton side during 2020/21.

Martial didn’t play a great deal of football last term, featuring just 22 times in the Premier League. That said, in all competitions, he still managed seven strikes and nine assists.

With Everton potentially losing Richarlison this summer, the United speedster would be a wonderful replacement.

His ability to beat opponents and find the back of the net has the ability to set Goodison Park on fire. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is their current top scorer but they’ve not had someone as ruthless in several aspects of their game since Lukaku.

If Martial lives up to his undoubted potential, he could have a similar impact in Merseyside.

AND in other news, Benitez could discover his new Fernando Torres if Everton land 58-goal “nightmare”…

Steve Bull has told Football FanCast that Bruno Lage will only succeed as Wolverhampton Wanderers’ head coach if he is given money to improve the squad this summer.

Former Benfica chief Lage was named as Nuno Espirito Santo’s successor last month.

Nuno, who has since been appointed as Tottenham Hotspur’s boss, left by mutual agreement at the end of the campaign after Wolves finished in a disappointing 13th in the Premier League standings.

Lage, 45, has moved quickly to bolster his squad, with 20-year-old defender Yerson Mosquera joining from Colombian outfit Atletico Nacional and exciting winger Francisco Trincão joining on a season-long loan – including an option to make the move permanent – from Barcelona.

However, club legend Bull insists further reinforcements are needed if Lage wants to thrive at Molineux.

Bull also admits he was unaware of the Portuguese Lage before he was being touted as a potential candidate for the top job at Wolves.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Bull said: “I knew absolutely nothing about him. It’s the same as when Nuno came in. Who knew what Nuno was about? Nobody knew.

“Foreign managers come over and they want to stamp their mark on the Premier League. You’ve got to give him a chance but it all boils down to what they give him to spend.”

According to a report by 90min, West Ham United have joined the plethora of clubs eyeing Liverpool forward Divock Origi – with the player’s agents ‘working hard’ to seal his Anfield exit this summer.

The Lowdown: West Ham in centre-forward hunt…

The Hammers have been linked with many forwards since before the start of this window and thereafter.

As per Claret & Hugh, manager David Moyes has set his sights on bolstering West Ham’s attacking options as one of his three main transfer priorities this summer.

The usual suspects like Tammy Abraham and Youssef En-Nesyri remain linked, while new names like Paul Onuachu and Roman Yaremchuk have only just entered the frame in recent weeks.

The Latest: West Ham now eyeing Origi…

As per 90min’s ‘transfer insider’ Graeme Bailey, the Irons are now monitoring Belgium international Origi as the player’s agents work tirelessly behind the scenes to find him a new club.

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Origi, despite enjoying some very memorable moments in a Liverpool shirt, is heavily out of favour under manager Jurgen Klopp and now could be the time to leave Merseyside.

It is reported that the Reds now want Ismaila Sarr from Watford and are ready to pay up to £40 million, but could first have to make room by offloading Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri.

As well as unnamed clubs abroad, West Ham are interested in the 26-year-old alongside Southampton, Crystal Palace, Newcastle, Rangers and Celtic.

The Verdict: Avoid…

Scoring just 58 goals over a senior career spanning 282 matches for three different clubs (Transfermarkt), we believe West Ham should avoid this one.

Origi started just two matches in the Premier League over 2020/2021 and is valued at £10.8 million by Transfermarkt, not to mention he has only bagged around 19 top flight goals over 100 league appearances for Liverpool.

Indeed, despite Hammers legend Frank McAvennie recently dubbing him ‘wonderful’ (Football Insider), there is no doubt that the forward should be way down Moyes’ striker shortlist, with other candidates boasting more consistent playing time and superior goal records.

In other news: ‘Yes yes yes’, ‘Unreal’, ‘Come ooon’…ExWHUemployee’s news has many West Ham fans excited, find out more here.

West Brom goalkeeper Josh Griffiths would be a ‘great signing’ for Portsmouth this summer, according to former Pompey midfielder David Norris.

The Lowdown: Griffiths linked with Pompey move

The 19-year-old enjoyed a superb 2020/21 season, shining on loan at Cheltenham Town and helping them finish the League Two campaign as champions.

Griffiths started 44 of their 46 league matches, proving to be an influential figure and being hailed as ‘brilliant’ by manager Michael Duff.

The youngster has been linked with a move to Pompey this summer as Danny Cowley looks to steer his side into the Championship.

The Latest: Norris keen on goalkeeper signing

Speaking to Football League World, Norris talked up the idea of Griffiths moving to Fratton Park, saying that he could be a great addition for the League One side. The 40-year-old stated:

“I think he’d be a great signing, Cheltenham had a very good defensive record when he was there.

“They kept a lot of clean sheets with him in the team, you know, over 20 clean sheets. So they obviously had a decent keeper in their side, so I think that would be a good signing for the club to make.”

The Verdict: Potential great addition

Griffiths seems to be a wonderful prospect, already thriving at such a young age in a position where players can often peak into their 30s.

He could be an exciting signing by Pompey if they pull it off, replacing Craig MacGillivray after his move to Charlton Athletic and aiding a hopeful promotion push.

Griffiths is still only a teenager and the step up to League One could be significant at this stage in his career, but he showed such confidence at Cheltenham that this seems the next natural step for him.

In other news, Norris has called for one player to return to Portsmouth this summer. Find out who it is here.