All posts by z3u9t.icu

Aston Villa could sign a new Idrissa Gueye in FC Metz midfielder Pape Sarr this summer as a transfer update emerges.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months have suggested that Dean Smith’s side are interested in signing the 18-year-old this summer, with it then being revealed that his current club seem willing to let him go for the right price.

Metz’s president, Bernard Cerin, said: “All the clubs now want to buy him for cheaper. We are in the opposite situation. We want to keep him a little longer. The wish is to keep everyone – but we do not control everything. A very high offer makes it difficult for you to convince a player to stay.”

And now, The Athletic have name-checked Villa as a team that have “looked at” Sarr as they look to strengthen their squad ahead of the new season.

Villa’s new Idrissa Gueye

Villa fans will, of course, know all about Gueye and the tenacious midfield work that he got through in his time at Villa Park, before making the move to fellow Premier League side Everton and now PSG.

In Sarr, Smith could find an exciting, younger version of the Senegal international.

The 18-year-old enjoyed a real breakthrough season with the Ligue 1 side, playing 22 times in the league, and establishing himself as one of the first names on the team sheet for Metz boss Frederic Antonetti.

And, Antonetti has not shied away from lavishing his midfield starlet with praise, saying: “Pape Matar Sarr is elegance in the midfield, it’s talent, it’s making others play.”

He added: “He will be able to go as far as he wants to go. He must work, be as he is there, modest, regular, hardworking. He must continue to love football and he will do like the great players, he will go far. I think he will go very far.”

Dubbed as someone who’s “got everything” to his game, Sarr averaged an impressive two tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game, while also boasting a passing accuracy of 85.3% – compare that to Gueye who managed 2.3 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per match in Ligue 1 this season with PSG, and having a 92.6% pass accuracy.

The £25m-rated machine could arrive at Villa Park as the new man to take over the throne of Gueye.

Meanwhile, Villa are set for an exciting boost…

Major news has emerged about an “outstanding” £360k-rated ace who has been linked with a move to Sunderland.

What’s the talk?

Scottish Premiership side St Mirren have officially confirmed the signing of left-back Scott Tanser on a free transfer from St Johnstone. The 26-year-old has put pen to paper on a one-year contract with St Mirren, with the club holding an option to extend it by a further 12 months.

According to the Sunderland Echo, Lee Johnson is eager to bring in a left-back this summer and Tanser was one of the names on the club’s list of targets.

In the official announcement of Tanser’s arrival at St Mirren, his new boss Jim Goodwin claimed that he was “outstanding” for St Johnstone at left wing-back. He told St Mirren’s official website:

“Scott Tanser is one who knows the league and has been outstanding at left wing-back for St. Johnstone this season. He’s a very good athlete, great delivery, he was instrumental in some of the really good performances that St. Johnstone had.

“I’ve been speaking to Scott since January time, really with him and his agent trying to get something done and I’m delighted that today he has agreed to come in.”

Sunderland fans will be livid

Sunderland fans will be livid at this news as the club are currently set to head into next month without a senior left-back on the books.

Callum McFadzean has been released and Denver Hume is currently in contract talks with the club over a potential extension of his deal. As it stands, Hume will become a free agent at the end of the month and Johnson will go from having two left-back options to having none.

Football League World have reported that Middlesbrough are interested in signing Hume on a free. This could make it difficult for Sunderland to keep Hume at the club as Middlesbrough could offer him a higher standard of football in the Championship. Although, it remains to be seen how interested Middlesbrough are and what wages they would be able to provide in comparison to Sunderland.

This means that missing out on Tanser is particularly painful as Sunderland are in desperate need of a left-back to come through the door. Tanser impressed in the Scottish Premiership for St Johnstone and could have been a superb addition to Johnson’s squad, with an average WhoScored rating of 7.08 in 17 starts as a left wing-back.

The £360k-rated ace averaged 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game, whilst also winning an impressive 3.6 aerial battles per game in the Scottish Premiership.

Hopefully, Johnson and Sunderland have other targets in the pipeline who they can now pursue with a deal for Tanser out of the question.

With Hume’s future still up in the air and McFadzean on his way out, it would be ideal for Sunderland to get a left-back in sooner rather than later instead of waiting too late and going into the season without proper cover in that position.

The Sunderland fans should be fuming that their club has got to a position where they’re not only going to be going into the summer without a left-back, but also that they’re being beaten to players by St Mirren.

AND in other news, Major update emerges on “athletic” £2m beast, Sunderland fans will be on cloud nine…

Aston Villa appear to have won the race for Fleetwood Town defender and reported Celtic target Josh Feeney, according to Birmingham Live.

The Lowdown: Celtic links

Feeney, England’s Under-16 captain, has been a man in demand in recent months.

Celtic, along with Villa, Leeds United Leicester City and Wolves were all credited with an interest in the centre-back last month.

Feeney, who stands at 6 foot 3, is yet to make a senior appearance for Fleetwood but appears to be on the move this summer.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-6/” title=”Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Villa visit

According to Birmingham Live, Villa is Feeney’s preferred destination despite being poised to move to Manchester United.

He visited Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training facility on Thursday which left Feeney’s representatives impressed.

It now seems as if a move to the Midlands is on the cards ahead of an Old Trafford switch.

The Verdict: Could have been a Hjelde replacement?

Leeds United have been linked with a move for Hoops teenager Leo Hjelde in recent days, so Feeney could well have been an ideal replacement for the Norwegian.

Hjelde, who has 12 months remaining on his Parkhead deal, was tipped as ‘the next Virgil van Dijk’ by former Ross County manager John Hughes last season.

It seems as if Celtic could lose him, so adding Feeney may have been perfect – the amount of interest the Englishman has attracted suggests he too is quite the prospect.

It doesn’t look as if a move to Scotland will materialise, though, and Aston Villa may well have got themselves a future star in Feeney.

In other news: Hoops keen on international winger, find out more here. 

Leicester City have been linked with a move for Borussia Monchengladbach winger Jonas Hofmann ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to German outlet Bild, the Foxes are keen to prize the 28-year-old away from the Bundesliga outfit as Brendan Rodgers looks to strengthen his squad over the summer.

The report also claims that fellow Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur and La Liga giants Atletico Madrid are vying for Hofmann’s signature.

Rodgers needs him

Leicester enjoyed an impressive 2020/21 campaign, sealing their maiden FA Cup crown before narrowly missing out on a Champions League qualification spot.

Injuries to several key stars badly affected Rodgers’ charges throughout the season, with a lack of strength in depth noticeable upon their absence.

Harvey Barnes was flying before a serious knee injury ruled the 23-year-old out for the remainder of the campaign, and the drop-off in quality among his direct replacements led to a slight change of system for the Midlands outfit.

AS Roma forward Cengiz Under arrived on a season-long loan last summer and was expected to add an exciting and intriguing option to the Leicester attack.

However, the Turkey international failed to settle in England, with Rodgers seemingly remaining unconvinced over his tactical discipline.

Although Under would have been the most natural alternative to the injured Barnes, Rodgers often opted for either Ricardo Pereira, a full-back, or Ayoze Perez, an attacking midfielder, to fill the void out wide.

Under made just one Premier League start during his time at the King Power Stadium, failing to find the back on the net while on league duty throughout a bitterly disappointing loan spell.

His return to Rome leaves the door open for a replacement which Rodgers desperately needs, and director of football Jon Rudkin may have found the perfect one in Hofmann.

The Germany international has impressed at Monchengladbach for many years now and was particularly impressive in 2020/21, bagging eight goals and providing 13 assists in all competitions.

If Leicester want to finally break into the top four next season, then the addition of Hofmann could prove to be pivotal.

And, in other news…Rudkin masterclass: LCFC must seal “dazzling” £22.5m-rated gem, Rodgers needs him 

Former Rangers ace Michael Ball believes that Harry Wilson deserves a move to the Scottish champions in this transfer window.

Steven Gerrard’s side have been linked with a swoop to sign the winger from Liverpool in the summer transfer window.

He has spent the season on loan at Cardiff City, making 37 appearances in the Championship, scoring seven goals and registering 12 assists.

The 24-year-old has struggled for minutes for Liverpool, making just two senior appearances.

But Ball believes that his performances for Cardiff and his other loan clubs – Crewe Alexandra, Hull City, Derby County, and AFC Bournemouth – have earned him the right to make the move north of the border to link up with Gerrard’s Scottish champions.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Ball said: “It does seem like a similar situation to Ryan Kent.

“If he goes up there, he probably deserves his move to a big football club. He’s done the hard yards now, he’s developed, and he’s had a great season.”

Kent, of course, moved to Rangers for a fee of £7.5m after finding minutes hard to come by at Liverpool and he has developed into a star, playing a key role in their Premiership triumph this term, with eight goals and nine assists in 33 games.

Celtic have been handed a Champions League qualifying boost, as reported by The Scottish Sun.

The Lowdown: Celtic’s CL woes

The Hoops have struggled in Europe’s elite club competition in recent years.

They have failed to reach the group stages in the past three seasons, losing to AEK Athens, CFR Cluj and Ferencvaros at the qualifying stages.

Celtic’s loss to Ferencvaros last year was their earliest Champions League exit in 15 years, but despite finishing second in the Scottish Premiership this season, it seems as if they’ve been handed a boost in regards to qualifying this time around.

The Latest: Who Celtic could face?

Celtic will be seeded in the second and third qualifying rounds, with The Scottish Sun describing it as a massive boost.

Should they progress, the Hoops will dodge Shakhtar Donetsk, the third-placed French side – either Monaco or Lyon, and Portuguese giants Benfica.

They could still be paired with the likes of Genk, PSV Eindhoven or Spartak Moscow, but on paper, it seems an easier draw.

The Verdict: Good news for McKay and Howe?

You could argue that the likes of Genk, PSV Eindhoven and Spartak Moscow are much better sides than AEK Athens, CFR Cluj and Ferencvaros, who Celtic have failed to beat in previous years, but to us, this update should be good news for CEO Dominic McKay and possible new manager, Eddie Howe.

Howe has reportedly (talkSPORT) agreed to take over at Parkhead for the 2021/22 season and could well get his first taste of European action, should Celtic progress under his guidance.

If Celtic advance to the group stages, it would be worth around £14m, and each win in the group stage would also see them pocket £2.4m.

That could come in extremely handy when it comes to a Parkhead rebuild, and it seems as if the Hoops now have an easier route of qualifying over the coming months.

In other news: Celtic set for battle to keep ‘incredible’ ace as PL side plot bid over 4 times his market value, find out more here. 

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith is reportedly keen on making a move for Norwich City star Emiliano Buendia this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports over the summer last year suggested that Villa were very much interested in landing the Argentine before the end of the deadline, but a deal failed to materialise.

Now, The Sun (via The Birmingham Mail) claim that Smith is keen on getting his man the second time around, especially with Ross Barkley almost certain to return back to Chelsea after his loan spell ends at the end of the Premier League season.

Dean Smith would love him

Given the kind of reliance Villa have placed upon Jack Grealish as their main source of creation, it’s unsurprising that Johan Lange appears to be eyeing another wide play-maker in the shape of Buendia.

The £20k-a-week star has enjoyed a remarkable campaign thus far for the Canaries this season, firing them straight back to the Premier League at the first time of asking – he’s scored 14 goals and provided a whopping 17 assists in the league alone.

His teammate, Max Aarons, has meanwhile raved about the kind of creative genius that he is, saying: “He’s not really a player who will get on the ball and take you on as a full-back. His game is more about getting into pockets, playing neat passes and creating things.

“When you’ve got someone, who wants to run at you, then it’s easier to lock them down whereas someone like him is quite intricate so it’s hard to get near him. He’s tenacious and very strong. He’s got a lot of attributes.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-aston-villa-transfer-rumours-and-news-copy-copy” title=”Latest Aston Villa transfer rumours and news”]

Given his bucket-load of assists and goals this season, Smith would no doubt love to have Buendia in his squad to really ease the pressure on Grealish’s shoulders, whether he’s playing or not.

Meanwhile, Villa are monitoring this star who just starred against them…

Celtic’s plan this summer should very be centred around exorcising the older players from the squad and bringing younger ones to Parkhead.

The likes of Scott Brown and Callum McGregor have proven to be liabilities at times this season while the experienced Vasilis Barkas has hardly pulled up trees either.

The Greek stopper fell down the pecking order quickly after his £4.5m deal and now hasn’t played since January, a 2-2 draw with Livingston.

That being said, the Hoops would be foolish to completely forget about experienced heads. After all, they will need a few helping hands when it comes to blooding the reserve players.

One player who could help achieve that is James Forrest.

The Scotland international will be 30 by the time the new season arrives but he is still vitally important to Celtic.

He has missed a great deal of the current campaign with injury but showed what a huge absence he’d been when he returned.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/celtic-manager-transfers-eddie-howe-jesse-marsch-ryan-christie-siriki-dembele” title=”Read the latest Celtic managerial updates, transfer news, rumours and gossip!”]

Forrest scored in the 6-0 rout of Livi last month and then found the net in the Scottish Cup against Falkirk too.

If the new manager has any sense then he’ll be front and centre of Celtic’s rebuild. He did score 16 goals and register 22 assists last term after all.

Their attack could be a vibrant one next year if they add Celtic-linked Xherdan Shaqiri to their ranks too. With the 89-cap Switzerland international on one wing and Forrest on the other, it has the potential to be an exhilarating front line.

Similarly to the Scot, Shaqiri has creativity in abundance and has technique that could frighten the life out of Premiership defences. He is quick-footed and has a marvellous football brain, something that’s earned him spells with Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Liverpool.

His 1.3 key passes per match for the Reds this season are only bettered by four players in the entire Celtic squad.

Speaking about what sets him apart, The Athletic’s Liverpool correspondent James Pearce commented: “I absolutely love watching him. He’s just a real rare breed, isn’t he? With that ability to create something out of nothing, just incredible intelligence as well as the breathtaking technique.”

Some of the things Shaqiri can engineer when the ball is at his feet are truly mesmerising. He once scored an overhead kick for Liverpool in pre-season, repeating a feat he had the audacity to successfully pull off at Euro 2016.

If an opportunity to sign him becomes available, Celtic must grasp it with both hands. His expertise could be valuable in bringing through the next generation at Paradise.

AND in other news, Celtic can axe McGregor by unleashing rarely-seen 20 y/o with a “wand of a left foot”…

According to sporx.com, Galatasaray are interested in signing Glasgow Rangers’ Joe Aribo this summer.

The Lowdown: Gers stars to attract interest

Given the Gers won the Premiership without losing a single match this campaign (BBC), there are likely to be a number of their players attracting interest from across Europe.

The likes of Glen Kamara are said to be on a number of radars (The Daily Mail), while Alfredo Morelos has already said his dream is to play in the Premier League (Radio Caracol).

The Latest: Galatasaray want Aribo

Now, it has emerged that Turkish outfit Galatasaray are eyeing Aribo.

He is valued at €3.5m (£3.15m) by Transfermarkt, but this report says the Ibrox outfit are likely to want considerably more than that fee.

The Verdict: Plenty more to give

The recently-ended season was a mixed one for Aribo. He played 42 matches in all competitions, scoring eight goals and providing seven assists, and even displayed his versatility by playing at left-back towards the end of the term (Transfermarkt). However, he has struggled with injuries at times, and has also come in for criticism from supporters.

According to The Athletic, Aribo’s real value is £11m – that would be a considerable sum for the 55-time Scottish champions. Of course, he still has plenty to give the Gers, but if they can get a good price for him, they may decide to move him on and look for an upgrade. Galatasaray, who have won the Turkish league 22-times, may feel he is the right man for them.

In other news, Rangers fans react to footage of this club “legend”.

Dean Windass has exclusively told the Transfer Tavern that Harry Kane will be a Manchester City player next season.

Kane’s future at Spurs has come under serious threat in recent weeks following their embarrassing Europa League exit to Dinamo Zagreb last month coupled with their poor Premier League form.

The England captain could win his first piece of silverware in the Carabao Cup final this month, but with Tottenham currently three points adrift of the top four, the prospect of no Champions League football once again is becoming a genuine possibility for Kane.

Pep Guardiola revealed that City won’t be replacing the departing Sergio Aguero, but the rumours linking Kane with a move to the Etihad Stadium aren’t going away, although Erling Haaland appears the alternative for the champions elect, providing he stays with Tottenham.

But Windass told the Transfer Tavern that he can’t see Kane ending up anywhere else:

“If Kane wants to go to Man City and Man City want Harry Kane, he’ll be there in a breath. The only player on Pep’s lips is Harry Kane, in my opinion. I don’t think he’ll be at Tottenham next year. If Man City want him, then you’re going to pay £200m.

“If you get a proven striker like Harry Kane, you are going to end up winning Champions Leagues!”