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Newcastle United are competing for the signature of former Liverpool loanee Ozan Kabak, according to Bild.

The lowdown

Kabak spent the latter half of the 2020/21 season on loan at Anfield amid a centre-back injury crisis, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all out injured.

The youngster played 13 games in total, averaging 2.9 successful aerial duels, 2.1 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and three clearances per 90 minutes in the Premier League (via WhoScored).

Though Kabak helped Liverpool pick up the points they needed to secure a top-four finish, they decided not to sign him permanently.

Newcastle have emerged as a possible destination, with centre back considered a ‘key area’ for recruitment. Celtic’s Kristoffer Ajer and Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo have also been looked at (via The Athletic).

The latest

The expectation is that the uncertainty around the future of the Turkish international will soon be resolved by a huge battle for his signature.

As well as Newcastle, Kabak is the subject of interest from Premier League teams Leicester and Crystal Palace and Ligue 1 sides OGC Nice and Rennes.

Kabak is set to choose his preferred destination, and then Schalke will enter into negotiations over a transfer fee.

They’re now hoping to pocket €15million (£12.8million) from the deal, having agreed an £18million option to buy with Liverpool back in January which the Reds deemed too much.

The verdict

Kabak would be an outstanding signing for Newcastle. After a shaky start, he performed well for Liverpool in hugely difficult circumstances and ought to be regarded as part of the next generation of top centre-backs.

Schalke are said to be ‘financially weak’ after relegation, and Newcastle may well be sensing an opportunity for a mighty bargain.

Leicester may be able to offer Kabak European football and a more exciting project, but crucially, with Wesley Fofana, Caglar Soyuncu and Jonny Evans already on their books, his game-time might be limited.

He’d surely be guaranteed a fair crack at a starting spot at St James’ Park, especially if Steve Bruce opts to play a back five.

In other news, Newcastle have been told what to do what this promising youngster.  

In recent days, Aston Villa have been linked with a transfer move for West Ham United goalkeeper Darren Randolph, only for Hammers manager David Moyes to come out and say that they have no intention of letting him leave this month.

With that in mind, it seems as though this has not stopped the Midlands club in their search for another goalkeeper to add to their squad.

What’s the latest?

In a recent Twitter post from journalist Matteo Moretto, Villa have “in the last hours,” approached Paris Saint-Germain with an offer to sign goalkeeper Sergio Rico, who apparently wants to play regularly, on loan with an option to buy.

He said: “Sergio Rico’s priority is to play regularly and that is why he prioritizes signing for Mallorca. In the last hours Aston Villa appeared, who contacted PSG offering a loan with an option to buy, but the English team already has Martínez as the owner of the project.”

Given how PSG have the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma and Keylor Navas in their squad that has made a total of 20 Ligue 1 appearances between them this season, it’s easy to see why he would be willing to go elsewhere to get regular game time.

Gerrard would be delighted

Even though Villa have Emi Martinez in their squad who has played in all but one of their Premier League games so far this season, it’s safe to say that Rico would be closer to regular game time at the Midlands club rather than at Paris where a potential injury or ban for Martinez would presumably open the door for Rico to come in.

The 28-year-old originally joined the French club on a loan deal from Sevilla back in September 2019 before joining on a permanent basis a year later.

Overall, the Spaniard has only made 24 appearances for Mauricio Pochettino’s side across all competitions, highlighting his lack of regular game time.

However, in those 24 appearances, Rico has managed to concede just 16 goals and keep 14 clean sheets in the process, showing his capabilities in goal and demonstrating why Villa have made a move to sign him.

With this in mind, if the Villans were able to secure a deal for Rico this month, it would surely delight Gerrard who is very much in need of finding a quality back-up with Jed Steer still currently playing second fiddle.

Therefore, to have an experienced and capable backup goalkeeper to Martinez, or one that could even compete with the Argentine for his place in the team would be incredibly pleasing for the Liverpudlian.

It would put an end to the club’s search for a shot-stopper so they can then focus on other potential areas in the squad they may feel the need to strengthen in.

In other news: Gregg Evans drops exciting AVFC update, Gerrard could soon break transfer records – opinion

Celtic had a rather enjoyable afternoon back in Premiership action today following their Old Firm victory last weekend.

This time, Ange Postecoglou’s side secured a tantalising 7-0 victory over St Johnstone at Parkhead courtesy of six different goalscorers.

Three first-half strikes from Reo Hatate, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Daizen Maeda gave the home side a comfortable 3-0 lead at the midway point. A penalty from Josip Juranovic, a brace from Matt O’Riley and a clinching goal from Liel Abada gave Postecoglou and the home fans a lot to savour as they take another step closer to the title.On a day when many Hoops players had a lot to smile about, one player in particular lit up Parkhead and stole the show.Having opened the scoring for his team, Reo Hatate had 60 touches of the ball before being replaced by fellow midfielder David Turnbull in the 55th minute. Out of the 47 passes he attempted, 43 found their intended target, including all three of the long balls he attempted.He also had three shots on target in total and won the penalty that Juranovic put away in the second half, in addition to completing both of his dribbles, showing how tricky he was to play against. That was in stark contrast with his fellow countryman Maeda, who failed to complete any of his three dribble attempts.The 24-year-old also did his bit defensively by winning three of his four duels, showing how useful he was in and out of possession for his team.This performance ultimately earned the midfield gem an overall match rating of 8/10 from SofaScore, making him the joint-second highest rated Celtic player to start the game.Labelled an “outrageous” player by Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn, Hatate has shown once again today why Postecoglou chose to bring the Japanese maestro to Parkhead in the January transfer window.If the Australian coach can keep getting Hatate and the rest of the Celtic players to deliver performances like this throughout the remainder of the season, they should be a shoo-in to secure the Premiership title.In other news: £2.7m down the drain as Celtic had a howler on “difficult” £450k-rated Parkhead flop

Everton could replace Rafael Benitez with Kasper Hjulmand, according to Calciomercato. 

The lowdown

The Toffees are in the midst of a wretched run of form under the Spaniard, who replaced Carlo Ancelotti in the summer. They have picked up only one point from their past five matches, which leaves them bottom of the Premier League form table.

Former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan has claimed that Benitez is now under “massive pressure” to “pull something out of the hat” and potentially save his job (via Football Insider).

The latest

The report from Calciomercato stated that Everton are considering whether to sack Benitez, who could pay the price for his team’s woes, with Fichajes hinting that the 61-year-old’s job at Goodison Park may be at risk.

According to the Italian outlet, the Toffees already have an eye on a potential successor in the form of Denmark boss Hjulmand.

The verdict

Hjulmand boasts an impressive CV. Last summer, he led the Danes to the semi-finals of the European Championship, taking England all the way to extra time at Wembley less than a month after he and his team had to endure the extreme difficulty of dealing with Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest.

Denmark’s strong form continued in World Cup qualifying as they finished with 27 points from a possible 30 to breeze into the final in Qatar next year, so it’s no wonder that he featured on Aston Villa’s shortlist after they parted company with Dean Smith earlier this month.

The 49-year-old has been described as a ‘tactical geek’, ‘a football idealist’ and above all, a ‘world-class coach’. He took unfashionable Danish club FC Nordsjaelland into the Champions League in 2012 and has won 17 of his 25 matches in charge of the country’s national team.

If Benitez can’t turn things around at Everton and is given the chop, Hjulmand looks like he’d be a worth a shot.

In other news, this Everton trio struggled against Brentford

Tottenham could battle Aston Villa in the race to sign German defender Matthias Ginter this summer, according to Lyall Thomas.

The Lowdown: Defensive reinforcements needed?

Steven Gerrard could be a busy man this summer ahead of his first full season in charge at Villa Park.

Reports have suggested that eight players could be moved on from the Midlands, with Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa’s futures under scrutiny.

Should the pair depart, Villa would be left with just two senior centre-backs and then surely need to dip into the market, where it looks as if Ginter could be the first major deal.

The Latest: Thomas’ post

Sky Sports reporter Thomas took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to provide an update on Ginter. He confirmed that Villa are ‘interested’ in Ginter on a free transfer, with Premier League rivals Tottenham and West Ham also watching the World Cup winner this season.

“Aston Villa among the clubs interested in Matthias Ginter on a free transfer, acc. to Sky Germany. Separately, I’m aware he has been watched by a lot of top clubs this season including Juventus, Tottenham and West Ham.”

The Verdict: Sign

Gerrard is looking to take Villa to the next level, and bringing in an experienced centre-back on a free transfer could be an ideal move.

Ginter, who can also play as a full-back and in midfield, is valued at £21.6m and has bundles of top-flight experience in Germany as well as in European competitions and for his country. [Transfermarkt]

He appears to be a man in demand, so securing his services for nothing over the coming months could prove to be a coup and shouldn’t impact the club’s big £150m summer spending plans.

In other news: Gerrard and Lange now eyeing another free transfer for ‘superstar’ attacker. 

Everton will be aiming to return to winning ways when they welcome Watford to Goodison Park for their Premier League clash this afternoon.

The Toffees suffered their first home loss of the season against high-flying West Ham United last time out, and Rafa Benitez will be looking for a positive response from his side.

However, the Spaniard will be forced to cope without several key players for the visit of the Hornets as his injury list continues to grow.

Star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has suffered a setback in his recovery process from a muscle issue, while Abdoulaye Doucoure and Yerry Mina have also been ruled out of action with a foot injury and hamstring strain, respectively.

However, there is one piece of good news as Richarlison is available once again after being sidelined since the 3-1 victory over Burnley on 13 September.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects Benitez to line up against Watford, with just two changes from the side which started last weekend…

In goal, England’s number one Jordan Pickford will retain his between the sticks after keeping two clean sheets in his seven league outings to date.

Ahead of the 27-year-old is likely to be an unchanged back four given Mina’s enforced absence, with Lucas Digne, Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey and Seamus Coleman making up the defensive unit.

The engine room could have a couple of fresh faces, though. The £19.8m-rated Alex Iwobi could find himself relegated to the bench due to Richarlison’s return and his own ineffective performances, while Tom Davies may get a rare opportunity to impress from the off because of Doucoure’s injury.

Allan and the in-form Andros Townsend will complete the Everton midfield, with the two experienced campaigners charged with leading the team to another three points.

Summer signings Demarai Gray and Salomon Rondon will complete the starting XI and will hope to provide the goals to see off an out-of-sorts Watford.

In other news… Report drops worrying Everton update over £40.5m-rated gem, fans will be concerned 

After securing a 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in their latest Champions League outing, Liverpool now face a trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United later this afternoon.

Ahead of the match against the Red Devils, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp revealed that midfielder Curtis Jones returned to first-team training after picking up an injury whilst away on international duty, whereas Thiago Alcantara will miss the match altogether.

Taking this into account, here’s how we feel Liverpool will line up at Old Trafford.

In goal, despite conceding two in midweek, we feel that Klopp will stick with Alisson Becker between the sticks to see if he can stop the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood from getting on the scoresheet.

Ahead of the Brazilian, we think Klopp will stick with the same back four that started against Atletico with Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold occupying the full-back positions with Joel Matip and Virgil van Dijk in the middle.

In midfield, even though he scored Liverpool’s opening goal against Diego Simeone’s side, we can see Klopp taking Naby Keita out of the starting XI as a result of his rather disappointing overall performance in midweek.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain gets the nod after he managed to put in a good shift after coming on in the second half against Atletico, rather than throwing Jones back into the side straight away.

For their attacking front three up top, it would be difficult to see Klopp taking either Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah out of the team considering the duo have scored 12 league goals between them so far this season.

However, given how Roberto Firmino failed to register even one shot on target in 90 minutes in midweek, we feel that Klopp could be persuaded to swap him for £90k-per-week Diogo Jota who has three Premier League goals under his belt in 2021/22.

Whether Klopp goes with this exact starting XI we have suggested or not, we feel that this is a big game for the Reds, not just because of the heavy rivalry between the two sides but also because Liverpool will need a win to keep up with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

In other news: FSG must land Liverpool swoop for £29.7m-rated beast who’s a “better version of Pogba” – opinion

Former Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Mark Crossley insists that the club will win automatic promotion from League One this season.

The club endured a terrible season last term, finishing rock-bottom of the Championship, having won just 12 of their 46 games.

They ultimately finished the season with 41 points, and dropped into the third-tier at the end of the season.

Wednesday have begun their League One season unbeaten, drawing 0-0 with Charlton Athletic, and beating both Doncaster Rovers and Fleetwood Town, 2-0 and 1-0 respectively.

Only Portsmouth and Burton Albion have taken maximum points from their first three games, meaning that Wednesday are currently fourth in the table. They are one of only two sides who have yet to concede a goal, along with Pompey.

And Crossley believes that Wednesday can only finish in the automatic promotion slots as the season progresses and return to the Championship, making particular reference to the excellent performance against Doncaster.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “So I only see Sheffield Wednesday getting automatic promotion this season and looking at the performance on Saturday, it was a good solid performance although Doncaster came to spoil the performance and they did very well in the first half to do that, they made the crowd really, really quiet.

“In the second half Sheffield Wednesday just overpowered them.”

Lots of Wolves fans have been left erupting as an exit rumour emerged involving Rayan Ait-Nouri.

According to Jeunes Footeux, the left-back is now ‘of interest’ to both Newcastle United as well as Crystal Palace, who are ‘closely following’ his situation in the Midlands.

However, as he has a contract at Molineux until 2026, he will not be sold in the January transfer window for anything less than between €25-30m (£21.4-25.7m).

Ait-Nouri has really made his mark since signing on a permanent deal in the summer after his loan spell ended, averaging the most tackles (3.9) and crosses (1.3) out of his teammates per game in the Premier League so far this season, while he also ranks highly in terms of key passes (0.9) and dribbles (1.9) (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, selling him to a direct rival, especially midway through the campaign, would seem a strange idea without a better replacement lined up.

Wolves fans on Ait-Nouri transfer news

These WWFC supporters erupted as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, as they all seemed to play down the rumour, with one Wanderer even going as far as to claim that it was ‘comical’:

“We all ask for things we have no chance of getting for Christmas”

Credit: @Cookmtt1976

“Comical”

Credit: @Cal_Wood1990

“This is one of the most ridiculous rumours I’ve seen for one of our players in ages”

Credit: @_ahxle

“If true, and Wolves go through with it, this would be the stupidest transfer in a long time. Ait-Nouri isn’t just another bog standard LB, he’s looking to be a prodigy. He had a fantastic game against #LFC, and has continually looked good for us”

Credit: @ChrisMM__

“This is laughable”

Credit: @eve_elizabethxx

“Usual nonsense being cooked up before a window.”

Credit: @jon306

“Not a chance.”

Credit: @southbank82

In other news, find out what Tim Spiers post has Wanderers talking here!

David Norris believes Liverpool will firm up their interest in Leeds United talisman Raphinha before the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month.

Raphinha, 24, made the move to the Premier League from French outfit Rennes last October, with Leeds forking out £17million ahead of their first season back in the top flight following a 16-year wait.

The Brazilian went on to score eight goals and record 11 assists in an impressive debut campaign under Marcelo Bielsa.

Raphinha’s fine form has led to speculation that a host of Premier League rivals are mulling over making a move, with top Italian journalist Gianluigi Longari revealing Liverpool are at the front of a queue which also includes Manchester City and Manchester United.

However, Liverpool have yet to contact Leeds about a potential switch and Raphinha’s current employers are in a strong negotiating position as the winger’s contract has him tied to Elland Road until 2024.

Former Leeds midfielder Norris would not be surprised to see Liverpool lodge a bid.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “He’s got great ability and I think Liverpool, after last season, need something a bit different now.

“They got found out a little bit and it was always the same front three. I think they need a few players to come in and change it up.

“Liverpool need similar quality to what they already have in their current front three but a different type of player could make the difference.”