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An update has emerged on Southampton striker Danny Ings, regarding Tottenham’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Dean Jones of Eurosport, Tottenham are preparing to make their opening offer for Southampton number nine Danny Ings.

Spurs are said to have made him a priority target and are now on the cusp of submitting their first bid for his services. However, they are planning to offer below Southampton’s £20m valuation before negotiating with them further.

Fans would be livid

Martin Semmens must avoid a Southampton nightmare by rejecting Tottenham’s offer for Ings. He cannot allow the club’s star forward to leave the club, especially for a fee that is said to be below the £20m valuation set by the Saints this summer.

Speaking of which, the £20m fee mentioned in this report is a concerning one.

Southampton reportedly paid £20m to sign Ings on a permanent deal from Liverpool and has been prolific over the past two seasons. He has scored 34 goals since the start of the 2019/20 campaign, which shows that he can find the back of the net consistently at Premier League level – a rare commodity.

Therefore, his value should have increased because he has proven himself at the top level.

His contract is up at the end of next season, but the cost of being relegated far exceeds the £20m loss Southampton would seemingly take if they allow him to leave on a free transfer.

A report in 2018 explained that relegation can cost a club at least £50m, which emphasises the point that £20m is too cheap to sell your best goalscorer. Losing his goals could increase the chances of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side going down, simply because the fewer goals you score the fewer points you are likely to rack up.

Former Premier League forward Clinton Morrison once called Ings “first-class” and compared him to Spurs legend Robbie Keane.

He said:

“Yes, I would say Danny Ings is top-four quality, most definitely. The season he’s had at Southampton, if you put him in one of the teams at the top four, he’d easily score goals like that.

“I used to play with a striker who used to play like Danny Ings – Robbie Keane.

“I look at the way Ings plays at the moment, his movement is first class and I used to say to Robbie Keane, ‘how do you get in behind defenders when you’re not rapid?’ His movement was first-class and Danny Ings is like that.”

So, why should Southampton sell a player who is top-four quality and has proven that with his goal record for £20m, let alone under £20m?

Semmens must avoid making a major error with Ings this summer by either upping his price tag or doing everything he can to keep hold of the England international.

AND in other news, Semmens could find Mane 2.0 in £35m “exceptional talent”, Saints fans would adore him…

West Bromwich Albion are close to securing a deal to bring Alex Mowatt to The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by The Telegraph journalist John Percy, who revealed in a post on Twitter that the out of contract Barnsley central midfielder is scheduled to have a medical at West Brom in the coming days, and, barring any 11th-hour hitches, he will complete a free transfer to the Championship side later this week.

It had previously been reported that Valerien Ismael was extremely keen for a quick reunion with his Barnsley captain at Albion, something that now appears to be have been pulled off by the Frenchman rather efficiently.

Ismael will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Mowatt was under Ismael last season, the fact that the 45-year-old appears to have snapped up the 26-year-old on a free transfer is sure to have left him buzzing.

Indeed, over his 44 Championship appearances for Barnsley last term, the £3.6m-rated midfielder scored eight goals, provided seven assists and created nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.8 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

The £6.5k-per-week man also made an average of 0.8 interceptions, 1.7 tackles, 1.3 clearances and won 4.9 duels per league fixture, with these metrics seeing former England U20 international earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him as Ismael’s best performer in the second tier of English football.

His displays played a massive role in helping the Tykes defy their pre-season expectations last time out, with Ismael guiding the highly unfancied side to a rather extraordinary fifth-place finish in the Championship – the club’s highest final league position since their Premier League campaign back in 1997/98.

As such, with West Brom hoping to secure an immediate return to the top flight next season, the addition of a player who very nearly fired Barnsley up last term would appear to provide Albion with a huge boost to their chances of going on to achieve this feat, as well as with a player who Ismael trusts completely.

In other news: Get it done: Ismael must sanction West Brom summer swoop for “fantastic” £12k-p/w gem

Birmingham City are interested in a deal to bring Mathias Jorgensen to St. Andrew’s this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Turkish outlet Fotomac (via Football League World), who claim that Lee Bowyer’s side have made an offer for the Fenerbahce centre-back, commonly known as Zanka, following his impressive loan spell at FC Copenhagen last season.

It is reported that Preston North End also hold an interest in the £1.35m-rated man, although Birmingham now appear to be leading the race the defender, who is thought to have a year remaining on his current contract in Turkey.

Bowyer must move

Considering the fact that Mikel San Jose and the Blues have parted company this summer, the centre of the Birmingham defence is certainly an area in which Bowyer will be looking to bring reinforcements in the current transfer window.

And, after looking at Zanka’s performances while on loan at Copenhagen last season, he would certainly appear to be an apt replacement for the outgoing Spaniard.

Indeed, over his 26 Superligaen appearances for Jess Thorup’s side, the 31-year-old scored one goal and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as helping his team keep four clean sheets and making an average of 1.8 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, four clearances and winning 4.5 duels per game.

These metrics saw the £38k-per-week centre-back earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.80, ranking him as Copenhagen’s 11th-best performer in the Danish first tier.

However, it is not only last season in which Zanka has performed admirably, having averaged a SofaScore match rating of 6.83 over his 24 Premier League appearances for Huddersfield Town in 2018/19, as well as having been one of Copenhagen’s stars in the club’s 2016/17 Champions League jaunt, in which he averaged a rather remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.53 over six fixtures.

As such, considering the experience the player whom David Wagner dubbed a “complete defender” has behind him, his signing would appear to be an extremely positive one for Bowyer to get over the line this summer, as Zanka very much appears to possess the ability to be something of a force in the heart of the Birmingham defence next season.

In other news: Bowyer heading for his biggest Birmingham transfer mistake to date, fans will be livid

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans have responded to club insider ExWHUemployee’s update on star midfielder Declan Rice. 

Rice was instrumental in West Ham’s push for European football over 2020/2021 and played a key role in defensive midfield – making the most interceptions out of any Irons player with over 15 starts in the Premier League (WhoScored).

As a result of his brilliant form over this past season, many clubs are interested in signing Rice this summer – with Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea all interested in a move for the 22-year-old.

However, ExWHUemployee’s update on the subject (via West Ham News & Views) has many Hammers fans talking amid a development.

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The insider claims that while this trio of clubs are admirers, none of them are willing to match his £100 million price tag needed to prise him away from east London.

The situation, as it stands, is unlikely to change with the Englishman currently looking set to remain at the London Stadium.

Flocking to this update, as shared by West Ham News & Views, many Irons dropped their verdicts – find all of their best ones down below.

West Ham fans flock to ExWHUemployee claim

“Perfect, we don’t want to sell! Every player has a price and ours is a huge price.”

Credit: @dalboyweston

“What I like to see”

Credit: @GetGSBout

“Good!”

Credit: @whu_paul

“Great, that’s that then.”

Credit: @BillHorganTweet

“So jog on then!”

Credit: @bubblemaster3

“Only £100 million, at his age, it should be £150 million.”

Credit: @CLARETnBLUESguy

In other news: West Ham enter talks to sign ‘very fast’ 42-cap forward, find out more here.

Aiden McGeady has signed a one-year contract extension at Sunderland, keeping him at the Stadium of Light for the 2021-22 season [Sunderland AFC Official].

Enjoying a sparkling 2020/21 campaign, the Irishman chipped in with an unbelievable 23 goal contributions from 36 encounters; six goals and 17 assists [Transfermarkt].

Spending a fourth consecutive season in Sky Bet League One, the Black Cats will be hoping to count on his quality and experience as they vie to rise up the pyramid once again.

The embodiment of consistency, across his time in the North East the former Celtic man has been a pivotal fixture; scoring 33 goals and laying on a further 30 for his teammates [Transfermarkt].

In light of this contractual news, no wonder loads of Sunderland diehards took to Twitter to revel in these latest developments.

Sunderland fans react:

Replying to the Sunderland AFC official Twitter account, here is what some ecstatic supporters had to say upon hearing the ‘fantastic news’:

“Absolutely delighted with this news now add some quality to help him”

Credit: @mackem49000″Get us out of this league u beautiful man”Credit: @joe_112233″The last dance”Credit: @CarlDorward”Fantastic news!!”Credit: @bobbyspout”Brilliant news”Credit: @GavinEvs”Good start, hopefully gets the ball rolling #safc”Credit: @ParkersafcIn other news, Sunderland are set to sign a highly-rated defender.

Steven Gerrard was always likely to be a man in demand this summer after delivering Rangers’ 55th league title this season and there were some concerns recently that the 41-year-old could leave Ibrox to join Wolves following the departure of Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Athletic confirmed earlier this week that, whilst the Old Gold were close to appointing Benfica’s Bruno Lage as their new manager, there were doubts over whether or not he would be eligible for a work permit, which could have seen the Molineux outfit turn to Gerrard as the next best option.

Fortunately for Rangers fans, Lage’s work permit has now been approved and it seems that an announcement will be made imminently, which should hopefully ensure that Gerrard remains with the Gers next season ahead of their return to the Champions League.

Although Everton have also recently been touted as a potential destination for the 41-year-old, it seems highly unlikely that he would join Liverpool’s closest rivals, so Rangers fans may be able to rest easy for now.

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Considering the incredible impact Gerrard has had during his time with Rangers, their fans and chairman Douglas Park will surely be delighted that the manager won’t be leaving to join Wolves this summer. That should give them a great chance of retaining the Premiership title next season, whilst also giving a good account of themselves in Europe.

Since being appointed at Ibrox in May 2018, the Liverpool legend has taken charge of 170 matches, winning 112, drawing 36 and losing just 22 games, which is a superb record when you consider that this is his first job as a manager of a senior side.

The Premiership title win this season also saw Rangers finish the campaign unbeaten and earn more than 100 points, whilst also ensuring that their Old Firm rivals were denied a historic 10th title in a row, so it seems clear that Gerrard will go down as an Ibrox legend.

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The “amazing” manager – as hailed by Harry Redknapp – may well see his future in the Premier League, but Rangers fans will surely be desperate to keep hold of him for as long as possible, so it is a huge boost for the club that Gerrard looks like he won’t be joining Wolves this summer.

In other news… Wilson should reignite Rangers interest in “super-tactical” gem this summer

According to a report by ‘transfer insider’ Dean Jones, writing for Eurosport, West Ham United loanee Jesse Lingard is likely to join in a permanent deal worth around £25 million – with many Irons reacting as this ‘brilliant’ news emerges.

It’s no secret that manager David Moyes wishes to make Lingard a permanent West Ham player, with club insiders C&H recently revealing it is among his top priorities along with a new striker.

Now, bringing a development, transfer insider Jones has provided a very promising update with his information.

As well as the transfer fee expected to be around £25m, Jones says that Lingard is also likely to join on a salary at around £100,000-per-week.

Given his sensational form this season, scoring nine goals and three assists in 13 Premier League starts for the Irons (WhoScored), it’s little wonder supporters have flocked to this latest Lingard update whilst calling it ‘brilliant’.

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Find all of their best verdicts down below.

West Ham fans react as insider shares ‘brilliant’ Lingard news

“Booooooom”

Credit: @callumder123

“Brilliant. Now we need a couple of defenders”

Credit: @patrick41116180

“Let’s gooooo”

Credit: @cayz03

“Claret n blue armyyyy”

Credit: @harvv_14

“I thought reading Twitter last night our board said his wages would mean Jesse wouldn’t be made permanent, if we can make the move permanent that would be fantastic”

Credit: @TonyPer44756915

“I so hope so….”

Credit: @Xpressfeelings2

“Decent deal that.”

Credit: @FPLFella

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to this big club announcement, find out more here.

Southampton have been linked with Borussia Dortmund ace Thomas Delaney recently and he could be a superb addition to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s midfield next season should he make the switch to St Mary’s this summer.

According to ESPN, Southampton are set to make a move for the 29-year-old, who has become a fringe player at the Bundesliga club due to the rise of Jude Bellingham this season.

The Denmark international has just one year left on his contract at Signal Iduna Park and the report suggests that he would cost somewhere in the region of €10m (£8.6m), which marks him out as a viable option for the Saints this summer after Hasenhuttl confirmed that they would target players under £10m.

Since signing for Dortmund from Werder Bremen in 2018, Delaney has gone on to make 85 appearances for BVB, contributing four goals and 11 assists.

After a superb debut campaign which saw him contribute three goals and five assists in the German top flight, earning an impressive 7.13 rating for his performances from WhoScored, he has lost his regular starting spot at the club in recent seasons.

He has managed just 19 appearances in the Bundesliga this term, six of which have come from the bench, whilst his performances have earned him a subdued 6.69 average match rating from WhoScored.

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However, he has still shown his worth at times, earning the praise of BVB’s sporting director Michael Zorc after he produced an “outstanding” performance as a centre-back earlier this season.

The fact that the Danish midfielder can fill in at centre-back and in multiple positions across the midfield immediately suggests that he is the sort of player who would be greatly appreciated by Hasenhuttl at Southampton, as the Austrian has definitely shown a preference for versatile players during his time at St Mary’s.

Delaney would add plenty of experience and versatility to Southampton’s side ahead of next season, and whilst he might find it tricky to oust a midfield duo of James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu, his relatively cheap asking price definitely suggests that this is a deal worth doing. Therefore, Martin Semmens should definitely look to bring him in.

In other news… Southampton could sign their dream Bertrand heir with summer swoop for £5.1m beast

Derby County are interested in a move to bring Kyle Lafferty to Pride Park this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football League World, who claim that Wayne Rooney’s side, along with a host of fellow Football League clubs, are considering a move for the out-of-contract centre-forward in the upcoming transfer window.

It is reported that West Bromwich Albion, Cardiff City, Middlesbrough, Birmingham City, Ipswich Town and Wigan Athletic are the clubs who have joined the Rams in keeping a close eye on the 33-year-old ahead of a potential summer move.

Big mistake

Considering that Derby scored a Championship low of just 36 goals last season, the addition of a prolific striker would very much appear to be a priority for Rooney this summer. However, when looking at Lafferty’s record over the course of his career, it is clear to see that the Northern Ireland international is not the man the Rams boss should be bringing into the club.

Despite scoring eight goals over nine appearances in the Scottish Premiership for Kilmarnock last season, this rate of scoring would very much appear to be the exception rather than the rule. Lafferty has reached double figures for league goals just twice in his professional career – scoring 11 goals over 34 Serie B appearances for Palermo in 2013/14 and 12 goals in 35 appearances in the Scottish Premiership for Heart of Midlothian four years later.

Furthermore, with it being reported that the £360,000-rated striker – who has previously been dubbed a “danger” to opponents by former Sunderland boss Phil Parkinson – was demanding four times the £3,000-per-week he was earning at Kilmarnock last term in order to stay on at the club this summer, his wage demands would also appear to be a problem for cash-strapped Derby.

As such, there would very much appear to be better options available for Rooney – both financially and in terms of his goal return – than Lafferty this summer, leading us to believe that a move for the veteran centre-forward would be a big mistake on the part of the Rams manager.

In other news: Rooney must sanction Derby swoop for £24k-p/w beast with who’s “like a Paul Scholes”

Plenty of Arsenal fans have been reacting to an injury update on Kieran Tierney on social media.

Mikel Arteta revealed earlier this month that the left-back, who suffered knee ligament damage against Liverpool, would probably miss the rest of the season.

However, in a recent injury update on the club’s official website, it appears as if Tierney could be back sooner than expected.

The Gunners provided an update on a number of sidelined players ahead of Friday’s clash with Everton on Wednesday.

On Tierney, the club said he is making ‘positive progress and is hoping to be back in training within two to three weeks’.

Tierney, who suffered a knee injury earlier in the campaign, has made 33 appearances in all competitions this season, showing he is a crucial part of the manager’s plans.

Arsenal fans react

@ltarsenal shared Tierney’s positive progress and training return timeframe on Twitter on Wednesday evening.

This is what these Gunners had to say in reply, with one describing the update as ‘huge news’, perhaps casting an eye towards a potential Europa League final, which would take place on May 26.

“Huge news #KroenkeOut”

Credit: @_SakaSZN_

“No way”

Credit: @goonerjames

“love to see it”

Credit: @leeah3x

“The miracle worker Mazziotti at work!”

Credit: @sunnysathvik

“At least some positive news”

Credit: @Sam27542817

“Things we love to see #KroenkeOut”

Credit: @DennisAFC

In other news: Many Arsenal fans buzz at news of Stan Kroenke protests, find out more here.