According to reports from The Daily Star, Newcastle believe they’ve won the race to sign Cameroon international Vincent Aboubakar.

On loan from FC Porto, the 25-year-old enjoyed a solid season at Besiktas last term, netting twelve times in the Turkish top flight to help them lift the Super Lig title.

He also boasts all the physicality you’d want from a Premier League striker and a decent return at international level, with 17 goals and 57 caps for the Indomitable Lions.

But should Aboubakar’s lack of experience in the Premier League be a concern for Newcastle, considering their primary objective next season will be to stay in the top flight?

Transfermarkt value the 6 foot striker at £8.5million while The Daily Star suggest the Magpies are set to pay £500k more. So, Toon Army fans, where do you stand regarding this potential transfer deal? Let us know if you’d back a summer swoop for the FC Porto man by voting in the poll below…

Newcastle United managed to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking and are already making moves to ensure that’s where they’ll stay.

Fresh off the back of pipping Brighton and Hove Albion to the title, manager Rafa Benitez has wasted no time in identifying new targets in a bid to establish the Magpies in the top flight once more. The Mirror has reported Newcastle are one of the clubs looking at Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs.

Left-back has been a problem for the Magpies in recent times. While Phil Dummett has been serviceable in defence for a number of years, he offers very little going forward – something which seems to be more important than ever in the modern game.

Gibbs, who is valued at £8.5m by transfermarkt.com, has struggled to establish himself at Arsenal over the past few seasons and made only eight league starts after missing parts of the campaign with injury.

The 27-year-old has never really fulfilled his potential since breaking into the first-team back in 2008 and may well be looking to move following the arrival of Sead Kolasinac and the form of Nacho Monreal.

He would also be perfect for Newcastle as a more attacking full-back than Dummett, having excelled as a wing-back when Arsene Wenger changed to three-at-the-back, bagging three assists in 2017.

While signings like this look good on paper however, it’s also important to consider how well they will gel with the current squad.

Newcastle’s downfall in the past has come from signing a number of players not used to the Premier League, most notably overseas flops like Remy Cabella and Florian Thauvin.

Thankfully for the Magpies, Gibbs looks like a player in the perfect mould.

The left-back has made over 200 appearances for Arsenal, has played in Europe for a number of seasons and even has 10 England caps to his name.

Furthermore, he will be hungry to prove himself among the best full-backs in the league and possibly even salvage his international career with regular game time.

He may not currently be on the level of players like Danny Rose or Ryan Bertrand, but Gibbs has the talent to be considered in the top half of Premier League left-backs – something which would be ideal for Newcastle.

We’ve already seen how well an Arsenal player with a point to prove can play, with Isaac Hayden excelling in black and white stripes this season despite never getting near the first team at the Emirates.

Should Benitez manage something similar in Gibbs, Newcastle could well make waves on their return to the top-flight in 17/18.

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Arsenal fans have been giving their thoughts on the worrying news surrounding Santi Cazorla.

A report in The Express has claimed that the midfielder has suffered another injury setback, which could keep him out of action for another season.

Cazorla was initially expected to be sidelined for three weeks after damaging his Achilles in a Champions League tie in October.

However, he suffered various setbacks over the course of the campaign and underwent a handful of operations.

The Spaniard extended his deal last season until the summer of 2018, which means that if The Express’s report is correct, then Cazorla may never play for Arsenal again.

It would be a disappointing end to the midfielder’s Arsenal career, which began in 2012 when he joined from Malaga.

Since joining the North London outfit, Cazorla has won three FA Cup trophies and become a fan favourite.

After hearing these latest reports, Arsenal fans have been tweeting their reactions.

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According to reports in The Sun, Aston Villa are lining up a move for Stoke City striker and former Villan Peter Crouch.Villa manager Steve Bruce is looking to take the club back to the Premier League next season following a disappointing first campaign in the Championship, and he has already added John Terry to his ranks.However, The Sun says he is keen to bring in Crouch too, with the 36-year-old finding first team football with the Potters hard to come by having made 30 appearances in all competitions – mainly from the substitutes’ bench – last term, scoring 10 goals in the process.Villa supporters were quick to have their say on the rumour via social media, and they were divided with their opinions.While some believe he is “better than Gestede†and would score goals, others say they don’t need him and aren’t keen on signing another player for the short-term.Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Everton beat FC Twente 3-0 in their latest pre-season friendly on Wednesday evening, but one Toffees player came under fire from the fans despite scoring a goal.

The Merseyside outfit held a half-time lead thanks to an impressive strike from Kevin Mirallas, but the Belgian perhaps didn’t get the response he wouldn’t have expected from some of his own faithful.

Ronald Koeman’s men went on to win the game comfortably as Kieran Dowell and Aaron Lennon also got on the scoresheet, as the club’s preparation for the new season continues.

Mirallas scored four goals and provided a further six assists 35 Premier League appearances last term and he will be hoping for an improved campaign this time around.

Everton supporters were quick to give their reaction to the wide-man’s goal via social media, but there were calls for the club to sell him, while others questioned his consistency and hinted he should have saved one of his rare impressive performances for the new season.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

The summer arrival of Javier Hernandez has added an interesting subplot to West Ham’s first Premier League fixture of the season – a trip to Chicarito’s old stomping ground, Old Trafford.

At first glance, that should make the 96-cap Mexican international an automatic pick for the striker slot at the tip of the Hammers’ attack, with the extra motivation to score against the club that once sold him to Bayer Leverkusen for a modest fee.

But Hernandez was always at his most effective for Manchester United when coming on from the bench and although he’s arguably the Hammers’ most impressive summer signing thus far, his arrival in July means the 29-year-old has missed much of pre-season.

Meanwhile, another striker has been impressing for the Irons in pre-season – youngster Toni Martinez who has two goals to his name. The 20-year-old fared well on loan at Oxford last season too, bagging five goals in 18 appearances.

So, West Ham fans, who would you pick to start against Man United on Sunday? Would you go for the obvious option of Hernandez or take a risk on Martinez? Let us know by voting below…

According to reports in French publication L’Equipe, Tottenham Hotspur are one of three teams to provisionally have agreed terms with Paris Saint-Germain right-back Serge Aurier.

The reports says that Spurs, along with Serie A giants Juventus and Inter Milan, have an agreement with the player but must now agree a fee with PSG for the want-away defender.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men are yet to make a signing this summer but the Argentine is likely to step up his search for a right-back after Kyle Walker left to join Manchester City last month, before replacement Kieran Trippier picked up an ankle injury before the start of the new campaign.

Youngster Kyle Walker-Peters filled in during the win against Newcastle on Sunday, but now the north London outfit must convince Aurier to move to the Premier League instead of Italy.

Tottenham supporters were quick to have their say on the latest rumour via social media, but they aren’t convinced that there is any truth in the stories with some even going as far as to say that there is “no way” it’s true.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Liverpool vs Arsenal is one of the best fixtures on the Premier League calendar. While it may lack the bitter-rival subplots many other top six clashes will offer this season, this fixture has always been a virtual guarantor of goals. There’s been just one scoreless draw between the two sides in the Premier League since 1999 and their last three top flight meetings have produced a whopping 17 strikes.

With offensive talent and defensive frailties aplenty, Sunday’s instalment at Anfield looks set to maintain that trend. And the good news for the neutrals, but not so much Reds and Gunners fans with weak hearts, is that it will be officiated by one of the most balanced referees in the Premier League – Martin Atkinson.

The 46-year-old is by no means a top-class referee but his tempered approach suits Sunday’s game well. Neither Liverpool nor Arsenal are particularly foul-happy sides, ranking in the bottom five for fouls per match last season, and Atkinson isn’t one for being overzealous when it comes to blowing the whistle; from the 19 referees to feature in the top flight throughout 2016/17, he came 13th for fouls per match and fouls per tackle – suggesting he likes to let games flow as much as possible, but will make decisions when necessary.

Perhaps as a consequence, however, Atkinson does rank slightly higher in terms of cards awarded – the boost for Arsenal, in that regard, is that they’re just one of two clubs yet to receive a booking this season, while Liverpool have already incurred four yellows. Intriguingly, Atkinson has already issued a controversial red this term – sending off Hal Robson-Kanu last weekend for a supposed elbow against Burnley.

But in terms of results, Atkinson once again offers impressive balance. Last season, he was in the middle of the pack for home wins (48.1%), away wins (25.9%) and draws (25.9%), ranking between 11th and 6th on those fronts. Compared to some referees with much vaster swings for either the home or the away side, that suggests Atkinson’s decisions won’t have an intrinsic influence on the scoreline.

As the underdogs, however, that arguably works against Arsenal. Liverpool boast home advantage and enter Sunday’s contest in much higher confidence after ripping apart Hoffenheim in midweek; the Gunners could have really benefited from a referee more suiting of their situation and less suiting of Liverpool’s – last season, for example, over 50% of Jonathan Moss’ games ended in away wins.

Leeds United goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald has kept six successive Championship clean sheets and gone nine hours without conceding a goal for the league leaders, but Whites fans are still not convinced of his abilities.

The Yorkshire outfit signed the German stopper from Werder Bremen during the summer transfer window, and it was quickly clear that he was Thomas Christiansen’s first-choice keeper ahead of Rob Green.

While they conceded twice against Bolton Wanderers on the opening day of the season, Wiedwald and the Leeds defence have failed to concede since but while his accurate distribution has been particularly impressive, he looks to have a potential weakness in the air and has been rarely troubled by shots on target from the opposition.

Leeds supporters have been having their say on the 27-year-old via social media, with many saying that because defensively the team has been so good, they “don’t really know if he’s good yet.”

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Following five wins and two draws in their opening seven Championship fixtures this season – keeping six clean sheets in that sequence – the Leeds United starting XI was largely picking itself in the early stages of the campaign.

It meant that a lot of fringe players in the squad have had to be patient in waiting for an opportunity, but that time may now have come with the Yorkshire outfit losing three of their last four league games.

The previous two defeats against Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday, in which Thomas Christiansen’s men have conceded six times and scored just once, mean that the 44-year-old could look to make some major changes for the visit of Reading to Elland Road on October 14.

Christiansen certainly has some time to work on his tactics during the current two-week period without a match, and there will be individuals that perhaps haven’t been given much of an opportunity this term that will be looking to impress him on the training ground.

Here are three fringe Leeds players that deserve a chance after the international break…

Cameron Borthwick-Jackson

You don’t play for Manchester United or get scouted by Leeds United unless you have something about you, but for whatever reason it just hasn’t worked out for Borthwick-Jackson at Elland Road since he joined the club on a season-long loan deal in August.

Three of the 20-year-old’s four appearances for the Yorkshire outfit have come in the EFL Cup, with the defender featuring for just 82 minutes in the Championship.

With Vurnon Anita beginning to struggle in the left-back role and Gaetano Berardi far from convincing there against Sheffield Wednesday, perhaps it is time to give the Red Devils youngster a prolonged run in the starting XI to see what he can do.

Ronaldo Vieira

After making 38 appearances in all competitions for Leeds last season, Vieira will be disappointed with how life is going under Thomas Christiansen this term.

Like Borthwick-Jackson, the majority of his game time has come in the EFL Cup and he has featured for just 54 minutes in the Championship.

The 19-year-old would have been particularly frustrated when Mateusz Klich was chosen instead of him against Cardiff when Eunan O’Kane was unavailable through illness, and perhaps now is the time to give him an opportunity in the middle of the park considering O’Kane and Kalvin Phillips were so disappointing against Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday.

Hadi Sacko

Like Vieira, Sacko was something of a regular in the Leeds team last season after making 38 appearances in all competitions, but he has almost been completely frozen out by Christiansen so far this term after his loan was made into a permanent move to Elland Road during the summer.

The 23-year-old didn’t feature at all between the EFL Cup win against Port Vale on August 9 and the clash in the same competition against Burnley on September 19, while the 28 minutes he got as a substitute against Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday were his first in the Championship since the opening day.

Having scored a fine goal against the Clarets, Sacko perhaps deserves the chance to start with the likes of Kemar Roofe and Gjanni Alioski struggling to make an impact from the wide positions right now.

Do you agree, Whites fans? Let us know below.