All posts by rastrear-estafeta.com

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, West Ham United ‘will be looking’ at making a move for Manchester City star Oleksandr Zinchenko this summer.

The Lowdown: Hammers interested in Zinchenko

The Ukraine star has enjoyed a hugely successful season with the Sky Blues having lifted the Premier League trophy just last month. However, despite his contract with Pep Guardiola’s side not being set to expire for another two years, he has been linked with a move away from the Etihad during the upcoming window.

It’s recently been reported by the Evening Standard that the 25-year-old is attracting interest from the Irons, who look set to face competition from fellow top-flight rivals Arsenal in the race for his signature, with the versatile midfielder’s future said to be decided in the coming weeks.

The Latest: O’Rourke backs Zinchenko move

Asked during an interview whether he thought Zinchenko would be a good fit for West Ham at the London Stadium, O’Rourke told GiveMeSport:

“It does seem like Manchester City are willing to listen to offers for him. He’s quite an underrated player, he’s always done a good job for City, so West Ham could be a good landing spot for him, and he could fill a number of roles for David Moyes’ side.

“West Ham will be looking at someone like Zinchenko as they look to make that next step in consistently challenging for a top-six place or even a top-four place.”

The Verdict: Get it done

Zinchenko is someone who offers plenty of versatility and can play in a defensive backline as well as part of a midfield, so this is a move that Moyes should look to get over the line as soon as possible if the price is fair.

Even though the £59k-per-week maestro has struggled for game time this season, an injury to Kyle Walker allowed Joao Cancelo to switch flanks, giving Zinchenko a solid run in the City first team towards the end of the campaign. He more than showed what he was capable of, providing three assists in the space of just six games.

Lauded as by, it wouldn’t come as a shock to see Zinchenko looking elsewhere over the coming weeks in a bid to find a starting role, and we feel his versatility, trophy-winning experience and creativity could provide a huge boost to Moyes’ squad..

In other news… David Moyes may have been handed some great news in his pursuit to sign a new forward this summer.

Barcelona director of football (DoF) Mateu Alemany is set to hold talks with Leeds United over a move for Raphinha in the coming days.

The Lowdown: Raphinha could cost £60m-£70m

The Brazil winger has been heavily linked with a move to the Nou Camp in recent months. The 25-year-old has a €25m (£21.5m) relegation release clause in his Elland Road contract, something which can’t be activated this summer after the winger played a key role in helping the Whites to remain in the Premier League.

Phil Hay stated that it would take a bid in the region of £60m-£70m for Leeds to part way with their playmaker, who Illan Meslier called a ‘storm’.

The Latest: Barcelona chief bound for Leeds

Inside Futbol relayed an update from Spanish outlet Sport regarding Raphinha on Sunday morning. They claimed that Barcelona DoF Alemany is set to travel to Leeds early next week to renew discussions over a move for the Brazilian.

The report added that the Elland Road hierarchy are not happy with the Catalan club after they waited on activating Raphinha’s relegation release clause, with Alemany looking to repair the damage caused by that stance.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-updates-4/” title=”Latest Leeds United updates!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Stand firm

The Whites are under no major pressure to sell Raphinha this summer as he enters the final two years of his contract, so it is crucial that Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani stick to their lofty valuation over the coming months.

Barcelona have their own financial issues to contend with, but Leeds don’t need to do them any favours by accepting any player-plus cash offers which have been mooted.

It’ll be interesting to see how this one plays out, and many Whites supporters may not have been expecting the club to be in such a positive situation last month, when it looked as if Raphinha was playing his final home game and relegation looked inevitable with Leeds trailing 1-0 to Brighton heading into stoppage time before plundering a last-gasp equaliser.

In other news – Orta on a roll: Leeds agree five-year deal with ‘goal threat’ in transfer which will cost £21.4m

Everton look set to rival Leeds United for the signature of New York City FC striker Valentin Castellanos. 

The lowdown

NYCFC are part of the City Football Group, but ‘per sources’, English champions Manchester City have declined to exercise their option to sign Castellanos.

The 23-year-old striker, valued at £10.8million by Transfermarkt, is under contract in the States until the end of 2025.

Everton may well need to bolster their no. 9 ranks this summer, with Cenk Tosun departing the club and Dominic Calvert-Lewin thought to be considering his future.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-5/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The latest

90Min journalists Chris Smith and Graeme Bailey write that City have ‘recommended him to a number of other EPL clubs’.

Leeds United are said to be the most interested club, and have representatives in the United States running the rule over Castellanos.

If Leeds are to sign him, though, ‘they’ll likely have to fend off interest’ from Premier League rivals like Everton, West Ham and Newcastle United.

The verdict

Castellanos has been prolific in Major League Soccer.

He’s made exactly 100 appearances in the league, scoring 44 goals and adding a further 19 assists.

He bagged 19 last season to win the Golden Boot and secure a spot in the MLS’ Best XI, and he’s carried that form in the 2022 campaign with 11 goals in 17.

It is a gamble to sign a player from the US, with Miguel Almiron, the league’s most expensive export at £21.6million, derided as a ‘flop’ in some quarters.

But one journalist, James Nalton, felt that he was ‘ready to make the step up’ to Man. City, an immense show of faith, while another says a move to Europe would not be a ‘surprise’ for the ‘truly remarkable’ frontman.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano says Everton are in the race for this signing.

An update has emerged on Rangers and their pursuit of a new goalkeeper to bring to Ibrox during the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, the Gers are one of two teams interested in signing Jack Butland ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Ross Wilson is plotting a move for the Englishman as a potential replacement for Allan McGregor in Glasgow as the veteran’s contract expires this year.

The report claims that Bournemouth are also keen on the shot-stopper and the Gers will need to beat off competition from the Cherries to land him.

Gio van Bronckhorst needs him badly

The Ibrox head coach needs him badly this summer as McGregor needs to be given significant competition – or to be replaced – next season.

In the Premiership, the 40-year-old played 29 games and conceded 0.9 goals per game as he made four errors directly leading to shots/goals. This shows that he had lapses in concentration as he made costly mistakes in the top-flight, including two errors in the 3-3 draw with Ross County.

If he does put pen to paper on an extension then Butland must be brought in to push him for the number one position so that they are not resigned to having an error-prone goalkeeper between the sticks. Of course, if the Scot decides to call a time on his career then the Gers will have a number one jersey to give to the Palace man.

Eagles reporter Mark Wyatt dubbed him as “incredibly brave” earlier this season as he won his place back in the team for a spell under Patrick Vieira. He made nine Premier League appearances ahead of Vincente Guaita and conceded 1.4 goals per game, whilst saving 100% (1/1) of the penalties against him.

In those nine matches, Butland did not make a single error directly leading to an opposition shot or goal, which suggests that he was a reliable option between the sticks for the English outfit. He has also only made one leading to a goal in his five Premier League campaigns throughout his career.

The £35k-per-week tank can, therefore, be can be a much-needed addition to the team if he can continue that level of reliability next term, given McGregor’s mistakes in the Scottish top-flight.

He still has plenty left to give at the age of 29, 11 years younger than McGregor, and can be van Bronckhorst’s number one for many years to come if Wilson can strike a deal for him.

AND in other news, Race won: Wilson lands Rangers deal for sought-after teenage gem, GvB will be buzzing…

Celtic ended their 2021/22 SPFL season with the best defensive record in the league having conceded just 22 goals in 38 games.

To further highlight their defensive strength, the Hoops faced fewer shots on target (76) than any other side in the top flight.

One figure that played a big part in Celtic’s title winning campaign at the back was Carl Starfelt.

Signed during the previous summer transfer window from Rubin Kazan on a four-year deal for a reported fee of £4m, the centre-back quickly became a prominent figure for Postecoglou.

Throughout his debut campaign, the Sweden international made 49 appearances across all competitions and played more minutes in the league than any other outfield player.

With the second-highest number of interceptions (42) and tackles won (30) to his name, Starfelt also had the joint-second highest average of clearances (3.5) and joint-highest average for aerial duels won per game (4.2) in Celtic’s ranks.

This highlights just how much of a capable defender he is and how significant he was for the Hoops this term.

Now that the campaign has drawn to an end, the summer transfer window will give Postecoglou the chance to potentially make some more changes to his squad so they can progress.

One figure that could potentially fit in the side well and possibly make a formidable defensive duo with Starfelt is Mohanad Jeahze.

The Hoops were linked with a reported £2m move for the Hammarby left-back, who has been labelled as a “class” player by Darijan Bojanic, last month.

With eight league appearances to his name this season, the defender has racked up the highest number of interceptions (18) and second-highest number of tackles (13) in Hammarby’s squad.

This shows how much of a tough defender he is and how he could be a solid fit next to Starfelt to make Celtic stronger on the left side of the defence.

Despite the current Celtic defender already showing his defensive talents, having another defensive full-back next to him, such as Jeahze, could make Postecoglou’s side an even tougher side to play against.

Taking into account how the Hoops will be facing off against some of Europe’s top teams in the Champions League next season, having some extra defensive reinforcements would not be a bad thing for the Parkhead club as they’ll be aiming to regain the SPFL title as well.

In other news: Better than Edouard: Celtic eyeing “feisty” 51-goal dynamo, supporters surely buzzing

Liverpool could be without four vital first-team players for the must-win Premier League clash with Wolves, Jurgen Klopp has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Final-day clash for Reds

The Reds welcome Wanderers to Anfield on Sunday afternoon, as the league season reaches its climax in potentially dramatic fashion.

Liverpool know that they must beat Wolves and hope that Manchester City drop points at home to Aston Villa, as Steven Gerrard looks to do them an enormous favour.

There are some injury problems heading into the game, however, so it is hard to guess what the Reds’ team will look like.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-33/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Latest: Four players could miss out

Taking to Twitter, journalist Neil Jones shared Klopp’s comments ahead of the game, with Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Joe Gomez all injury doubts:

“Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool will not take any risks with Salah, Van Dijk, Fabinho, Gomez. ‘My preferred solution would be that they could play this weekend, for rhythm purposes, but if not then we will take it from there.'”

The Verdict: Key decisions for Klopp

Klopp has a big task on his hands on Sunday, with the German having to field a strong starting lineup but also not risk using injured players before the Champions League final.

If any of those in question are not 100 per cent fit, they should be left on the substitutes’ bench, possibly only coming if the situation is desperate and Liverpool need a goal, or if City are not winning.

Salah will no doubt be desperate to play as he looks to win the Golden Boot, but it would be criminal to start him, see him get injured and then miss out on another Champions League final against Real Madrid.

In other news, one player is edging closer to a Liverpool exit. Find out who it is here.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have cast their sights towards Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien, with the Old Gold interested in signing a midfielder in this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report from TEAMtalk, who claim that Wolves are among a sextuple of clubs who are interested in signing the 23-year-old.

The mentioned sides who are vying for his signature are Wolves, Leeds United, Crystal Palace, Burnley and Southampton.

It is said that the Englishman’s fate could be settled as early as next week as it is believed that the Terriers’ midfield man has a release clause in his contract to the tune of around £12m.

As per the report, there is a slim chance that O’Brien could stay, with Huddersfield Town involved in the play-offs, so if they were to earn promotion to the Premier League, the 23-year-old would not have too much to gain.

Ready for the Premier League

It is no secret as to why so many top-flight outfits are sniffing around O’Brien ahead of this summer’s transfer window.

The 23-year-old, who has been described as “terrific” by writer George Smith, has been a vital part of the Terriers’ Championship campaign, having played 93% of Huddersfield’s games this season, and still has a part to play in helping them to achieve their ambition of promotion to the top flight.

The Englishman has “ran the show” according to Smith and has drummed up metrics that would see him slot right into Lage’s Wolves side.

Having created 44 chances in the Championship this season, he would rank first in Wolves’ squad, jumping ahead of Daniel Podence who has created 35 openings in the Premier League this term.

With six goal contributions in the form of three goals and three assists, he has bettered that of Joao Moutinho, who has been mooted to leave Molineux this summer.

Defensively he is sound also, and his average of 1.3 successful tackles per 90 would see him rank fourth among the Old Gold squad for this metric.

Overall, his £12m release clause represents somewhat of a bargain for a player of his calibre who is clearly ready for the Premier League.

Wolves would be right to move for O’Brien, who could offer Lage’s side a much-needed burst of creativity and defensive stability in midfield.

In other news: Forget Sa: “Ridiculous” Wolves dud who lost the ball every 5 touches let Lage down