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Maccabi Haifa midfielder Mohammad Abu Fani is reportedly pushing for a move to Celtic after it’s been revealed that he’s held exit talks with his agent over a possible summer departure.

The Lowdown: Confirmed Celtic interest

The 24-year-old has been part of the Israeli outfit ever since joining the club at U19s level back in 2017, working his way up through the ranks to make 99 senior first-team appearances across all competitions for the club to date.

Even though the maestro still has four years remaining on his current contract with Barak Bakhar’s side, the 14-cap international has recently been linked with a move away from Maccabi amid interest from the Hoops, and following a fresh update, it seems as though the creative midfield man is keen to make the switch.

The Latest: Abu Fani pushing for Celtic move

In a new article published by the Daily Record, it’s claimed that Abu Fani is ‘pushing for an exit’ after hearing of the Bhoys’ interest, with the Scottish Premiership champions’ scouts having already ‘watched’ the £900k-rated ace playing for his country during the recent Nations League fixtures.

The source further states that the club are ‘demanding’ £800k to let the player leave during the upcoming transfer window, but won’t stand in his way if the right offer was to come in.

As relayed by the report, Israeli outfit ONE have revealed that ‘talks have taken place’ between Haifa chiefs and Dudu Dahan’s ScoutPush agency, with the representative wanting to see his client move to a European league in the coming weeks.

The Verdict: Hoops hold huge advantage

The fact that Celtic have already sent employees out to watch Abu Fani in action just shows how serious they are about trying to secure a deal for their target, and there’s a chance that they could hold a big advantage over any other potential competitors.

Dahan, the player’s agent, has already engineered moves to the Glasgow giants in the past for the likes of Nir Bitton and more recently Liel Abada, who is an international teammate of the 5 foot 6 playmaker, so there’s every chance that he will want to grasp the opportunity of working alongside someone he already has a strong relationship with.

Having provided four assists and scored two goals in Ligat ha’AL this season, as per Transfermarkt, Abu Fani could be the perfect replacement for the departing Bitton and Rogic, with Ange Postecoglou looking to get this deal over the line way in advance of the start of the new campaign.

In other news… the Hoops have been handed a huge transfer blow in the pursuit of one of their summer targets.

Journalist Jacque Talbot has dropped an interesting claim regarding the future of Aston Villa striker Danny Ings. 

The lowdown: Surprise capture

Villa moved quickly under the radar to sign Ings with minimal fuss in a £25million transfer from Southampton last summer (Sky Sports).

Since arriving in the Midlands, the 29-year-old Englishman – who was lauded as a ‘phenomenal finisher’ by former Leeds United attacker Noel Whelan – has scored seven times and provided six assists in 31 outings for the Villans, a decent first season in most people’s books.

However, one journalist believes that Steven Gerrard – a former Liverpool teammate of Ings – could already be looking for life after the diminutive frontman.

The latest: ‘Might sound harsh…’

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Talbot has suggested that Villa may have already ‘outgrown’ Ings.

He said: “Injuries have hampered him a lot and he didn’t have the best of seasons.

“I think it might sound harsh, but Aston Villa have probably outgrown Danny Ings and he might be the sort of player that could be sold to a club coming up, maybe someone like Fulham could do with a Danny Ings.”

The verdict: Surely not!

Despite a checkered injury history that saw Ings miss an astonishing 85 matches whilst at Liverpool and regularly miss games for Southampton, the three-cap England man remained in decent health throughout last season at Villa Park.

One area Gerrard may look to address with the 108 career goal centre-forward could be his consistency. Having scored in his first two Premier League appearances for the club, the £19.8million valued ace then went five games without a goal on two separate occasions, lulls that will inevitably have a adverse impact on results.

That said, still under contract until 2024, following such a large outlay and with Gerrard likely to want more firepower in the ranks to accompany Ollie Watkins and the returning Keinan Davis, selling Ings is surely not on the agenda at this juncture, especially not to a domestic rival.

In other news: ‘I think…’ – Journalist makes claim involving ‘machine’ Gerrard wants at Villa, read more here

Journalist Jacque Talbot has now shared the news that ‘meetings’ have taken place with Newcastle United over the potential signing of Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Luka Sucic.

The Lowdown: January transfer talks

Talbot revealed earlier this month that the St James’ Park club were actively pursuing a deal for the 19-year-old, with their interest in him dating back to last year.

There were talks raised over the possibility of signing the Croatian teenager in the January transfer window, but a move never materialised in the end.

The Latest: Talbot update on Sucic

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Talbot has now shared that it has ‘gone a bit cold’ on the Sucic front for Newcastle, after ‘meetings’ took place over his potential signing.

The reporter outlined: “It’s gone a bit cold to be honest. I was told they had meetings with him and had him on the list. They wanted to bring him in. For Eddie Howe, one of the positions he wants to fill is a central midfielder who’s quite young, can come in quite cheap and be able to help build.”

The Verdict: It’s a pity

It is a shame that Newcastle’s interest in Sucic seems to have cooled, given what he could offer to Eddie Howe’s team.

The 19-year-old has ‘big potential’ according to Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch, who managed him in Austria, and those words are evidenced by the youngster’s total of 11 goals and five assists from midfield for Salzburg in all competitions last season (Transfermarkt).

Sucic can play pretty much anywhere in the middle of the park (Transfermarkt), with the 6 foot 1 powerhouse averaging one chance created and 1.6 tackles per match in the Champions League last term (SofaScore), showing that he can perform consistently at the highest level.

Nonetheless, the Magpies may now have to look at other targets, unless a breakthrough emerges with the Croatian.

In other news, find out which ‘supernatural’ speedster is now of interest to NUFC

As per a fresh report, Tottenham Hotspur supporters who wish to see Middlesbrough starlet Djed Spence join the Premier League club may now have been given a boost.

The Lowdown: Spurs in talks…

Sky Sports back that Spurs and chairman Daniel Levy have been locked in negotiations with Boro over signing their talented wing-back this last week.

They recently claimed that both the second-tier club and Tottenham were still apart in valuation over Spence with the transfer now hindering on money.

It is believed that the 21-year-old is eager to play for manager Antonio Conte and the Italian personally sees him as a top target for the RWB position.

The Latest: Lilywhites still confident…

Now, a promising update has now come out of north London concerning a possible agreement.

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90min claim Spurs are ‘continuing talks’ for Spence and there is ‘still a belief’ they will seal an agreement for the England Under-21 international ‘in the near future’.

The Verdict: Glimmer of hope?

We believe this report could provide a glimmer of hope for Spurs supporters who, unsurprisingly, want to see Spence make the move.

Called an ‘exciting player’ by members of the media, the defender has even been dubbed ‘perfect’ for Conte’s system and will help solve some off-field issues at Hotspur Way.

The club’s troubling homegrown quota has been a problem for some time and Spence’s signing could do wonders to balance the books and allow Tottenham to bring in further signings from overseas.

Indeed, 90min’s latest update could come as a promising one.

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an update on reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Clement Lenglet.

What’s the talk?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Italian journalist revealed that, having reached an agreement on personal terms with the centre-back, Spurs now look set to land the 27-year-old on a season-long loan deal, in what would be their fifth signing of the summer transfer window.

The transfer insider added that all that remains in order for the France international to link up with Antonio Conte’s side is to reach an agreement with Barcelona regarding the final details of his move, with further reports suggesting that Tottenham will pay €7m (€6m) – around £115k-per-week – of the defender’s €12m (£10m) salary for the duration of his stay in north London.

In his tweet, Romano said: “Tottenham are hopeful of completing Clement Lenglet deal very soon. It’s considered matter of final details with Barcelona, after agreement reached on personal terms with French defender.”

Conte will be buzzing

Considering just how eager Conte was reported to be regarding the completion of a deal for Lenglet, and with the signing of a left-footed centre-back known to be one of the Italian’s priority targets in the summer transfer window, Romano’s update that the 27-year-old is now set to join Spurs is sure to have left the 52-year-old buzzing.

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Also, with the £26m-rated talent very much appearing to tick many of the boxes that the former Inter Milan, Chelsea, Juventus and Italy manager seeks in a defender, it would seem as if Lenglet could be something of a perfect fit on the left of Tottenham’s back three next season.

Indeed, according to FBRef data, the Frenchman ranks in the top 1% of centre-backs in Europe’s big five leagues for passes attempted per 90, along with the top 1% for progressive passes, the top 1% for progressive carries, the top 6% for assists, the top 18% for passes completed, the top 15% for pressures, the top 39% for tackles and the top 43% for aerial duels won over the last 365 days.

As such, it is clear to see that the fact that Fabio Paratici looks close to tying up a deal for the Barcelona ace is fantastic news for everyone involved with Spurs – not least Conte himself – as Lenglet undoubtedly possesses the ability to play a huge role in Spurs’ Premier League and Champions League campaigns in 2022/23.

AND in other news – “At this point..”: Alasdair Gold reveals big Spurs transfer decision, supporters will be gutted

Aston Villa can form a dream midfield duo by signing West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek.

According to a recent report by Birmingham Mail, Aston Villa are showing interest in Hammers midfielder Soucek after the Czech Republic international’s future was thrown in doubt due to a failure to negotiate a pay rise for his work at the London Stadium.

As per the report, it is said that Moyes and co have no intentions of offering him a salary increase, with clubs around Europe immediately alerted to the situation.

One of the aforementioned clubs is of course Aston Villa, who may fancy their chances with an offer of around £30m set to be enough to open talks.

And, a potential partnership between Soucek and one of Villa’s earlier summer signings, Boubacar Kamara, is an entirely frightening prospect as far as the rest of the Premier League is concerned.

In Kamara, you have a player who is the ultimate string-puller in the engine room, completing 73.04 passes per game at a percentage of 91%, with 5.99 of these passes into the final third.

Whilst in Soucek, who Yannick Bolasie dubbed “unplayable” and  Sam Inkersole labelled a “machine” you have an asset who is happy to occupy a deeper position in the mid-third, achieving an average of 4.46 touches in the defensive penalty area whilst achieving 3.22 clearances, which indicates that the two could make for a hugely progressive duo based on their complimentary playing styles.

Having conceded 54 goals in the league last season, Villa ranked as the ninth-worst defence in the league and could create a brick wall partnership in midfield to put the final seal in place of a watertight defence.

AND in other news: “I’m sure..”: Reliable journo drops big AVFC transfer claim, supporters surely buzzing 

Everton correspondent Chris Smith has now revealed some interesting transfer news on Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura.

The Lowdown: Richarlison swap

As per The Daily Telegraph, Tottenham Hotspur had offered the Goodison Park outfit £20m plus Bergwijn for Richarlison, which was rejected.

Moura and Harry Winks were also thought to be players who Spurs were open to including in a deal to sign the Brazil international, but the Merseyside club got straight cash in the end.

The Latest: Driven by Tottenham

Taking to Twitter, Smith of 90min has now revealed that the links to both Bergwijn and Moura were driven more by the Lilywhites, and the Toffees are looking to replace Richarlison quickly but have never considered trade offers:

“Also, to add, I’m told the links to Steven Bergwijn/Lucas Moura were always driven more by the Spurs side. They wanted to bring down the Richarlison fee & reduce their wages ahead of his arrival.

“Everton looking to replace Richarlison fast but never considered trades. Only cash.”

The Verdict: Interesting

It is certainly interesting to hear that Frank Lampard’s team would not consider trade offers for Richarlison, especially given that they were offered the chance to sign Bergwijn and Moura.

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The pair managed five goals and seven assists in the Premier League between them last season, despite often being left out of the side to accommodate Harry Kane, Son Heung-Min and Dejan Kulusevski (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, if the Blues want to sign either, it looks as if it will be another cash-only deal, and with confirmation that James Tarkowski has officially signed, they can now move on to attacking targets.

Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson is unsure about Everton signing Morgan Gibbs-White this summer, coming as a potential big boost for Wolves.

The Lowdown: Gibbs-White on the move?

The 22-year-old enjoyed a fruitful spell on loan at Sheffield United last season, scoring 12 goals and registering 10 assists in the Championship.

Gibbs-White has now returned to Molineux but there have been reports linking him with a permanent move away from the Black Country, with Everton seen as the front-runners to snap him up as they prepare to submit an offer.

The Old Gold are demanding £25m for his services as they look to keep hold of one of their most coveted young assets.

The Latest: Robinson plays down exit talk

Robinson spoke with Football Insider after hearing about the interest from Everton, casting doubt on a move and suggesting that £25m would be too much to spend on someone who remains relatively unproven.

The Sky Sports pundit said of the 22-year-old:

“He had a very good season in the Championship. Everton are clearly willing to take a chance on him.

“Look, £25million is hefty price tag for a player unproven in the Premier League when you look at Everton’s financial situation. It is a big price tag for a young player who has not really proved it at the top level.

“It would be a risk but perhaps one that is worth taking because he is very talented.”

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The Verdict: Wolves must keep hold of him

Gibbs-White is a precocious young footballer who has been hailed as a “great player” by David McGoldrick, with the Irishman adding that the ex-Sheffield United loanee has “the world at his feet”, so Wolves must do all they can to keep hold of him this summer.

With Ruben Neves quite possibly moving on, the 22-year-old could help to fill the void that the Portugal star would leave in the middle of the park, and he could now be ready to make the step up given his age.

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Losing such a special prospect at this point in his career would be a big blow for the Old Gold, but this claim from Robinson would suggest that Wolves could end up keeping Gibbs-White ahead of next season.

Should that happen, the onus would then be on him to prove his brilliance and justify the hype surrounding him.

Tottenham Hotspur are weighing up a move for Leicester City’s James Maddison, player representative and Spurs fan Paul O’Keefe reports. 

The lowdown

According to Dan Kilpatrick of The London Evening Standard, Antonio Conte wants to sign a creative midfielder this summer.

Spurs reportedly held an interest in bringing Christian Eriksen back to North London, but he’s now joined Manchester United.

Maddison, 25, is under contract at The King Power Stadium for another two years.

The latest

O’Keefe, an FA registered intermediary, was asked on Twitter for news about Spurs’ pursuit of a playmaker.

He replied that ‘they are very seriously considering’ a move for Maddison.

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The verdict

It would seem Maddison ticks the key boxes for Conte. He provided eight assists in last season’s Premier League in addition to his 12 goals, ranking him joint-tenth in the division.

And he also ranks inside the league’s top 30 for key passes per 90 match with 1.4.

Some Spurs fans, however, may be less than pleased with some of the player’s old tweets.

In 2013, he declared that he didn’t ‘like’ the Lilywhites and that he wanted then Liverpool striker Luis Suarez to ‘destroy’ them.

And he also ripped into Gareth Bale, whom he hated ‘with a passion’. He claimed that the former Gunners midfielder Jack Wilshere was ’10x better’ than the Welsh winger.

It seems unlikely that that would come into the club’s thinking, though, particularly when you consider that they made light of some of Matt Doherty’s tweets when he joined the club in 2020.

West Ham United are plotting a potential move for Leicester City youngster Luke Thomas.

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Guardian, who claimed that David Moyes is considering a move for the youngster.

Whilst he is keen on signing a left-sided midfielder, the Scotsman also wants a full-back who can compete with Aaron Cresswell. Thomas could reportedly be available if Leicester were to receive a suitable offer.

Imagine him and Kostic

With West Ham already boasting a busy summer transfer window, one added addition on the left-hand side could bolster what is already a strong part of David Moyes’ side.

The Irons are reportedly moving for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Filip Kostic, who excelled last season along the left flank.

A move for added depth just behind the potentially inbound Serbian could push Aaron Cresswell to further improve his game or see him dwindle as Thomas grows into the role.

The £25k-per-week Leicester full-back featured 22 times in the league, achieving a solid 6.75 average SofaScore rating, and he would offer a new dynamic to challenge the marauding Cresswell.

He ranked in the 90th percentile for blocks per 90 and the 91st percentile for pressures among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues last season, which would be useful for Moyes to initiate his press from full-backs pushed high up the field.

Perhaps if he were to sit behind potential new signing Kostic, who ranked in the 99th percentile for shot-creating actions and assists, they would form a remarkable partnership on the Irons’ left-hand side. Thomas could be the defensive solidity to allow the 29-year-old’s creativity to shine.

The ‘Foxes of Leicester’ fan account once wrote of the defender: “Luke Thomas’ talent and maturity is impressive. Bright career ahead.”

Moyes clearly agrees with this sentiment as he aims to see his side take the next step, moving on from Europa Conference League qualification to perhaps a top-four finish.

With Thomas and Kostic down the left flank, West Ham could have a blistering attack with the mature defensive capabilities resting on young shoulders who could get even better with the passage of time and accumulation of high-level experience.

AND, in other news: Fabrizio Romano reveals huge transfer development, West Ham supporters will be buzzing.