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Manchester United could well be eyeing a summer move for Inter Milan star Andre Onana, albeit with the Red Devils set to face competition for the goalkeeper's signature.

What's the latest on Onana to Man United?

According to the Evening Standard, the Old Trafford outfit could potentially rival Chelsea in the battle to land the 27-year-old ahead of next season, with Erik ten Hag and co able to offer the benefit of providing Champions League football.

The report suggests that the Serie A outfit are set to demand a fee in the region of £50m if they are to part ways with the former Cameroon international over the coming weeks, with the Italian giants potentially set to be forced to cash in due to their ongoing financial woes.

The former Ajax man only made the move to San Siro on a free transfer last summer and still has four years left to run on his existing deal with Simone Inzaghi's side.

Should Man United sign Onana?

There is currently much uncertainty surrounding United's goalkeeping department, with an agreement yet to have been reached with long-serving asset David De Gea over a contract extension, with the Spaniard's current deal set to expire in just a matter of weeks.

Even if the 32-year-old is to sign a new contract in the near future, there have been reports that the £375k-per-week man won't necessarily be the starting option for Ten Hag next season.

The former Atletico Madrid man has arguably become a "big problem" for the Red Devils – according to pundit Jamie Carragher – with his woes in possession having been exposed of late, with club legend Paul Scholes stating following the defeat to Sevilla that De Gea "makes the whole team nervous" when trying to play out from the back.

The signing of Onana, therefore, would be a potential upgrade as far as Ten Hag is concerned, with the 6 foot 3 titan – who played 145 times under the Dutchman in Amsterdam – having been described as "exceptional" on the ball by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, ahead of last weekend's Champions League final.

Despite ending up on the losing side in that showpiece meeting, the 34-cap ace still "caught the eye" with his distribution, according to Manchester Evening News journalist, Tyrone Marshall.

The Inter man's greater composure on the ball was also shown in Serie A in 2022/23 as he enjoyed an average pass accuracy rate of 79% from his 24 league outings, while De Gea, by contrast, averaged just 68% for that same metric from 38 appearances, having been far more erratic when attempting to play out.

Equally, while the latter man ranks in just the bottom 30% among his European peers for touches per 90, Onana ranks in the top 11% in that regard, again showcasing that he will willingly get involved in the build-up.

As such, with De Gea having become something of a 'problem' of late, the signing of the Cameroonian machine could be just the upgrade that Ten Hag requires.

Newcastle United are 'progressing well' in their attempts to bring Leicester City playmaker James Maddison to St James' Park this summer, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.

What's the latest transfer news involving James Maddison?

According to Football Insider, Newcastle United are said to be 'frontrunners' in the race to sign Maddison this summer amid stiff competition from other Premier League sides.

The report states that Newcastle United are ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in their pursuit of the £110k-a-week ace, who is set for an exit from Leicester City in the next few months due to their relegation to the Sky Bet Championship.

Sky Sports also broadly state along the same lines that Newcastle United are in pole position to bring in Maddison; however, the outlet detail that Spurs could 'formalise' a bid now that they have appointed a new manager in the form of Ange Postecoglou.

Maddison caught the eye of the Magpies in January, though Leicester City were unwilling to do business mid-season, which is a stance that they look to have changed and it is now believed that they are open to offers for the Coventry-born playmaker.

As per The Guardian, Maddison's teammate Harvey Barnes is also a target for Newcastle United as they plot a double raid of the Foxes' best talents ahead of 2023/24.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Galetti has revealed that talks between Maddison and Newcastle United over a summer transfer are going well.

Galetti said: "The talks between Newcastle and Leicester over James Maddison are progressing well, even if not at a great pace. I’m told Newcastle want to strengthen every role of their squad after the qualification for next season’s Champions League and they are working on multiple deals."

Would James Maddison be a good signing for Newcastle United?

Maddison would be a brilliant addition for Newcastle United who would add some extra flair to their talented midfield at St James' Park looking forward to next term.

In 2022/23, the England international made 32 appearances in all competitions for Leicester City, registering ten goals and nine assists, as per Transfermarkt.

Proving to be an inventive presence in the Foxes' midfield, Maddison also successfully performed 138 shot-creating actions in the Premier League, as tallied by FBRef.

Possessing a keen goal threat, Maddison hit an average of 2.8 shots per game in the English top-flight, demonstrating his penchant to make things happen despite the faltering nature of the team around him this term, as per WhoScored.

Newcastle United are preparing for Champions League football under Eddie Howe and bringing Maddison to Tyneside could help to take the Magpies to the next level.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could form a ‘formidable’ partnership with Philippe Coutinho at Aston Villa, Frank McAvennie has told Football Insider.

The lowdown

Transfer insider Dean Jones told GiveMeSport on Sunday that the 28-year-old is ‘of interest’ at Villa Park.

The £14.4m-rated midfielder is approaching the final year of his £120,000-per-week contract at Liverpool, while he watched virtually the Reds’ entire run-in from the sidelines last season, with his most recent appearance coming in an FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest on 20 March.

Oxlade-Chamberlain’s overall senior club career record stands at 373 appearances, 47 goals and 56 assists.

The latest

McAvennie thinks that a move to Villa will appeal to Oxlade-Chamberlain on the basis that Steven Gerrard should be able to hand him significantly greater game-time than Jurgen Klopp has done on Merseyside.

The former Villans striker told Football Insider: “I think that is a good bit of business.

“I like him as a player. You can tell he wants to get out and play, some players are happy to sit on the bench and not play. He would love to stay at Liverpool and he would love to be in the first team, but he’s not.

“The reality is, he can go and play for Aston Villa every week. I can understand him wanting to go and play and he would be a really good signing for Villa.”

McAvennie believes that, alongside a fellow goalscoring midfielder in Coutinho, with whom Oxlade-Chamberlain briefly played at Liverpool in 2017, the Englishman could electrify Villa Park.

The 62-year-old said: “Him and Coutinho, that’s not bad, formidable. The two of them have goals in them. It would be great for the fans as well because those players play the game the way it should be played.”

The verdict

Villa may be reliant on Liverpool’s stance changing if they want to get this move done.

As it stands, the Reds do not intend to sign another midfield option this summer. As a consequence, it has been suggested that Jurgen Klopp could be eager to keep Oxlade-Chamberlain at Anfield to preserve the depth that the German currently has.

Another year of frustration may potentially be in store for the Englishman before the end of his contract on Merseyside.

Still, it’s still very much early days in the market, and there’s plenty of time for Liverpool to reassess their stance on the 28-year-old Villa target.

In other news, this superstar has a ‘decent chance’ of joining Villa

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been handed a boost in their race to sign Sporting CP midfielder Joao Palhinha this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Portuguese newspaper A Bola (via Sport Witness) Wolves face tough competition from Bayer Leverkusen and Sevilla for his signature.

However, there’s good news as Leverkusen seem unable to pay the asking price that Sporting have set for the player. The report states that the club will only be willing to let the player leave for a fee of €20m (£17m) or €25m (£21.2m).

This will be a boost to the Old Gold as they could outbid the other contenders and land the highly-rated midfielder.

He’s Paul Ince 2.0

Former footballer Paul Ince was a key player for Wolves during a four year spell at the West Midlands club between 2002 and 2006. He made 127 appearances in that time and directly contributed to 15 goals.

It might have been towards the end of his career but he brought great experience and quality with him. He was noted for being a ‘powerful’ character who ‘got the best’ out of others and wasn’t scared of getting stuck in.

Also described as an ‘enforcer’ who was adept both in a defensive and offensive capacity, the same can very much be said for Palhinha, and in signing him, Wolves can repeat their capture of Ince all those years ago.

If you look at his stats compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, he ranks in the top 4% for tackles in the midfield third.

This shows how he aggressive he can be which is similar to Ince in many ways. He also ranks in the top 1% for pressures in the midfield third which proves that he gives his opponent hardly any time on the ball which Bruno Lage will love.

With that in mind, it’s hardly a surprise that he’s been described as “special” by Sporting manager Ruben Amorim.

If Jeff Shi and co can capture him then it will massively improve their options in the middle of the park. He offers something different, more old-school compared to the fancy intricate displays we see from many midfielders nowadays.

They’ll face tough competition, and rightly so given how good Palhinha is, but it will be worth every penny if they can pull it off.

IN other news: Lage must now brutally sell Wolves’ £20m “catalyst”, he won’t make it at Molineux…

Alasdair Gold has dropped an update on reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Paulo Dybala.

What’s the latest?

In a recent video posted on his YouTube channel, the football.london journalist revealed that, despite widespread reports suggesting otherwise, he has been informed that Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici are not pursuing a deal for the out-of-contract Juventus forward this summer – as the sporting director is not believed to be a fan of the Argentina international.

Concerning Spurs’ reported interest in the 28-year-old, Gold shared the following twist: “I know there are lots of Paulo Dybala links as there always are, but I’m told that’s not currently one that Spurs are currently looking at.

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“It’s interesting because you’ve also got to factor in that I don’t think Paratici is the biggest fan of Dybala, and I understand that he was one of the ones who were looking to move Dybala on from Juventus back in 2019 when Spurs were trying to sign him. So, I don’t see that as something that is likely to happen.”

Supporters will be gutted

Considering the quite extraordinary form Dybala has been in for Juventus this season, in addition to Tottenham supporters revealing in a recent poll ran by Football FanCast that they believe the attacker would be a fantastic signing for Spurs this summer, Gold’s suggestion that Paratici is not currently pursuing a deal for the Argentine is sure to come as gutting news to the club’s fanbase.

Indeed, over his 29 Serie A appearances this term, the £36m-rated talent was one of the standout performers in the league, scoring ten goals, registering five assists and creating 11 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.4 shots, making 1.3 key passes and completing 1.6 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the £220k-per-week forward average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.43, not only ranking him as the Bianconeri’s best performer in the Italian top flight but also as the joint fourth-best player in the division as a whole.

As such, it is clear to see just how exciting an addition Dybala would be to Conte’s current options in attack, however, following Gold’s latest update, it would now appear as if a Tottenham move for the 28-year-old sensation looks extremely unlikely this summer.

AND in other news: Conte could land his next Kante as Paratici plots Spurs bid for “unreal” £60m signing

Alasdair Gold has dropped an update on the backing of Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In a recent post on Twitter, the football.london journalist revealed that the Tottenham owners, ENIC, have now made an extra £150m available this summer, in order for the 52-year-old manager and Fabio Paratici to pursue a number of their top targets in the transfer market.

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In his tweet, Gold said: “Big news at Spurs as ENIC pumps £150m into the club to help ‘further invest on and off the pitch’. There’s that Antonio Conte backing I was talking about.”

Supporters will be buzzing

With it being widely reported that Conte’s future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium heading into 2022/23 very much depended on whether or not Daniel Levy and the Spurs board would match his ambition in the transfer market, Gold’s update revealing that the club have made it abundantly clear that they will be financing the Italian is sure to have left supporters buzzing.

Indeed, not only does this news mean that Tottenham will more than likely be one of the serious players in the summer window, with Paratici now looking to have free reign to go after some of Conte’s biggest transfer targets, but it would also appear to suggest that the 52-year-old will remain in charge of the club next season.

And, when considering the quite astonishing job the former Inter Milan boss has done at Tottenham thus far – taking the Lilywhites from ninth to fourth in the Premier League standings, picking up a remarkable 56 points from a possible 84 – it is clear for all to see that Conte remaining in north London next season greatly increases Spurs’ chances of success in 2022/23 – a prospect that will undoubtedly delight the club’s supporters.

AND in other news: Conte now plotting offer for “frightening” £50m Spurs target, he’s Salah 2.0

The signing of James Tarkowski is reportedly a priority for Newcastle United and Eddie Howe this summer. 

The lowdown

The 29-year-old is available on a free transfer having reached the end of his contract at Burnley, who suffered relegation to the Championship after their 2-1 defeat to the Magpies on the final day. Indeed, journalist Mark Douglas said that the defender’s post-match lap of honour at Turf Moor looked ‘suspiciously like a farewell’.

Newcastle did sign a centre-back in January, paying Brighton £13m to acquire Dan Burn.

While the Magpies finished 11th in the Premier League table, they were in the bottom six for both expected goals against (62.71) and actual goals against (62).

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The latest

Football Insider reported that Newcastle have made Tarkowski a ‘top target’ ahead of the summer transfer window, although they do face competition for his signature.

Sources have told the publication that Everton have already gone as far as submitting an offer worth £120,000 per week as they look to win the race for the 29-year-old.

Meanwhile, West Ham United are also said to be watching developments ‘closely’.

The verdict

You can see why Newcastle view this as a big opportunity.

Tarkowski, who has made nearly 200 Premier League appearances and earned two caps for England, is valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt but is available on a Bosman deal.

Journalist Jonny Bentley has described him as ‘gritty’ and ‘physical’ and expressed confidence that the Mancunian could deliver ‘for most clubs in the Premier League’.

The Magpies may have to match Everton’s £120,000-a-week offer, though, and that could make the 29-year-old their highest-paid player  – ahead of £100,000-per-week duo Chris Wood and Kieran Trippier, plus another January arrival in £90,000-a-week Bruno Guimaraes.

In other news, Paddy Kenny has been left stunned by these Newcastle developments

Steven Gerrard has the chance to lead Aston Villa to a top-half finish in the Premier League if they can end the season strongly.

With matches against Crystal Palace, Burnley, and Manchester City remaining, six points out of nine should be their realistic target from that trio of fixtures.

It has been a mixed season for Gerrard at Villa Park since his arrival from Rangers in mid-November. They started brightly under his tenure but have been inconsistent in 2022, winning 10 matches under the 41-year-old so far but also losing 11.

What’s the news?

With the manager perhaps looking to rejig the playing squad and bring his own players in, there will likely be plenty of outgoings during the summer transfer window, and Gerrard has been discussing what will happen with his fringe players.

As per Birmingham Live on Friday, he said: “If it’s better to go and play elsewhere because they’re guaranteed more game time, then we’re certainly open to conversations with one or two of them. In terms of naming names, I don’t think that’s professional.”

He could be referring to numerous players with this message, and supporters may well be glad to see the back of some fringe members of the Villa squad who have been eating up the wage bill.

One player who looks set to leave is Morgan Sanson, while wingers Anwar El Ghazi and Trezeguet have been sent out on loan to Everton and İstanbul Başakşehir respectively, so it seems unlikely that they will feature at all for Villa next season.

The 41-year-old landed his top target in Philippe Coutinho on a permanent deal this week in a bargain £17m deal until 2026, and these are the types of players Gerrard needs to be signing in order to take the next step with the club and lead them into the European places.

Getting rid of the deadwood is a tough task, but the former Rangers boss seems to be handling it with the utmost professionalism so far, particularly with his refusal to namecheck any players he may be considering for an exit.

AND in other news, Gerrard can land his own Pogba as Villa plot bid for “impressive” £107k-p/w machine

Leeds United are in a great position to bring Brennan Johnson to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Dean Jones, with the transfer insider and journalist revealing in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that, should Leeds go on to secure their status as a Premier League side this season, coupled with Nottingham Forest failing to secure promotion to the top flight in the Championship play-offs, Victor Orta will be in a fantastic position to land his reported £20m transfer target this summer.

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Regarding the Whites’ interest in the 20-year-old attacking midfielder, Jones said: “They should make him their number one target, 100%. They are in a great position to sign Brennan Johnson if they do stay up and Forest don’t manage to get promoted.”

Supporters will be buzzing

While it is undeniable that Leeds’ place in the Premier League next season appears extremely uncertain following the weekend’s results, should the Whites go on to secure survival, the prospect of landing a player as talented as Johnson is undoubtedly something that will leave the Elland Road faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 46 Championship appearances this season, the £900k-rated forward has been a revelation in Steve Cooper’s attack, scoring 16 goals, registering ten assists and creating 15 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots, making 1.3 key passes and completing 1.2 dribbles per game.

These metrics have seen the £2.5k-per-week Wales international average a quite breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him as Nottingham Forest’s fourth-best outfielder in the second tier – with the 20-year-old playing a starring role in the Reds’ widely unexpected securing of a top-six finish in the league.

As such, the suggestion that – as long as Leeds stay up and Forest remain in the Championship – Orta is in a great position to secure the signing of Johnson this summer is undoubtedly incredibly exciting for everyone involved with the Whites.

However, with Jesse Marsch’s side currently sitting 18th in the Premier League standings, it would appear a wise move for Leeds to hold off on printing shirts donning the attacking midfielder’s name just yet.

AND in other news: “Very possible…”: Phil Hay drops big Leeds injury update, supporters will be buzzing

Newcastle United have successfully been able to turn their latest Premier League season around after being in and around the relegation zone for the first half of the campaign.

Since January, the Magpies have only lost four games in the league, winning 10 and drawing two.

The January transfer window has turned out to have been a crucial period for the Toon as they brought in a number of new players to help get their campaign back on track.

Now that the summer transfer window is on the horizon, this could give the Tyneside club the opportunity to once again make some changes to their squad that they deem necessary ahead of their first full season with PIF in charge.

One figure with whom the Toon have been linked and who could be a vast upgrade on one of their current squad members is Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma.

According to a recent report from The Mirror, the Mali international is on a list of potential summer transfer targets for the Toon.

In terms of what he could offer Howe’s side in comparison to current Magpies midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, the Brighton monster would be a big upgrade in terms of his defensive talents.

With the pair both playing more than 30 games for their respective clubs in the current league campaign, Bissouma has more tackles, pressures, interceptions, blocks and clearances than the Newcastle man.

On the ball, the 25-year-old has made more passes and racked up a higher pass completion percentage (89.7%) than Shelvey (80.2%).

To further highlight the Brighton star’s capabilities on the ball, he has successfully completed 29 dribbles compared to Shelvey’s nine.

Back in September, Bissouma earned hefty praise from Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers, who said of the midfield maestro: “I think he is a top player he does a great job defensively, he can press the game, he is aggressive, he intercepts, he blocks, he tries to get them on the front foot.

“Physically he has good physicality, he gets around the pitch, he is mobile, agile and tactically he looks strong around the game.

“He utilises empty space and technically he is very good, he touches the ball, he passes it, and has good awareness of space.”

Taking all this into account, securing a deal for the £29k-per-week Brighton ace should be at the top of Newcastle’s priorities for the summer transfer window.

In other news: Newcastle eyeing swoop for “cold” £60m machine, he’d be “fabulous” for Howe