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Newcastle United still have almost two months left of the summer transfer window to wrap up their business to head into the 2022/23 campaign.

The Magpies have already snapped up Matt Targett, Nick Pope, and Sven Botman on permanent deals and there may be more to come.

One player who has been linked with a potential move to the club is Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise, with Dan Ashworth eyeing a potential swoop for the Frenchman.

The gem reportedly has a release clause of £35m in his contract, after joining the Eagles from Reading last year, and it remains to be seen whether or not the Toon are willing to meet it.

David Ginola 2.0

Ashworth could land Newcastle their next version of the brilliant David Ginola by securing a deal to sign Olise this summer.

The retired attacker played 76 times for the Magpies and produced seven goals and 17 assists from out wide. He was capable of playing on both flanks or through the middle as a second striker and the Palace man can now offer similar qualities at St. James’ Park.

Ginola was a magical player during his time in England and writer Muhammad Butt once called Olise a “wizard”, which suggests that he is a similar type of forward in that they are both creative and exciting players on the ball. 

Former Arsenal man Ian Wright has tipped the youngster, who can also play out wide and in a number 10 role, to do “unbelievable” things. He has shown glimpses of the quality he is able to provide from out wide, scoring two goals and providing five assists in 12 Premier League starts for Palace last season.

This came after an exceptional year in the Championship with Reading. In the second tier, he averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.21 as he scored seven goals and set up 12 from midfield, creating 1.9 chances per game for the Royals.

At the age of 20, he is in the infancy of his professional career and has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and improve. He can be a signing for the here and now, given his contributions in limited minutes for Palace, whilst also being an investment for the future.

Olise could, therefore, be Newcastle’s new French magician – a Ginola 2.0 – if Ashworth is able to get a deal over the line in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, NUFC may pursue “big money” move for “frightening” £80m gem, supporters surely excited…

Nottingham Forest have been credited with an interest in Southampton striker Che Adams recently and the Scotland international could be a big upgrade on Lewis Grabban in Steve Cooper’s side.

Recent reports have linked Forest with a move for the former Birmingham and Sheffield United striker, despite him being a regular in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side in recent seasons.

After a tricky start to life at St Mary’s the 25-year-old forward has established himself as a regular under the Austrian manager, hitting eight goals in 33 appearances for the Saints last season.

Forest may well have already recruited Taiwo Awoniyi to bolster their attacking options this summer, but Cooper could still be in the market for a Grabban replacement after he made it clear this week that he won’t be signing a new contract at the club and will leave this summer.

Last season saw the 34-year-old forward hit 12 goals in 32 appearances, so he certainly played his part in Forest’s promotion, but his age and Forest’s new signings suggest that he would have played a bit-part role in the upcoming season.

Therefore, signing a 25-year-old international such as Adams as his replacement could be a very smart piece of business by the Reds, especially if they can get him to rediscover the form he showed with Birmingham in the Championship, where he hit 22 goals in the 2018/19 campaign.

Although he has struggled to find the net regularly in the top-flight, his personality and work rate suggest that he would be appreciated by Cooper, as Hasenhuttl suggested he had a “fantastic” attitude when things weren’t falling for him initially at Southampton.

When he did start scoring goals, the Austrian was full of praise for Adams, saying:

“He’s a role model for the time we went through – from zero to hero at the moment.”

While Grabban might be a more natural finisher than the Scottish forward, Adams is younger and his athleticism suggests that he could offer far more to Cooper next season, so Forest fans will surely be hoping to see the £16.2m-rated forward join from Southampton.

AND in other news: Cooper set to unearth his own £63m-rated talent as Forest close in on “great prospect”

Liverpool could sign Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot in an exchange deal for Roberto Firmino, according to CalcioMercatoWeb. 

The lowdown: Liverpool links…

Recently, the Telegraph claimed that the Reds are admirers of the 27-year-old, who could be heading to the Premier League this summer for a fee in the region of £15million.

A serial trophy winner with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, Rabiot is in the final 12 months of a contract in Turin and is believed to be open to a new challenge (Transfermarkt).

Now, it appears as though the Serie A giants could be looking at Kop icon Firmino as a potential makeweight as part of any deal…

The latest: Firmino swap?

Following a recent report from the same outlet claiming that the Reds are willing to use Naby Keita in order to bring Rabiot to Anfield, it’s now been suggested Juve would want the Brazilian instead.

CMW claim that an attempt to sign the Brazilian forward ‘cannot be ruled out’ as the Italian club tries to ‘exploit’ the interest in their 29-cap France ace.

The report also states that the situation between all parties ‘remains to be monitored’ with Juventus open to the idea of taking Firmino – who was hailed as the ‘conductor’ of Jurgen Klopp’s attack by journalist Leanne Prescott in 2019.

The verdict: No deal!

Although the prospect of bringing a player of Rabiot’s quality to the red half of Merseyside to further strengthen the midfield department is an enticing one, in exchange for a key attacker such as Firmino it’s simply a non-starter, regardless of a dwindling contract.

The departures of Sadio Mane, Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino have already left Klopp light in forward areas and allowing the 55-cap Samba star to leave would only serve to increase the problem and would likely see Julian Ward forced into the market once more.

However, should a deal for Rabiot – who was hailed as a ‘complete player’ by Italy and Juventus legend Andrea Pirlo – be possible without a member of the current Anfield ranks heading in the opposite direction, then Liverpool should be pushing hard to make it happen.

Manchester City have reportedly offered a new deal to Riyad Mahrez to keep him at the Etihad Stadium.

What’s the news?

According to a recent Twitter post from journalist Foot Mercato Santi Aouna, the Manchester club have offered the winger a short-term contract extension, with his current deal set to expire next summer.

In his tweet, Aouna said: “Info: Riyad Mahrez has been offered a SHORT TERM contract extension by Manchester City. From sources close to the board of Citizens, discussions are progressing well. Not agreed yet but optimism reigns.”

City signed the Algerian back in the 2018 summer transfer window from fellow Premier League club Leicester City in a deal worth a then club-record fee of £60m.

Since then, the 31-year-old has gone on to make 189 appearances for the Citizens across all competitions.

In those appearances, the attacker has found the net 63 times and delivered 46 assists along the way, in addition to winning three Premier League titles, three Carabao Cups and one FA Cup.

City fans will be buzzing

His previous Premier League campaign with Pep Guardiola’s side saw the former Foxes star score 11 goals and deliver five assists in 28 league appearances, leaving him with more goal contributions than the likes of Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Jack Grealish among others.

To further highlight how pivotal he was at times last season, the winger also scored seven goals and registered two assists in City’s 12 Champions League games, as well as scoring in big league games against the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that Mahrez is an important figure for City and has been a big part of their success since his arrival.

It also makes it easy to see why the club are reportedly keen to extend his contract, which would surely leave a lot of buzzing to see happen this summer.

Moving forward, if City can get the attacker to put pen to paper on this reported extension, it would definitely be a big boost for the club and put to bed any worries that may have cropped up over his future.

In terms of next season, if Mahrez can continue scoring and creating goals for his side, he will undoubtedly give the club a great chance of being successful in terms of winning trophies once again and prove why they were right to break their record transfer fee to sign him in the first place.

AND in other news: Pep can land the next Dias with Man City bid for £86m sensation who “can’t be stopped”

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph has revealed that Celtic are ‘closely monitoring’ Manchester City defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis ahead of a potential move to the Scottish Premiership this summer.

The Lowdown: Harwood-Bellis profiled

As per the Premier League club’s official website, the 20-year-old is an academy graduate of the Sky Blues after first joining at the age of just six. He’s worked his way up through the ranks, having been part of the U18s squad before being handed his senior first-team debut in 2020 in the 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over Preston North End.

The £6.3m-rated centre-back spent the second half of last season out on loan in the English second tier with Stoke City, and having impressed during his spell with the Potters, appears to have caught the eye of multiple potential suitors, including the Hoops.

The Latest: Celtic ‘closely monitoring’ Harwood-Bellis

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Joseph revealed that Celtic still want to add another centre-back to their ranks, despite securing Cameron Carter-Vickers, and says that Harwood-Bellis could be the man. He said:

“I think after getting Carter-Vickers, Celtic would like to add another centre-back, because I’d imagine they feel Jullien may leave, or may need to take time before he gets back to first-team level. Taylor Harwood-Bellis is someone who they’re closely monitoring.”

The Verdict: An exciting prospect

Even though Harwood-Bellis is still at a very young age, he looks to be an exciting prospect and already has plenty of experience under his belt, making him a player that would slot nicely into Ange Postecoglou’s defence.

Standing at 6 foot 2, not only does the Stockport-born talent have the physicality required to jump into the senior game full pelt, but he also uses his presence smartly, having averaged 3.5 clearances and 1.9 interceptions per game for Stoke last term, via WhoScored.

The City starlet is additionally a regular feature in England’s U21s side, having captained the Three Lions in their recent European Championship Qualifiers, showing that he has natural leadership qualities, an attribute that would be the perfect addition to the Bhoys’ starting XI or squad.

In other news… Celtic could now be planning a loan-to-buy deal to sign one of their transfer targets.

Everton have recently been tipped to make a move for Udinese defender Rodrigo Becao, but the statistics suggest that he would be no better than Michael Keane in Frank Lampard’s side next season.

According to Mirror journalist Rich Jones, the Toffees are considering a move for the Brazilian centre-back this summer as they look to amend some of their defensive frailties ahead of next season.

Lampard’s side shipped 66 goals in the top-flight last term, the fifth-worst of any team in the Premier League, so defensive improvements must be made if the Toffees are to avoid another relegation battle next time around.

However, they might be better off looking elsewhere for new defensive options, as Becao’s form in recent seasons does little to support any claims that he would be a success in the Premier League.

Last season saw the Brazilian make 35 appearances in Serie A, in which he contributed two goals and one assist, averaging a disappointing 6.65 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Despite some horrible displays from Keane last term, with the red card against West Ham and his own-goal-stained performance in the 5-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur springing to mind, he still managed more goals and assists and a better WhoScored rating in the Premier League than Becao in Serie A.

Keane also contributed more interceptions, blocks, clearances and successful headers per game than Becao, so it seems strange that Everton are reportedly keen on signing the 26-year-old.

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Considering that the Toffees have reportedly secured the signing of James Tarkowski on a free transfer from Burnley, they would surely be better off strengthening in other positions, rather than arguably wasting money on the £5.4m-rated Becao.

It is difficult to see what the Udinese man, who has been labelled “insurmountable” in the past by Brazilian journalist Bruno Queiroz, would offer Lampard next season if the Everton boss wants to make improvements in defence, as all the statistics suggest that the 43-year-old would be better off persevering with Keane.

In other news… Dele Alli 2.0: Everton plotting swoop for “average” £20m dud, supporters will be fuming

Journalist Dean Jones has shared his view on Wolverhampton Wanderers’ potential interest in Benfica striker, Haris Seferovic…

What’s the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the trusted insider has raised the hopes of the Molineux faithful after suggesting that they should “get excited” about a possible move, following a viral image that showed manager Bruno Lage meeting with the Switzerland international.

Although it is unclear if that was related to a possible move, Jones has suggested that it would do no harm for supporters to be optimistic: “I see it both ways. I can see why they would defend it and say there’s nothing in it, but if you’re a Wolves fan, then you might as well get excited about it because there hasn’t been much to get excited about over the course of the last six months.”

The 30-year-old had previously been linked with a switch to the Midlands last summer, having played under the Wolves boss during their time together in Portugal.

Time to get excited

That connection has been the centre of the speculation regarding the forward’s potential move to England, with the pair having won the league title together during the 2018/19 season for the Lisbon outfit, after Lage had taken charge midway through the campaign.

That season would see Seferovic net 27 times in all competitions – including 23 goals in the league – notably netting twice in a remarkable 10-0 thrashing of Nacional, as Benfica ended the campaign with a joint-club record of 103 league goals.

That is a far cry from Lage’s current side who scored just 38 top-flight goals last term – the fourth-worst record in the division – with the Old Gold seemingly crying out for a prolific presence to lead the line.

Although the former Eintracht Frankfurt man did enjoy a poor campaign of his own last time out – with just five goals in 15 games in all competitions – that was largely due to frustrating spells out with injury, having previously netted 22 league goals the year prior.

Equally, at international level he also boasts a solid record with 24 goals in 85 caps, notably netting a hat-trick in a 5-2 thrashing of Belgium in 2018, while he also bagged a double in the thrilling 3-3 draw with France at last summer’s European Championships.

Such talent has seen him dubbed a “monster” by one journalist, while former coach Ottmar Hitzfield also previously labelled him a “full-blooded centre-forward”, as he can also add a physical quality to his finishing prowess.

With doubts over the future of Raul Jimenez, Seferovic could be the ideal man to come into the side to fill the void, with Lage needing to reunite with the £7.2m-rated gem this summer to help solve Wolves’ attacking woes.

As Jones suggested, it could well be time for supporters to start getting excited, even if it is all just speculation at present.

IN other news, Lage plots Wolves bid for £34.1m gem who’s “one of the best”, imagine him and Palhinha

Celtic are interested in signing Aberdeen youngster Connor Barron in the summer transfer window, according to a fresh transfer rumour.

The Lowdown: Big summer ahead

It was a superb 2021/22 season for the Hoops, with Ange Postecoglou guiding his team to Premiership and Scottish League Cup glory.

The key thing now is to build on that success, with funds available for new signings after sealing Champions League group stage qualification for next season.

While established names may be required in order to make Postecoglou’s squad stronger, it could be that emerging young talent also comes in at Parkhead.

The Latest: Hoops keen on Barron signing

According to The Scottish Daily Express, Celtic have ‘run the rule’ over Aberdeen midfielder Barron, having sent scouts to watch him in action for Scotland’s under-21s.

Postecoglou is believed to have been ‘impressed’ with the 19-year-old in the past 12 months, having made a total of 15 appearances for the Dons.

The Verdict: Building for the future

Barron has been hailed as a ‘brilliant’ and ‘brave’ player by his manager Jim Goodwin, and he is someone who could be an exciting prospective signing for Celtic.

Having young homegrown talent in the squad is always something which should be the case at Parkhead, and the 19-year-old could come in as a future midfield star, initially a fringe player to provide backup before growing into a crucial first-team figure over the years.

It is vital that Postecoglou sees this as a long-term project over many years, and signing players of Barron’s ilk could play a big role in ensuring that Celtic have a core group who could form the backbone of the team well into the future.

In other news, Celtic have reportedly ‘set their sights’ on one player. Find out who it is here.

Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold was one of the first to react on Twitter to news that right-back Emerson Royal was a victim in an attempted armed robbery.

The Lowdown: Emerson involved in incident

The Brazilian first made the switch to the Premier League when he joined the Lilywhites on a five-year contract from Spanish giants Barcelona for a fee believed to be £25.8m. He has since made 41 appearances in all competitions for Antonio Conte’s side during his first season in north London.

News was broken by football.london reporter Rob Guest that in the early hours of Friday morning, the 23 year-old defender had successfully managed to escape an attempted armed robbery.

The article states that there were ’29 shots fired’ between police and the assailant, but the Spurs star has assured people that he is safe and well and will speak out about the incident soon.

The Latest: Gold reacts to Emerson update

In a new post on his personal Twitter account, Gold reacted to the shocking revelation he’d heard involving Emerson and wrote:

“This sounds horrible. Thank goodness Emerson is ok.”

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The Verdict: Relief

It will come as hugely positive news to not just his family and friends, but also to everyone associated with Tottenham to know that the six-cap international is unharmed.

The £22.5m-rated starlet has been a regular feature in Conte’s starting XI this season, making 31 top-flight outings, scoring one goal and providing one assist during that time, via Transfermarkt.

Royal is said to have returned to his home country for a short break following the conclusion of the season, but will obviously now need to be given the appropriate time to recover from the incident before even considering making a return to the football pitch ahead of the start of the new term.

In other news… Fabio Paratici has reportedly opened talks over the possibility of signing a ‘scary’ new player.

Manchester United have begun their new chapter under Erik ten Hag and are said be vying for the signature of Villarreal defender Pau Torres.

What’s the word?

That is according to Marca, via Sport Witness, who have stated in their latest report that the Old Trafford side are the club that yearns “most strongly” to sign the Spaniard.

It is said that Ten Hag has requested a centre-back who is comfortable on the ball, with the club believing that 25-year-old Torres “fits perfectly” into the 52-year-old’s plans.

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As per the report, Manchester United are “willing to pay up to €50m (£42.5m)” for the defender, which has placed them ahead of the competition.

The 25-year-old’s agents reportedly “plan to travel to Manchester this week” to negotiate contract details, as long as United “can reach an understanding” with the Yellow Submarine.

Ten Hag will love him

Since the departure of Daley Blind, who ironically returned back to Ajax to garner even more success playing under Ten Hag, United have lacked a natural left-footed central defender.

Like Pep Guardiola recently, the Dutchman is an advocate of natural centre-backs who fit into one of the two positions in a four-at-the-back set-up which means Torres is someone he’d love to sign.

With the way that both coaches seek to achieve mass possession, the centre-backs effectively become the midfield base in possession, so ball-playing defenders whose foot is suited to their respective position in the backline can offer stability.

Torres can be that option for Ten Hag, and with the latest news stating their yearn to sign the Spaniard, it looks as though United understand the importance of the Villarreal man too.

The 25-year-old’s numbers in possession over the last year would see him become the most esteemed ball-playing centre-back among the United squad, with his average of 4.64 progressive carries, 1.04 carries into the final third, 4.31 progressive passes, and 6.70 passes under pressure just some of the metrics that would drastically improve the United backline, whilst predictably toppling both Raphael Varane’s and Harry Maguire’s numbers.

Based on that, it’s hardly a surprise to see the defender dubbed “extraordinary” by former Villarreal player and coach Javi Calleja.

With six goal contributions this season in La Liga, in the form of five goals and one assist, Torres is fully established in possession and has scored more goals than the likes of Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Edinson Cavani this season.

United could pull off a masterclass with a signing like Torres in what would be a fierce statement of intent towards the rest of the Premier League.

In other news: Offer made: Man United have submitted bid to sign £85.4m “lion”, he’s Lewandowski 2.0