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Liverpool have been linked with a move for breakout Lille star Nicolas Pepe.

According to Sunday Times reporter Duncan Castles, Pepe is a target for the Reds, as they look to build a squad capable of competing with Manchester City.

“From what I’ve been told, Liverpool have been in contact with Pepe’s agent to discuss a deal, his interest in coming and what it would cost to come. Lille are aware of this and are waiting for a bid,” Castles said on the The Transfer Window podcast.

Jurgen Klopp has been forced to rely on Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane to play nearly every game in both domestic and European competition over the last two seasons, and Pepe would give him the ability to rotate his front men without a significant drop-off in quality.

The 24 year-old scored 22 goals and added 11 assists in Ligue 1 this season, so we’ve asked our writers at Football FanCast to give their verdict on a proposed move to Anfield…

Watch the best fails from the world of indoor football in the video below…

Matt Dawson

“Signing forward players isn’t exactly a priority for Liverpool but if they have a chance of signing Pepe then they must do absolutely everything in their power to bring him to Merseyside. The Lille man is one of the most sought after players in Europe and it would certainly be a statement of intent if Jurgen Klopp can beat others to his signature. At 24 years of age, he’s someone who could set Anfield alight for years.”

Harry Sherlock

“This is a bit of a strange one. Liverpool have all the talent in the world in their forward ranks but there isn’t a great deal of depth beyond Xherdan Shaqiri. Bringing in Pepe, then, would solve that problem at a stroke and allow Jurgen Klopp to bed him in slowly and bring him up to speed with the way the Reds play. He would surely cost a fortune but the 24-year-old has all the raw talent needed to become one of the best wingers Liverpool have had in recent years. Pay up and watch him thrive.”

Jack Saville

“Nicolas Pepe looks like a serious, serious talent in Ligue One and he’s the type of player who Jurgen Klopp could take to the next level. At 24-years-old his development has been a bit of a slow burner but he’s been a revelation for Lille this season. Considering he prefers to cut inside from the right onto his favoured left foot, his arrival would be massive for Mo Salah. The Egyptian may be forced to return to centre-forward once again or even be content with a place on the substitutes bench from time to time. Either way, this is a deal Liverpool simply must have at the forefront of their summer agenda.”

تواجد نجم فريق ليفربول محمد صلاح في التشكيل المثالي للجولة الحادية عشر من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي، حسب شبكة “هوسكورد” العالمية.

وشارك صلاح في هذه الجولة خلال مواجهة ولفرهامبتون يوم الأحد الماضي، والتي انتهت بفوز ليفربول بأربعة أهداف دون رد.

وقدم صلاح أداءً مميزًا في تلك المباراة حيث تمكن من تسجيل الهدف الأول وصناعة الثالث. ملخص لمسات محمد صلاح أمام ولفرهامبتون

ونشرت شبكة “هوسكورد” العالمية التشكيل المثالي للجولة الحادية عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي وتواجد بها محمد صلاح.

كذلك تواجد حارس ليفربول كيليهر في هذا التشكيل بعد أن قدم أداءً رائعًا أمام الذئاب وتصدى للعديد من الهجمات الخطيرة للخصم. التشكيل المثالي للجولة الحادية عشر

حراسة المرمى: كيليهر (ليفربول).

خط الدفاع: أنهولت (كريستال بالاس)، ماتيب (ليفربول)، فيسترجارد (ساوثهامبتون)، بيساكا (مانشستر يونايتد).

خط الوسط: إيبيريشي إيز (كريستال بالاس)، ماسون مونت (تشيلسي)، دي بروين (مانشستر سيتي)، محمد صلاح (ليفربول).

خط الهجوم: زاها (كريستال بالاس)، بنتيكي (كريستال بالاس).

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West Ham have reconsidered their transfer targets and are now ready to bid £24m to bring Villarreal’s Spaniard, Pablo Fornals to the Premier League, The Guardian understands. This versatile and attacking-minded midfielder has been named as one of the players to lead the Hammers’ rebuild project and seemingly fits the profile wanted by Manuel Pellegrini who’s aiming to strengthen his midfield this summer, the same sources claim. If really true and West Ham manage to get this one over the line, it would definitely be a job well done. So with all of that being said, here are two main reasons why Fornals would be a great signing for West Ham.

Fornals brings quality for a (relatively) low price

It’s not easy to find available players who bring quality for a relatively low transfer price nowadays. Pablo Fornals is only 23 and has a lot of room for improvement, that’s for sure, but he also brings about a certain dose of experience and a fairly established skill set. This season alone, the midfielder has scored five goals and assisted a further six in all competitions for the Yellow Submarine, making him one of the more creative pieces at the Spanish club.

The £24m price tag West Ham have reportedly set out to bid for the player is roughly the same as his estimated market value and sounds like a fair amount for someone who’s already showing certain qualities but is by no means the finished product and should not be treated as such. If the Hammers can hammer this one home, it would definitely be business well conducted, leaving the English side deserving some plaudits.

He fits West Ham’s rebuild project plans

If Pellegrini is truly looking for someone to further bolster his midfield, Fornals sounds like a match made in heaven. Even though he is a bit more attack-minded than Stanislav Lobotka, who was West Ham’s previous reported target, this Spanish international is somewhat of a jack of all trades, so to speak. Just this season alone, Fornals has played in a total of six different positions in and around the midfield area, compensating for his teammates’ absences.

But what makes him even more attractive is his willingness to help the team at all costs, which goes hand in hand with the multiple position swaps mentioned above. Sure, his technical ability and work-rate cannot be called into question, but the main thing would be for Pellegrini to find a way to utilise him properly as one of the Hammers. This is where his versatility could play a crucial role as the coach can test him out on multiple positions, making necessary tweaks if needed, not worrying about Fornals potentially protesting about it. And at only 23 years of age, Fornals is a talent that is yet to fully grasp his own potential. In theory, this sounds like a perfect signing for West Ham.

“I will be keeping (number) 41 for this season.” In seven words and one number, Declan Rice allowed West Ham fans to breathe a massive sigh of relief.

Rumours of the England international departing east London this summer have been rife for the past few months as Manchester United have long been interested in the 20-year-old midfielder, with the Metro going as far as to say the Red Devils were in talks with West Ham over the transfer of Rice, but with the youngster tweeting that he will be retaining his kit number for next season, it seems to have all but confirmed his status as a Hammer for another year.

Rice excelled in the West Ham XI last season, making the second most recoveries out of any player in the Premier League in the 2018/19 campaign according to Squawka and seeing his valuation on Transfermarkt jump from £9 million to £40.5 million, and with Rice now staying on at the London Stadium for another year, it is now up to Manuel Pellegrini to build the side around him.

As one of the most highly-rated youngsters in world football, it is unlikely West Ham have a player as good as Rice in their academy presently, meaning they need to keep hold of him for as long as possible.

Favouring a 4-1-4-1 formation, Rice tends to operate at the base of the midfield and rarely ventures forward unless an opposition team allows him to do so, and the England international has made a solid reputation out of himself as a good anchorman in the West Ham XI, and this can be helped with good hardworking and creative midfielders ahead of him in the centre of the park.

Pellegrini has dreams of taking West Ham to Europe in the near future via football.london, and if the Irons boss opts to build the team around Rice, then that goal could become a reality.

West Ham fans, should Pellegrini build the team around Rice? Let us know!

ساند الإسباني، خافيير تيباس، رئيس رابطة الدوري الإسباني “لا ليجا”، الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا”، ضد إقامة دوري السوبر الأوروبي، بعد اعتراض اتحادات القارات على إقامة البطولة التي ترغب الأندية الأوروبية في تنظيمها.

وتسعى العديد من الأندية مثل ريال مدريد ويوفنتوس وبرشلونة، لإقامة بطولة تُسمى بـ دوري السوبر الأوروبي أو الدوري الممتاز، بدلًا من بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا الأكبر على مستوى الأندية في العالم.

فيفا إلى جانب الاتحادات القارية الستة (CAF، AFC، Concacaf، Conmebol، OFC، UEfa)؛ أصدروا بيانًا رسميًا، عصر اليوم الخميس، أعلنوا من خلاله رفضهم إقامة البطولة (طالع البيان).

اقرأ أيضًا.. شيفرين ينهي التكهنات بشأن دوري السوبر الأوروبي

وقال تيباس في تصريحات عبر وكالة الأنباء الإسبانية “EFE”: “فيفا يعرف الضرر الذي قد يلحقه مشروع السوبر الأوروبي بهذا النظام”.

وأضاف: “فيفا والاتحادات القارية يدركون ما يُمكن أن يحدث للنظام البيئي الحالي لكرة القدم، إنه مشروع غير قابل للتطبيق”.

وأتم تصريحاته قائلًا: “إنه مشروع سري ولا يمكن التفاوض حول مشروع من خلف فيفا، كما قلت مشروع غير قابل للتطبيق على المدى المتوسط ​​والطويل للأندية نفسها التي ترغب في المشاركة من وجهة نظر اقتصادية، وسوف يلحق ضررًا كبيرًا بالنظام الأوروبي سواء للدوريات الأوربية الوطنية أو القارية”.

Arsenal’s summer will be an interesting one to keep an eye on, as the club toys with the idea of going big in the transfer market to back Unai Emery.

The Gunners had a decent enough first season under their new manager, and things are looking up for the club, especially if Emery is given the right sort of backing from his board to bring in players who can push the club to the next level.

One such player who has been linked with the club this weekend is Belgian midfielder Yannick Carrasco, who is edging closer to a deal with the Gunners following a spell in China.

And here in the Tavern, we have to admit that we feel it’s quite the signing for the Gunners as they look to move back into the Champions League next season.

Carrasco might have turned heads he took the decision to move to China, but he has maintained the performance levels he showed in Madrid previously, notching seven goals last season to show that he still has an impressive eye for goal.

His electric pace is also something that Arsenal could do with, giving Emery the chance to play Aubameyang down the middle rather than having to shoe-horn him in to one of the wide positions.

The likes fo Mesut Ozil are brilliant ball players and can find a pass, but Arsenal have lacked that directness at times in wide areas, something which Carrasco would help deliver.

With Aaron Ramsey off to Italy and the Gunners unlikely to be able to spend huge sums on players, adding someone with the quality of Carrasco makes completely perfect sense as Emery looks to improve his squad and challenge for the top four next term.

The future of a certain Venezuelan striker remains unclear. 

Football Insider have recently revealed that Wolves have pulled out of the race to sign Newcastle Player of the Season Salomon Rondon this summer due to the cost of the deal.

The West Brom forward, who is due to return to the Baggies and Championship football next month, spent last season on loan at Newcastle United and impressed almost everybody with an 11-goal haul that helped the club avoid relegation for the second year in a row.

Wolves had shown an interest in Rondon as they looked to improve their attacking options ahead of 2019/20, since they currently have Raul Jimenez as their only out-and-out forward. However, a source close to the club has told Football Insider that they have decided to look elsewhere due to the inflated cost of the forward, which would set them back £16.5 million on top of personal demands.

Rafael Benitez was keen on making the deal happen towards the end of the last season, but Mike Ashley, a notoriously close-fisted businessman, was apparently unwilling to part with the necessary cash to make the Venezuelan’s move permanent as he didn’t consider it an astute investment, as per the Daily Star.

And while the pitchforks were likely out in force after the aforementioned revelation, on reflection, Ashley may have just been right about the forward who turns 30 in September. Until Newcastle are adopted by their prospective new oil-rich owners, it’s hard to imagine a huge budget.

Is there something to be said about Wolves dodging the opportunity as well? A side who have been particularly impressive in the transfer market, bringing in the likes of Joao Moutinho for £5 million and Willy Bolly for £10million. Perhaps so.

That’s two parties now seemingly expressing concern over the cost of the deal, at least suggesting Ashley does have a point in regard to the marksman, who was undoubtedly key to the club’s success last season, but may not represent the shrewdest investment.

Newcastle United fans, do you think Ashley has got this one right? Who would you like to see replace Rondon? Let us know in the comments below…

Sky Sports pundit Charlie Nicholas recently stated (as per Express) that Celtic need to make six new signings to maintain the gap on Steven Gerrard’s Rangers. One player who has been linked with a move to Parkhead is Middlesbrough’s Paddy McNair according to these reports from TEAMtalk.

The £4.05m rated ace, via Transfermarkt, has struggled for game time over the last couple of seasons. Throughout the 2018/19 campaign with Middlesbrough, the 24-year-old managed just 16 appearances in the Championship, and the season before with Sunderland he racked up the same amount. That means that over the course of two seasons in the Championship, the former Manchester United man has failed to appear in 60 league games.

He hasn’t managed to fire at Middlesbrough, appearing at right-back for four games, right-midfield for five games, centre-back for six games and at the heart of the midfield for seven games. He started just seven games in the entirety of last season’s Championship campaign and made nine appearances off the substitutes’ bench, as well as being an unused substitute in 25 fixtures, so he’s not really had a chance to catch form.

However, McNair was particularly impressive in his Sunderland days, scoring five times in his 16 appearances from both central midfield and defensive midfield. What makes his 2017-18 goals stat so impressive is the fact that Sunderland scored just 52 goals and came dead bottom of the Championship stats via WhoScored, with the club’s top scorer, Lewis Grabban, grabbing 12 goals.

He’s also shown that he can hold his own when it comes to stopping the opposition, as he averaged 1.1 tackles per game (WhoScored) during Sunderland’s 2017-18 campaign, which may not be too pleasing on the eye but four of his appearances came off the substitutes’ bench and he missed 13 games at the start of the season through injury. Therefore, averaging 1.1 tackles wasn’t all that bad, especially as John O’Shea, an established first-team member, averaged exactly the same amount of tackles per game despite starting 20+ more Championship games. Also, Sunderland averaged just 17.6 tackles per game for the whole season and McNair had to work his way in after being sidelined for almost a year, so he did pretty well.

The question is whether or not McNair would fit in at Celtic, and considering that Scott Brown is now 34-years-old and Olivier Ntcham was the subject of interest from Marseille last month (as per Daily Record), it would make sense for the Hoops to at least think about bringing in a central midfielder. And, Celtic’s pursuit of David Turnbull appears to have come to an end as his supposed move has reportedly collapsed (as per BBC Sport), so the Hoops now have another reason to potentially weigh up a move for McNair as an alternative.

He managed to bag four goals in five consecutive starts at the end of the 2017-18 campaign, so providing him with regular minutes could just unlock the best in him if his form at the Stadium of Light is anything to go by.

Celtic fans, do you want to sign Paddy McNair? Let us know!