Newcastle United have established a productive relationship with Chelsea in the transfer market this year due to their negotiations over two loan deals for Kenedy, so Rafael Benitez should use that to his advantage before the summer window slams shut in August. 

Now that Maurizio Sarri has been appointed to replace Antonio Conte at Chelsea, the squad should be set to undergo a signifcant reshuffle. Jorginho has already followed Sarri to Stamford Bridge from Napoli, much to the dismay of Manchester City who had been chasing a deal since the opening of the window.

But according to a report from the London Evening Standard, Jorginho certainly won’t be the only player arriving from Serie A this summer. The report claims that Chelsea are hoping to conclude a £44.2 million deal for Daniele Rugani of Juventus – a 23-year-old centre-back with huge promise to thrive in the Premier League.

A deal for Rugani would almost certainly leave Gary Cahil surplus to requirements this summer and, if that proves to be the case, Newcastle should be on hand to swoop for the experienced centre-back.

At 32-years-of-age Cahil is far from finished in his Premier League career and he could become a huge asset for the Magpies next season.

Jamal Lascelles was Newcastle’s standout performer last season at the heart of defence, but the arrival of a figurehead with plenty of international and Champions League experience such as Cahil would help him to grow even further in the future.

Cahil has the experience to improve the organisation of Newcastle’s back-four and provide the club with an extra leader on the pitch – a factor which could be pivotal to their survival hopes next season.

Considering Cahil is 32 and has just one year remaining on his current Chelsea deal, there’s no doubt that he will be available at a bargain price this summer, so Benitez should not hesitate to make a bid for his services if the Blues eventually complete a huge £44.2 million deal for Rugani.

Newcastle fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Arsenal should switch their attention to Valencia left-back Jose Gaya if Nacho Monreal moves on.

What’s the word?

According to Goal, a winger and left-back is on Unai Emery’s wishlist ahead of the start of the new season.

However, the latter will only be searched for if Monreal is lured away from the Emirates by Real Sociedad.

If this happens, then the Gunners will need to move swiftly, and one man they should be looking at is Gaya, who is rated at £31.5m by Transfermarkt.

The Spaniard is just 23 years of age, but he already has plenty of experience playing top-level football in La Liga.

Last season, the left-sided player nabbed five assists in 34 matches, which is perhaps not the best return, but that figure would rack up if he is providing balls to the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette.

Is a deal realistic?

In truth, it would be a shock if a transfer came off given that Gaya agreed a new deal with Valencia a few months ago.

On top of that, talkSPORT claimed in May that the Spanish club have raised the player’s buyout clause to £88m.

That means that the Gunners would have to fork out a huge figure, but if they want a show-stopping winger then they will probably have to spend big to land one.

Therefore, there may not be significant bundles of cash for Emery to splurge on a new left-back, in the event that Monreal leaves.

At this point it is pure speculation as the Spaniard remains an Arsenal player, but the North London outfit should be keeping options open.

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According to a recent report from The Daily Mirror, Manchester City will consider selling Raheem Sterling next summer if he doesn’t agree a new deal with the Premier League champions. The 23-year-old put contract negotiations on hold until after this summer’s World Cup in a bid to strengthen his position for improved terms, only for the forward to fail to really make a huge impact in Russia.

As such, Pep Guardiola’s men are reportedly ready to sell the £81 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt) next summer if no deal is agreed, thus leaving the England international facing the most important few months of his career.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, there is no doubting that Sterling was one of City’s most influential and important players last season in netting 23 goals and laying on 17 assists in all competitions for the Citizens, thus helping them to the Premier League title and indeed the Carabao Cup crown.

However, the 23-year-old was far from his impactful best for England in Russia this summer in failing to net at all for Gareth Southgate’s men, a below-par World Cup that looks set to cost him the improved contract he was seemingly hoping for from Guardiola’s side.

Thus, with his future now somewhat uncertain heading into the 2018/19 season, Sterling must now produce a level of performance over the coming months to convince City that he is indeed worth the pay-rise he seeks – it’s up to him to produce his best form.

Produce the goods in the opening few weeks and months of the season, and thus underline his status as one of the most influential players in Guardiola’s squad, and an improved contract could well be in the offing.

Yet failure to do so, which could even see him lose his place in the starting eleven to new signing Riyad Mahrez, and Sterling will simply struggle to negotiate a much-improved deal, with City making it abundantly clear that they will indeed sell the 23-year-old if no contract is agreed.

Undoubtedly, Sterling was magnificent for Guardiola’s side last season and will surely seek to get better under the Spaniard’s guidance, but it is now up to him to prove that he is worth the pay-rise and improved deal he and his representatives are demanding – failure to do so could see his City career come to an end.

As such, it’s pretty evident that the former Liverpool man is facing the most important few months of his career when the season begins in August.

Man City fans… what do you think? Let us know!

West Ham look a force to be reckoned with at the moment after recruiting seven new players to join the London Stadium alongside new boss Manuel Pellegrini. 

Lukasz Fabianski, Ryan Fredericks, Issa Diop, Fabian Balbuena, Jack Wilshere, Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson are the new kids on the block and immediately, West Ham have cast away their nightmare 13th place finish last season as they look ahead to challenging for top 10 or even European football.

With rumours of midfield Pedro Obiang leaving heating up, the Hammers must only sell the Spaniard if they could bring in Jean-Philippe Gbamin. Pedro Obiang was one of West Ham’s top midfielders before facing months on the sideline towards the backend of last season and now his future with West Ham is in doubt, despite Manuel Pellegrini wanting to keep him.

The 22-year-old Ivorian currently operates in midfield for Bundesliga side Mainz, Jurgen Klopp’s old side. Versatile is practically Gbamin’s middle name as not only can he play as a defensive midfielder but also as a centre-back or box-to-box midfielder. That would be a massive attraction for Manuel Pellegrini, who is keen to add quality to both midfield and defence, so killing two birds with one stone is something Jean-Philippe Gbamin would offer.

Last season, Gbamin made 30 Bundesliga appearances, scoring on one occasion and supplying three assists for his teammates, with the majority of his play coming from the defensive midfield role.

At such a young age, the Ivorian has time to adapt to the London Stadium and make a real name for himself alongside several other new signings. His ability is noticeable and should West Ham lose Pedro Obiang, Gbamin would be the ultimate replacement and improvement.

Do you agree… Let us know!

Southampton are likely to be in the market for a centre-forward before the transfer window closes next Thursday.

And the player the Saints have been linked with is Porto’s Moussa Marega, although they face competition from Premier League rivals Everton for the Mali international’s signature (via the Daily Mirror).

As well as a new striker, Southampton could do with bringing in another attacking player with Mohamed Elyounoussi the club’s only summer addition in that department.

Elyounoussi, who comes in as a replacement for Dusan Tadic, looks to be a very promising player. However, the 23-year-old’s arrival alone cannot solve all of Southampton’s offensive problems.

Furthermore, in addition to a No.9, manager Mark Hughes should target new signing Jannik Vestergaard’s former Borussia Monchengladbach team-mate Thorgan Hazard to improve his attack.

The younger brother of Chelsea’s star man Eden Hazard is one of Gladbach’s most influential players.

Last season, £19.8m-rated (via Transfermarkt) Hazard scored 10 goals and assisted another five which helped earn him a call up to Belgium’s World Cup squad.

But what would have caught Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez’s eyes in particular is Hazard’s dribbling capability, ability to fashion out chances and versatility across the forward line.

The former Chelsea man is able to play on the left, right and behind the striker, which would come as a huge boost to Hughes who is not currently blessed with a tonne of options in those positions.

Centre-forward will be Southampton’s priority for the remainder of the transfer window, but signing a player like Hazard could be just as important.

West Ham United will be desperate to enjoy a strong start to the campaign after flirting with the possibility of relegation at times last season. 

The Hammers certainly spent a lot of money over the course of the summer transfer window as they’ll look to challenge for a European spot under Manuel Pellegrini. Although, it looks as if the club are currently involved in talks, as according to Firenzeviola.it, Fiorentina are in talks with West Ham United to sign Edimilson Fernandes on loan with a view to a permanent deal.

West Ham, who signed Carlos Sanchez from Fiorentina on deadline day, are willing to let Edimilson move on after two years at the club.

The Switzerland international could cost an initial loan fee of €1 million (£894,553), with Fiorentina then paying €8 million (£7m/$9m) to sign the midfielder permanently.

THE VERDICT: 

The Hammers will be looking to offload any players that are seen as surplus to requirements, which is why Edimilson Fernandes is edging closer towards a loan deal with the view to a permanent move.

Indeed, the midfielder struggled to break into the first-team as he continues to stagnate behind the scenes, so a move away to Italy would be seen as a positive for both the player and West Ham.

Although, Manuel Pellegrini will divert his attention towards tomorrow’s Premier League opener against Liverpool.

At 4pm UK time, at the Emirates Stadium in London, Arsenal will begin a competitive game of football without Arsene Wenger in the dugout for the first time in 22 years.

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The new man at the helm, Unai Emery, will be seeking to make a strong start to his reign in North London, but faces a tough task in defeating Manchester City. The title-holders are managed by Pep Guardiola, who Emery has failed to beat in ten previous attempts.

However, there is an overwhelming sense of optimism around the Gunners’ fanbase at the moment, as excitement around the new head coach is yet to waver. 

Emery has the backing of the crowd and there should certainly be a spectacular atmosphere at the ground today which could be enough to spur the home side on to victory against the odds.

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Prior to kick off, many Arsenal fans took to Twitter to wish Emery luck and express their excitement for the new boss’ time in charge…

There is probably not a club in world football that would not want to sign Christian Eriksen from Tottenham Hotspur.

Indeed, the Denmark international has developed into one of the leading attackers in world football over the last couple of years.

The 26-year-old scored 14 times and registered 13 assists in 47 appearances for Tottenham last season, with 10 Premier League goals a very good return.

Spurs did not make any signings in the summer transfer window, and therefore Eriksen is under pressure to put up similar sort of numbers during the 2018-19 campaign.

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Tottenham will be slightly concerned that Eriksen’s contract is up in the summer of 2020, however, and the club’s fans have been reacting to the situation on social media.

Indeed, in response to a post from Eriksen at the weekend, the Tottenham supporters called on the attacker to sign a new and improved contract at the capital club.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Leicester City have bounced back from their defeat against Manchester United on the Premier League’s opening weekend following their 2-0 win over Wolves last Saturday.

The Foxes went down to 10 men in the 66th minute after Jamie Vardy was shown a straight red for an overzealous tackle on Matt Doherty.

However, as well as claiming all three points, Claude Puel’s men were able to finish the match with a clean sheet with defensive midfielder Wilfred Ndidi playing his part in the shutout.

The Breakdown

Like he has done for much of his Leicester career, £22.5m-rated (via Transfermarkt) Ndidi shielded his team’s back four extremely well and, overall, has been a massive acquisition since arriving at the King Power back in January 2017.

The Foxes were left with a gigantic N’Golo Kante-shaped hole after the World Cup-winning midfielder departed for Chelsea in the summer of 2016.

And, manager at the time Claudio Ranieri, who inspired Leicester to their famous 2015/16 Premier League title win, struggled to plug it with Nampalys Mendy failing to carry out the responsibilities Kante previously had in the team as efficiently.

As a result, the Foxes moved for Ndidi, and their decision to tie him down to a new six-year contract is a wise one (via Leicester City’s official club website).

Alongside the likes of Kante, Nemanja Matic, Fernandinho and Idrissa Gueye, Ndidi is one of the best ball-winning midfielders in the Premier League, capable of making tackles and interceptions anywhere on the pitch.

Leicester faced an almost impossible task in replacing Kante, but the 2016 Premier League champions looked to have overcome the conundrum thanks to Ndidi.

According to the Nottingham Post, Middlesbrough’s Rudy Gestede is on the shortlist of potential strikers to replace Ben Brereton at Nottingham Forest, but Aitor Karanka should avoid signing the Benin international.

What’s the story?

Forest were the Championship’s big spenders during this summer’s transfer window, with Karanka making 13 additions to his squad at a cost of over £20m.

Striker Lewis Grabban was brought in from Bournemouth at a cost of £6m and Forest’s transfer record was broken with the capture of Joao Carvalho for £13.2m from Portuguese giants Benfica.

However, England U19 international Brereton was allowed to leave for Championship rivals Blackburn in a deal that could be worth up to £7m, according to the BBC, as Karanka seemingly targets short term success over player development.

Goal shy

The Nottingham Post reports that Forest are still hoping to sign at least one more striker to bolster their attacking options though before the loan and free agent window closes on August 31.

Signing Gestede though would be a mistake for Forest, as the club need goals having netted just seven in their first five games despite the money spent.

The 6ft 4in front man has only scored six goals in 41 appearances for Boro since joining the club from Aston Villa in January 2017. Karanka should be looking for a far more prolific striker than the man who is valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt.

So, Forest fans, do you think the club should sign Gestede before the deadline? Have your say in our poll below.