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Reliable journalist Alasdair Gold has confirmed the list of transfer targets that Tottenham Hotspur chief Fabio Paratici will pursue to reinforce Antonio Conte’s defence this summer.

The Lowdown: Looking for a centre-back

Back in April, The Athletic reported that Spurs will prioritise a left-sided centre-back this summer, despite the fabulous job that Wales international and out-and-out left-back Ben Davies has done since assuming the role.

Signing a central defender has been a priority for Tottenham even before Antonio Conte arrived at N17.

Paratici made a move for Villarreal’s Pau Torres last summer, but the player personally turned down the switch, favouring to remain in his native country and play Champions League football, a decision which proved fruitful as the La Liga outfit made a shock run to the semi-finals of Europe’s elite club competition.

The Latest: Gold names four targets

After all the rumours about potential targets, Gold has now named Paratici’s updated list of four serious names as well as one outsider option, in a QnA for football.london:

“On the left you’ve of course got Spurs’ top two targets for the role in Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, who are tough to prise away right now. The Bastoni door won’t be entirely closed until Inter can bring in the money they need this summer but Spurs will have to decide whether they can hang around and wait.

“The next name is Villarreal’s Pau Torres as you say. The Spaniard turned down a move to Tottenham last summer, but the north London club are a different proposition this year with Conte at the helm and Champions League football to offer. Villarreal are also keen to sign Spurs midfielder Giovani Lo Celso which could help any discussions over the fee. Spurs’ main opposition is set to be Manchester United, who have also been tracking the 25-year-old for some time.

“Barcelona’s Clement Lenglet, who turned down a loan move to Spurs last summer, is another option. I understand Monaco have shown an interest in Davinson Sanchez and I do wonder whether Spurs might look at Benoit Badiashile, their France U21 international left-sided centre-back if any discussions take place.”

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The Verdict: Big names involved

Tottenham recently announced that they had agreed a £150 million capital increase from majority shareholder ENIC, meaning Daniel Levy’s group were putting up funds for Conte and Paratici as they entered the summer transfer window.

Football finance experts claimed that this was a ‘statement of intent’ by the club, who are now looking to consolidate their place in the Champions League and convince Conte that his ambitions will be met in North London.

With a number of names on the list expected to command huge fees – Bastoni, Gvardiol, Torres and Lenglet are worth a combined £141.3m – it certainly seems like Levy has finally found a manager he’s willing to hand the keys of the kingdom over to.

In other news: Alasdair Gold drops Christian Eriksen latest…

Wolves ended their latest Premier League season with one of the best defensive records in the top flight.

The Old Gold conceded 43 goals in their 38 league matches, leaving only the clubs that finished in the top four with a better concession rate.

One man who played a big part in this impressive factor of their season is Romain Saiss.

Across 31 league appearances, the Moroccan made more clearances (173) than any other Wolves player, along with a higher combined total of tackles and interceptions (141) than anyone else in Bruno Lage’s squad.

In fact, of the seven league games that the 32-year-old missed, the Old Gold failed to keep a clean sheet in any of them.

Now that it has been revealed that the defender won’t be at the club next season following six years of service, the summer transfer window will give Lage the chance to bring in a suitable replacement for Saiss.

One man who has been linked with a move to Molineux recently who could fit that particular bill is Braga centre-back David Carmo.

With 87 appearances across Braga’s youth and senior teams, the 22-year-old would definitely be a good long-term option for Wolves in terms of his age and relative experience.

After recovering from an ankle injury, the centre-back – who reportedly has a release clause of €40m (£34m) – played in Braga’s final 12 league games of the season. Over those dozen matches, they kept seven clean sheets, after only recording nine in their 22 games prior to Carmo’s return.

To further highlight his defensive prowess, the £13.5m-rated defender ended the campaign with the second-highest average for clearances per game (three) in Braga’s squad.

Labelled as “one of the best” centre-backs in Portugal according to his manager Carlos Carvalhal, the defender could well be Lage’s dream replacement for Saiss.

Taking all this into account, it seems clear that Carmo is a capable defender who could well become a top player in the Premier League if given the chance to impress in England’s top flight.

With the Old Gold presumably looking to add another defender to their ranks following Saiss’ departure, we feel that the Braga colossus should be near the top of their list for potential candidates.

In other news: Deal agreed: Big Molineux transfer development emerges, it’s great news for Wolves

Former Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has suggested that Danny Ings may have fallen out with key figures at Aston Villa.

The lowdown

Football Insider reported late last month that the Villans are willing to entertain offers for the 29-year-old in the summer transfer window. A source at the club told the outlet that Steven Gerrard is prepared to sell the £120,000-per-week Englishman to free up some funds for a top-class replacement.

Villa paid £25m to sign Ings from Southampton just 10 months ago, when Dean Smith was in charge in the Midlands.

The striker made 22 Premier League starts and a further eight substitute appearances in what may yet prove to be his only season at the club.

The latest

Speaking to Football Insider, Kenny hinted that a rift may have formed behind the scenes.

The former Republic of Ireland international said that the development was a ‘surprise’ and isn’t sure whether Villa will be able to land a significant upgrade on Ings, who is now valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt.

Kenny said: “You wonder if something has happened behind closed doors if he has been transfer listed. They have already signed a number of players and I’m sure they have the money to go out and get a few more.

“Who that will be, I don’t know. No matter what happens, they will want to get someone in before they let him go.

“You could do a lot worse than Ings so it is a bit of a surprise, that one.”

The verdict

It’s probably fair to say that Ings’ exploits in 2021/22 were a little underwhelming. He only managed to score seven top-flight goals, having averaged 13.6 per season across his three years at Southampton.

However, the 29-year-old did record six assists, the joint-most in the Villa ranks.

Also, there were promising signs when he was deployed in a front two alongside Ollie Watkins, with Noel Whelan suggesting that the ‘phenomenal finisher’ was ‘flourishing’ next to a strike partner.

Perhaps Ings deserves one more year to prove his worth at Villa Park off the back of a full pre-season with Gerrard.

In other news, read this significant Luis Suarez transfer claim. 

Liverpool star forward Sadio Mane is close to leaving the club and joining Bundesliga side Bayern Munich this summer. It represents a huge blow for The Reds off the back of their disappointing Champions League defeat to Real Madrid.

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What’s the story?

According to French outlet L’Equipe, Mane is close to agreeing on a three-year deal with the German side which could see Liverpool lose out massively and only make €30m (£25.5m).

In a recent interview with Sky Sports the Senegalese international said he would reveal his future after the Champions League final, so with that now over, it’s only a matter of time before we find out where he will be playing next season, but it’s not looking good for fans of the Premier League club at the moment.

Klopp will be gutted

Ever since his arrival on Merseyside, Mane has been “sensational” and a key part of Jurgen Klopp’s rebuild that has turned Liverpool into one of the best sides in Europe.

He’s now 30-years-old, and with a year left on his contract, the club were going to have to start planning for life without him sooner rather than later. The signing of Luis Diaz in January will help, and Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino can easily slot in, but he will still be a huge loss.

Mane has made 51 appearances and been directly involved in 28 goals this season. He’s transformed into a poacher with Liverpool arguably more reliant on his goals this season.

This is proven by him ranking in the top 3% for touches in the attacking penalty area this season, when compared to other in his position playing in Europe’s top five leagues.

His contribution going forward will be hard to replace, and if Liverpool don’t, they may fall short again next season too.

What’s more gutting for Klopp and the supporters is the small fee that they are likely to receive should he depart. £25m for a player of his quality is a small amount and doesn’t give them much to invest in a replacement.

With Divock Origi also set to leave when his contract expires, Liverpool are now facing a shortage of bodies going forward and may need to re-think their summer transfer plans.

Whilst this will be a huge blow for The Reds, we expect Klopp to turn things around and for the club to still be competing for both the Premier League and Champions League next season.

It just looks like they will have to do it without Mane now.

AND in other news, Liverpool eyeing move for “tenacious” £100m “predator”, Klopp would love him…

Tottenham Hotspur correspondent and reliable reporter Alasdair Gold has now shared a potentially big transfer boost for manager Antonio Conte.

The Lowdown: Conte summer in full swing…

Having already confirmed the signing of Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan on a Bosman deal, it appears Conte’s first summer window at Spurs is well and truly underway.

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After the Italian’s crunch transfer summit with club director Fabio Paratici in Turin last week, the Lilywhites are showing absolutely no sign of stopping there (The Telegraph).

The Premier League giants are said to be casting their eye towards Alessandro Bastoni (Inter Milan) and Gabriel Jesus (Man City) among other targets.

Another name in right-wing-back starlet Djed Spence is repeatedly being linked at the moment and Gold now has a very promising update concerning the defender.

The Latest: Gold shares very promising update…

According to the football.london journalist, Spence is now ‘definitely’ tempted by a move to Spurs.

He explained:

“The latest on Spurs and Djed Spence as I understand it. The young wing-back is definitely tempted by a move to work with Antonio Conte but Tottenham have some decent competition for his signature.”

The Verdict: Big boost for Conte…

Able to help solve a ‘looming problem’ at Spurs in their homegrown quota, Spence’s potential signing would come as a boost for the north Londoners in so many ways.

His age and quality are obvious pulls given his phenomenal season in the Championship and just how crucial he was under manager Steve Cooper.

The Middlesbrough loanee was a fixture in Forest’s promotion campaign, starting 41 second tier matches and featuring over the sixth-highest amount of minutes in Cooper’s squad.

As well as this, forward Keinan Davis was the only Forest regular to complete more successful take-ons than the 21-year-old over the past season (WhoScored).

Spence also delivered the second-most crosses per 90 on the road to promotion, leaving little wonder members of the media have branded him an ‘exciting player’ (Marc Williams, Basford United head of media).

In other news: Tottenham now hopeful of signing ‘technically brilliant’ star amid internal talks! Find out more here.

Alasdair Gold has dropped an update on reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Brennan Johnson.

What’s the talk?

In a recent video posted on his YouTube channel, the football.london journalist revealed that Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici have now added the Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder to their shortlist of transfer targets, with the Championship play-off finalists expected to demand a figure in the region of £20m in order to part with the 21-year-old this summer.

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Regarding Spurs’ interest in the playmaker, Gold said: “I know Spurs really like Brennan Johnson who plays for Forest, he is a talent. But I think there will be a queue of people for him… It’ll be interesting to see where he goes.”

The next Dele

Considering just how talented a prospect Johnson evidently is, it is easy to see why Conte and Paratici would be keen on a deal to bring the forward to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

Indeed, over his 48 Championship appearances this season, the £13.5m-rated attacker has been in breathtaking form for the Reds, scoring 18 goals, registering ten assists and creating 15 big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.9 shots, making 1.3 key passes and completing 1.2 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the £2.5k-per-week Wales international who Sabri Lamouchi dubbed “unbelievable” average a quite spectacular SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him as Forest’s fourth-best outfielder in the second tier – playing a key role in the Garibaldi’s run to the play-off final.

Furthermore, considering his age, position and extremely impressive showing in the Championship this term, there are quite clear comparisons that can be drawn between the Forest starlet and another of Tottenham’s former recruits from the lower leagues of English football – Dele Alli.

Indeed, in the season prior to the 26-year-old’s £5m move from MK Dons back in 2015, the attacking midfielder was in similarly exceptional form, scoring 16 goals and providing 11 assists over his 44 appearances in all competitions in 2014/15.

As such, should Conte be able to convince Johnson of a move to north London this summer, he could well have unearthed Tottenham’s next Dele, as the 21-year-old Forest sensation is undoubtedly a player who could go on to replicate the incredible impact the former England international had during his first few seasons with Spurs.

AND in other news: “I’m told…”: Alasdair Gold drops big Spurs transfer twist, supporters will be gutted

Rangers have lost out to Union Berlin in the race to bring centre-back Danilho Doekhi to Ibrox as a potential replacement for Connor Goldson. 

The lowdown

The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell reported in January that Rangers are keen to land the Vitesse Arnhem man.

And there was confidence at the club that they would get the deal done, with Campbell noting that they were ‘in a strong position’.

Doekhi’s deal at the Eredivisie club expires at the end of the season, which meant he was free to negotiate pre-contract terms with foreign clubs.

The Light Blues are of course in need of a new defender, given that Goldson’s future is still unclear.

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The latest

Fabrizio Romano tweeted on Monday morning that Doekhi ‘will join’ Union Berlin ‘as [a] free agent’ ahead of the 2022/23 season.

The deal, which runs for three years, has been ‘signed and completed’.

The player had ‘several options’ but has ultimately elected to join Urs Fischer’s side, who finished fifth in the Bundesliga to qualify for the Europa League group stages.

The verdict

Rangers may now be bracing themselves for the departure of their own out-of-contract defender at the end of the campaign.

Goldson’s expected exit will deplete their centre-back ranks, and while they’ve already lined up Hearts’ John Souttar as a possible replacement, adding a player of Doekhi’s European experience would have done more to fill the void.

However, he’s only 23 years old, and his contract is only medium-term. Who’s to say they don’t go back in for the £2.7million-rated ace in the future?

In other news, an ex-Gers manager has his eyes on a Rangers midfielder. 

The wheels have come off at Leeds United and they are now the favourites to be relegated from the Premier League in that final spot in the relegation zone.

They were never expected to beat defending champions Manchester City but two ill-tempered, dire defeats against Arsenal and Chelsea have likely sealed their fate.

And amid injury concerns and suspensions, manager Jesse Marsch has no easy task with Brighton and Hove Albion up next this afternoon.

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If Burnley lose to Tottenham Hotspur in today’s lunchtime kick-off, then a point would be enough to see the Whites lifted out of the drop zone ahead of Brentford next weekend, though the Clarets still have a game in hand.

Given the squad crisis at his hands, it’ll be interesting to see what sort of side the American will name at Elland Road, that’s for sure. Here’s what we are predicting…

Between the sticks, Illan Meslier is likely to remain as the first-choice goalkeeper but there could be some alterations to the backline as Jamie Shackleton comes in at right-back with Luke Ayling suspended.

Skipper Liam Cooper and Diego Llorente could be the central defensive pairing, meaning Robin Koch makes way, whilst on the left, we could see a return for Junior Firpo in what could be a back four.

In midfield, Kalvin Phillips should continue in the engine room and he’s surely going to be joined by Mateusz Klich, who regains his place in the starting XI over U23 gem Lewis Bate.

Further up the pitch, Rodrigo will surely take up a role in the no.10 spot, with Raphinha and Jack Harrison on either flank, The £13.5m-rated winger went off injured at Stamford Bridge but is expected to be fit for this encounter.

Meanwhile, in the absence of Patrick Bamford, we could see Joe Gelhardt gifted a start up top, with Daniel James also suspended. The 20-year-old, described as a “wrecking ball” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp, is Marsch’s only available and fit senior striker right now.

Predicted Leeds XI (4-2-3-1): Meslier; Firpo, Cooper, Llorente, Shackleton; Phillips, Klich; Harrison, Rodrigo, Raphinha; Gelhardt

AND in other news, Phil Hay relays Raphinha injury update ahead of Brighton clash…

Newcastle United face the daunting prospect of facing an aggravated Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the Premier League this afternoon.

Pep Guardiola’s side lost 6-5 on aggregate to Real Madrid in the Champions League in midweek and the domestic title is the one trophy they can win this season, which may spell bad news for the Magpies as the league leaders focus all of their effort, and frustration, on this match.

Meanwhile, the Toon come into the game off the back of a 1-0 defeat to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool at St James’ Park last weekend. Naby Keita scored the only goal as Eddie Howe’s side managed to avoid a drubbing against the Reds, which the 44-year-old will be hoping to prevent again today.

With Newcastle playing away from home against the Cityzens, the ex-Cherries head coach may be expecting a tough 90 minutes playing against the ball for the most part. He may therefore pick a team with this in mind, and one player he must finally unleash from the start is centre-forward Chris Wood.

Howe must unleash Chris Wood

The New Zealand international has not started a Premier League match since 20 April against Crystal Palace, and he must now be brought back into the fold.

Magpies reporter Ciaran Kelly claimed last month that the striker provides the team with a “focal point”, and this is why the 30-year-old needs to start against City. He can offer an outball for the rest of the players to hit in order to relieve pressure as the opposition potentially sustain attack after attack whilst dominating possession.

In Europe’s top five leagues over the past 365 days, Wood ranks in the 97th percentile for aerial battles won per 90 minutes amongst strikers. He has won a whopping 8.7 headers per 90 minutes in the Premier League, which illustrates the value that he will be able to provide to Newcastle at the top of the pitch.

The striker, who Howe claimed has been “fantastic” since coming to St James’ Park, can make himself a target for the likes of Jamaal Lascelles and Dan Burn to hit when they have the opportunity to clear the ball. Wood can then either hold the ball up with his strength or flick the ball on to the likes of Joelinton and Allan Saint-Maximin, allowing them to use their pace to threaten on the counterattack.

Therefore, the £72k-per-week colossus can play a crucial role in Newcastle getting anything out of this match, and he must be selected in the starting line-up today.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Bruno: Howe must land NUFC swoop for £17.1m gem who “radiates calmness”…

Adam Jones has now shared a double injury boost for Everton ahead of their game away at Watford in the Premier League tonight.

The Lowdown: Team News

Taking to Twitter, The Liverpool Echo journalist Jones has shared that while Yerry Mina is unavailable for the match due to injury, Vitaliy Mykolenko is fit.

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There are no other fresh concerns as the Goodison Park faithful look to take all three points away from the Hornets and put themselves further clear of the relegation zone, but there is some more good news ahead of the final couple of matches…

The Latest: Injury updates

Jones also shared injury updates on Donny van de Beek and Ben Godfrey from Frank Lampard as he spoke to the media in his pre-game press conference:

“We’re hoping Donny will be ready for next week’s games, Ben Godfrey is similar.”

The Verdict: Double boost

While the pair may not be available against Watford, it is certainly a boost that they could be ready to play in the Merseyside club’s remaining fixtures.

Brentford at home on Sunday afternoon may come too soon for both players, but they could well make a return against Crystal Palace, and then away at Arsenal on the final day.

Godfrey ranks highly among his teammates in terms of average tackles, clearances and blocks per match in the top flight this season, while no current Toffees player with five or more appearances has averaged more passes at a higher success rate than van de Beek (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, having both available could be key in the Blues getting the points that they need in order to stay up.

In other news, find out big in-house EFC development has now emerged here!