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Manchester United look set to lose another promising player this summer, with Dean Henderson reportedly set to join newly-promoted Nottingham Forest on a loan deal with an option to buy.

What’s the word?

Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano posted on Twitter: “Nottingham Forest have opened talks with Manchester United to sign Dean Henderson on loan with option to buy [around £20m]. Negotiations ongoing – Nottingham Forest want Henderson and it’s now a possibility also considered by the player. Talks on.”

Steve Cooper’s side are in need of a new goalkeeper after last season’s first-choice Brice Samba made it clear that he wants to leave, and Forest have acted quickly to move for Henderson.

The Englishman had limited first-team opportunities at United last season due to the form of David de Gea, so it is no surprise to see him linked with a move away from Old Trafford, although you would have hoped that Erik ten Hag would have been able to assess him before the club sanctioned any departure.

United supporters will be fuming

Although De Gea was impressive at times last season, United fans will still perhaps have been hoping that Henderson would have been the long-term heir to the 31-year-old Spaniard, especially after he came through the academy at United.

The 25-year-old has made just 29 senior appearances for the Red Devils during his time at the club, but he won a lot of plaudits after impressive loan spells with Shrewsbury Town and Sheffield United. Indeed, the shot-stopper was a key part of the Blades’ Championship promotion in 2019 and subsequent season in the Premier League, starting all but two league matches across those two campaigns.

Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge was full of praise for Henderson during his loan spell at Bramall Lane, saying: “He’s insane. I’ve never been with such a good goalkeeper. One thing in matches, he is almost a defence alone at times, and you feel so secure with him.

“But people have to see him at training. It’s crazy. He saves balls from one yard. Sometimes I am completely speechless by how good he is. It’s like having two goalkeepers in goal with him. He’s awesome.

“He’s so confident. He knows he is good and he exploits that too. He is exceptional.”

At 25, Henderson is still very young for a goalkeeper, while Berge’s comments would suggest that he has a lot of potential. Therefore, United supporters will surely be gutted to hear this update from Romano; and if the ‘keeper proves himself to be a bargain signing for Forest next season, then this feels like another transfer that those at Old Trafford will come to regret.

In other news… United now ready to pay £35m to sign Premier League flop, he’s even worse than Matic

Liverpool had reportedly agreed on personal terms with Aurelien Tchouameni last month, but now as a new update emerges on the player’s future the Reds could be ready to move on to a new potential transfer target this summer.

What’s the latest?

Italian journalist and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Aurelien Tchouameni has agreed to join Real Madrid.

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Romano tweeted: “Aurelién Tchouaméni to Real Madrid, here we go! Talks were at final stages yesterday night between Real and Monaco, it’s now fully agreed after final meeting for €80m plus add-ons to €100m.”

With the Monaco midfielder now unobtainable, Liverpool have been handed the green light to sign another target in Carlos Soler with reports from Spain (via The Express) suggesting that Valencia are prepared to sell him in a deal that could be worth £34m (€40m).

Tchouameni alternative

The current midfielder situation at Liverpool is not in crisis but there is definitely room for fresh new talent to start making an impact on the side, especially when you consider the age range in the squad in terms of the centre of the pitch.

Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara and James Milner are all in their 30s at this point and Jurgen Klopp is likely feeling that he needs to start planning for the future, which reflects in their interest for Tchouameni already this summer.

Carlos Soler was reportedly in talks with the Reds earlier this year but since then nothing more has materialised. However there are now reports that Valencia are set to sanction a sale of the player which is a massive green light for Liverpool to take the next steps in their interest.

The midfield maestro who was hailed “complete” by Curro Torres, has scored 11 goals, delivered five assists and created five big chances, making 1.7 key passes, taking 1.3 shots per game and winning the majority of his duels (54%), proving that he is highly effective in attacking play but also offers defensive attributes too.

The 25-year-old midfielder could be the perfect cheaper alternative to Tchouameni for Liverpool and thanks to his diversity in positioning with the Spain international capable of playing a wide range of midfield roles he could certainly add quality depth to every area which will be a huge bonus for Klopp.

With that being said, FSG should act upon their interest and finally make an official move for versatile Soler this summer, especially with his Spanish club ready to sell up there’s a golden opportunity for Liverpool to seal a good piece of business.

AND in other news: Offer made: Liverpool now “want to sign” 34-goal “diamond”, Klopp absolutely loves him

Liverpool have been dealt a huge blow as Sadio Mane has reportedly signed a three-year deal with Bayern Munich, however, a reliable source has given an update on potential transfer targets that could replace the Senegalese winger.

What’s the latest?

Liverpool reporter for The Athletic James Pearce has written an article detailing further the club’s potential transfer targets this summer.

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As per the report, Pearce names Jarrod Bowen and Jonathan David as potential targets that Liverpool could be interested in signing ahead of next season, after shortlisting both players in the past.

Bowen is valued at around £75m while it’s thought David could set any suitor back a sum of £46m.

SAS 2.0

The thought of an exciting attacking duo arriving at Anfield will do enough to evoke memories of a certain SAS in Merseyside; Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez, the duo who were involved in a whopping 82 goals when they were on the same pitch together.

Although the prospect of losing Mane this summer will be troubling for supporters, they will surely be revelling in the thought of Liverpool making a move for a new addition to join the frontline this summer at Anfield.

Canadian winger David was reportedly on the three-man shortlist when the club signed Diogo Jota but has remained a target for the Reds following his impressive attacking output for his Ligue One 1 Lille OSC.

The 22-year-old has scored 35 goals and contributed five assists since joining the French club in 2020 playing in an attacking midfield or striker role and was part of Christophe Galtier’s title-winning side in his first season at Lille.

Although he wouldn’t be a direct replacement for Mane on the left wing he is clearly a promising young prospect that can offer a consistent attacking threat in the Liverpool front three.

In terms of Bowen, the West Ham winger has been going from strength to strength during his time at the London club and has even earned high praise from Jurgen Klopp who called the player “unbelievable” earlier this season.

Bowen has scored 18 goals and contributed 13 assists in all competitions this season, with the player having a huge influence in West Ham’s impressive Europa League campaign scoring three goals and delivering one assist to guide his side to the semi-final of the European competition.

Liverpool have already been linked with a move for the 25-year-old star, and considering his consistent attacking output alongside the fact he is clearly a confident and experienced winger, he definitely fits the profile as a suitable replacement for Mane.

Ultimately, now that the Liverpool winger has reportedly agreed a deal to move to the Bundesliga this summer, the powers at Anfield must make a new signing in the front three an urgent priority to recoup for the loss of Mane’s output next season and forge a new SAS in attack.

AND in other news: Klopp plotting Liverpool swoop for “quality” £19k-p/w phenomenon, he can replace Mane

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an update on the future of Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Italian journalist revealed that, following Conte’s meeting with Fabio Paratici this week, it has now been confirmed that the 52-year-old will remain as Spurs’ manager heading into the 2022/23 campaign.

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In his tweet, the transfer insider said: “Spurs sources have been confident for days and it’s now decided: Antonio Conte will be Tottenham manager for the next season.”

Supporters will be buzzing

With Conte having inspired a quite remarkable turnaround at Spurs following his appointment as Nuno Espirito Santo’s successor in the Tottenham dugout last November, Romano’s update revealing that the Italian will remain in charge of the club in 2022/23 will undoubtedly have left Lilywhites supporters buzzing.

After taking over a team sitting ninth in the Premier League at the time of his arrival, Conte’s Spurs secured 17 wins and five draws over his 28 league games at the helm, picking up an impressive 56 points on his watch and securing a top-four finish on the final day of the season.

Furthermore, since the turn of the year, Tottenham’s return of 41 points from 21 games played sees them rank as the third-best team in the top flight, behind only Liverpool (51) and Manchester City (43).

As such, with a summer transfer window and a full pre-season for the 52-year-old manager to prepare this summer, it would very much appear as if this form could improve even further heading into the upcoming campaign, with the news that Conte is happy to remain in north London for at least a further year certainly being fantastic for everyone involved with the club.

AND in other news: Conte now plotting Spurs bid for “perfect” £60m target, he’s Jorginho 2.0

West Ham United are ‘continuing to hold talks’ with Rennes over the signing of defender Nayef Aguerd, reports 90min journalist Toby Cudworth.

The Lowdown: Moyes wants a defender

David Moyes is keen to bring a fresh centre-back to the Hammers this summer, after his squad suffered from a series of injuries in the position throughout the 2021/22 campaign.

Most notably, Angelo Ogbonna sustained a cruciate ligament rupture back in November, which rendered him out of action until the end of the season.

Kurt Zouma and Issa Diop also spent time on the treatment table; at one point, Craig Dawson was the only senior centre-back available for selection.

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The Latest: Irons nearing deal for Aguerd

According to a recent report by 90min, the Hammers are continuing to hold talks with the Ligue 1 outfit over a potential deal for Aguerd, and the clubs are now close to agreeing a fee for the 26-year-old.

Taking to Twitter, 90min journalist Cudworth shared the news, claiming:

“WHUFC continuing to hold talks with Rennes over 26/yo left-sided centre-back Nayef Aguerd and an agreement over a fee is nearing.”

The Verdict: Shrewd signing

The French media previously claimed that Aguerd was the “real boss” at Rennes, while the Ligue 1 club’s former manager Julien Stephen said that the player is a “cerebral person” – illustrating how highly thought of he is in France.

Averaging four clearances a game in the French top-flight and ranking in the 93rd percentile for assists as a centre-half, the 26-year-old clearly has the talent to make the switch to the Premier League.

With The Guardian reporting a fee around the £20m mark, Moyes could be making a shrewd signing in Aguerd.

In other news: West Ham: Daily Mail share big Lingard transfer update

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou ended his debut season in charge of the Parkhead club by taking the Hoops to the Premiership title.

The Bhoys did it in style, too, ending the campaign with more goals scored and fewer conceded than any other team in the league.

However, one man who didn’t play a huge part in Celtic’s title-winning season is Ismaila Soro.

Soro an outcast at Celtic

With 19 appearances to his name across all competitions this term, the midfielder only played in eight league games, starting just one of them. That came right at the outset of the campaign, when he played the full 90 minutes in their 2-1 defeat against Hearts.

Since October, the 24-year-old was included in just six league matchday squads and only played three minutes of Premiership action. This makes it quite clear that the £10.5k-per-week outcast is not that high up in the pecking order under Postecoglou.

Now that the season has ended and the summer transfer window is set to open soon, this could give the Hoops the opportunity to get rid of the Ivorian.

Should they end up parting ways with Soro, one player with whom the club have been linked recently and could be an ideal replacement for him is Christopher Scott.

Axe Soro, sign Scott

After working his way through Bayer Leverkusen’s youth ranks, the midfielder joined Bayern Munich’s under-19 side in January 2020.

With 115 appearances to his name at senior and youth levels, the 19-year-old has scored 44 goals and provided 17 assists in the process, showing that he has a knack for scoring and setting up goals.

Described as a “very aggressive accurate passer” according to Bhoys Analytics on Twitter, Scott could be a very exciting prospect for Postecoglou to unearth and to offer a platform to play regular senior football.

Taking into account how Soro only managed a pass success rate of 86.9% in the league this season, having a sharp passer such as Scott in the team could make him the ideal upgrade.

As he is out of contract at the end of June, securing a deal for the German teenager could end up being a great bit of business from Celtic, especially if they’re able to cash in on Soro at the same time.

In other news – Terms agreed: Celtic close to signing “outstanding” ace permanently, Ange will love it

A significant West Ham United transfer update has now come to light involving Wolfsburg forward and current Torino loanee Josip Brekalo.

The Lowdown: Moyes eyeing fresh faces…

Hammers boss David Moyes, having guided his side through another memorable Premier League season, reportedly has fresh faces on the agenda before the beginning of 2022/2023.

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The Times say he’s set to target a central defender, new midfielder and striker with West Ham having failed to bolster the latter position in January.

Moyes needs an alternative option to Michail Antonio given the Jamaica international’s concerning injury record in past campaigns with news now emerging on Croatia international Brekalo.

The Latest: West Ham open discussions…

According to Calciomercato.it, West Ham have opened discussions to sign Brekalo by expressing their interest – emerging as one of the clubs to either lodge a ‘draft offer’ or ‘formal request of information’.

Indeed, the Italian source also claims that Moyes’ side have made a ‘concrete’ pre-summer move for Brekalo alongside the likes of Atletico Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt and Southampton.

The Verdict: Ideal man?

The 30-cap ace has seriously impressed whilst on loan in Serie A from Wolfsburg with members of the media even calling his form ‘frightening’ (Josh Bunting, Islington Gazette).

His seven goals and two assists domestically just scratch the surface of his quality with Brekalo also averaging more key passes per 90 than any regular Torino regular over 2021/2022 (WhoScored).

The forward averages 1.3 successful take-ons per 90, a greater number than all of his teammates, leaving little wonder Moyes and co have now made contact.

In other news: Report: Moyes now very likely to make major bid for ‘world class’ player who ‘likes’ West Ham! Find out more here.

Relegation has become a real prospect for Leeds United heading into the final few games of the season and doubts have started to creep in over their future at the boardroom level…

What’s the word?

According to the ever-reliable Beren Cross of LeedsLive, relegation is not part of the 49ers Enterprises’ plans at Elland Road and their future involvement and subsequent investment could depend on what league the Whites are competing in next season.

He wrote:

‘Paraag Marathe was in the directors’ box alongside Orta, Kinnear and Dallas on Wednesday night. The vice-chairman cannot be at every match because of his San Francisco residence and 49ers obligations for much of the year.

‘This was the first time he had been seen at Elland Road for several months and as the face of the 49ers investment vehicle, his opinion counts hugely. Future strategy on how the NFL franchise does or does not invest further in United is driven by Marathe and his colleagues.

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‘Slipping out of the Premier League less than two years after the Championship trophy was lifted at Elland Road was evidently not a part of their five-year plan in this relationship. Whether Leeds survive or go down, Marathe and the 49ers must play an important role in learning lessons from an abject 21/22.’

Any way back?

It took Leeds 15 years to make their return to the Premier League, so you can pretty much forget about an instant comeback, even more so without the investment from the 49ers Enterprises.

After finishing in the top ten in their first campaign back last term, relegation would surely have been unthinkable for many around west Yorkshire, and that only fueled the involvement of the American party last year.

“We have a three to five-year plan to reach the level we aim, and by staying in the Premier League for a few years we could aim to have a renovated stadium that could become a symbol of our ambition,” current chairman Andrea Radrizzani said in an interview with The Times’ Martyn Ziegler.

Their stake in the club had increased to 37%, whilst The Athletic believe there is a deal in place which could see the 49ers seal Leeds for a fee in excess of £400m by January 2024, but that is surely dependent on their top-flight status as their value will drastically decrease in the Championship.

Dropping back into the second tier would also cause a knock-on effect in terms of the transfer budget, to transfer targets such as Brenden Aaronson – who won’t want to swap the Champions League for the Football League – and maybe even a change in the dugout.

Currently sat in 18th position, tied on points with Burnley after another abject defeat but with a worse goal difference, those around Elland Road must be absolutely worried about what may lie ahead.

It’ll be even worse to miss out on this exciting opportunity from the 49ers.

AND in other news, Forget Klich: Radz must ruthlessly axe £80k-p/w Leeds figure, he’s “out of his depth”…

Aston Villa are back in Premier League action this afternoon with an away clash against Burnley at Turf Moor.

The Villans head into this showdown off the back of a 2-0 win over Championship-bound Norwich City last weekend as Steven Gerrard’s side aim to end the season in the top half of the table.

Burnley, on the other hand, are fighting to remain in the Premier League and avoid following Norwich down to the Championship.

Heading into this afternoon’s clash, it seems as though the Midlands club have been hit with an unfortunate injury blow which could have an impact on today’s game.

What’s the news? 

According to Gerrard, Villa midfielder Jacob Ramsey is “a big doubt” to play this afternoon, with journalist Ashley Preece claiming that the 20-year-old is struggling with a groin issue.

This season has seen the youngster start 27 of the 31 league games in which he has appeared, showing just how important he is to the team and why it would be a big blow for them to not have him available to take on the Clarets.

In those appearances, Ramsey has shown what a capable player he is for Villa at this level.

On the ball, the youngster has a higher pass completion percentage (86%) than the likes of midfield colleagues Douglas Luiz (82.9%) and John McGinn (75.2%). He has also carried the ball further while controlling it towards the opponent’s goal than any of his teammates.

Off the ball, only McGinn (54) has won more tackles than the Villa youth talent (38). This shows just how useful the midfielder is for Gerrard’s side in an attacking and defensive regard.

Ramsey’s overall performances have earned the England youth international a season rating of 6.8/10, making him the fifth-highest rated player at the Midlands club according to WhoScored.

Taking all this into account, possibly not having the 20-year-old available to take on Burnley, who will be desperate for all three points, could be a big issue for the travelling Villans.

Looking beyond that, it will certainly be worrying for Gerrard if the midfield gem isn’t able to feature again this season and help his side end their campaign as strongly as possible.

In other news: Villa eyeing £16k-p/w ace who “gives absolutely everything”, he’s better than Mings

Northern football correspondent for The Times, Paul Joyce has confirmed interest from Liverpool in AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. 

The lowdown: Contact made

The Reds were initially linked with the 22-year-old in a detailed report from Foot Mercato, who claimed that ‘contacts’ had already been initiated between the parties.

Signed from Bordeaux in 2020 for €20million (£16.8million), Monaco were previously expected to demand a fee in the region of €50million (£42million) to part ways with their highly-rated star, with Real Madrid also thought to be in the running.

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Now, a fresh update from the reliable Joyce has suggested that the Anfield club could be seriously considering a move this summer…

The latest: Joyce confirms interest

As per the report from The Times journalist, Liverpool are said to ‘like’ the senior France international as the club begins to seek out targets amidst the hysteria of Jurgen Klopp’s new deal.

It’s claimed that the Reds management are admirers of Tchouameni and incoming sporting director, Julian Ward, could be tasked with the mission of making the deal a reality.

The combative midfielder has been described as an ‘enormous’ talent by French national team coach Didier Deschamps.

The verdict: Make it happen

Few players in European football are better suited to come in and immediately enhance this Liverpool squad than the eight-cap ace.

Albeit Klopp currently has a wealth of options in the department with Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, Thiago and Fabinho vying for three spots, there is currently no natural senior understudy for the all-important number six role, with Tyler Morton charged with the task on occasion.

So far this season, the powerful Frenchman has earned an outstanding 7.27 rating whilst making 2.8 interceptions, 2.5 tackles and 51.5 accurate passes on average per game across 32 Ligue 1 outings (Sofascore).

Capable of operating as a defensive midfielder and in a more advanced position, Tchouameni possesses very strong aerial and tackling ability (WhoScored) and appears tailor-made to come in and strengthen the Anfield squad, particularly should Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain leave this summer.

In other news, a key Liverpool update has emerged regarding a superstar player. Read more here.