Newcastle United are believed to be leading the race to sign Everton forward, Anthony Gordon, with the Englishman seemingly trying to engineer an exit from Goodison Park before the end of the window.

What’s the word?

The Magpies have been chasing the 21-year-old in recent weeks – alongside Premier League rivals Chelsea – with the Toffees academy graduate having since irked his current club after failing to report for training in recent days.

CBS reporter Ben Jacobs – speaking in a Q & A on Twitter – has now provided his verdict on the youngster’s decision to try and force a move, with the respected journalist also stating that it is currently the Tynesiders who are at the front of the queue.

The transfer insider revealed: “Newcastle frontrunners at the moment. It’s a shame he’s missing training and trying to exit in this manner. He’s been frustrated in the past by Everton putting such a high price tag on him and now Lampard is gone he clearly wants to force a move.”

This comes amid a report from the Telegraph that suggested the Merseysiders may well be forced to lower their asking price to around £40m due to the player’s antics, with that figure seemingly set to be closer to the St James’ Park outfit’s own valuation.

Fraser 2.0

The one-time Preston North End loanee has clearly warranted such interest due to his on-field displays over the past year or so, having notably been dubbed “frightening” by pundit Paddy Kenny in the recent past.

That being said, despite the attraction of bringing in a figure who has three top-flight goals to his name this season, Eddie Howe and co may well be concerned at Gordon’s behaviour at his current club, having arguably shown a level of disrespect to take such drastic action in a bid to seal move elsewhere.

That may spark fears regarding the player’s attitude among those at Newcastle, with it far from ideal circumstances to secure the signing of a player who is enduring what appears to be a sour end to his time on Merseyside.

Such an acquisition could well evoke memories of the capture of Ryan Fraser back in the summer of 2020, with the Scotsman joining on a free transfer following an acrimonious climax to his seven-year stay at Bournemouth.

The former Aberdeen speedster had opted not to sign a short-term contract extension to help the Cherries – then managed by Howe – in their bid for survival during that Covid-disrupted 2019/20 campaign, having been fearful of sustaining an injury with his existing deal nearing its expiry.

As the player himself admitted, he got “battered” by fans and pundits alike as a result of the decision not to partake in that relegation dogfight at the Vitality Stadium, having been branded “disgraceful” by Dorset Live’s Daniel Davis.

Although it is difficult to determine whether that scenario had any bearing on Fraser’s subsequent struggles on Tyneside – with the 28-year-old currently tipped for a departure after scoring just three goals in 59 games to date – it was no doubt far from the ideal manner in which to end one club stint and begin another.

The fear will be that any negativity surrounding Gordon’s possible exit from Goodison could feed into his performances at St James’ Park if he is to seal a move before deadline day, with the Magpies hoping that the dynamic gem does not follow in Fraser’s footsteps and fail to make his mark at the club.

Rangers forward Fashion Sakala was praised for being a constant threat in the 2-1 win against Ross County at Ibrox on Saturday.

The Lowdown: Rangers win

Rangers claimed a hard-fought three points against Ross County to move six points behind their Old Firm rivals at the top of the SPFL.

It was a sign of things to come for Michael Beale regarding how frustrating the afternoon would turn out, with John Lundstram forcibly withdrawn after only 11 minutes – though it was his replacement, Malik Tillman, who got Rangers on their way.

Tillman’s header opened the scoring in injury time at the end of the first half with new man Todd Cantwell getting the assist. Jordan White then levelled up for the visitors before Borna Barisic’s deflected free-kick 15 minutes from time secured the three points.

The Latest: Player Ratings

The Gers’ inability to make easy work of it was shown in the player ratings at full-time, with Alan Galindo’s verdicts for GlasgowLive seeing goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin awarded a 5/10 rating – the lowest of the starters bar Lundstram – but it was the performance of 7/10 Sakala that caught the eye – particularly when you look into his stats.

Galindo said: “Key man under the Beale era. Once again showed his threat to the visitors with pace to burn. A constant threat.”

The Verdict: Hit and miss

Featuring in every league game so far under Beale, Sakala was once again deployed from the off for the 11th time this season, but failed to add to his 10 goal involvements so far.

On a fruitless afternoon on the right-hand side, he was booked just four minutes before he was replaced by Glen Kamara in the 62nd minute with Rangers still 1-0 ahead at that point.

Despite Galindo praising his impact, the 25-year-old had the fewest amount of touches by outfield starters for the Gers bar the injured Lundstram, with just 39 – six more than ‘keeper McLaughlin (via Sofascore).

His ineffectiveness proved even deeper with a pass accuracy of just 71%, only higher than full-backs Borna Barisic and James Tavernier who attempted 30 more crosses and long balls between them, perhaps owing to their low percentages.

It summed up a disappointing afternoon for the Zambian, who may find his place soon under pressure from Ianis Hagi, who returned to the bench for only the second time following over a year out with injury.

But considering Galindo’s ratings, perhaps there was more to Sakala’s display than met the eye.

West Ham midfielder Declan Rice remains a summer target for Chelsea and a host of top Premier League clubs, according to a new transfer report.

The Lowdown: Chelsea eyeing midfielders

The England international’s future has been a major talking point of late, with a summer exit from the Hammers looking almost certain after he rejected a long-term deal.

Chelsea have long been seen as one of the contenders to snap up Rice at the end of the season, as Graham Potter looks to make huge changes to his midfield, currently pursuing a deal for Enzo Fernandez.

Fabrizio Romano reported on Monday that the Blues are locked in negotiations with Benfica over a deal for the Argentine World Cup winner, but it looks like they are still keeping a few eggs in the Rice basket as well.

The Latest: Blues battling PL rivals

According to Football Insider, the Blues are still ‘keeping close tabs’ on Rice, with the Englishman rejecting a number of new contract offers from West Ham.

Fellow Premier League heavyweights Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United are all mentioned in the same breath, though, so it will be a fierce battle to sign him.

The Verdict: An Enzo alternative?

Rice is exactly what Chelsea could do with this summer, with the Hammers favourite a huge influence both on and off the ball, averaging a 94.3% pass completion rate and 2.2 interceptions per match at the 2022 World Cup.

The fact that he was a boyhood Blues supporter could certainly work in the club’s favour, should nostalgia take over, as well as reuniting with great friend Mason Mount.

The £60,000-a-week-earning Rice has been described as ‘magnificent’ by Gary Lineker and he is someone who could be a dominant mainstay of Chelsea’s midfield for around a decade, so he is certainly a viable target for the summer if the Fernandez deal falls through.

West Bromwich Albion will look to bring in a winger before the January deadline to replace the injured Matt Phillips, according to Lewis Cox.

The Lowdown: Phillips’ injury

It was reported by the BBC that Baggies winger Phillips will likely miss the rest of the season with him requiring surgery on a quad muscle injury.

The 31-year-old sustained the problem in the FA Cup replay against Chesterfield and brings Carlos Corberan a headache with the transfer deadline looming.

Phillips has played 28 times for West Brom this season, including 11 times under the Spaniard since he took over the Championship side, leaving wide options limited in his absence.

The Latest: Cox’s update

Speaking on the Express & Star YouTube channel following the 3-0 FA Cup defeat against Bristol City, West Brom correspondent Cox said that the Baggies are willing to enter the market for a winger after revealing Corberan’s reaction following the defeat, he said:

(4:00) “He reaffirmed regards to Phillips being out for maybe the whole season, he thought prior to that he had two players in every position, which I think most managers want don’t they and he sort of suggested that he doesn’t have that now without him which could be seen as quite damming on [Grady] Diangana and [Karlan] Grant who are the natural step ups, Grant today and Diangana maybe previously we’ve not seen enough.”

“Now it’s quite clear they are looking out wide and it’ll be fascinating to see if they can get two done, a wide attacker as well, to make up for the Phillips blow.”

The Verdict: Replacement incoming?

Following the Baggies’ lacklustre defeat which saw Tom Rogic and Jed Wallace both start on the wings before being replaced, it leaves it increasingly likely Corberan will push for a new signing.

Cox’s suggested alternative already in the squad of Grant and Diangana have both flattered to deceive with Diangana starting just four of the 11 Championship games under Corberan, shows he’s already quite unfancied by the Spaniard.

Whilst Grant has seen even less action with him featuring in just 37 minutes in the previous ten league games.

The Baggies are reportedly keen on signing centre-midfielder Lewis O’Brien on loan until the end of the season (via Express & Star), meaning he and a winger could be the two pieces of business that Cox alluded to.

In-form Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is now close to signing a new contract at the club, journalist Rudy Galetti has claimed.

The Lowdown: Sensational season for Rashford

The 25-year-old looked completely out of sorts at times last season, but this time around, he has undoubtedly found the best form of his career to date.

Rashford has been one of the Premier League’s standout players in 2022/23, scoring nine goals and registering three assists in the competition, including 10 overall since the 2022 World Cup.

The Englishman’s current deal expires next year, however, highlighting the need for United to tie down his future.

The Latest: New deal close

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Galetti claimed that an extension is now close to being agreed:

“Based on what I know, Marcus Rashford is close to extending his contract with Manchester United. The Red Devils put a deal on the table, a long-term future proposal with his current salary.

“Rashford is now convinced that he’s making the right choice to renew at Manchester United, as confirmed by Erik ten Hag a few weeks ago.”

The Verdict: As big as any signing

This is clearly great news for United, with Rashford someone who is going to play an enormous part in the club’s future, having been hailed as ‘spectacular’ by Casemiro.

At 25, the hope is that the £200,000-a-week attacker’s best years are still ahead of him, and his all-round game becomes even more polished, he could become one of the world’s leading attackers.

Rashford’s resurgence is also a timely reminder to supporters that footballers are human and can suffer both good and spells, with some arguably even willing to see him leave Old Trafford last year.

This has been a devastating season from him, however, and it would now be a huge shock if he didn’t sign a new contract, as he looks to add to his 111 United goals.

The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards believes Newcastle United could finish in the top four this season – but their upcoming trip to Wembley may provide an untimely distraction.

The Lowdown: Hard to beat

Eddie Howe’s side have been a tough nut to crack this season, they’ve lost only one game in the Premier League.

Having said that, they have hit something of a blip in form by the standards they have set recently. The Magpies have only won two of their last six league matches, with the rest being draws.

Newcastle are still in a good position to secure Champions League football as they’re a point ahead of Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand, but they face a first trip to Wembley since 1999 later this month, and Edwards feels this is already playing on the back of the players’ minds amid their 1-1 draw against West Ham United this past weekend.

The Latest: Not good enough for UCL

When speaking on Sunday Supplement, Edwards claimed that Newcastle won’t have a strong enough squad to compete in the Champions League, but feels they have enough to make it into Europe despite half of the campaign still remaining.

He stated: “I’ve always thought they’re massively overachieving this season. I think we constantly need to remind people of that.

“They weren’t targeting a top-four finish. Not in their wildest dreams were Newcastle going for the Champions League in August – they were targeting a top-10 finish.

“I think now, they’ll be definitely after the top six, but top four, I think will be a huge leap. And actually, I’m not sure they’re ready for the Champions League.

“I don’t think they’ve got the squad depth there. You have to have a pool of 15, 16 players at least to be able to compete in Europe’s top competition.

“So I think if they stay injury-free – and they have done for a large extent over the course of the first half of the season – they could still snatch that top-four place.

“But I think we saw against West Ham, they’ve got the distraction of the Carabao Cup final, and with the best will in the world, the supporters, the players, the staff – they’ve all got that on the back of their mind.

“It’s all very well saying ‘focus on the next game’, but it’s very, very difficult when you’re in your first cup final for 24 years, and you have a chance of ending the trophy drought that stretches back to 1969.”

The Verdict: Don’t count them out

We believe that it would be foolish to rule Newcastle out of a spot in the Premier League’s top four.

Howe’s side hasn’t looked like rolling over to any Premier League side following their last-gasp defeat at Anfield back in August, so it’s difficult to back against them at this moment in time.

However, strength in depth does look like an issue, and this was certainly highlighted in their 2-1 defeat in the FA Cup against Sheffield Wednesday, where they fielded a number of fringe players – and safe to say, it didn’t work out against League One opposition.

Should the Magpies achieve Champions League football for next season, our view is that that club will know they need to strengthen in numbers and will do so in the summer.

Based on their recent recruitment since taking charge, the Public Investment Fund has got it right nearly every single time they’ve signed someone.

Some examples include summer arrival Nick Pope, who has been hailed as ‘the best goalkeeper in the world’ by Bruno Guimaraes due to his fantastic record at St James’ Park.

Another is Kieran Trippier, who has had a phenomenal campaign and played a part in all of Newcastle’s clean sheets in the league this season.

Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg has shared a very promising update on Harry Kane’s potential contract extension at Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Kane exit links…

The England captain has been repeatedly linked with a move away from N17 as he enters the final 18 months of his contract at Spurs.

Kane’s current deal expires in 2024 as things stand, putting the likes of Bayern Munich and Man United on red alert as both sides scour the market for a world class centre-forward.

The 29-year-old has been a crucial player under Antonio Conte, scoring 16 goals in 21 Premier League starts this season as he spearheads Tottenham’s chase for a top-four finish.

The Latest: Plettenberg shares promising Kane update…

Taking to Twitter, Sky journalist Plettenberg claims that, after a latest round of in-house talks, Spurs are ‘very optimistic’ that Kane will put pen to paper on a contract extension.

Furthermore, it is believed that United and Bayern should have ‘no chance’ of stealing the striker away from north London.

Plettenberg explained: “News #Kane: More talks between Tottenham/agent took place. Been told that Tottenham is ‘very optimistic’ now that Kane will extend beyond 2024. Bayern and #MUFC should have ‘no chance’. Bayern don’t give up hope but the bosses are more & more pessimistic.”

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The Verdict: Great news…

You can never say never until Kane officially puts pen to paper, but this certainly comes as a very encouraging claim for Spurs supporters. The odds have appeared to swing in both Conte and Daniel Levy’s favour, with Tottenham now looking like favourites to tie down Kane rather than seeing him leave.

According to WhoScored, the forward’s contribution stretches far beyond being a proven goalscorer, as he also ranks joint-second in their squad for key passes made per 90 in the final third.

At the end of 2020/21, Kane won both the Premier League Golden Boot and Playmaker of the Year award, prompting serious interest from champions Manchester City at the time.

The Three Lions star comes as a real all-rounder and a rare striker in the beautiful game, especially in the sense that he can drop deep and create alongside his ability to poach in the penalty area.

Keeping hold of Kane beyond 2024 would be a major boost for Tottenham, and this update suggests that they may well do so.

Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha is set to miss this afternoon’s trip to Manchester United through injury, Matt Woosnam reports.

The Lowdown: Top scorer

Zaha, who Patrick Vieira hailed as a ‘fighter’ back in August, has impressed once again this season, contributing to nine goals in 20 appearances.

The 30-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the season, has scored six Premier League goals, more than anyone else at Selhurst Park. He has played as a centre-forward and left-winger but now looks set to miss just a second top-flight game of the campaign.

The Latest: Injury news

Woosnam took to Twitter to provide an injury update ahead of the trip to Old Trafford.

He said that James McArthur and Nathan Ferguson aren’t available, Joachim Andersen is progressing “slowly” and Zaha will also be out for “a couple of weeks”.

The Verdict: Blow for Vieira

Zaha has been Palace’s go-to man in the final, contributing to 165 goals in a Palace shirt and is the club’s joint second-best performer this season, as per WhoScored.

The Ivorian has completed more dribbles and sprints per game than his teammates, while also ranking highly for key passes made and pass success percentage.

Therefore, his absence will come as a blow to Vieira, who may decide to promote Michael Olise or Jean-Philippe Mateta to the starting XI after they were substitutes against Newcastle United last time out.

Tottenham Hotspur youngster Jude Soonsup-Bell is already expected to leave the club at the end of the season on loan to pick up some regular first-team football.

What’s the latest?

The Lilywhites made Soonsup-Bell their first addition of transfer deadline day on Tuesday after the 19-year-old made the move from their London rivals, Chelsea.

Soonsup-Bell put pen to paper on a deal which will see him remain at Spurs until the summer of 2025 after seeing his contract at Chelsea wind down to its final few months.

The 19-year-old is now expected to join up with Tottenham’s U23s side for the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign, however, it seems as if there may already be plans in place for next season.

Speaking on his latest YouTube video, Alasdair Gold has suggested the youngster is already expected to leave the club over the summer to join a lower-league side to pick up some regular action in the men’s game:

(53:00) “And then I think the plan, from what I understand, is in the summer, he will be sent out on loan to start getting his proper first-team experience.

“Before they look at whether he’s kind of ready to come into the first team environment. You’d imagine in the summer, maybe he’ll be involved in friendlies, and possibly a pre-season tour. Maybe that could have been something that was not promised, but suggested could happen to him in signing.”

Time to step up

Spurs have not been shy in offloading some of their striker prospects in various loan deals with the idea of seeing them develop their trade in the men’s game.

The most obvious is Harry Kane with the England captain being sent out on loan to four different clubs before he made his name in north London.

And the same can be seen currently with their two prospects, Troy Parrott and Dane Scarlett, who are playing their football at Preston North End and Portsmouth respectively.

However, it is essential Spurs are able to find Soonsup-Bell the right club with the likes of Scarlett and Parrott both enduring recent struggles on their loan spells away.

It is apparent the 19-year-old is landing at Spurs with a lot of potential having returned 23 goals in 25 games across his time in the Chelsea U18 side in the FA Youth Cup and U18 Premier League (via Transfermarkt).

And speaking in a recent interview, Spurs’ Fabio Paratici has hailed the youngster’s potential: “He is a big talent who was always a big talent in England and when we got the opportunity to sign him, we signed him.”

With Harry Kane nearing his 30th birthday and his long-term future in N17 still unknown, it does seem as if Spurs may be looking to discover the next big striker talent to come from their youth set-up.

West Ham United have fallen well below expectations this season after such good work across the previous two years under David Moyes, and they failed to utilise the January transfer window as well as they possibly could have.

Languishing near the bottom of the Premier League table – West Ham have just 18 points from 20 matches this term and are one point above the relegation zone – they are in real danger of scraping for survival as the season enters its latter stages, despite back-to-back European qualifications and signing the likes of Lucas Paqueta (£51m) and Gianluca Scamacca (£35.5m) last summer.

Despite clinching Danny Ings for £15m from Aston Villa, and Brazilian youngster Luizao for an undisclosed fee, last month, there is a sense that the Hammers did not revitalise the squad to the best of their ability. That is especially the case given recent injuries to the aforementioned Ings and Scamacca, with winger Maxwel Cornet also sidelined.

With this in mind, signing former Irons ace Andre Ayew at the end of the January transfer market might have been a prudent move for the club, with 90min stating that the veteran forward arrived in England after the conclusion of deadline day. As a free agent, Ayew was not bound to the constraints of the transfer window and was duly able to discuss a move with several Premier League clubs.

In the end, West Ham were rejected and the 33-year-old chose to join the expansive ranks at Nottingham Forest, with the Reds now bolstered further across their attack after recently hitting a timely purple patch.

During his previous spell with West Ham, after he signed from Swansea City in 2016 for a then-club record £20.5m, the Ghanaian dynamo only managed 12 goals and five assists from 50 appearances. His two years in claret and blue were largely hampered by injuries and he was unable to make the emphatic effect for which he would have been hoping.

However, his versatility and experience could indeed have been invaluable as West Ham attempt to rekindle their cohesion and fluidity, and he could have been the “game changer” – as once heralded by former Irons boss Slaven Bilic – to turn the tide in east London.

Also, given West Ham’s inclusion in the Europa Conference League – in which they return to action in the round of 16 next month after winning their group – adding him as an extra option up front would have been the perfect remedy to continue battling across multiple fronts, perhaps salvaging a slice of prosperity from a hitherto frustrating season at the London Stadium.

While landing a 33-year-old Ayew would not have been the glitziest signing for a team competing in Europe, he is an accomplished and experienced professional with Premier League experience (89 games), and as a former Irons player he might well have taken to life back in east London like a duck to water.

As it is, the 113-cap Ghanaian will instead aid Forest in their own pursuit of maintaining top-flight status, and having dropped the ball on this possible free signing, Moyes will have to make do with the options who were already at his disposal.