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Journalist Dean Jones has claimed that West Ham United are interested in a move for Burnley midfielder Josh Brownhill

What’s the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the respected insider revealed that the Englishman is on David Moyes’ transfer shortlist ahead of this summer, with the Hammers seeking a new midfield addition as club captain Mark Noble departs at the end of the season.

Asked whether the 26-year-old was a target for the London Stadium outfit, Jones revealed that: “He definitely is on Moyes’ list. Moyes is a big admirer of him.

“You’ve got to consider every asset of the game, and it’s technical ability, but also willingness to work and carry out instructions, and Josh Brownhill could actually slot really nicely into that West Ham midfield.”

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This revelation comes following a report from 90min last week that suggested the east Londoners were interested in pursuing a deal – with a bid of around £15m likely to tempt the relegation-threatened Clarets into a sale – albeit with a handful of other Premier League sides also named as potential suitors.

Supporters will be buzzing

The former Bristol City man could well prove to be an ideal fit were he to link up with Moyes and co this summer, having already proven his talents both at Ashton Gate and at Turf Moor in recent years.

Having made his senior debut with Preston North End in 2013, the £6.3m-rated man was plucked by the Robins in 2016, going on to score 17 goals in 161 appearances for the club over the next three-and-a-half years, notably playing his part in the Championship side’s surge to the League Cup semi-finals in 2018 and being made club captain by former boss Lee Johnson.

That form alerted the attention of Dyche and co, as he was snapped up on a £9m deal in January 2020, with that acquisition now looking like something of a bargain purchase such has been his form since then.

This season, in particular, has seen the £45k-per-week playmaker catch the eye despite the club’s struggles, netting twice and adding three assists in 32 league outings so far this term.

A real box-to-box presence, the Warrington-born star has also been impressive defensively, averaging 1.9 interceptions, two tackles and 1.2 clearances per 90 in the top-flight during the 2021/22 campaign, while he also ranks in the top 28% for aerial duels won among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues.

Such form has seen him earn praise from pundit Lee Hendrie, who dubbed him a “fabulous player”, with it no surprise that West Ham are seemingly keeping tabs on his progress.

GSB can delight the club’s supporters by getting the deal done in the coming months, whether or not Burnley avoid relegation.

IN other news, GSB must complete WHU swoop for “unbelievable” £31.5m-rated star, Moyes will love him..

Wolverhampton Wanderers are in talks with star midfielder Ruben Neves over a new contract, but could still lose him this summer according to journalist Peter O’Rourke.

What’s the story?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, O’Rourke revealed that talks are ongoing over a new deal but that Wolves will “find it hard” to keep hold of Neves for another year.

He explains how there will be a big decision to be made over the players future amid interest from several Premier League clubs. Manager Bruno Lage recently suggested that he could be worth up to £100m in the current market.

In full, the journalist commented: “I think Wolves are going to find it hard to keep hold of him this year. Talks are ongoing over a new deal, but I think there’s a realisation on both parties here that maybe the time has come for them to move on.

“I’m sure Ruben Neves in the summer will have a big decision to make on his future.”

Fans surely gutted

The 25-year old has been a key player at Molineux ever since he arrived in 2017 from FC Porto and thus, the news that he could finally depart this summer is certainly not good.

That said, he is represented by super-agent Jorge Mendes who has several other clients playing for the West Midlands club.

This may help Wolves in their efforts to tie the midfielder down to a new contract as they could make life difficult for Mendes in the future. If he does sign a new deal, then it may include a release clause that ensures Wolves get the money they deserve.

When you compare him to his teammates this season, the difference in quality is clear. He has the most progressive passes out of any other player at 121, and also has the most amount of touches in the midfield third, therefore proving his dominance and how crucial it is for the team.

He’s been described as “sensational” by presenter Kelly Somers, and whilst Wolves would be able to reinvest the money made from a Neves sale, most of that would need to be spent on his replacement.

Academy graduate Luke Cundle has been touted as the man to step up if the Portuguese international leaves, and although he has great potential, he just won’t be anywhere near the levels needed to replace Neves straight away.

In order to keep competing for European places, the Old Gold need to be doing all they can to keep hold of players like Neves. If they show a bit of ambition then he might be persuaded to stay slightly longer, but if Champions League football is on offer elsewhere it will be a difficult sell.

IN other news: Wolves can finally replace Jota by signing “special” Mendes client, imagine him & Raul…

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has signed a new two-year extension to his contract which will take him to 2026.

What’s the word?

Klopp has pledged his long-term future to the Reds in a deal which will expire in 2026, a move that is sure to please Kopites everywhere.

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There were talks of him leaving Liverpool upon the end of his previous contract in 2024, with the German explaining as recently as March: “The plan at the moment is to get to 2024 then, ‘thank you very much’.”

Klopp set to continue the Liverpool dynasty

The 54-year-old has revolutionised Liverpool since taking over from Brendan Rodgers in October 2015. The club was arguably in freefall despite an encouraging start under the Northern Irishman and change was urgently needed.

What followed over the next six-and-a-half years has been nothing short of extraordinary. Klopp has built a team of winners, recruiting diligently over time to craft a team which can compete on three fronts to devastating effect.

The Champions League title was won in June 2019 before a maiden Premier League crown was added the following season, despite the attempts of a global pandemic to derail the inevitable.

With Club World Cup, European Super Cup and Carabao Cup trophies all added to the growing list, it is only the FA Cup which has eluded him and his side so far, although they are in the final of that competition this season.

The former Borussia Dortmund manager has plenty of time on his side to continue this excellent Liverpool dynasty and add further silverware to the already bulging Anfield trophy room.

An extra two years might not seem like much, but to the Liverpool faithful around the world it may feel like a lifetime, and now he has even greater scope to cement his place in the pantheon of managerial greats – if he hasn’t already.

Considering just how successful Klopp has been on Merseyside, and how much he is adored by the fan base at large, it is a masterclass from FSG to secure the German for another couple of years so that he can further add to his Anfield legend, while also creating even greater excitement among Kopites.

AND in other news, Liverpool can unearth their new Gerrard by plotting bid for “outrageous” £50m gem…

Rangers’ truly miserable European campaign continues, with their hopes of reaching the knockout stages now hanging by a thread.

On Thursday night, despite taking the lead through James Tavernier’s spot-kick, the Gers were held to a 1-1 draw by ten-man Braga at Ibrox, with the Arsenalists equalising shortly after Rodrigo Zalazar had been sent off for headbutting Nicolas Raskin.

This ended a sequence of seven successive European defeats, the longest streak in the club’s entire history, but they will almost certainly need to beat Ferencváros, Ludogorets Razgrad and Porto to stand any chance of reaching the Europa League knockout stages, which isn’t particularly likely.

Having finished eighth in last year’s inaugural league phase, before reaching the quarter-finals, this quite the fall from grace.

Much of the blame lies at those at boardroom level, hence why chief executive Patrick Stewart and sporting director Kevin Thelwell were both sacked on Monday, much to the delight of many supporters.

Nevertheless, new manager Danny Röhl still has to build a cohesive team with the pieces he has been given, so which of Thelwell’s summer recruits did not impress on Thursday night?

Nasser Djiga at fault once again

The final Tuesday of the final international break of 2025 could prove to be a pivotal day in Rangers’ season.

Mere hours apart, one in Mount Florida and the other in well, Miami in actual Florida, both John Souttar and Derek Cornelius suffered long-term injuries that’ll see them sidelined until Christmas at least.

Thus, just as Röhl had found his first-choice centre-back pairing, he will continue to be without them going into the busiest period of the season, left with no choice but to keep picking Emmanuel Fernandez and Nasser Djiga, despite the continued poor performances of the latter.

Djiga was massively at fault for Braga’s crucial equaliser on Thursday night, completely misjudging a cross into the box which allowed Gabri Martínez to slot home.

The 23 year old joined Wolverhampton Wanderers from Crvena zvezda in January for a reported £10m, but barely featured for the Premier League side, suggesting why that might have been the case since making the loan move north of the border.

It did not start well for Djiga, sent off on his Premiership debut for tripping up Finlay Robertson as the Gers were held to a 1-1 draw by Dundee at Ibrox, before this inexplicable decision which allowed Romeo Vermant to score the first of Club Brugge’s nine goals in the Champions League play-off round.

Djiga, frankly, is costing Rangers points time and time again, which has to be a concern ahead of three winnable Premiership matches in a week against Falkirk, Dundee United and Kilmarnock, but which other starter from Thursday night may have just played himself out of contention?

Rangers summer signing who struggled vs Braga

Röhl made a couple of surprise selection decisions against Braga; Connor Barron came into midfield, while Max Aarons got the nod over Jayden Meghoma at left-back.

The Bournemouth loanee has been in and out the team all throughout the campaign, deployed in both full-back positions, but did not stake a claim for more regular minutes here.

The statistics document the Englishman’s tough night.

Accurate passes

26

13th

Passing accuracy %

76%

12th

Key passes

Zero

10th

Attempted crosses

3

4th

Accurate crosses

Zero

7th

Defensive actions

3

16th

Tackles won

3

7th

Interceptions

Zero

12th

Clearances

Zero

19th

Possession lost

17

4th

Touches

59

6th

SofaScore rating

6.8

12th

As the table documents, despite the fact only two Rangers players, namely Tavernier and Fernandez, had more touches of the ball than Aarons, he did very little with all this possession.

The full-back completed just 26 passes, fewer than Braga goalkeeper Lukáš Horníček, was accurate with zero crosses and turned over possession on 17 occasions.

Fair to say, the Rangers support have not been enamoured by Aarons from the very start.

Under Russell Martin, he was controversially starting Champions League qualifiers instead of long-standing captain Tavernier, which most fans were not on board with, especially when Aarons was sent off just eight minutes into their 6-0 annihilation at the hands of Club Brugge at Jan Breydelstadion.

More recently, Aarons has been asked to fill in on the left-side, which he can do, but does not suit him naturally, especially on the ball, having to play on his weaker side.

Thus, for upcoming Premiership matches, where Rangers will dominate possession, expect Röhl to recall Jayden Meghoma at left-back, even if he has been far from convincing either.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

As for long-term, it would be no surprise to see both Aarons and Djiga return to their parents clubs in the new year, or at the end of the season at the very least.

Forget Djiga: Rohl must bin Rangers flop who lost the ball every 2 touches

Following Rangers’ 1-1 draw with Braga in the Europa League at Ibrox on Thursday, which flop must Danny Röhl axe who was even worse than Nasser Djiga?

ByBen Gray Nov 28, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur have a world-class stadium which cost £1bn and they’ve also splashed the cash on several new signings over the years. However, their wait for a first trophy since 2008 goes on.

Spurs have also brought in big transfer fees for a plethora of stars, dealing with some of Europe’s biggest clubs in the process – but who is the club’s record departure?

Here is a look at Tottenham Hotspur’s most expensive sales in their history, with the help of news reports and Transfermarkt, with a detailed look at the top 10.

Rank

Player

Fee

Sold to

Year

Harry Kane

£86.4m

Bayern Munich

2023

Gareth Bale

£85.3m

Real Madrid

2013

Kyle Walker

£50m

Man City

2017

Dimitar Berbatov

£30.75m

Man Utd

2008

Luka Modric

£30m

Real Madrid

2012

Steven Bergwijn

£26m

Ajax

2022

Oliver Skipp

£25m

Leicester

2024

Kieran Trippier

£20m

Atletico Madrid

2019

Heung-min Son

£20m

LAFC

2025

Robbie Keane

£19m

Liverpool

2008

Michael Carrick

£18.6m

Man Utd

2006

Emerson Royal

£18m

AC Milan

2024

Kevin Wimmer

£18m

Stoke City

2017

Christian Eriksen

£16.9m

Inter

2020

Nabil Bentaleb

£16m

Schalke

2017

Toby Alderweireld

£13m

Al-Duhail

2021

Juan Foyth

£13m

Villarreal

2021

Ryan Mason

£13m

Hull City

2016

Nacer Chadli

£13m

West Brom

2016

Kyle Walker-Peters

£12m

Southampton

2020

Andros Townsend

£12m

Newcastle

2016

Peter Crouch

£12m

Stoke

2011

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

£12m

Marseille

2025

Here’s a detailed look at Spurs' top 10 sales… 10 Robbie Keane £19m to Liverpool, 2008

Robbie Keane was Spurs’ star player and captain back in 2008, so it was a real blow when Liverpool took him to Anfield for £19m. The transfer fee could have surpassed £20m, but we doubt the Irishman met the required add-ons.

Daniel Levy publicly spoke of their disappointment that Keane wanted a move away, but six months later, Keane was back at Tottenham on a permanent transfer after struggling to become a regular on Merseyside.

9 Heung-min Son £20m to LAFC, 2025

A Tottenham icon, Heung-min Son lifted Spurs’ first trophy in 17 years following the club’s Europa League triumph in 2025, but months later, the South Korea forward left north London for the MLS.

The attacker departed for LAFC in a deal worth £20m, with Son scoring 173 goals in 454 games for Spurs, proving to be worth every penny of the £22m Tottenham spent in 2015.

8 Kieran Trippier £20m to Atletico Madrid, 2019

Kieran Trippier’s final game for Tottenham came at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium in the 2019 Champions League final. It would end up being his new club home after Spurs sold him to Diego Simeone’s side for £20m that summer.

Trippier has since become a La Liga winner and returned to the Premier League with Newcastle United, where he helped them qualify for the Champions League.

7 Oliver Skipp £25m to Leicester City, 2024

After coming through the academy and making more than 100 first-team appearances, midfielder Oliver Skipp was sold by Spurs for a reported £25m in 2024.

Leicester City were happy to pay big for Skipp after winning promotion, with the player signing a five-year deal. For a player who didn’t quite reach his potential at Tottenham, it wasn’t the worst deal in the world.

6 Steven Bergwijn £26m to Ajax, 2022

Tottenham signed Steven Bergwijn in January 2020 in the hope that he’d further boost a very exciting attacking lineup under Jose Mourinho.

However, the Dutchman rarely started and wasn’t the attacking threat Spurs had invested in. Eight goals in 83 appearances isn’t exactly worth what they paid for him, so they did well to bring in a £26m fee in 2022.

5 Luka Modric £30m to Real Madrid, 2012

Luka Modric’s performances over a four-year period at White Hart Lane caught the eye of Real Madrid in 2012, who took the Croatia international to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2012 for £30m.

The midfielder went on to star in Spain and even won the Ballon d’Or in 2018, so the £30m fee is probably looked back on as a bargain for Madrid.

4 Dimitar Berbatov £30.75m to Man Utd, 2008

Stylish striker Dimitar Berbatov struck up a brilliant relationship with Robbie Keane in north London, with the former scoring 46 goals in 102 games.

Despite having Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United added Berbatov to their ranks in 2008, and he’d go on to win six honours with the Red Devils in four years following his £30.75m transfer from Spurs.

3 Kyle Walker £50m to Man City, 2017

Kyle Walker became the world’s most expensive defender when he joined Manchester City from Tottenham in 2017 for £50m, with the England international going on to win everything under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad.

Walker is arguably England’s greatest-ever right-back, but at the time, Tottenham had Kieran Trippier waiting in the wings, so were seemingly happy to cash in on him for such a large sum.

2 Gareth Bale £85.3m to Real Madrid, 2013

Gareth Bale followed Modric to Real Madrid in 2013 after starring in north London. The Wales international cost Real more than they had paid for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009, with the transfer a world-record €100m (£85.3m) at the time.

Bale would go on to win 15 honours at the Bernabeu, including five Champions League titles. He scored 106 goals in 258 appearances in a Madrid shirt.

1 Harry Kane £86.4m to Bayern Munich, 2023

Topping the charts as Tottenham’s record departure is record goalscorer Harry Kane, who brought in £86.4m when he joined Bayern Munich in 2023.

The striker was linked with a Spurs exit on numerous occasions during his 13-year spell as a professional in north London, but it was the Bundesliga and Bayern that persuaded him to leave Tottenham. Kane, as expected, has gone on to continue to score for fun in Germany.

Heading into this away contest at Molineux, Leeds United had only managed to score one paltry goal all season long in the Premier League.

Obviously, only four games had been done and dusted at that point, which definitely gives some needed context to that worrying statistic, but it would have troubled Daniel Farke and Co. all the same.

Now, however, the Whites have shrugged off that monkey on their back in style with a first-half flurry of goals, going on to hand Leeds a mighty 3-1 win away at bottom of the table Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin would kick off the goalscoring with an expertly put-away header, but it was the other goalscorers on the day in Anton Stach and Noah Okafor, that really stole the show, away from the former Everton man finally opening his Whites account.

Okafor & Stach's performances vs Wolves

The goal-shy number nine would, thankfully, set the tone for a spirited Leeds comeback, though, with a Jayden Bogle cross being gobbled up by the ex-Toffees marksman with just half an hour on the clock.

Leeds had plenty of time, therefore, to fight back from Ladislav Krejci’s early opener, and the fight back was complete when Stach showed off his class when hammering home a free-kick just nine minutes after the contest was levelled.

Away from bagging his first-ever Whites strike in some style, the former Hoffenheim star also showed off a battling edge during the rest of the clash, with the number 18 winning five ground duels to be a commanding presence centrally, as per Sofascore.

He also got in on the act again when teeing up Okafor for the game-clinching strike at 3-1, with the Swiss international played perfectly into space just moments after Stach beat Jose Sa to put the game beyond doubt, even for Leeds’ nervy standards.

On the stroke of half-time, the tricky number 19 would confidently place an effort past the busy Old Gold number one, with Okafor then going to successfully complete a wild six dribbles across the rest of the contest as a livewire presence on the right flank.

With three new signings all scoring, Farke will believe Leeds’ near future is bright, with another fresh purchase also standing out defensively to make Leeds’ widespread summer spending look even more worthwhile.

The 9/10 sensation who is Farke's "best player"

Leeds desperately needed this pick-me-up on their travels, having succumbed to a late defeat last time out on the road to Fulham by the cruellest of last-ditch goals.

Indeed, it was a Gabriel Gudmundsson own goal that would separate the two sides on the day. However, you couldn’t tell in the West Midlands that the Swede was entering into this away affair with this moment weighing heavily on his mind, with the number three one of Leeds’ best performers overall.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

74

Accurate passes

44/51 (86%)

Accurate long balls

3/7

Successful dribbles

1/2

Clearances

8

Interceptions

2

Total duels won

4/11

That was the glowing assessment given by journalist Beren Cross, anyway, who stated during the action-packed first-half that Gudmundsson was “Leeds’ best player” for both his defensive grit and his passing range, with the table above certainly backing up Cross’ compelling argument.

As noted above, the reinvigorated Scandinavian would see out the frantic affair with eight clearances registered on top of four duels being successfully won to snuff out many a Wolves foray forward in the second half.

But, the impressive left-footer also only misplaced seven of his 51 passes on the day, which was a better tally than Stach managed – who came in at 31 accurate passes – despite pulling the strings in the middle.

Gudmundsson’s compliments aren’t over here either, with Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth also hailing the 26-year-old’s showing as an ‘excellent all-round’ display, leading to a deserved 9/10 post-match rating coming his way.

While there were many smiles from ear to ear at full-time regarding both Okafor and Stach getting off the mark, the biggest grin of them all might well come from Gudmundsson’s display, after the horror show he endured at Craven Cottage.

Farke must now drop Longstaff to finally unleash Leeds "tiger" instead

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke should drop Sean Longstaff to unleash this star against Wolves.

ByDan Emery Sep 20, 2025

Celtic have moved quickly to bolster their playing squad during the summer transfer window and several moves have officially gone through on Tuesday.

Kieran Tierney agreed to return to Parkhead earlier this year, and his move has finally gone through upon the expiry of his contract at Arsenal, which came to an end on Monday.

The Scotland international, who left the Hoops to sign for the Gunners back in the summer of 2025, is not the only player officially arriving on Tuesday, though, as Ross Doohan has also joined on a free transfer from Aberdeen.

Celtic have also taken advantage of a contractual situation to snap up a deal for 19-year-old centre-forward Callum Osmand, whose deal with Premier League side Fulham expired on Monday.

The teenage striker has joined from the Cottagers’ U21 side, but has taken the first-team squad number of 19, and is set to compete for a place in the squad.

What Callum Osmand's role at Celtic will be

The young striker could arrive at Parkhead to fulfill the role that Johnny Kenny played for the Scottish Premiership champions in the second half of last season.

Brendan Rodgers decided to integrate the Irish forward into the first-team squad after his loan spell with Shamrock Rovers, and the 22-year-old forward scored one goal and provided one assist in eight Premiership outings, starting one game.

Celtic have already rejected an offer of £500k from Bolton for the Irishman, and it remains to be seen whether or not he will still be at Parkhead by the end of the summer transfer window.

An exit from Glasgow for Kenny in the coming weeks would open the door for Osmand to take up his role as the back-up centre-forward in the squad.

24/25

22

11

4

23/24

29

21

6

22/23

21

11

2

21/22

1

0

0

As you can see in the table above, the Welsh striker enjoyed a prolific career at youth level for Fulham, scoring 54 goals for the U18 and U21 sides combined.

However, he is yet to make a senior appearance for any club to date, which means that it remains to be seen how he will adapt to first-team football. This is why a back-up role initially could make a lot of sense for the teenage talent.

Osmand, though, may not be the only centre-forward to come through the door this summer, as the Hoops may also look for a long-term replacement for Kyogo Furuhashi as an immediate starting-calibre option.

Celtic opted against signing an immediate replacement for the Japan international in the January window, but they should now swoop for a senior addition, and Bojan Miovski is a player who could make a lot of sense.

Why Celtic should sign Bojan Miovski

The Daily Record recently reported that Celtic have shown more interest in signing the Macedonia international than Rangers in the past, and that they would be a more likely destination for the forward.

They have been linked with an interest in signing the former Aberdeen star, who is valued at £9m, from Girona, but it remains to be seen whether or not they will press ahead with a swoop for his services.

The Premiership champions should pursue a deal for the £9m-rated striker because he is a proven performer in Scotland who could hit the ground running as a starting-calibre option, competing with Adam Idah for a place in the starting XI.

This would leave Rodgers with Idah and Miovski as his two senior options, with Osmand as a back-up, and that would free up Daizen Maeda to play out wide.

Miovski’s form during his time at Aberdeen in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 campaigns suggests that he has the quality to come in as a better striker than Osmand, who is yet to make his senior bow.

The 26-year-old star’s return of four goals in 22 appearances in all competitions for Girona may not excite supporters, but a poor year in the Spanish top-flight does not paint the full picture.

Miovski plundered 44 goals in 98 outings for Aberdeen in all competitions during his two seasons in Scotland, which included a haul of 32 goals in the Premiership.

The left-footed marksman, who was once dubbed a “complete number 9” by journalist Josh Bunting, is a proven goalscorer in the Premiership, which suggests that he could provide an instant threat in front of goal for the Hoops next season.

Appearances

37

38

Goals

16

16

Conversion rate

23%

15%

Minutes per goal

181

197

Big chances created

6

4

Assists

2

2

As you can see in the table above, the Macedonia international was a consistent performer in front of goal for the Dons in the Scottish top-flight, firing in 16 goals in both of his seasons at Pittodrie.

Daizen Maeda, with 16 strikes, was the only Celtic player who scored more than ten league goals last season, which suggests that Miovski would be one of the biggest goal threats, if not the biggest, within the Hoops squad if he can get back to that form.

The Girona forward also has a record of four goals in nine games against Rangers in his career to date, which suggests that he could be a fearsome opponent in the big games for Rodgers next term.

Overall, Miovski is a proven Premiership performer in the prime years of his career, at the age of 26, which is why he would come through the door as a much better striker, in the here and now, than Osmand, who has not proven himself in any league at senior level to date.

More exciting than Inamura & Osmand: Celtic could sign "jaw-dropping" star

Celtic could land a signing that is more exciting than Callum Osmand and Hayato Inamura with this star.

ByDan Emery Jun 30, 2025

This is why Celtic should swoop to rescue the centre-forward from Giorna before the end of the summer transfer window, to provide Osmand with a fantastic attacker to learn from next term.

It’s only ten days now until Birmingham City know their exciting full set of Championship fixtures ahead of the eagerly anticipated 2025/26 campaign.

Chris Davies will be praying that his super-confident Blues side can win on the opening day to get their season off to the best possible footing, with a hope in the air that Birmingham can thrive in the second tier after making League One promotion look like clockwork.

To help make their transition up a league as smooth as possible, Birmingham will be prepared to spend in the transfer market to upgrade their team, with a deal potentially back on the cards for a former star to return to St. Andrew’s.

Birmingham still interested in former ace

As per a new report from Birmingham Live’s Alex Dicken, a spectacular reunion deal for Demarai Gray to return to the West Midlands shouldn’t be written off just yet.

Dicken states that Birmingham are believed to still possess an interest in the entertaining 28-year-old winger, but he also reveals that there are many obstacles in the newly promoted side’s way in trying to get a statement deal over the line.

The obstacles include his lavish £76k-per-week wage at Saudi employers Al-Ettifaq – as per Capology – on top of the fact Dicken states that a number of Premier League clubs are also eyeing up the former Everton attacker.

But, Birmingham – who could seal Gray’s signature for £8m – have been successful in the past when going after outlandish deals deemed too unlikely to happen.

That was seen in Jay Stansfield’s £15m deal last summer – with Gray’s potential arrival onto the scene also perhaps culminating in him striking up an enthralling attacking duo with another target on the Blues’ ever-extending shopping list in Joe Gelhardt.

Why Gray could be brilliant alongside Gelhardt

Both Birmingham targets have shown flashes of their excellence at the very top of the English football pyramid, with Gray’s sublime strike against Arsenal just one of 19 goals the Jamaica international notched up in the Premier League.

Still in the infancy of his career, Gelhardt does still have eight-goal contributions next to his name in the elite division when he was deemed the next big thing coming out of Leeds United’s esteemed academy, meaning the pair together at St. Andrew’s could bring about a sense of class to proceedings, having tasted such lofty heights previously.

Leicester City

169

13

14

Birmingham

78

8

4

Everton

75

12

6

Al-Ettifaq

50

4

5

Bayer Leverkusen

12

1

2

Looking at the table above, Gray could also gift Gelhardt chances galore to score from if the pair are to don Birmingham blue together very soon, with the experienced 28-year-old forward up to 31 assists now from his varied playing days.

Even when he hasn’t been firing on all cylinders at current employers Al-Ettifaq, a frustrated Gray has at least been trying to carve out openings, with a healthy four big chances created by the ex-Blues attacker in Saudi Pro League action last season, despite no assists coming his way.

Whilst his teammates in the Middle East might not be finishing off his moves, Gelhardt could soon be the perfect companion to Gray based on his impressive Championship numbers last campaign with Hull City, with a promising five league strikes picked up from only 19 starts, while also spurning just one big chance.

With the aforementioned Stansfield also close by, both the “electric” winger – as he’s been glowingly labelled in the past by journalist Scott Saunders – and Gelhardt could really enhance Birmingham’s attacking numbers ahead of their second-tier adventure officially kicking off.

Stansfield 2.0: Birmingham now showing interest in “special” forward

Birmingham City could be about to land their next Jay Stansfield by signing this exciting attacker.

ByKelan Sarson Jun 15, 2025

Aston Villa have now submitted a bid in the region of £40m for a “top” goalkeeper, with Emi Martinez looking likely to be heading for the exit door, according to a report.

Martinez's days could be numbered at Villa Park

Martinez has taken his game to the next level at Villa Park, scooping up the Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper award for the second time in three years last December, while also recently winning Premier League Save of the Season for a fantastic stop against Nottingham Forest.

As such, Unai Emery will no doubt be hoping to keep hold of his goalkeeper beyond the summer, but it appears as though the Argentina international could be heading for pastures new, with Manchester United and Atletico Madrid expressing an interest.

According to a report from Spain, Martinez has now ‘confirmed’ that he will leave Villa this summer, which means a replacement will be necessary, and recruitment chiefs haven’t wasted any time identifying a suitable heir.

Aston Villa book medical to sign forward who Emery feels can be next Duran

He’s agreed a four-year deal at Villa Park.

ByCharlie Smith Jun 1, 2025

It is added that Aston Villa have made a bid of around £40m for Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, who could be the ideal replacement for their current shot-stopper, given his impressive performances in Ligue 1 throughout the 2024-25 season.

There is a belief that Chevalier could be a good fit in Emery’s squad, and negotiations over a deal are now underway, with news of whether the Villans’ move is successful expected to come in the next few weeks.

"Top" goalkeeper Chevalier is "similar" to David Raya

Football scout Ben Mattinson was left impressed by the Lille shot-stopper during the 2024-25 campaign, singling him out for high praise and comparing him to Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.

It is little wonder the Frenchman is held in very high regard by Mattinson, given that he ranks in the 81st percentile for his save percentage per 90 over the past year, while also putting in some top performances for Lille in the Champions League last season.

The 23-year-old made a number of “world-class” saves to keep Borussia Dortmund at bay in March, which will no doubt go into the compilation alongside several fantastic stops in Ligue 1.

Aston Villa will no doubt be looking to bring in a goalkeeper who is proven at the top level to replace Martinez, and Chevalier certainly fits the bill in that regard, so it is exciting news they have now submitted a bid to bring the Lille star to Villa Park.

Chelsea have reportedly opened club-to-club negotiations over signing a £100 million striker for Enzo Maresca, with their opening bid already submitted as BlueCo attempt to move quickly in the transfer market.

Chelsea shortlist striker targets as summer transfer talks begin

It is no secret that the west Londoners, amid their chase for Champions League qualification, are looking to sign a centre-forward when the window reopens.

Chelsea really looking at signing £25m "new name" who agreed to join Arsenal

He’s shook hands on personal terms with the Gunners last year.

ByEmilio Galantini May 23, 2025

Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku boast just two Premier League goals between them since the turn of the year, while Marc Guiu is inexperienced and coming back from injury, emphasising their need for a proven option up top.

Rank

Team

Points

GD

Man City

68

+26

Newcastle

66

+22

Chelsea

66

+20

6

Aston Villa

66

+9

7

Nottingham Forest

65

+13

According to journalist Simon Phillips this week, Eintracht Frankfurt starlet Hugo Ekitiké, RB Leipzig ace Benjamin Sesko and Napoli outcast Victor Osimhen are just some of the strikers under consideration by Stamford Bridge chiefs – but all will likely command a marquee fee and considerable wages.

Ipswich Town star Liam Delap is also set to make a decision about joining Chelsea, amid interest from Man United, with Fabrizio Romano backing up other reports that the Blues have held talks with Kieran McKenna’s number nine.

Another player to be linked this last week, Brighton star Joao Pedro, is now emerging as a more serious potential target as well.

The Brazil international has racked up 10 goals and seven assists in all competitions under Fabian Hürzeler this season, and the jury is out on whether he’d really improve Maresca’s current options, but ex-Premier League scout Mick Brown has heard that he’s keen on a switch to Cobham.

“I hear he’s spoken to people around him about a move, and he would be interested in Chelsea,” said Brown to Football Insider.

“He wants to make a step up from Brighton as they’re going to miss out on European football again. It’s just a case of whether they decide he’s the right man for the job.”

Chelsea open talks with Brighton over signing Joao Pedro

Despite claims Pedro would cost around £60 million, there are also suggestions that Brighton intend to hold firm on a marquee £100 million price tag, so the 23-year-old could end up being a very expensive option.

However, that doesn’t mean Maresca’s side won’t at least try their hand, as shared by Brazilian news outlet Ge Globo and their journalist Cahê Mota from Rio de Janeiro.

He reports that Chelsea have opened talks with Brighton over signing Pedro, and they’ve already made an offer of around £50 million for the striker. Chelsea are attempting to “speed up” these negotiations ahead of the Club World Cup, with discussions also expected to intensify next week as they try to tempt the former Watford ace with a move.

It remains to be seen whether their initial bid of £50m will be enough, as Brighton and Tony Bloom are widely known to be tough negotiators when it comes to selling their star players to Chelsea, as evident by the transfer fees they acquired for Moises Caicedo and Marc Cucurella.

However, we believe BlueCo would be unwise to splash anywhere near £100m on Pedro, considering they have other, more prolific striker targets who could turn out to be much better value for money.