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Sheffield United look set to be offered a deal to bring Joe Allen to Bramall Lane this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Sheffield Star, who claim that, despite the Stoke City manager Michael O’Neill stating that the 31-year-old is not for sale in the summer transfer window, Slavisa Jokanovic’s side have been informed that they will nevertheless be offered a chance to sign the midfielder ahead of next season.

The report goes on to state that it remains unclear at present whether or not the new Blades boss will be interested in bringing the Wales international to the club this summer, although The Star suggest that the departure of John Lundstram, coupled with Sander Berge being heavily linked with a transfer out of Bramall Lane, will leave the 52-year-old requiring greater depth in the position.

Jokanovic must not move

While Allen is a player who boasts a significant amount of Premier League and Championship experience, there is a very strong argument to make against United making a move for the midfielder this summer.

Firstly, with Allen now being 31 years of age, despite the £1.8m-rated man having highly impressed in the top flight of English football during his spell at Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp dubbing Allen an “unbelievable” player, the midfielder is very much now entering the twilight years of his footballing career, meaning it would be unlikely that Jokanovic would gain any resale value if he were to sign the Welshman this summer.

This leads nicely on to the second drawback of a move for Allen, as the midfielder is thought to be earning a whopping £50k-per-week at the bet356 Stadium.

If United were to bring Allen in on a deal of this size in the summer transfer window, he would immediately become the club’s highest-paid player, with the midfielder simply not appearing to be worth such an amount relative to the rest of the Blades’ squad.

Finally, with the former Swansea City man also having been spent two rather lengthy spells on the sidelines for Stoke last season, due to both an Achilles tendon rupture and a hamstring injury, just how much game time Allen would go on to get after a potential switch to the Blades would seem to be something of a lottery.

As such, a move for Allen this summer would appear to be highly unadvisable for Sheffield United, as there will undoubtedly be cheaper, fitter and younger options available to Jokanovic on the market this summer.

In other news: Sheff Utd dealt transfer blow over “incredible” £43k-p/w gem, Jokanovic will be gutted

Leeds United and Southampton have been linked with a move for Blackburn Rovers right-back Ryan Nyambe, The 72 report.

The Lowdown: Nyambe profiled

Nyambe, described as a player with ‘great acceleration’, is 24 years of age and has progressed through the academy at Ewood Park.

The Namibia international is primarily a right-back who can also turn out at centre-back and has made 190 appearances for the club – 21 of which have come this season.

His current deal is set to expire at the end of June, with Nyambe sharing the same agency as Leeds duo Adam Forshaw and Charlie Cresswell.

The Latest: Leeds keen

The 72 shared a story on Wednesday afternoon, revealing Rovers could cash in on Nyambe this month, with Elland Road and St Mary’s named as possible destinations.

Rovers would want £3m for the defender, a fee surely affordable to Andrea Radrizzani and the 49ers group, while Leeds are also linked with a move for striker Ben Brereton-Diaz.

The Verdict: Not needed

Marcelo Bielsa has Luke Ayling, Stuart Dallas, youngster Cody Drameh and even Jamie Shackleton as right-back options at Elland Road, so a fifth choice doesn’t seem pivotal this month.

Leeds have other transfer issues to address more urgently too, with Victor Orta after two midfielders over the coming weeks following Kalvin Phillips’ long-term hamstring injury.

Should they get two in, then perhaps a cut-price move for the versatile Nyambe could be looked at, but for now, Radrizzani and co have bigger fish to fry in order to bolster their chances of Premier League survival.

In other news: Orta now eyeing Leeds move for 6 ft 3 beast who stopped Ronaldo; he’s keen on a January switch.

Interest in Celtic centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi should come as no surprise to Ange Postecoglou.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to commentator and journalist Stuart Hodge, who claimed in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that the 26-year-old’s links with a move to Southampton in the January transfer window will not come as a shock to those at Parkhead, as the Japan international has been something of a revelation since joining the Bhoys this summer.

Speaking about whether the interest in the striker is surprising, Hodge said: “Absolutely not. Look at his productivity since he came to Scotland. The age he is as well is a good age. Japanese players tend to mature a bit later in their careers.

“Normally you would say, for a Premier League player, by the time they hit 23 you’ve got a good idea of the level of player they’re going to be. In Japan, it can sometimes happen a bit later because of various things.”

Fans would be fuming

Hodge is correct to point out Kyogo’s impressive productivity since his arrival at Parkhead, as the forward has arguably been one of Postecoglou’s stand out players in the current campaign.

Indeed, over his nine Scottish Premiership fixtures so far this season, the £1.8m-rated man has scored five goals, registered two assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.8 shots and making one key pass per game.

These returns have seen the player Postecoglou dubbed a “positive character” average a SofaScore match rating of 7.00, ranking him as Celtic’s joint 14th-best performer in the top flight of Scottish football.

The Japan striker has also bagged three goals over four Europa League qualifying fixtures, one goal over two Europa League proper matches and one goal in one Scottish League Cup appearance – taking his total haul of goals to 10 in 16 games played for the club.

As such, while the interest in Kyogo’s services should come as no surprise to the Parkhead faithful, if the Hoops were to cash in on the 26-year-old this winter, it would undoubtedly be a decision that would leave fans fuming – as the forward clearly has the ability to play a major role in Celtic’s bid to reclaim their Premiership crown come next May.

In other news: Major blow: Celtic handed big injury setback ahead of Thursday, fans will be gutted

Crystal Palace make the mighty 298 mile trip to St James’ Park tonight, as they take on fellow mid-table settlers Newcastle United.

Although both sides are believed to be safe from relegation obscurity, they share the mutual ambition of reaching the traditional safe haven that is the 40 points mark.

A win for either side tonight would allow them to achieve that very ambition, though only one side can prevail.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Vieira revealed that the Eagles’ recent loss to Chelsea was a “massive disappointment” and ordered his side to answer questions raised.

In the same press conference, Vieira gave some succinct team news over his side’s injury status heading into this clash with the Magpies:

“Our captain Luka [Milivojevic] will not be part of the group. He felt something in his hamstring so he won’t be part of the team. Nathan [Ferguson] is still injured. Outside of those two, everybody is good.”

With that update, we at Football FanCast anticipate two changes from Palace’s loss against Chelsea in the FA Cup.

Crystal Palace predicted XI: Guaita (GK) Clyne (RB) Andersen (RCB) Guehi (LCB) Mitchell (LB) Gallagher (RCM) Kouyate (DM) Schlupp (LCM) Eze (RW) Mateta (ST) Zaha (LW).

A return back to the 4-3-3 system after two games, and two losses without it makes sense for Patrick Vieira.

Perhaps the biggest boost is the return of 22-year-old Eagles loanee Conor Gallagher who has been dubbed a “sensation” by Zach Lowy. He comes in for the £1.4m-rated James McArthur, with Gallagher proving to be one of Vieira’s biggest creative threats this season having bagged eight goals and three assists.

Our predicted line-up also sees Nathaniel Clyne restored in place of Joel Ward, who started the FA Cup semi-final last time out.

The return of Eberechi Eze will be welcomed too, after the 23-year-old completed his first full 90 minutes against Chelsea in the last game, with the player who has been dubbed “special” by CoachesVoice now over his achilles tendon problem.

Jordan Ayew, a player described as “magic” is also an unfortunate drop-out with Vieira hoping to secure victory.

In other news: Vieira could terrify Newcastle by unleashing CPFC’s “special” £37k-p/w livewire…

Tottenham have allegedly reached an agreement with Fiorentina for midfielder Sofyan Amrabat.

The Lowdown: Amrabat profiled

Amrabat is a Morocco international who is primarily a defensive midfielder who can also play in a central role.

The 25-year-old is valued at £8.1m by Transfermarkt and has made 45 appearances for the Serie A side after joining back in 2020.

He’s been missing in Fiorentina’s last four league outings and is yet to contribute to a goal for his current employers, with a move to Antonio Conte’s side now looking likely before Monday’s deadline.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/tottenham-latest-news-2/” title=”Tottenham latest news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Agreement reached

According to Corriere Fiorentino, relayed by Sports Witness, Amrabat is ‘more than happy’ to move to Spurs and it will happen ‘barring surprises’.

Conte and Fabio Paratici both ‘rate’ the midfielder, with an ‘agreement reached’ between the two clubs.

It seems as if Tanguy Ndombele has to leave the club first, though, with the report claiming the Frenchman is ‘blocking’ a transfer being finalised.

The Verdict: Needed

Spurs are in desperate need of reinforcements in the final days of the window and have ultimately wasted a lot of time on pursuing Adama Traore, who is in Barcelona ahead of a loan move.

They also look set to miss out on Luis Diaz, so it’s good news that a move for Amrabat is all but sealed, providing Ndombele can seal a move away from north London.

He now looks set to become the club’s third defensive midfielder on the books alongside Oliver Skipp and Harry Winks, so it’ll be interesting to see how Conte uses Amrabat in the second half of the season.

In other news: Spurs now preparing last-gasp bid to sign ‘special’ player who could leave for just £14m. 

Some Glasgow Rangers fans have been left reacting to a post from the club’s official Twitter page.

As many as 12 Light Blues are playing for their respective national teams over the course of the next few days during the international break.

They are: Jon McLaughlin, Nathan Patterson, Steven Davis, Glen Kamara, Fashion Jr, Ianis Hagi, Kemar Roofe, Juninho Bacuna, Calvin Bassey, Leon Balogun, Joe Aribo and Borna Barisic.

Of course, it is always an honour for any player to represent their country, but some Bears supporters are understandably worried that they may pick up an injury or have to go into self-isolation upon their return, and thus would not be able to return back to club football.

Nonetheless, Steven Gerrard will no doubt be hoping that his squad comes back to Ibrox unscathed.

Rangers fans on international news

These Gers gave their reactions as the news was shared in a club post on Twitter:

“No Morelos to Colombia is encouraging”

Credit: @auldco

“Good luck to each and everyone of you. Take care and come back injury free.”

Credit: @ElsieMcCready5

“Hopefully all return back Covid free.”

Credit: @chunkylover25

“Bring them home”

Credit: @Coplandbear1872

“Come back unscathed please team”

Credit: @lennyrfc

“Will they need to isolate on return?”

Credit: @R55Loyal

In other news, find out what Gerrard claim has Gers raging here!

Journalist Liam Kennedy has told The Transfer Tavern that he expects Newcastle United to ramp up their interest in Leicester City’s Hamza Choudhury as they close in on a deal for Joe Willock.

Willock, who is set to join Newcastle from Arsenal for around £20m, and Choudhury are both midfielders manager Steve Bruce wants in his squad.

According to The Athletic, Choudhury is a player prominent in Bruce’s thoughts and was targeted by the Magpies back in January.

Ultimately, with the Willock saga coming to an end, Kennedy believes Newcastle will now turn their attention to another midfielder like Choudhury. The Shields Gazette reporter said to TT in a chat:

“When Newcastle United are freed of the burden of Joe Willock, then I think you’ll see the likes of Hamza Choudhury and others, with the meagre budget that they have but loan spots to play with as well, I think you’ll see Newcastle United ramp up their business in that department.

“Choudhury will be in that conversation, no doubt.”

Choudhury certainly does look like a realistic option for Newcastle as they look to add some more energy and tenacity to their midfield.

The 23-year-old was barely used by manager Brendan Rodgers in the Premier League last season, so a move to St. James’ Park, in search of more game time, may be something that interests him.

Eddie Howe has requested that a centre-back and full-back be signed in January amid Newcastle United’s defensive struggles. 

That’s according to Chris Waugh, the club’s correspondent for The Athletic.

The lowdown

Newcastle find themselves rock bottom of the Premier League after suffering a seventh defeat in 13 matches on Saturday.

Their tally of 15 goals scored is actually better than seven teams, including Wolves and Tottenham in sixth and seventh positions respectively. However, it’s their league-worst defensive record which is costing them – they’ve shipped 29 goals so far, an average of more than 2.2 per game.

Continue at the current rate, and they could concede 85 before the end of the season. For context, Derby County’s 11-point side in 2007/08, statistically the worst in Premier League history, shipped 89.

The latest

In tweeting a link to his article for The Athletic outlining the Newcastle manager’s transfer wishes, Waugh said that “Howe wants defenders in January” but fears that it “could be too late by then” to fix a “porous, ageing & error prone defence”.

A further tweet from the journalist claimed that centre-backs and full-backs are ‘being scouted’ heavily by the club’s recruitment staff, with Howe regarding these reinforcements as crucial.

Waugh added that scouts have been scanning Europe for players entering the last six, or last 18, months of their contracts, while the manager also has some British-based targets in mind.

The verdict

It’s hard to argue with Howe’s assessment, but who could Newcastle actually end up signing?

The club are said to be ‘reasonably confident’ of striking a deal for Burnley’s James Tarkowski, who has failed to agree a new deal at Turf Moor. The Clarets defender is valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, while one potential full-back target in Kieran Trippier is rated at £18m.

Tarkowski featured in the WhoScored Premier League team of the season for 2020/21, while the Atletico Madrid right-back has been capped 35 times by England.

The duo also boast plenty of English top-flight experience, with 171 and 107 appearances respectively in the division, so both could be ideal recruits for January if Newcastle can persuade them to join the Howe revolution.

In other news, this Newcastle trio struggled against Arsenal

Lots of Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing as some news emerged on their U18’s team.

As shared by the official Twitter page of Rangers B & Academy, the U18’s beat Celtic U18’s 2-1, thanks to goals from James Graham and Rory Wilson.

Graham is 17, and Wilson is only 15 years of age, as the Ibrox faithful certainly look to have a lot of young talent coming through the Academy.

Of course, it is always extra sweet to beat your rivals as well, as several Light Blues supporters seemed to lap up the win against Celtic.

Nonetheless, new manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst would have been keeping a close eye on the result and performances of some of the youngsters, who will be hoping that there is now a path clear for them to break into the first team.

Rangers fans on U18 win

These Teddy Bears buzzed as the result was shared on Twitter, with one Ger even going as far as to claim that it was ‘excellent’:

“Derby day in Glasgow belongs to Rangers!”

Credit: @UberAlly95

“Only one show in town, well done lads”

Credit: @Iswhatitis99

“A fitting victory for Walter to look down on… Well played young Gers”

Credit: @BillyMcKie3

“Brilliant lads, well played.”

Credit: @jockstrat

“Excellent well done”

Credit: @ConnerRabby

“Yessss I wanna beat them at everything”

Credit: @timmys_tears

In other news, find out what Premier League manager’s admission has RFC fans buzzing here!

Aston Villa have been handed a boost in their attempts to sign Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have linked Dean Smith’s side with a move for the £50k-per-week forward in this summer transfer window.

According to The Daily Mirror, Villa are ready to spend £40m to bring Abraham to Villa Park, with the 23-year-old striker being told he is free to leave Chelsea as he doesn’t feature in Thomas Tuchel’s long-term plans at Stamford Bridge.

It has now been suggested that the Blues are willing to cut their asking price from £40m as they are keen to get him off their books this summer in order to try and acquire their own transfer targets.

Dean Smith needs him

With Ollie Watkins, Wesley and Keinan Davis being Villa’s only striking options at the moment, Smith could really do with a genuine Premier League proven centre-forward to add some quality competition.

Speaking during BT Sport coverage of Chelsea’s Champions League win over Lille in 2019, former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand raved about Abraham’s centre-forward play, saying (via Goal): “His hold-up play, coming to the ball, bringing others into play. There were some balls that came into him that were Didier Drogba-esque. I think he’s developing nicely, he’s scoring goals, he’s scoring different types of goals and I think he’s a threat.”

In his first spell at Villa Park – when he spent a season on loan in the Championship – the England international netted 26 goals in 40 games, as well as providing three assists.

Speaking after a goal-scoring display against Swansea, Smith himself said: “Tammy is a handful and he knows better than me that he should have been walking away with the match ball tonight. But he scored the winning goal, he’s a hell of a talent. Tammy put in a hell of a shift up front on his own and proved he is a fine player.”

Also described as “unbelievable” and “phenomenal” throughout his career, the £34m-rated Abraham could provide some much-needed competition for Watkins up top, and would take the goal-scoring burden off the former Brentford man.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has confirmed some exciting Aston Villa transfer news…