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Manchester United will reportedly have to stump up a whopping £60m to sign Aaron Wan-Bissaka this summer.

According to Sky Sports, Manchester United have seen a £40m bid for Wan-Bissaka rejected.

The report claims a right back is on the agenda for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this summer, with Paris Saint-Germain’s Thomas Meunier and Tottenham’s Kieran Trippier also on the list of possible targets.

At least £60m will be needed to convince Crystal Palace to part ways with their 21 year-old tackling sensation, so should the Red Devils pull the trigger?

With Diogo Dalot waiting for his chance after penning a five-year deal last summer, we asked the writers at Football FanCast for their verdicts on whether United should splash out on Wan-Bissaka…

One point separated City and Liverpool but twenty-five separated them from the rest! Fans discuss who could reduce the deficit next season in the video below?

Harry Sherlock

“Wan-Bissaka is pure potential and £60m is probably about the going rate for a genuinely prodigious young talent. United don’t have the right-back options they once did and, with Antonio Valencia leaving the club, new blood is needed. United can afford to spend £60m on a talent like Wan-Bissaka and, really, this is exactly the type of player they should be pursuing. It’s a big fee but it solves their problem position for the next decade. Pay it and get him in.”

Billy Meyers

“I personally think this deal isn’t necessary for Man United. They definitely need a new right-back, but Dalot should be the next in line for the starting role and a cheaper second choice option should be pursued instead. Wan-Bissaka would definitely be a great signing, but other areas are in need of investment first.”

Jack Saville

“Considering how much Man City have paid for the likes of John Stones and Kyle Walker, it’s fair to say that a figure in the region of £50m+ is the new benchmark for England’s most promising and talented defenders. United can have no complaints about the enormity of the fee and, if they are serious about laying strong foundations for the future, they must do whatever it takes to bring him to the club. With Dan James set to arrive at Old Trafford, the addition of Wan-Bissaka would be in line with a major policy shift from Woodward.”

If there’s one area where Liverpool are well-stocked, it’s central midfield.

From Jordan Henderson to Naby Keita to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the current Champions League holders are stacked in midfield with seven players who can all naturally play there and all of whom can deliver something unique to the midfield three that Jurgen Klopp typically deploys, yet there is one player who is likely to not get a shot at playing in this exclusive group next season, Mark Grujic.

The Serbian midfielder enjoyed a fine season away on loan at Hertha Berlin last season where manager Pal Dardai called Grujic via the Bundesliga’s official website “by far the best midfielder at Hertha Berlin in 20 years”, and with the news from the Liverpool Echo that the 23-year-old is to depart Anfield again for the season, Klopp could be making a mistake.

Comparing Grujic to the three Liverpool midfielders who made the most appearances last season using stats from WhoScored; Georginio Wijnaldum, Henderson and Fabinho, it’s quickly apparent that the Serbian midfielder had a better defensive season than any of the Reds trio, making the most interceptions (1.3), clearances (2.3) and blocks (0.3) in the group.

Grujic also averaged the most key passes per game out of the three Liverpool midfielders at 0.7 per game as well scoring the most goals in the season with 5, and standing the tallest out of the four players means that the Serbian has also registered the most aerial duels won with 3.2 per game.

With such a congested midfield, it makes sense why Klopp is opting to loan out Grujic for the year, but we believe that the German manager is making a mistake letting the Serbian go for the season when he can clearly offer something new to what Liverpool already have at the club.

Liverpool fans, should Grujic remain at the club this season? Let us know!

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Villa Park has been a hub of activity during this summer transfer window, with the Villans having already signed five players. Today’s Aston Villa transfer roundup includes interest in another Southampton defender, a Bundesliga club’s rival pursuit for a 25-year-old midfielder and the potential departure of a goalkeeper.

Stephens on radar

Aston Villa have already signed one Saints defender (Matt Targett) this summer, and now they are interested in taking another. According to Tuesday’s print edition of the Mirror (via HITC), Dean Smith and co have their eyes on Jack Stephens. The 24-year-old played 29 times in all competitions for Southampton last season.

Köln want Nakamba

According to Bild, FC Köln have entered the race to sign Club Brugge midfielder and Zimbabwe international Marvelous Nakamba. Villa were reportedly interested in the player, (The Herald via The Chronicle) but now it seems that they have competition from the Bundesliga.

Kalinic could leave

Lovre Kalinic may be available for as little as £5m this summer according to journalist Alan Nixon.The Croatian goalkeeper only joined the club in January of this year, but it now seems he is surplus to requirements at the Midlands club.

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Today’s Hammers transfer roundup includes news on their pursuit of a La Liga forward, a fresh bid for a Championship striker and Serie A interest in one of the club’s midfielders.

Gomez future still up in the air

Maxi Gomez is yet to decide on a move to West Ham. Sky Sports had reported that Celta Vigo’s Gomez was keen on a move to the London Stadium, but reliable West Ham insider ExWHUemployee has said that the Argentinian is “undecided”.

New bid for Rondon

West Ham are set to make a new bid for West Brom’s Salomon Rondon, according to Football Insider. The bid is reported to be in the region of £14m. Football League World has added extra information, saying that Sam Byram will be included in the offer.

Parma want Obiang

According to Parma Today, Italian club Parma are interested in taking Pedro Obiang on loan next season, with a potential purchase option. However, it appears the potential swoop is very much at its earliest stages, described as ‘just an idea’.

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Leeds United fans on Twitter were furious after seeing that Tyrone Mings would be sold to Aston Villa for a fee that could rise to as high as £26.5m.

The Bournemouth defender has joined for an initial £20m, while Leeds are ready to sell Jansson for a measly £5.5m.

Jansson is arguably the better of the two defenders as well as he earned a spot in the PFA Championship Team of the Year ahead of the 26-year-old – although the latter did only move to Villa Park in January.

One fan stated that it makes his blood boil when he thinks about Jansson going for £5.5m and Mings going for £12m, but with the centre-back potentially costing more than double that amount, he will be absolutely fuming at the newest update.

United supporters have every right to be annoyed at this as Jansson is certainly worth more than the £5.5m they will receive for him – especially after the Whites rejected a £10m bid just last summer.

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Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Leeds United certainly need a centre-back. The Yorkshire club have sold multiple defensive options already in this transfer window including Paudie O’Connor and Aapo Halme, but the man they will miss the most is undoubtedly Pontus Jansson.

The Swede has been a rock at the back for United ever since joining the club in 2016 and his good performances last term earned him a spot in the PFA Championship Team of the Year.

One name recently linked with the Whites is former Chelsea man Gary Cahill, but it was reported by The Mirror (12/07 via FLW) that Leeds are set to turn down the free agent this summer – and the statistics suggest that’s the right decision.

It sounds preposterous that a two-time Premier League winner and a Champions League winner isn’t as good as a Championship player in Jansson, but a look at Cahill’s stats from his last full Premier League season suggests that he isn’t at the level he once was and would arguably be a downgrade on the recent Elland Road departure.

It’s not always easy comparing two defenders who are playing in different leagues, but these numbers can tell us what each player does well, and what Cahill would need to do if he came to Elland Road.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that during these seasons both clubs were in relatively similar positions in their respective divisions – Leeds finished third while Chelsea finished fifth – so there is some similarity in terms of the pressure both defenders were put under by the opposition and the extent to which their own teams dominated games.

Based on these statistics, Jansson makes over double the number of tackles Cahill does per game. Of course, Cahill may have had less necessity to make challenges as he was covered by N’Golo Kante who made 3.3 tackles per game that season, but this shows that he would have a much increased workload if he signed for Leeds. It remains to be seen how he’d handle that.

And while that number may not be indicative of the 33-year-old’s ability to defend, his tackle success rate shows how often he is successful when going for the ball. Jansson’s numbers in that regard are also better than the former Chelsea captain, albeit against less gifted attackers.

Cahill is also dribbled past more times than the Swede, and he makes fewer interceptions. Surprisingly, the former England international is better in the air than the 28-year-old, but that is the only area he beats him in.

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Last season Cahill was completely ignored by Maurizio Sarri as he played only two games in the Premier League. The veteran most likely will have regressed even further since the 2017/18 season, and he will surely need to get his match fitness back given he has played such little football.

So bearing in mind it’s not even clear if Cahill would be better than a player the club have just sold, the Whites appear to have made the right call in not taking up the chance to sign the ageing defender this summer.

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Rangers have “reluctantly but respectfully” allowed Daniel Candeias the chance to talk to Genclerbirligi, Steven Gerrard has told The Daily Record.

What’s the story?

The Daily Record reported that the winger has concerns about becoming a squad player under Gerrard. And with the Turkish top-flight side’s interest clearly quite concrete, the Portuguese ace is said to be considering their offer.

Gerrard has plenty of wide options at the moment, with Jake Hastie, Sheyi Ojo, Greg Stewart, Jordan Jones and Scott Arfield, so can’t guarantee game time for Candeias. That depth of talent looks like it could be a blessing and a curse.

Despite being open to the offer from Genclerbirligi, Candeias has reported to training today, as Gerrard gets his squad ready for Progres Niederkorn in the Europa League qualifiers. This could be a sign that the 31-year-old is yet to make a decision on where his future lies.

Keep Morelos happy!

Candeias and Alfredo Morelos have made no secret of their bond off the pitch. With the Colombian striker unable to speak English fluently, he’s lent heavily on Candeias and the two have grown close.

The 22-year-old is “shattered”‘ at the prospect of potentially losing his close friend from Ibrox, according to Football Insider. As well as being good friends off the pitch, the two have brought the best out of each other on the park too.

The duo were two of three big constants at the club in Gerrard’s debut campaign as a gaffer, with captain James Tavernier also performing excellently in the same period.

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Candeias might not be guaranteed as much football this year and he will be 32 by the end of the next campaign, but he did muster up 12 assists last season, so losing him would harm the creativity that helps contribute to Morelos’ monster goals tally.

If the Gers want to do everything they can to both keep Morelos happy off the pitch and smashing goals in on it, then selling Candeias could well turn out to be one huge mistake.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Neil Lennon is hoping to get a few more signings in by the end of the week and one of them could be Jose Cifuentes, based on claims by Alan Nixon.

What’s the story?

Lennon has opened the door for more recruits to come to Parkhead this summer as the Northern Irishman looks to reshape his Celtic squad. Speaking ahead of the Nomme Kalju second leg, he stated: “We will try and get one or two in before the next tie if we qualify, which we should do, for next week.”

The club has been linked with various different names this summer, particularly in defensive and central midfield positions, although the Celts boss rubbished rumours of a deal for former Aberdeen goalkeeper Freddie Woodman in the same report.

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The club kick-off their Premiership season on Saturday against St. Johnstone and one would hope their squad is complete by then, and Nixon reckons they could sign 20 year-old Cifuentes, saying he is still available, but that the Bhoys want to sell a player first.

The young prospect is also a target for Manchester City.

Who is on the chopping block?

The journalist stated that while the Ecuador U20 international is available, there is work to be done before he can be signed.

It’s not clear who could be on the way out but there are definitely some candidates who could be set to leave Parkhead very soon.

Eboue Kouassi has been a target of Panathinaikos, according to sdna.gr, and given how little he featured for the club last season it would be no surprise to see him go. Olivier Ntcham meanwhile is another who could find himself on the chopping block after he stated he wants to leave Celtic Park to L’Equipe.

Check out what happened when Thogden mixed with some of Montenegro’s craziest ultras in the video below…

There’s also the ‘will they or won’t they’ Kieran Tierney to Arsenal saga that continues to rumble on, which would certainly free the funds to sign Manchester City target Cifuentes.

Yet this would come a the cost of losing a pivotal player, unlike if Ntcham or Eboue were to leave.

It’s disappointing that Celtic feel they need to wait to get rid of a player to bring in Cifuentes given the vast sums of money they have saved at the club. Yet, moving on someone like Kouassi while bringing in the Ecuadorian could be a great bit of business for Lennon’s men, shifting someone with no real part to play for a promising talent being chased by the likes of Pep Guardiola.

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Wolves completed the signing of Azerbaijan striker Renat Dadashov from Portuguese club Estoril yesterday, but he will not feature at Molineux this season.

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BBC reported that the Premier League club had signed the 20-year-old but he will instantly return to Portugal for a season-long loan deal with Pacos de Ferreira.

BBC quoted Wolves sporting director Kevin Thelwell as saying: “Renat is an exciting prospect. When working in the transfer window, we are not only focused on the present but also the future, and in Renat, I’m very hopeful we have secured a signing who will develop into a fantastic footballer in the future.”

Dadashov stands to make history as the first Azerbaijani player to feature in the Premier League, assuming he plays for Wolves upon the end of his loan move and they are still a top-flight club.

The Germany-born striker represented the country of his birth at underage groups but has since switched to the nation of his parents for senior level.

Having been a prolific scorer at underage levels for RB Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt, he joined Estoril in Portugal last summer and scored four goals in 27 games for the club. In total, he had 1,230 minutes of action last season, which works out at one goal per 307.5 minutes.

However, he only made seven league starts for Estoril and played just three 90-minute league matches, while also being sent off twice. Also, his most recent goal came last December against Farense, with 11 subsequent league appearances yielding zero return.

Wolves’ two main strikers Raul Jimenez and Diogo Jota netted 17 and 10 goals respectively in 2018/19. Jimenez notched his tally in 3,550 minutes of game-time, one goal per 208.8 minutes, while Jota reached double figures with 2,630 minutes of action, one goal per 263 minutes.

Leo Bonatini scored once for Wolves last season in 291 minutes on the field, while on-loan strikers Bright Enobakhare and Rafa Mir ended the campaign with six goals in 1,674 minutes (one per 279 minutes) and seven goals in 1,650 minutes (one per 235.7 minutes) respectively.

The Azerbaijan striker’s goal ratio is not an altogether prolific one, especially when it came in the Portuguese second tier, and is inferior to all five forwards mentioned above.

Both Jimenez and Jota recorded much better goal ratios in the Premier League, which is ranked five places higher than Portugal’s Primeira Liga in UEFA’s association club coefficient.

Therefore, allowing Dadashov to spend another season in Portugal to further his development is a sensible move from Wolves, who will hope to get back a more prolific and disciplined striker next summer.

Wolves fans, do you think Dadashov could become a future hit at Molineux? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

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The new 2019/20 Premier League season is slowly but surely getting closer.

Manchester United are already counting the days before Chelsea come to town and they open the new campaign with a clash of the titans at Old Trafford on August 11th.

Last season was a rocky adventure for the Red Devils. They couldn’t break into the top spots and ended up finishing sixth at the end of the campaign.

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But now, Marcus Rashford has sent a message to his fans through his Instagram story.

The young forward shared a series of short videos ahead of the new season, stating that nothing is scripted and insinuating United will try to claw their way up from sixth spot in 2019/20.

He then proceeded to shred and burn the “script” for the forthcoming season and ended the series of videos by showing that the Premier League has been “unscripted”.

And the early signs have definitely been good for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men.

The Red Devils have won all five of their pre-season exhibition matches and are looking to extend that excellent streak when they face AC Milan on August 3rd in the International Champions Cup (ICC).

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