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BBC journalist Fraser Fletcher has now revealed some encouraging transfer news for Erik ten Hag and Manchester United involving Lisandro Martinez.

The Lowdown: Ten Hag ‘pushing’

It has been reported that Ten Hag is ‘pushing’ for the Red Devils to bring Martinez to Old Trafford, a player he knows very well having coached him at Ajax.

However, Arsenal are reportedly still in the race for his signature, and so both Premier League outfits could enter a bidding war to determine who is able to get the deal done.

The Latest: Martinez admission

Taking to Twitter, Fletcher,  has revealed that Martinez sees Ten Hag and the Premier League as the ‘perfect combination for him’, and that the player side of the deal is ‘easy’ for MUFC, although the Gunners are ‘still keen’ and ‘trying to pounce’:

“I am told Martinez sees Ten Hag and Premier League as “perfect combination for him”. He wants best solution found by clubs as soon as possible. Player side of deal easy for #MUFC. Arsenal still keen as well and trying to pounce.”

The Verdict: Encouraging

It is certainly encouraging to hear that Martinez is seemingly very open to joining United to work under Ten Hag once again.

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His 7.6 average match rating in the Eredivisie last season was higher than what any United player managed in the Premier League, and he also won more aerial duels and averaged more interceptions, passes and long balls per game in their respective divisions. [WhoScored]

Nonetheless, Martinez would be an upgrade on what Ten Hag already has at his disposal, and so this is a deal that needs to be signed off as soon as possible.

West Ham United ‘would be ready’ to pay an eight-figure fee in the race to sign Burnley winger Dwight McNeil this summer, according to reports.

The Lowdown: West Ham in McNeil hunt…

Seeking to maintain the Hammers’ place among the Premier League’s elite outfits, David Moyes has set his sights on strengthening his side’s options in the transfer market.

Having already sealed the signings of defender Nayed Aguerd from Rennes and goalkeeper Alphonse Areola on a permanent deal, it is believed that the Scotsman has no intention of quitting there.

Attacking options are reportedly on the agenda for Moyes, with Chelsea striker Armando Broja and now McNeil being eyed up.

The Latest: West Ham ‘ready’ to pay eight-figure fee…

Indeed, reliable journalist Alan Nixon has some news on the latter and how much West Ham are now willing to pay for the Burnley mainstay.

Writing in a column for The Sun, the reporter claimed that the Irons ‘would be ready’ to pay £10m for McNeil, but unfortunately for Moyes, it is believed that the Lancashire club would likely demand a larger sum.

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The Verdict: Increase the offer?

As per WhoScored, the winger may well be worth a more audacious transfer attempt from West Ham. McNeil stood out as a key member of the Clarets’ squad in 2021/22, with Nick Pope being the only player at Turf Moor to get more top-flight minutes during the campaign.

The 22-year-old also completed more dribbles per 90 than any Burnley player (or West Ham, for that matter) and finished the season as their second-best performer by average match rating.

Andy Jones of The Athletic has duly been backed in his verdict by these figures, having called the Englishman a ‘sensational’ player, whilst Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane has branded the attacker a ‘big, big player’ for his team.

It’s clear to see why Moyes is keen on McNeil, and we believe that a swoop for him may well be worth the extra investment from the east Londoners.

Manchester City have offered Riyad Mahrez a new short-term contract, according to a report from French outlet Foot Mercato (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown: Serial winner

Signed for a then club-record £60million fee from Leicester City in 2018 (Sky Sports), Mahrez has been a superb servant to the Blues under Pep Guardiola.

The 31-year-old has amassed a staggering 109 direct goal contributions in 189 outings for the club, playing an integral role in three Premier League title successes, three Carabao Cup wins and one English FA Cup triumph in the process.

On the cusp of entering the final 12 months of a deal at the Etihad (Transfermarkt), the City hierarchy are now believed to have taken steps to ensure the Algerian stays beyond 2023…

The latest: Talks ‘progressed’

As per Foot Mercato, translated by SW, City chiefs have ‘progressed’ in their discussions with Mahrez.

It’s claimed that Txiki Begiristain and Co have offered the 75-cap Algeria star a ‘short-term contract’ to stay in Manchester as Guardiola ‘absolutely doesn’t want to part ways’.

The report also states that ‘there is optimism’ a resolution can be found from those ‘close to the English club’s board’.

the man once hailed for his ‘special quality’ by the City boss following a brace in a 4-1 FA Cup victory over Fulham earlier this year.

The verdict: Get it done!

After yet another standout season for Mahrez containing a remarkable 24 goals and nine assists across 47 appearances in all competitions, extending a player of the Algerian’s calibre in situ is a necessity for the club.

With speculation continuing to link Raheem Sterling with a move away, keeping the man hailed for his ‘special quality’ by the City boss following a brace in a 4-1 FA Cup victory over Fulham becomes even more vital.

Clearly a player still possessing immense quality, Mahrez – who was branded a ‘nightmare for defenders’ by former City ace Nedum Onuoha – has plenty to offer next season and could forge a prolific partnership with Erling Haaland in the quest for yet more silverware in what has already been an illustrious career.

A big update has emerged regarding Rangers and Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s pursuit of an international striker in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, Rangers are keen on a deal to sign Antonio Colak in the coming weeks, with his club eager to offload him.

They also cite Politic as stating that the Gers have had one bid turned down by Greek outfit PAOK, who are holding out for a fee in the region of €2m (£1.7m).

However, the Daily Record added that a second offer is unlikely to come in the immediate future as Ross Wilson weighs up his options after the initial talks leading to an opening salvo.

Big Kemar Roofe upgrade

By securing a deal to sign the Croatia international, Wilson could land Gio van Bronckhorst a big upgrade on Kemar Roofe.

Prior to returning to PAOK in January, Colak caught the eye with a string of impressive performances for Swedish side Malmo on loan. In the 2021 Allsvenskan campaign, the forward plundered 14 goals and three assists, along with creating six ‘big chances’ for his team-mates, in 26 appearances as he averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.26.

He also scored a whopping five goals in eight Champions League qualifiers for Malmo, two of which came at Ibrox. His goals helped them reach the group stage of the competition, which is something the Gers are aiming to do this year.

Before making the move to PAOK in 2020, the goal machine found the net 51 times (and also claimed 15 assists) in 90 appearances for Croatian side HNK Rijeka.

Meanwhile, Roofe managed 10 goals and one assist, along with creating three ‘big chances’, in 21 Premiership outings last term. Whilst this is a respectable return from the striker, he has only scored four goals and provided one assist in 17 European matches for the club.

Therefore, Colak could be a big upgrade on the Jamaican, as he has a recent track record of being lethal in Europe – particularly in Champions League qualifiers – and could provide Van Bronckhorst with a much-needed goal threat in that competition to support Alfredo Morelos.

The Gers will surely be desperate to play in the group stage of the Champions League, and recruiting a player who has proven that he can make a big impact in the qualifiers is a smart way of going about it.

Roofe has not shown enough in Europe to suggest that he is the man to fire Rangers through the qualifying stages, and he could now be replaced in a deal to sign Colak from PAOK.

AND in other news, “Looking at..”: Transfer insider drops exciting Rangers claim supporters will love…

Liverpool have suffered a big blow in their pursuit of Barcelona’s teenage sensation Gavi as a major transfer twist has emerged.

What’s the news?

That’s according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo (via Liverpool Echo), which stated that the 17-year-old has now held positive talks with the Catalan club regarding a new and improved contract.

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Liverpool were ready to pay the £43m release clause to bring the youngster to Anfield, while also proposing nearly quadruple Barcelona’s contract offer.

Everything looked set for Jurgen Klopp to make his move, but these recent discussions on the teenager’s future have now provided a major transfer twist.

Klopp won’t be happy

Following this news, it’s fair to say Klopp won’t be happy at letting the talented Spaniard get away from him.

Having made two summer signings already in Fabio Carvalho and a club-record £85m deal for Benfica striker Darwin Nunez, Gavi looked like he could very well become the third new face at Anfield in the off-season.

With Liverpool having the success that they did last term, full-scale rebuilding isn’t necessary, but adding in players for the future appears to be the German’s mantra at the moment.

With the likes of Thiago (31), Jordan Henderson (32) and James Milner (36) all on the wrong side of 30, it’s clear that adding some youth into the midfield would be advantageous going forward.

Barcelona manager Xavi has described Gavi as “spectacular”, and with the 17-year-old’s performances for club and country in recent months, its clear to see why.

He became the youngest-ever scorer for Spain at senior level with his goal against the Czech Republic in the Nations League recently and looks set to become a big part of the national team’s plans going forward.

His Barcelona statistics are also impressive, scoring twice and registering five goals in 34 La Liga appearances last term.

Nothing seems to faze the teenage wonder and he has already proved his talent on the big stage. Klopp will be gutted to have missed out on Gavi following the recent twist over the youngster’s contract, and Liverpool could come to rue not trying to secure a deal sooner.

AND in other news, Bid made: FSG now in talks to land “world class” £60m “storm”, imagine him & Nunez

According to a report by Spanish outlet AS (via SportWitness), Tottenham Hotspur are now ready to sell midfielder Giovani Lo Celso amid interest from both Atletico Madrid and Villarreal.

The Lowdown: Successful loan

On deadline day in January, it was announced that the 26-year-old had joined Spanish side Villarreal on loan until the end of the season after it emerged that he would play no part in Antonio Conte’s plans.

After making the loan switch, the midfielder went on to impress, having made 16 appearances in the Spanish top-flight. As a result, the Argentina international was ranked as the La Liga outfit’s fourth most valuable player, having received an impressive 7.09 SofaScore rating.

Due to the success of the loan move, it has been reported that both Lo Celso and Villarreal want to make the deal permanent this summer.

The Latest: Atletico executives like that they see…

On June 15th, Estadio Deportivo reported that Tottenham had offered Lo Celso to Atlético Madrid a few weeks ago, whilst his loan-side Villarreal were also mentioned as having a desire to sign the Argentinian ahead of next season.

AS (via SportWitness) have now reported that Atletico are indeed keen on signing the midfielder, meaning they will battle Unai Emery’s side for his signature.

The Madrid club have long had their sights on the player and made attempts to sign him before he joined Spurs from Real Betis in 2020, and it is said that their executives behind the scenes are of the belief that he ‘fits perfectly’ into Diego Simeone’s plans.

With no future at the North London club, Lo Celso is looking for a move away this summer, and Tottenham are ready the sell the in-demand midfielder.

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The Verdict: Best option for both parties

According to FB Ref, when compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, Lo Celso ranks in the 95th percentile for tackles and in the 89th percentile for pressures.

Having seemingly regained this formed in Spain, the 26-year-old could be a strong option for Conte’s squad depth, but it seems he is simply not the mould of player the Italian wants in the centre of his team.

With Lo Celso’s £100,000 weekly salary, it seems that a move would suit all parties involved, especially with Yves Bissouma’s imminent arrival at Hotspur Way.

In other news: Alasdair Gold says Steven Bergwijn exit is ‘a matter of when’

Tottenham Hotspur could finally axe Davinson Sanchez amid interest in Pau Torres this summer…

What’s the word?

According to journalist Jacque Talbot, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the north London outfit are more likely to land the Villarreal centre-back than mooted top targets Alessandro Bastoni or Josko Gvardiol.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail claim that Spurs are weighing up a swap deal involving Giovani Lo Celso after the £55m club-record signing enjoyed a successful loan spell at the Yellow Submarines in the second half of the 2021/22 campaign.

Premier League rivals Manchester United and Chelsea have also shown interest in the Spaniard, too.

Sanchez at risk

With Ben Davies being preferred to him in Antonio Conte’s strongest XI, it appears time is running out for Sanchez, who has previously been slammed as being a “real liability” to this squad.

Once a club-record arrival at £42m in 2017, the 6 foot 2 colossus has struggled to maintain a place in the starting lineup under every manager since Mauricio Pochettino.

Aside from his debut campaign in 2017/18, the 25-year-old has failed to start more than 27 league games in every top-flight campaign since, so adding another central defender to the mix will make it even harder for him to compete.

Torres would be a major upgrade on the calamitous Colombian, too.

Described as being an “extraordinary talent” by his former coach Javi Calleja, the 6 foot 3 centre-back – who is the same age as Sanchez – helped steer the LaLiga outfit to triumph in the Europa League before being a mainstay in their run to the Champions League semi-finals last season.

Compared to his positional peers across Europe’s elite leagues, Torres ranks favourably.

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Indeed, he sits inside the top 1% for dribbles completed (0.8 per 90), top 10% for progressive passes (4.39 per 90) and progressive carries (4.71 per 90), and has proven to be a threat in the final third, averaging 0.13 non-penalty xG+A, putting him in the top 4%, via FBref.

Considering Sanchez has been deemed to be a liability, it’s evident that Torres is much better with the ball at his feet and as such, would be a fine addition to Conte’s armoury.

It’s time to sign the £60m-rated titan in a bid to move the struggling Colombian on.

AND in other news, Spurs given green light to seal “outstanding” £25m signing, it could be Kulusevski 2.0…

Tottenham Hotspur could swoop for Torino centre-back Gleison Bremer, according to Calciomercato (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown

Antonio Conte is intent on strengthening his defence ahead of his first full season in charge at Tottenham. The Italian is particularly keen to recruit a left-sided centre-half for his back three, and while Bremer is right-footed, The Athletic reported that he’s still under ‘serious consideration’.

Torino offered Bremer a route into European football, signing him from Atletico Mineiro for £5.2m in 2018.

The 25-year-old, who has since made 110 appearances for the Serie A club, signed a new contract as recently as February. Howeverm it only runs until the summer of 2024, and his manager Ivan Juric has already confirmed that the defender will be leaving the Turin outfit this summer.

The latest

According to Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), Tottenham ‘have strongly entered the race’ to sign Bremer, along with newly-crowned Serie A champions AC Milan.

The report advises readers to ‘watch out’ for a ‘serious assault’ from Conte and Spurs’ managing director of football Fabio Paratici.

The north Londoners are ‘ready to invest’ as much as €50m (£42.6m) to get this prospective deal done.

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The verdict

Spurs do have other options in mind. According to Jack Pitt-Brooke and Charlie Eccleshare, Conte is a big admirer of both Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni and RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol.

However, they claimed that the Italian will cost around £50m, and the Croatian even more, so Bremer could be the cheapest candidate.

The Brazilian is an ‘incredibly aggressive’ defender, even ‘more so than [Cristian] Romero’, in the words of European football expert Alex Barker. He clearly defends on the front foot, ranking in the 98th percentile among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues for pressures per 90 minutes.

On top of that, he records exceptionally high volumes of interceptions (98th perecentile), blocks (99th), clearances (96th) and successful aerial duels (99th), as per FBRef. He is also someone who backs himself to carry the ball, slotting into the 79th percentile for dribbles completed.

Bremer won the Serie A Defender of the Year award even though Torino finished 10th, and that’s a glowing reflection of his talents.

Indeed, journalist Maxi Angelo has billed him a ‘monster’, perhaps a fitting summary of how huge a presence the 25-year-old could be in Conte’s defence if he comes to north London.

In other news, a journalist has shared a transfer update on Ronnie Edwards.

Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Max Aarons to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

That’s according to a recent report by TEAMtalk, who claim that, following Norwich City’s relegation from the Premier League, Dean Smith’s side are now preparing for the departure of the right-back – who is reported to be available for a figure in the region of £20m.

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The report goes on to state that Leeds United, Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Leicester City, Manchester City and Manchester United are all keen on a move for the England U21 international, with Victor Orta believed to have already made contact with the Canaries regarding a deal for the defender.

Walker 2.0

While it is true that Norwich endured something of a nightmare campaign in the Premier League this term – finishing bottom of the table on a mere 22 points, conceding a league-high 84 goals and winning just five games all season – this by no stretch of the imagination truly reflects Aarons’ ability at the back.

Despite playing for the worst team in the division in both 2019/20 and 2021/22, the £19.8m-rated talent has still managed to develop a reputation as one of “one of the best young players” in the top flight of English football – in the words of his former manager, Daniel Farke.

Indeed, over his 70 Premier League appearances, the £17k-per-week right-back has highly impressed for the Canaries, helping his side keep nine clean sheets, registering three assists and creating nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.4 shots, making 0.6 key passes and completing 1.2 dribbles per game.

Furthermore, according to FBref data, the 22-year-old ranks in the top 4% of full-backs in Europe’s big five leagues for blocks per 90 mins, as well as the top 29% for progressive carries, the top 25% for dribbles, the top 44% for pressures and the top 39% for clearances over the last 365 days.

As such, considering Aarons has achieved these metrics while playing for a side that have conceded the most and scored the fewest goals in each of their last two Premier League campaigns, the prospect of the player who Breaking The Lines journalist Tom Quartly compared to Kyle Walker lining up on the right of a competent backline is certainly an incredibly exciting one.

Indeed, if the youngster is available for a figure of just £20m this summer, Orta simply must do everything in his power to win the race for the “unbelievable” Aarons, as the England youth international could well prove that, in a better side, he can go on to develop into the next Walker.

AND in other news: Victor Orta could land Gundogan 2.0 with Leeds bid for “extraordinary” £64k-p/w talent

Phil Hay has dropped an update on reported Leeds United transfer target Noa Lang.

What’s the talk?

Speaking on a recent episode of The Phil Hay Show, The Athletic journalist suggested that, should Raphinha go on to secure his widely expected transfer to Barcelona in the coming weeks, Victor Orta could reignite his interest in the Club Brugge winger – with whom the Whites were linked with a £25m move for a little under 12 months ago – this summer.

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Concerning Leeds’ potential interest in the 22-year-old, Hay said: “It wouldn’t surprise me at all – if Raphinha left – if they went back in for Noa Lang because they do really like Noa Lang and they did like him last summer… that could happen.”

Orta must move for Lang

Considering just how impressive Lang has been in Belgium this season, in addition to the fact that Raphinha looks set to depart Elland Road in the very near future, it would appear an extremely wise move for Orta to reignite his pursuit of the Netherlands international in the coming weeks.

Indeed, over his 37 Jupiler Pro League appearances this term, the £19.8m-rated forward was in exceptional form for Brugge, scoring seven goals, registering 12 assists and creating 19 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.0 shots, making 1.9 key passes and completing 1.7 dribbles per game.

These metrics saw the £20k-per-week talent who Graham Smyth dubbed “exciting” and an “assist machine” average a quite extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.20, ranking him as his club’s joint fifth-best performer in the Belgian top-flight – playing a key role in Brugge’s title-winning campaign.

For comparison, over Raphinha’s 35 Premier League appearances this season, the £60m sensation scored 11 goals, provided three assists and created ten big chances, in addition to taking an average of 2.5 shots, making 1.9 key passes and completing 1.8 dribbles per fixture – returns that saw the 25-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.97.

As such, while the step-up between the Jupiler Pro League and the Premier League should not be underestimated, it would nevertheless appear that, should Raphinha indeed move onto pastures new this summer, Lang would be something of a perfect replacement for the Brazil international – leading us to believe that Orta simply must make a move for the 22-year-old in the coming months.

AND in other news: “Leeds United wanted…”: Graham Smyth drops big summer claim, Marsch will be gutted