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Liverpool have a number of influential players whose contracts are up soon, but one hero could be set to sign a new deal, according to a new update.

Which Liverpool players are out of contract soon?

The Reds were cruelly beaten 2-1 away to Tottenham on Saturday evening, having battled with nine men for so long at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Joel Matip's last-gasp own goal inflicted a first Premier League defeat of the season on Jurgen Klopp's side, on a night when everything seemed to go against them.

Liverpool showed that they are title challengers, however, matching their highly-rated opponents on their own turf for large periods, despite having fewer players on the pitch.

Klopp has assembled a fantastic squad in recent months, bringing in several new faces and getting rid of ageing individuals, and they look a far more formidable team than they did last season.

There are some key players whose contracts are gradually running out, however, with the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago and Mohamed Salah all seeing their deals expiring by the time the summer of 2025 arrives, among others.

Which Liverpool player may have agreed new deal?

According to an update from Football Insider, Alexander-Arnold has agreed a new deal in principle – one that will keep him at Liverpool for the foreseeable future:

"Liverpool have agreed a deal in principle over a new contract with Trent Alexander-Arnold worth more than £55million, sources have told Football Insider. The new package will see Alexander-Arnold earning more than £200,000 per-week plus bonuses and is expected to be signed off soon.

"Clubs chiefs have been working alongside the player’s camp and are now completing the final elements of the deal, which is expected to be signed and announced soon."

This is fantastic news for anyone of a Liverpool persuasion, especially Klopp, with the report saying that a new deal for Alexander-Arnold was a priority for the manager, and the full-back is someone who will hopefully still be producing brilliance in the Reds shirt in 10 years' time.

The 24-year-old has had a magnificent career already, becoming one of the world's most talented and influential full-backs, leading to former Barcelona and Brazil icon Dani Alves to describe him as "world-class". His tally of 73 assists from right-back speaks volumes about his creativity.

Alexander-Arnold is now Liverpool's vice-captain, and will surely take over the armband from skipper Van Dijk when he eventually moves on – the former is eight years younger than the latter – so that could be a clear reason for him wanting to stay put for as long as possible.

A boyhood Reds supporter, it wouldn't make sense for the Englishman to go anywhere else, especially at this point in his career, and it looks as if it is a matter of time until a deal is announced.

Manchester United have endured a tough start to the 2023/24 season as they have secured just six points from 15 available in the Premier League.

Erik ten Hag would have been hoping that the club could use the momentum gained from the end of the previous season as confidence that they could perhaps challenge the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal, yet the signs are looking ominous that this may be some way off.

Their form is made to look even worse considering United spent a grand total of €196.7m (£169m) during the summer transfer window on players such as Rasmus Hojlund, Andre Onana and Mason Mount.

Although it takes time to settle into a new club, spending lavish amounts like this should generate results fairly quickly and the trio haven’t really hit the ground running as yet.

Recent years have seen the Old Trafford side spend and spend during in the transfer market, while releasing players who were once signed for massive fees, wasting vast amounts of money in the process.

Think back to the likes of Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez across the previous three seasons and a narrative begins to form that the Red Devils have been extremely poor in the market.

One player who they sold actually brought in a profit for United, and he has struggled since leaving the Theatre of Dreams in 2021; Daniel James.

How much did Manchester United sign Daniel James for?

During Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first summer window in 2019, he began to overhaul the squad, spending overinflated fees to lure Harry Maguire (£80m) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£50m) to United as he looked to begin a revolution.

Although overspending, these moves looked to be additions that would benefit United for the next few years and the Norwegian boss went and raided Championship side Swansea City for young winger Daniel James in what was one of the more surprising moves of the window.

Upon moving to Manchester for a fee in the region of £22m, he was praised by Solskjaer, who said: "Daniel is an exciting young winger with lots of skills, vision, exceptional pace and a good work ethic.

"He had a great season with Swansea City and has all the attributes needed to become a Manchester United player.

"We are delighted he has signed with our club and we are all looking forward to working with him. This is the perfect environment for Daniel to continue his development."

What happened to Daniel James?

The Welshman made 46 appearances for the Old Trafford side during his maiden campaign, registering 11 goal contributions in the process – four goals and seven assists – and it looked as though it could be the start of a wonderful career at Old Trafford.

It didn’t quite pan out that way however, with James playing only 26 matches during the 2020/21 season, while his goal contributions dipped from 11 to seven, and he began to look out of his depth on numerous occasions.

Indeed, for his Premier League performances that term, the winger ranked in a lowly 22nd across the squad for overall Sofascore rating while finishing tenth for goals and assists, 12th for big chances created and 14th for successful dribbles, indicating that when he did get a chance, the winger failed to consistently showcase his qualities.

Instead of making progress, the Welsh winger's career seemed to be going backwards and during the summer of 2021, after only two years at Old Trafford, Solskjaer sold him to Leeds United for a fee of £25m, which even represented a profit for the club, quite staggering considering how poor he had been recently.

Where is Daniel James now?

A move to Leeds was the chance for the former Swansea starlet to get back on his feet and gain regular game time for a club where the pressure perhaps wasn’t as severe as it was in Manchester.

His first season saw the player make 35 appearances across all competitions, while he managed to score four times and grab five assists during his Premier League games, which suggested a slight return to form.

The statistics tell a different story, however, as he failed to even crack the top 20 across the squad in regard to Sofascore rating, while ranking top of the pile for big chances missed and seventh for key passes per game. Damning figures indeed.

He was even criticised by writer Tom Dutton towards the end of that particular season, who said: “Dan James is a pace merchant with poor final ball and awful decision making. Not sure how he ever got a move to United.”

A loan stint at Fulham last term failed to rekindle any of the magic which saw him move to Old Trafford three years prior and according to FBref, when compared to positional peers, James ranked in the lowest 1% for shot-creating actions per 90 (1.27) while even ranking in the lowest 11% for successful take-ons per 90 (0.79) as his attacking input dipped significantly.

These poor performances have led his value to drop dramatically since departing Manchester. He now looks like a shadow of the £25m that Leeds paid for him just two years ago and according to the CIES Football Observatory, the 25-year-old is now valued at €10m (£8.6m), which represents a major decline.

Such a figure is even lower than the underperforming Maguire who is valued at £17m and McTominay, who is expected to cost around £26m. For what it's worth, another flop in Donny van de Beek is rated at only £4.3m now.

Evidently, it appears as though United sold him at precisely the right time and struck gold on the Welshman, who doesn’t look as though he will capture the form displayed at Swansea during the embryonic stages of his career.

Although a wonderful move at the time for him, perhaps moving to a club as big as the Red Devils had a negative effect on his career. He flourished in spells during his debut season, but the candle is nearly extinguished on what was a bright flame.

James has grabbed two assists in just four Championship games so far during 2023/24, while creating two big chances and making 2.3 key passes per game, encouraging statistics, as he looks revitalised.

Could this be the start of a career resurgence? Only time will tell.

AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock are expected to be fit for the start of South Africa’s Test series against Australia from March 1, but doubts remain on whether captain Faf du Plessis and middle-order batsman Temba Bavuma will be ready.While de Villiers and de Kock are recovering from knee and wrist injuries respectively, du Plessis and Bavuma are nursing broken fingers. South Africa team manager Mohammed Moosajee told ESPNcricinfo that a call on their availability will only be taken as the series draws closer. Dale Steyn, who is recovering from a heel injury, is not likely to be up for selection until at least the third Test in Cape Town on March 22.”We’ve obviously had a lot of senior guys out injured and it’s had an effect,” Moosajee said. “But we are sure AB and Quinton will be ready for the first Test and we are hopeful Faf will be. When he was diagnosed [on February 2] we knew he would require four to six weeks recovery time, which takes us, at the earliest, to the first week in March. So we have to take it on a week-by-week basis and see how he is progressing. The same with Temba, though he might be out for a week more than Faf.”Du Plessis’ availability is crucial not only because he is the captain but because South Africa desperately need bulk in their batting. The evidence of the limited-overs series against India aside, their new strategy of playing six specialist batsmen with the out-of-form de Kock at No. 6 means that du Plessis’ runs will be as important as his leadership.He also has a strong record and a fiery history against Australia, with an average of 59.14, a defiant century on debut in Adelaide, and a starring role in the series win in 2016, partly coloured with controversy. Du Plessis was infamously involved in the “mintgate” saga in which he was fined for ball tampering after shining the ball with saliva that had come into contact with a mint in his mouth. He will doubtless be itching to meet Australia again.AB de Villiers strikes an elegant pose•AFP

With de Villiers and de Kock fit, Bavuma’s return is less necessary right now as he would likely only be among the reserves. Theunis de Bruyn, the other back-up batsmen who has been around the squad, may even have inched ahead of Bavuma with scores of 190 and 83 in two of his last three first-class innings.As for Steyn, his wait to become South Africa’s all-time leading Test wicket-taker will grow even longer. He has 419 scalps and is only three away from overtaking Shaun Pollock, but he needs to prove his fitness first. Steyn broke down during the New Year’s Test against India – his first since November 2016 – and will likely have to play some first-class cricket before being reconsidered for the Test squad. He will either take part in the round of domestic fixtures that starts on the same day as the Test series or those in the following week.South Africa’s selectors are expected to name the squad later this week and it could be without allrounder Andile Phehlukwayo, who failed to impress in the only Test he played against India. But exactly where South Africa will look for new squad members is uncertain. Currently, Vaughn van Jaarsveld tops the first-class run charts, followed by Pieter Malan and Rassie van der Dussen, while Kolpak spinner Simon Harmer is top of the wicket-takers’ list, which is dominated by slower bowlers. Legspinner Shaun von Berg and left-arm spinner Senuran Muthusamy are in second and third place with allrounders scant on the circuit.

Chelsea's pursuit of Crystal Palace star Michael Olise "collapsed" this week due to threats of "legal action" from the South London side, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

Chelsea news – What's the latest?

It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks for the West Londoners regarding transfer dealings, as they seem to have dominated the headlines almost every day with a development of some kind or other.

First, it was the saga surrounding the transfer of Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo, with it looking at one point like Liverpool were going to sign him, only for the player to pick Stamford Bridge over Anfield after Todd Boehly and Co made a record-breaking offer of £115m for his services.

It was the same story with Southampton's Romeo Lavia, with the Belgian opting to join the Pensioners over the Reds despite the Merseysiders having an offer of £60m accepted by the Saints.

Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…

And then the narrative shifted to Palace's Olise, although Chelsea didn't end up getting their man this time.

Despite Sky Sports reporting that the Frenchman's £35m release clause had been activated by Mauricio Pochettino's side just two days ago, the two-time European champions have now ceased all attempts to sign him, and the South London club have instead announced a new four-year contract with the dynamic winger.

The reason for this sudden and dramatic change in circumstances is that Palace actually threatened them with legal action over the way they conducted this deal, with the main crux of their complaint being that their star was tapped-up by the Blues.

This threat of legal action ultimately quashed any chance of this deal happening, although Pochettino's side claimed that there was no wrongdoing on their part, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.

He explained the remarkable situation on his YouTube channel, saying:

"The deal for Michael Olise to Chelsea is off, collapsed. An unbelievable story, but I didn't tell you 'here we go' because, on that story, there was something to clarify between Chelsea and Crystal Palace on the mechanism of the release clause.

"Chelsea activated the clause, and they had an agreement in principle with the player, but what happened is that during the process where normally when you activate a clause, you have to speak to the other club to prepare all the documents to sign all the contracts. In this process, Chelsea were told by Crystal Palace they were considering to go legal, so to a tribunal to go with legal ways for this story for Michael Olise to Chelsea.

"They were not all happy of the approach on the player side they were not happy on how they acted to trigger the close, so Palace were prepared to go strong on this story and, so Chelsea prefer to leave the conversations to leave the deal. They insist they were doing everything absolutely in a correct way, so they were absolutely not doing anything illegal but to not create any problem and to avoid any issue Chelsea leave the conversations for Olise."

Who else are Chelsea linked to this summer?

With their pursuit of Olise well and truly finished, especially with the 21-year-old signing a brand-new deal with the Eagles set to keep him at Selhurst Park for another four years at least, who else have the West Londoners been linked to?

One surprising link that has arisen in recent days is to Barcelona's wonderkid and full Spanish international Gavi.

According to Spanish publication SPORT, the 19-year-old has long been admired by both the Blues and Paris Saint-Germain and following the Blaugrana's opening game of the new La Liga season, it's clear that Xavi is not going to give the exciting midfielder a guaranteed starting berth in the side.

The only problem is that 21-capped international has a release clause of around €1billion (£854m); although selling players for prices considerably lower than their release clause isn't unheard of in Spain, it would still likely cost an arm and a leg to get this deal done.

And if that wasn't enough, French outlet RMC Sport have reported that the Pensioners are also 'fully on the case' of Lyon attacker and France under-21 star Bradley Barcola.

According to the publication, the talks between Lyon and Chelsea have 'intensified'; however, with PSG also keen on the youngster, the price could rocket up to €50m (£43m).

Ultimately it looks like the failure to land Olise this week has done very little to dissuade Boehly and Co from spending even more money as the window enters the final two weeks.

Nottingham Forest are interested in bringing in two new goalkeepers to the club this summer with Matt Turner and Dean Henderson the preferred duo, according to Sky Sports' Dharmesh Sheth.

Is Turner joining Nottingham Forest?

Last summer's incredibly hectic transfer window at the City Ground is yet to repeat itself fully this year as Nottingham Forest have been a little more measured in the market this time round.

Steve Cooper has added Manchester United's Anthony Elanga to his squad, as well as securing the signature of Ola Aina on a free transfer. Chris Wood's loan deal from Newcastle United has been made permanent, while a number of players have left the Midlands side including the likes of Jesse Lingard, Andre Ayew and Sam Surridge.

However, the Forest manager has lost his two first-choice goalkeepers as well with both Dean Henderson and Keylor Navas returning to their parent clubs following the expiry of their loan deals.

As a result, Cooper will be eager to look for solutions to his lack of goalkeeping options in the market and will not want to enter the new Premier League season with only Wayne Hennessey and Ethan Horvath as his only choices.

A deal for Arsenal's Matt Turner has been agreed with a fee of approximately £7m having been reported, but according to Sheth, Forest are keen to sign two new goalkeepers this summer, with last year's loanee Henderson also on their radar.

Speaking on Sky Sports (via Football Daily), Sheth stated: "There's still the issue of Matt Turner, who is the current number two [at Arsenal]. He's having talks, which are advancing and progressing we're told, with Nottingham Forest over a permanent deal there.

"But Forest are actually after two goalkeepers. So, while they're talking to Arsenal over Matt Turner, they continue to talk to Manchester United over Dean Henderson. Now, this is an interesting one because they're discussing a loan with an obligation to buy Dean Henderson.

"Henderson, we're told, is close to full fitness following thigh surgery back in May. You remember, his season got cut short in January, he got a serious thigh injury, he missed the last four months of the season while he was on loan at Nottingham Forest. But his recovery is a factor in the discussion of this deal because it's not the loan part of it so much [that's causing issues], it's how many games would be required for the obligation to be triggered."

"Now, we think that Manchester United want a fewer number of games than what Nottingham Forest would want. But because of this injury and the recency of this injury, I think Nottingham Forest want to be 100% sure."

Henderson was impressive on loan last season at Forest until injury derailed his campaign and Sheth suggests that there is an eagerness from the player, Forest and Manchester United to get the deal done.

The structure of the deal appears to be the major complication between Forest and United, while it also remains to be seen how much the obligation to buy would set Forest back.

Either way, Cooper is clearly keen to add strength and depth between the sticks, with Turner and Henderson having to battle between themselves for the number one jersey.

When do Nottingham Forest play next?

Cooper's side have had a fairly mixed pre-season to say the least, drawing one, winning two and losing three of the six friendlies they have played.

A narrow 1-0 win over League Two rivals Notts County was followed by a 1-0 defeat and 2-1 victory against Spanish sides Valencia and Levante respectively.

However, that win against Levante has been followed by two successive defeats. The first was a 2-0 loss to Championship Leeds United and the second was a 1-0 defeat to Dutch outfit PSV Eindhoven.

Their most recent clash was a goalless draw against Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany, the club's last pre-season encounter before their return to Premier League action.

Forest face a difficult start to the season facing Arsenal on the opening day on 12 August, followed by games against Sheffield United, Man United, Chelsea, Burnley and Manchester City in their first six league matches.

Those games against Arsenal, Man United, Chelsea and Man City are all away from home.

Burnley are now ready to make a move for FC Nordsjaelland forward Ernest Nuamah, and a new report has now revealed how much they will have to pay in order to beat some of Europe's top clubs to his signature.

Who are Burnley signing this summer?

Vincent Kompany has already strengthened his squad considerably this summer, having mainly focussed on bringing in young players with high ceilings, with almost all of the arrivals at the age of 25 or under, and he is still seeking further reinforcements.

20-year-old Sporting CP midfielder Renato Veiga has recently been named as a target, with journalist Dominik Schneider reporting the Clarets are currently in talks over a deal, which could amount to €6m (£5.1m).

Burnley are also on the verge of signing Aston Villa attacking midfielder Aaron Ramsey, in a deal worth £14m, although the move is yet to be confirmed, as Unai Emery's side are finalising the add-ons and insisting on a buy-back option.

Not only is Kompany keen on bolstering his midfield in the final two weeks of the summer transfer window, but he is also still in the market for a new forward, and The Daily Mail report that Nuamah is now a target.

However, the Clarets will have to be willing to shell out a sizeable fee for the 19-year-old, as he is valued at £22m by Nordsjaelland, and he is being targeted by a whole host of top European clubs.

Paris Saint-Germain, Ajax, AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur are all credited with an interest in the youngster, so Burnley will have to see off stiff competition if they are to get a deal over the line, but they are now ready to make their move.

Despite the interest from across the continent, Kompany's side are currently said to be "the most advanced in their interest", signalling they are leading the race and could stand a good chance of securing the starlet's signature.

Who is Ernest Nuamah?

Born in Kumasi, Ghana, Nuamah is a versatile forward, who is capable of playing across the front three, but he has most commonly featured at right-wing throughout his career so far, having broken into the Nordsjaelland starting XI at a young age.

The Ghanaian has spent his entire professional career with the Danish club, and he has recorded a very respectable goal return, weighing in with 20 goals and five assists in a total of 49 first-team appearances.

Not only has the right-winger impressed at club level, but he has also done enough to impress Ghana manager Chris Hughton, having already earned his first cap for the Black Stars, making a substitute appearance against Madagascar back in June.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has praised the Nordsjaelland star for the progress he has made since establishing himself in the first team, claiming he is "getting better and better", and has "huge potential".

Having made an "outrageous" start to the season for the Danish club, Nuamah could be a very exciting signing for Burnley, but it would be a big risk to shell out £22m on a player unproven outside of Denmark.

أعلن الجهاز الفني لنادي الزمالك بقيادة البرتغالي جوزيه جوميز، تشكيل الفريق الرسمي لمواجهة دريمز الغاني، في المباراة التي تجمع بينهما اليوم الأحد، ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

ويلتقي الزمالك مع دريمز، في إطار مواجهة الإياب لدور نصف النهائي من بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية الإفريقية، في ملعب بابا يارا بغانا.

وتنطلق مباراة الزمالك ودريمز، في تمام الساعة 7 مساءً اليوم “بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية”.

طالع | جوميز يمنح لاعبي الزمالك تعليمات هامة قبل مواجهة دريمز.. وتذاكر مجانية للجماهير

وكانت مباراة الذهاب التي جمعت بين الفريقين على ملعب استاد القاهرة الأحد الماضي، انتهت بالتعادل السلبي.

ويشهد تشكيل الزمالك، تواجد ثنائي في خط الهجوم سيف الجزيري مع سامسون أكينيولا، مع تواجد زيزو أساسياً. تشكيل الزمالك أمام دريمز الغاني في كأس الكونفدرالية

حراسة المرمى: محمد عواد.

خط الدفاع: أحمد فتوح – حمزة المثلوثي – حسام عبد المجيد – عمر جابر.

خط الوسط: نبيل عماد دونجا – زياد كمال – مصطفى شلبي – أحمد مصطفى “زيزو”.

خط الهجوم: سيف الجزيري – سامسون أكينيولا.

ويلاقي الفائز من مباراة الزمالك ودريمز، المتأهل من مواجهة نهضة بركان المغربي واتحاد العاصمة الجزائري في نهائي كأس الكونفدرالية للموسم الحالي 2024.

Jake Ball has been ruled out of the Lord’s Test against South Africa with a knee strain

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-2017

Jake Ball will not be available for England’s first Test against South Africa due to a knee strain. He has also been ruled out of Nottinghamshire’s Royal London Cup final at Lord’s on Saturday, head coach Peter Moores has confirmed.The seamer felt pain in his knee when bowling during the second innings of Nottinghamshire’s Specsavers County Championship game against Kent on Tuesday. He went for a scan on Wednesday to assess the damage and was unable to take to the field when the third day of the day-night match resumed after a rain delay.Ball is set to miss the next two weeks of action, which puts him out of contention for the start of the Investec Test series against South Africa, which begins on 6 July at Lord’s. England are already set to be without Chris Woakes and have worries over the fitness of Stuart Broad, Ball’s Notts team-mate, after he suffered a recurrence of his heel problem last week.Nottinghamshire hope Broad will be able to play in the Royal London Cup final, having sat out the pink-ball match at Trent Bridge.”Jake is naturally very, very disappointed to miss out on the final, having previously been made available to play by the ECB, particularly after missing out on selection when Notts beat Glamorgan at Lord’s in 2013,” Moores said. “He’s given his all in this competition when he’s been available to us, and we’ll miss him for what will be a really tough game against Surrey.”Jake is a very strong character and I’m sure he’ll bounce back from this. I know he’ll be wanting us to beat Surrey as much as anybody.”

Celtic’s move for Maik Nawrocki is on the verge of being completed, according to an update from reliable reporter Mark Hendry, sharing an update on Saturday morning.

Who have Celtic signed in 2023?

The Hoops have enjoyed a fairly productive summer transfer window so far, with Norwegian prospect Odin Thiago Holm, exciting attacker Hyun-jun Yang, Aussie star Marco Tilio and midfield enforcer Tomoki Iwata all arriving through the doors at Parkhead to work under new boss Brendan Rodgers.

There is still plenty of work to be done to tailor the squad to the returning manager’s liking though, especially after Ange Postecoglou’s star man, Jota, left to join Al Ittihad in a record departure worth close to €30m (£26m).

A centre-back looks to be next up on the agenda, with reports emerging late last week that the Bhoys board have lined up a move for Nawrocki, a promising 22 year-old Poland youth international who currently plies his trade for Ekstraklasa club Legia Warsaw.

Reports in the player’s homeland broke the news that Celtic had “entered the game” for the youngster and would compete with Turkish Super Lig club Galatasaray for his signature, and it appears the Parkhead outfit have now won the race.

Taking to Twitter from Japan on Saturday, where the Hoops were in action against Gamba Osaka, Football Scotland’s Hendry said: “Nawrocki is in the UK to do medical tests and sort out his contract details with fine tooth comb. Expect real (deal*) to be completed soon.”

Is Maik Nawrocki good?

Celtic fans can be forgiven for not knowing much about their imminent new arrival, but the 6 foot 2 ace certainly looks like a player with real potential. He's been in the Polish top flight since he was 19, starting with Warta Poznan before moving to Warsaw.

His first season in the capital didn’t exactly go to plan, as one of the country’s biggest clubs slumped to 10th in the final league standings, but he did manage 18 starts in the top flight, forcing his way in as a regular feature in the first XI.

His second campaign with the club – this season just finished – Nawrocki started 23 games in the league as they shot up to a second place finish, and he actually proved to be a consistent source of end product from set pieces too, scoring four times and providing one assist to boot, averaging a direct goal contribution one out of every five lots of 90 minutes, an impressive rate for a centre-back.

The youngster has yet to make his mark on the senior national team setup. He has been able to break into the fold for their Under-21 side though, making his debut for them in 2021 having already featured at various youth levels for the Under-15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 sides, so one would have to assume it’s only a matter of time before that progression leads him into the senior set-up.

What probably appeals most to Rodgers is the defender’s versatility, as not only is he equally comfortable on either side at centre-back, but he can also function as a full-back or even further ahead in defensive midfield, which likely reminds the boss of another towering player he had at his disposal during his last stay in Glasgow, Brentford’s Kristoffer Ajer.

Wolverhampton Wanderers may revisit a target from the past, as Chilean winger Daniel Osorio could become available this summer.

The teenager was linked to Wolves during last summer’s window, with Sport Witness relaying news that suggested the teenager was all but a player at Molineux.

Fast forward to this transfer window, and the 19-year-old is once again circulating in news regarding the Midlands club, with the Express and Star linking the teen with a move back in May.

The saga doesn’t quite end there, with Molineux News relaying reports from Chile that the youngster is likely to be sold this summer, due to a dip in form at Universidad de Chile.

With a reported price tag of £7.5m and West Ham United also circling the winger, it could be now or never to finally bring the Chilean to Molineux.

What could Dario Osorio offer to Wolves?

Having sold Nathan Collins to Brentford and Ruben Neves to Al-Hilal, Wolves will be eyeing signings to balance the departure and arrival ratio, with Joao Moutinho, Diego Costa and Adama Traore departing at the expiration of their contracts.

In Traore's departure, Julen Lopetegui will lose some firepower in his attack, with the Spaniard averaging in the top 5% of wingers in the Premier League last season in terms of successful take-ons, averaging 2.95 per 90, via FBref.

Despite being a threat 1v1, Traore has lacked in the final third in situations where ultimately Wolves were crying out for him to deliver.

The Old Gold ended the campaign scoring just 31 goals in 38 games, cementing themselves as the league’s lowest-scorers.

In a total of 157 appearances in the Premier League for Wolves, the Spaniard netted just ten goals, via Transfermarkt, highlighting that his threat can indeed be replenished on the flank following his exit.

Lopetegui could find himself with an adequate heir to the former Barcelona man in Osorio, who shone last season in Chile.

Hailed as a “talent” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Osorio has shown glimpses of the player he could be, hence interest from the English top tier.

Last campaign in the Primera Division, the "flamboyant" teenager – as dubbed by scout Jacek Kulig – scored seven goals in just 16 starts for Universidad de Chile, deployed as a left-footed right-winger.

The youngster's energy in the final third is something that Lopetegui could benefit greatly from, as well as signifying that he could add more in front of goal than the player he could replace in Traore.

While his seven goals were impressive for a player of just 18 at the time, the Hijuelas-born gem acted as a live wire whenever in possession, as supported by his numbers.

As per Sofascore, the teenager averaged one successful dribble per game, as well as 1.4 shots, despite averaging just 58 minutes per game.

Another element that the Chilean could bring to Lopetegui’s attack in addition to his threat on the ball, is his distribution and eye for a creative pass, as highlighted through his average of 1.1 key passes per game last season, with Traore averaging 0.7 this term.

With West Ham also circling the teenager, Wolves must act fast if they are to finally end the saga between Osorio and Molineux.