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Declan Rice is said to be happy to wait until the summer to push through his West Ham exit – but it has to be for a Champions League club, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

The Lowdown: No imminent exit

Rice has long been linked with a move away from West Ham, however, their recent success in Europe and qualify has seemingly kept him happy for a while but this season has been a struggle.

Amid West Ham only sitting above the bottom three on goal difference ahead of their clash against Leeds United, David Moyes has insisted that Rice won’t be sold this month, although what is in store for the summer appears far from certain.

According to Jacobs, the West Ham midfielder is said to be available for around £70m when the summer transfer window comes around, and that will likely alert several clubs.

The Latest: Rice wants Champions League football

However, speaking about the midfielder’s future on The Done Deal Show, Jacobs has recently insisted that only clubs with Champions League football on offer will be of interest to Rice.

He said: “It’s a wait-and-see, really, because Rice, I think, from talking to sources close to the player – a bit like I’ve said with James Maddison – will in all likelihood wait to see what he’s going to get.

“And therefore, if you qualify for Champions League football, you move ahead in the race; if you win the Premier League, you move ahead in the race.”

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The Verdict: Exit now appears inevitable

The England international leaving West Ham for a bigger club that could constantly challenge for the top four and silverware was pretty inevitable, but it may have been accelerated by the Hammers’ shocking season and ultimately made up Rice’s mind.

It has been reported that clubs such as Chelsea and Arsenal are said to be interested in the London-based midfielder, but with the Blues some way off the top four, the Gunners could shockingly move into pole position to land a top talent.

What West Ham must now do with Rice looking set for the exit door is maximise how much they receive for someone they paid nothing for, and while it won’t likely be anywhere near the £150m clubs was quoted a few transfer windows ago, if they get north of £50m, that could seriously improve their squad and go at least some way to filling the void he’d leave.

Tottenham Hotspur have been implored to sign Sofyan Amrabat as the January transfer window approaches…

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Pete O’Rourke, who gave his thoughts on that potential move after noting Spurs’ interest earlier in December. In fact, Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici were reportedly keen on the Moroccan in the summer.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT once more, the transfer insider issued the following claim: “On paper, he looks like he’s the ideal midfielder for Antonio Conte. A great defensive midfielder, great energy to get around the pitch, likes making tackles and he’s also good on the ball as well, so a good passer.

“I think for someone like Antonio Conte, his work rate is perfect for the type of football that he likes to play.”

Reports have already emerged suggesting that Fiorentina will demand a fee of around €45m (£40m) for the 26-year-old.

He’s “perfect” for Conte

Having starred in a Morocco side which enjoyed sitting deep and hitting teams on the break, there is plenty of proof to support O’Rourke’s statement.

At the World Cup, Amrabat sat as a sole defensive midfielder behind a proper midfield four, sweeping up behind them and then helping them transition into attack. The 6-foot destroyer recorded 2.3 tackles per game and paired this with an 85% pass accuracy.

He was instrumental in Morocco’s historic run to the semi-finals, with talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham claiming: “He has been my player of the tournament”.

This was supported by the claims of sports writer Carlo Garganese, who tweeted: “Amrabat the best centre midfielder in the tournament. MONSTER”.

His lung-busting runs and relentless work rate also drew praise, although it isn’t just for his country that he has impressed. In European league action, he sits in the top 5% for pass completion and the top 4% for progressive passes among positional peers in 2022, showcasing the technical superiority that he matches with his physical dominance.

However, should Conte swoop for him, he would likely hope to find a similar position to his role for Morocco in which to deploy Amrabat.

The 26-year-old could be integral in perfecting the Spurs manager’s conservative style, acting as the most important player in forging their counterattacks.

It truly could be an ideal move, and one which would certainly catch the eye following the Moroccan’s displays on the world stage over the past month.

The Liverpool Echo journalist Joe Thomas praised Everton’s Mason Holgate for an ‘exceptional’ recovery that he made against Celtic this morning.

The Lowdown: Everton win on penalties

After a 0-0 draw in normal time, the Goodison Park outfit beat the reigning Scottish champions 4-2 on penalties in a friendly in Sydney between the two teams during the break for the World Cup in Qatar.

Michael Keane, Tom Cannon, Nathan Patterson and Anthony Gordon all scored their penalties in the shootout, the former netting the winner, and although young Stanley Mills missed his spot-kick, it did not matter in the end.

The Latest: ‘Exceptional’ Holgate recovery

Taking to Twitter, Thomas praised Holgate for an ‘exceptional’ recovery that he made midway through the second half as he outmuscled his opponent Jota and got back in time despite giving him a head start.

The reporter tweeted: “Exceptional recovery from Holgate. Tarkowski inadvertently flicks the ball over the Everton defence, setting Jota free on goal. Despite the Celtic man having a head start, Holgate recovers and the outmuscles his opponent, who then brings him down.”

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The Verdict: Still an option…

Holgate has only played £70,000-per-week defender is still an option for Everton.

The Merseyside club brought in Conor Coady and James Tarkowski in the summer to try and solidify their defence, and although those two have begun well at Goodison Park, the Toffees have shipped nine goals in their last three outings.

The break presents Lampard with another chance to assess his squad and potentially make changes ahead of the league season resuming, with Holgate one player who may now get a look-in after his performance.

Graham Potter is undergoing somewhat of a rough patch at Chelsea at the moment, with the club not winning in the Premier League since 16 October following Saturday evening’s 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United.

There may be more bad news for Potter, with contract discussions surrounding Mason Mount reaching a stalemate. Talks between the club and the player have been ongoing since the summer and the Englishman is heading into the final 18 months of his deal.

The London side have looked at contingency plans in case Mount decides to move on or Chelsea wants to sell, with AS Roma star Lorenzo Pellegrini looked at as a viable alternative.

Potter can ditch Mount

The 23-year-old has been included in England’s World Cup squad and has started every league game under Potter, yet his last two league performances haven’t particularly caught the eye, averaging a rating of 6.7/10 as per SofaScore.

A move for Pellegrini would make sense, especially with his talents, although it could cost the club a big transfer fee, with the Roma player valued at €60m (£53m) by the CIES Football Observatory and Jose Mourinho will surely not even entertain a bid less than that.

The 26-year-old has been praised by Roma icon Francesco Totti previously, who said: “I am not surprised by the development of Pellegrini. As I always know Lorenzo is a phenomenal player. Now, everything depends on him to continue to be at this level.”

His form this season has shown exactly why Chelsea have them on their list as a potential Mount replacement, as he has registered 11 goal contributions – four goals and seven assists – in all competitions from an attacking midfield slot, which is better than Mount’s tally of eight goal involvements.

The Italian also has more shots per game than Mount (2.55 to 1.96), has generated more goal-creating actions (11 to 7), and has a higher dribble success rate (44.9% to 43.2%), proving precisely why Chelsea could look to move on their youth graduate in favour of a flashy new signing.

The 47-year-old will now likely have to wait until after the World Cup to discuss Mount’s contract scenario in depth, but this may mean Pellegrini could attract attention from elsewhere.

It could well be an interesting January transfer market for the Stamford Bridge side as Potter aims to put his own stamp on the team.

Tottenham Hotspur have now been provided with an exciting update on their pursuit of Nottingham Forest forward Brennan Johnson in a report from Football Insider…

What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?

Tottenham's pursuit of Johnson has been well-documented, but they still have other options in mind as we approach the end of the window, with journalist Rudy Galetti suggesting a deal for FC Porto's Pepe could still be possible, although it will be tough:

"Tottenham are really, really interested in Pepe. They targeted him as one of the profiles to reinforce their squad. They are still pushing hard to change the position of Porto.

"Porto are quite adamant that they are not open to negotiating a different price than the release clause set for the Brazilian winger, which is €75m [£64m]."

Should Spurs miss out on Pepe as a result of Porto's unwillingness to negotiate, they could also pursue a move for Crystal Palace's Eberechi Eze, but the Eagles are set to hold out for over £60m if they are to part with one of their prized assets.

Having already made one bid of £40m for Johnson, which was turned down by Nottingham Forest, journalist Sami Mokbel reports the Lilywhites are expected to return to the negotiating table, but the deal is set to run close to the 11pm deadline.

Football Insider have now shared another exciting update on Tottenham's pursuit of the winger, in which it is detailed he expects to complete his move to north London by the end of today, having agreed the terms of the deal.

Extensive talks have been held with Forest over a deal for the 22-year-old, and Spurs seemingly have a good chance of winning the race for his signature, considering he has made it clear he wants to leave the City Ground and preferably work under Ange Postecoglou.

The Forest forward has been hugely impressed by the plan for his development outlined by Postecoglou, and he could now get his wish of working under the 58-year-old, with Daily Mail reporter Mokbel more recently reporting a deal worth £45m has been agreed in principle.

Read The Latest Tottenham Transfer News HERE

How many goals has Brennan Johnson scored for Forest?

Across a total of 109 appearances for his boyhood club, in which he has played in a number of positions, the Welshman has scored 29 goals, while also picking up 12 assists, so it is clear that he poses a considerable attacking threat.

That said, £45m is a huge sum of money for a player yet to prove himself as one of the Premier League's best players, having scored eight goals last season, and he is yet to get off the mark in the ongoing campaign.

However, Tottenham's proposed swoop for Ansu Fati is now seemingly off the cards, with a move to Brighton in the pipeline, and Eze is set to cost over £60m – at least £15m more than Johnson.

As such, the Wales international, who has been lauded as an "unbelievable" player by former manager Sabri Lamouchi, could be the most viable option for Spurs at this stage, and it is exciting news that a deal is edging closer to completion.

Leicester City are now ‘tracking’ Sheffield United defender Rhys Norrington-Davies, according to reliable journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Attracting interest

The left-back has completed multiple loan spells with the likes of Luton Town and Stoke City over the past few seasons, but has now nailed down a starting place at Bramall Lane since his return last summer.

The 23-year-old has played a significant role in helping the Blades reach the top of the Championship table as it stands, and his form appears to have attracted interest from the Premier League, with a trio of clubs, including the Foxes, name-checked.

The Latest: Leicester eyeing Norrington-Davies

Taking to Twitter, O’Rourke confirmed that Leicester, alongside Crystal Palace and Bournemouth, are all monitoring Norrington-Davies ahead of a potential future move.

“Crystal Palace, Leicester and Bournemouth are tracking Sheffield United and Wales star Rhys Norrington-Davies.”

The Verdict: Van De Beek and Norrington-Davies in January?

Brendan Rodgers’ side have recently been heavily linked with a move for Manchester United’s Donny Van De Beek, and Norrington-Davies could be the next to follow in his footsteps and make the switch to the King Power Stadium.

The Welshman, dubbed ‘aggressive’ by former Sheffield United midfielder Mark Duffy, has started all 12 of the Blades’ second-tier games this season, and averages 1.8 clearances per 90 minutes, alongside winning 3.1 of his aerial duels per outing (WhoScored).

Norrington-Davies also has the versatility to play as a centre-back and in midfield, making him an attractive option to the Northern Irish boss, so this could definitely be one to watch in the New Year.

Adding the creativity and technical spark of Van De Beek alongside a versatile and combative presence in Norrington-Davies could be the perfect investment for a mid-season jump start.

Aston Villa chief Christian Purslow appears to be backing manager Steven Gerrard, according to Ashley Preece.

The Lowdown: Gerrard rumours

Villa haven’t had the best of starts to the season and have lacked quality in the final third with just four goals in their opening seven games.

That led to speculation regarding Gerrard’s future at the club, with reports suggesting that NSWE wouldn’t be afraid to pull the plug on his time in the Midlands, name-checking Mauricio Pochettino as a potential replacement.

A much-needed win over Southampton prior to the international break took the club into 15th place with seven points, and it looks as if Gerrard’s potion is safe for now.

The Latest: Preece’s comments

Talking to GiveMeSport, Preece said that he thinks Purslow is ‘backing’ Gerrard, who is ‘learning on the job’ in the Premier League at Villa Park, saying that could ‘frustrating’ for the Villa faithful.

“I think he’s got a strong relationship with the man that brought him to Villa Park, Christian Purslow. I think he’s backing him. He’s a rookie Premier League manager. He hasn’t been in the job a year yet, so he’s learning on the job. I know that’d be frustrating to hear for Villa fans. But that’s the realisation. He’s learning on the job. He’s admitted to making mistakes, this season and last season.”

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The Verdict: Huge October

Rumoured target Pochettino is thought to be open to the idea of possibly replacing Gerrard, so it could be crucial for the Villa boss to have a solid start to October.

Villa have six Premier League fixtures next month, starting at Elland Road against Leeds, but they won’t be able to call upon Boubacar Kamara due to injury.

Kamara has suffered knee ligament damage while Lucas Digne has reportedly suffered a possible stress fracture to his ankle on international duty, potentially making Gerrard’s task even harder.

Nottingham Forest have been linked with the signing of Atalanta midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi, although it was his former Nerazzurri team-mate Remo Freuler who signed for the Reds earlier this week, becoming their 15th signing of the summer.

If Steve Cooper continues to push hard, he could also swoop for the Ukrainian, who was noted as one of Serie A’s best playmakers during the 2020/21 season.

The 29-year-old could come in and challenge Jesse Lingard, who at the moment shoulders much of the offensive burden at the City Ground.

More recently, reports have claimed that Forest could be set to lose out on the option to snag him completely, with Marseille and Tottenham Hotspur both jumping ahead of them in the race for his signature.

The 29-year-old was a regular figure last season for Atalanta as he featured 41 times across all competitions, scoring ten goals and setting up another seven.

Meanwhile, Lingard managed just 354 minutes across 16 appearances as he struggled for game-time at Manchester United. He may need to shake off some rustiness from an inactive campaign, and signing Malinovskyi could have alleviated the need to throw the England international straight into the team in the early weeks of the season.

During the last year, the £25m-rated Ukrainian recorded some phenomenal statistics which led to him being labelled a “decisive” talent by his manager Gian Piero Gasperini.

Ranking in the top 5% for progressive passes and the top 7% for shot-creating actions, he could instantly offer Forest another goal threat to worry opposition defenders if he comes to the City Ground, particularly with ex-player Tony Dorigo describing him as having a “cannon in his left boot”.

His creativity could certainly serve the likes of Brennan Johnson and Taiwo Awoniyi well, with 13 big chances created in Serie A last season despite only recording four assists. To be feeding the aforementioned Forest attackers, who netted 19 and 20 goals respectively in 2021/22, could see his goal contribution numbers rise as the players ahead of him make better use of the chances that he creates.

If Lingard could recapture the form of his loan spell at West Ham United, combining this creativity with his energy and eye for goal, it could have a devastating effect.

Nine goals and five assists in 16 appearances for the Irons during the 2020/21 season suggested that he was back to his best, and he could well recapture such form if he gets a regular run of games. The prospective addition of Malinovskyi could help to aid any such resurgence from the Englishman.

The interest in the Ukrainian may appear to have cooled, but Cooper should reignite it if he wants to truly get the best out of Lingard and add another exciting talent to his squad who could be integral to their Premier League survival bid.

Reliable journalist Alan Nixon has revealed that Issa Diop is still very much a target for Fulham this summer.

The Lowdown: Fulham enter talks

The 25-year-old has enjoyed a somewhat successful four-year spell in the Premier League with West Ham United, but has recently found opportunities hard to come by.

This has seen the centre-back being linked with a move away from the London Stadium, with the Cottagers, alongside French outfit Lyon, credited with an interest.

Earlier in the window, it was widely reported that Marco Silva’s side had opened talks with the Irons regarding a potential switch, though nothing has progressed much since.

The Latest: Fulham still keen on Diop

Asked during a fan Q&A on Twitter whether Fulham were still in for Diop, Nixon responded:

“One of a few options … that include Vestergaard …”

The Verdict: Ideal candidate

Silva is believed to be prioritising signing a new centre-back before the end of the window, and with Diop being a player that Fulham have held a long-standing interest in, you’d imagine that he’d be the one at the top of the boss’ wish-list.

The Frenchman, dubbed a ‘monster’ by AS Roma manager Jose Mourinho, only made ten starts for the Hammers last season, but averaged 3.2 clearances and won 1.2 of his aerial duels per match, via WhoScored, highlighting the instant impact he can make.

Standing at 6 foot 3, the Frenchman could also add some much-needed height to the Portuguese’s backline as he prepares his side for their exciting campaign back in the top flight.

Liverpool have again been linked with a summer move for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Matheus Nunes, with BT Sport presenter Matt Smith suggesting that a move could happen.

The Lowdown: Nunes constantly linked with Liverpool

The 23-year-old has emerged as the Reds’ most-linked midfield transfer target after Jude Bellingham decided to stay put at Borussia Dortmund for another year.

Nunes has been endlessly tipped to move to Liverpool in recent weeks, although James Pearce recently poured cold water on the rumour, saying that there was nothing in it.

A new update suggests that a move is not out of the question, though.

The Latest: Smith drops fresh Nunes hint

Taking to Twitter on Friday, Smith dropped a short but intriguing update, claiming that progress was being made regarding Liverpool’s interest in Nunes.

He tweeted:

“Things moving on Matheus Nunes. #LFC #SportingCP”

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The Verdict: Tough to predict

This is a rather intriguing update from a reliable source, so it will be interesting to see how things develop in the coming days, given the contrasting reports emerging.

Nunes would certainly appear to be a strong signing by Liverpool, having been hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by former team-mate Goncalo Santos, bringing class and Champions League experience in the middle of the park.

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Jurgen Klopp has made it clear that he is happy with his current midfield options, though, especially with youngsters Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho looking good in pre-season, so Nunes’ arrival would be a surprise. A new big-money midfielder next summer feels more likely at Anfield.