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As per Il Mattino, Glasgow Rangers’ Borna Barisic is being eyed by Napoli.

Napoli, who of course are still participating in the 19/20 Champions League, are looking for a left-back, and Barisic is said to be on the Serie A outfit’s shortlist.

He is mentioned as a potential option for Gennaro Gattuso as they look to solve their problem in that area of the pitch.

Barisic was a revelation for Steven Gerrard last term, racking up an impressive 14 assists in all competitions. This is not the first time he has been linked with a move away from Ibrox, though – in the past, Tottenham and Jose Mourinho are said to have been admirers.

The Croatian international is currently valued at £2.16m, but has had a reported price tag of €7m (£6.3m) to €8m (£7.2m) according to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness). Were he to depart, it would leave Gerrard with a big hole to fill on the left side of his defence, but it would perhaps be a boost for new signing Calvin Bassey. As it stands, he would likely be an understudy to Barisic, but the 27-year-old’s departure would surely make him the prime choice to start on a regular basis.

It remains to be seen exactly what happens with Barisic’s future.

Let us know what you think below!

Tottenham Hotspur need a back-up to Harry Kane with the club failing to secure a new striker during the January transfer window, chairman Daniel Levy can make amends in the summer.

What’s the word?

According to Turkish newspaper Sabah, Fenerbahce forward Vedat Muriqi is still of interest to Spurs and the Super Lig outfit are open to offloading him for €20m (£18m).

Premier League newcomers West Brom, and Serie A duo Napoli and Lazio are also keen on landing the 6 foot 4 Kosovan colossus.

While Aksam have claimed that the north Londoners failed with a bid in January when Jose Mourinho was desperately searching for depth to his frontline.

The 26-year-old has been in prolific form for the Turkish side, providing 17 goals and seven assists in 36 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

Mou’s plan B

Kane picked up an injury on New Year’s Day and Spurs were made to pay for never replacing Fernando Llorente.

In his absence, Mourinho’s side slid down the Premier League table and crashed out of all cup competitions, including the Champions League less than a year on from making the final.

Levy would be wise to sanction a move for Muriqi as not only would he provide an adequate backup to the English talisman, but he’d also offer an alternative threat in attack.

Former Turkish international Ridvan Dilmen praised the Fenerbahce powerhouse back in September, saying: “There are some forwards. They might be short and quick. Some are powerful. Some are tall, like Peter Crouch, who can get the ball on the ground. Muriqi possesses all [of these]. If he could play alongside Alex, he could score 25 goals [in a season].”

That sort of aerial threat would be most welcome in north London and to be able to nab a striker that’s bagged 17 goals to play second-fiddle to Kane would be extremely smart business.

AND in other news, Jose Mourinho may have found his next Frank Lampard

Liverpool had their sights set on left-back Lloyd Kelly last summer, until the Englishman snubbed a Merseyside move at the last moment.

According to a new revelation from Paul Joyce (via @LFCTransferRoom), the former Bristol City man was booked in for a medical at Anfield last year, but he opted to join Bournemouth instead.

Of course, the Cherries were relegated this campaign after finishing 18th in the league table. Kelly is now back in the Championship as opposed to being on a Premier League-winning team – this is something that Reds fans are particularly amused by.

Liverpool likely would have offered the 21-year-old a fringe role behind Andy Robertson if he was to join the club. They have now filled this role by recruiting Greek left-back Kostas Tsimikas instead (via BBC Sport).

One supporter has commented on this update saying it was the ‘biggest mistake of his career’ to choose Bournemouth over Liverpool.

Read more replies from the Anfield faithful here:

What do you make of this update, Reds? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Pep Guardiola has done an excellent job building an incredible Manchester City side for the last couple of years. And of course, the Citizens would also reap the rewards when they claimed the Premier League title two times in a row but now, once again, the Catalan coach will need to spice things up a bit.

And as ever, it’s the defensive line that will need some tweaking as Guardiola is looking to add to his team’s solidity. One of the names that have been continuously linked with Man City is none other than Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly. Of course, the big defender is largely regarded as one of the best in the world and as such, it will be quite difficult to get him in the first place.

But according to the Manchester Evening News, City will need a big favour from their eternal rivals, Manchester United, if they are to get this deal over the line. Actually, it won’t be as much about what the Red Devils can do for them but rather about them not doing anything at all.

If we go back a couple of years, we’ll remember that it were United who snatched Harry Maguire in front of City and now, they are once again linked with Koulibaly as well.

MEN state an approach from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is unlikely but as long as they are mentioned as interested or don’t categorically rule it out by signing someone else, Napoli will have all the negotiating power to slam a huge asking price for their defender.

So this time, Man City need United to stay out of the race. If history has taught us anything, however, it’s that the Red Devils have a knack of buying the Citizens’ targets.

Verdict

Needless to say, this is an enormous favour to ask, especially considering we’re talking about city rivals here. But Man City need defensive reinforcements and it will be interesting to see how they approach this situation.

Knowing how rivalries work, it wouldn’t be surprising to see United do everything they can to make Pep’s life that much more miserable in the transfer window.

Leeds United have been linked with a move for Harry Wilson throughout the ongoing summer transfer window and despite Liverpool apparently being open to selling the young midfielder, Marcelo Bielsa has now suffered another blow in the chase.

According to the latest report from The Sun (via Leeds Live), Jurgen Klopp wants to get around £20m for his player if they are to part ways with the 23-year-old talent.

Of course, Wilson himself is a Red but has also spent loan spells at both Bournemouth and Derby County in the past couple of seasons, impressing at both stints to warrant interest from the Whites and a hefty price tag from the Merseyside outfit.

Still, despite their triumphant return to the Premier League, £20m might be a bit too much for Bielsa and could indeed put the off the transfer chase as a whole.

Liverpool would still be open to cashing in on the 23-year-old and if no further bids are tabled, they could even lower their asking price as well.

This, needless to say, would be a great opening for Bielsa to land his man and reinforce the squad after successfully conquering the Championship in 2019/20.

Now, however, he will need a squad that’s more competitive than ever if they are to survive their stay in the English top-flight.

Verdict

Despite Wilson’s obvious qualities and talent, £20m does sound like too big of a sum for Leeds at the moment. Of course, nowadays, it’s quite difficult to secure great reinforcements for a small fee but the current climate also won’t allow for big spendings.

Both Liverpool and Leeds have to keep this in mind when venturing into any kind of business this summer. If the Reds really want to sell the 23-year-old, they will have to reduce the price tag and make the player a bit more attainable.

Three points, a clean sheet, and a penalty save from the debutant. Things couldn’t have gone much better for Aston Villa in their first Premier League game of the season.

Dean Smith’s side – who didn’t play last weekend due to original opponents Manchester United’s lengthy Europa League run last season -opened up their campaign with a 1-0 victory over ten-man Sheffield United on Monday night.

And whilst new signing Emiliano Martinez will be one of the major headlines after saving a penalty from John Lundstram when the scores were locked level at 0-0, match-winner Ezri Konsa once again proved his immense potential at the heart of defence.

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The 22-year-old played 25 times in the Premier League last season, and failed to appear in just one game in the top-flight from December 26 when Villa beat Norwich 1-0 at home.

Despite filling in at right-back on occasion, Konsa ended up partnering Tyrone Mings in the middle of defence for the closing few weeks of the campaign, with Smith going with the same centre-back duo against Sheffield United.

And aside from heading home the winner after a Mings flick-on from a corner, Konsa looked cool, calm and collected at the back, even shaking off an injury scare.

As per Sofascore, he won an incredible 12 of his 14 total duels, including winning 100% of those contested on the ground. He also made team-highs of four clearances and two interceptions, and kept things nicely ticking over from the back, boasting an 86% pass accuracy.

Having brought in a top-class goalkeeper in Martinez who was part of a FA Cup winning side last season, the next thing Smith needs to make sure is building a defence better than last year.

The Villans conceded 67 goals last season – only Norwich conceded more (75) – but Konsa and Mings seem like they could be the answer for both now and for the future.

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Norwich defender Ben Godfrey is one of the players Everton have earmarked as a potential signing before the close of the transfer window.

What’s the word?

The Toffees have enjoyed a perfect start to the new Premier League season, with three wins from three. And despite currently finding themselves second in the table and only behind Leicester City on goal difference, they don’t seem to be done with their work in the transfer market.

Ornstein has revealed Carlo Ancelotti’s side are still targeting a new centre-back before the window closes early next month, and that whilst negotiations over a loan deal for Chelsea’s Fikayo Tomori have taken place, they do have other “possibilities”.

How big of an Everton fan are you? Can you spot Mikel Arteta from Graham Stuart? This quiz will test your knowledge, try it if you’re brave enough…

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And one of those alternatives is named as Canaries centre-back Godfrey, who of course was part of the Norwich side that suffered relegation from the Premier League last season.

Ancelotti’s new leader

Despite still only being 22, Godfrey has already had experience of captaining Norwich, taking on the armband on a couple of occasions in the Premier League last season.

His manager at Carrow Road, Daniel Farke, has waxed lyrical about his abilities, saying: “He is a pretty emotional player and I like that a lot because it means you are capable of finding another gear. When he played in the holding (midfield) role he was able to drag his team through, but playing at centre-back if we are losing or having a difficult period and he starts to get the red mist we have to calm him down. Now he is able to calm himself down, to focus and control his emotions.”

And speaking earlier this year, Rio Ferdinand name-checked Godfrey as one of the best up-and-coming players in the Premier League to watch out for, hailing him for his “huge potential”.

If Everton are looking to add a blend of leadership and youth, then they can find the perfect mix of that in Godfrey.

Glasgow Rangers enjoyed a hugely-successful summer transfer window, signing no fewer than seven first-team players, but are they finished just yet?

What’s the word?

According to The Times in August, the 54-time Scottish champions had been one of several clubs chasing ex-England international Daniel Sturridge in the summer, although a move never materialised. However, the former Chelsea and Liverpool forward finds himself still searching for a new home, having been released by Trabzonspor in March.

Now that the transfer market has closed, many British clubs will be taking a look at the lower leagues, with a domestic-only window open until October 16th. But the Gers should also explore free agency to hunt for bargains with several high-profile names like Sturridge still without a club.

Bye-bye Defoe?

Over the course of his managerial career so far, albeit short but sweet, Steven Gerrard has favoured a 4-3-3 formation, with a very direct style of play. The centre-forward role is currently perfectly filled by the in-form Alfredo Morelos, who has already scored three goals in eight appearances in the Scottish Premiership so far.

Granted, Gerrard isn’t exactly short of options if he suffers an injury, as he can also call upon the services of Cedric Itten and Jermain Defoe, if required. However, the injury-prone Itten is working his way back from fitness, whilst it can be argued that Defoe is entering the twilight of his career. And neither of these are arguably more suited to the role than Sturridge, who is keeping fit ahead of his next career move after being banned from football for four months over a betting breach.

At 38 years of age, it’s fair to say Defoe isn’t getting much younger, and he has been left out of the squad for the Europa League group stages, which might be a sign of things to come. For whatever reason, Gerrard likes to have a seasoned veteran striker in the squad, and his old Merseyside teammate may be the perfect replacement.

Sturridge has scored four goals or more in the past two seasons, playing mainly as a second-striker or on the right flank, which means he could also provide cover for Ianis Hagi. He arguably enjoyed his best season in the 2013/14 campaign, where he scored 21 goals and supplied 7 assists, whilst he averaged 3.4 shots, 1 key pass and 1.3 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

While there is almost no way of finding out his fitness levels until he carries out a medical, the fact that the £7.2m-rated ace is available for free is surely worth the risk. He just has to be playing football now, no doubt about it, if he is to stand any chance of salvaging his career. If Sturridge can stay fit for an entire season, he certainly has the ability to cause defences all sorts of problems. Staying fit during the close season is a good start in any case.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must give Alfredo Morelos a new deal…

Liverpool have taken an unexpected lead in the race for Jadon Sancho as the Dortmund winger reportedly favours a move to Anfield over anywhere else.

According to The Independent (via Sportsmole), the England international would rather join the Premier League champions than heavily-linked Manchester United. This news comes in spite of the months of talks connecting Sancho and the Red Devils, who have been eager to get a deal over the line. However, due to the 20-year-old’s hefty asking price of £117 million, United failed to gather the funds in time this transfer window.

Clubs must now wait patiently until at least January if they want to negotiate with Dortmund over their star player. But for Liverpool, it’s not as easy as just slamming the cash on the table.

What signing Sancho could mean for Liverpool

The Reds boast a very diverse squad. Some players have been brought in to make an instant impact like Virgil van Dijk, whilst others have been nurtured like Trent Alexander-Arnold. Signing Sancho would be another tick in the box for homegrown talent on Merseyside. However, it’s likely Jurgen Klopp would need to offload someone in order to make room for the rising star.

A battle for a place on the team-sheet between Sancho and Mohamed Salah may not make for a happy dressing room. The Egyptian has smashed numerous records during his time at Liverpool and has helped the club win their sixth Champions League and first ever Premier League title, whilst also being described as a “complete player” by Arsene Wenger. Sancho however, is eight years Salah’s junior and could pave the way for a whole new era at Anfield.

Ex-Liverpool man Jason McAteer recently wrote in his Racing Post column that he believes the England international will be great competition for Salah and fellow winger Sadio Mane. But a harsh reality may mean that there’s no way all three can be at the club, as you would have one world class player who is likely to be unhappy with a lack of minutes. Should the Reds revisit their talks with Sancho next year and if he wants the move, Klopp and co have a huge decision to make first.

In other news, Jurgen Klopp makes smart choice to keep Xherdan Shaqiri at Anfield…

Tottenham Hotspur take a break from Premier League action this midweek as the European competitions make their return.

Jose Mourinho’s side find themselves in the Europa League group stages after a gruelling qualification campaign which saw them head to Bulgaria and Macedonia early in the season.

And they’ve been dealt a pretty easy route into the knockout stages too as they’ve been paired with Royal Antwerp, Ludogorets and LASK Linz, the latter of whom they face at home on Thursday evening.

These matches will present a decent opportunity for Spurs’ fringe players to garner some valuable game time whilst at the same time, help the club contend for a major trophy – one that Mourinho has won before with Manchester United.

Perhaps it’ll be a good opportunity to get Gareth Bale back up to speed quickly as everyone in N17 will want to see that lethal-looking front three of Heung-min Son, Harry Kane and Bale sooner rather than later.

The 31-year-old superstar made his Spurs debut for the second time on Sunday evening, coming on a 73rd-minute substitute against West Ham, but he looked ever so rusty, as you might expect for someone that played just seven times for Real Madrid since January this year.

Tim Sherwood pointed out such issues to talkSPORT, he said:

“Gareth Bale needs to get fit; obviously when he came on, he had that one lung-busting run, his shot went past the post and when you saw his face after that, he was struggling to breathe – he needs to get back to fitness, he’s not ready to start at the moment.”

Per SofaScore, Bale recorded three accurate passes from six attempts, had one successful dribble and won two duels but crucially, he missed what might’ve been the match winner.

He ghosted past Angelo Ogbonna in injury time, rolling back the years in doing so, and it was the sort of self-created genius you’d expect from the tricky forward but he could only fire wide with Lukasz Fabianski rooted to the spot.

The attempt drew an xG of 0.29 and Bale was left without a fairytale start to life back in north London.

By comparison, two of Spurs’ three goals in the thrilling 3-3 draw were below 0.1 xG as per Understat, so it was certainly a golden opportunity missed.

His former teammate at the La Liga giants, Casemiro, still believes that on his day, Bale is one of the best three players in the world, speaking to Esporte Interativo, he said:

“He can spring a surprise at any time, and he’s already shown that. He’s a decisive player who scores goals in Champions League finals. We have to be honest and say that he’s not at his best, but when he is, he’s incredible and in the top three in the world. I have a lot of love for him, and that’s why I try to take care of him as much as I can.”

If Spurs are to bring that back out of him, then he needs to get that fitness back, therefore it would be wise for Mourinho to unleash the £22.5m-rated winger on LASK this Thursday and who knows, a goal or two could see his confidence return too.

It’ll surely be a win-win.

AND in other news, Spurs can land Jose Mourinho his new Matic next summer for £50m…