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Wolves may be restricted to what they can spend in the ongoing transfer window but that hasn’t deterred new manager Bruno Lage from getting active.

They’ve already submitted a bid for Brazilian wonderkid Kaio Jorge but they’re now chasing someone a little more known to an English audience.

What’s the word?

One area Wolves are looking to strengthen this summer is defensively. They will need to improve on their left-back options with Marcal and Jonny out injured but centre-back is also an issue for Lage to fix.

With that in mind, the Old Gold are targeting a move for James Tarkowski.

That’s according to The Telegraph who suggest that Wolves have joined a queue alongside West Ham to sign the defender.

Burnley could entertain offers over the next few months with Tarkowski entering the final year of his contract at Turf Moor.

The Clarets rejected a bid of £30m from the Hammers 12 months ago but he will almost definitely be cheaper on this occasion.

Fixing a big problem

With finances running rather dry at Molineux, this signing would be absolutely ideal for Lage and Wolves.

Not only would they be landing a proven Premier League player at cut-price, but they’d be acquiring someone who would be an instant upgrade on their current options.

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The Old Gold endured a wretched campaign from a defensive point of view last term, shipping 52 goals in the league. That was one fewer than relegated Fulham and six more than Brighton who finished in 16th.

Their clean sheet record was also incredibly poor. During a period from October to January, Nuno Santo watched his side concede goals at will, maintaining a shutout in just two matches during a 14-game run.

Thus, Tarkowski’s arrival at the heart of the defence would be vital. The £22.5m-rated colossus has been described as “exceptional” by his peers and it’s easy to see why.

The 28-year-old, who is now in the prime of his career, is a giant when it comes to aerial battles.

During 2020/21, the centre-back won 4.6 aerial duels per game. For context, that usurps every player in the Wolves squad by quite some distance.

Willy Boly was their best player in that department last term, prevailing in 2.7 aerial situations per match.

Tarkowski is also a prolific tackler of the ball, registering 1.8 successful challenges per outing during the course of last season. That number tops every centre-half at Wolves, suggesting he would be an immediate improvement.

On top of that, he applies more successful pressures on the ball (41.3%) than Boly, Conor Coady and Romain Saiss who are all south of 35%.

The Burnley star has often fallen short of earning more England caps but his inclusion in a plethora of Three Lions camps dictates he is on the periphery of a bigger move. Wolves must make sure it’s them who are claiming his services.

AND in other news, Wolves submit bid to sign “lethal” 15-goal gem, he’s an upgrade on Fabio Silva…

A major development has emerged regarding the immediate future of Crystal Palace transfer target Sebastiaan Bornauw.

What’s the talk?

According to Kicker, the defender has refused to sign a contract extension with Bundesliga side FC Koln, whose sporting director Jorg Jakobs has also revealed that the 22-year-old has told his employers that he would like to leave the club to join Wolfsburg. He told Kicker: “We had a conversation. His advisors have registered his wish that he would like to move to Wolfsburg,”

Sport Bild, as transcribed by Sport Witness, reported earlier this month that Crystal Palace are interested in a deal to sign the £10.8m-rated beast, who is drawn to the idea of a move to the Premier League.

Get it done

Palace must make sure that they pounce on this opportunity to bring Bornauw to the club this summer. The Belgian defender has made it clear that he wants to leave Koln and this presents the Eagles with the chance to swoop in and seal a deal, which they should be looking to do.

Wolfsburg have not agreed a deal with Koln as of yet and Palace should act quickly to snap him up ahead of the north German club. Bornauw could be an excellent addition to the south Londoners’ squad and solve a tricky issue at Selhurst Park.

The centre-back situation at Palace is in desperate need of attention this summer. Any new manager coming in should be immediately looking to address it as a problem area due to the ages of the current options at the heart of the defence.

Martin Kelly, Gary Cahill, Scott Dann, Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins are all 31 or older, whilst 31-year-old Chiekhou Kouyate has also been playing out of position at the back. Palace have too many ageing pros in this area of the pitch and it is a cause for concern in the long-term as their powers begin to wane and their contracts run down.

At 22, Bornauw could therefore be exactly the type of signing Palace need. He has the majority of his career left ahead of him, rather than heading into his final years, and could be Palace’s first-choice centre-back for the next decade if all goes well.

The defender has already proven his quality in the Bundesliga, averaging a WhoScored rating of 6.71 for Koln last season, whilst Dann’s score of 6.58 was the highest of any Palace centre-back. This suggests that the Belgian would be a quality upgrade on the Eagles’ current defensive options and improve the squad, whilst also having youth on his side to continue developing and progressing as a player over the coming years.

AND in other news, “Fantastic” – Exclusive: Pundit drops Crystal Palace manager verdict amid Favre blow

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has tipped Sheffield United to challenge for promotion following the appointment of Slavisa Jokanovic.

Sheffield United and former manager Chris Wilder went their separate ways in March, leaving the Yorkshire club needing to find a new man for the dugout ahead of life back in the Championship.

Paul Heckingbottom, who stepped in on a temporary basis after Wilder’s exit, was thought to be in consideration for the job.

In the end, though, United went with the experience of Jokanovic, and Palmer is now backing the Serbian to make his side promotion candidates.

“I know the players that Chris Wilder was signing, having spoke to him at the time, he was always mindful of the fact they may go down and if they did go down, he wanted a young enough squad to challenge to come back,” the ex-Sheffield Wednesday player said.

“It seems at the moment they’re keeping all those players and they just recruited a very good manager. I expect them to challenge to go back up next season.”

Indeed, United have to be one of the favourites to win promotion in the upcoming Championship season. In Jokanovic, they have a manager who has won two promotions to the Premier League before.

The Blades also have players who are efficient at this level. While Rhian Brewster and Oli McBurnie, for example, have had their struggles in the Premier League, they have both had prolific spells in the Championship.

The former scored 11 goals in 22 games back in the 2019/20 season and the latter 22 in 42 in 2018/19, both at Swansea City.

Southampton’s hopes of signing Billy Gilmour on loan from Chelsea this summer have been dashed after he agreed to a season-long stay at newly-promoted Norwich City, which is undoubtedly a blow to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side ahead of next season.

The 20-year-old midfielder’s move to Carrow Road has now been completed after an agreement was reached between the two clubs which will see him join the Canaries until June 2022 as Thomas Tuchel’s side look to further his development away from Stamford Bridge.

Southampton are one of the clubs who had been linked with a move for the Scotland international ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, and given his superb performance for Steve Clarke’s side against England recently, he could have been an excellent addition at St Mary’s.

His performance in the 0-0 draw at Wembley in the European Championship earned the youngster a lot of praise, with his former manager Frank Lampard dubbing him a “top, top player”, whilst Dutch defender Patrick Van Aaanholt likened him to fellow Chelsea star N’Golo Kante.

Whilst Gilmour has only made 22 appearances for Chelsea’s senior side since joining from Rangers as a 15-year-old, he has regularly shown his class for the west Londoners when called upon, winning man of the match awards on his debuts in every competition in which he has played for both club and country.

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Southampton’s lack of squad depth last season was clear to see as injury problems derailed their impressive start, seeing them drop down the Premier League table and becoming embroiled in a relegation battle due to a shocking run of form in the second half of the season.

Due to long-term injuries to Oriol Romeu and Will Smallbone, Hasenhutll was left with just James Ward-Prowse, Ibrahima Diallo and Stuart Armstrong, who is much more comfortable on the wing, as his central midfield options for much of the campaign.

Therefore, adding a central midfielder ahead of next season should be a priority for the Austrian this summer, and Gilmour would have represented a quality young option who could have provided a different style to Romeu and Ward-Prowse in the middle of the park.

It is undoubtedly a blow for Hasenhuttl that Gilmour has opted to join Norwich City, as he could have proven to be an excellent addition to the Saints’ squad this summer.

In other news… Bundesliga outfit join the race for Saints-linked winger

West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone could cost up to £20m this summer, journalist Luke Hatfield has told The Transfer Tavern.

The 28-year-old was one of the standout shot-stoppers in the Premier League last season, making a total of 166 saves – the most in the division.

He now looks to be heading towards The Hawthorns exit door following West Brom’s relegation to the Championship, with manager Valerien Ismael recently admitting that he expects both Johnstone and Matheus Pereira to leave the club in this transfer window.

On how much it could cost to get Johnstone out of West Brom, Hatfield of the Express & Star told TT:

“I think it will take between 15, maybe £20m for Albion to say, ‘Look, we’ll do a deal.’

“He only has one year left on his current deal, so Albion have a decision to make there. Will he accept a new deal with the club still in the Championship? I think that’s highly debatable.”

After the season he has just had, it is hard to imagine no team coming in for Johnstone this summer.

West Ham, for example, are just one side currently being linked with the England international. Their current first-choice goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is now 36 years of age, so it would not be a shock to see them move for a new No.1 like Johnstone before the end of the transfer window.

An update has emerged in West Ham’s pursuit of Mert Muldur, regarding how much Sassuolo want for the defender…

What’s the talk?

According to Turkish outlet Star, the Italian club are willing to part ways with Muldur if a club comes in with between £8.5m (€10m) and £13m (€15m).

This comes after the Daily Mail reported that West Ham and Tottenham are battling it out for his signature this summer.

Moyes needs him

West Ham could seal a dream deal by bringing Muldur to the club. They now know what Sassuolo are looking for in terms of a transfer fee and as such, they must pounce on this opportunity to sign a talented prospect who could bolster David Moyes’ squad in both the short term and the long term.

Right-back is an interesting position for the Hammers. Vladimir Coufal is the undisputed first-choice, averaging an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.95 in the Premier League last term.

However, Ryan Fredericks and Ben Johnson, the club’s two right-backs behind Coufal, averaged WhoScored ratings of 6.44 and 6.39. This suggests that neither of them are quite good enough to be reliable back-ups/competition to Coufal.

Therefore, there is a gap in Moyes’ squad for a player like Muldur to come in. The Scot needs a fullback to be able to keep Coufal on his toes, whilst also being good enough to start when needed.

Muldur has caught the eye for Turkey at the international level, averaging WhoScored ratings of 6.85 or above in the Nations League, World Cup qualifiers and the European Championships.

Muldur’s agent, Max Hagmayr, recent labelled his client as a “very promising” young player and admitted that the right-back would like to step the next step in his career, hinting at an exit from the Serie A club before the end of the transfer window.

He told CalcioNapoli:

“In the past, I talked about him with Napoli because Mert is a very promising full-back, still young and who played well against Switzerland as a left-back.

 “We will see what happens in the summer.

“Muldur would like to take the next step in his career.

“It’s hard to say now but I can say that all players would be happy to play for Napoli. Right now, he has a contract with Sassuolo until 2024 (but) Mert feels ready for the next step.”

The 22-year-old has the quality and the potential to be an excellent, much-needed, signing for the Hammers. Moyes needs a good fullback to come through the door and, for £13m, Muldur could be the man he wants.

His ability to also play at left-back is another reason why he would be a smart piece of business, as he can provide cover in multiple positions.

AND in other news, Moyes must ruthlessly axe “special” £115k-p/w West Ham dud, he’s rinsing GSB dry…

West Brom are reportedly interested in signing Aston Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane, according to The Athletic…

What’s the story?

Hourihane has been with Aston Villa since 2017, and has gone on to make 150 appearances since signing for the club from Championship side Barnsley.

The 26-cap Irish international played his part in the club’s promotion-winning season in 2018/19, but has found consistent minutes hard to come by in recent seasons.

The arrival of John McGinn has forced him out of the starting XI, with Hourihane leaving the club on a temporary basis during the 2020/21 season, as he went on to sign for Swansea City on loan.

But since returning to Villa Park, it seems as though the £3.15m-rated ace’s days with Dean Smith’s side are going to be numbered, with Sheffield United rivalling West Brom to a potential agreement for the midfielder.

Proven Championship experience

West Brom will be eager to win promotion back into the Premier League at the first time of asking, after being relegated from the top-flight last term.

The Baggies were hugely impressive in their promotion-winning campaign in the 2019/20 season, and the club’s supporters will be keen to see similar success from their side this year.

But for that to happen, reinforcements are needed, especially with squad rotation likely during the hectic Championship fixture list.

Hourihane could turn out to be a shrewd addition for the Baggies as well, with the Irishman having a considerable amount of experience in the second tier of English football.

More importantly, though, he’s shown that he can perform to a high standard at this level, which will make him a player in-demand this summer. Therefore, it’s not a surprise to see that the likes of West Brom are keen to land his signature before the transfer window reaches a conclusion later this year.

Hourihane was labelled as ‘excellent’ by Swansea boss Steve Cooper whilst with the Championship side, and he’ll be hoping he can have his future resolved at the earliest of opportunities.

“I thought he was excellent, he’s been so impressive since he walked through the door.”

Hourihane netted five goals in his loan spell with Swansea City, which put him joint-third with Connor Roberts on the list for the Swans’ top goalscorers in the 2020/21 season – only behind forwards Jamal Lowe (14) and Andre Ayew (17) in the rankings.

Swansea have been well-known for having their fair share of possession in matches in recent seasons, with Steve Cooper’s side averaging 50.2% possession in last year’s campaign.

Hourihane has shown that he’s more than comfortable on the ball as well, with the 30-year-old having a pass success rate of 78.6%, which puts him fifth on the list for Swansea last term.

Therefore, West Brom would be having a player that some might feel ticks all the right boxes for a team that are likely to be in the hunt for promotion into the Premier League once again.

Ismael must urge a move for the Villa midfielder.

AND in other news, Albion could suffer a “big blow” with “brilliant” £15k-p/w gem, Ismael would be gutted…

Birmingham City are reportedly edging closer to an agreement to signing Wolves defender Dion Sanderson on loan, according to comments from Lee Bowyer which were shared by Birmingham Live.

What’s the story?

Sanderson has been attracting significant interest during the summer transfer window after catching the eye with a number of impressive performances whilst on loan with Sunderland in 2020/21. The likes of Sheffield United and the Black Cats are just some of the clubs who are rumoured to have been interested in a deal to sign the defender permanently.

The 21-year-old made 27 appearances in total for the Wearsiders last term and has been hailed as a “superb player” by former Blues striker Kevin Phillips, although his efforts weren’t quite enough as they missed out on promotion into the Championship after defeat to Lincoln City in the play-off semi-finals.

Birmingham seem to have won the race to sign him this summer though, with Blues boss Bowyer confirming that an agreement is close. He told BBC WM: “It’s something that I think has been agreed but he is just coming back from an injury so we are just making sure everything is right on the medical side of things.”

It’s somewhat of a coup for the Blues

Signing a player of Sanderson’s quality is likely to leave Birmingham fans buzzing ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, as they don’t seem to be wasting any time in strengthening their squad this summer.

You don’t attract interest from the likes of Sheffield United and Sunderland for nothing, and it would be something of a coup for the Blues to land his signature ahead of other suitors.

The Blues are likely to be able to offer him regular minutes, though, and if Sanderson can replicate the performances that he put in for Sunderland last season, then Birmingham will have a fine young player on their hands with a point to prove in senior football.

Sanderson has been unlucky not to have been given a chance to impress with the Wolves first team, but a move to Birmingham could give him the perfect opportunity to prove his worth in the Championship after looking the part in League One in recent months.

His match average of 2.7 clearances last season was bettered by just four players at St Andrew’s, while of those who featured regularly for Birmingham in 2020/21, only Ivan Sanchez (81.8%) posted a better passing accuracy rate than Sanderson with 81.6%.

The Blues finished 18th last season but they seem to be serious about challenging higher up the table this time around, with the likes of Chuks Aneke, Ryan Woods and Tahith Chong already arriving at St Andrew’s this summer, and Sanderson seemingly now set to join them on loan.

With Sheffield United having just been relegated from the Premier League and arguably better placed for promotion than most in the second tier, for Birmingham to sign him ahead of the Blades could have Blues supporters thrilled ahead of the big kick-off in three weeks’ time.

In other news, Birmingham are interested in another Wolves player, fans would be buzzing if it comes off.

The Rafa Benitez era at Everton hasn’t quite started with a bang but the Spaniard finally has his first signing at Goodison Park under his belt.

They welcomed Andros Townsend to the Toffees on Tuesday afternoon but in the midst of that excitement comes a potentially lusty blow to their ambitions.

What’s the word?

Both James Rodriguez and Richarlison have both been linked with the departure lounge this summer.

The Colombian has attracted interest from AC Milan with the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, meeting with the Italian side.

It’s also been reported that the club’s previous manager, Carlo Ancelotti, wants to bring Richarlison to Real Madrid.

It looked like the former would actually stay but a fresh claim from Eurosport reveals that both are seeking exits from the club this summer.

The heart-breaking news suggests that the Everton pair are looking for moves to Spain.

Huge blow

If Benitez loses two of the club’s most influential players in the same window then it will be a colossal blow to their hopes of finishing in the European places. Consequently, it should also leave supporters rather angry.

James has only been with the Toffees for the best part of 12 months but he made a brilliant impact in Merseyside.

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The former Madrid star was a creative force and also popped up with some important goals. During his first term in English football, he provided six strikes and four assists. On top of that, no player managed more than his 1.7 key passes per match in the Everton side.

As for their Brazilian winger, only Dominic Calvert-Lewin beat the goalkeeper on more occasions.

Richarlison scored seven Premier League goals before becoming a regular for his national team at the recent Copa America.

Both players provided plenty of help to their top scorer last term and ensured that Ancelotti had a dynamic pairing to work with in the final third.

They worked in tandem nicely together but that could be demolished heading into the 2021/22 campaign.

With supporters given the green light to return to stadiums next season, it will surely enrage those who didn’t get to catch a glimpse of James in Everton colours.

Instead, they will make to make do with watching the likes of Townsend and possibly Demarai Gray.

AND in other news, Rafa could discover Everton’s new Leon Osman by signing “special” 34-cap maestro…

Lee Ryder has shared what Mike Ashley has told the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium amid their latest Newcastle United takeover stance.

The Lowdown: Arbitration delay

The arbitration case between the St. James’ Park faithful and the Premier League over the failing of the takeover deal between Ashley and the the consortium has been delayed until early next year because of issues with the disclosure of evidence.

The hearing was expected to take place this month, but now further delays have been implemented, meaning that the North East club will now go into another season with yet more uncertainty.

The Latest: Ryder latest

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Ryder, who has been following the whole takeover saga closely, has shared that Ashley has assured the consortium that the ‘door will remain open’ for them to complete a deal.

However, some observers of the takeover bid have concerns that they will ‘lose patience’ with the process and the top flight eventually.

The Verdict: Limbo

The Tyneside club have very much been left in limbo by the news that the arbitration proceedings have been delayed even further, adding to the delays that they have already been forced to put up with.

While holding the process until next year is certainly not ideal, it at least means that there is still a chance that the takeover can be completed eventually, providing that the results go in the favour of the Magpies.

Nonetheless, with a large chunk of the summer transfer window already gone and the new 2021/22 season a matter of weeks away now, the Toon Army now has to put up with what is a very uncertain time for the future of NUFC.

In other news, find out what club insiders are looking for amid the takeover twist here!