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Celtic appear to be closing in on another summer signing but it could spell the end for one mainstay at Parkhead…

What’s the word?

According to Record Sport, the Scottish champions are on the verge of agreeing on a deal to sign Brighton centre-back Shane Duffy on a one-year loan.

It’s claimed that Celtic will pay £2m to sign the 28-year-old for the season and will also pay the majority of his £40k-per-week wages.

The Hoops have beaten off West Ham and West Brom with the Seagulls man expected to be in Glasgow on Tuesday to iron out the final details.

Life after Ajer?

This comes amidst the uncertain future of Kristoffer Ajer after his representatives reportedly asked the club for a valuation on the Norwegian ahead of a potential move away from Celtic Park before the transfer window drawing to a close in October.

He’s been linked with a stunning move to Serie A giants AC Milan in recent months.

Duffy would seem like the ideal replacement – standing at 6 foot 4 inches in height, the Irishman has been capped over 33 times and has featured in 96 Premier League matches over the course of his career.

Graham Potter claims the veteran has “been fantastic for me and he has been great in the group” and that’s not the first time having described him as “first class” earlier in the campaign despite a lack of regular game time.

The 28-year-old, valued at £8.55m, is an old-school no-nonsense type who has averaged 8.1 clearances per game over the course of his career as per WhoScored.

Ajer alongside Christoper Jullien kept a clean sheet against Well at the weekend but adding Duffy to the equation will certainly give Lennon a nice headache in terms of team selection.

AND in other news, Celtic fans laud Bhoys ace’s display against Motherwell…

Aston Villa striker Mbwana Samatta is set to be the subject of a loan offer from Turkish side Fenerbahce, according to a report from A Spor.

Villa boss Dean Smith saw the likes of Keinan Davis, Wesley and Samatta struggle for consistent form last season and the latter is now being linked with a move away from the club.

Despite arriving in January for £9.45m, Samatta’s future with the Claret and Blue side now looks bleak with the Midlands club opting to bring in Ollie Watkins from Brentford.

Watkins netted an impressiveÂ26 goals in the Championship last term for Brentford and the youngster will be expected to start ahead of the aforementioned trio.

To add to Watkins’ arrival, Villa are also now being linked with Lyon striker Bertrand Traore, with a latest report claiming that talks are underway over a £19m transfer.

Reacting to the potential exit for Samatta this summer, fans were pretty split. Some were happy to see the back of the £8.55m-valued man given he has only scored twice in 16 appearances for the club, whilst others were keen to give him another chance having only joined in January…

Do you think Samatta should leave Villa on loan? Let us know in the comments section below…

Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot has been linked with various sides throughout this transfer window, and the latest news suggests that the player might be one who could leave before the window shuts.

According to  The Transfer Window Podcast, via The Express, the full-back is not happy at the Red Devils due to his lack of game time, and he would therefore like to leave the club sooner rather than later.

However, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not ready to sanction an exit for the 21-year-old as he still wants defensive cover, but there might be the possibility of letting the Portuguese right-back leave the club on a loan deal for the season.

The 21 year-old, per Transfermarkt, who is valued at £10.8 million, has made 34 appearances for Manchester United, picking up a goal and three assists along the way, but only featured in the Premier League four times last season and with Aaron Wan-Bissaka signing for the club last summer, and this is why it makes sense that he wants to leave as it would benefit him if he wants to play consistently.

He also seems to have moved further down the pecking order as Timothy Fosu-Mensah has been featuring more lately than Dalot and a loan deal for the player would benefit all parties as the club still have enough depth in that position and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can see if Dalot improves and plays well consistently elsewhere and the player gets what he wants.

It will be interesting to see what happens, but if he is not happy to stay at the club, then it would definitely be best for him to leave as soon as possible as his mood could affect the squad and Solskjaer will not want that before the season gets underway.

Man United fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!

According to a report by Bild journalist Christian Falk on Twitter, Spurs have made an approach to sign Bayer Leverkusen striking star Lucas Alario despite agreeing a loan move for Carlos Vinicius – but chairman Daniel Levy’s request was swiftly knocked back. 

Alario, who scored seven goals and assisted three others in 24 Bundesliga appearances last season for the German club, was recently at the centre of an enquiry from Spurs according to Falk – but Levy may have to come back with another proposal if he wishes to land him alongside Vinicius.

Indeed, Leverkusen allegedly rejected the Tottenham chairman’s advances, with the £12.15 million valued star looking hard to reach as Vinicius soon travels to north London for a medical, as per Duncan Castles. 

The seven-cap Argentina international, who has also bagged three goals in that time for his country, could be seen as another potential bargain addition given his meagre market valuation.

However, as Spurs edge closer to confirming the signing of Vinicius, Alario may well be seen as a lesser priority – with the swoop for a capable defensive ace now taking centre stage.

Tottenham have been monitoring Alario for some time according to a past update from the Independent, who claimed that ex-Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino was keen on bringing him to north London back in 2017.

A move for the 27-year-old could have to be placed on the back burner for now though, with Levy reportedly wishing to add a star defender before deadline day on October 5.

Milan Skriniar or Antonio Rudiger, as it stands, are more likely to become Tottenham’s seventh summer signing – potentially putting the cherry on top of a stellar window for the club.

Spurs fans, should your club keep pursuing Alario? Have your say in the comments down below…

West Ham United’s ownership of David Gold and David Sullivan deserve respect for their laudable decision not to sell Declan Rice to Chelsea this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Football.London, Chelsea boss Frank Lampard had identified Rice as a top target to solve his defensive midfield conundrum on the back of 29-year-old N’Golo Kante enduring an injury-troubled season last term.

The Blues could have looked to young charger Ethan Ampadu to replace the Frenchman but opted to send him out on loan to Sheffield United for the season, and instead attempted to court Rice away from the London Stadium and back to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea are not believed to have lodged a formal bid to sign the 21-year-old England international, having been made aware that West Ham would not entertain the idea of negotiating a lower price for the Irons’ star man with supporters already up in arms over the club’s transfer activity.

Lampard’s south west London natives also had difficulties offloading some of their fringe players to raise the funds needed to meet West Ham’s asking price, and could now wait until next summer to test their hand once more.

It is expected that Rice will remain high on the shopping list drawn up at Stamford Bridge over the next year if his performances and form continue on the same trajectory.

GSB success story

While the summer was fraught with failed attempts to bring players to the London Stadium, with bids occasionally well below a club’s asking price like Burnley’s £50million demand for James Tarkowski, Gold and Sullivan deserve respect for their decision to keep Rice.

GSB could easily have opted to use Rice as their cash-cow and put to good use the multiple millions of pounds Chelsea would still have been asked to hand over, but instead decided not to sell one of their brightest stars to plug gaps elsewhere.

The decision could come back to haunt Gold and Sullivan if David Moyes is not greeted with new faces from the English Football League in the coming week, and goes on to suffer issues up and down the spine of his side over the campaign – but for now he will be glad to have Rice to hand.

Rice has started and played the full 90 minutes in each of West Ham’s last 42 Premier League games and only failed to feature four times in the Irons’ last 88 top-flight encounters, dating back to March 2018.

Over his 38 top-flight outings last term, Rice also ranked second for interceptions (2.0) and third for successful tackles (3.1) per 90 minutes of those who featured for West Ham on more than five occasions, per WhoScored, and is currently on 2.3 for tackles and 49 passes.

AND in other news, West Ham United are sounding out a potential late defensive addition in a Championship ace relegated last season.

According to a French news outlet, Liverpool are set to make an offer for Schalke 04 defender Ozan Kabak.

Kabak on Klopp’s radar

The 20-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Anfield in recent weeks, with Sport Media Set claiming that the Turkey international will be a long-term replacement for Virgil van Dijk.

The Dutchman is currently out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury following a robust tackle from Everton’s Jordan Pickford during the Reds’ 2-2 draw in the Merseyside derby last weekend.

Kabak has been a regular for the Bundesliga outfit since his move from Stuttgart after picking up the 2018/19 Bundesliga Rookie of the Season award (via Schalke’s official website), scoring three times and providing one assist from 30 outings (TransferMarkt).

However, after he was caught spitting at Werder Bremen’s Lugwig Augustinsson last month, he was found guilty of unsporting behaviour and suspended for four matches (via AA), which could be a concern to some of the Kop faithful.

Nevertheless, Liverpool are pressing on and RMC Sport (cited by Chris Williams) reported that the Reds will table a substantial offer for Kabak and would like a deal to be sealed before the January transfer window opens, with Schalke looking for between €30m and €40m (£27.28m and £36.37m).

Possible bad egg

Kabak seems a massively talented defender and the Bundesliga are unlikely to hand out individual accolades frivolously. That being said, his discipline and temperament must come into question after his recent actions, despite maintaining his innocence after the DFB’s ruling.

With Van Dijk expected to be out for a significant amount of time, though, Liverpool must move quickly to find the defensive cover they need to sufficiently challenge and defend their Premier League crown.

With Dayot Upamecano from RB Leipzig also believed to be an Anfield target, Klopp and sporting director Michael Edwards have a huge decision on their hands which could make or break the Reds’ season.

In other news, European rising star ‘dreams’ of playing for Liverpool.

Glasgow Rangers academy product Charlie Lindsay is the latest in a long line of Northern Irishmen to make the trip from Belfast to Glasgow, following in the footsteps of his idol Steven Davis, who is an integral part of Steven Gerrard’s side.

Whilst the teenage starlet still has quite some way to go, he could soon be challenging Glen Kamara, Ryan Jack, Scott Arfield, Joe Aribo, Bongani Zungu and Davis for a place in the starting line-up in the not too distant future.

Lindsay became the youngest ever Glentoran first team player when he made his debut as a substitute at the Oval in the County Antrim Shield victory over Ballyclare Comrades last year, leaving David Lowry to describe him as a “powerful” player who “ticks so many boxes.”

The Glentoran academy coach has tipped the teenager for the very top. He told Belfast Live: “He is a box-to-box midfielder who covers every blade of grass.

“He is powerful and quick, and his range of passing is first class. He also knows when to pick a pass, and then he delivers it with precision. He ticks so many boxes as a footballer.

“It is a great success story for the Academy and one we are very proud of,” Lowry added.

“All the young lads are very grounded and have the right attitude. That can take you a long way in football.

“Charlie epitomises all that, and that’s why he is rated so highly by Glentoran and Rangers. He has the potential to go very far, and he has a good family behind him.”

The fact that the 16-year-old has made it clear he wants to play for the club should excite every Rangers fan, especially when you consider the fact that he wants to emulate the achievements of his countryman, as he told the BBC: “I had a few other clubs showing interest, but I knew right from the first time I went over to Rangers that they were the team for me.

“Signing for them is a dream come true – I grew up as a Rangers fan. I never once felt like a trialist over there and just knew I would join them if they ever made an offer.

It’s hard to pick holes in Gerrard’s side but scoring goals from midfield is perhaps something he is lacking right now – as only Arfield and Aribo have scored more than once in all competitions so far.

Lindsay won the MVP award at the Alkass tournament in Doha earlier this year, having scored more goals than players in the same age group from the likes of European giants Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.

Just like Aribo, Gerrard can deploy the young beast as an attacking midfielder who can also play on the wing, which is also a tactic he has used with Arfield as well at times this season.

If Lindsay can continue to impress like this, it may not be too long before he finds himself training with the first team.

AND in other news, Bassey & Balogun start, no Helander: Glasgow Rangers Predicted XI vs Hamilton…

Tottenham Hotspur can count their lucky stars that they have someone of Harry Kane’s calibre there to net the crucial winner, though it was one of his teammates that deserves to take all of the plaudits.Jose Mourinho’s men needed an 88th-minute header from their long-serving talisman to seal all three points at West Brom, a victory which temporarily took them to the top of the Premier League table.In reality, Spurs struggled to break down a compact Baggies side who were fighting for their lives. The north Londoners failed to record an attempt on target throughout the entire first half with the home side looking the far more encouraging between the two teams.And Mourinho can thank his defence for holding firm, especially Eric Dier who was an absolute rock in the heart of the defence.Per SofaScore, the 26-year-old won seven of eight duels (87.5%), which included a 100% rate for aerial duels, cleared the ball seven times, made 47 passes and blocked one shot.Dan Kilpatrick at the Evening Standard graded the England international an 8/10 and claimed he was Spurs’ “outstanding player in the first-half” and added: “A composed and committed display in his third start in a week was one of the few real plusses for Spurs.”

Kane will quite rightly take the limelight having scored the only goal of the match, but it is Dier who kept them in it throughout the 90 minutes. On another day, or perhaps with the particularly error-prone Davinson Sanchez at the back, it could have been a different story.

The Baggies recorded a total of 12 shots at goal and had more corners with nine attempts, so the £85k-per-week star certainly needed to be at the races and as evident above, he did a fine, fine job.

The £19.8m-rated midfielder-turned-defender was Mourinho’s real match-winner at the Hawthorns.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Gary Mabbutt slams Spurs summer decision…

The Premier League may have breached confidentiality law by confirming their legal dispute with Newcastle United with regards to the failed takeover at St. James’ Park.

The Shields Gazette have reported that, according to sources, by confirming that the top flight are in a legal dispute with the Tyneside club, that represents an alleged breach of the confidentiality of the Magpies, with both said to be bound by privacy on the matter now that the case is actually running.

The confirmation by England’s highest division is also understood to have angered many close to the proposed £300m deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

The confirmation from the EPL was revealed in an official statement by the Newcastle Consortium Supporters Ltd (NCSL) that in turn was confirmed to The Shields Gazette.

When contacted by the news outlet, the Premier League refused to comment on the matter.

What does this mean for the Newcastle takeover?

Indeed, this means that the legal dispute between the Toon and the English top flight is likely to be taken to a court case if it cannot be settled by the two parties involved.

Ashley may possibly already have top lawyers Nick De Marco QC and Shaheed Fatima QC on standby to represent the chief executive of Sports Direct in court and it feels fair to predict the CEO of England’s highest division, Richard Masters, will already have his own army of lawyers at the ready too.

Nonetheless, the Premier League may have dug themselves a hole already if they are found to have breached the confidentiality law.

In other news, find out which key figure is concerned about one development in the takeover saga here!

Daniel Levy may be open to a loan move away for Spurs ace Dele Alli in the January transfer window, according to Football Insider.

However, as per the news outlet, the chairman of Tottenham Hotspur is keen to resist offers from teams to buy the £46.8m-valued star outright, but that is not to say that he could leave the North London club on a potential loan deal for the rest of the 2020/21 term.

A recruitment source has apparently told the publication that Levy believes that Alli still has a future with the Lilywhites in the long-term, as he is reportedly likely to request a temporary move away from THFC in order to try and get some more game time under his belt, with the potential aim of making England’s Euros squad for next summer under Gareth Southgate.

The attacking midfield player is contracted until 2024 but may not be in the long-term plans of Jose Mourinho based on his lack of time on the pitch.

Alli loan move makes sense

A loan move away for Alli makes sense, given that he has not yet completed a full 90 minutes so far this season, and so moving to another side who could offer him more matches would be a wise idea in order for him to regain some confidence and form ahead of the next campaign.

One thing for sure is that the 24 year-old is a ‘fighter’, and so he will be looking to prove to himself and others just how good of a player he can be.

In other news, find out who missed his chance to impress Mourinho in the Europa League here!