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Journalist and Sunderland supporter Josh Bunting has been left buzzing over the news that Daniel Ballard is back in training.

The Lowdown: Fractured foot

The 23-year-old has been out for more than two months with a fractured foot, having signed from Premier League leaders Arsenal in the summer.

The defender has only managed to play Championship football so far for the Black Cats, none since 13 August, and he will no doubt be itching to get back onto the pitch as soon as he can.

The Latest: Ballard back in training

Sunderland posted an image of a smiling Ballard back in training on their official Twitter channel on Thursday afternoon, which left Bunting delighted.

He shared the image to his Twitter profile, along with the caption: “This makes me very, very happy.”

The Verdict: Big boost for Sunderland

It is certainly a big boost for Tony Mowbray and Sunderland to have Ballard back in training after so long out.

Bunting was thrilled upon the Wearside club first signing him, calling the 23-year-old ‘absolutely outstanding’ in the air and praising the fact that he ‘reads the game very well’, is ‘mobile’ and ‘can carry a lot of ground’.

The Northern Ireland international has previous WhoScored).

It is good for the Black Cats’ supporters to see Ballard back in training as he looks to step up his recovery.

Liverpool players will have held ‘conversations’ with Jude Bellingham over the international break regarding a future move to Anfield, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Cut-price deal available

Despite spending over £80m this summer, recent reports have suggested that FSG are setting aside cash to make a ‘huge-money’ marquee signing in January, and the 19-year-old has been identified as the club’s top target.

Borussia Dortmund value the midfielder at £132m, though there is a chance that Jurgen Klopp’s side could bring him to the Premier League in a cut-price deal, with the Bundesliga giants willing to accept £83m should the fee be paid upfront.

The Latest: Jones’ ‘conversations’ claim

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones insisted that Liverpool’s players who represent England will have spoken to Bellingham about a potential switch whilst on duty last month.

“It’s not unheard of that it happens, I’m not sure that it would have happened this time around. It was a weird England meet-up this time in terms of where everyone’s at in their current season and the plans to try and get into that World Cup squad.

“Trent Alexander-Arnold, for example, has got to be fully focused on even getting into the England squad, let alone trying to convince players in that squad to come and play for his club team. I’m sure conversations happened. But I don’t think that they would have spent much time trying to convince him.”

The Verdict: Massive coup

Bellingham is one of football’s most promising young talents and it would be a massive coup for Klopp if he could land his services.

The England international has been Dortmund’s best-performing player so far this season, earning an average match rating of 7.40, higher than all the rest of his teammates.

The teenager also recently captained Edin Terzic’s side, with leadership qualities being just another attribute that the Liverpool boss will love to have in his starting XI.

Man City officials were sent to run the rule over Bayer Leverkusen star Moussa Diaby as the Premier League champions seemingly eye a new target.

The Lowdown: City summer overhaul…

The Sky Blues, guided by sporting director Txiki Begiristain and manager Pep Guardiola, orchestrated a real summer overhaul with past mainstays making way for fresh faces.

Raheem Sterling, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus and Fernandinho all left Eastlands after many years of faithful service with quartet Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips, Stefan Ortega and Julian Alvarez coming in their stead.

Manuel Akanji soon followed Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, but despite City’s plethora of summer activity, it appears Begiristain and co have their sights on a new name.

The Latest: City eyeing Diaby?

According to 90min, Man City officials were sent to run the rule over Diaby in midweek as his Leverkusen side triumphed 2-0 over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

On-lookers were said to be ‘impressed’ by the Frenchman, who even bagged himself a goal in front of Etihad Stadium chiefs.

The Verdict: Make the move?

City possess an abundance of star quality in the forward positions, most notably Haaland, Alvarez, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne.

Rising stars like Cole Palmer are also awaiting their chance to impress Guardiola, and unless there are a few high profile departures, we struggle to see where a player like Diaby fits in this team.

That being said, the 23-year-old does possess unquestionable quality.

Called ‘astonishing’ for his footballing brain by the Rheinische Post (via Bundesliga.com), Diaby notched an incredible 13 goals and 12 assists over 32 league starts last year.

If Guardiola can somehow fit him in, there would be few who’d question he possesses enough class for a role.

Newcastle United are closing in on the end of the summer transfer window and only have until 11pm on Thursday to finish their business.

The club recently moved to smash their transfer record by bringing in Alexander Isak from Spanish outfit Real Sociedad.

Eddie Howe hailed the striker in the club’s announcement of the transfer, saying: “I’m very excited that Alexander has chosen to join us. He is an outstanding talent who is capable of making a big contribution to the team.

“He is technically very good, with a mix of attributes that will complement us, but he is also at a great age to grow with this club.”

The Magpies have bolstered their attack by signing the Sweden international after nobody at the club hit double figures for goals in the 2021/22 campaign. Callum Wilson (eight) was the only Toon attacker with more than five strikes in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Allan Saint-Maximin (five) was the only winger with more than two goals as Miguel Almiron and Ryan Fraser mustered up three between them.

This suggests that the club were in desperate need of reinforcements at the top end of the pitch and Isak, who scored 23 goals across his last two full La Liga seasons, could provide them with a much-needed touch of class in front of goal.

Now, imagine how much better Newcastle’s attack will be this season if they can bring in another potent goalscorer alongside the Swedish gem to improve the squad.

The Magpies have been touted with an interest in Blackburn forward Ben Brereton Diaz, and they must now push to sign the attacker before the transfer window slams shut.

Journalist Alan Nixon has claimed that the Championship club want £15m for the Chile international, and Howe must now push for the Tynesiders to snap him up as the 23-year-old has the potential to be a superb addition to the team.

Jaquob Crooke once labelled him a “superstar” and journalist Josh Bunting recently claimed that the forward’s “confidence is flowing”, with two goals and one assist in his last five matches.

The 23-year-old is a versatile player with a knack for finding the net, and Howe could use him in a variety of roles. Since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, the former Nottingham Forest man has played as a left winger in a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1, and a striker in a 4-3-3 and 3-5-2.

This shows that he can play in a multitude of roles, and the Newcastle head coach would surely love that as it suggests that Brereton Diaz has the tactical knowledge, and quality, to successfully perform in different positions and systems.

In that time, he has racked up 24 goals and four assists in the Championship for Blackburn, whilst also scoring three goals in seven World Cup qualifiers for Chile.

This suggests that he has the potential to be a regular goalscorer for the Magpies if he can make the step up to the Premier League.

At £15m, it is a gamble that Newcastle must take, as they could go from having a dire lack of consistent scorers to watching the Chilean gem and Isak regularly finding the net in the top flight this season if the pair both hit the ground running.

Everton have been linked with a move for Che Adams over the last few weeks and now a reliable source has made a claim on the club’s potential pursuit of the player in the remaining days and weeks of the transfer window.

What’s the latest?

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, the signing of the Southampton striker would be “good business” for Everton.

Speaking to Football FanCast, O’Rourke claimed:

“I think Che Adams is on the list for a number of Premier League clubs this summer, it does seem Southampton would be willing to let him leave for the right offer as well.

“He’s got good Premier League experience, he can play up front on his own or he can play up front alongside somebody else.

“Everton are in desperate need of striking reinforcements, and if they can get someone like Che Adams for a relatively cheap fee or a loan deal it could be good business.

“They’ll be getting a player with proven Premier League experience who can hit the ground running and that’s what Everton need right now.”

Rare Moshiri masterclass

If Farhad Moshiri can complete the signing of Adams from Southampton it would be a rare masterclass for the club because, as O’Rourke alludes to, he could be signed at a bargain price, something the Toffees owner has seldom found since he arrived at Goodison, spending over £500m on new faces.

Combine a potentially small fee with their dire need for a forward and it’s clear this is a deal that ticks many a box for Frank Lampard’s men this summer.

With Dominic Calvert-Lewin currently sidelined with a knee injury and Richarlison leaving the club earlier in the transfer window, it has left them without a goal-scorer they can trust to convert opportunities, and their absence has been strongly felt already in the side.

Everton have failed to tally up a single point and have only found the net via an own goal over their first two Premier League fixtures, so there is no doubt that Lampard will be desperate for a striker to come into the team as soon as possible and Adams could be the perfect fit.

The forward who was signed for £15m by Southampton, has scored 21 goals and delivered 12 assists for the Saints over 111 appearances so far, and is a consistent performer for his national side too, with six goals in 19 appearances.

But it’s not just his goal scoring that would have caught the manager’s eye, as he could offer much more to the Merseysiders than just a stand-in centre-forward over the next six weeks whilst Calvert-Lewin recovers.

Adams is very versatile with his positioning in the front line and can effectively work alongside another centre-forward to deliver goal-scoring opportunities to a strike partner, something we saw work well when he developed a lethal partnership with former Saints striker Danny Ings.

Back in the 2020/2021 season, Adams and Ings made up 48% of Southampton’s goals and were the Premier League’s third most relied-upon attacking partnership.

Therefore, playing Calvert-Lewin and Adams together could be something worth considering for the Toffees boss if the club allows Anthony Gordon to leave this summer amid interest from Chelsea.

With that being said, the signing of Adams could well be a rare masterclass for Moshiri who hasn’t particularly done a great deal right when it comes to the transfer window.

Rosario Dello Iavoco has dropped an update on reported West Ham United transfer target Piotr Zielinski.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Area Napoli (via Sport Witness), the Italian journalist revealed that, following a number of reports linking David Moyes with a move for the Napoli midfielder this summer, the Hammers have now reached a £30m agreement with the Serie A club for the transfer of the 28-year-old.

However, Iavoco went on to claim that, at present, the prospect of giving up Champions League football with Luciano Spalletti’s side in favour of a team playing in the Europa Conference League next season does not overly entice the Poland international.

Regarding the Irons’ interest in Zielinski, the journalist said: “Between Naples and West Ham I understand that an agreement has been reached for Zielinski for about £30m, which is equal to €35.63m – the bonuses I do not know at the moment.

“Piotr wants to leave, above all for ‘environmental’ reasons that have strongly affected the inexplicable drop in performance in the second half of last season. However, at least at the moment, there is no agreement on the engagement with the Hammers, considering that from the Champions League he would find himself playing the Conference League.”

Supporters will love Iavoco’s update

While it would appear as if Rob Newman and his West Ham transfer team still have work to do in terms of convincing Zielinski of a move to east London this summer, Iavoco’s update that the Premier League club have now reached an agreement with Napoli for the transfer of the 28-year-old is sure to be news that the London Stadium faithful will love.

Indeed, the versatile player – who can operate in defensive, central and attacking midfield, as well as on either flank – would appear to make an excellent addition to Moyes’ options in the middle of the park next season, having scored six goals, registered five assists and created five big chances over 35 Serie A appearances in 2021/22.

The £36m-rated talent also impressed over his seven appearances in the Europa League last time out, scoring two goals and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as Gli Azzurri’s fourth-best player in the competition.

As such, should Newman indeed be able to convince Zielinski of a move to West Ham, the 72-cap international’s signing would appear to be yet another exceptional piece of business by the Irons this summer, having already secured a number of exciting additions including Gianluca Scamacca, Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes and Alphonse Areola (now permanent).

AND in other news: Newman begins negotiations for £25m “sensation”, it’d be a “huge signing” for West Ham

Raphinha could yet remain a Leeds United player heading into 2022/23.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Brazilian publication UOL (via Sport Witness), who claim that, despite the interest of both Barcelona and Chelsea in a £60m move for the 25-year-old, there is now a realistic possibility that the winger could remain a part of Jesse Marsch’s side beyond the end of the summer transfer window.

The report goes on to state that, due to the Brazil international’s preference for a move to the LaLiga side – who are, at present, yet to agree a fee with the Whites regarding a deal for the forward – Raphinha could well travel to Australia with the rest of the Leeds squad on the 10th of July for their pre-season tour.

Supporters will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Raphinha has been for Leeds since his £17m move to LS11 back in October of 2020, in addition to the fact that the Brazilian is very much one of the supporters’ favourites at Elland Road, the suggestion that the winger could yet remain with Marsch’s side heading into the new Premier League campaign is sure to have left the Leeds faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 30 Premier League appearances in his debut campaign, the £40.5m-rated talent was in electric form for the Whites, scoring six goals, registering nine assists and creating 12 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.2 shots, making 2.1 key passes and completing 1.9 dribbles per game.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more-2″ title=”Read the latest Leeds news, transfer rumours and more!”]

These returns saw the 25-year-old average an incredibly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.14, not only ranking him as Marcelo Bielsa’s second-best outfielder in the league but also as the joint 30th-best performer in the division as a whole.

The £63k-per-week forward once again caught the eye over his 35 top-flight outings in 2021/22, bagging 11 goals, providing three assists and creating ten big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.5 shots, making 1.9 key passes and completing 1.8 dribbles per fixture.

These metrics saw the former Stade Rennais starlet earn a SofaScore match rating of 6.97, ranking him as Marsch’s second-best outfielder in the league – playing a starring role in the Whites securing their Premier League status last season.

As such, considering the fact that Victor Orta has already secured a number of impressive signings in the summer transfer window – including the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Rasmus Kristensen, Marc Roca, Tyler Adams and Luis Sinisterra – the prospect of Raphinha linking up with this glut of new talent next season is sure to be an incredibly tantalising one for Leeds supporters – with UOL’s latest update sure to have delighted everyone involved with the club.

AND in other news: “We can say that..”: Italian journo drops big Leeds transfer update, Orta surely livid

West Bromwich Albion have already added two new players to their squad during the summer transfer window in the shape of Jed Wallace and John Swift.

Both have arrived on free transfers from fellow Championship clubs, with the former coming in from Millwall and the latter making his move from Reading.

Another player in the second tier who has been linked with a move to The Hawthorns this summer is Huddersfield Town midfielder Lewis O’Brien.

A product of Huddersfield’s youth system, the 23-year-old has made 131 senior appearances for the Terriers across all competitions. In that time, the Englishman – who has an apparent release clause of £12m – has scored eight goals and provided ten assists along the way.

Last season saw the midfielder play more minutes in the Championship than any other outfield Huddersfield player, which highlights just how important he is to the Yorkshire club.

In his 43 league appearances, the midfielder won more tackles (59) than any of his team-mates. In fact, only two other players in the entire division won more tackles than O’Brien throughout the campaign.

His overall performances earned him a season rating of 7.09/10 from WhoScored, making him the highest-rated outfield player at Huddersfield.

Despite being a different sort of player to O’Brien, former Baggies star Matheus Pereira has been included on a list of similar players to the 23-year-old according to Football Transfers.

Bearing in mind how important the Brazilian was during his time at The Hawthorns, where he scored 20 goals and delivered 26 assists in 77 appearances, the Huddersfield ace could well have a similar sort of impact for Albion, but more so in terms of his defensive capabilities rather than being deadly in front of goal.

Taking this into account, the prospect of seeing Steve Bruce get his own version of Pereira this summer would surely be an exciting one for West Brom fans and boost the club’s chances of getting close to promotion.

Having been described by Sky Sports pundit Jobi McAnuff as a “massive” player for Huddersfield, O’Brien would surely be a very strong addition to Bruce’s ranks next to the two new players they have already brought in from Championship rivals in recent weeks.

AND in other news: Bruce drops “brutally honest” transfer update, it’s bad news for West Brom supporters

Everton could be facing the prospect of life without Richarlison next term, following a worrying update from journalist David Ornstein.

What’s the word?

Writing on Twitter, the respected insider revealed that the Brazilian gem is the subject of interest from fellow Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur, with sources close to the Merseyside outfit believing that a deal could well happen.

Amid speculation over the 25-year-old’s future at Goodison Park, Ornstein has revealed that north London could well be his next destination: “Tottenham interested in signing Richarlison. No bid yet – will only do it at right price + have other options. Everton want more than reported €60m but need for funds likely to reduce fee + some close to #EFC think #THFC move will happen.”

In his attached piece for The Athletic, the transfer guru added that the Toffees may be inclined to sell due to a need to raise funds, although Spurs are yet to make a concrete offer for his services.

Lampard will be fuming

After having clinched top-flight survival by the skin of their teeth in the penultimate game of last term, Frank Lampard and co would have been hoping to put that gruelling campaign behind them and kick on in the 2022/23 season, although this latest news will no doubt throw a spanner in the works.

While perhaps not unexpected – with the former Watford man having long been linked with a departure – that will do little to soften the blow, with the club having been so reliant on the £45m-rated gem in recent years.

The 2021/22 campaign saw the 36-cap international help to steer Lampard’s men away from danger with ten goals and five assists in 30 league games, having largely shouldered the goalscoring burden alone following Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s dismal, injury-hit season.

Since joining Everton from Vicarage Road on a £50m deal back in 2018, Richarlison has gone on to score 53 goals and supply 14 assists in 152 games across all competitions, with only six players having scored more league goals for the club in the Premier League era.

There may be a small silver lining that the Toffees can rake in a fairly sizeable fee with any sale, although as they have proved under the Farhad Moshiri regime, the club have rarely invested wisely in the transfer market.

Those at Finch Farm will seemingly be powerless to prevent a departure – with just two years remaining on the player’s contract – with the one-time Fluminese man seemingly craving Champions League football, something that Antonio Conte’s side can offer.

At present, Everton are a world away from mixing it with Europe’s elite, with the versatile forward’s exit only set to widen the gap between themselves and the top six.

As for Lampard, the former Chelsea boss may only be a few months into his tenure at the club, although will be acutely aware of the scale of the job at hand, with losing a player of such importance and quality only set to be another unwanted headache.

The Englishman will no doubt be fuming if he is forced to head into next term without his key asset in tow, having previously lavished him with praise for his “work ethic” and labelled him a “pleasure” to coach earlier this term.

It appears that he may not be coaching the player for much longer…

AND in other news – “Interested…”: Insider drops big Everton transfer update, supporters will be buzzing

West Bromwich Albion had a pretty disappointing Championship campaign as the Baggies failed to get in with a shout of winning promotion back to the Premier League.

One man at The Hawthorns who had a fairly uninspiring season from an individual point of view is club captain Jake Livermore.

Livermore at West Brom

Over 37 league appearances, the midfielder ended up earning himself a rather underwhelming overall performance rating of 6.53/10 from WhoScored. This makes him one of the lowest-rated outfield Baggies players currently at the club to start more than one league game.

As the club captain, for whom the Baggies paid £10m to sign in 2017, it’s safe to suggest that he didn’t do a great job of leading by example in 2021/22.

Livermore’s current contract at The Hawthorns is set to expire in the summer of 2023, meaning that the upcoming transfer window could give Albion a good opportunity to potentially cash in on the midfielder should they feel the need to get rid.

With Steve Bruce previously speaking about a potential overhaul at the club this summer, moving Livermore out could well be in the 61-year-old’s plans.

In terms of who the Baggies could look to bring in as a potential replacement for the 32-year-old, Blackburn Rovers stalwart Joe Rothwell could be the right fit for Bruce and West Brom.

Axe Livermore, sign Rothwell

With West Brom having been linked with a move for the 27-year-old – who will be a free agent in July once his current contract at Ewood Park runs out – over the past few weeks, it could be a good financial move for the Midlands club to bring him in.

From a footballing perspective, meanwhile, Rothwell ended the recent season with 141 crosses to his name, which is at least 50 more than any of his Blackburn team-mates managed, and a whopping 135 more than Livermore made.

Along with his useful attacking prowess which saw him score three goals and provide 10 assists in this 2021/22 campaign, the midfielder is also a very capable defensive figure, having made 48 interceptions and 26 tackles in 41 league games.

Praised by Rovers journalist Jaquob Crooke for his “mesmerising” ability on the ball, Rothwell could be just what West Brom need if they are to be a bit more dynamic in their attack and give themselves a better chance of promotion in 2023.

In other news: Joe Masi drops behind-the-scenes transfer update, it’s great news for WBA supporters