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Aston Villa appear to be edging closer to potentially signing Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham this summer amid a recent transfer update.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have linked Dean Smith’s side with a move for the £50k-a-week England international, and it appears things are progressing in the right direction.

According to journalist Rudy Galetti, the Midlands club are in advanced talks for Abraham, and are preparing a big-money offer for the striker.

He added that Abraham could leave Stamford Bridge and Chelsea “soon”.

Dean Smith will be buzzing

Given that he’s worked with him before and has seen first-hand what he can do, Smith will no doubt be buzzing at the news that Abraham is inching closer to wearing a Villa shirt again.

In his first spell at Villa Park when he spent a season on loan in the Championship, the England international netted 26 goals in 40 games, as well as coming in with three assists too.

And, speaking after his goal-scoring display against Swansea, the Villa boss himself said: “Tammy is a handful and he knows better than me that he should have been walking away with the match ball tonight. But he scored the winning goal, he’s a hell of a talent. Tammy put in a hell of a shift up front on his own and proved he is a fine player.”

Having already completed deals for both Emi Buendia and Ashley Young, this latest news that Villa are in “advanced talks” for Abraham will be music to the ears of Smith who will no doubt setting his sights on earning a top-ten finish in the Premier League next season.

The fact that the club are being so aggressive in the transfer market bodes well for Smith and Villa, and it’s exactly why the manager will be delighted if he does get Abraham.

Meanwhile, Matt Maher has dropped a major Aston Villa transfer update…

According to Calciomercato.it, there has been another development in Tottenham Hotspur’s chase to sign Juventus forward Dejan Kulusevski in January.

The Lowdown: Kulusevski on the radar…

Tottenham transfer chief Fabio Paratici and manager Antonio Conte have seemingly been targeting a move for the Sweden international for quite some time.

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Indeed, there have been rumours of contact for the 21-year-old and a report from La Gazzetta dello Sport on Wednesday indicates that Paratici could indeed bring him to north London next month.

This comes amid the winger’s lack of game time in Turin as The Old Lady reportedly contemplate a sale.

The Latest: Spurs could table bid…

According to Calciomercato.it, a promising update has emerged involving Kulusevski and Spurs as the Lilywhites enter pole position to sign him in the winter window.

As well as this, it is believed that Tottenham ‘could put an offer of €35 million (£29.4m) on the plate’ for his signature, an amount which would make Juve ‘falter’.

The Verdict: Promising claim…

If Juventus are willing to sell for £29.3m, with Spurs favourites to sign the Swede, this truly comes as an exciting claim.

Still very young at 21 and already proven in the Italian top flight, his best season with former club Parma showcases exactly what he can do when given the opportunity.

Bagging 10 goals and eight assists in 33 Serie A starts over 2019/2020 for his ex-team, Kulusevski also averaged an impressive 2.2 key passes per 90 in the final third over that campaign – more than any Spurs man has managed in the Premier League this season (WhoScored).

Called an ‘excellent player’ by none other than footballing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, he very well could be a brilliant addition to Conte’s side.

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Statement’…Tottenham pundit thrilled as Paratici eyes ‘big signing’, find out more here.

According to Spanish source Estadio Deportivo (via Sport Witness), West Ham United may have discovered the price required to sign Sevilla forward Lucas Ocampos. 

The lowdown: Ocampos a wanted man

The 27-year-old has previously been linked with a move to Liverpool and Leeds United, having impressed in Spain following a €15m (£12.5m) switch from Marseille in 2019 (Goal).

A recent report from Calciomercato claimed that the Hammers, along with Wolves, are interested in the Argentine winger ahead of the summer transfer window.

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A fresh update from elsewhere in Spain has informed Premier League suitors of the potential fee required to land the 27-year-old…

The latest: GSB eyeing lucrative swoop for Ocampos

As per Estadio Deportivo, as translated by Sport Witness, Sevilla are ‘about to close’ an extension on the Argentina international’s contract to extend his stay for a further year until 2025.

The report claimed that the new deal for the 10-cap forward will include a release clause of €80m (£66m).

Furthermore, despite the mention of West Ham and GSB specifically holding Ocampos as a ‘favourite’ to bolster the attack at the London Stadium, any summer exit is regarded as ‘unfeasible’ under the new terms.

The verdict: Sign him at all costs

Equally adept on either wing, the skilful Argentine – who has been described as ‘electric’ by football journalist Fede Praml – would provide an alternative to Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen and therefore would be a smart piece of business from West Ham, even at the mooted price point.

If the Irons are to continue their improvement, adding players of this calibre to their ranks is a must; and with mooted admiration from GSB, the board should be willing to sanction the fee and allow recruitment chief Rob Newman to pursue a possible deal.

So far this season, Ocampos – who has previously likened himself to Cristiano Ronaldo – has scored eight times and provided four assists in 35 appearances across all competitions this term. With only three West Ham players finding the net more regularly in 2021/22, adding a player of his potency seems a no-brainer for GSB and co.

In other news: Italian source delivers update on West Ham transfer hunt; find out more here

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit Paddy Kenny has been left thrilled by West Ham United as they allegedly eye a move for Torino striker Andrea Belotti.

The Lowdown: Hammers targeting Belotti…

As new recruitment chief Rob Newman arrives at Rush Green, one of his first major tasks will be the signing of a new back-up striker to support Michail Antonio.

West Ham have been in fine goalscoring form so far this season but one serious injury to the Jamaica international could spell real trouble if manager David Moyes isn’t careful.

As such, the club and Newman have been linked with signing a striker, with one target being Torino star Belotti.

As per reports from WestHamFans.org and The Daily Express, the Italy international is on West Ham’s radar amid his tenuous contract situation at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino.

The Latest: Kenny thrilled…

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League goalkeeper Kenny has heaped praise on both the player and West Ham – insisting Belotti would be a ‘bargain’ at £15 million, as some reports suggest.

“He’s got a goal nearly every other game for Torino and quite a few Italy caps,” he explained.

“He’s 27, so he’s a good age for a striker. He isn’t very big and he’d be a different striker to Antonio at West Ham.

“At £15m? That sounds like a bargain. I don’t see why he wouldn’t want to go to a team like West Ham too.

“He knows where the back of the net is. That’s an incredible record. It could potentially be a very, very good signing for them.

“In this day and age, £15m is pennies, not a big gamble at all. He’d give them something different up front and that can only be a good thing.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

Belotti comes as, by far, West Ham’s most fruitful option in our opinion.

A proven goalscorer with 151 senior strikes across a career spanning over 10 years, the fact he is Torino captain could also point to leadership qualities and the kind of attitude which could bonus Moyes’ dressing room.

If the club can secure him in January, or even on a free deal next year, Belotti may well come as a brilliant capture.

In other news: ‘Disgrace’, ‘Get him gone’…West Ham fans slaughter ‘painful player’ after ‘shocking’ Genk display, find out more here.

An injury expert has now dropped an Everton claim on Yerry Mina before the Toffees take on Manchester United at home in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime.

The Lowdown: Couple weeks away

As quoted by The Liverpool Echo last Friday, Frank Lampard revealed that Mina will be back within the ‘next couple of weeks’.

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The Colombia international has since missed defeats to West Ham United and Burnley in the top flight respectively, with the Merseyside club now sweating on his fitness ahead of their match against the Red Devils at Goodison Park.

The Latest: Leicester targeted

Speaking to Football Insider, Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in both medicine and data analysis, has claimed that the Toffees will now be targeting a return for Mina at home to Leicester City on April 20th, believing throwing him in this Saturday would be a ‘massive gamble’:

“You’re in a very time-crunched environment, particularly when you’re a key player.

“We know the impact that Yerry Mina has on that Everton team.

“When you’re looking at recent performances and how close they are to the relegation zone, Lampard will want him back.

“But you want him back not just for one game but for the remaining fixtures.

“I wouldn’t expect him to be back for the United game, but the Leicester game should give him plenty of opportunities to build that fitness.

“That’s the game they’ll be looking to target.

“To throw him in before that would be a massive gamble, especially given that he has a bit of chequered past with regards to muscle injuries.“

The Verdict: Too early

Throwing him in against United would likely be too early for Mina.

He will need more time to properly recover, especially given the fact that he has been out since February.

However, these are desperate times for the Blues now, and their other central defenders need to step up in his absence.

Ben Godfrey in particular was criticised for his performance in their most recent 3-2 loss away at Burnley, and so Frank Lampard will now be looking for a reaction from his team against United.

In other news, find out who EFC are now ‘first in line’ to sign here!

Leeds United winger Raphinha has been praised for his call to be substituted against West Ham United last weekend by injury expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Injury setback

Raphinha has started the 2021/22 campaign in sizzling form with three Premier League goals in six games, half of the tally from his debut top-flight season in England already.

The Brazilian winger picked up a hip injury in the 1-1 draw at Newcastle United two weeks ago and was a doubt for the defeat to David Moyes’ side last Saturday, but he lasted 70 minutes and opened the scoring with a brilliant left-footed strike.

Following the game, Bielsa claimed that the 24-year-old made it known it was becoming difficult to continue and the Leeds manager duly replaced him with Tyler Roberts.

The Latest: Right call

Speaking to Football Insider, injury expert Dinnery has insisted that Raphinha made the right decision to alert the Leeds backroom staff that he wasn’t right to continue.

He said of the White winger: “It’s the right thing to do, absolutely. If you aren’t feeling 100 per cent, do you push on and risk potentially suffering a more serious setback?

“Or do you do the sensible thing and flag that to the medical team and ask to be removed.

“We know Raphinha had problems going into the Newcastle game. There were question marks about whether he would be involved at all.

“He had missed large parts of training due to what Marcelo Bielsa referred to as a ‘hip issue’.

“if he isn’t getting those sessions in on the training pitch, fatigue could be a factor.”

The Verdict: Important for Leeds

With Leeds in the relegation zone in the Premier League and one of five teams without a win in the top flight, having Raphinha fit will be vital for their upcoming games against Watford, Southampton and Wolves.

Last season, the winger created 12 big chances and completed 21.1 passes (72%) and 1.9 dribbles per game in his first season in England (Sofascore), highlighting the importance of his contribution and availability to Bielsa.

If Leeds are to exit their current rut, they will need Raphinha to keep hitting the heights that he has done so far at Elland Road. Dinnery is right to praise the 24-year-old for admitting that he had to come off last week, as playing on could have further aggravated the injury and possibly being ruled out for a lengthy spell.

In other news: Dinnery made a less than encouraging claim about one of Raphinha’s Elland Road team-mates

Former Premier League footballer Dean Windass believes that Harvey Elliott is so talented and will be at Liverpool for a long time.

Elliott joined the Reds in 2019 after his youth contract at Fulham expired. Last season Elliott headed out on loan to Blackburn Rovers in the Championship and was in good form, scoring seven goals and providing a further 12 in all competitions.

The 18-year-old featured for Blackburn off either wing and after a good season has returned to Liverpool and has been part of the club’s first-team pre-season fixtures, featuring most recently in the club’s 1-1 draw with Athletic Club where he played 84 minutes.

Windass was full of praise for the youngster, telling Football FanCast: “I think the lad’s so talented and listen, at the end of the day I’ve always said when you play with good players you become a better player yourself. 

“He will be at Liverpool for a long, long time, they won’t want to sell him, they will want to develop him, they’ll want to monitor him, they’ll want to get as many games under his belt as they can.”

Elliott signed a new long-term contract this summer with Liverpool, with manager Jurgen Klopp telling the Metro: “We have obviously a new midfielder in our squad with Harvey Elliott.”

Liverpool got their Premier League campaign underway today when they travelled to Carrow Road to take on Norwich City, and will be hoping to improve on last season’s third-placed finish in their title defence campaign.

An injury update has emerged on Rangers beast Ryan Jack, ahead of their semi-final clash with Hibernian on Sunday.

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports, the Gers could be tempted to hand the midfielder his first start after returning from his long-term injury.

The report claims that he is now ‘fit-again’ after coming off the bench against Ross County on the other side of the international break.

Delighted

Rangers fans will surely be delighted with this news as Jack could now be a viable option to start in the coming weeks and months. Whilst he may not immediately come into the XI against Hibernian, it is exciting for supporters to know that he can if needed as he has the potential to be a key player for the club.

He showed his class last season with a string of impressive performances in the middle of the park, and thus, it could be a big boost for Gio van Bronckhorst to have him fully fit.

The Dutchman officially starts his job on Monday and he will be able to make his own assessment of Jack on the training pitch during the week, instead of having to manage his injury situation with the physios.

Back in 2019, ex-Gers boss Steven Gerrard heaped praise on Jack for setting an example with his application in training and in matches. He said:

“Ryan is an example for the rest of the squad because he never drops his standards, whether it’s a training session or a game.

“He knits everything together, he drives the team on, he demands from everyone else around him.”

Last season, he averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.14 as he impressed in the midfield. He completed 90% of his passes and made 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game as he controlled games and remained consistent, as shown by his average score.

This shows that van Bronckhorst has been handed a big boost with the midfielder returning to fitness in time for his arrival at the club. If he can reproduce his form from the 2020/21 campaign then he could be an excellent option for the ex-Feyenoord coach to call upon, which is why fans will undoubtedly be delighted with this update on his injury situation.

It will now be interesting to see how long it takes for him to make his first start and whether or not van Bronckhorst takes a liking to his style of play.

AND in other news, Rangers must unleash £15k-p/w “threat” for Gio vs Hibs, he’s a game-changer…

Newcastle United are reportedly now in pole position to sign Aaron Ramsey in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Midfielders wanted

Given that the St. James’ Park faithful have been linked recently with moves for the likes of Axel Witsel, Seko Fofana and Philippe Coutinho, it is clear that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium are looking to bring in midfield players for Eddie Howe.

The squad needs a boost in quality to give them the best chance of surviving come the end of the season, and the new riches should at least be able to attract some decent players to the North East to help them in their current predicament.

The Latest: Ramsey eyed

As per Juve Live, the Tyneside outfit are now in pole position to sign Ramsey in January, as Juventus ‘insist’ that he returns to the Premier League.

The Old Lady wants to sign Denis Zakaria from Borussia Monchengladbach, and so if they are able to snap him up, they would then allow Ramsey to leave.

The Verdict: Howe masterclass?

Howe has already revealed how he wants his team to play, a progressive style with a philosophy of having good technicians who can play long and short passes (The Athletic), and Ramsey would fit his style perfectly.

Welsh footballing legend Ian Rush claimed that Howe ‘would love’ Ramsey in his side, and that he would ‘fit his style down to a tee’ (The Chronicle).

A true maestro capable of goals and assists from the middle of the park, he has already shown what he can do in the Premier League, notching up 40 strikes and 51 assists in 262 games across 11 consecutive seasons (Transfermarkt).

Wales teammate Joe Allen claims that Ramsey can still be ‘world-class’ on his day, and if he is up for a move to the Magpies, he can shine the top flight alight once more.

In other news, find out who NUFC are ‘on the prowl’ to sign here!

An update has emerged on Southampton striker Danny Ings, regarding Tottenham’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Dean Jones of Eurosport, Tottenham are preparing to make their opening offer for Southampton number nine Danny Ings.

Spurs are said to have made him a priority target and are now on the cusp of submitting their first bid for his services. However, they are planning to offer below Southampton’s £20m valuation before negotiating with them further.

Fans would be livid

Martin Semmens must avoid a Southampton nightmare by rejecting Tottenham’s offer for Ings. He cannot allow the club’s star forward to leave the club, especially for a fee that is said to be below the £20m valuation set by the Saints this summer.

Speaking of which, the £20m fee mentioned in this report is a concerning one.

Southampton reportedly paid £20m to sign Ings on a permanent deal from Liverpool and has been prolific over the past two seasons. He has scored 34 goals since the start of the 2019/20 campaign, which shows that he can find the back of the net consistently at Premier League level – a rare commodity.

Therefore, his value should have increased because he has proven himself at the top level.

His contract is up at the end of next season, but the cost of being relegated far exceeds the £20m loss Southampton would seemingly take if they allow him to leave on a free transfer.

A report in 2018 explained that relegation can cost a club at least £50m, which emphasises the point that £20m is too cheap to sell your best goalscorer. Losing his goals could increase the chances of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side going down, simply because the fewer goals you score the fewer points you are likely to rack up.

Former Premier League forward Clinton Morrison once called Ings “first-class” and compared him to Spurs legend Robbie Keane.

He said:

“Yes, I would say Danny Ings is top-four quality, most definitely. The season he’s had at Southampton, if you put him in one of the teams at the top four, he’d easily score goals like that.

“I used to play with a striker who used to play like Danny Ings – Robbie Keane.

“I look at the way Ings plays at the moment, his movement is first class and I used to say to Robbie Keane, ‘how do you get in behind defenders when you’re not rapid?’ His movement was first-class and Danny Ings is like that.”

So, why should Southampton sell a player who is top-four quality and has proven that with his goal record for £20m, let alone under £20m?

Semmens must avoid making a major error with Ings this summer by either upping his price tag or doing everything he can to keep hold of the England international.

AND in other news, Semmens could find Mane 2.0 in £35m “exceptional talent”, Saints fans would adore him…