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A fresh twist has emerged on reported Newcastle transfer target Raheem Sterling regarding his thoughts on a potential move to Tyneside.

What’s the talk?

The England international has admitted that he would be open to a transfer away from Manchester City, claiming that football is the most important thing to him in life.

Sterling, who has been linked with a switch to St James’ Park, has also revealed that he has ambitions to play outside of England.

He told BBC Sport: “If there was the opportunity to go somewhere else, I would be open to it. At this moment in time, football is the most important thing to me.

“I have always had something that maybe one day I would love to play abroad and see how I meet that challenge.”

Excitement

These quotes from Sterling will surely leave Newcastle fans feeling excited, particularly following reports of the club’s interest in signing him in 2022. PIF are reportedly keen on adding a marquee addition to the squad after their takeover and the 26-year-old is one of the players they are targeting to be the poster boy of the new era on Tyneside.

Whilst the talk of a transfer to a club outside of England is not ideal, the overall message hints at a move away from Manchester City, and that could open the door for Newcastle to swoop. They could convince him to put his travel plans on hold for a few years to come and lead the Magpies into the future as part of their rebuild, potentially leaving to play in Italy, Germany or Spain further down the line.

Therefore, Sterling’s comments may leave Magpies fans hopeful that PIF could tempt him away from the Etihad Stadium in the coming months, as it has now known that he is open to leaving. Before these quotes came out, it was unclear whether or not the forward would have been interested in moving on from Pep Guardiola’s side, which could have had a big impact on Newcastle’s chances of landing him.

Over the summer, former Chelsea player and manager Frank Lampard was effusive in his praise of the former Liverpool flyer, saying: “He’s excellent, I love him as a player. He’s had a dip in form, and he’ll admit that, but what we’re seeing now is the player we’ve seen for the last three years.

“If I’m talking to a young, wannabe winger now who wants to play, he’s an example on the pitch and off the pitch. He’s had tough times, but now he’s coming through it and he looks like a man. He’s just a world-class player.”

This highlights the level of player Newcastle could be getting, with Lampard believing that Sterling is a ‘world-class’ footballer. His record of 115 goals in 302 games for Manchester City further emphasises this point and illustrates why Magpies supporters will surely be excited by the prospect of him arriving at St James’ Park.

AND in other news, Newcastle make contact with £22.5m-rated “genius”, him and ASM could be terrifying…

Former Premier League star Carlton Palmer believes that Callum Hudson-Odoi could move to Liverpool in either January or next summer.

The Chelsea winger has been linked with a potential move to the Reds, per reports in Italy, amid his struggles for minutes at Stamford Bridge.

Hudson-Odoi made just 10 starts in the league last season and has played a mere three times this term.

The 20-year-old, who can play on the right wing and the left wing, and has been capped three times by England, has previously been linked with a move to Bayern Munich but they were unable to strike an agreement.

The £100,000-a-week winger has made a total of 101 appearances for the Blues and has scored 13 goals, while registering 16 assists.

He has a contract until 2024 and is valued at £28.8m by Transfermarkt, and Palmer thinks that he will be attracted by the prospect of playing at Anfield under manager Jurgen Klopp.

He exclusively told FFC: “Of course I can see him making that move. At the end of the day, if he’s not going to play regular football at Chelsea, then he’s going to want to leave to go and play. He’s got to, for his own development, for his own career, he’s got to play. It doesn’t seem so much now that the top clubs are too fussed about selling players to other top clubs.

“You’ve seen Giroud go from Arsenal to Chelsea; some might say he was at the back-end of his career so they were happy for him to go there.

“You’ve seen Willian go from Chelsea to Arsenal, probably Chelsea didn’t see Arsenal as a threat when he went there. If a move like that came up for him, to go to Liverpool and he could play regular football then, of course, it makes sense for the player.”

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tanguy Ndomebele’s fitness has been questioned by club legend Glenn Hoddle following the home defeat to Chelsea on Sunday.

The Lowdown: First game back

It has been clear since he moved to Tottenham that the Frenchman hasn’t been an unqualified success. Apart from a handful of outstanding moments, such as his audacious goal at Sheffield United last season, the 24-year-old has largely struggled with life in N17.

Yesterday’s defeat to Chelsea was his 77th appearance for the club and his first in the Premier League under Nuno Espirito Santo after previously playing just 79 minutes of first team football this season against Rennes.

He only featured for 62 minutes, in a midfield diamond, before being replaced by Oliver Skipp, and his fitness levels have been criticised following the defeat.

The Latest: Not fit enough

Speaking to Premier League Productions [via Spurs Web] following the Chelsea game, former Spurs boss Hoddle has questioned the midfielder’s fitness as the match was ultimately won in the middle of the park after N’Golo Kante’s introduction at half-time.

Hoddle said: “The first 20 minutes of a football match, for a professional player, you should have the intensity, you should have the energy to close down and have a picture in your mind. Slowly, but surely, they got fatigued and there was too much space on the edge of the area.

“Ndombele, in the end, he has got to get himself fit to play football. He’s not fit enough, the lad. He’s got ability.”

The Verdict: Time to shine

To be fair to the £45m-valued Ndombele, Nuno opted not to include him in any of the opening four games or any of the pre-season fixtures. After a summer of wanting out of the club, the 24-year-old now must now work on his fitness and battle with Skipp for the slot next to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the middle of the park.

With the Danish international a more defensive-minded player, Spurs have lacked a creative plug within midfield in their previous two games against Crystal Palace and Chelsea.

Getting Ndombele back to his best could be on Nuno’s mind and may hint at why he has started the previous two games. He has the chance on Wednesday to gain more minutes under his belt in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash with Wolves as he hopefully improves his fitness levels in order to make a more telling contribution to the team.

In other news, Tottenham have been handed a huge boost in their pursuit of a 21-year-old striker. Find out more here.

Harry Kane could sign a new contract at Tottenham Hotspur after his summer of speculation…

What’s the word?

That’s according to football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, who delivered a fresh claim on the 28-year-old striker’s future in north London to supporters in a recent Q&A.

The 64-cap England international was linked with a move to defending Premier League champions Manchester City throughout the off-season but leading up to deadline day, any move looked dead and buried as Pep Guardiola’s side were seemingly not prepared to pay his asking price, which was in excess of £150m.

“I’d be stunned if both sides don’t look at a new contract for Kane soon. In the aftermath of his statement about staying this season, the word I had back from those around him was that a new contract was a question for the future rather than in that moment,” Gold said.

“Ultimately though Spurs still have the power as next summer Kane will still have two years left on his current deal. If he has another great season then his value will not drop and Tottenham will point to Real Madrid’s £200m bid for [Kylian] Mbappe with just nine months left of the Frenchman’s contract.”

The ever-reliable journalist then added: “As for a release clause, that’s not really Spurs’ thing. Toby Alderweireld’s one is the only example I can think of and there was some talk that that one came about because it was carried across from a previous deal.

“For Kane, he will know soon what the market is likely to hold next summer. Pep Guardiola’s comments last month about wishing the striker “all the best with his career in London” sounded like closure.”

Here to stay?

This is an update which should provide plenty of encouragement to the Spurs faithful around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season. Some may feel like Kane’s reputation has been tarnished but the player is just too crucial to this side.

For example, the £108m-rated forward directly contributed towards 54.4% of their 68 league goals scored in 2020/21, whilst he has scored at least 24 goals across all competitions in every season since 2014/15.

That’s consistency in front of goal, that’s for sure.

Kane offers plenty of other attributes, too.

Only Heung-min Son was a more creative option than the Englishman at Spurs last season and once again Kane sits atop the key passes per game (two) charts, despite only starting one of their three league games.

Gold now claims that Kane is in line for a new deal at the club, which would undoubtedly be an increase on his current £200k-per-week wages, and that could well help them in their bid to keep hold of him in the coming windows.

Spurs hold all the keys right now, so we should expect the talismanic striker to remain at the club for the foreseeable future, and that has got to leave the Lilywhites fanbase absolutely buzzing.

AND in other news, Paratici can take Spurs to next level by signing £18m-rated “animal” who silenced Son…

Sheffield United are interested in a deal to bring Matty Longstaff to Bramall Lane this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Alan Nixon, with The Sun journalist revealing on Twitter that the Blades, along with Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool and Huddersfield Town, are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the Newcastle United midfielder ahead of a potential move in the summer transfer window.

Nixon continued by suggesting that Steve Bruce would be willing to sanction the temporary departure of the 21-year-old prior to the summer market’s closure at the beginning of next week, and that the Magpies are looking for the best cash offer for the loan signing of the former England under-20 international.

In his tweet, the journalist said: “Newcastle. Want best cash offer towards Matty Longstaff wages. Sheff U Blackburn Blackpool Huddersfield among those interested.”

Longstaff could solve big Blades problem

Slavisa Jokanovic has seen his Sheffield United side get off to a disastrous start to their 2021/22 Championship campaign, having lost three and drawn one of their opening four games of the season – results which have left the Blades 23rd in the table. Therefor, it is evident that the 53-year-old is in need of further additions over what remains of the summer transfer window.

One area of the pitch where the Serbian seem to be in rather desperate need for reinforcements is central midfield, with the Blades currently having only Sander Berge, John Fleck and Oliver Norwood as senior options in the middle of the park.

As such, despite the 21-year-old not exactly boasting a great deal of first team experience – having made just 20 professional appearances so far in his Newcastle career – a move for Longstaff would nevertheless seem advisable for Jokanovic this summer.

After bursting onto the Premier League scene back in 2019/20 by scoring the winner against Manchester United on his top-flight debut, the £4.5m-rated man went on to make another eight league appearances that season, scoring one further goal and creating one big chance for his teammates.

As a result of these impressive performances, with Martin Keown even going as far as to describe the youngster as “like a Paul Scholes,” interest was reported to be high in the midfielder the following summer, with Serie A club Udinese reported to have offered Longstaff a five-year contract.

While it is true that the midfielder’s progress slowed last term as Bruce afforded the £24k-per-week man just five Premier League appearances, his signing would nevertheless still be something of a coup for Sheffield United this summer, as well as one which should certainly help to solve Jokanovic’s problems in the middle of the park.

In other news: Blades dealt transfer blow over “unbelievable” £42k-p/w beast, Jokanovic will be gutted

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that he cannot believe Arsenal let Joe Willock leave.

Since breaking into the Arsenal first-team more than three years ago, the midfielder unable to establish himself as a regular under Unai Emery or current manager Mikel Arteta.

The bulk of his 78 appearances came in the Europa League and the domestic cups, with the Gunners academy graduate failing to get a proper opportunity in the Premier League.

However, last January Willock moved out on loan to Newcastle and was given his first genuine chance to prove himself at Premier League level.

And Willock more than exceeded expectations, scoring an incredible eight goals in under 1000 minutes of league football for Steve Bruce’s side – becoming the youngest player to score in seven consecutive Premier League games in the process.

In contrast, none of Arsenal’s central midfielders managed to score more than once in the league last season, but that didn’t stop them from cashing in on Willock when Newcastle came calling once again for a permanent deal this summer.

Windass exclusively told Football FanCast:

“I just don’t get it; he’s done so well for Bruce. There’s not many teams that have midfield players that can get you goals – and Arsenal need as much help as they can get at the minute.”

Serie A expert Conor Clancy expects Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu to leave the club this summer amid intense links with Tottenham Hotspur, with CalcioMercato reporting that an agreement could be imminent.

Spurs have been heavily touted as a potential destination for the defender this summer, as the club look to strengthen Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad ahead of the new season.

The deal appeared to stall as Tomiyasu played for Japan at the Olympics but reports have suggested that the club remain confident of securing his signature.

Spurs have already strengthened their defence by signing Cristian Romero from Atalanta, while they have also brought in his former team-mate Pierluigi Gollini, as well as winger Bryan Gil from Sevilla.

Tomiyasu can play as both a centre-back and as a right-back and has been with Bologna since 2019, making 63 appearances for the club.

And Clancy, who is the editor-in-chief of Forza Italian Football, thinks now is the right time for him to depart the club and take the next step in his development.

He said: “I’m kind of expecting him to leave because even before the Spurs links came about, he was linked with Atalanta because he’d perfectly fit that bill.

“If Atalanta were looking at him as a wing-back it means he’s probably good enough to play at any club in the world because they scout really, really well in that position.

“Tomiyasu is a very, very dependable player and he’s someone who should be moving on from Bologna by now. He very, very rarely makes mistakes. Defensively and offensively he’s good.”

Frank McAvennie is expecting Celtic to sign two or three more defenders before the window slams shut, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Starfelt deal

Celtic have made three big-money signings following Ange Postecoglou’s arrival in Liel Abada, Kyogo Furuhashi and Carl Starfelt.

Starfelt, who was unveiled as the club’s new number four last week, cost Celtic £4.5m from Rubin Kazan.

All three featured for the club in the 2-1 opening weekend defeat to Hearts, and McAvennie wants more defenders to follow Starfelt through the Parkhead door.

The Latest: McAvennie’s comments

McAvennie was talking to Football Insider on the Hoops’ backline after Starfelt linked up with Celtic following his move last week.

He admitted he was ‘fed up’ with guessing on what Celtic’s board will do next in the window and labelled the club’s options in defence as ‘embarrassing’ following Kristoffer Ajer’s move to Brentford.

“They need so much more.

“They have let Kristoffer Ajer go and everyone else is nowhere near good enough. It’s embarrassing.

“The boy Starfelt has come in, is he going to be enough? I don’t know anything about him.

“We’re hoping he’s a good player and he can do it but he needs help.

“We can’t just sign him and go see that as the defence being sorted. The rest are too weak.

“He can’t do it all on his own. The warning signs were there when Michail Antonio tore them apart.

“Honestly we need another two or three defenders in before the window shuts.

“Whether the board will sanction that, who knows? I’m fed up of guessing.”

The Verdict: He’s spot on

McAvennie is spot on with what he is saying. Postecoglou had to use youngsters Stephen Welsh and Dane Murray at centre-back in their Champions League qualifier before throwing in Starfelt against Hearts, while also having just Anthony Ralston and Lee O’Connor as right-back options.

Greg Taylor has been used at left-back in all three of Postecoglou’s competitive games in charge, with Boli Bolignoli not in the squad on the weekend.

Another quality centre-back and two full-backs could prove handy to bolster the club’s options going forward, and McAvennie’s frustrations may well be shared by a lot of Celtic supporters.

In other news: Stephen McGowan drops damning three-word update on Celtic’s pursuit of Aurelio Buta. 

The London Evening Standard’s West Ham United reporter, Jack Rosser, believes that the club are aiming to strengthen in two key areas this summer, after a deal for Alphonse Areola was confirmed.

The Hammers have made just one permanent signing in this transfer window, bringing in Craig Dawson on a permanent deal after his initial loan arrival from Watford.

In terms of new signings, one has to feel that the Hammers need new blood, especially given the fact that they will be playing Europa League football this term.

A lack of movement may set alarm bells ringing amongst supporters and Rosser thinks that there are two key positions that the Irons are hopeful of strengthening: central midfield and up front.

Indeed, there is a lack of depth in both areas, with Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek the clear first-choice partnership in midfield, and Mark Noble the main back-up, while Michail Antonio is their only senior striker.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, Rosser said: “Left back is not quite the top priority but it’s somewhere, if they had the money, which this summer for most clubs is quite a big if, then they would look to do something. However, striker and central midfield are the areas they want to get sorted above anything else.”

Crystal Palace are said to be in the hunt for Midtjylland midfielder Jens Cajuste, as their summer recruitment drive intensifies [SportExpressen via Sport Witness].

Primarily a holding midfielder, the 21-year-old enjoyed a commendable season for the Danish runners-up, making 39 appearances and registering one goal and two assists in that time [Transfermarkt].

Now attracting attention from Premier League clubs, he could have choice to make on his future sooner rather than later.

The Eagles are said to have ‘concrete interest’ in the Swedish youngster, alongside Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United and Newcastle United [Sport Witness].

Furthermore, Cajuste was pulled from his current employers’ UEFA Champions League qualifying match against Celtic yesterday, with murmurings suggesting Midtjylland may not want to ‘risk anything because a big sale may be imminent’ [Sport Witness].

In light of this, no wonder loads of Crystal Palace diehards took to Twitter to express their thoughts on the latest news.

Crystal Palace fans react:

Replying to popular Crystal Palace fan outlet PALACE XTRA, here is what some fans had to say about recent reports:

“Very talented box to box midfielder, great vision, good on the ball. PL ready just yet? Maybe not but great potential. He was the second youngest player in our Euro squad, only featured once as a sub though. But he is likely to play a bigger part in the Qatar WC in 2022.”

Credit: @FIFA_hakke

“Would take him over any of the other rumoured transfer targets”

Credit: @getcomeuppance

“Yes please”

Credit: @longlivewilliam

“Jens Cajuste’s stats last season: Minutes Played: 649 Assists: 1 Key passes: 4 Chances Created: 5 Accurate passes: 166 (78%) Dribbles succeeded: 7 (78%) Blocked shots: 3 Interceptions: 9 Clearances: 8”

Credit: @cpfcgoaat

“We have more pulling power then them, if we go strong we get him, Vieira will want who he wants and he will get them.”

Credit: @Kevbartleyy

“No young midfielder will turn down working for one of the best midfielders of all time”

Credit: @cpfcharlie0

In other news, Crystal Palace fans react to an Andros Townsend update.