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Newcastle United are now reportedly in talks to sign Hamza Choudhury in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Midfielders wanted

The St. James’ Park faithful are clearly looking to sign a new central midfield player, having been linked with the likes of James McCarthy, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Ross Barkley.

They could also look to try and sign Joe Willock on a permanent deal from Arsenal after his hugely successful loan spell in the North East in the 2020/21 season.

The Latest: Choudhury talks

According to transfers guru Pedro Almeida, there are currently ‘open talks’ between the Tyneside club and Leicester City over a potential move for Choudhury.

Steve Bruce’s team are prepared to offer €10m (£8.5m) to sign him from the Foxes, which is more than his current value of £6.3m (Transfermarkt).

The Verdict: Avoid

The Magpies should avoid overpaying for Choudhury while there are other options available to sign in the market.

The 23-year-old did not get much game time Brendan Rodgers’ side in the last campaign, playing in a mere ten matches in the Premier League and only completing the full 90 minutes on one occasion (Transfermarkt).

Thus, he may be short of sharpness if he made the move to the Toon, and Bruce already has the likes of Isaac Hayden, Jeff Hendrick and Jonjo Shelvey that he can call upon in his position.

Bruce and co should be going all out for Willock, not settling for lesser targets.

In other news, find out which ‘monster’ target NUFC have been predicted to lose out on here!

Southampton fans are livid after it was reported that the Saints do not want to get close to Blackburn Rovers’ valuation of striker Adam Armstrong.

Danny Ings dropped a bombshell on Southampton earlier on during this window as he turned down a four-year contract to stay at St. Mary’s Stadium which would have also made him the best paid player in the club’s history (Sky Sports). As such, Saints are in dire need of striker for next term and beyond.

They have been linked with a move for Armstrong, who netted 29 goals in 43 games in all competitions last term (Transfermarkt). However, according to The Lancashire Telegraph, the club do not want to get close to Blackburn’s asking price after having a bid of around £10m rejected for the forward.

The news was shared on Twitter by @SaintsExtra, and it attracted the frustration of the supporters – they clearly feel the board must invest in the squad if Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side want to survive in the top flight. The fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Armstrong news below

“Makes no sense, we didn’t renew Bertrand, Ings won’t accept his contract, we have offloaded some players already. Just pay the money!”

Credit: @HackedOffStuart

“#GaoOut”

Credit: @saints_josh2

“Joke club”

Credit: @PeckingOrder03

“You have GOT to be joking…”

Credit: @Ingsanity

“We’re nailed on for relegation this year”

Credit: @billytomkins8

“#GaoOut”

Credit: @sfcbilly

In other news, Southampton have also received a blow in their pursuit of this Premier League man.

The Athletic’s Adam Crafton has dropped a fresh update on Leeds United’s plans for the rest of the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

Writing initially via his official Twitter account, Crafton said: “Leeds won’t do loads this summer but still want young centre mid + closing on Bamford extension.”

And then via a piece for The Athletic, he added: “This summer, therefore, had always been intended to be a little more measured, particularly as several of last summer’s deals are spread across several years. In this summer’s market, Leeds’ spending will be more reserved but sporting director Victor Orta has now closed two deals.

“It is not expected to be the end of the business, as Leeds are also searching for a young central midfield player with the potential to develop under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa. As things stand, it is unlikely to be the Cagliari midfielder Nahitan Nandez, who has represented Uruguay at the Copa America.”

Bielsa may be frustrated

Having only seen Amari Miller and Junior Firpo come through the door thus far – the former will hardly be expected to make an impression on the first-team either way – Bielsa may be slightly worried at where things stand with Leeds in the transfer window.

Having seen reports for a number of months linking them with the likes of Nahitan Nandez and Rodrigo de Paul, news that Leeds want a younger central midfielder, and that it won’t be the Cagliari midfielder, will surely frustrate the Leeds boss.

The Whites could do with some more first-team quality signings in the middle of the park, both as competition for the likes of Kalvin Phillips or even to ease out someone like Mateusz Klich.

Younger signings with an eye to the future is all well and good, but Bielsa will feel that next season in the Premier League they could really make a go of finishing in a European place having finished inside the top half in their first campaign back in the top-flight.

That requires a bit more work on Orta’s part like last summer when he snapped up the likes of Robin Koch, Diego Llorente, Rodrigo and Raphinha to come straight in and boost the starting line-up.

Firpo’s arrival solves one problem at left-back, but they need a couple more at least. It’s exactly why Bielsa may be worried with this latest transfer update.

Meanwhile, Leeds could sign a dream De Paul alternative in this star…

One of the biggest priorities this summer for new Celtic manager, Ange Postecoglou, should be fixing the club’s ropey defence.

The Hoops were awful in that department last season, shipping 16 more goals than the league’s eventual winners and conceding 19 strikes throughout their Europa League group stage campaign.

Individual mistakes plagued their campaign, particularly at full-back where Jonjoe Kenny and Diego Laxalt were made to look distinctly average.

They were tormented in the Old Firm derby and it looks as though they’ve played their last matches for the Bhoys following the climax of their loan spells.

With the threat of Kristoffer Ajer heading for pastures new, it only heightens the need to improve their defence. The Norwegian colossus has been linked with Norwich and Newcastle but Bundesliga sides Bayer Leverkusen and RB Leipzig are also chasing his signature.

If he departs then it’ll leave a considerable void in the Celtic backline, one Postecoglou will need to patch quickly.

New arrival Liam Shaw is capable of playing in that position while the Hoops have also been touted with a move for one of their former employers; Erik Sviatchenko.

The Denmark international has Celtic coursing through his veins but with a lack of pace, his arrival would be met with a sense of scepticism.

There is no doubting his leadership skills; he led FC Midtjylland to the league title last term after they earned a rare appearance in the Champions League group stages.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-transfer-news-posetcoglou-ryan-delap-wyke” title= “Read the latest Celtic transfer news!”]

However, there could be better options that lie elsewhere.

One player the Bhoys may look to bring to Paradise is Ben Davies. The centre-back was on the verge of agreeing a pre-contract deal with Celtic in January but a move fell through at the 11th hour as he departed Preston North End for Liverpool instead.

It was a move that left the Glaswegian side shell-shocked as they were beaten at the last moment for his services.

Davies has had a particularly tough time since moving to Anfield. He’s not played a single minute under Jurgen Klopp, struggling with injury.

Liverpool have since signed Ibrahima Konate and will have Virgil van Dijk back before too long. With that in mind, a place in the side feels far away for Davies.

He was tipped to head to Celtic again a few months ago and that would be a sensible move for all parties.

Postecoglou needs to bolster his defensive ranks and he fits the bill for what they need.

Speaking about the £60k-per-week earner after his move to the Reds, former teammate at York, Calvin Andrew, commented: “He’s robust. He can play. He’s naturally a left-back, I would say. He has that ability on the ball, he can play and see passes. But he’s not afraid of the dirty part of the game and puts his head where it hurts; a really brave and talented young man.”

Davies proved during his time at Preston what an influence he can be in the backline. The 25-year-old won 3.1 aerial duels per match in the Championship last term, producing four interceptions a game and completing 74.1% of his passes.

Like Ajer, he is a brute in the air but is graceful in carrying possession forward.

Postecoglou must forget about Sviatchenko and bring the Liverpool defender to Glasgow instead.

AND in other news, Celtic can rectify Toney howler by signing 41-goal gem who’s like “ice in the box”…

An update has emerged regarding Wolves’ chances of signing Leicester goalkeeper Danny Ward this summer.

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Mail, Wolves have been given a boost in their pursuit of the Welsh international as they are set to appoint Wales’ goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts, who Wolves are expected to bring in to bolster their coaching department. That could improve their chances of landing the 28-year-old, with whom Roberts is currently working at the European Championship.

The report claims that Wolves are interested in a deal for Ward as they weigh up potential replacements for Portugal number one Rui Patricio. Roma are said to be keen on the Wolves shot-stopper and Ward has been identified as a player who could take his place.

Former Leicester midfielder and fellow Welshman Andy King has lavished praise on the “outstanding” shot-stopper for his performances in the European Championship this summer.

He told Sky Sports: “He’s been one of Wales’ outstanding players in this tournament. He’s been absolutely brilliant. For someone who doesn’t play football for their club week in, week out, he’s assured in everything he’s done.

“It’s not like he’s had to play his way into form or anything like that. He’s hit the ground running and has been outstanding from minute one.”

Fans would hate it

Leicester must avoid making a grave error over Ward this summer. Fans would surely hate it if the club sanctioned a sale for the goalkeeper to potentially bolster one of their Premier League rivals.

Leicester and Wolves finished fifth and 13th respectively in the table last season, but there is no telling how teams will improve or regress heading into the next campaign, and it is entirely plausible that the Foxes could be competing alongside them for European places. That is why they should not be selling any players to the Molineux outfit.

Fans would be fuming if Leicester allowed Ward to join Wolves and then his impressive performances helped them finish above the Foxes in the table, potentially stopping them from getting into Europe.

Given the 28-year-old’s recent displays for Wales, it is plausible that he could make a huge impact for Wolves. He averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 7.12 in the Euro 2020 group stages for his country as he caught the eye with a string of fine saves between the sticks.

The £22,000-per-week beast has proven that he can produce quality performances at the top level, which is also why he is a reliable backup to Kasper Schmeichel at the King Power Stadium. Whilst the Dane has not missed a minute of Premier League action for three seasons, that run will have to come to an end at some stage for the 34-year-old.

When it does, Ward should be the player Rodgers is able to call upon, and that is why Leicester need to reject Wolves’ interest in the shot-stopper in the coming weeks.

AND in other news, Leicester handed major boost in their pursuit of 86-goal gem, Rodgers will be buzzing…

Christian Pulisic drew two red cards in AC Milan's 1-0 win over eight-man Lazio, helping lead the way in a chaotic Serie A win.

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• Pulisic fantastic on right wing
• Draws two of three Lazio red cards
• Okafor scores lone goal

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Milan came out of the gates totally flat, struggling to do much of anything against a relentless Lazio press. It was one of the worst performances of the season so far for the Rossoneri, but that all shifted in the second half due to Lazio's self-inflicted mistakes.

  After earning a yellow card for dragging Pulisic down to prevent a chance on goal, Luca Pellegrini earned a second yellow moments later. Thinking the referee should have blown the play dead due to a foul on Taty Castellanos, Pellegrini allowed the ball to roll, only for Pulisic to dash onto it. Forced to bring the American down again, Pellegrini was quickly sent off, prompting chaos from protesting Lazio players, all to no avail.

  Lazio were then nearly punished by a Rafael Leao goal, only for the Portuguese star to see his finish called back due to an offside call. Milan, though, eventually found the back of the net as Noah Okafor pounced, banking a shot off Ivan Provedel's hands after two successive saves.

  Then, chaos ensued.
  Lazio totally lost their head, with both Adam Marusic and Matteo Guendouzi earning red cards after the goal. Marusic's came for dissent, while Guendouzi's decision to rip down Pulisic earned him his marching orders to headline a chaotic ending.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Any dropped points would have been tough for Milan to swallow, which makes Okafor's goal all the more important. The title race may already be gone, but Milan will need to win games like this and beg for an Inter splip up to have any chance of getting back into contention for the Scudetto. With the win, Milan remain 13 points behind Inter, having played one more game. The win does give the Rossoneri some breathing room on fourth-place Bologna, too, as they sit eight points back with a game in hand.

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  USMNT IMPACT

  Pulisic remains a key player for Milan but, in recent weeks, he's been slightly overshadowed by a resurgent Leao. There was no overshadowing him on Friday, though, as he was arguably Milan's best player.

  In addition to drawing the red cards on Pellegrini and Guendouzi, Pulisic was a menace throughout. His shot was Milan's best chance of the first half while creating three chances on the day. He ran the show on that left-hand side and was unlucky to not be the player that provided the breakthrough for Milan.

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  GOAL'S RATINGS

  Christian Pulisic (8/10):

  Fantastic throughout. Drew two red cards and created several big chances. Overall, a big performance to lead the way in a wild match.

England will assess the knee problem that saw Fran Kirby pulled from the starting lineup to face Austria, but there is good Chloe Kelly news.

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• Kirby to be assessed
• Injury ruled her out of Austria win
• Wiegman also gives Kelly update

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Having initially been down to start the friendly in Spain, Kirby's absence from the eventual 7-2 win over Austria was put down to some "irritation" with her knee suffered in the warm-up. Chloe Kelly, meanwhile, was already set to miss out due a minor training injury but has every chance of being involved for the upcoming Italy game.

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• WHAT WIEGMAN SAID

  Wiegman said: "Fran had some little irritation on her knee. In this moment, we're not going to take any risks with anyone. We just said: 'We'll take you off and assess it tomorrow.'

  "Hopefully it's just a little bit of irritation and we can move on. Chloe is doing better and we hope she will be back for Tuesday."

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kirby has featured regularly for Chelsea this season, recording four goal contributions in 14 WSL appearances, but was forced to miss last summer's World Cup after undergoing surgery on her knee, and has yet to get back to top form for the Lionesses.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR THE LIONESSES?

  The Italy friendly is scheduled for Tuesday. It remains to be seen whether Kirby will be involved, but Wiegman has alluded to Kelly being declared fit and featuring. After that, the Lionesses will wait for their next set of fixtures to be announced ahead of the April international break.

West Bromwich Albion are not considering a move to appoint Rafael Benitez at The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Telegraph, who claimed that the Spaniard has not been considered for the vacant managerial position at The Hawthorns despite the 61-year-old currently being without a job after leaving Chinese Super League side Dalian Professional back in January.

Fans will be furious

Considering just how successful Benitez has been in his long managerial career, reports that the Baggies’ hierarchy have not approached the Spaniard about taking over from Sam Allardyce this summer is somewhat baffling, and it’s a development which must be infuriating to West Brom fans.

Indeed, in addition to having won an astonishing amount of trophies, including La Liga, the Champions League, UEFA Cup, Europa League, FIFA Club World Cup, FA Cup and Coppa Italia, Benitez also has a proven track record of hauling a team out of the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League.

After dropping down to the second tier in 2016, he stuck with Newcastle United, guiding them to the Championship title at the first time of asking – winning 29, drawing seven and losing 10 games in the 2016/17 season, picking up a grand total of 94 points.

Subsequently, despite the rather stingy ownership of Mike Ashley, Benitez then went on to establish the Magpies as a solid Premier League side once again, securing a top-half finish in the club’s first season back in the top flight before a further mid-table finish in the 2018/19 campaign.

As such, exactly why West Brom are not believed to be considering a move to appoint the former Liverpool, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Chelsea and Napoli manager at The Hawthorns this summer is rather confusing. He would appear to be an excellent candidate to ensure that the Baggies return to the top table of English football as quickly as possible, as well as comfortably keeping them up in subsequent years.

In other news: West Brom handed transfer boost over “fantastic” £8m beast that’ll have fans buzzing

Soccer legend Ronaldinho recently repped NBA superstar Jayson Tatum's Boston Celtics jersey on an episode of Survivor Turkey.

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• Ronaldinho guests on Survivor Turkey
• Wears Jayson Tatum jersey
• Plays beach soccer with contestants

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  In the clip posted by the survival TV show, the Brazil legend was a guest speaking to contestants, who then proceeded to play a game of beach soccer with them. Of course, Ronaldinho wore the Celtics jersey on the sandy pitch while skilling alongside contestants!

  The ex-Barcelona man followed it with a game of soccer tennis on the beach with the group.

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• WATCH THE CLIPS

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Tatum recently met up with soon-to-be real Madrid star Endrick last December, when the duo posed for photos courtside at TD Garden. Ronaldinho, meanwhile, is thoroughly enjoying his retirement from the professional game. Last June, in another visit to Turkey, the Brazil legend scored a 120-meter long-range volley onto a boat into a river. Safe to say Turkey is treating him well!

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  WHAT NEXT FOR RONALDINHO AND TATUM?

  The Boston Celtics currently sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, with a record of 43-12 this season. Meanwhile, Ronaldinho is enjoying retirement, with his latest cameo being on the survival TV show in Turkey. Who knows where he will pop up on our screens next!

The attacker is one of the most productive forwards in the Premier League this season but did not have the patience to make it with City

Manchester City must have thought they were quids in when they sold Cole Palmer to Chelsea for £42.5 million ($53m) given they had barely used him in the first team. Palmer was the star export among a flurry of academy players to leave City last summer, banking the club £156m ($196m) within the last two years.

But as they have watched Palmer flourish in an otherwise malfunctioning Chelsea team, City might now be thinking they were short-changed when they let him leave. Palmer has racked up 12 goals and nine assists for his new club and came back to haunt his boyhood club when he starred in Chelsea's thrilling 4-4 draw with City in November.

The winger will be Chelsea's main threat again when City host the Blues on Saturday, knowing that Arsenal and Liverpool will be waiting to pounce on any mistake from Guardiola's side.

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  Always on the fringes

  Palmer left City with 41 senior appearances but the truth is he was always on the fringes of the side. He made just two Premier League starts last season, both after the title had been sewn up, and only one the year before, while he never played a minute of Champions League football.

  His starts were mostly confined to the domestic cups and he routinely delivered, scoring his first senior goal in a Carabao Cup thrashing of Wycombe Wanders before making a stunning appearance in the 4-1 win at Swindon Town in the the FA Cup in January 2022.

  It was then that Palmer exhibited his Mancunian swagger, saying of the getting his first goal in the oldest Cup competition in football: "Yeah delighted, Prem soon come." His confidence, bordering on arrogance and sounding a bit like Liam Gallagher, brought a smile to many City fans' faces.

  But his cocky demeanour probably did not chime well with Guardiola, who wants to foster a culture of humility in his squad and insists that academy graduates have to truly earn their place in the first team. Palmer played no more games that season for the senior side even though he was frequently named as a substitute.

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  Super Cup glory then exit talks

  He made further inroads into the team last season but again it was mostly in the lesser competitions and even then he started just one game in the FA Cup, only coming off the bench in the semi-final against Sheffield United when Guardiola had made wholesale changes to his line-up.

  That must have been deeply frustrating for Palmer after first getting called into Guardiola's squad in July 2020. Almost three years on, he was enjoying just a smattering of appearances, watching his fellow squad members storm to the treble.

  "Prem" did not soon come and when the new Premier League season started at Burnley, Palmer was again on the bench, despite starring and scoring in the Community Shield against Arsenal.

  Palmer was again decisive in the UEFA Super Cup, grabbing the equaliser to send the match with Sevilla to penalties, where his side prevailed. But after the game it was becoming clear that Palmer would not be staying at City for long.

  "The opinion I had is he wanted to leave, but now I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Guardiola said in Athens, just moments after hoisting another trophy. "He’s going to stay or leave, but I think a loan is not going to happen. I understand he wants to be more active than the previous season. But Riyad [Mahrez] has gone, so we have one more place there."

  Even on the night in which Palmer had stepped up and proved his worth, Guardiola seemed to be questioning his true commitment to the club.

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  At odds with Guardiola

  Palmer, though, had reasons to also doubt whether or not he would get a consistent run in the team. Riyad Mahrez had left, but two days before the Super Cup reports emerged that City were in talks to sign Jeremy Doku, putting another obstacle between Palmer and regular first team football.

  Palmer had also just helped lead England's under-21 side to the European Championship. He backed himself to succeed in the Premier League but could not guarantee he would do so at City. Who can blame him for not entertaining the prospect of yet another season on the bench?

  Guardiola again seemed to question Palmer's commitment to City ahead of their last match in November. He said: "Cole arrived and accepted some processes and then after one or two years said: ‘No, I don’t want to play here, I am not going to play.’ But I said: ‘Riyad [Mahrez] is leaving, you are going to get a chance here,’ and he said: ‘No, I am not going to play here, I want to leave,’ so I said: ‘OK, leave.' He got what he wanted. It is good for him."

  Palmer saw it differently and has since claimed he was in favour of a loan move instead. He preferred to return to City with a year of regular football under his belt and be better equipped to fight for his place in Guardiola's star-studded team.

  "My thing was to never leave City. That was not my intention. I wanted to go on loan for a year, come back and be ready for the first team. But they said I couldn't go on loan, either stay or you get sold," Palmer told in January. "So then, Chelsea rang me. I said I wanted to go to Chelsea and I'm really happy to be here. I'm very glad I made the decision to come here."

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  'Cold Palmer'

  Palmer has been a revelation at Chelsea and within his second month at the club had made more league starts than he had in three years with City. He also got that goal he craved in the Premier League, breaking his duck with a penalty at Burnley. He has since scored nine more, earning the nickname 'Cold Palmer' from his team-mate Noni Madueke. His goals have put him among the top 10 scorers in the league this season. If you add his six assists, he is among the top six players for goal contributions.

  His goal tally dwarfs every City player aside from Erling Haaland while only Phil Foden has set up more goals. The Chelsea winger has admitted he has exceeded his own expectations, even if they were pretty high in the first place. "I cant deny that. I wanted to get into the team, play and show what I can do. But to get in the team straight away and hit the ground running has surprised me to be fair," he added in his interview.

  Guardiola has not been surprised either, insisting he knew that Palmer would thrive once given regular football. "I didn't have any doubts about his quality," the City coach told a press conference before Palmer's return to the Etihad Stadium. "The way he's playing is a star player. He wanted the minutes, it was a question of time to show his immense quality. Cole Palmer is an exceptional player and a lovely lad and of course I wish him well at Chelsea."