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Manchester City have been linked with a move for Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic recently and he could be the ideal alternative to Erling Haaland in Pep Guardiola’s side should he join this summer.

According to Corriere Dello Sport (via Sport Witness) the Serbian striker is being considered as a potential replacement for the legendary Sergio Aguero at the Etihad Stadium this summer, although the youngster is also attracting interest from the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a superb season with Fiorentina, contributing 19 goals and three assists in 32 Serie A appearances, which has helped him earn an impressive 6.87 average WhoScored rating for his performances in Italy’s top flight.

Whilst many Manchester City fans may have been hoping to see their club sign Borussia Dortmund sensation Haaland this summer, it would take a huge amount of money to prise the Norwegian away from Signal Iduna Park ahead of next season, whilst agent Mino Raiola is also sure to demand an enormous fee in any potential deal.

Therefore, Guardiola’s side should turn their attention elsewhere as they look to bring in a replacement for Aguero, and Vlahovic could be the perfect man to succeed him at the Etihad.

The former Partizan Belgrade marksman is a similar style of striker to Haaland, as he stands at 1.9m (6 foot 3) and would therefore offer Guardiola’s side an aerial threat up front, something which they have lacked at times this season.

Although there is no doubt that the Citizens have enjoyed a superb season, there have been occasions, notably in recent defeats to Leeds and Chelsea, where they have lacked a physical presence and goalscorer up front, something which Vlahovic could definitely provide.

The 21-year-old, who is currently valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt, has averaged more successful aerial duels per game (2.8) and more shots per game (2.5) than any naturally attacking Manchester City player excluding Kevin De Bruyne this season, so he could definitely add an attacking threat in Guardiola’s side next term if he comes to the Etihad.

He also believes in his own ability, suggesting in an interview earlier this season that he can get to Haaland’s level, so he looks to be a hugely worthwhile signing for the Citizens, and Txiki Begiristain should definitely consider him as an option this summer.

In other news… City can sign their ideal heir to £150k-p/w beast with “outstanding” Premier League star

Alasdair Gold has delivered the latest on Tottenham’s plans for the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

During a Q&A for football.london, he said: “I think, with the current state of the game, Paratici will certainly be looking at free transfers and more loan to buy deals. He loves the latter in particular, as we’ve already seen at Spurs. Funnily enough I’ve just started watching the Amazon All or Nothing series on Juventus last season, where you see Paratici having to work within pandemic hit financial constrictions.

“I should stress that I do think Spurs will look to spend some money, not just frees or loan deals, although it’s also worth pointing out that they’re going to have to shell out around £65m on making Romero and Kulusevski’s deals permanent. It doesn’t make much financial sense to take the latter on his second season of loan rather than making him a Spurs man this summer.”

Great news for Conte

After seeing deals for the likes of Luis Diaz and Adama Traore fall through in the January transfer window, it was no surprise to see Antonio Conte express his disappointment at the club’s work in the market.

The 52-year-old said: “Four players left in January – four important players for Tottenham. Two have arrived, so even numerically, instead of reinforcing yourself you may have, on paper, weakened.

“Then precise choices were made for many reasons, but I certainly never expected that in January four players who I still considered important would change their shirts for a thousand reasons. This shows the difficulty.”

However, the north Londoners did manage to bring in Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski, both of whom have managed to clinch a first-team place reasonably quickly, but the summer transfer window represents the big crossroads moment for both Conte and Daniel Levy.

The Italian will know that he has the fan support behind him to make strong demands of the club’s board, given that he is a marquee name in managerial terms and is a serial winner wherever he goes.

Gold’s news that Spurs will “look to spend some money” should be music to the ears of Conte, who will be keen to get this Spurs side challenging for trophies sooner rather than later.

AND in other news – Left in 2019, now worth £50m: Levy suffered shocking Spurs howler over “insane” star

West Ham United appear to have suffered a blow in their bid to bring James Tarkowski to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a recent claim made by Claret & Hugh, with the West Ham insider revealing that, despite the Burnley centre-back being one of David Moyes’ priority transfer targets in the winter market, the 29-year-old defender could end up being too expensive for the Hammers next month.

The report goes on to state that, despite the fact the England international’s current contract is set to expire at the end of the season, Sean Dyche’s side are demanding £20m in order to part with Tarkowski in January – a fee the West Ham board may be reluctant to cough up.

Moyes will be fuming

With Moyes’ first-choice centre-back pairing Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna both being sidelined for a considerable amount of time due to serious injuries, the heart of his defence is undoubtedly an area of the pitch in which the 58-year-old West Ham manager must strengthen this January if he is to have any hope of securing a top-four finish in the league this season.

And, considering just how impressive Tarkowski has been in a struggling Burnley side this season, it is easy to see why Moyes is so keen on a deal to bring the 29-year-old centre-back to the London Stadium next month.

Indeed, over his 14 Premier League appearances this term, the £19.8m-rated defender has helped his side keep two clean sheets, scored one goal and has provided his teammates with two assists, as well as making an average of 1.6 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 5.1 clearances and winning a whopping 7.4 duels per game.

These returns have seen the £50k-per-week man average a rather extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.23, ranking him not only as Burnley’s second-best performer in the top flight, but also as the joint 23rd-best player in the entirety of the division.

As such, it is clear for all to see that Tarkowski would be well worth the £20m Dyche’s side are demanding for the centre-back this winter, and why Moyes will undoubtedly be fuming that his club look as if they will not cough up for the defender next month.

In other news: GSB could land Moyes the next Ibrahimovic with WHU swoop for “incredible” £82k-p/w gem

Steven Gerrard’s Rangers face off against Hearts at Ibrox today in a huge clash at the top of the Premiership table.

A win for the home side would see them move four points clear at the top, whilst a defeat would see them drop down to second with the Jam Tarts overtaking them.

The Gers beat third-placed Hibernian 2-1 prior to the international break, as Kemar Roofe and Alfredo Morelos’ second half goals secured the three points.

How many changes will Gerrard make to the team from that victory? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make three changes to the side from the win over Hibs, with Jon McLaughlin, James Tavernier and Kemar Roofe all returning.

Firstly, we believe that McLaughlin will line up between the sticks. We published an article explaining why veteran shot-stopper Allan McGregor must be axed by Gerrard for this clash, and the former Liverpool captain could heed that advice and go with the 34-year-old today.

At right-back, captain Tavernier could return in place of Nathan Patterson. The teenage defender provided an assist against Hibernian and recorded a SofaScore rating of 7.6, which is why this is a difficult call to make. However, the experience (more than 300 appearances for Rangers) and leadership of Tavernier in a crunch game like this could be crucial for the Gers.

In midfield, Joe Aribo, Glen Kamara and John Lundstram could retain their places in the middle of the park. We published a piece detailing Steven Davis’ woes for Northern Ireland on international duty, which is why he could be watching on from the bench for today’s clash.

Finally, Roofe could come in for Scott Wright to line up on the left of the front three, with Morelos through the middle and Ianis Hagi out on the right. The former Leeds striker came off the bench and scored against Hibernian and we previously discussed why he deserves to start.

Wright and Hagi both caught the eye against Hibs and it is not an easy call on who to drop out of the pair. However, the latter created five chances in comparison to Wright’s four and that gives him the edge for this match, with the Romanian keeping his place in the side.

AND in other news, Wilson must avoid Rangers nightmare over “unique” beast compared to Yaya Toure…

Juventus scout Matteo Tognozzi is keen to talk to Celtic in regards to their search for a director of football, according to the Scottish Daily Mail (11/03, p92).

The Hoops are set for massive changes this summer both on and off the pitch, with the newly created DoF role needing to be filled, as well as finding Neil Lennon’s long-term successor in the Parkehead dugout.

Tognozzi in the race

Tognozzi, who appears to be interested in the Celtic Park position (via 67 Hail Hail), is not the only man linked.

Former Bournemouth and Huddersfield chief David Webb and Manchester City’s Loan and Pathways manager Fergal Harkin are two other names thought to be in the frame.

The Italian, who has also worked in Russia and Germany during his career, now wants to talk to Celtic officials ahead of a possible summer switch to Scotland.

Transfer Tavern take

Plenty of Celtic fans were keen for the club to bring in Tognozzi as director of football just days before Lennon’s Parkhead resignation, so they could be delighted at this latest update.

The Hoops don’t exactly have long until the summer window comes around, though, so we feel the director of football and new first-team boss will need to be in the door and settled relatively soon in order to get the best off-field rebuild results ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

In other news: A top-half Premier League boss has emerged as a candiate to replace Lennon, find out more here. 

David Moyes will be eager to receive some good news on the fitness of Pablo Fornals after the West Ham midfielder missed Sunday’s defeat to Manchester United through injury.

That’s according to football.london, who note that Fornals was a late withdrawal from the squad at Old Trafford after sustaining a minor knock.

But the Irons are unlikely to be without the Spaniard for long, with it expected that the 25-year-old should make a quick return.

Fornals’ recovery is likely to hand Moyes a triple boost after the upcoming international break, with Angelo Ogbonna and Arthur Masuaku also said to be closing in on a return to first-team action.

Fornals had started West Ham’s past three Premier League fixtures before missing the 1-0 loss to Manchester United, having been given a surprise recall against Tottenham Hotspur last month after playing just six of the previous 270 available minutes of top-flight action.

Ogbonna has been in the treatment room since the FA Cup fifth-round loss at Old Trafford at the start of February when he sustained a high ankle sprain, ruling the 32-year-old out of five league games and counting.

Masuaku, meanwhile, has been sidelined since the Red Devils’ visit to the London Stadium in December, 20 games ago, having undergone career-saving knee surgery following the 3-1 defeat in what was his 11th start in all competitions.

Speaking ahead of the weekend’s action, Moyes had said: “Angelo is doing great. He’s back in the gym regularly. He’s out of his [protective] boot and we’re expecting him to start some running on the AlterG, which is the machine that takes a bit of your bodyweight off.

“He’s coming along and I’m hoping that, maybe by the end of the international break, we might have him back on the grass in some capacity. Arthur’s trained two or three days this week with the U23s and trained with me for a couple of days now, so Arthur’s getting much closer to match fitness and all-round fitness generally.”

Moyes will be eager for good news on the potentially swift return of Fornals to action, having missed the Spaniard’s energy during Sunday’s 1-0 loss at Old Trafford.

Fornals had proven a vastly important cog in the West Ham attacking midfield line with his performances against Tottenham, Manchester City and Leeds United, while assisting Jesse Lingard’s winning goal in the London derby with Spurs.

Beyond penning his first assist in 17 Premier League games, Fornals justified his appearance against Jose Mourinho’s north Londoners as he was lively throughout the tie with a tireless persistence to his efforts, which returned more tackles (4) than his per-game average (1.2), per SofaScore.

He was the energetic star once again at Manchester City the following week, constantly driving the Hammers up the pitch and proving a handful for the runaway league leaders.

West Ham were without that presence at Manchester United on Sunday, where Moyes felt his side’s offensive moves were often “really poor” and sloppy, leading to a lack of sustained efforts to hit the Red Devils on the break.

AND in other news, West Ham in four-way Premier League battle for 13-goal striker who is “annoying to the defender”…

As Aston Villa approach their first summer transfer window under the leadership of Steven Gerrard, there is certainly excitement around Villa Park regarding the top talents that could make their way to the West Midlands this summer.

The Villans have already been linked with big-money moves for midfielders Yves Bissouma and Kalvin Philips and could well have an emphatic window.

However, it’s worth remembering that some of Villa’s recent purchases for lower sums have actually turned out to be bargains, with the £12m deal to bring centre-back Ezri Konsa from Brentford in 2019 to Villa Park now seeming a very much worthwhile deal three years on.

When the Villans bought Konsa, the defender had just finished 11th in the Championship with the Bees whilst Villa were victorious in the playoffs.

Having already worked under then-manager Dean Smith, the deal certainly made sense, although £12m seemed to be a hefty fee for a player with no Premier League experience.

Moreover, as recently as 2018, the Englishman had been playing in League One with Charlton Athletic.

According to Transfermarkt, Konsa was valued at £3.15m when swapping Griffin Park for Villa Park, making the £12m transfer fee seem colossal and heavily inflated.

However, since bringing the defender to the Second City club, Villa has seen their asset’s value appreciate drastically.

By September 2019, the 24-year-old’s value had more than doubled to £7.2m but then fell slightly to £5.85m in April 2020 due to the outbreak of the viral pandemic.

However, once Premier League survival was confirmed for Smith’s side, Konsa’s valuation rose to its then-peak point of £8.1m and has only increased since.

Labelled as “unflappable” by Mat Kendrick, the £72k-per-week Englishman is now reportedly worth £22.5m after almost three years of experience in the English top-flight under his belt, nearly double what was paid for him in 2019.

In that time, the 24-year-old has helped his side keep 23 clean sheets over 86 Premier League appearances and, this season, has averaged 44.5 touches, completed 87% of his passes and made 0.5 interceptions, 0.8 tackles and 2.6 clearances per league fixture.

Granted, Konsa nor fellow centre-back Tyrone Mings’ places in the side will be safe going into the summer with Gerrard planning a revolution at Villa Park.

However, it must be remembered that the deal to bring the Englishman to Villa Park three years ago was nothing but a bargain and shrewd business.

AND in other news: Get rid: Aston Villa must part ways with £59k-p/w lightweight who’s “hard to watch”

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey admits he is baffled by the way Crystal Palace have handled Luka Milivojevic’s breach of Covid rules during the winter break.

Reports have emerged over the past week that Milivojevic breached regulations by attending a New Year’s Eve party alongside Fulham striker Aleksandr Mitrovic.

The pair were filmed by Mitrovic’s partner at a house party in London, and the footage was shared on social media.

Several professional footballers have fallen afoul of coronavirus guidelines over the festive period, including Tottenham Hotspur trio Erik Lamela, Giovanni Lo Celso and Sergio Reguilon, who were spotted together with West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini attending a party over the Christmas period.

Whilst Roy Hodgson criticised the club captain, he defended his decision to hand him the armband against Sheffield United last Saturday.

“We condemn it, we certainly apologise for it,” said Hodgson.

“I’m certain Luka will as well. As far as I’m concerned, he should take responsibility for that.

“It’s an internal matter and we will deal with it, but there’s literally nothing positive I can say on the matter.”

But Howey believes he should have been dropped from the squad and slapped with a huge fine.

He told FFC:

“I don’t agree with it at all. I think he should have been taken out and hit with a huge, huge fine.

“I’m not Roy Hodgson, I’m not Jose Mourinho, that’s up to them. They’ve got to deal with it how they see fit and that’s their prerogative.

“Personally, I disagree with it. I think they should get a lot more than what they have done, because it basically shows other players, the punishment isn’t that bad.”

Milivojevic has become somewhat notorious for his bad behaviour after he was sent off for brawling with Tom Huddlestone in Palace’s FA Cup defeat to Derby County last year.

The £10m-rated 29-year-old has contributed to 32 goals in 139 games during his time at Selhurst Park but has yet to find the back of the net this season.

While we can forgive the odd scuffle here or there, his latest indiscretion should be the final straw as it’s frankly insulting to fans and key workers across the country.

If players can’t understand that this behaviour is unacceptable then it’s time they were taught a lesson in humility.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops fresh update on Wilfried Zaha’s future at Crystal Palace…

West Ham United still have a lot to play for this season but there will be some big decisions to made in the summer.

The Irons are likely to be competing in Europe next term, so David Moyes will need to bolster his playing squad with quality additions and that recruitment process could be aided by shifting out some deadwood.

Amongst the culling candidates will surely be Felipe Anderson, who has spent the season on loan at Porto and has struggled to make an impression, failing to score in nine appearances.

“I have a contract with West Ham, so next season I’ll be here and I need to do my best to be back stronger,” he told talkSPORT but given the need to find a new striker and further depth options across the squad, the £13.5m-rated winger must be on the chopping block.

His time at the London Stadium has been nothing short of a disaster.

Back in the summer of 2018, the Brazilian attacker was signed by Manuel Pellegrini for a then club-record £36m, with that rising to £42m, and he is thought to be amongst the Hammers’ highest-earners on around £85k-per-week, which is more than Michail Antonio, Tomas Soucek, and Declan Rice, as per Spotrac.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-latest-west-ham-transfer-rumours-gossip-team-injury-news-gsb-update” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

For their heavy financial investment, the East London outfit have only seen 12 goals and 12 assists from 72 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

When factoring in the total amount they have paid towards Anderson, excluding this season’s stint with the Portuguese side, then he has cost GSB around £720k per game and £4.3m per goal.

These are finances that could be better spent on that lucrative new talisman, or in bolstering Moyes’ midfield and defensive options.

Ex-Irons man Frank McAvennie has been far from pleased with his progress, too. He exclusively told Football FanCast:

“He’s got to go. Let the boy go. They bought him in and he’s a luxury player. I’ve never seen him go into a tackle, never mind win one. Talent in abundance, but he’s gone to Porto on loan, but has done the same there – just strolled about. He can’t come back to West Ham; they’ll want him off the wage bill.”

On the above evidence, GSB must get rid of their 2018 flop at all costs this summer.

AND in other news, Forget Abraham: West Ham can finally replace Haller with swoop for £26m-rated “beast”…

Plenty of Crystal Palace fans have been giving their thoughts to a transfer update regarding the Eagles and Slavia Prague attacker Abdallah Sima.

According to France Football, relayed by GFFN, Sima is in ‘advanced talks’ to make the move to Selhurst Park.

No finances are outlined in the story, but it seems as if the Eagles have a real chance of landing the Senegal international.

The 19-year-old, capable of playing on either wing or through the middle, has scored 15 goals and registered six assists for Prague this season.

Sima, valued at £9.9m, netted against Leicester City in the Europa League knockout stages, scoring four goals in the competition with Prague eventually being knocked out by Arsenal in the quarter-finals.

Palace fans react

@cpfc_xtra shared the news on Twitter on Monday evening, and, as to be expected, plenty of Palace fans were quick to interact with the post.

This is what some had to say, with one describing Sima as a ‘really good’ footballer.

“Would be insane”

Credit: @CPFCH10

“mad”

Credit: @MATTT046

“This summer might be cool”

Credit: @danofthesouth_

“This guy was insane against Leicester”

Credit: @CPjxke

“He is really good”

Credit: @dougCPFC

“Very promising”

Credit: @ReeceJMT

In other news: Roy Hodgson linked with new club, Palace fans react, find out more here.