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Liverpool have been reportedly interested in Raphinha for a long time, and following a recent update from Fabrizio Romano, it should give clarity to the Reds on what they need to do this summer to secure the 25-year-old’s signing.

What’s the latest?

The Italian journalist and transfer insider has revealed an update on Barcelona’s pursuit of the Leeds United winger which details the expectations that the Yorkshire club would demand from any potentially interested parties this summer.

Romano tweeted: “Not less than €55m, no payments in many years/instalments. Leeds have not changed their conditions for Raphinha’s transfer.

“Barcelona are in advanced talks with the player since February, but talks with Leeds are definitely not easy.”

Klopp’s Mane heir

There is no doubt that losing Sadio Mane will be a huge blow for Liverpool, as it is reported that he will leave Anfield this summer, but there could be a silver lining if the Reds can hijack Barcelona’s move for the Brazilian winger, for whom the Whites rejected a transfer offer of €55m (£47m) recently.

Raphinha has been a consistent attacking threat for Leeds and was integral in their survival in their Premier League relegation battle this season.

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The 25-year-old, who was dubbed “unbelievable” by his team-mate Illan Meslier, was the top scorer for Leeds this season with 11 goals, but it’s not just his penalty box potency which has attracted interest from some of the biggest clubs in world football.

As per SofaScore, Raphinha also delivered three assists and created 10 big chances this season, making 1.9 key passes and 1.5 tackles, taking 2.5 shots and winning 5.2 duels per game, demonstrating that his work ethic in the team in both offensive and defensive play is very strong.

Given the predicament in which Liverpool find themselves in with their Senegalese winger, Leeds’ Brazilian star could be the perfect replacement to offer the attacking output that the Reds will require in order to fill the void that Mane would leave if he does move on this summer.

It’s clear that the Brazilian is attracting plenty of interest and Barcelona are keen to get a deal done, so if FSG are interested in securing the signing of Raphinha this summer, they will need to act fast and offer him an attractive proposal to move to Merseyside instead.

AND in other news – “Talks will..”: Fabrizio Romano drops big transfer update, it’s bad news for Liverpool

Tottenham have made an offer for on-loan Nottingham Forest right-back Djed Spence, according to journalist Jacque Talbot.

The Lowdown: Spence enjoys outstanding season

Steve Cooper’s side enjoyed a memorable season, returning to the Premier League for the first time since 1999 after winning the Championship play-off final against Huddersfield Town last week.

There were numerous standout players for Forest throughout the campaign and Spence was undoubtedly one of them, scoring three times and registering four assists from right-back.

The 21-year-old is only on loan at Forest from Middlesbrough, though, and while the Garibaldi want to sign him permanently this summer, it may not be that straightforward.

The Latest: Spurs table offer for Spence

Taking to Twitter, Talbot claimed that Spurs have tabled an offer for Spence, with Champions League football potentially proving the key to getting him to opt for a move to north London, although Forest still retain hope of landing him permanently.

The journalist tweeted:

“Exc: Understand that Tottenham have put in an offer for Djed Spence but that Nottingham Forest are involved as well. Allure of European football will be the only thing standing in the way of Spence and Forest continuing their relationship next season.”

The Verdict: Too good to turn down?

While joining Forest and playing in the Premier League could undoubtedly be appealing to Spence, the fear is that his head could be turned by Spurs’ interest.

Champions League football would likely be a huge lure for any player, considering the magnitude of the competition, and he could even see himself as a regular for Antonio Conte’s side in the long run.

Ideally, Spence will ignore their advances and seal a permanent move to Forest, where his career has taken flight. However, it may be that Spurs end up doing enough to entice him to the capital, which would feel like a big blow given his influence at the City Ground over the past few months.

In other news, Forest are thought to be eyeing up a move for a Premier League player. Read more here

A big Newcastle United transfer claim has emerged on Renan Lodi heading into the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Journalist Jacque Talbot has revealed that the Premier League side will not have to pay €40m (£34m) in one go to sign the Brazilian full-back ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

He Tweeted: “Was told before €40million was the figure but that Newcastle’s bid for Lodi could be structured in a way that meant it wouldn’t have to be entirely the full amount up front. In January heard there was nothing in Yannick Carrasco but interesting his name keeps coming up.”

This was in response to a Tweet from Atletico Universe on the defender’s price tag: “Atlético Madrid would be willing to let Renan Lodi leave as long as the offer is not less than €40m. As for Yannick Carrasco: release clause (€70m) or nothing. €70m is an amount that is perfectly acceptable for Newcastle. [@JaviGomara @mundodeportivo]”

PIF will be delighted

PIF will be delighted with this claim as it means that they can spread the cost of the deal over the course of a number of windows.

Instead of needing to pay all of the £34m up front and taking a large chunk of their budget away, they can pay it in instalments to lower the initial cost. This could then allow them to use the money they save in this window on other targets in order to avoid going over any FFP limits.

Whilst £34m may seem like a huge signing on paper it may not be the case on the books if they are able to make several payments over time. This would be a cost-effective way of completing the deal for PIF and allow them to do more business in other areas of the squad.

Lodi would be an excellent addition to Newcastle’s team as he has an attacking threat from left-back that can make him an exciting player for the fans to watch.

In Europe’s top five leagues and European competitions over the last year, the full-back ranks in the 94th percentile for non-penalty goals per 90 and the 91st percentile for assists per 90 in his position. This shows that he excels at bursting forward from the back and is capable of both scoring and assisting goals.

Supporters can, therefore, look forward to seeing him race up and down the left flank if PIF can strike a deal for the defender.

AND in other news, Newcastle now plotting bid to sign maestro with 128 PL apps, just imagine him & Bruno…

Aston Villa are reportedly close to completing the permanent signing of loanee goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

The Lowdown: Olsen’s Villa debut

The 32-year-old made the move to the Midlands on loan in January from AS Roma and had to be extremely patient for a chance under Steven Gerrard.

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The Sweden international eventually made his debut on the final day against Manchester City, with Villa losing 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium. Olsen, who was labelled ‘monstrous’ by the Spanish press following a fine performance for his country, was assaulted following the final whistle after some City fans invaded the pitch, and there has now been an update on his long-term future.

The Latest: Permanent move for Olsen?

Sport Witness relayed a transfer update from Forza Roma after Villa signed Boubacar Kamara on a free transfer.

They claimed that Douglas Luiz could now leave Villa for Roma, adding that Olsen is ‘close to staying at Aston Villa’ for a deal worth around €3.5m (£2.97m).

The Verdict: Villa not hanging around

Philippe Coutinho’s loan has already been made permanent, Kamara has been announced and now it looks as if Olsen is set to commit his future at Villa Park as well.

Gerrard and NSWE clearly aren’t wasting any time when it comes to their transfer activity, and a full-time swoop for Olsen appears to be a shrewd one.

He may have only made one appearance for the club so far, but he has plenty of experience all across Europe and for Sweden, so the 32-year-old should be a perfect number two to Emiliano Martinez going forward.

In other news: NSWE now eyeing yet another move alongside Kamara; Villa chiefs sent to club after Gerrard approves. 

Rangers’ swashbuckling Europa League campaign came to a heart-breaking end last night as they lost to Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties in Seville.

Joe Aribo put Van Bronckhorst’s side ahead after 57 minutes only for Frankfurt to equalise 12 minutes later.

After 90 minutes followed by extra time, the scoreline stayed the same, leading to the penalty shootout which the German side conquered and ultimately won the trophy.

Despite the valiant efforts from van Bronckhorst’s players, one figure, in particular, failed to show up and deliver when it really mattered and let his manager down as a result.

Starting on the right-wing, 24-year-old Scott Wright failed to deliver the sort of performance that is required to win a top European final.

With just 24 touches of the ball and 11 passes made, the winger ended up having fewer touches than Gers goalkeeper Allan McGregor (51).

In those 24 touches, the Scotsman barely had any attacking or defensive input on the game before he was taken off by Van Bronckhorst at the 74th-minute mark to be replaced by Fashion Sakala.

From an attacking point of view, the winger failed to register even one shot at goal as well as failing to make one cross or successful dribble attempt.

In a defensive regard, as well as not making even one tackle or interception in addition to only winning 33% of the duels he was involved in, he arguably could have done more to prevent the cross coming in that led to Frankfurt’s goal.

This display ultimately earned Wright an underwhelming overall match rating of 6.5/10 from SofaScore, making him the lowest-rated Rangers player that started the game.

Sky Sports also picked up on his disappointing performance by saying that he “didn’t overly trouble the Frankfurt defence,” as well as saying that he “had to do better to stop the cross for the equaliser.”

Taking all of this into account, while the blame for the defeat should not solely be laid at Wright’s feet, everyone connected to the club would have undoubtedly been hoping that he could have had more of an impact during his time on the pitch.

With the Ibrox side now having just one more chance to get their hands on some silverware this season when they take on Hearts in the final of the Scottish Cup on Saturday, a big question will have now emerged over whether the Rangers boss decides to start Wright again or not.

In other news: Forget Aribo: “Astonishing” 93-touch Rangers gem who “eats up ground” was the standout

Eddie Howe reportedly now wants to sign Dean Henderson for Newcastle United in the summer.

The Lowdown: Henderson out of favour

The goalkeeper has largely been out of favour at Manchester United this season with just three matches played, none in the Premier League (WhoScored).

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He failed to make Gareth Southgate’s England squad for their friendly matches against Switzerland and Ivory Coast in March and will likely seek a move away from Old Trafford this summer, given that it is a World Cup year.

The Latest: Howe interest in Henderson

As per The Mirror, Newcastle have reportedly now ‘intensified’ their interest in signing Henderson, and sources from St James’ Park have revealed that Howe sees him as the ideal successor to Martin Dubravka.

The 25-year-old is currently valued at £20m and is ‘ready’ to move if he cannot secure the number one spot at Old Trafford for next season.

The Verdict: Sign him

Henderson has already showed his credentials when he gets regular playing time in the top flight, as he kept no fewer than 13 clean sheets while on loan at Sheffield United a couple of seasons ago.

His former Blades team-mate Sander Berge even went as far as to call the 6 foot 2 colossus ‘insane‘ and ‘exceptional‘, a glowing testament to how well he did at Bramall Lane.

At only 25 years of age, he is still relatively young for a goalkeeper, so he could grow into one of the best in the league under Howe’s management at Newcastle.

Incidentally, Henderson also shares the same agent as three other Magpies players, which could help to push though a move to Tyneside.

In other news, find out who NUFC are now ‘confident’ of signing this summer

Leeds United’s owners have held a meeting with Jesse Marsch and the first-team squad prior to the club’s crucial clash with Brighton on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Result needed

The Whites, who are owned by Andrea Radrizzani and the 49ers Enterprises, find themselves on the verge of relegation with just two games remaining to turn things around.

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Leeds sit in the bottom three below Burnley on goal difference, with the Clarets also having a game in hand on Marsch’s side. That makes the club’s final home game of the season against Brighton vital, with three points required ahead of a trip to Brentford on the last day.

The Latest: Meeting held

Graham Smyth of The Yorkshire Evening Post shared a story on Friday afternoon after Marsch confirmed that the owners held a meeting on Thursday with himself and the squad.

The Leeds manager stated in his pre-match press conference that everyone at the club is ‘totally unified’ ahead of the club’s final home league game of the season.

The Verdict: Make or break

A third successive home defeat could all but relegate Leeds on Sunday, should Burnley manage to beat Tottenham earlier in the day.

Therefore, you can see why Whites officials would want to try and galvanise the club days before the huge game at Elland Road by taking action into their own hands with an official meeting.

Things haven’t been made any easier with a number of key players out through injury and suspension, but hopefully, Sunday’s meeting with Brighton won’t be Leeds’ final home game in the Premier League during 2022.

In other news: Phil Hay: Orta now wants to sign ‘unbelievable’ ace even if Leeds go down; club green-light sale

Arsenal are very much a club on the up at present, with Mikel Arteta having enjoyed an incredibly successful transfer window over the summer, adding the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Fabio Vieira and Marquinhos to his first team squad, as well as moving a number of the Gunners’ deadwood onto pastures new – be that on a temporary or permanent basis.

This hard work in the off-season has seen the north London side start the 2022/23 Premier League campaign in emphatic fashion, with the Spaniard’s side currently sitting at the top of the league table – having won six and lost one of their opening seven fixtures of the season, scoring 17 goals and conceding just seven in the process.

Indeed, the £45m acquisition of Jesus looks to have been a particularly wise move by the 40-year-old manager, with the 25-year-old centre-forward having already scored four goals, registered three assists and created three big chances over his seven Premier League fixtures this season, as well as taking an average of 3.4 shots, making 1.9 key passes and completing 2.6 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the former Manchester City striker average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.34, not only ranking him as Arsenal’s second-best performer in the league but also as the joint 21st-best player in the division as a whole – a quite remarkable feat considering the Brazilian has only been at the club for a little over two months.

And, considering his devastating start to life in north London, there is one former Arsenal signing who would arguably have been the perfect addition to Jesus in Arteta’s attacking arsenal at The Emirates Stadium – Thierry Henry.

Indeed, Arsene Wenger’s £11m signing from Juventus back in August of 1999 is already a deal written into the history of the Gunners, with Henry ultimately going on to become one of the greatest forwards the Premier League has ever seen – scoring a quite astonishing 228 goals and providing 103 assists over his 376 appearances for the club.

Aside from his evident ability in the final third and desire to create opportunities for his teammates, the Frenchman’s composure in possession, his raw pace when running at defenders and his Brazilian-esque trickery on the ball are all traits that could easily be attributed to the Gunners’ current attacking star.

Furthermore, with both players being able to operate on the left-wing, a partnership of Henry and Jesus in Arsenal’s front three would have allowed Arteta to rotate the two players as and when he felt it was required – something that would wreak havoc for centre-backs and full-backs of the Gunners’ opponents.

As such, the argument that Henry’s addition would be perfect for Arteta’s current Arsenal side is an extremely easy one to make, as the 45-year-old’s undoubted ability going forwards would very much appear to be the icing on the Spaniard’s already incredibly tantalising attacking cake.

Tottenham Hotspur are back in Champions League action this evening as they kick off their Group D campaign against Marseille.

Antonio Conte’s side welcome the Ligue 1 outfit to north London looking to continue their fine start to the 2022/23 season, where the Lilywhites remain unbeaten in the Premier League.

Although the Italian is facing the difficulty of trying to strike a balance with so many fixtures coming thick and fast over the next couple of weeks – this is game four of seven in a tricky seven-week spell, so rotation could well be on his mind.

But what sort of side could the 53-year-old name under the lights at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight? Here’s what we are predicting…

Fraser Forster was signed as a backup to Hugo Lloris between the sticks but history suggests that the goalkeeping position is not one that Conte likes to switch, regardless of the competition and schedule.

Therefore, the club captain is in line to keep his place, whilst his backline could look a little different with Ben Davies surely likely to make a return to the starting XI after Clement Lenglet took his spot for his debut in the 2-1 win over Fulham on Saturday.

The Welshman may pair Eric Dier and one of Cristian Romero or Davinson Sanchez in defence. Conte could go with the latter, given the former has only just returned from injury and the Colombian has been impressive whenever called upon by the Italian.

In midfield, we could finally see a starting return for Oliver Skipp, who partners Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the engine room and would allow Rodrigo Bentancur some rest, though it would mean another substitute spot for summer signing Yves Bissouma.

Matt Doherty could replace Emerson Royal at right wing-back, whilst Ivan Perisic will surely take the place of Ryan Sessegnon on the other side.

Meanwhile, further up the pitch, Harry Kane should lead the line, alongside Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski, who was dropped for Richarlison against the Cottagers in the sixth and final change.

The £110k-per-week Sweden international, described as an “athletic phenomenon” and a “complete player” by scout Jacek Kulig, has arguably been one of Spurs’ best players in the Conte era, having racked up six goals and ten assists in just 26 outings.

Conte’s only absentee will be Lucas Moura, due to injury.

Predicted Spurs XI (3-4-3): Lloris; Davies, Dier, Sanchez; Perisic, Skipp, Hojbjerg, Doherty; Son, Kulusevski, Kane

AND in other news, Paratici could have signed a Neymar-esque gem with “stunning” late £39m Spurs move…

Wolves have been dealt a blow with the news that Manchester United and Chelsea are looking to snap up the Molineux club’s recruitment chief Matt Hobbs.

The Lowdown: Hobbs’ role at Wolves

In an era where transfer fees are often exorbitant, player recruitment is becoming an increasingly important aspect of running a football club, with everyone looking to get good value on the players that they sign.

Hobbs is a key figure at Wolves in that respect, heading the recruitment team and doing his best to ensure that the right players come in each summer in order to strengthen the squad.

The Old Gold’s business has often been astute under his watch, with Bruno Lage praising his work in the past, and his efforts clearly aren’t going unnoticed elsewhere.

The Latest: Hobbs wanted by Premier League giants

According to Football Insider, United and Chelsea are eyeing up a move for Hobbs, seeing him as someone who can enhance their respective recruitment departments.

The Wolves employee is ‘on the radar’ of both Premier League clubs, and a deal to secure his services could be finalised ‘within weeks’.

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The Verdict: Big blow for Wolves

Having a top-class recruitment chief in place is huge for any club – Michael Edwards at Liverpool is a good example of that – and Hobbs is no different.

Although he has only been in his current role since February, he has still overseen some notable business at Molineux, with more than £100m spent on summer signings Matheus Nunes, Goncaldo Guedes, Sasa Kalajdzic and Nathan Collins – the former of those being a club-record transfer for the Old Gold.

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Should Hobbs move on – he may find it hard to say no to one of the foremost clubs in the league – it is imperative that a suitable replacement comes in immediately, ensuring that Wolves can still pull off some astute business in the transfer market.