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Crystal Palace are one of three teams lining up a bid for Ajax’s Edson Alvarez, Football Insider claim. 

The lowdown

With just over a week of the January transfer window remaining, Palace are yet to do any first-team business, in or out.

But that could change as they set their sights on Alvarez, who’s valued at £18million by Transfermarkt and has three and a half years left on his Ajax contract.

The 24-year-old is predominantly a defensive midfielder but he’s also capable of operating as a centre-back.

The latest

The report cites a ‘recruitment source’ who says that Palace have been making ‘regular checks’ on Alvarez.

They’re one of three Premier League sides in the running, along with Leicester City and Chelsea.

Ajax would like to keep him but know it will be difficult and have ‘braced’ themselves for offers.

The verdict

Alvarez, who’s played 15 Champions League games during his time in Amsterdam, looks like he’d represent a considerable upgrade on the likes of Cheikhou Kouyate and Luka Milivojevic.

He shone for the runners-up Mexico at the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup, earning a place in the Team of the Tournament.

According to WhoScored, he’s mighty in the air and also excels at passing, in addition to reading the game well.

Indeed, they rank him as one of the 10 best performers in the Eredivisie so far this season.

What’s more, talent scout Jacek Kuling has raved about him, calling him a ‘superb tackler’, ‘tenacious’ and ‘charismatic’.

If Palace can fend off the competition and persuade Ajax, it could be an excellent signing.

In other news, this man is set to leave Selhurst Park after losing his place.

As per Italian newspaper Corriere Torino, via Sport Witness, a Tottenham Hotspur transfer update has come to light involving Juventus winger Dejan Kulusevski.

The Lowdown: Tottenham in frame…

The Sweden international is said to be on the agenda of Spurs ahead of January as managing director Fabio Paratici looks to bolster Antonio Conte’s attacking options.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-updates-5/” title=”Spurs latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Both men are apparently admirers of Kulusevski with a report from TUTTOmercatoWEB explaining that they share the same ‘esteem’ and believe he is a gem with huge potential.

Other sources, like reporter Daniele Longo, even say there have already been contacts for the player ahead of January

The Latest: Spurs eye January bid…

As per CT, via Sport Witness, Tottenham and Arsenal are in contention for his signing with Kulusevski himself thought to be open to moving in search of more game time.

Is it is believed that Spurs and their bitter rivals ‘have indicated their intention to sink the blow in January in case the right conditions arise’ – presumably meaning they’re weighing a bid.

Paratici is personally the youngster’s ‘number one fan’ according to this report with Spurs’ transfer chief well and truly eyeing a move.

The Verdict: Get it done?

Lauded as an ‘explosive’ attacker by former Sweden striker Marcus Allback, the pundit also claims that Kulusevski is hard-working and tracks back to defend (The Sun) – surely an endearing quality for Spurs supporters and for Conte.

The only caveat may be his alleged €35 million (£29.6m) asking price with Juventus apparently refusing to budge on that price tag.

Amid Tottenham’s financial troubles as they also aim to sign a centre-half and in-demand striker Dusan Vlahovic, Kulusevski perhaps should be put on Paratici’s back burner.

In other news: Conte ready to axe Tottenham player as agents begin work behind the scenes, find out more here.

Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah is a priority target for Crystal Palace during the January transfer window.

That’s according to reliable reporter Alan Nixon, and, as to be expected, the update has had a number of Eagles fans talking on social media.

Palace currently have four strikers on the books at Selhurst Park, one of which is Odsonne Edouard, who was brought to the club over the summer.

Another is loanee Jean-Philippe Mateta, but it seems as if Patrick Vieira and Dougie Freedman are still keen on Nketiah following links in the summer.

The 22-year-old is into the final six months of his Emirates deal and has made just three substitute appearances in the Premier League this season. Nketiah has scored five times in three EFL Cup appearances, though.

Palace fans react

@CPFCtransfersHQ shared Nixon’s claim on social media on Monday afternoon.

This is what these Palace supporters had to say in reply, with many not keen to see a move go through and one labelling it as ‘strange’.

“Vieira is down bad for this bloke”

Credit: @CPFCAlfie

“STOP @CPFC @CEO4TAG (Steve Parish)”

Credit: @Djamel__1997

“This made sense before but seems strange now. Can’t see him getting in ahead of Eduoard, Benteke or even Mateta, unless he is (a). going to be played wide (again, we have options there) (b). He is one for the future (Benteke is 31)”

Credit: @PWhickman

“Pointless we don’t need any more strikers”

Credit: @palacecarl

“Not even lying when I say he’s worse than Mateta”

Credit: @palace__dylan

“Went on a run and came back to this, I can’t win”

Credit: @MuratajLuka

In other news: Palace source reveals ‘target man’ is attracting plenty of interest; he could leave this month. 

Manchester United’s new interim manager Ralf Rangnick has reportedly placed RB Leipzig midfielder Christopher Nkunku on his wish list for the January transfer window.

According to the Daily Express (who cite SportBild), the new Old Trafford boss is set to raid his former club for the highly-rated 24-year-old over the coming months as he looks to overhaul his first-team squad.

Nkunku becomes the third current or former Leipzig star to be linked with the Red Devils following the German’s arrival, with Amadou Haidara and Timo Werner also believed to be on their radar.

Ralf Rangnick can get Man Utd firing again

After rising through the ranks at boyhood club Paris Saint-Germain, Nkunku departed the Parc des Princes in search of regular game-time back in 2019.

Since making the €13m (£11m) switch to Leipzig, the versatile midfielder has gone from strength to strength, firmly establishing himself as one of the Bundesliga’s most promising talents.

In just 21 games in all competitions this season, Nkunku has already bagged 14 goals and provided a further nine assists, including a hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League.

Ahead of a recent European showdown with Club Brugge, his manager Jesse Marsch lauded the youngster, describing him as player who always wants to improve.

“We have spoken to Christopher a lot about playing on the counter, and also what he needs to do to play as a striker, a number 10 and on both wings,” Marsch was quoted as saying by the official RB Leipzig website.

“Christopher has no weaknesses. He is young and still wants a lot more. It’s always a good thing when a young player listens to the things we say and also wants to implement them. Working with him is a lot of fun as he is really intelligent and has a lot of potential.”

With Nkunku already familiar with the pressing style that Rangnick is expected to implement at United, the £42.3m-rated gem could be an instant hit at Old Trafford, so the German must make a move.

His arrival would certainly have the potential to get the 20-time English champions rocking again, injecting new life into their disappointing campaign to date.

In other news… Forget Ronaldo: Man Utd gem with 4 key passes was Carrick’s final Old Trafford hero

Former Scotland manager Alex McLeish has claimed that Tottenham may be planning a ‘system reboot’, following claims that Antonio Conte is receptive to offers for Tanguy Ndombele (Football Insider). 

The Lowdown: Receptive to offers for Ndombele

Since the Italian’s arrival in N17, Ndombele has played just five minutes of Premier League football. After arriving at Tottenham in the summer of 2019 for a club record fee of £54m, the Frenchman has struggled to establish himself as a key component of this Spurs side, with just six goals and four assists in 61 top-flight appearances.

Despite being under contract to the club until 2025, it is reported that Conte has made it clear to the club’s powerbrokers that they should be receptive to offers for Ndombele. This comes amid reports that Juventus are interested in singing the Frenchman in the January transfer window.

The Latest: Pundit claims system reboot is needed

Speaking to Football Insider in the wake of these reports, former Premier League manager McLeish claimed that Tottenham are right to trim the squad of inconsistent players like Ndombele.

He said: “You have to regroup as a squad at some point. For a pretty long time, there have been players who haven’t quite made the grade at Spurs, who haven’t been able to sustain themselves at the top level.

“The consistency is key. How many times have we said ‘he was great last week’ and then we don’t speak about him for 10 weeks as he isn’t playing.

“So I think there has to be a bit of a system reboot. That will mean some players have to leave and you say goodbye.“

The Verdict: Reboot necessary for top four push

Despite Ndombele being called  ‘magnificent’ by former Tottenham manager José Mourinho, it is clear that Conte does not hold a similar opinion of the midfielder; and with the 24-year-old having a current market value of £40.5m, this could be the right time to offload him. This comes as Spurs are reportedly planning ‘the biggest window in the club’s history’, with suggestions that as many as 10 transfers could be completed between incomings and outgoings.

With a bid for Champions League qualification in mind, Conte will surely not mess about when it comes to dropping players from the squad. The Italian has already called on Ndombele to ‘work much more than the others’, so if he doesn’t see results, we could see the player leave the club in January, as McLeish has seemingly hinted.

In other news: Tottenham lead transfer race for £59.5m-valued beast who’s earned Haaland comparisons

West Ham United are expected to make another move for Jesse Lingard when the transfer window reopens in January…

What’s the word?

That’s according to ever-reliable Irons insider ExWHUemployee, who delivered a fresh claim on the situation to supporters on a recent episode of his ‘The West Ham Way’ podcast.

He said:

“I believe that they’ll try and make a move for Jesse Lingard again. As we all know, he hasn’t got his chance at Manchester United and his contract is up in the summer.

“He seems to be not really valued at the club and I think he’d be interested in a move back. 

“His brother, who also acts as his agent, has made it very clear Jesse misses his time here. Also, Lingard keeps speaking positively about the club, so I feel a move would be for him.

“The only slight concern is that apparently, Newcastle have him on their radar as well.”

Get it done

West Ham’s admiration for the Manchester United midfielder is no secret, especially after a successful half-season loan spell that helped steer the east London outfit into the Europa League.

The 27-year-old dynamo scored nine goals and provided five assists in 16 appearances, via Transfermarkt, playing a crucial role in the no.10 position behind Michail Antonio. He even played a false nine in the absence of the 31-year-old at times.

And following the final game of the season, a 2-1 win over Southampton, manager David Moyes made his intentions very clear.

“I hope Jesse’s here, we’d like to keep him, he’s done an exceptional job for us but there’s no guarantees, he’s not our player,” he said, via the Evening Standard. “But I hope Jesse realises we’ve been good for him as well, and that he joined a club on the up.”The irony is the fact that the Hammers are level on points with Manchester City in fourth place, whilst the Red Devils are three points behind them in the table and before their win over Spurs, they were sitting outside the top six.Assistant manager Stuart Pearce stoked the fire once again during the summer transfer window, reiterating the club’s desire to sign him permanently.”We would like him to come and join us. That has been an open secret. He was wonderful last year,” he told talkSPORT.”The ball is in Manchester United’s court. He is contracted to them. We would like him with us, there is no doubt about that. He’s a special lad and was very good around the players – the players really like him.”Similarly, the London Stadium faithful have always been just as keen to see him return to the club, as seen by reactions relayed by Hammers.News earlier in the season.[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-the-latest-gossip-and-much-much-more-3” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and much more!”]Therefore, this latest claim from one of the most trustworthy insiders is sure to leave those around West Ham absolutely buzzing with excitement. It remains to be seen if a deal can be done but what is clear is the fact that Lingard is getting very little game time despite United’s struggles.He’d surely welcome a switch back to east London.

AND in other news, Newman could finally end West Ham’s striker hunt with “technically-gifted” £38m beast…

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa is a huge fan of John Swift…

What’s the word?

That’s according to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, who dropped the big revelation earlier this week amid the Whites’ links to the Reading playmaker.

The ever-reliable journalist was asked about Leeds’ potential plans to sign a new central midfielder during the January transfer window, in which he responded:

“I can definitely see the value in signing a centre mid in the window, partly to help this season but partly to create one less job for the summer window (which will be far more active).

“They were clearly very keen on O’Brien but I don’t know if I see Huddersfield lowering his value (particularly with him on a new contract).

“[It] was interesting to see John Swift linked over the weekend because Swift is someone Bielsa quietly admires.”

January swoop?

Indeed, the Yorkshire giants have been heavily linked with a move for the 26-year-old attacking midfielder.

Earlier this week Sheffield-based outlet The Star claimed that United had been resigned to the fact that they will not be able to compete with interest from the Premier League, with Leeds mentioned.

Despite the Royals’ league struggles this campaign, the former Chelsea graduate has been in scintillating form and ultimately, he would make for an exciting signing, especially under the tutelage of Bielsa, who is clearly an admirer.

As per Transfermarkt, Swift has scored eight goals and provided seven assists, which makes him amongst the most prolific in the division for goal contributions – only five players (all strikers) have scored more, and he ranks second overall for assists.

One Leeds Fan YouTuber Conor McGilligan recently claimed that the £3.6m-rated dynamo would be “the perfect Leeds signing” as he “has the technical ability that would sort of replicate a Pablo Hernandez, a Samuel Saiz in tight pockets.”

He is currently averaging 2.8 key passes per game in the Championship, so that certainly adds weight to that argument and those are returns that would see him rank first in the current Leeds squad.

Therefore, the claim that Bielsa admires him should leave many supporters around Elland Road absolutely buzzing with excitement heading into January.

The Argentine hasn’t been wrong with his targets too often, so if he wants Swift at the club, then he should be trusted.

AND in other news, Forget Dan James: Bielsa must now turn to 20-year-old Leeds gem who’s “impossible to handle”…

Another win, another clean sheet and another Declan Rice masterclass.

West Ham United went clear at the top of Group H in the Europa League on Thursday night with another impressive victory, defeating Belgian outfit Genk 3-0 at the London Stadium.

The Irons enjoyed the bulk of the possession and their pressure was rewarded when Craig Dawson looped a header past the visiting goalkeeper right on half-time.

They came out after the break even more rampant and notched a further two goals. This time Issa Diop headed home off the crossbar from another pinpoint Aaron Cresswell delivery, before Jarrod Bowen fired home a fine solo effort just before the hour mark.

All three goalscorers would have been worthy of the ‘Man of the Match’ award but it was Rice who dropped another performance which was off the charts.

He was withdrawn after 67 minutes, with this weekend’s London derby clash against Tottenham Hotspur in mind, and he had recorded 89 touches of the ball, which was the second-most of any Hammers player.

That only goes to show just how big of an influence he is to their success, and had he played for longer, then he would’ve undoubtedly ranked first ahead of midfield partner Tomas Soucek.

‘Once again looked a class above everyone else on the pitch, so calm on the ball and always seemed to have time to pick a pass,’ is how football.london reporter Tom Clark described his performance after the game.

Industrious as ever, the England international registered three tackles and one clearance and won four ground duels, via SofaScore.

Elsewhere, he was faultless with the ball at his feet, only losing possession six times from all those touches, and he also enjoyed an impressive 97% passing accuracy from 75 attempts – the best rate on the pitch, so that goes to show that he really was a touch above everyone else on the night.

Just over a week ago, former West Ham teammate Jack Wilshere lauded the 22-year-old as “a freak physically” and a player who “can do anything” to talkSPORT.

We saw exactly that once again.

Rice, who earns a reported £60k-per-week in east London, absolutely stole the show for Moyes on Thursday.

AND in other news, Newman could seal West Ham’s best signing since Soucek in £19.8m-rated “goal machine”…

With an impressive 43 goals scored across all competitions so far this season, it’s safe to say Liverpool have not had any issues in front of goal in recent weeks.

Especially given how they have the likes of Mohamed Salah in their squad at the moment who has managed to rack up 15 goals in 12 games so far in his latest campaign with the Merseyside club.

Having said that, it seems as though the Reds could already have their next version of Salah in the youth squad with 20-year-old right-winger Jack Bearne.

Bearne signed to Liverpool’s youth side back in April 2017 from Notts County for a fee of £153k according to Transfermarkt.

Since then, Bearne has gone on to make 25 appearances for Liverpool’s U18 side, scoring four goals and providing one assist as well as making 29 appearances for their U23 side, scoring four goals and providing three assists along the way, proving himself to be a real attacking threat with a lot of potential.

Bearne, who has been previously described as a “hero” by Reds journalist James Pearce after the winger scored a late winner in a youth match against Everton back in 2018, has only made one senior appearance for the Reds which came during their 5-0 defeat against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup back in December 2019.

Back in 2019, the club’s official website revealed that Bearne had put pen to paper on his first professional contract with the Reds.

So far this season, Bearne has made ten appearances for Liverpool’s U23 side in which he has managed to score one goal and provide one assist, whilst trying his hand at playing in the central-midfield and attacking-midfield positions as well as right-wing, showing his versatility at such a young age.

Moving forward, we feel that if Bearne can keep playing regularly for Liverpool’s U23 side and add some more goals and assists under his belt on a consistent basis, we think that he has what it takes to break into Jurgen Klopp’s side and become a star in the future based on the talent and attacking prowess he’s already shown in their youth teams.

However, taking into account the inspiring form Salah is in at the moment, it seems as though Bearne, or any other right winger across the Merseyside club, would have a hard time overtaking the Egyptian.

In other news: FSG could land LFC’s next Henderson in 18 y/o “huge talent”, fans should be excited – opinion

Joe Wainman has delivered his verdict on Leeds United’s summer business, and in particular, their failure to sign a new central midfielder.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were linked with a number of players in that position over the course of the summer transfer window, with Huddersfield Town’s Lewis O’Brien one that was continually linked.

While speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Wainman was asked why the Whites perhaps didn’t make a move for free agent Olivier Ntcham, who has since made the switch to Swansea.

In response, he said: “Bielsa won’t take players if they’re not going to get game time and if he doesn’t think they’re the right character, the right type of player. I’m forever having this conversation where people say: ‘we need bigger depth’, and we’re never going to get that under Bielsa. But what we need to do is improve the quality of the depth.

“So, like we have done with removing Costa and Poveda out of the scenario, and having Summerville and Dan James, it’s a step up. Bielsa looks at it and sees that he’s got Forshaw back on the mend, Klich, Dallas.

“Are these players that are going to come in and start over them or are they just going to sit on the bench? They’re going to sit on the bench, which is what would happen. It’s like with the Kalvin position. It’s hard to find someone who can do what Kalvin can, who’s also going to be willing to sit on the bench.

“That’s why Bielsa prefers maybe a Robin Koch who can play in centre-back and also go in there if needed.”

Fans might be worried

The club signing players for the sake of signings players would, of course, be a massive mistake, but Leeds’ failure to sign a new midfielder has left them with a real problem for the next few months before the January transfer window opens up again.

Adam Forshaw’s return from injury has bolstered Bielsa’s options somewhat, but it will be a major ask to want someone who’s been out for more than a year to hit the ground running in the Premier League, especially when the Whites have made a difficult start to the new season.

Whether it was getting Andrea Radrizzani and co to fork out that little more to sign O’Brien, or potentially accepting an alternative target would suffice, Bielsa could have, and probably should have, strengthened Leeds’ midfield in the summer.

The Whites are already seeing the impact injuries can have even in a position of strength at centre-back, but it would be almost unthinkable if the club had a similar sort of crisis in midfield.

It would be no surprise if Leeds fans are worried with Wainman’s verdict.

Meanwhile, Leeds could unearth their new Pablo Hernandez in this starlet…