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Ben Jacobs has now dropped some Newcastle United transfer news involving Ousmane Dembele.

The Lowdown: Contract stalemate

There is still a stalemate between Dembele and FC Barcelona over a new deal, with manager Xavi recently claiming that he needs to renew his deal or look to leave in the January transfer window.

The winger is out of contract in the summer, and has recently released a statement claiming that talks are ‘ongoing’ over a potential new deal, should demands be met.

Nonetheless, with the days ticking by and Barca more likely to want to sell so long as the new contract is not signed, it may present an opportunity for the St. James’ Park faithful to pounce.

The Latest: Dembele offer?

As per CBS Sports journalist Jacobs, the North East club have not put forward an official offer for Dembele as of yet, but they have been ‘considering’ signing him since November:

“I am told neither Newcastle or Manchester United have tabled an official offer yet.

“Xavi wants an answer on Dembele’s renewal (which would force him to take a wage cut) this week to allow time for a possible January transfer.”

The Verdict: Potential bargain

If the Magpies can persuade Dembele to come to Tyneside, then it could turn out to be a potential bargain, thanks to his contract situation.

He should be available for a cut price with just six months left, or they could even sign him up on a pre-contract agreement for free, although the latter would be risky given uncertainty over their Premier League status at the end of the season.

Described as ‘unplayable’ at times by Rio Ferdinand, the Frenchman will want to prove why Barca spent so much money to get him from Borussia Dortmund back in 2017, and it’s fair to say the Toon Army have an appreciation for skilful French wingers.

It is hard to forget that he is still only 24 years of age, having had so much promise so young, as former teammate Lionel Messi even went as far as to call his ability ‘frightening’ back when he was at the Nou Camp.

Nonetheless, Dembele has a point to prove, and Eddie Howe’s team could reap the benefits from it.

In other news, find out the latest on NUFC’s move for this Premier League ‘diamond’ here!

Everton have suffered a potentially significant blow in their pursuit of Porto forward Luis Diaz after they were priced out of a transfer.

What’s the story?

The Toffees were heavily linked with the 24-year-old over the summer, and it was claimed that they wanted to sign him as part of a deal which would have seen James Rodriguez move in the opposite direction and return to the Estadio Dragao.

However, no agreement was ever reached, and Rodriguez ended up joining Qatari side Al-Rayyan after being deemed surplus to requirements by new Everton manager Rafael Benitez.

A Bola (via Sport Witness) are now claiming that Porto’s hierarchy are determined to receive a record-breaking fee for Diaz, eclipsing the €50m (£42.2m) they collected from Real Madrid for Eder Militao.

That fee is currently out of Everton’s reach due to their financial restraints, while Newcastle United, the other potential suitors for Diaz’s signature, would have no problem splashing out such a sum.

Benitez will be gutted

News that the Blues will no longer be able to compete for Diaz’s signature will leave Benitez feeling gutted, given the quality of the Colombia international.

The creative talent played a pivotal part in the Dragons’ domestic double in 2019/20 and has taken his game to new heights in the opening weeks of the current campaign, bagging a remarkable 11 goals in 16 appearances.

After firing Sergio Conceicao’s charges to a crucial Champions League victory over AC Milan in October, Diaz was showered with praise by his teammate Sergio Oliveira, who said: “I don’t have to answer, we know his qualities, apart from the human level he is also extraordinary on a technical level. The best for him will also be the best for us as a team.”

His impressive performances at club level have earned Diaz 30 caps for his country, and the youngster featured heavily for his nation in last summer’s Copa America, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with four goals.

Therefore, Benitez will be hugely disappointed that the 24-year-old won’t be pulling on an Everton shirt any time soon.

Injuries to Richarlison have forced the Spaniard to field the struggling Alex Iwobi and inexperienced Anthony Gordon on several occasions this season, hampering the Merseyside outfit’s progress.

Whether Marcel Brands is able and willing to dip into the market over the winter in order to strengthen Benitez’s forward line remains to be seen, but attacking reinforcement are certainly needed at Everton.

In other news… Brands could find Rafa’s next Pablo Aimar at Everton in “very clever” £22.5m-rated ace 

Wolves transfer target Donny van de Beek plans to leave Manchester United in January if he is not granted more chances in the coming weeks, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Van de Beek linked with Wolves move

The Dutchman joined United with a big reputation in September 2020, having starred for Ajax in 2018/19 as they nearly reached the Champions League final.

Van de Beek has had a torrid time of things at Old Trafford, however, starting just four Premier League matches in his entire spell there.

The 24-year-old has been linked with a January move to Wolves and now another key update has emerged regarding his future.

The Latest: Romano gives fresh update

Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Romano confirmed that the Netherlands international is planning to leave United in January unless something drastically changes in terms of playing time:

‘The plan is still to leave Man Utd in January if he’s not gonna be involved in Solskjær team in the next weeks.”

The Verdict: Ideal for all parties

Van de Beek has shown that he is a quality footballer for Ajax – he scored 41 goals and registered 34 assists for the Eredivisie giants and been hailed as ‘perfect’ by Owen Hargreaves – it is sad to see him rotting at United and failing to reach his potential.

Wolves could offer him the perfect way out, with Bruno Lage perhaps promising him a key role and the Dutchman giving the Wanderers’ midfield an injection of attacking quality and end product.

If a deal could be struck it would be a big boost for Wolves in the second half of the season, as they look to secure a top-half finish.

In other news, a journalist has provided an update on Wolves’ pursuit of one player. Find out who it is here.

West Ham United are set to explore the possibility of signing Nottingham Forest defender Joe Worrall as manager David Moyes looks to strengthen his options at the back.

What’s the story?

According to club insider ExWHUemployee (as relayed by HammersNews), the east London outfit have identified the 24-year-old as a possible solution to their injury crisis at the heart of defence.

Speaking on the latest episode of The West Ham Way podcast, he said: “Joe Worrall of Nottingham Forest, a centre-back, he could be someone who we explore with the injury situation at the moment.”

West Ham fans will surely be buzzing

With first-choice centre-back Angelo Ogbonna ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with an ACL injury and Kurt Zouma also set for an extended spell on the sidelines, the January transfer window could prove pivotal for the Hammers.

Moyes’ charges are currently pushing for a Champions League qualification spot, have advanced to the knockout stages of the Europa League and are in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Therefore, further reinforcements will be needed over the winter if West Ham are to continue fighting on multiple fronts, meaning the club’s supporters will be buzzing to learn of the hierarchy’s interest in Worrall.

After rising through the ranks of his boyhood club, the Forest ace departed his hometown on multiple loan deals in order to experience regular first-team football, including a 12-month stint with Rangers throughout 2018/19.

The powerful defender made 32 appearances for the Scottish giants as they finished in second place in the top-flight table, and his eye-catching performances earned the praise of several impressed onlookers.

Following Worrall’s only goal for the Gers against Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup, his former manager Steven Gerrard showered the 6 foot 4 monster with praise.

“I thought Joe Worrall was outstanding. What a big goal to keep his team in the cup,” he told The Scottish Sun (via Nottinghamshire Live). “It was a Man of the Match performance, and he will be a captain of whatever team he plays for. He is a leader, and he stepped up today.”

And the ex-England Under-21 international has gone from strength to strength ever since.

As per Whoscored, Worrall has averaged 2.5 interceptions throughout his 17 Championship outings this season, a whopping 3.6 clearances and 1.1 blocks, placing him in the top two for each metric when compared to his teammates.

Despite the youngster having no Premier League experience, he could prove to be an extremely astute piece of business from West Ham, who have already plucked Jarrod Bowen and Said Benrahma from the second tier with great success.

And, in other news…Newman could seal dream West Ham deal with “outstanding” £21m “superstar”

Fans of Crystal Palace have been reacting to a post on Twitter, which relayed the pre-match comments of Roy Hodgson regarding the fitness of Jeffrey Schlupp and Connor Wickham.

So far this season, Schlupp has featured in 15 league games for Palace, scoring two goals and providing one assist. However, after picking up a hamstring injury in the club’s 2-0 victory over Sheffield United at the start of January, the midfielder has missed the club’s last nine Premier League fixtures.

Meanwhile, Wickham is yet to feature for the Eagles this term due to injury, with the centre-forward’s last Premier League appearance for the South London side coming back in January of 2020.

However, speaking in his pre-match press conference prior to the Manchester United fixture on Wednesday evening, Hodgson confirmed that both long-term absentees will be available for selection for the visit of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

He said: “While we’re talking about positive news, I’m happy that Jeff Schlupp and Connor Wickham have recovered and will be available for me too. With Jeff and Connor, they will be available even for tomorrow evening.”

Although, after Crystal Palace relayed the 73-year-old’s comments on Twitter, many fans of the club appeared far from happy with the manger’s update.

So, what exactly did these Crystal Palace fans have to say in reaction to Roy Hodgson’s pre-match comments?

“The highly talented and creative Eze benched for the remainder of the season in favour of the one dimensional, hopeless Schlupp incoming.”

@MDJones82

“I’ll play for free over Wickham, pls I’m on my knees.”

@SellyMenace

“Eze dropped.”

@wayneoG

“Schlupp replacing Eze, you heard it here first.”

@MarcWilliams22

“Can you ask Roy why Benteke played 90 mins against Fulham when he offered nothing?”

@buddhazron

“Hope Connor has moved to a bungalow.”

@JackkBarton

In other news, many Palace fans reacted to these Hodgson comments – find out more here!

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson has urged Marcelo Bielsa and the club to win the race to sign Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side lost 2-0 away to West Ham on Monday night, but they still sit 11th in the Premier League, following a good season back in the top flight.

Leeds have often relied too much on the goals of Patrick Backford this season, with the striker’s tally of 13 goals in the league more than double of Jack Harrison’s total (six) in second place.

It could be that Bielsa looks to bring in more firepower this summer and Edouard could leave Celtic, with Leicester City linked with a £15million move for the 23-year-old. The French starlet’s contract runs out in the summer of 2022.

Robinson wants to see Edouard at Elland Road

Someone who believes Leeds should look to swoop in and sign Edouard is Robinson, who served at Elland Road during the 1990s and 2000s.

Speaking to MOT Leeds News, the 41-year-old said his former side should “hijack” a deal, giving Bamford extra competition and making the Whites even stronger:

“£15m for Odsonne Edouard is a really great deal. If anyone can get him for £15m it would be amazing.

“I’d love to see Leeds hijack that deal. Edouard can play as a nine and he’s strong. He’s a player who can also play behind the striker.

“If you can get him for £15m… I’d like to see Leeds hijack that deal but I think a lot of other clubs will be in for him too.

“He won’t be on Premier League wages either at Celtic. It won’t take a lot to buy out his contract.”

Transfer tavern take

Edouard has been a fantastic player for Celtic, scoring 81 goals in 161 appearances, not to mention also chipping in with 35 assists.

While some players can struggle to make the step up from the Scottish Premiership to the Premier League, the Hoops stars has all the tools to be a success in England, whether it be his pace, instincts or ruthlessness in front of goal.

In other news, Leeds are tracking a midfielder ahead of a potential summer move. Read about it here.

Despite the spirit shown by Everton in the Merseyside derby, they still ran out 2-0 losers away to Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

Andy Robertson and Divock Origi came up with the goals which eventually broke the Toffees’ resistance in the second half, and The Transfer Tavern have used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were for Everton on the day:

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/everton-news-4/” title=”Everton news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Michael Keane (6.6)

Admittedly tied with both Demarai Gray and Anthony Gordon here in terms of rating (6.6), Keane ranks in third here given that the former did not complete the full 90 minutes and the latter showed some promise going forward.

Keane made just one tackle and failed to block any shots on the Everton goal, while his 31 touches were fewer than any outfield Liverpool starter managed. He was also guilty of giving the ball away 12 times, the fifth-most out of his teammates.

Jordan Pickford (6.4)

After conceding two goals, goalkeeper Pickford was given a 6.4 overall rating.

The England international gave away possession cheaply on no fewer than 15 separate occasions from his 26 touches, and he only made two saves in total.

Mason Holgate (6.3)

With a 6.3 rating given, Holgate ranked as the Toffees’ worst player on the day.

The defender lost out on two of his duels and failed to record any interceptions or tackles, also losing possession six times from his mere 16 touches of the ball.

In other news, find out which top-flight club are now eyeing this Blues defender

David Sullivan must boost Robert Snodgrass out of West Ham United in the January transfer window amid claims the midfielder may be sold as David Moyes looks to improve his squad.

What’s the word?

According to The Telegraph, Moyes is keen to take his Hammers squad to the next level with the addition of a new forward in the winter market while looking for a back-up left-back.

Moyes is keen to avoid overloading Aaron Cresswell after losing Arthur Masuaku following knee surgery, and is likely to target the loan market in search of a suitable stand-in.

West Ham are not expected to go crazy in the January sales but will keep an ear to the ground for deals they consider to be good value, with Said Benrahma’s late summer arrival seen to have eased any pressing concerns.

Outgoings are not thought to be vast, either, with Snodgrass the sole member of the West Ham first-team to be seen as facing an uncertain immediate future after featuring for just four minutes of Premier League football so far this season.

Snodgrass made his campaign debut as a last-minute substitute in the Irons’ 3-3 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in October, before two brief cameos in the closing stages of last month’s 2-1 win at Leeds United and 1-1 draw with London rivals Crystal Palace.

Time to go

Snodgrass had been touted for an uncertain future in claret and blue in recent weeks by West Ham insider ExWHUemployee, who claimed the east London outfit may consider loan and permanent offers with his £40,000-per-week contract set to expire in the summer.

No concrete bids are believed to have fallen West Ham’s way as of yet, but a winter exit is surely a must for Sullivan to orchestrate to prevent being further bled dry by an unwanted player Moyes has struggled to find space for.

Celtic may yet revisit Snodgrass’ availability after seeing a late bid fall short in the previous window for a midfielder who former Hammers and Hoops forward Frank McAvennie lauds for being “a fighter”.

Moyes has not needed the 33-year-old’s determination thus far this season outside of the Carabao Cup, where the gritty 28-cap Scotland international was able to score twice and provide an assist in three appearances.

His potentially final goal in claret and blue came against Everton to avoid a total obliteration of his market value, with Snodgrass now seen to be worth just £3.5m as he labours into the final six months of his contract with a whimper.

AND in other news, West Ham are considering offering a 6 ft 1 brute with a “terrific range of passing” a mid-season move to the London Stadium…

Chris Hughton’s Nottingham Forest side look set to welcome Joao Carvalho back to the City Ground this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Nottinghamshire Live, who claim that Carvalho’s loan side, LaLiga2 outfit UD Almeria, look unlikely to take up their option to buy clause in the 24-year-old’s temporary contract at the club.

As such, the £3.6 million-rated man is expected to return to the Nigel Doughty Academy this summer, when Hughton will assess whether or not he feels the attacking midfielder has a future at the club.

Carvalho must go

Since arriving at Forest from Benfica in what was a club-record £13.5 million deal back in 2018, it would be fair to say that Carvalho has not quite lived up to his price tag.

So far in his career in Nottingham, the £15,000-per-week midfielder has scored just six goals over his 67 appearances for the club, meaning that each strike has cost the Garibaldi roughly £2.25 million – and that is a figure which does not take into account his rather hefty wage.

Furthermore, having been loaned out to Almeria at the beginning of this season, Carvalho has done little to suggest that he has improved during his time away from the Championship, having scored no goals and registering just three assists over his 27 LaLiga2 appearances, with this average SofaScore match rating of 6.82 only being enough to rank him as the club’s 15th-best performer in the Spanish second tier.

As such, in order to provide Hughton with funds to play with this summer, with the objective of building a team capable of securing a much more respectable league position than the one they will end the current campaign in, the 62-year-old must do all he can to rid himself of Carvalho in the upcoming window, as time very much appears to be up for the 24-year-old whom Joe Worrall once claimed has a “massive” future ahead of him.

In other news: Hughton must sanction Forest swoop for 8-goal “winner” who fans would love – opinion

Carlton Palmer has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Eddie Howe should reject the Celtic job.

The 43-year-old has been unemployed since his departure from Bournemouth following their relegation last season.

Howe hasn’t been short of job offers, though, with Newcastle and Crystal Palace both reportedly interested in him becoming their new manager.

But the former Cherries boss remains Celtic’s number one target, although the two parties don’t appear any closer to making a decision despite weeks of ongoing talks.

Howe, who’s keen on the Parkhead vacancy, remains the clear favourite to replace Neil Lennon, but his agent has revealed that he doesn’t want any job until the season finishes.

Celtic round off their campaign by hosting St Johnstone on Wednesday before travelling to Hibs four days later, with second place already guaranteed.

But despite the prospect of Champions League football next season, should the Hoops safely navigate their way through qualifying, Palmer believes that Howe should be targeting another job in England.

He told The Transfer Tavern:

“I’d be disappointed in Eddie Howe going to Celtic.

“No disrespect to the Scottish league, but you have two or three teams in it. It’s not the same as the Premier League.

“Back in the day it was different, but now, for Eddie Howe, he needs to get back in at a top Championship club that could get promotion next season, or a top Premier League side.”