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According to a Spanish outlet, Liverpool are interested in signing Real Madrid forward Marco Asensio this summer.

The Lowdown: Klopp’s high ambitions

Despite the recent arrival of Darwin Nunez, Jurgen Klopp may feel that he wants to bolster his attacking ranks even further with the imminent departure of Sadio Mane looming, and the boss will need plenty of squad depth if he wants to aim for that unprecedented quadruple again next season.

The 26-year-old Asensio still has just over 12 months remaining on his contract with the Spanish giants, but has reportedly been told that he can leave the Bernabeu, and it looks like Carlo Ancelotti’s side want to cash in now, rather than letting the winger leave as a free agent.

The Latest: Liverpool ‘main bidders’ for Asensio

In a fresh article published by Spanish newspaper Sport (via TEAMtalk), it’s claimed that Liverpool are ‘one of six’ potential suitors exploring the option of signing Asensio, with the Reds, alongside fellow Premier League rivals Arsenal, being the current ‘main bidders’ in the English top-flight.

The source further states that Madrid are seeking £51.7m for the sale of their man, but would be willing to let him go for a fee in the region of £43m if the opportunity was suitable.

The Verdict: Not a necessity

The Spaniard will no doubt find it difficult to sometimes compete with the likes of Vinicius Jnr and Eden Hazard for a place in the Real starting XI, and with just a year left on his deal, it makes sense that he’s edging close to an exit.

Asensio, who was once dubbed a “quality” player by Ancelotti, and has even been likened to Lionel Messi, managed to score ten goals within the space of 31 La Liga appearances last season, as per Transfermarkt, but his price tag will surely be too much for the Reds to afford at this moment in time.

Having just splashed out an £85m club-record fee for Nunez, Liverpool won’t be in a position where they will want to go out and spend big money on attackers unless absolutely necessary, and whilst the 29-cap international is a highly-talented and versatile forward, the front line isn’t an area of the pitch that desperately needs to be added to right now.

In other news… Spanish press believe that Liverpool have already made their move for a new midfield maestro.

Former Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has been left wowed by Newcastle United’s signing of Matt Targett.

The Lowdown: £12m fee

After paying a £3m loan fee last season, the St. James’ Park outfit have signed Targett on a permanent deal from Aston Villa for a further £12m, costing £15m in total (Sky Sports).

The left-back did not miss a single minute under Eddie Howe, except of course when they played his parent club (97.5% of polled supporters expressed their desire for him to stay.

The Latest: Kenny wowed

Speaking to Football Insider, Kenny was wowed by the news that it only cost £12m to sign Targett permanently, claiming that it is a ‘bargain’ and a ‘no brainer’:

“It’s a no brainer.

“He had a good spell there and £12million in this day and age is not a lot of money, is it?

“It gets the ball rolling on the summer business for Newcastle which is important.

“He did well when he was there and I think it’s a bargain if I’m honest.

“£12million for someone with over 100 Premier League appearances, that doesn’t happen.”

The Verdict: Ball rolling

As Kenny claims, wrapping up the deal for Targett early gets the ball rolling for the North East club for the rest of the window.

The wealthy owners will be expected to make more signings after him and strengthen in all areas of the pitch, but securing a reliable option in a previously troublesome position immediately solves one big problem.

They have recently been linked with moves for attackers Alvaro Morata and Roger Fernandes, as well as goalkeepers Yann Sommer and Nick Pope, so it will be interesting to see just how many players walk through the door on Tyneside.

In other news, find out transfer update has this NUFC podcaster buzzing here!

Gianluca Di Marzio has dropped an update on reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Alessandro Bastoni.

What’s the latest?

In a recent article posted on his own website, the Italian journalist revealed that, despite Fabio Paratici and Antonio Conte being reported to have been plotting an offer for the 23-year-old for a number of months, it is Manchester United who have now made a concrete move for the Inter Milan centre-back.

In his piece, Di Marzio wrote: “Alessandro Bastoni is very popular in the Premier League: Antonio Conte’s Tottenham have already started contact both with Inter and with the player, without, however, formulating a precise offer yet. Not only that: in the last hours also Manchester United have been moving for the 23-year-old Nerazzurri central defender.”

Conte will be fuming

Considering just how perfect a fit Bastoni appears to be for the left centre-back role in Conte’s backline, in addition to the fact that Tottenham have been plotting a move for the Italy international for a considerable amount of time, Di Marzio’s claim that Manchester United have now made a move for the defender is sure to have left the 52-year-old Spurs coach fuming.

With the signing of a new left-footed central defender reported to be the Italian’s priority target ahead of the new Premier League season, it is not difficult to understand why Paratici has identified the 23-year-old as Tottenham’s first-choice option this summer.

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Indeed, over his 31 Serie A appearances in 2021/22, the £60m-rated talent was imperious in Simone Inzaghi’s three-man defence, helping the Nerazzurri keep eight clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.1 interceptions, 1.4 tackles, 1.8 clearances and winning 4.1 duels – at a success rate of 60% – per game.

The £122k-per-week youngster also impressed in an attacking capacity, scoring one goal, registering three assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, in addition to completing an average of 50.5 passes, 4.0 long balls, 0.4 dribbles and 0.5 key passes per fixture.

These metrics saw the 14-time capped international average a rather remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him as Inter’s second-best performing defender and eighth-best player overall in the league last time out.

As such, should Paratici end up missing out on a £54m deal for Batstoni to Manchester United this summer, it would undoubtedly come as a gutting blow to Conte – not only as this would mean Tottenham will need to turn their attention in the transfer market to an alternative target, but also as the 23-year-old would be lining up for a direct rival next season.

AND in other news: Paratici could unearth Salah 2.0 as Spurs now plot bid for “dangerous” £60m sensation

Aston Villa are keen on signing Nantes left-back Quentin Merlin, according to The Sunday Mirror (05/06, p72), via Birmingham Mail.

The lowdown

Steven Gerrard has already completed four signings for the summer transfer window – Diego Carlos, Philippe Coutinho, Robin Olsen and Boubacar Kamara – but his recruitment drive shows no signs of stopping.

Indeed, The Athletic's Gregg Evans reported after the capture of Kamara that a left-back is on the agenda for the 42-year-old.

Merlin has been with Nantes since the age of 11 but only made his Ligue 1 debut this season. He would go on to start 21 of his team's top-flight matches, making seven more substitute appearances.

The 20-year-old, who can also operate as a left midfielder, is contracted to Nantes until 2026 and is valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt.

The latest

The report from The Sunday Mirror (via Birmingham Mail) claimed that Merlin grabbed Gerrard's attention during a Ligue 1 scouting mission a few weeks ago.

The Villa manager travelled to the Stade Velodrome for a match between Marseille and Nantes on 20 April, intending to watch Kamara, but Merlin reportedly impressed him too.

The verdict

Merlin, who has been labelled a 'serious talent' by Jacek Kulig, looks like he could be a strong back-up to Lucas Digne and a potential long-term starter, with Matt Targett's Villa Park future uncertain.

The French youngster ranked in the 86th percentile among full-backs in the top five European leagues for shot-creating actions in 2021/22, notching three assists in addition to his two goals (via FBRef). With high volumes of progressive carries and dribbles too, he's clearly very active up and down the left flank.

He may only have played 20 minutes on the night that Gerrard was in attendance, but that speaks to the strength of his cameo against Marseille. Merlin won three of the four duels that he contested, completed two dribbles and was successful with eight of his 10 passes (via SofaScore).

He also shone against Paris Saint-Germain in February, scoring what sports journalist Josh Bunting called an 'incredible' goal, and he looks like an astute replacement for Targett if the latter has played his last game in a Villa shirt.

In other news, Matt Maher lays out his Villa transfer expectations

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has provided an update on Manchester United’s attempts to sign Frenkie de Jong.

The Lowdown: Romano’s reveal

United have been linked with a move for the Barcelona star ever since Erik ten Hag took over at Old Trafford at the end of April.

Fabrizio Romano provided a key update regarding De Jong and the Red Devils on Wednesday morning. The transfer expert revealed that United have ‘opened direct talks’ with Barca, who want €85m for the midfielder’s services.

De Jong reportedly wants to play Champions League football, something United can’t currently offer, however, they are still looking to ‘push’ for a move.

The Latest: Sheth’s update

Sheth took to Twitter hours on from Romano’s claim on De Jong to share what he knows regarding a possible transfer.

The Sky Sports reporter stated that United have indeed ‘held initial talks’ over a transfer, but he’s been ‘told’ there are ‘significant obstacles’, name-checking a fee and will of the player as two.

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The Verdict: Barca’s financial situation key?

As Sheth claims, agreeing on a fee and persuading De Jong to move to Old Trafford could prove tricky. However, something that could work in United’s favour is Barcelona’s ‘financial issues’.

The Catalan giants ‘need to solve’ their problems off the pitch, according to Romano, so selling De Jong for a big fee would certainly help their situation.

It appears as if a move could be extremely complicated, and with United looking at a ‘number of midfielders’ and making it their priority area to bolster, it’ll be interesting to see how long they pursue De Jong before moving on to alternative targets.

In other news: MUFC eye £28.8m-rated maestro after ‘Louvre’-worthy moment – Paul Hirst. 

West Ham United are reportedly hoping to secure a reunion with Jesse Lingard this summer, with the player destined to leave Manchester United in the coming months.

What’s the word?

As per Sky Sports News presenter Tom White, “West Ham have made initial enquiries” into bringing the versatile midfielder back to the London Stadium in the upcoming transfer window, with the 29-year-old set to be available on a free once his existing deal expires in June.

Having spent the second half of the 2020/21 season on loan in east London, the Red Devils academy graduate had been linked with a £25m permanent move to the Hammers last summer. Instead, he ultimately spent the entire campaign back at Old Trafford, where he was restricted to a bit-part role.

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A loan move to Newcastle United also fell through in January towards the end of the month, with a host of clubs now set to reinvigorate their interest to try and capture the 32-cap international for nothing.

Supporters will be delighted

That news will no doubt be music to the ears of Irons supporters and David Moyes, with the £18m-rated maestro having been a revelation during his previous stint at the club, rejuvenating his career after falling out of favour under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford.

In a stunning six-month spell at the London Stadium, Lingard netted nine goals and registered five assists in just 16 appearances for Moyes’ team, helping the club to secure Europa League qualification after narrowly missing out on the top four.

That blistering form saw the Warrington native with 165 Premier League appearances return to the England setup under Gareth Southgate, albeit that he was omitted from the Euro 2020 squad, with it expected that he would be able to kick on in the 2021/22 campaign.

However, his decision to remain at the Theatre of Dreams rather than push for an exit last summer has not gone to plan, as the £80k-per-week playmaker has started just two league games all season, having failed to earn a starting berth despite some notable cameos in the early months of the campaign.

One such outing saw the 29-year-old come off the bench to haunt the Irons, netting a stunning curled effort late on to secure a 2-1 victory for the Red Devils last September.

That strike was simply a marker of his undoubted quality, and it was bizarre to see him not being afforded a chance to prove his worth at Man United over the last few months, despite their dismal form.

It is easy to forget that this is a player who has scored at a World Cup and netted in three Wembley triumphs for his current club, with the Red Devils potentially more to blame for his current woes than he is himself.

Should GSB be able to secure a deal this summer, it would no doubt represent a major coup, with West Ham supporters set to be hoping that he can recapture the stunning performances that he showed at the London Stadium last year.

IN other news, Cost £1.5m per goal: GSB made a colossal blunder on “strong” £40k-p/w West Ham flop

Celtic have a number of players in their squad whose current contracts at the Parkhead club are due to run out in the coming weeks.

Players such as Jota and Cameron Carter-Vickers that have played big parts in the Hoops title win this season whilst on loan with Celtic will undeniably have to be sorted out as there are other clubs involved with them.

However, one player aside from those two faces that should also be given a new deal is Karamoko Dembele.

As a product of Celtic’s youth system, the 16-year-old winger has gone on to make ten first-team appearances.In those appearances, the youngster has found the back of the net on one occasion which came during Celtic’s 4-0 win over St. Johnstone back in December.While the attacker may not be a fully-fledged regular first-team player for the Hoops just yet, he should still be given a new deal so he has the chance to potentially become one in the future.Should the teenager put pen to paper on a new deal at Celtic Park, it could be worth him going out on loan to another club where he would be getting regular game time and the chance to show what he can do for a senior side every week.The fact that the Hoops have recently given James Forrest a new three-year deal suggests that Dembele may not have a clear-cut path to the first team just yet, which may make a potential loan move a more tempting option for him.The winger certainly has the talent to one day become the next hero at Parkhead as he even caught the attention of Ruud Gullit, who said that Dembele looks like a “special player.”Blessed with enormous pace and dazzling trickery, the youngster surely now possesses more in his locker than Forrest, someone who looked leggy, tired and a little past it towards the final stages of the campaign.With that in mind, if the winger does end up signing a new deal and eventually forcing his way into the first team, he could well go on to become a better option for the Hoops than Forrest, who has an extensive injury record to his name and only four goals in 32 appearances under his belt this season.In other news: “Very soon”: Insider drops big Celtic transfer claim that’ll have supporters ecstatic

Rangers had to relinquish Ibrox’s grasp on the SPFL title last night as their Old Firm rivals were crowned champions ahead of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men.

Despite this big disappointment for the Gers, their main focus will undoubtedly now be on securing a victory in the Europa League final.

After their final league game of the season on Saturday, van Bronckhorst’s side will be taking on Eintracht Frankfurt next Wednesday to see who will be lifting the trophy.

Looking ahead to this big match, it seems as though Rangers will be sweating over the fitness and potential availability of one figure that has played a big part in getting his side to the final.

What’s the latest?

Speaking on what the current situation is regarding Kemar Roofe’s fitness and his chances of being fit enough to play in the final, Van Bronckhorst had this to say on the matter.

He said: “It is going to be a close call for Kemar. So we have to assess him day by day. I think [Ryan] Jack is ahead of him. Jack will be ready for next week but I still don’t know about Kemar.”

Back in April, the former Leeds United star picked up a knee injury and hasn’t featured for the team since.

A big worry

This season has seen the striker make 35 appearances for his club across all competitions.

In those appearances, the 29-year-old has found the net 16 times and delivered two assists along the way. In the Europa League, Roofe has played in eight of their 14 games.

During the second-leg quarter-final clash against Braga at Ibrox, the centre-forward scored a goal and provided an assist in the 3-1 win that got his side to the semi-finals.

Taking into account how much of an attacking figure he has been for the Gers this season, not having him available to play in the final would be a big blow for the Glaswegian side.

With Alfredo Morelos out injured, this would only increase Rangers’ need to have a real striker, such as Roofe, available for selection.

While the Rangers boss will be sweating over the possibility of not having the Jamaican available to play next week, he’ll have to make sure that his other players are prepared mentally for the big showdown and hope that no other injury concerns arise before then.

In other news: Rangers eyeing “fabulous” £28k-p/w gem who “rises to the occasion”, GvB would love him

Manchester United have reportedly made contact with Kalidou Koulibaly’s agent over a possible summer transfer.

The Lowdown: Koulibaly links

The Red Devils have been linked with Koulibaly for a number of years now and have seemingly come close to his services on a number of occasions.

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Back in 2020, reports claimed that a £60m move to Old Trafford was done, whereas stories last year suggested the club snubbed a £34m deal in favour of signing Raphael Varane.

Koulibaly, who has been described as the ‘second-best defender in the world’ by Serie A expert Conor Clancy, has remained with Napoli, but it looks as if rumours over a Manchester United move have started once again ahead of the summer window.

The Latest: Contact made

Sports Witness relayed an update from Area Napoli regarding Koulibaly on Friday. They claimed that there has now been contact between United and Fali Ramadani, Koulibaly’s agent.

There is hope from Ramadani that some teams could offer €35m (£29.7m) for the defender’s services, with Erik ten Hag keen on bolstering the club’s centre-back ranks.

The Verdict: Ship sailed?

Koulibaly is valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt, so a potential £29.7m summer move would be seen as a cheap one given the £60m links two years ago.

However, the Senegal international will turn 31 next month and has seen his valuation drop from £67.5m since 2019, so you could argue that United could be better off looking elsewhere.

Another centre-back who has been linked is Sporting CP’s Goncalo Inacio, with an offer from United thought to be ‘imminent’, so perhaps looking to build for the future with Inacio may be a better decision than pursuing Koulibaly, who seems to be past his prime based on valuation.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano: Man Utd have now agreed key deal for ‘important’ Old Trafford move. 

Tottenham Hotspur’s Sergio Reguilon now fears the axe by manager Antonio Conte as Barcelona eye a surprise move to sign the former Real Madrid talent, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Conte overhaul looming?

The Spurs head coach is reportedly plotting a major summer overhaul with as many as six major signings on his mind (The Telegraph).

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Conte wishes to add a reserve goalkeeper, right-wing-back, central defender, two midfielders and a new forward to his ranks as he prepares for a first full 2022/2023 season in charge at the Premier League club.

Several Lilywhites players have been tipped to make way as transfer chief Fabio Paratici is tasked with balancing the books and ensuring Conte’s transfer market wishes are fulfilled.

Now, sharing an update on who could leave north London, chief football writer John Cross of The Daily Mirror has an update for supporters.

The Latest: Cross makes Reguilon claim…

According to his sources, La Liga giants Barca are eyeing a ‘sensational’ move to sign former Real Madrid academy ace Reguilon from Spurs.

As well as this, the 25-year-old ‘fears he is not part of Conte’s long-term plans’ as he grows fearful of the Italian’s possible axe.

It is thought that Reguilon ‘could be surplus to requirements’ and it looks ‘increasingly likely he will leave’.

The Verdict: Let him go?

Depending on whether Madrid activate their £27.5 million buy-back clause for the defender or if it is Barca who end up swooping in, letting Reguilon depart should be considered by Paratici and Conte.

Ryan Sessegnon has been shining in the left-wing-back role when deployed and the Spaniard’s exit could help to balance Spurs’ worrying homegrown quota issue.

The potential fee will also bolster Paratici’s transfer kitty to fund summer swoops and appeasing Conte’s wishes in the summer will be crucial in keeping him at the club.

Lauded as a ‘top-class’ player by former Spurs keeper Paul Robinson, a Reguilon sale may well be one to watch out for regardless of his quality at times.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano: Conte could lose ‘monster’ Spurs player who’s now ‘expected to leave’…find out more here.