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A number of Liverpool supporters are hugely excited after the Reds were linked with a January move for in-form Porto attacker Luis Diaz.

Jurgen Klopp’s men are in superb form at the moment, responding brilliantly to the defeat at West Ham by picking up consecutive wins against Arsenal, Porto and Southampton.

Liverpool seem to have clicked into gear at just the right time, with a fascinating Premier League title race with Chelsea and Manchester City starting to take shape.

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The Reds will almost certainly have to make do without star attackers Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane for a chunk of January, though, due to their participation in the Africa Cup of Nations.

It means that a new forward could be brought in during the next transfer window, and according to Record [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter], Klopp has given his ‘approval’ over the signing of Diaz.

The 24-year-old has scored 10 times in 12 Primeira Liga appearances this season and has come up against Liverpool in the Champions League. He gave a decent account of himself at Anfield last week, with two key passes and three successful dribbles in his team’s 2-0 defeat.

The Colombian has struck 10 goals in 12 league games for Porto in the current campaign, also netting twice in Europe (Transfermarkt), and he is the team’s highest-ranking performer according to WhoScored.

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Liverpool fans love Diaz claim

These Reds fans on Twitter reacted positively to the links with Diaz, with one Kopite proclaiming him as a “baller”.

“Please!”

Credit: @obg_21

“Yesss”

Credit: @amirullahR

“I beg for him to sign”

Credit: @LFC_Colman

“If this is true this would be great. He’s a class player and would be good to have during AFCON when Mo and Mane are gone, he’ll definitely put in a shift and will keep us on winning ways surely”

Credit: @vvd_era

“Don’t do that… don’t give me hope”

Credit: @ben_lfc__

“Please please. Baller”

Credit: @my_sum

In other news, some Liverpool fans are delighted after another transfer rumour emerged. Read more here.

With 18 games played in the Premier League so far this season, Newcastle United have the worst defensive record in the top flight with a total of 41 goals conceded.

Taking this into account and the imminent opening of the January transfer window, this could provide newly appointed transfer consultant Nick Hammond with the opportunity to sign some players that would help strengthen Eddie Howe’s squad, particularly at the back.

Looking ahead to January, it seems as though Newcastle have identified someone they would like to bring in to help fix their defensive issues.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from The Telegraph, Newcastle are leading the race to sign Tottenham Hotspur defender Joe Rodon.

The report also claims that Spurs are likely to allow Rodon to leave on a short-term deal in January to get some regular game time. However, fellow Premier League clubs Brighton & Hove Albion, Watford and Leeds United are keeping an eye on the centre-back as well.

Rodon to the rescue

Since joining Spurs from Swansea City back in October 2020 in a deal worth an initial fee of £11m plus add-ons, the 24-year-old, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £24k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has only made 20 appearances for the north London club across all competitions.

Having been praised in the past for his “colossal” display for Wales in their 3-1 defeat against Belgium back in March by BBC Wales Football Correspondent Rob Phillips, a move to Newcastle on loan in January could suit all parties if Rodon gets to play regularly.

If he achieves that, then he could potentially save the Toon from relegation if he can fix up what can only be described as a shambolic defence.

The Magpies have shipped more goals than any other team in the top-flight (41) and have one of the worst defensive records in the highest four divisions of English football. Only Morecambe and Peterborough United (44) have let in more strikes throughout 2021/22 than Newcastle.

With pundit and former Premier League star Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink saying that “nothing fazes him” when talking about Rodon, this is the sort of mindset that Newcastle will need to have in their side if they are going to escape the relegation zone and secure their place in the Premier League next season.

His defensive attributes and strong-willed mentality could be exactly what Hammond needs to add to the Newcastle squad in order to rescue their campaign.

Taking all of this into account, the Toon should do all they can to secure Rodon’s signature in January, even if it is only on a temporary basis just so they can add some defensive strength to their side, which is what they desperately need if they are going to avoid the drop.

In other news: Move over Ashworth: NUFC must consider “irate” DoF whose “behaviour’s been a disgrace”…

Following The Daily Mirror’s David Maddock update on Everton’s pursuit of a new manager, there has been a fresh twist on Friday afternoon.

What’s the story?

On Tuesday night, Maddock said: “Now the dust has settled a little, it is clear Pereira is still very much in the running to secure the job, with Lampard the other strong contender after coming across well in his initial talk with the owner.

“Rooney could still make a late play for the job if he feels the club really want him, though that is unlikely at this stage of the process, while the executive will scrutinise Ferguson’s plans on how he intends to develop the team.”

But now, Rooney has revealed that he has turned down an approach from the Toffees, and is insistent that he wants to continue on in his job as Derby County manager.

Everton fans will be fuming

While Vitor Pereira and Frank Lampard now look to be the main contenders for the job, Rooney’s work at Derby hasn’t gone unnoticed – especially when you consider the difficult circumstances the Rams find themselves in the Championship.

He has lost just eight of the 27 games they have played in the league since his appointment, picking up 35 points in the process, and has them genuinely battling to avoid what looked like inevitable relegation to League One.

Speaking after speculation recently emerged linking Rooney with the top job at Goodison Park, Noel Whelan said: “He’s managing to produce some amazing results at that club despite the fact that they’re on the verge of going under.

“I think he’s someone who they should look at, absolutely. He can really organise and fire up those players and get them to show a bit of fight – and that’s something they’ve really lacked recently.

“You certainly can’t ignore him for this job, I think he could be appointed now – maybe he could handle the pressure at Everton.”

But despite Maddock’s earlier claim that didn’t firmly rule out Rooney from the running, the Derby boss’ own admission is sure to leave Everton fans fuming about missing out on him.

Meanwhile, Moshiri could make a surprise signing by landing this man…

A key Rangers transfer claim has been made regarding the future of Alfredo Morelos…

What’s the talk?

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that the club will attempt to avoid cashing in on the prolific centre-forward due to the importance he holds in the race to win the title this season.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I think they’ll be looking to keep Morelos to try and help them retain the Scottish Premier League title, which comes with Champions League football next season, which is going to be huge for whoever does win the Scottish Premiership.”

This comes after CBS reported earlier this month that Leicester, Everton and Newcastle are all interested in signing Morelos for a fee in the region of £20m.

Van Bronckhorst will love it

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst will surely love this news, as he will want to retain the striker’s services heading into the second half of the campaign. Morelos is the Dutchman’s go-to option at the top end of the pitch and he has paid back the faith shown in him by producing excellent performances.

The 25-year-old is a proven goalscorer at this level and it is hard to put a price on that attribute, as there is no guarantee that anyone coming in to replace him will do the same. Even if Rangers replace him with another player who has scored goals on a regular basis in the Premiership, they have not done it in Van Bronckhorst’s system or with the pressure at Ibrox to win games and achieve success.

The Colombian has proven time and again that he can handle the goalscoring burden for the Glasgow giants. He has scored an incredible 107 goals in 211 matches for the club throughout his career, proving his talent over a prolonged period of time.

Since the former Feyenoord boss came in to replace Steven Gerrard, Morelos has scored six goals and provided two assists in eight appearances in all competitions. This shows that he is thriving under the 46-year-old, and that is why the head coach will be delighted if the Colombian stays at Ibrox, as he will be pivotal to their chances of winning silverware at the end of the campaign domestically and in Europe.

Therefore, Van Bronckhorst will love this claim from O’Rourke and can perhaps look forward to working with Morelos even further for the foreseeable future.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Hagi: Rangers could find new creative maestro in £1.2m-rated gem with 31 G/A…

Grant McCann is one of the candidates to become Sunderland’s next manager, according to Sky Sports News. 

The lowdown

Sunderland are looking to appoint a replacement for Lee Johnson, who was sacked following a 6-0 rout at the hands of Bolton Wanderers in late January.

Mike Dodds took caretaker charge of The Black Cats for Saturday’s shock defeat against bottom-of-the-table Doncaster Rovers.

McCann had recorded back-to-back wins, pulling Hull City ten points clear of the Championship’s bottom three, before he was sacked by the new regime at the MKM Stadium last month (via BBC Sport).

The latest

Roy Keane, who managed the club between 2006 and 2008, appears to be the frontrunner at present, having been interviewed for the vacancy.

But should Keane decided against returning to the dugout, Sky Sports report Sunderland do have other options in mind.

They include McCann, former Celtic boss Neil McCann and 73-year-old veteran Neil Warnock.

The verdict

Would McCann be a good appointment? Well, the standout achievement on his CV is leading Hull back to the second tier as League One champions following their relegation in 2019/20.

He’s a manager with ‘staggering’ ambition, in the words of Liam Hoden, Deputy Head of Sport at the Doncaster Free Press, which is sure to be music to the ears of Sunderland fans desperate to see their club back where they belong.

And in more good news for supporters, his style of play is appealing too. Barry Fry, who oversaw McCann at Peterborough, has called him ‘brilliant’ and gushed over his ‘attractive’ brand of football.

In other manager news, this treble-winner has expressed his interest.  

Nick Pope is among Tottenham Hotspur’s potential January transfer targets, according to The Daily Mail. 

The lowdown

Spurs’ current number one Hugo Lloris is out of contract at the end of the 2021/22 season, although according to Fabrizio Romano, the Lilywhites are currently in talks with the 35-year-old over a one-year extension.

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Pope may be viewed as a contingency plan, or perhaps as a successor to Lloris from 2023. The 29-year-old Burnley stopper is valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt and has 18 months remaining on his own deal.

Spurs signed Pierluigi Gollini on loan with an option to buy back in July, but he hasn’t even started every cup game.

The latest

As part of their club-by-club guide to the transfer window, The Daily Mail have listed the players that Spurs ‘like’.

Pope features on that list, along with Wolves’ Adama Traore, Juventus’ Dejan Kulusevski and Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic.

The outlet claimed that Conte apparently wants a goalkeeper this month in addition to a right wing-back, a winger and a striker.

The verdict

Is Pope good enough for Spurs? In truth, he’s not having the greatest of seasons for the struggling Clarets. If you go by post-shot expected goals, he has conceded 2.6 more than he should have, and that’s one of the poorest records in the Premier League.

On the other hand, he did play three times for England last year and may well have been part of the Euro 2020 squad were it not for injury.

He has also been dubbed ‘sensational’ by the Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and has been a near-constant in Burnley’s team for several seasons now, so he may have what it takes to ultimately succeed Lloris as Spurs’ number one.

In other news, could this remarkable transfer happen for Spurs?

Celtic have been dealt a late setback in their bid to secure a deal to bring Matt O’Riley to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claim that West Bromwich Albion have made an 11th-hour bid for the Milton Keynes Dons central midfielder.

However, the report goes on to state that, at present, it still appears as if the 21-year-old is on course to make a switch to Ange Postecoglou’s side, with the former England U18 international having undergone a medical with the Hoops on Wednesday.

Finally, it is claimed that, unless there is a dramatic last-minute U-turn on the part of the player, Celtic should seal the £1.5m transfer of the midfielder in the coming days.

Postecoglou will be having flashbacks

While, at present, it does seem as if O’Riley’s move to Parkhead is very much still on, the fact that a Championship side have made a late offer in an attempt to thwart Celtic’s deal to sign the midfielder will undoubtedly be giving Postecoglou flashbacks to his failed bid to land Riley McGree earlier this month.

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Indeed, despite having agreed a £3m fee for the FC Charlotte star, with reports suggesting that a deal for the 23-year-old was all but finalised despite the interest of a number of English second-tier sides, the Australian international was made a late offer by Middlesbrough, something which the midfielder went onto accept ahead of the opportunity to join Celtic.

And, while Postecoglou came out on the defensive regarding his failed bid to land McGree, with the 56-year-old claiming that he didn’t care the 23-year-old had opted to join a Championship side ahead of the Bhoys, it is undeniable that missing out on a deal for the Australian would have come as a massive blow to the Hoops boss.

As such, with West Brom now looking as if they are attempting to repeat Middlesbrough’s trick regarding Celtic’s deal to sign O’Riley, the Greek-Australian coach will undoubtedly be sweating while the final touches of his move for the MK Dons starlet – who has scored ten goals and registered eight assists over his 54 appearances for the League One side, as well as being dubbed an “elegant” player by Sam Rourke – are completed.

In other news: Ange can seal biggest Celtic signing since Edouard with “perfect” £12.5m-rated dynamo

Pundit Noel Whelan has been reacting to the news that Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi could be out of action for two to three weeks.

The Lowdown: Woes continue…

Furuhashi was brought on for Albian Ajeti on Thursday against Real Betis in a Europa League dead rubber clash, with the Swiss striker needing to be withdrawn with a hamstring problem.

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The Japan international also suffered a hamstring issue after coming on as a substitute and needed to be replaced in the 3-2 win over the La Liga outfit.

Ange Postecoglou confirmed on the weekend that the Celtic medical team believe Furuhashi will be out of action for ‘two to three weeks’, meaning he could miss the Glasgow derby on January 2 as well as the League Cup final next Sunday.

The Latest: Whelan’s comments

James Forrest was the latest Celtic player to suffer an injury at the weekend in a 1-0 win over Motherwell.

Whelan, who contributes for BBC Radio, was talking to Football Insider about Celtic’s injury problems and the latest on Furuhashi, to which he said:

“Every injury to that Celtic squad is going to be a massive blow – they don’t have the greatest depth.

“They’ve got the cup final coming up next weekend, and players like Jota, Forrest and Kyogo are potential match-winners.

“Those players have got the experience to make the difference in the title battle as well. This is a period in the season that can make or break your title challenge, and that’s the case now for Celtic.

“Big decisions are going to have to be made by Postecoglou, some players are going to have to step up and be that shining star.

“It’s not easy to get it right, they won’t want to be rushing these players back and risking them being out for longer.”

The Verdict: Will it ever end?

Celtic now have a shortage of attacking options with Ajeti, Forrest, Furuhashi, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Jota and Karamoko Dembele all sidelined.

Postecoglou has never really had a fully fit squad at his disposal since coming to Glasgow, but his attacking options have never been hit this hard during his Parkhead tenure.

Youngsters Liel Abada and Mikey Johnston are the only two fit and available senior attacking options at this moment in time, with David Turnbull starring in a false nine role against Motherwell.

The Hoops may need to go with that again on Wednesday, and hopefully at least one forward will be back in time for the League Cup final on Sunday.

In other news: Devlin claims ‘special’ Celtic ace may have broken bone amid ‘conflicting’ info. 

As per journalist Ryan Taylor of The Daily Express, amid all the rumours surrounding Erling Haaland, it appears Man City have their eyes on another player as news emerges on Benfica star Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: Sky Blues in striker search…

Pep Guardiola seems set to target a world class centre-forward in the summer window after failing to sign Spurs star Harry Kane last summer.

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Haaland, who appears to be dominating the headlines where City are concerned, has been very heavily linked with a move to Eastlands since The Mail broke news of a deal even allegedly being in place.

However, the Norway star isn’t the only man reportedly on Guardiola’s radar, with Benfica’s big name attacker Nunez also a target according to reports.

Sharing an update, Taylor now has some news for City supporters as Eastlands officials travel abroad this week.

The Latest: City officials travel…

According to his information, Sky Blues officials were in attendance to run the rule over Nunez during Benfica’s clash with Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday.

It is believed that scouts from Man United, Tottenham, Arsenal, West Ham and Arsenal were also at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica in midweek.

The Verdict: Ideal Haaland alternative?

If City can’t seal an agreement for their top target this summer, Nunez arguably stands out as as perfect alternative.

Scoring 28 goals already this season, the starlet attacker could leave for around £60 million this summer, but the amount of competition could mean sporting director Txiki Begiristain faces a summer transfer battle.

Lauded as an ‘absolute beast’ by Anfield Index podcaster Hari Sethi after that clash with Liverpool, one of the most in-form frontmen in Europe could raise a real bidding war and it will be interesting to see whether the Sky Blues could be part of it.

In other news: ‘Man City close to finalising’…Insider shares major player development out of Eastlands, find out more here.

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton was fuming at referee Bobby Madden’s performance in the Hoops’ Scottish Cup semi-final defeat.

The Lowdown: Hoops beaten by rivals

Andy Postecoglou’s side were looking to keep their treble dream alive on Sunday afternoon, as they faced old foes Rangers at Hampden Park.

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When Greg Taylor fired Celtic in front, everything seemed to be going swimmingly, but Scott Arfield equalised and the game ended up going to extra-time.

It was left to Fashion Sakala to secure a 2-1 win for Rangers, as the Hoops were left to lick their wounds after a bitterly disappointing day at the office.

The Latest: Sutton fumes at Madden

Taking to Twitter after the game, Sutton couldn’t hide his frustration at Madden’s performance, following some questionable decisions on the day:

“Celtic were poor but Bobby Madden turned in one of the worst refereeing performances I’ve seen in Scotland for a long time… and that’s saying something!!!”

The Verdict: Poor day all round

There is no doubt that Madden was poor on Sunday, somehow allowing John Lundstram to commit numerous fouls before being booked, among other errors.

That being said, Celtic must also look at themselves and accept that they were short of their best, as Sutton alluded to in his aforementioned tweet.

You could argue Rangers were the better team for much of the game, with their superiority eventually shining through, even despite playing 120 minutes in the Europa League around 72 hours earlier.

Celtic must now dust themselves down and focus on securing Scottish Premiership glory, hopefully fending off the Gers in the remaining weeks of the season.

In other news, a pundit has explained why Celtic will win the league title. Read more here.