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Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard is the type of player Aston Villa would be interested in but a move is unlikely, says Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.

Lingard spent the second half of last season out on loan at West Ham and thoroughly impressed. There, the 28-year-old attacking midfielder scored nine goals and provided four assists in just 16 Premier League appearances.

As things stand, though, a return to the London Stadium does not seem to be an option, with The Athletic recently reporting that the Hammers cannot afford the £30m fee United are demanding for a permanent deal.

Prior, Football Insider had claimed that Villa were ready to make a move for Lingard this summer, so now could be a good opportunity for them to act, with West Ham seemingly out of the running.

Hatfield, though, cannot see such happening, suggesting United’s asking price will also be a problem for Villa.

“I think in terms of his experience and stuff, he’d be the type of player they’d be interested in,” the Villa journalist told FFC. “I just think his age probably goes against it.

“And the issue that West Ham have had is the fee United want for him. I think Villa would probably agree with that for a player of his age because you’re not going to get much resale on him.

“If the money’s not right for them, then it wouldn’t shock me if it’s not right for Villa either.”

With there still some time before the transfer window closes, this saga surrounding Lingard probably isn’t finished yet.

La Liga expert Euan McTear believes that Yangel Herrera is certain to leave Manchester City this summer amid links with West Ham United.

Herrera is still on the books at City but has spent the past two seasons on loan at Granada in La Liga.

In total, he has made 82 appearances for the club, scoring 10 goals and registering five assists.

The 23-year-old enjoyed an impressive season with the Spanish club this term, as they qualified for the Europa League and enjoyed a run to the quarter-finals, where they were ultimately beaten by Manchester United. He has subsequently been linked with West Ham United.

McTear has been impressed with the form of the Venezuela international and believes he is an old-school midfielder who consistently looks to get on the ball and move it forward, while also trying to hit the back of the net himself.

Herrera is a versatile presence and he can play as a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder or even as a centre-back.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, McTear said: “Yeah, so he’s been at Granada for more than a couple seasons now in a row, he’s been key to their qualification for Europa League and then the run to the quarter-finals.

“He’s like a classic box-to-box midfielder, a bit of a throwback in that way, his first instinct is to try and dribble, to pass it forward, charging forward he took so many shots this season, he would get in the box, he scored quite a few goals early on when they were lacking strikers and attacking midfielders and that’s the thing too, he’s been really versatile.

“Granada this season had more injuries than anybody else in La Liga because they have a small squad and they were playing in Europa League from the first qualifying round all the way to the quarterfinals. So their squad was knackered. They had COVID outbreaks and everything. So Herrera was one of the few players who was hardly injured.

“So he was kind of asked to fill in, defensive midfield, attacking midfield, even as a sort of second striker at points. So never out wide always down the middle, but one of those positions right down the spine, and he was really good. He’ll leave them for sure and who knows where he goes?”

Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph has shared when Celtic hope to seal a deal for new managerial target Ange Postecoglou.

The Lowdown: A busy weekend…

It’s safe to say the Hoops hierarchy haven’t had a stress-free Bank Holiday weekend.

A deal for long-term target Eddie Howe collapsed on Friday afternoon, with problems with backroom staff, budget and personal reasons all contributing to a deal falling through.

They swiftly moved on to Yokohama F. Marinos manager Postecoglou, with the Hoops in advanced talks with the 55-year-old on Friday evening.

The Latest: Joseph’s Twitter post

Joseph took to social media late on Saturday evening to update supporters on Celtic’s pursuit of Postecoglou, admitting the Hoops are looking to ‘conclude the deal by the middle of next week’ – a telling nine-word admission on the club’s hopes of landing Neil Lennon’s permanent successor as soon as possible.

“Talks progressing well between Celtic and Ange Postecoglou’s representatives. Celtic hope to conclude the deal by the middle of next week. Yokohama F Marinos take on Shimizu S-Pulse at 5am (UK time) tomorrow. Farewell match for their boss?”

Postecoglou guided Yokohama F. Marinos to a 2-1 win over Shimizu S-Pulse on Sunday but was coy when asked about a possible move to Scotland.

The Verdict: Off-field positions need to be filled

Celtic need to fill the manager and director of football (DoF) roles quickly with the summer transfer window now looming.

All avenues appear to point to Postecoglou as manager and Fergal Harkin as DoF, with the latter, currently with Manchester City, possibly knowing the Australian well due to the connections within the City Football Group.

Before you know it, the Hoops will have Champions League qualifying fixtures to fulfil, so it could be crucial to have their key off-field positions filled to give the club the best chance of succeeding in Europe.

You’d expect a number of player incomings and outgoings to materialise as well, so planning for the 2021/22 campaign needs to get underway as soon as possible.

By the sounds of it, the Hoops are hoping to conclude a deal for Postecoglou by the middle of next week, however, as we now know with Howe, that isn’t guaranteed.

In other news: Hoops keen on signing international winger, find out more here. 

Jurgen Klinsmann has revealed that he has spoken to Daniel Levy with regards to becoming the new Tottenham manager.

The Lowdown: Managerial search continues

Although it has now been seven weeks since Jose Mourinho was relieved of his duties at Tottenham, Levy is yet to secure a deal for the 58-year-old’s replacement.

Antonio Conte appared to be in pole position to take the reins in north London, but a deal for the Italian fell through (The Guardian).

The Latest: Klinsmann confirms Levy talk

Klinsmann, who played for Tottenham during the 1990s, has now revealed that he had a telephone conversation with Levy with regards to taking over from Mourinho. He told ESPN:

“When Spurs let go Mourinho, I had a quick phone call with Daniel Levy and he said ‘let’s see down the road what happens’, he has to clarify a lot of things. Since then I’ve had no contact anymore with Spurs. Tottenham is Tottenham, you would always listen to that situation, and for me, obviously, Tottenham is a lot more.”

The Verdict: Don’t let sentiment get in the way

Klinsmann played for Tottenham for two years across two spells and did quite well – he managed 29 goals in 56 Premier League appearances for the Lilywhites (premierleague.com). However, his managerial record leaves a lot to be desired since he retired from playing.

The 56-year-old started out as the manager of Germany, and he did lead them to the 2006 World Cup semi-finals. However, he lasted less than a year at Bayern Munich before he was sacked, while short spells at Toronto FC and Hertha Berlin sandwiched his time with the USA national side (Transfermarkt).

While the Americans reached the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup, they failed to even participate at the next edition after a poor qualifying run for which Klinsmann was largely responsible.

Is this really the man Tottenham want to become their next manager?

In other news, Tottenham have been offered the chance to sign this Premier League star.

Leicester City have been linked with a move for Celtic midfielder Ryan Christie as the summer transfer window starts to take shape.

What’s the story?

According to the Scottish Daily Mail, the Foxes have joined Ligue 1 duo Nice and Monaco in the race to secure the 26-year-old’s signature.

Christie has just 6 months remaining on his current contract at Celtic Park and, therefore, could be available for a bargain price over the coming months.

Leicester must swoop

Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers has previously worked with the Scotland international during his two-and-a-half-year spell north of the border, so he will know all about the qualities that Christie possesses.

In 142 appearances for the Hoops, the creative talent has bagged 40 goals and provided a further 41 assists, collecting six major trophies along the way.

His impressive performances for the Glasgow giants have earned praise from several plaudits, including Chris Sutton, who praised his “ferocious workrate” in a column last year.

With the Midlands outfit qualifying for next season’s Europa League, Rodgers is looking to add some strength in depth to his first-team squad, and Christie could provide just that.

After recording 2.1 key passes per league game in 2020/21, the £6.3 million rated gem outperformed Leicester’s key attacking midfielder James Maddison in that metric after he managed just 1.6.

Christie also outperformed the Englishman in terms of dribbles and shots per league game, tallying 1.2 and 2.8 to Maddison’s 0.9 and 2.4, respectively.

While many may understandably point to the disparity in opposition that the two players faced in the recently concluded campaign, these figures are evidence that Christie is ready to make the step up and could compete at a higher level.

However, if Rodgers wants to be reunited with his former star, then he may have to move quickly. Nice had an £8m offer rejected in January and are expected to revive their interest.

Christie will be the second player that the Northern Irish tactician has tried to sign from his former side this summer after becoming frustrated in his pursuit of Odsonne Edouard.

He’ll be hoping that it’s a case of second time lucky when he returns for Christie, and the Scotsman could provide the extra quality Rodgers to take Leicester into the Champions League.

And, in other news…Imagine him and Vardy: Rudkin must sanction Leicester swoop for £43m beast 

After clinching a win in midweek, Newcastle United will be hoping to end their Premier League season with another three points as they make the trip down to London to face Fulham.

Steve Bruce’s side have enjoyed a revival in form in recent weeks, and Joe Willock’s winner against Sheffield United on Wednesday helped seal another three points and give them an extra bit of momentum heading into the final day.

But with the Magpies having nothing left to play for, the Newcastle boss may opt to make a few changes to his starting line-up and give some of his fringe players the chance to shine.

And, with that in mind, below is a look at how Newcastle might line up when they take on Fulham on Sunday afternoon.

In goal, Martin Duvravka is a major doubt after playing on with a hamstring problem last time out in the Premier League, and that could see Mark Gillespie make a rare start.

The back-five could see a couple of key changes as Bruce looks to rotate, with Fabian Schar and Jamal Lewis in particular hoping that he gets the chance to impress amid Matt Ritchie’s return to form – Schar of course returns after serving his three-match suspension.

Further ahead, Joe Willock should be fine after feeling fatigued against the Blades, while Jonjo Shelvey could be dropped to accommodate a rare outing for 21-year-old Matty Longstaff.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/newcastle-steve-bruce-premier-league-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-st-james-park-joelinton-shelvey-max-aarons” title=”Read the latest Newcastle transfer rumours and news!”]

And with doubts over both Allan Saint-Maximin and Joelinton upfront, the Magpies boss could give Dwight Gayle and Andy Carroll the chance to start.

Predicted XI: Gillespie; Murphy, Schar, Fernandez, Dummett, Lewis; Willock, Longstaff, Almiron; Gayle, Carroll.

Meanwhile, Newcastle MUST start this star vs Fulham…

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing after a transfer update has emerged on Wojciech Szczesny.

As per Tutto Juve, the Goodison Park faithful could make a proposal to sign the Juventus ace, but are willing to offer no more than €10m (£8.7m) to the Serie A side.

Nonetheless, £8.7m for a goalkeeper of that pedigree and experience should certainly be a deal that the Merseyside club should be keeping their eyes on.

Not only is Szczesny playing for one of the biggest and best teams in European football, but he is also very experienced at international level, with no fewer than 52 caps in total for Poland.

Having previously played for Arsenal as well, the 31-year-old would not have to adapt to the Premier League, and could be a worthy addition to Carlo Ancelotti’s team to compete with or deputise for Jordan Pickford at a very reasonable cost.

Everton fans on Szczesny transfer update

These Toffees buzzed as the update was shared on Twitter, with one Blues supporter even going as far as to claim that signing the goalkeeper would be a ‘bargain’:

“Would be an amazing signing”

Credit: @gilescorey1600

“Good keeper. Would be for this.”

Credit: @deanoiskeeno

“So cheap take him take him pls”

Credit: @Efc_sai

“Szczesny is class but I have saw Roma and Juve games where he has made the wrong decisions a few times. Great for £10m in today’s market though.”

Credit: @evertonfinest

“Yes please.”

Credit: @adamm15_

“Bargain”

Credit: @ClassCarlo

In other news, find out what EFC update has left fans fuming here!

As confirmed by the club, Liverpool starlet Layton Stewart has signed a new long term contract after a highly impressive 2020/2021 season in the youth academy – prompting many supporters to rave over this ‘brilliant news’.

The teenage forward started this campaign in fine form, scoring an incredible 15 goals in just 10 appearances for the Under-18s side (Transfermarkt) and turning heads as one for the future.

Indeed, Stewart’s electric run prompted promotion up the ranks to Barry Lewtas’ U23s later in the year – with the 18-year-old quickly bagging for his two strikes for them as well (Transfermarkt).

He has been with Liverpool since the age of seven and put pen to paper on his first professional deal in February 2020.

Despite his season ending due to a serious knee injury sustained in March, the club have now seen fit to extend his professional contract on Merseyside due to his brilliant performances beforehand.

Flocking to this update, it’s little wonder supporters raved as this ‘brilliant news’ was confirmed – find a flavour of their best social media verdicts down below.

Liverpool fans rave as club confirm Stewart new deal

“Great news”

Credit: @famz7ii

“Good news, looks a big talent!”

Credit: @kat_lfc13

“What a player!!!”

Credit: @GerrardThings

“Scouser he’s like a combination Robbie Fowler and a Fernando Torres when I watch him play. Recover well and you’ll be back stronger than ever Layton.”

Credit: @velvet_thunder1

“YESSSSS! Who needs Mbappe?”

Credit: @Jasonftbl

“Yesss brilliant news”

Credit: @LewYNWA

“Things you love to see…”

Credit: @JenLFCWallbank

“Our Future number 9”

Credit: @lfcjohnnie

“Yessss”

Credit: @mightyreds321

In other news: Liverpool fans also flocked to ‘great news’ shared by James Pearce, find out more here.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire has praised the Glasgow Rangers board for their season ticket policy ahead of next season.

The Lowdown: Gers sell more than 44,000 season tickets

Earlier in May, the Gers confirmed they had sold more than 44,000 season tickets ahead of the 2021/22 campaign (rangers.co.uk), just weeks after they had revealed they would be freezing season ticket prices for the upcoming term (Glasgow Live).

The board said that the number of people to purchase the tickets was “beyond belief” considering that the Gers were unable to welcome a single fan to Ibrox during the 2020/21 season.

The Latest: Maguire praises board

Speaking to Football Insider, Maguire praised the Gers board for the number of season tickets they made available. He said:

“They would make more money by selling fewer season tickets.

“But what Rangers have done is reward the loyalty and passion of the fanbase by making as many season tickets as possible available.

“But if you compare them with, say, Liverpool, they have only 27,000 season tickets.

“I try to identify how much money a club is making per fan, per season and Liverpool are around £1500 to £1600 mark whereas Rangers make substantially less than that.

“If you have a huge fanbase as Rangers have, they could restrict season tickets to half the capacity of the ground and charge individual ticket prices for individual matches.

“So you’ve got to admire the board in a way because this is not the most lucrative approach.

“The advantage that it does bring is you get the money from season tickets a little bit early, so there are some benefits from a cash flow point of view.

“But from an overall perspective, they would actually be better off selling fewer season tickets.”

The Verdict: Treat fans well

As Maguire explains, the Gers could have made a lot more income with fewer season tickets. The price per match for such tickets will be a lot lower than selling seats individually for every single match, and with the demand for a spot, they could probably have driven up the price quite high.

The cheapest season ticket for the Gers is £372 (statista.com), meaning the 55-time Scottish champions have brought in a minimum £16.4m. That is still a considerable amount of money and should go a long way for the club, especially as they could be competing in the Champions League group stages next autumn. They have shown that they can still keep the books healthy while respecting the fans along the way.

In other news, Rangers lose out to Mike Ashley again.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to a tweet from Alan Thompson taking aim at former Ibrox player Peter Lovenkrands.

Thompson is well-known as a former Celtic player, and he enjoyed many battles with both the Gers and the ex-Denmark international. In December 2004, the Englishman was sent off in the Old Firm derby after appearing to headbutt Lovenkrands – it was a game Rangers went on to win 2-0.

It is debatable as to whether it was actually worthy of a dismissal, but it is worth pointing out that this is an incident which occurred 17 years ago. Plenty of time has passed, and you would have thought most people would have forgotten. Not Thompson, though, who shared a picture of the coming together, signed by himself.

The photo was posted on his official Twitter account, and it attracted plenty of attention from Gers supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with one wryly commenting that the 47-year-old “needs help”.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Thompson tweet below

“Its official 55 has destroyed them This was 17 years ago and they appealed the red card and lost but hey lovenkrands is a cheat”

Credit: @gersfan46

“This man needs help.”

Credit: @baarryswan

“This pain delights me”

Credit: @GovanLoyal72

“Keep crying”

Credit: @Robert88235

“Rent free…”

Credit: @MosesBrox

“You were down 2-0 and got sent off, SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO get over it Alan.”

Credit: @ottleti

In other news, many Rangers fans praise this man’s performance against Hibernian.