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According to reports in The Sun, Everton are eyeing a surprise £2m move for MLS striker Cyle Larin as they prepare for life after Romelu Lukaku.

What’s the word, then?

Well, with Lukaku – who is the Premier League’s top goalscorer this season – telling the Merseyside outfit that he won’t sign a new contract at Goodison Park because he wants to play Champions League football, it means that Toffees boss Ronald Koeman has had to start the search for his replacement.

The Dutchman is said to have taken a closer look at the Orlando City attacker and Canada international, who has impressed for club and country over the course of the last couple of seasons.

Can you tell us more about him?

Of course.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed two prolific campaigns with his club side – hitting the net 32 times during that period – while he has started the latest season in equally impressive form having scored three times in his first two appearances.

Like Lukaku, Larin is also a threat in the air as he stands at 6’2” tall.

Does he come with any good references?

He certainly does.

Kaka, who starred for Real Madrid and AC Milan in Europe, told MLS Soccer in January that the striker has the talent to play in Europe.

The Brazilian said: “Cyle is a very good player and the third season for us will be great, but I think Cyle can play in a big team in Europe as well.”

Surely he wouldn’t be Lukaku’s replacement?

No, you wouldn’t think so.

If the Belgian does leave, Everton will likely spend big on his replacement and bring in a player that would almost be guaranteed to score goals.

So, would he be a starter if Lukaku leaves?

As we mentioned before, a place on the substitutes’ bench would probably be more likely if the Toffees sign a big-name star.

Of course, you never know how a player coming to the Premier League for the first time is going to adapt, but his goalscoring record suggests that he has that magic touch in front of goal, and that may be enough for Ronald Koeman to give a him a chance in the starting XI.

Much has been made about Liverpool’s failure to wholly convince in the transfer market, though perhaps those at Anfield are missing a trick on that front. Like many other Premier League clubs, the Reds are under American ownership, so perhaps casting keen eyes over goings on in the MLS would be a wise avenue to explore.

With soccer on the rise stateside and Visit Britain running an exciting competition to bring the biggest Super Fan in the world over to England, it’s time to take a look at FIVE stars from across the pond Liverpool should target this summer.

Matt Hedges

With Liverpool’s backline proving so difficult for Jurgen Klopp to sort out right now, perhaps moving for FC Dallas defender Matt Hedges would be a wise idea. Imperious in the air, the Reds could do far worse than the 26-year-old.

Luciano Acosta

Though the Reds’ team is packed to the rafters with attacking talent, the tough New Year period proved even the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Adam Lallana cannot always be relied upon to carry creative duties.

With that in mind, 22-year-old DC United magician Luciano Acosta could a relatively cheap option to help unlock defensive doors.

Andre Blake

Philadelphia Union ‘keeper Andre Blake is one of the most formidable net minders plying his trade in the MLS and, with neither Loris Karius or Simon Mignolet wholly convincing, could be clever signing between the posts.

Micheal Azira

While he hasn’t been with Colorado Rapids too long, Micheal Azira is proving to be one of the most dynamic defensive midfielders in the MLS. Though Jordan Henderson performs that role rather well right now, the options outside of him leave a lot to be desired and the Ugandan could be a clever signing.

Sebastian Giovinco

How could we leave him out of it? The Italian is poetry in motion and, while he may not have the pace of Sadio Mane, would only add huge levels of quality to a Reds attack full of talent.

So think you have what it takes to be their Super Fan? Click on the link below to find the details.

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Southampton centre-back Maya Yoshida has become a key figure for the club this season following the departure of Jose Fonte to West Ham during the January transfer window, and an injury picked up by Virgil van Dijk in the same month.

The Japan international joined the Saints from Dutch side VVV-Venlo in 2012, and has since gone on to make 125 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring six goals.

However, while the south coast outfit have been dishing out new long-term deals to the likes of Cedric Soares, Oriol Romeu, Ryan Bertrand and Virgil van Dijk in recent times, one player that hasn’t got one is Yoshida.

That may be something of a surprise to some people considering his deal at St Mary’s is due to run out next summer, and it will be interesting to see if Saints look to extend the 28-year-old’s contract in the near future.

Here are three reasons Southampton must hand Yoshida a new deal…

Loyalty

With the club just being promoted to the Premier League, Maya Yoshida would have hoped that he could have nailed down a regular spot in the Saints backline when he moved to St Mary’s in 2012.

Despite that being the case in his debut season with the club, it hasn’t quite turned out like that for the Japan international in the following campaigns.

The arrival of the likes of Dejan Lovren, Toby Alderweireld and Virgil van Dijk – as well as the form of former captain Jose Fonte – has meant that the 28-year-old has often found himself on the substitutes’ bench, but he has never moaned.

Patience

While first team appearances may have been limited in recent seasons, Yoshida’s patience has often been rewarded when he has been given an opportunity.

Following the departure of the unsettled Fonte and the injury suffered by new skipper Van Dijk in January, the Japanese centre-back knew that he had to step up alongside the relatively inexperienced Jack Stephens at the heart of the defence, and he has done exactly that.

While he has understandably been shaky at times in previous campaigns, the 28-year-old looks to be a more solid defender and has become more of a leader this term – perhaps that is because of vote of confidence that he has received from manager Claude Puel.

Experience if Van Dijk goes

With former captain Jose Fonte already gone and current skipper Virgil van Dijk continuing to be linked with a £50m move to Chelsea, Southampton could find themselves short of experienced centre-backs this summer.

Short-term signing Martin Caceres’ future is also uncertain, which means that Yoshida could easily find himself as the main man at the back during the early stages of pre-season.

If that is the case, the club will surely want to tie him down to a new deal to at least have some continuity in what could be a much-changed backline again next term.

Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.

Tottenham Hotspur legend Garth Crooks has praised Spurs midfielder Christian Eriksen following his performance in the 4-2 defeat to Chelsea in their FA Cup semi-final tie at Wembley on Saturday.

Despite the fact that Mauricio Pochettino’s team were beaten during extra-time, the Denmark international produced one of the passes of the season to set up Dele Alli for his equalising goal in the first half.

Even though he often seems to go under the radar with Alli and Harry Kane often taking many of the headlines, the 25-year-old has enjoyed another brilliant campaign for the north London outfit as they look set to push Chelsea all the way for the Premier League title sitting just four points adrift of the leaders with six fixtures remaining.

The Dane has scored seven goals and provided 12 assists in 31 top flight appearances this term and he has created 92 chances in total for his teammates.

That contribution is something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Crooks, who named Eriksen in his team of the week.

The 59-year-old told BBC Football: “I have seldom seen players who have such technical ability and yet remain so unobtrusive.

“Here is a lovely, almost gentle, footballer who goes about his work with the minimum of fuss.

“I have seen him produce wonderful moments in a game but nothing was as beautiful as the ball he produced for Dele Alli to equalise against Chelsea.”

Tottenham will look to bounce back from the defeat at Wembley and keep up the pressure on Chelsea when they face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Wednesday night, and they will hope that the Blues slip up when they host Southampton at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Everton guaranteed themselves a spot in next season’s Europa League despite losing 3-0 to Premier League leaders Chelsea at Goodison Park on Sunday.

A defeat for West Bromwich Albion against Leicester City at the Hawthorns coupled with Southampton’s goalless draw against Hull City at St Mary’s ensured that the Toffees can’t finish any lower than seventh this term, and they could still finish higher in the standings as they lie just two points behind sixth-placed Arsenal.

Despite rumours over the futures of the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley, it has been an impressive campaign for the Merseyside outfit after they finished in 11th position last term.

Pundit Stan Collymore asked Everton fans on social media how they feel the campaign has gone after they secured European football, and many were happy with the progress Ronald Koeman’s side have made and they are expecting a big summer.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

As reported by The Daily Express, Aberdeen captain Ryan Jack is interested in a move to Rangers this summer with Derek McInnes confirming he will leave the club.

What’s the story?

Pedro Caixinha has a very busy upcoming summer transfer window and one of his first signings could be from the team that beat them to second place in the Scottish Premiership this season.

The Express say that Jack is open to an Ibrox switch, with his contract running out at Pittodrie.

Aberdeen boss McInnes says that no club have made an official approach for his midfielder yet, but confirmed that his captain will not be a Dons player next season.

As quoted by The Express, McInnes said:

There has been no official approach from any team about Ryan Jack. What he has told me over the last couple of days is that it is his intention to move on. It is disappointing but I don’t think any of us are surprised.

A move to Rangers would represent a bitter blow for the Pittodrie manager and his squad. They’ve solidified their status as Scotland’s second best team this season behind Celtic but losing the most influential member of the dressing room and a hard-working, combative midfielder to their closest challengers would hardly be considered very good news at all.

As reported by The Scottish Sun, Portuguese legend Bruno Alves is on the verge of signing for Rangers after undergoing a medical last night.

The paper say the 35-year-old will signing a two-year deal with the club, Pedro Caixinha’s first major statement as Ibrox boss.

Fans have been eagerly awaiting what his first signing might be and in Alves will have a player who represents success at all levels of the game. The former Porto man has won a vast amount of trophies in his career, culminating in last year’s success with Portugal at Euro 2016.

Supporters will be hoping his arrival will set the tone for a summer of big signings as they hope to start closing the gap on Scottish champions Celtic next season.

The defence at Ibrox was a massive priority and as some fans have already noted, the Portuguese defender is a big upgrade on the likes of Rob Kiernan and Philippe Senderos.

Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the imminent signing…

Liverpool fans will be begging Jurgen Klopp and club chairman Tom Werner to invest in new talent this summer after yet another trophy-less season at Anfield.

While the Reds finished fourth in league and qualified for the Champions League, and at some points in the season were nothing short of brilliant, fans will once again be disappointed the club were unable to secure their first piece of silverware since 2011/12 and only their second in a decade.

There have been signs of promise throughout the year. Liverpool have picked up more points against the other top four sides than any other team in the league, with wins over all three of Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea. In fact, the Reds are the only team who weren’t beaten by the latter in the Premier League this season.

However, Jurgen Klopp’s side’s inability to carry through that form in to ‘easier games’ has been their downfall. You can’t help but feel if Liverpool had produced the type of displays they did against those around them against teams in the lower half of the table, they would have been in with a real chance of Premier League glory.

The season is over however, and it is onward and upwards. Jurgen Klopp has already hinted he intends to get his business this summer done nice and early by stating that he wishes “the signings could happen tomorrow” when responding to rumours of potential arrivals at Anfield this summer.

But, Liverpool fans, who would you like your club to sign most this summer?

Manchester United head into the new season fresh from winning the Europa League and the EFL Cup.

Jose Mourinho may have failed in the Premier League by finishing sixth but securing Champions League football was the main goal at the beginning of the season and the Portuguese manager achieved that.

It was a successful season for sure, but the Red Devils will be looking to transfer that cup success to the league as they aim for their first Premier League title title since Sir Alex Ferguson departed in 2013.

Last summer Man United break the world record transfer fee by signing Paul Pogba for a stunning £89m from Juventus.

The ambition shown then had supporters excited and optimistic and it seems they will spare no cost as they go all out once more in their quest for glory, as you would expect from England’s most successful club in history.

Manchester United will have to overcome their bogey fixtures and important games if they are to be successful in their hunt for the league title, though, and with the 17/18 fixtures being released today, here’s a look at games that could define Mourinho’s season at Old Trafford…

Manchester City (H)

Man United v Man City – Sat 9th Dec

Back in the days of Sir Alex Ferguson, the Theatre of Dreams was a fortress and rarely would teams come away with anything but a loss but now it seems to go the other way.

Away sides play with freedom and get results. Manchester City are one of those teams, they won at Old Trafford last season and incredibly won 6-1 a few seasons ago.

Manchester United will have to work hard to overturn there ‘noisy neighbours’ if they are to have any chance of winning the title again.

Arsenal (A)

Arsenal v Man United – Sat 2nd Dec

Manchester United against Arsenal had been the fixture to look out for at the start of the season for decades now. It’s almost always an outright battle for three points and it was usually for the title.

Now it is a battle but not really for a huge prize apart from bragging rights, United have struggled going to the Emirates in recent years and lost 2-0 in their latest trip to North London. Between the 2006-2013 stage of transition for Arsenal, United had their number but now it is not the case.

They will have to pick up a win here next season if they are to realistically challenge.

Spurs (A)

Tottenham v Man United – Wed 31st Jan

A trip to White Hart Lane is a fixture Manchester United fans would happily look away from after recent years. The young Spurs side have given the reds a torrid time, including a 3-0 drumming two seasons back.

Man United have lost their big game bottle since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson and this is a huge factor in their failure to challenge for a title since the Scot left. Jose Mourinho has a huge job in regaining that ability to trounce any team in United’s way, like it once was.

But this season Tottenham will be playing their home games at Wembley and will be wary of facing teams willing to up their game on the home of football’s turf. Man United will need to take advantage of Tottenham’s Wembley woes if they’re to keep pace with the title chasing pack.

Chelsea (A)

Chelsea v Man United – Sat 4th Nov

Even under the great Sir Alex Ferguson Manchester United struggled against Chelsea, especially away from home.

The Red Devils haven’t won away in the league at Chelsea since 2012 and that was only their second win in West London since 2002.

As hard a place Stamford bridge is to go, United’s record there is woeful and they need to deal with it by winning there, especially as their home form is not as strong as it once was.

Liverpool

Liverpool v Man United – Sat 14th Oct 

Man United v Liverpool – Sat 10th Mar

The fixture where the two most successful clubs in England go head-to-head, Manchester United versus Liverpool.

Liverpool have dominated big games over the past year but out of them all, they struggle against United and the rivalry is strong as ever.

Bragging rights are vital but more importantly the three points will mean more to either team as they both lock horns for the Premier League title and a top four position.

This fixture is arguably the most important in United’s fixture list every season.

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has set a deadline for all the club’s transfer deals to be completed, reports the Chronicle.

What’s the word?

It has been widely reported that Benitez has been growing frustrated at the lack of transfer activity so far.

At the end of the season, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley promised to give the manager all the resources he needs following the club’s promotion to the Premier League.

So far, the Magpies have brought in Christian Atsu from Chelsea on a permanent deal, but no other players have come through the St James’ Park welcome gates just yet.

According to the Chronicle, Benitez has set himself a personal goal of getting all transfers over the line by August 6.

It is believed that the former Liverpool boss wants his squad in place for the first pre-season friendly against Hellas Verona.

What will happen if the deadline is missed?

There will be cause for concern given that there were rumours midway through last season that Benitez was frustrated with the owners for the lack of spending in January.

A report in The Telegraph in February claimed that Benitez could walk away from the club if Ashley continues failing to keep his promises.

If at the end of August the Magpies have not brought in the players that the manager wants, then questions are likely to be raised.

Benitez had a fractured relationship with Liverpool’s owners towards the end of his six-year spell in charge, so there is a chance that he could give up on Newcastle if problems arise with Ashley.

If that were to happen, it would be a hammer blow to the North-East outfit, who owe a lot to Benitez for guiding them back to the top flight at the first time of asking.