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According to a report by Football Insider, West Ham United have now offered £11 million to sign West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Sam Johnstone after making him their ‘number one’ shot stopper choice.

The Lowdown: West Ham in goalkeeper talks…

Multiple talks have been held over strengthening West Ham’s goalkeeping department this summer.

Sky Sports (via Football Daily) say the Hammers originally lodged a £6 million bid to sign Johnstone, but the offer was swiftly rejected, leading West Ham to enter talks over a loan-to-buy move for Paris-Saint Germain’s Alphonse Areola.

Now, Football Insider say a second bid has been lodged for West Brom’s ace between the sticks.

The Latest: West Ham make £11m Johnstone bid…

As per the outlet, West Ham have now made a bid of around £11m for Johnstone and manager David Moyes has made the player his ‘top choice’ before next month’s deadline.

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The Scotsman is said to be a big fan of Johnstone’s ‘communication skills’ and the fact he is proven in the Premier League.

West Ham’s boss apparently prefers to have as many as three targets for each position in case a deal falls through but Johnstone seems very firmly the priority as it stands.

As well as this, the 28-year-old is thought to be keen on a move to the London Stadium.

The Verdict: Not a priority…

Johnstone was heralded as an ‘outstanding player’ for his West Brom heroics at points last season, but with Lukasz Fabianski’s deal extended, we believe signing a goalkeeper really should be at the bottom of Moyes’ to-do list.

West Ham are currently very short of striking options and could face a crisis if Michail Antonio is sidelined for long periods again throughout 2021/2022, akin to his issues last campaign.

Tammy Abraham, who is thought to be the Hammers’ number one striker choice, should be at the centre of discussion and firmly prioritised as the deadline looms near. If a deal for a player of his quality is wrapped up, then centre-backs and goalkeepers can come into the mix.

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Incredible’, ‘Please have truth in this’…West Ham fans flock to forward update, find out more here.

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has tipped the Whites to pip Everton to the signing of Real Madrid legend Marcelo this summer.

The Lowdown: Leeds linked with Marcelo move

Marcelo Bielsa has reportedly eyed up an audacious swoop for the Brazilian left-back, as he looks to sign a new player in that position.

With Ezgjan Alioski widely expected to leave, Marcelo has emerged as a shock target for Leeds, having won four Champions League titles with Madrid.

The Latest: Kenny tips Whites to make signing

While nothing too concrete has arrived with regards to the move, someone who is confident about it happening is ex-Whites man Kenny.

Speaking to Football Insider, he claimed Leeds have more chance of acquiring Marcelo’s signature than Everton, who are also believed to in the race:

“I rate this. What a player he has been and what a career he’s had.  With Bielsa, they’ve got a chance at pulling that one off. He’d be an unbelievable signing, for me.

“Everton have stalled a bit at the moment. But Leeds are up-and-coming. So as it stands, it would have to be Leeds because they’re a club on the up compared to where Everton are at the moment.

“They play with a lot of freedom as well which Marcelo will like.”

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The Verdict: Potential special signing

If Leeds did manage to sign Marcelo, it would be an unbelievable coup, considering he is arguably the greatest left-back of the last 10 years.

At 33, he may not at his peak anymore, but he could still bring an invaluable winning mentality to the team, not to mention enduring top-class ability – his control on the ball is something very few defenders will ever get near.

With a lot of clubs expected to be interested – his Madrid contract expires next summer – Bielsa will do very well to entice Marcelo to Elland Road, but there would be understandable excitement if it happened.

In other news, Leeds have been linked with another move for a player this summer – find out who it is here. 

Steven Gerrard’s reported hopes of bringing Heerenveen midfielder Joey Veerman to Ibrox this summer look to have been handed a huge boost after the Eredivisie club’s captain confirmed that the 22-year-old was likely to leave ahead of next season, with Rangers name-checked as a potential destination for the Dutchman.

Rangers have been heavily linked with a move for the youngster in recent weeks and it now seems likely that he will be on the move in the upcoming transfer window.

Heerenveen club captain Henk Veerman spoke to Dutch paper Voetbalprimeur recently, saying: “I’ve read things about Atalanta, Rangers, PSV, Ajax and AZ.

“I expect him to go to one of those clubs. I also think that Joey will add value for any club in the Netherlands.

”If things change enormously (at the club). That is a serious problem for me.”

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Veerman clearly rates his younger namesake highly and believes that he will be on the move this summer, which is no surprise after his superb performances in the Eredivisie this season.

In 31 Dutch top-flight appearances, the midfielder has contributed an impressive seven goals and 10 assists, which has helped him earn an excellent 7.40 rating from WhoScored.

If he had produced the same level of performance in Gerrard’s Rangers side this season, he would be ranked as their joint-second best performer alongside Ryan Kent and Joe Aribo, which emphasises just how impressive he has been for Heerenveen.

The £7.65m-rated midfielder certainly won’t come cheap, but if Gerrard wants to add players with genuine Champions League quality ahead of next season, then Veerman may well be his best bet.

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Therefore, after this latest boost, Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson should act quickly to ensure that Ibrox is Veerman’s summer destination, as otherwise they risk missing out on a “really good” player (in the words of Michael Mols) with obvious potential to Champions League rivals such as Atalanta or Ajax.

In other news… Wilson can deliver Gerrard a Rangers “masterstroke” with summer swoop for 21 y/o gem

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has dropped a major Aston Villa transfer update on what the club could look to do after clinching the signing of Emi Buendia from Norwich.

What’s the story?

Dean Smith’s side confirmed in recent days that they had reached an agreement with the Canaries to sign Buendia this summer, fending off intense competition from Premier League rivals Arsenal.

In response to a question about whether Villa could sign both Buendia and Tammy Abraham this summer, and how much money Smith has to work with, Preece said: “Villa will be spending less than £100m this window. That’s a guarantee. It’s not sustainable to keep blasting £150m etc… Villa could make 2 top-class additions and a couple of hidden gems, as it were, to help beef up their squad.

“Villa will need a new left-back to play understudy to Targett. A ball-winning defensive midfielder will be considered. A new striker is on Villa’s radar as well, with Smith to assess Wesley’s PL credentials when the players return on July 5. Tammy Abraham will be looked at with his price set to come down. However a deal for Tammy remains highly unlikely.”

Who’s next after Buendia?

After beating Arsenal to the signing of Buendia, Villa have picked up some superb early transfer window momentum and will now feel confident of enticing some other high-profile targets to Villa Park even amid rival interest.

As Preece says, another massive window of spending is unlikely to happen, but it doesn’t necessarily need to anyway. Villa enjoyed a superb first three-quarters of the Premier League campaign last season, before the injury to Jack Grealish stopped them in their tracks and caused them to slide down the table and out of European contention.

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However, with the signing of Buendia and possibly a couple of shrewd additions just to enhance the first team squad rather than overhauling it, Villa should be confident of taking that next step.

Meanwhile, Villa could form a dream strike duo with this man…

The Euro 2020 tournament is well underway, and England played their final group game against the Czech Republic last night at Wembley Stadium.

Having won their first group game against Croatia, the Three Lions drew their previous game with Scotland at Wembley 0-0, after a poor performance, leaving Gareth Southgate and his squad needing victory to win the group, which they duly delivered.

They could now face Germany, France, Portugal, or even Hungary in their knockout stages.

Despite the current crop of England stars fighting it out, Betway recently sat down with a whole host of players to talk about that special feeling of playing at the Euros.

This included Brighton and Hove Albion duo Danny Welbeck and Adam Lallana – with Welbeck a part of England’s Euro 2012 squad.

Lallana, however, never actually featured at a Euros for England, but did represent the Three Lions at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The pair opened up on that special feeling of being able to play for their country, having played a combined 76 games for England.

Welbeck first spoke about that feeling of the monumental support during those special tournaments, stating that he knew the whole country was behind himself and his teammates.

However, Welbeck did allude to the pressure of pulling on that coveted shirt, using the advice he received as a youngster at Manchester United…

“Growing up at the Manchester United academy, we’d always been told to play the game, and not the occasion… Try and take that pressure and use it as a positive”.

Lallana spoked fondly of his time playing for England, believing that he will only truly understand how special those moments were once he has retired.

The 33-year-old also the overriding feeling of joy when being able to win a game…

“When you win, there’s no better feeling in football. It’s worth fighting through the disappointments just to achieve them moments”.

One thing for sure is that the current squad will be craving that winning feeling, with all attentions turning to Wembley for tonight’s final group game against the Czech Republic.

Celtic’s transfer plans will be dictated by a variety of different events and scenarios.

The Hoops will firstly need to appoint a new manager and they will have to patiently wait to see how the futures of Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer develop.

Two of Parkhead’s most sellable assets, the funds the Bhoys receive will dictate how much they can spend on replacements.

What’s the word?

Unfortunately, Celtic’s plan to replace Edouard could already be in tatters and it’s through no fault of their own.

One player the club and Eddie Howe were interested in, and were planning to bring into Paradise this summer was Josh King.

The Norwegian is currently at Everton after moving from Bournemouth back in January. He signed a six month deal with the Toffees that expires this summer, meaning he’ll be available on a free transfer.

That sounds like good news but Celtic isn’t King’s only suitor. According to Football Insider, Norwich are now chasing the striker ahead of a summer move.

The report states that Turkish clubs Fenerbahce and Galatasaray also want to sign the 29-year-old.

Celtic in a mess

This doesn’t only represent a blow for the club but it’s also a setback for incoming manager, Howe.

The 43-year-old is close to sealing a move to Parkhead but until he arrives, it would be foolish of Celtic to finalise moves in the transfer market.

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The longer the wait goes on, the more feasible it becomes that King will end up elsewhere. At the moment, he is free to discuss terms with foreign clubs and thus, he could already be in talks with other suitors beyond Celtic.

Considering the Hoops have no manager and no director of football, it’s unlikely the forward would be too sold on the uncertainty at Parkhead.

Therefore, the quicker Howe arrives, the sooner they can begin negotiations for new recruits.

If King decides to move to East Anglia or Turkey, it would be a massive blow for Howe before he’s even walked through the door.

That’s because the former Bournemouth striker is one of his most trusted performers.

The duo worked together on the south coast where they developed a fabulous understanding of they both worked.

King has made 170 appearances under the Englishman, racking up an impressive tally of 50 strikes; that’s a record of a goal every 3.4 matches.

Should Celtic end up missing out on the striker they will only have themselves to blame.

If Dermot Desmond had been swifter in his search for a new manager and bowed down to Howe’s demands, he may already be through the door and talking to potential new recruits. At the time of writing, that isn’t possible.

Consequently, they are likely to be further behind in negotiations with his agent. Celtic’s initial transfer plans appear to be in big doubt here which could throw a spanner in the works for Howe before he’s even taken the job.

Howe’s plans to sign a player who knows his methods and his systems well and use him at Celtic could already be in tatters.

AND in other news, Forget Howe: McKay could rescue Celtic by hiring “outstanding” 63 y/o manager…

Tuesday night was another reminder of what might’ve been for West Ham United.

Whilst the Irons were enjoying a much-needed week off from action, their local rivals, Chelsea, were competing in a Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid.

These are the sorts of matches that many are dreaming about at the London Stadium with David Moyes’ side pushing for a lucrative spot inside the Premier League’s top four.

The Blues defeated the Hammers over the weekend and then held the La Liga giants to a draw, meaning there is still everything left to play for in the return leg next week.

One player starred across both encounters and what makes it worse is the fact that he could’ve become a West Ham player back in 2015 under Slaven Bilic.

This is, of course, N’Golo Kante, who looks back to his best in the heart of Chelsea’s engine room.

Back in the summer of 2015, Bilic enquired to Caen about signing the diminutive Frenchman for just £5m but no move came to fruition and he subsequently joined top-flight rivals Leicester City for just €8m (£7m).

Now look at him.

The £49.5m-rated midfielder pulled the strings on Saturday, making 88% of his 48 passing attempts and managing a game-high four tackles. In fact, none of Moyes’ starting XI could match his 7.2 SofaScore rating either.

Kante then backed up this performance with another fine showing at the Bernabeu, where he recorded a whopping six dribbles against a midfield that contained Toni Kroos, Casemiro and Luka Modric.

This was more than the entire La Liga outfit combined, which is startling.

As a result, he was awarded the ‘Man of the Match’ award and earned the most glowing of endorsements from his ex-teammate Cesc Fabregas, who tweeted: “N’Golo has always been a big game player. Never doubt him. He plays for 2.”

Despite entering his thirties, you can see that the 45-time international is a cut above many in the Premier League and one can only wonder what a current Hammers midfield of Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek and Kante would look like.

All in all, the East Londoners must continue to be haunted by Bilic’s failure to land the World Cup winner. What a catastrophic call that was.

AND in other news, West Ham star a major injury doubt for rest of the season, Moyes will be worried…

Despite claiming an impressive 2-1 win over Everton last week in the Premier League, Aston Villa manager Dean Smith must consider dropping Bertrand Traore for Sunday afternoon’s clash against Manchester United.

While the Burkina Faso international claimed the assist for Anwar El Ghazi’s goal, the winger hasn’t been consistent enough over these past few weeks to warrant still being in the starting line-up.

Alan Hutton has raised his concerns about Traore and the rest of Villa’s attack recently, saying that it’s looked a “struggle” to score goals.

He said: “Defensively, they’ve been strong but moving forward they just don’t create enough. Simple as that. They have tried different things, whether it be Trezeguet, Traore, Anwar, Ross Barkley coming off the bench. It looks a struggle at times.”

In response to Hutton’s comments, former Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about how Traore, among others, has really failed to step up in Jack Grealish’s absence.

He said: “I think what Hutts is talking about is that with Jack not being in the frame, you need standout players, you need exciting players that are going to step up to the plate and fulfil Jack’s role, because otherwise you’re going to get branded as almost a one-man team.

“So, yes, I’m totally, totally with Hutts on that because when you’ve got someone of his (Traore) ability, that’s where he needs to come on and be that player.”

With no goals in the Premier League since mid-February, Traore just hasn’t shown the kind of cutting edge up front which Smith has desperately needed from him, especially with Grealish out injured – in fact, as per Whoscored, out of the last ten matches he has played for Villa, only once has he gone above a 7.0 match rating.

With high-flying Manchester United to come on Sunday, Smith will need all his players in form and on song, and he can’t afford to be carrying any passengers in his team.

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The £55,000-a-week Traore has been ineffective for a while now, and it’s about time Smith takes him out of the firing line.

Meanwhile, Villa must land this £60m-rated star in the summer…

Everton’s clash against Manchester City on the final day of the Premier League season is a huge one.

Their campaign has been an inconsistent one but whether they secure European football all boils down to the last match of the season.

They will have their work cut out against the champions of England but if they win and Tottenham taste defeat or draw to Leicester, they will find themselves in the Europa Conference League.

A place in Europe would be a fine reward for the work Carlo Ancelotti has done with his players.

That said, their task of beating Pep Guardiola’s fierce team has been made harder by the fact that James Rodriguez will be absent from the game.

The Colombian sensation missed the win over Wolves due to fatigue but will now be absent for a successive game.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Ancelotti commented: “James unfortunately is not available for the game. He did not recover from the problem on his calf.”

Considering the former Real Madrid star is the club’s second-highest creator on nine assists this term, it will represent a huge blow to their chances.

Manchester City have kept 18 clean sheets this term and have the Premier League’s best defence with only 32 goals shipped.

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With that in mind, they’d find it incredibly tough to break the Citizens down even with James in their side.

He has carved out 1.7 key passes per game this season, the highest number of anyone at Goodison Park. James is one of the most impressive playmakers in the top-flight on his day so any team would struggle without him.

Calvert-Lewin’s route to goal will be made harder without him in the team, and as such, their chances of qualifying for Europe will also be more difficult.

Combine his injury with the fact club captain Seamus Coleman will also be missing and it doesn’t bode well for the Toffees on Sunday afternoon.

This is not the way they hoped their season would come to an end. Ancelotti has every right to feel gutted heading towards kick-off.

AND in other news, Brands must complete Everton swoop for £20m-rated “diamond”, he’s like a “Rolls-Royce”…

Southampton may find themselves scrambling to find an heir to Danny Ings this summer, should the 28-year-old complete a move to Premier League champions-elect Manchester City, but Ralph Hasenhuttl may already have a ready-made replacement in Mohamed Elyounoussi.

The Norwegian international is currently in his second successive season on loan with Celtic in the Scottish Premiership and it has been suggested recently that he will be given an opportunity to impress by Hasenhuttl ahead of next season.

The Austrian reportedly told the winger last month that he could still work his way into Southampton’s plans for next season with some impressive performances in Scotland and he produced a stunning display at the weekend, contributing two goals and an assist in Celtic’s 6-0 win against Livingston. That saw him earn a superb 9.81/10 rating from WhoScored.

The 26-year-old has now managed 22 goals and 14 assists for the Hoops in just 61 appearances, including 15 in all competitions this season, so he could return to Southampton in confident form ahead of next season.

Elyounoussi signed for the Saints from FC Basel in the summer of 2018 but struggled to have much of an impact, with no goals or assists in his 19 appearances for the South Coast club so far.

However, if Ings does join Man City, or any other side in the Champions League next season who might be interested in the England international, then Hasenhuttl could turn to Elyounoussi as his successor.

We have seen Nathan Redmond, Theo Walcott and Nathan Tella all perform well on occasion when playing as a striker this season and perhaps the Norwegian could be rejuvenated playing in a different role for Southampton after boosting his confidence with regular goals and assists in Scotland.

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Earlier in the season, BBC journalist Tom English was full of praise for Elyounoussi, saying:

“He has an awful lot to offer and that performance will fill Neil Lennon with an awful lot of heart because if he’s back to his best, Elyounoussi is a very, very dangerous player.”

He has featured as a centre-forward in the past and could provide a more clinical option than the likes of Redmond and Walcott, who have both struggled for goals in the Premier League this season.

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Certainly, Elyounoussi deserves another chance to show what he can do at Southampton, and if the talismanic Ings does leave, perhaps we could see him step up as his replacement.

And, in other news… Imagine him and JWP: Semmens should seal Saints swoop for “amazing” £19.8m-rated gem