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An update has emerged on Newcastle United target Adrien Rabiot, regarding Juventus’ plans for him going forward.

What’s the talk?

According to Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, the Magpies are firmly in the race to land the French midfielder in January.

The report claims that the Italian giants are looking to sell him in the next window and could accept an offer as low as €10m (£8.5m) for the ex-PSG man.

Transformation

Eddie Howe has inherited a Newcastle team in a difficult position in the Premier League. The Magpies are 19th in the table and are the only side in the division yet to win a match, which is why the January transfer window could be the difference between staying up and heading straight back down to the Championship at the end of the season.

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The signing of Rabiot could be a potential game-changer for Howe as he could transform his midfield with the talented beast. He has proven himself as he caught the eye with PSG in Ligue 1 previously in his career and could provide a huge lift to the team.

In his final five seasons for the club, the holding midfielder averaged a WhoScored rating of 7.11 or higher, whilst making at least 3.2 tackles and interceptions per game on average in each season. He has also shown off his ability to pass the ball, with a carer average pass completion rate of 89.9% – playing for PSG, Juventus and France.

Ex-Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo previously called him ‘complete’, saying: “He is a complete player, I have rarely seen someone so strong both physically and technically.”

Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon once compared him to Manchester United’s Paul Pogba, saying: “He is a fantastic mix, he has the physical strength of Pogba, who is like a wardrobe, has the personality of Vidal and potentially the dynamism of Marchisio. He is incredible, extremely strong.”

Meanwhile, no Newcastle midfielder has averaged a WhoScored rating higher than 6.53 – a dismal score in comparison to the 7.11 or higher Rabiot was hitting in France. This suggests that he could be a major addition to the side and transform their midfield by bringing a consistently high level of quality to the team with his ability to win the ball back and retain it with his excellent passing.

Howe must now ensure that he can get a deal over the line for the Frenchman in the January window and pounce on this opportunity Juventus are seemingly set to hand them.

AND in other news, Howe could win over NUFC fans by axing £41k-p/w dud and landing “magnificent” beast…

Liverpool are set for a disaster if £10.8m-rated striker Divock Origi departs the club for free when his contract expires this summer.

What’s the story?

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Reds star is set to leave Anfield when his contract expires in June and AC Milan are the club leading the race to sign him.

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He’s been used off the bench by Klopp many times during his tenure and has become a fan favourite at the club, with his boss even calling him a “legend”. He’s more of an important player to the squad than you might initially think so it’s important they do all they can to keep him.

He’s an important team player

One thing that Liverpool have had more of this season is squad depth, and when they are challenging on all fronts being able to rely on this and field different options is crucial.

That’s why Origi is a player who matters so much to their success, not only does he have a proven track record of coming off the bench and making an impact in games, but he also offers something very different up top from the other strikers at the club.

The 27-year old arrived from French club Lille in 2014 for £11.4m and is the second longest-serving player at the club currently, behind only the captain Jordan Henderson. He’s made 173 appearances in that time and been directly involved in 58 goals, his biggest coming in the 2019 Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur.

Because of this impact in big games, to see him leave on a free transfer would be a blow and it would also leave Klopp in a desperate search for a replacement.

His longevity is one of the things that has earnt him legendary status at Anfield, he proved key when he came on yesterday for their Merseyside derby victory over Everton, scoring the second goal. This took him six league goals against the Toffees at Anfield, with Steven Gerrard the only Liverpool player ever to have scored more in the derby at home.

Although he may not be a regular starter in Klopp’s side, he certainly is one of his favourite players and losing him will massively weaken Liverpool.

IN other news: Sources: Liverpool agree terms to sign “special” £36m-rated ace, Klopp surely buzzing – opinion

Despite currently sitting in fourth place in the Championship table and just four points off the top spot, West Brom have scored the fewest number of goals out of any of the top five teams in the league at the moment with 30 scored in 23 games.

With this in mind and the fact that the January transfer window is close to opening, this could provide the Midlands club with the opportunity to strengthen their squad to put themselves in the best possible shape to attack the second half of the campaign and push for promotion.

In recent days, it has been reported by The Athletic that Barnsley striker Cauley Woodrow is “under consideration” for the Baggies to sign in January, which could be just what they need to progress.

The 27-year-old originally joined Barnsley on a loan deal from Fulham back in the 2018 summer transfer window before signing on a permanent basis in January 2019.

Overall, the striker, who is currently valued at £2.7m according to Transfermarkt, has made 151 appearances for Barnsley across all competitions, scoring 53 goals and providing ten assists along the way, showing how much of a goalscoring threat he could be for the Baggies.

With 42 appearances under Valerien Ismael during the duo’s time together at Barnsley, Woodrow managed to score 12 goals and provide six assists, showing that the West Brom manager knows how to get a tune out of the player and why it would make sense for them to reunite in January at The Hawthorns.

Labelled as a player that “carries a goal threat” by former Huddersfield Town boss and pundit Danny Cowley, Woodrow could be a great January signing for West Brom if he’s able to hit the ground running in terms of scoring goals and push the Baggies to promotion back to the Premier League.

However, with the striker playing the full 90 minutes in all but one of the 22 Championship games he’s appeared in so far this season, it could be tough for the Baggies to get Woodrow out of Barnsley based on how important he clearly is to their team.

Although, with Barnsley in the relegation zone with just 14 points on the board, a chance to secure promotion and play in the Premier League with West Brom could be rather tempting for Woodrow and possibly give hope to the Midlands club that they would be able to work out a deal to sign him in January.

In other news: Lai still wants to sell the Baggies

Tottenham Hotspur are likely to be busy before next Monday’s transfer deadline…

What’s the word?

That is according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, who delivered a rather big claim to GIVEMESPORT this week, suggesting that the north London outfit would be very active over the coming week as they try to land manager Antonio Conte his key targets.

“I’m told that Antonio Conte wants three new players in this window,” he said. “I think a lot depends on possible outs. They won’t be doing anything until they get rid of some of the players Conte doesn’t fancy.”

You’d imagine that a right wing-back is on the agenda amid intense links to Wolves star Adama Traore, whilst a new midfielder may also be considered given the exit talk surrounding Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso and Dele Alli.

Meanwhile, Harry Kane could do with a backup and there is always a need for reinforcements to the Italian’s backline, especially as he deploys a back-three.

Time running out

Spurs are quickly running out of time to secure Conte the players he desperately needs but the fact that he wants three additions has to be exciting news for the Lilywhites faithful around N17.

For many years, supporters have implored the club’s board, namely chairman Daniel Levy and owner Joe Lewis, to get the chequebook open to bolster this struggling squad.

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Much of the side that let the very successful Mauricio Pochettino down still remain and whilst new sporting director Fabio Paratici took measures to start this transitional period during the summer, they are still a long way off in clearing out the deadwood.

The likes of Erik Lamela, Moussa Sissoko and Serge Aurier moved onto pastures new but if Conte is going to stand a chance at elevating this team back to the top, where they regularly challenged for a place inside the top three, and sometimes the title, then he must be backed.

If he wants as many as three new signings, then it is on the Spurs hierarchy to get that done but there is now less than a week on the clock, with several players away on a winter break or with their respective national teams.

Either way, it’s going to be a very thrilling week ahead if you’re a Tottenham fan, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, David Ornstein drops late January transfer claim that’ll leave Spurs fans buzzing…

Everton have further fortune in their favour after their fantastic FA Cup win at the weekend, with a fresh update on injuries handing Frank Lampard a huge boost in the Premier League challenge that lies ahead of the new manager.

What’s the word?

The ex-Chelsea boss took to his pre-match press conference to confirm that Dominic Calvert-Lewin is back in training with the squad and will be available for the upcoming fixture against Newcastle United this evening.

Lampard simply said: “Dominic’s in the squad, so, Dominic has been training for the last few days.”

The striker had been confirmed last week as unavailable for the FA Cup clash with Brentford last Saturday afternoon after sustaining a knock, but quickly returned to training and will now be in contention for a place in the team at St James’ Park.

Fans will be delighted

Calvert-Lewin has cemented himself as a fan favourite at the club thanks to his attacking output since he joined the club in 2016 when he was signed for just £1.5m.

He has been worth his weight in gold with 56 goals and 16 assists in 179 appearances for the Toffees.

The 24-year-old has been instrumental for the side and continues to have a presence Everton seem to struggle without, almost seven years into his time at Goodison Park, which is something we have witnessed this season with Calvert-Lewin missing the majority so far through injury.

The star striker has scored three goals this term so far of which were scored consecutively in the first, second and third games of the season, in which they won two and drew one. Sadly his momentum came to an end when he sustained a quadriceps injury and a fractured toe at the beginning of September.

Since then, it has been downhill for the Toffees, winning just two games in the Premier League in Calvert-Lewin’s absence, conceding 11 more goals than they have scored in their campaign, so his return will surely be a huge boost for the team and for Lampard, as he considers his starting XI tonight with a desperately needed win the outcome the new manager will be hoping for.

New signings Donny van de Beek and Dele Alli will also be available for the league fixture for the first time and it will be interesting to see if Lampard will stick or twist with his winning team from the FA Cup clash at the weekend.

In other news: Lampard could sign Broja in the summer

Back in January of 2019, Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side were reported to be extremely interested in the signing of a relatively unknown right-back, who went by the name of Timothy Castagne.

Indeed, The Daily Record claimed that the Hoops had made the Atalanta full-back their top priority in the winter window, with Rodgers viewing the Belgium international as a direct replacement for Mikael Lustig – who looked as if he would be leaving Parkhead at the end of the 2018/19 campaign.

However, despite offering £8m for the then-23-year-old’s services, the Bhoys failed to get a deal over the line for the promising defender, with Atalanta believed to be looking for a figure in the region of £12m in order to sanction the right-back’s sale.

And, in May of 2019, after finding himself much more involved with Gian Piero Gasperini’s first-team squad, Castagne himself revealed just how close he came to joining Celtic, stating: “It’s incredible how quickly things in football can change.

“In December, I wasn’t starting any games and there was an £8m move to Celtic on the table. It looked like I was leaving, but the club wanted £12m and the deal collapsed.

“Since then, having not played for 13 games, I played just about every other game and we qualified for the Champions League. So it’s been an unbelievable turnaround for me.”

However, flash forward 16 months and Castagne would eventually find himself playing for Rodgers, although not at Celtic Park.

Indeed, in September 2020, Leicester City parted with £21.5m in order to bring the then-24-year-old full-back to the King Power, since which time the Belgian has gone on to establish himself as a first-team regular with the Premier League side.

Furthermore, his prominence in the English top-flight has also seen his market value soar, with the £63k-per-week defender now being worth around £25m in today’s market – something that will undoubtedly leave an incredibly sour taste in Celtic mouths.

Indeed, while £12m certainly would have been an eye-catching fee for the Hoops to cough up for a little-known right-back, the 26-year-old who Gerry Taggart dubbed a “proper player” has since proven he would have been well worth the outlay – both financially and in terms of performance – leading us to believe that Celtic had something of a nightmare when missing out on the full-back in 2019.

AND in other news: “Understand that…”: Journalist drops big transfer update, it’s bad news for Celtic

After securing their fourth consecutive draw in League One with a 2-2 result against Cheltenham Town at the weekend, Sheffield Wednesday are back in action on Tuesday evening with a big clash against Sunderland, who are currently six points ahead of Darren Moore’s side in the table.

On the chalkboard

Looking ahead to the midweek match against the Black Cats, one Wednesday player that featured in the draw against Cheltenham that we feel should be in the starting XI against Sunderland is defender Chey Dunkley.

During the match at the weekend, Dunkley started and played the full 90 minutes and not only did he manage to score one of Wednesday’s goals on the day, but he also managed to make a vital contribution at the other end of the pitch.

He made three interceptions, blocked three shots and produced four clearances which led to him winning ten of the 14 duels he was involved in. That ultimately earned him an impressive overall match rating of 8/10, making him Wednesday’s highest-rated player on the day according to SofaScore.

This shows just how useful Dunkley, who has been described as “solid” in the past by Moore, can be for the Owls in a defensive and attacking sense on this occasion. That’s precisely why we feel he would be a good option to start again against Sunderland who could see their attacking players bullied while trying to get past the Wednesday defender.

The Yorkshire side signed Dunkley back in August 2020 from Wigan Athletic on a free transfer on a reported two-year deal. Since then, the 29-year-old, who is currently valued at £720k according to Transfermarkt, has made 22 appearances for the Owls across all competitions.

Looking ahead to the match against Lee Johnson’s side, who were beaten 5-1 by Rotherham United in their previous league outing, we feel that Dunkley should definitely be in the starting XI, especially if Dominic Iorfa, who missed the Cheltenham game through injury, isn’t available to play after Moore said it’s 50/50 over whether he’d be fit enough to play a part.

If Dunkley does play in midweek, we think he would give Wednesday a great chance of grabbing a positive result and keeping their unbeaten streak going with the Owls having not lost a league game since their 2-1 defeat against Oxford United back in early October.

In other news: Sheff Weds sweating over big injury blow ahead of SAFC clash, Moore will be gutted – opinion

Aston Villa have made contact with Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma ahead of a possible summer move, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: January links

Steven Gerrard was busy during his first window as Villa boss, making four senior signings. It could have been five, however, as Brighton rejected an official offer from Villa for Bissouma.

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Labelled as a player with ‘bundles of ability’ by former teammate Dale Stephens, Bissouma will be entering the final 12 months of his contract with the Seagulls in the summer, and it looks as if Villa are already making a head start on a possible deal.

The Latest: Source drops update

Football Insider dropped an update on Villa and Bissouma on Thursday morning after being informed by a recruitment source.

They claim that Villa have made contact with the player’s representatives and have asked to be kept up to date with his situation. Brighton are braced for bids, with Villa willing to spend over £150m on new signings ahead of Gerrard’s first full season in charge.

The Verdict: Midfielders needed

Villa have just six midfielders on the books at this moment in time, two of which are youngsters Jacob Ramsey and Carney Chukwuemeka.

Morgan Sanson is also reportedly set to be let go, so Villa could be short of options if they don’t add to their midfield ranks.

Gerrard has found success in a 4-3-1-2 system in recent months, making central midfield reinforcements crucial, so going after Bissouma in a possible cut-price deal could be a strong starting point in what could be a busy summer.

In other news: ‘I understand…’ – Insider now drops Villa update as Lange makes enquiry to Europa League club. 

Transfer insider Pete O’Rourke has revealed that Celtic are “looking” to sign a new central midfielder, despite Ange Postecoglou’s recent comments.

What’s the story?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: “Celtic, back to the drawing board looking for a central midfielder.

“So, despite what Ange said, that they weren’t in the market for any new faces, I think if a midfielder does come up, and he fits what Celtic are looking for, I would think Celtic will try and bring one in before the close of the window.”

Exciting transfer twist for Celtic fans

Speaking just last week, Postecoglou said: “As we speak right now, there are no other offers or people I have spoken to. So the 20 names that come out tomorrow are all lies or fabrications. Or they’re from people at home bored and Googling names and throwing them up there, or agents trying to get a little more value for their clients.

“I can’t be any clearer than that, and what I won’t do is lie. There’s no one else we’re talking to, there’s no other offers, no one else I’m showing interest in. If that changes, I’ll let you know.”

The Hoops boss was very insistent that the club seemed to have no plans to strengthen further in this January window, and that might have just deflated fans a little.

However, O’Rourke’s revelation that the Scottish giants are still in the market and are looking for a new central midfielder is sure to have the Celtic faithful excited about what could potentially happen over the final few days of the transfer window.

The revelation that the club have their eyes open and haven’t just firmly shut the door on any new signings is a welcome one, and there could well be some late developments for Celtic fans to anticipate despite what their manager recently said.

Meanwhile, Celtic could strike gold with a move for this Ligue 1 star…

According to a recent report from Wolves journalist Liam Keen for the Express & Star, the Premier League are negotiating on behalf of their clubs with FIFA and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) officials to see if players can leave in early January and be available for their clubs over the Christmas and New Year period.

From a Wolves point of view, if a deal can be reached, this would allow defenders Willy Boly and Romain Saiss to be involved for the Premier League clash against Manchester United on January 3 at Old Trafford.

Wolves fans would be delighted

If an agreement can be made, this would surely give Wolves manager Bruno Lage a big boost when it comes to taking on the Red Devils and delight a lot of Old Gold fans in the process.

Even though Wolves have the likes of Conor Coady and Max Kilman in their squad who have started all 15 of their Premier League games so far this season, there’s no certainty that they will be available to play at Old Trafford next month. That could leave Lage having to rely on the likes of Saiss and Boly to step up if they are both available.

Despite Boly not making even one appearance in the Premier League so far this term, he still has the backing of Lage, who described him as an “important” player for Wolves.

Saiss, on the other hand, has been a regular figure for the Old Gold in this campaign, starting all 15 league games alongside Coady and Kilman and earning himself an overall season rating of 6.89/10 for his performances, making him Wolves’ fourth-highest rated player according to WhoScored.

With this is mind and the fact that United have currently scored more than double the amount of league goals (25) that Wolves have managed (12), it would undoubtedly be preferable if Lage can call upon both Saiss and potentially Boly, if he’s fit enough, to try and secure a positive result against the Red Devils.

If a deal can’t be agreed between the Premier League and AFCON officials, the Wolves boss will have to hope that Coady and Kilman will be fit enough to play and that they can do enough to keep United at bay.

In other news: Wolves dealt possible transfer blow on £40m “Van Dijk-like signing”, Shi surely fuming