According to The Mirror, Aston Villa are considering a move for veteran goalkeeper Brad Jones at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

What’s the story?

Sam Johnstone is currently Villa’s number one goalkeeper, with the 24-year-old impressing for the club since joining on loan from Manchester United.

It is understood that Villa have been told that it will take £6.5m to sign Johnstone on a permanent deal this summer, which would be very difficult for the club if they did not manage to secure promotion from the Championship this season.

According to The Mirror, Villa have a back-up option if they fail to sign Johnstone, with 35-year-old goalkeeper Jones in the mix.

The former Liverpool stopper helped Feyenoord win the Dutch title last term, but he will be out of contract at the end of next season, and Villa would hardly have to break the bank in order to sign the Australian at the end of the 2017-18 campaign.

Would Jones be a good signing?

Jones has been in the professional game since 2001, and he represented Middlesbrough as a first-team player for nine years before leaving for Liverpool in 2010.

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The stopper only made 11 Premier League appearances during five years at Anfield, however, before joining Bradford City in 2015.

Jones moved away from the English game with NEC in 2016, before switching to Feyenoord, where he has helped the club win their first league title in 18 years.

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The Australian’s form for Feyenoord has been very impressive, and it has previously been suggested that he would be open to a return to England this summer.

There is no question that Villa’s first choice is Johnstone, but Jones would be a decent option if Financial Fair Play restrictions prevented Steve Bruce’s side from spending big this summer.

According to O Jogo, West Ham United are interested in signing Sporting Lisbon midfielder Rodrigo Battaglia in this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the story?

West Ham have not yet guaranteed their Premier League position for the 2018-19 campaign, but the Hammers took a big step towards top-flight survival by beating fellow strugglers Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

It is understood that plans for this summer’s transfer window are well underway, with West Ham prepared to spend in a bid to avoid another difficult season.

According to O Jogo, the London club are closely monitoring the performances of Sporting midfielder Battaglia, with the 26-year-old identified as the perfect player to boost David Moyes’ options in the middle of the park.

It would not be a surprise if West Ham, who have also been linked with Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson, faced a battle from a number of clubs if Sporting decided to sell, but the appeal of London would place the Hammers in a strong position.

What are Battaglia’s credentials?

The former Argentina Under-20 international is valued at £5.9m by transfermarkt.co.uk, and that is not a figure that would put West Ham off this summer.

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It has been a busy campaign for the midfielder, who has scored three times and registered three assists in 46 appearances in all competitions for his Portuguese club.

Battaglia actually started his professional career with Huracan in Argentina, before a short spell at Racing Club led to a move to Braga in the summer of 2014.

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The Argentine moved to Sporting in last summer’s transfer window, and his performances throughout the season have reportedly attracted a host of interest.

Ar 6ft 1inches, Battaglia certainly has the physical attributes to operate in the Premier League, and it could well turn out to be a bargain buy for West Ham at the end of the season.

According to The Mirror, Leicester City will make a £20m move for Jack Grealish if Aston Villa fail to secure promotion to the Premier League this season.

What’s the story?

It would be fair to say that Grealish has had some difficult moments – both on and off the field – in the early stages of his career, but there is no doubting that the attacker is a fine talent.

The 22-year-old has reignited his reputation with a string of impressive performances this season, and is leading Villa’s charge towards the Premier League.

Steve Bruce’s side are currently fourth in the Championship table, and whilst they are still in the hunt for automatic promotion, it does appear that the club will have to settle for the playoffs as they bid to return to the Premier League.

According to The Mirror, Leicester are keeping a close eye on Villa’s Championship season as the Foxes eye a £20m swoop for Grealish in this summer’s transfer window.

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The report claims that the former Premier League champions want the attacker to play behind Jamie Vardy in the number 10 position next season.

Can Aston Villa keep him?

Villa have been very, very good to Grealish when considering some of the issues that the attacker has had in the early stages of his career.

Grealish is not exactly short of Premier League experience having played at that level between 2013 and 2016, but he has been a Championship player for the last two seasons.

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This term, Grealish has scored three times and registered five assists in 25 appearances in all competitions, and has been in impressive form in recent weeks.

Much will depend on whether Villa can rise into the Premier League this season, which would see the attacker receive an increase in wages, and indeed place the club in a better position.

Grealish is contracted to his current club until the summer of 2020, but failure to secure a spot in the Premier League for the 2018-19 campaign could well see the talented Englishman move on.

Celebratory pictures in the dressing room are not always welcomed unless a team have won a trophy, but Liverpool could be forgiven for revelling in the joy of their recent victory.

Jurgen Klopp’s men upset the odds by ousting Manchester City from the Champions League with a triumph in the quarter-finals.

The Merseyside outfit secured a place in the semi-finals of the competition by winning both legs – 3-0 and 2-1 – thanks to a mixture of explosive attacking pressure and composed defending.

Mohamed Salah, who Liverpool fans are desperate to keep hold of this summer, was the star of the show up front as he opened the scoring in the tie at Anfield and nabbed a crucial away goal at the Etihad.

After the match, Simon Mignolet, who lost his position as first-choice goalkeeper to Loris Karius at the turn of the year, tweeted a photo of himself and his teammates celebrating the win over City.

Liverpool fans were quick to spot that Salah was nowhere to be seen.

Everton will look to make it back-to-back Premier League wins then they travel to Huddersfield Town on Saturday afternoon.

The Toffees recorded a 1-0 victory over Newcastle United on Monday night to move into eighth position, and they will take on Huddersfield this weekend before locking horns with Southampton and West Ham United in their final two league fixtures of the season.

Securing eighth position, on paper, would be pretty good for an Everton side that have not been without their problems during the 2017-18 campaign.

The Everton fans are just not excited about life at the moment, however, and not many are looking forward to the Huddersfield fixture this weekend.

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Sam Allardyce has actually done a pretty good job results-wise since arriving at Goodison Park, but the style of football has not made him popular with the club’s supporters.

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To suggest that the Everton fans are not looking forward to the Huddersfield clash at the John Smith’s Stadium would be a slight understatement.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Southampton went into their clash with south coast neighbours Bournemouth at St Mary’s on Saturday knowing that they realistically needed to win to keep alive their chances of preserving their Premier League status, and that is exactly what they did.

Mark Hughes’ men moved to within one point of safety as a brace from Dusan Tadic saw the hosts run out 2-1 winners on the afternoon, and the Serbia international was one of a number of players that stood up and was counted in front of a sell-out crowd.

The £13.5m-rated playmaker – like many of his teammates – has struggled to find his best form in what has been a hugely disappointing campaign, but he certainly did on Saturday and his improved showing didn’t go unnoticed by the fans on Twitter.

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Firstly, he latched on to Mario Lemina’s through ball before calmly slotting past Asmir Begovic, and then after the break he netted the winner with a brilliant toe-punted effort with the outside of his left boot from outside the penalty area.

The Serbia international scored from both of the two shots he had on target before he was substituted off for James Ward-Prowse in the 87th minute, while he showed his quality in possession by making five key passes, as well as having a passing accuracy of just over 89%, as per WhoScored.com.

While the 29-year-old was a huge threat in the final third, he also showed that he doesn’t shy away from his defensive responsibilities by also making two tackles.

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On this performance, he will be Southampton’s key man in their final three fixtures of the season, with their survival potentially depending on him being at the top of his game.

According to The Telegraph, Juventus manager Max Allegri is one of the frontrunners to take over from Arsene Wenger when he leaves Arsenal this summer, with talks between the two parties already planned.

The Frenchman announced last month that he would be leaving the north London outfit at the end of the season following 22 years at the helm, and he signed off at the Emirates Stadium with a 5-0 win against Burnley on Sunday.

The Arsenal board will already be considering who they turn to next, and The Telegraph says that Allegri, who is on the verge of winning the Serie A title with Juve, is one of their preferred targets.

With three league titles – and soon to be four – as well as reaching the Champions League final twice during his time with the Italian side, the 50-year-old has shown the ability that he has, and he has all of the credentials to make the Gunners great again following a tough few years.

The former AC Milan chief, who could be handed a sizeable transfer budget, would be looking to make some big changes to the squad if he was appointed this summer, and he could look to bring some players he is already familiar with during his managerial career to north London.

Here are four players with a connection to Allegri that Arsenal could sign this summer if they get the Italian…

The Italy international may be 33 years of age and getting no younger, but if he is willing to leave his home nation for the Premier League at this stage of his career, then Arsenal simply have to sign him up.

The 33-year-old is a leader and a centre-back that is willing to put his body on the line for his club, and that is something that the Gunners have been missing in recent years.

Adding someone like Chiellini to their backline would galvanise them and would hopefully improve a defence that has been far too leaky in the Premier League – especially on the road – this season.

The left-back/left wing-back has long been linked with a move to the Premier League with Chelsea and Manchester United the clubs interested in the Brazilian in the past, but no move has ever materialised.

While Arsenal currently have Nacho Monreal, who was slammed by his own fans on Twitter for his display in the Europa League semi-final defeat to Atletico Madrid last week, and Sead Kolasinac available to play on the left-hand side, the former is getting no younger while the latter perhaps doesn’t have the quality to be starting every week for the north London outfit.

Signing Alex Sandro, who is as capable from a defensive point of view as he is at getting forward, would provide the Gunners with some stability on the left.

It’s fair to say that the Frenchman’s second spell at Old Trafford hasn’t quite gone to plan since the Red Devils signed him in a club-record deal from Juventus in 2016.

The France international is coming to the end of another campaign when he has struggled to make an impact on a consistent basis, and he has often been left on the substitutes’ bench by manager Jose Mourinho in 2018.

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If the 25-year-old did leave Old Trafford this summer he could be keen to link up with Allegri again having impressed under the Italian from 2014-2016, and it would give Arsenal the powerful presence in the middle of the park that they have often missed – convincing United to sell to them would be difficult, however.

Strengthening at centre-back looks to be one of the priorities for whoever the new Arsenal manager is going to be, and if it is Allegri he could choose to bring Daniele Rugani with him to north London.

The Italy international has been in and out of the Serie A outfit’s starting XI this season, but he has been more of a regular in recent weeks and at 23 years of age, has plenty of time to grow and improve – especially if he was partnered by someone like Chiellini at the Emirates.

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

As reported by The Scottish Sun, Rangers are keen on signing Liverpool youngster Harry Wilson on loan this summer.

What’s the story?

Although he hasn’t quite yet made a first team breakthrough at Anfield, the winger signed a long-term deal at Liverpool before his loan move to Hull City in January.

It appears that there are now a host of clubs willing to offer him more first-team football next season, with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard at the front of the queue.

The Scottish Sun report that Rangers, Leeds United, Aston Villa and Huddersfield are all interested in his services.

The paper reckon that Liverpool are looking for a £250,000 fee for the loan, which would include penalties should he not gain enough first-team appearances.

What can he offer?

Still just 21 years of age, Wilson doesn’t have extensive first team experience to draw too many conclusions from, but did demonstrate on loan at Hull City that he as quality that could be a benefit to Rangers.

He scored seven Championship goals from the left flank, also creating three assists, in his half season at the Tigers. Also netting his first goal for the Welsh national team, it’s been a big year for the youngster.

It’s clear he has huge potential and already has the cutting edge to be a success in the Scottish Premiership.

Although Rangers have just confirmed the signing of Jamie Murphy, adding more flair and depth to positions in the final third would be a big benefit.

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Loan deals are never ideal, permanent signings are what supporters want to see, but this is one that could be a big positive for all parties and something Steven Gerrard should definitely pursue.

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This summer’s transfer window could not be more important for Rangers.

With the arrival of Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard as manager comes great expectations. Gerrard is a born winner and hasn’t come to Glasgow with the intention of playing second fiddle to Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic. He’s here to do business and win trophies.

Having already made first team signings in Allan McGregor, Scott Arfield and Jamie Murphy, it’ll now be about bringing in some of Gerrard’s own targets, with plenty of players linked in the few weeks since he was unveiled.

Resources are stretched enough as it is, so a valid strategy will be pursuing loan deals for the season. It’s something the Light Blues have utilised plenty over the last couple of years with mixed success.

The right loan player can make a real difference to the first team squad, but there’s no use in bloating the squad with players you don’t need, simply to make a few signings.

With that in mind, these are the THREE most exciting potential loan deals that Rangers should be pursuing this summer…

At 21 years of age, Liverpool prospect Harry Wilson has only made one appearance for the Reds. However, don’t let that you fool you regarding his ability to make a first team impact at Ibrox next season.

A monster for the club’s U23s side, with 32 goals and 14 assists in 60 matches, he transferred that education into a successful loan spell at Hull City in the second half of the 2017/18 season.

In 13 Championship appearances he scored seven goals and assisted three more, demonstrating he has the quality the perform at the standard Rangers would require of him, despite his lack of experience.

With the ability to play on either wing, he would get plenty of first team football despite the presence of Jamie Murphy and Daniel Candeias, adding an exciting youthful exuberance to the flanks.

Could he be Rangers’ version of Patrick Roberts?

While loan moves are generally considered best suited to young players from the fringes of elite squads looking to make their name, temporary deals are also a good way of ensuring veterans not quite ready to retire can get football in fresh surroundings without the burden of a transfer fee making the move unfeasible.

Jermain Defoe would certainly fall into the latter category after an 18-year career making his name as one of the leading strikers in English football. Now 35 years of age, he’s finding his first team chances in the Premier League fewer and fewer, making just 11 starts for Bournemouth in the 2017/18.

He still knows his way to goal though, scoring 34 over the last three seasons at the top level, and given the Rangers career of Kenny Miller is over, they could do with an experienced pro in the dressing room who can help lead Steven Gerrard’s squad into a new era.

Reported to be a target of the Liverpool legend this summer, can Rangers sort out the financials of the deal and bring him to Scotland for one last career high?

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If Rangers do want to keep their loan signings young and ambitious, they should look no further than Liverpool forward Ben Woodburn, who appears to have a glittering career ahead of him.

Just 18 years of age, the player has already made a number of appearances for Liverpool, becoming their youngest ever goalscorer with an effort against Leeds United in 2016.

Also winning seven senior caps for the Welsh national team, who he has also scored for, it’s clear that’s seen as one of the next great hopes of British football.

Steven Gerrard knows all about him having worked with him as a youth coach at the Anfield side and is reported to be interested in bringing him north for the season.

It’s a loan move that could be a match made in heaven, solidifying a potential lucrative loan link-up with Liverpool in the years to come under Gerrard.

Emre Can’s departure from Liverpool to join Juventus on a free transfer has looked on the cards for a while but moved a step closer with a medical planned in the coming days and a contract agreed, as per Italian outlet CalcioMercato. 

What’s the story, then?

As Can’s Liverpool contract ran into its final year and his wage demands may it increasingly clear that he was not going to sign an extension to remain at Anfield, Italian champions Juventus emerged as the standout contenders to take him on a free transfer this summer, in keeping with their transfer policy of picking up international players on cheap deals.

The looming move made it a surprise that Can featured at all in the Champions League final but his departure has moved closer with the report of an agreement of a four-year deal at the Turin giants with a medical scheduled in the coming days.

The report also says that once the medical is gone, it is simply a case of signing the deal to take the German international to Italy.

Liverpool don’t want players who don’t want to be there

The arrival of Fabinho and the pending arrival of Naby Keita, along with the sparkling form of Jordan Henderson, Gigi Wijnaldum, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamerlain mean that Can’s departure will not be keenly felt in the engine room at Anfield.

Also, Can’s long-standing desire to depart has seem him become an unpopular figure among the fans at Anfield and there is a feeling that he doesn’t quite have the dynamism, consistency or discipline to be an ideal fit for Klopp’s high-octane midfield.

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