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Newcastle United chief Dan Ashworth has reportedly watched Sturm Graz striker Rasmus Hojlund ahead of a potential move.

The Lowdown: Ramos offer prepared

As per Italian football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the St. James’ Park outfit are preparing an offer for Benfica striker Goncalo Ramos, and he is their new ‘top target’.

Talks are ongoing with the player and the club over a potential move, but of course the Tynesiders will have forward other targets up their sleeve in case this one does not work out.

The Latest: Hojlund watched

Writing in a Q & A for The Athletic, journalist Chris Waugh has revealed that Ashworth watched Hojlund on Tuesday evening, as he scored against Dynamo Kyiv in the third round of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers.

However, it is not clear whether Eddie Howe’s side will formalise their interest with a bid.

The Verdict: Cheap alternative?

Given that he is only valued at £4.05m by Transfermarkt, Hojlund could provide a cheaper alternative to the Magpies’ other striker targets, or perhaps even arrive as well as a big money addition.

The Dane is only 19 years of age, but they would be buying into his huge potential as well.

Hailed as ‘freezing cold’ in front of goal by his manager Christian Ilzer, Hojlund already has five goals and two assists in just six appearances in total over all competitions so far this season (Transfermarkt), and so could be one for the Toon to develop eventually into one of the world’s best strikers.

Aston Villa have reportedly made contact over a move for Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car.

The Lowdown: Caleta-Car links

Villa appear to be on the hunt for a new centre-back before the deadline after Diego Carlos suffered a serious injury on the weekend.

The club have confirmed that the Brazilian will require surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon, with the likes of Caleta-Car and Jason Denayer linked with moves to the Midlands as a result.

Reports suggested that Caleta-Car has already packed his bags to reunite with former teammate Boubacar Kamara in England, and it looks as if Villa have taken the next step regarding a potential move.

The Latest: Contact made

Birmingham Live relayed an update from French outlet Jeunes Footeux regarding Caleta-Car.

They claimed that contact has been made over a possible transfer, with the Ligue 1 side hoping to receive a fee in the region of £9m for the player who is also attracting interest from Inter Milan, Torino and Sevilla.

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Villa may well be about to green-light an exit for Kortney Hause, with Watford keen on a loan deal, so if that goes through, a new defender will definitely be needed.

Therefore, Caleta-Car, labelled as an ‘excellent player’ by talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook, could be a shrewd signing.

The Croatia international is still just 25 years of age, has plenty of Ligue 1 experience under his belt and is into the final 12 months of his Marseille contract. He’s also valued at £14.4m by Transfermarkt, so a £9m fee as reported could prove to be a shrewd piece of business by NSWE in both the short and long run.

West Ham United are targeting Chelsea forward Armando Broja as talkSPORT have shared some transfer news in the last 48 hours.

The Lowdown: Irons keep busy…

Irons head coach David Moyes is still well in the market for further additions after sealing the signings of Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes, Alphonse Areola, Gianluca Scamacca, Maxwel Cornet and Thilo Kehrer.

West Ham are looking to challenge for a European spot again after failing to qualify for either the Champions League or Europa League last campaign, instead having to settle for a place in the Europa Conference League.

The east Londoners have just under a fortnight to strengthen their options ahead of a long Premier League season with news now emerging on Broja.

The Latest: West Ham eyeing Broja…

Indeed, according to reports, it is believed the Albania international remains of interest to West Ham following their links earlier in the window.

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TalkSPORT claim that Broja is on the ‘radar’ of Moyes’ side as they chase more incomings before September 1 – coming after claims that the 20-year-old was ‘keen’ on a London Stadium move last month (Charlie Gordon, Daily Express).

The Verdict: Make the move?

Having signed Scamacca from Sassuolo, coming with real potential, a move for Broja could perhaps be seen as a luxury.

It was once believed, before West Ham sealed the transfer of their new Italian, that Moyes could have ended up signing both him and Southampton’s former loanee in a double swoop (Dharmesh Sheth).

Called a ‘sensational’ striker by Saints legend Francis Benali, if head of recruitment Rob Newman and co try to push again for Broja, then Moyes may well end up with an abundance of depth in the forward areas.

Time will tell if they can bring him through the door before the end of this summer window and will certainly be an interesting final stretch.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are currently languishing in the relegation zone in the Premier League table, with just one point from nine following a poor start to the campaign.

Bruno Lage needs to find a solution to try and revive a stagnant team, with their goalscoring woes growing more evident as each match passes.

Last season they scored a paltry 38 league goals, the fourth-lowest in the division, with only the three relegated teams scoring fewer. It was very much Wolves’ defence which prevented them from slipping into a relegation battle, conceding only 43 goals as they secured a top-half finish.

Conor Coady, the club’s captain for the previous four seasons, has joined Everton on a season-long loan, while Willy Boly’s future appears to lie away from Molineux, with Nottingham Forest interested in signing him.

While recruiting another forward appears to be the priority for Lage, signing a solid and well-rounded defender to replace Boly would also be crucial to their ambitions this season.

The Old Gold have been recently linked with a move for Galatasaray defender Victor Nelsson, who only made the move to Turkey last year for a fee of €7m (£6m), but he appears to be on Lage’s radar.

Last season, the Dane was successful in 63.89% of his aerial duels and made 141 clearances, 29 interceptions and 14 blocks in the Turkish Super Lig as his team uncharacteristically hovered in mid-table.

Jacek Kulig dubbed Nelsson a “monster” following a fine performance against Celtic in February 2020, and the 23-year-old certainly justified that praise last season with his statistics.

The defender displayed an excellent passing ability, with an 87% success rate overall and a 93% accuracy in his own half, proving he can successfully initiate attacks from the back and is extremely confident on the ball.

Losing a leader in Coady this summer has been a blow, with the team conceding three goals in as many league games so far, and signing someone in the calibre of Nelsson would surely give the Molineux faithful a massive boost.

Leeds United have made a deadline day offer for West Ham’s Harrison Ashby.

The Lowdown: Ashby profiled

The 20-year-old is primarily a right-back who can also line out at centre-back. The Scotland under-21 international has been hailed as ‘fearless’ by West Ham podcaster Sam Delaney and is under the same agency as Leeds forward Luis Sinisterra.

Ashby has made six senior appearances for the Hammers, one of which came this season in a Europa Conference League qualifier.

The Latest: Leeds bid

According to reliable reporter Alan Nixon via Patreon on deadline day, as relayed by MOT Leeds News, Leeds have made a ‘surprise late bid’ for Ashby.

Nixon added that the player is open to leaving the London Stadium and would get more game-time with the Whites.

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The Verdict: Promising

Ashby sounds like an exciting youngster who can play in two defensive positions. The Whites have already added to their academy ranks this summer by bringing in Darko Gyabi from Manchester City and Sonny Perkins from West Ham, so the Scottish gem could be another shrewd long-term addition.

However, Leeds’ priority should be a new forward, and it looks as if Marseille striker Bamba Dieng is their new priority first-team target, meaning it could be a frantic final few hours for Andrea Radrizzani, Victor Ort and co at Elland Road.

Arsenal are ‘in negotiations’ to sign Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk on deadline day, reports FIFA journalist Abdellah Boulma. 

The lowdown: Rising star

A product of the youth system at the Ukrainian top flight outfit, Mudryk has successfully come through the ranks in his homeland to become a top prospect.

The 21-year-old Ukraine international has already amassed 12 direct goal contributions in 28 first-team outings and was part of the side that lifted their domestic cup in 2018/19.

Now, with Mikel Arteta and Edu seemingly still on the hunt for an additional wide option, Mudryk appears to be on the radar at the Emirates Stadium…

The latest: Negotiations ongoing…

Taking to Twitter, Boulma has revealed talks are ongoing over a deal worth around €30m (£26m).

The Gunners have apparently even already offered a five-year deal to the player.

“As already mentioned, the coveted Mykhaïlo Moudryk is in negotiations for an arrival at Arsenal. Transfer approaching an amount of 30 million euros. 5-year contract was offered to the player.”

The verdict: Pay up

Albeit currently the north Londoners would be efficiently buying potential as opposed to the finished article, shelling out £26million for a talented youngster still remains a snip in today’s inflated market.

Linked elsewhere to Wolves sensation Pedro Neto, a late swoop for an additional attacker seems inevitable following the departure of Nicolas Pepe.

Last season, Mudryk – who was described as ‘great to watch’ by Henry Winter – scored twice and provided nine assists in 19 appearances across all competitions, proof of an ability to have an impact in the final third.

Operating almost exclusively as a left-winger in his fledgeling career to date, the Ukrainian youngster would likely act as an understudy to Gabriel Martinelli and would provide much-needed strength in depth to the attacking options at Mikel Arteta’s disposal.

Douglas Luiz will leave Aston Villa for free next summer as things stand and has ‘decided’ he will not extend his stay, according to reports in his homeland.

The Lowdown: Luiz almost leaves Villa

Steven Gerrard had a busy end to the summer transfer window, not only signing Leander Dendoncker and Jan Bednarek but also desperately trying to keep hold of Luiz.

The Brazilian was linked with a host of clubs late on, with Arsenal showing the most interest, but he ended up remaining at Villa Park for the time being.

Luiz is in the final year of his current deal, however, meaning he can leave for free next summer.

The Latest: Summer exit nailed on

According to Brazilian outlet UOL [via Sport Witness], the 24-year-old has ‘decided’ that he will definitely exit Villa at the end of the season, as he looks for a fresh challenge elsewhere.

It is also stated that Luiz would like to negotiate with clubs in the January transfer window, when he will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement before moving later in the year.

His ‘idea’ is to remain in the Premier League, but AC Milan are mentioned are potential suitors having approached him ‘many times’.

The Verdict: Go out with a bang

In truth, it is hard to begrudge Luiz a move away next summer, especially after staying put this time around, admittedly potentially against his wishes.

It allows Gerrard to get one more good season out of one of his best midfielders, with journalist Gregg Evans describing him as ‘fantastic’ and a ‘joy to watch’, affording the boss time to find adequate replacements.

If Luiz can remain focused and help steer Villa away from the relegation battle and perhaps even towards the European places, producing influential performances along the way, his legacy will be far more positive than it could have been with a dramatic deadline day exit.

Celtic forward Daizen Maeda has missed training while on international duty with Japan, raising a potential concern for Ange Postecoglou. 

The lowdown

The 24-year-old played the first half on Friday as Japan beat United States 2-0 in a friendly in Dusseldorf. The Celtic attacker was one of three players that Hajime Moriyasu subbed off at the interval.

Japan are due to face Ecuador at the same stadium on Tuesday afternoon, but Maeda must now be considered a doubt for that fixture.

The latest

The Japanese FA say that Maeda ‘returned to the hotel’ rather than taking part in the training session.

That’s because he ‘felt a pain in his right leg’ which may now undergo further examination.

The verdict

It has been a bruising international break for Postecoglou and Celtic, with Giorgos Giakoumakis and Liel Abada also reporting issues.

The manager will need to make use of his full squad between now and the World Cup, with the Hoops due to play 13 games in 42 days as they fight on three fronts.

Maeda has appeared in all of Celtic’s matches so far this season, starting five times in the Premiership and once in the Scottish League Cup. He has only scored one goal (in the 4-1 cup win over Ross County) but he has registered four assists, which ranks him joint-second in the Celtic squad behind Matt O’Riley (five).

Moriyasu has described him as ‘very quick’, while The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin has applauded his ‘great’ work-rate and pressing, also saying that his offerings in possession also are ‘wildly underrated’.

The 25-year-old would duly be a big miss for Celtic if he had to spend some time on the sidelines.

For years, Tottenham Hotspur struggled to bring in a centre-forward capable of playing second fiddle to the club’s first-choice number nine, Harry Kane.

Indeed, over the last ten years, Spurs have spent around £115m on the likes of Roberto Soldado, Vincent Janssen, Fernando Llorente, Carlos Vinicius and Richarlison – with all but the latter having largely failed to make much of an impact at Spurs.

However, while a return of six goals and four assists over 42 appearances for Tottenham was not exactly form that would have convinced Mauricio Pochettino to keep faith in his ability, Janssen is finally proving exactly why the Argentine parted with around £18.6m in order to bring him to north London back in the summer of 2016.

After bagging 24 goals over 94 fixtures during a three-year spell with Mexican side CF Monterrey, Royal Antwerp parted with around £5m in order to bring the 28-year-old back to Europe this summer – and the Belgian side’s investment already appears to have paid off, with the striker thriving for Mark van Bommel’s outfit.

Indeed, over his nine Jupiler Pro League appearances – only five of which have come as starts – so far this season, the £4.05m-rated forward has been in exceptional form, having already scored six goals, registered one assist and created one big chance, in addition to taking an average of 2.0 shots – 55% of which have hit the target – making 0.9 key passes and winning 3.9 duels – at a success rate of 52% – per game.

These returns have seen the striker average a rather remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.36, not only ranking him as Van Bommel’s second-best performer in the league but also as the joint seventh-best player in the Belgian top flight as a whole so far this season – playing a key role in his side’s current top of the table standing.

However, it has not only been at club level that Janssen has been catching the eye, as the 28-year-old has once again become a regular in the Netherlands side in recent months, registering two assists in three appearances for Louis van Gaal’s side – putting himself in contention for a spot at the Qatar World Cup this winter.

And, in an interview with Dutch outlet FC Update back in June, Tottenham legend Rafael van der Vaart heaped a considerable amount of praise on the centre-forward, stating: “I think he has done insanely well. He is probably a mega star in Mexico, but we don’t get that. That makes sense. I am happy with what he has shown today. He keeps the ball with him, has good technique and we know he can score a goal.”

As such, despite his below-par returns in north London, the 18-cap international is finally beginning to show Spurs what they missed out on, and could even start an argument that Pochettino’s decision to cash in on the 28-year-old for around $7m (£6.5m) back in 2019 – £12.1m less than the £18.6m Tottenham paid for his services – was something of a mistake by the Argentine.

Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial could return for the derby clash against Manchester City, according to reliable journalist Samuel Luckhurst.

The Lowdown: Huge game v Man City

The Premier League returns this weekend and Erik ten Hag’s side have the biggest test possible as they head to the Etihad Stadium to face their local rivals and reigning champions on Sunday afternoon.

Pep Guardiola’s men are again the team to beat this season and United will know they will need to be at their very best to get a positive result against their rivals, who won 4-1 in this fixture last term.

There have been fitness doubts over both Rashford and Martial ahead of the match, but a positive update has now emerged.

The Latest: United duo could feature

Taking to Twitter, Luckhurst shared comments from Ten Hag that the United pair could be in contention to feature prominently on Sunday.

The Manchester Evening News journalist tweeted:

“Ten Hag says Rashford and Martial could be back for #mufc.”

He scores goals galore! Pay homage to one of his best with this amazing t-shirt! Click here to buy…

The Verdict: They can hurt City again

This is an undoubted boost for United, particularly when it comes to Rashford, with the Englishman finding his groove again this season and scoring three times in six league outings.

His pace on the counterattack is something that Ten Hag will surely want to use in a forward line which could also include Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes.

Having come off the bench to grab the assist for Rashford’s goal against Liverpool in August, Martial could be a good impact substitute.

Also, the fact that both he and the England international have caused City problems in the past could act as a mental advantage for United, who come into the game having won their last four in the Premier League.