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The Chronicle have dropped a big update on reported Newcastle transfer target Axel Tuanzebe regarding his thoughts on a possible move to the northeast.

What’s the talk?

According to The Chronicle, the Manchester United centre-back is interested in signing for the Tyneside club on a season-long loan deal this month.

Football Insider claimed that the Magpies are keen on the defender, who is seemingly open to making the move happen, as Steve Bruce eyes reinforcements for his squad before the end of the transfer window.

Fans will be buzzing

Newcastle fans will surely be buzzing with this news as it is an encouraging update which seems to suggest that there is a strong chance of a deal being done. The club wants it to happen, the player wants it to happen, and now it is down to whether or not Manchester United are prepared to loan him out to the Magpies.

If they agree to it, then it could become a simple process for Newcastle and Tuanzebe given the mutual desire for the move. However, it would be in Bruce’s best interests to get a deal over the line as quickly as possible to prevent another club from swooping in to tempt him away from St James’ Park, with Aston Villa also interested in the 23-year-old.

The Toon Army must be delighted as the defender could be an excellent addition to the squad. He is a promising young talent who has already shown glimpses of his quality at first team level for the Reds Devils.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lauded him as a “tremendous” defender after he was able to produce an impressive display against French forward Kylian Mbappe in the Champions League against Paris Saint-Germain last year.

The Norwegian said: “Axel’s a tremendous defender, a great leader. He’s come through the academy and we’ve known for years that he’s going to be a top player for us and he’s got the character and the attitude that a Man United player should have.”

Solskjaer added: “Sometimes you’ll get in a foot race with Mbappe and you have to run with him and we know Axel’s qualities, he’s a top defender.”

This shows that the £38k-per-week beast has the potential to be a strong performer on the Champions League stage, suggesting that he would also excel in the Premier League. Furthermore, his 88.6% passing accuracy last season was better than any Newcastle starter managed throughout the campaign, so he could be a tremendous asset in terms of improving ball retention for the Magpies.

Newcastle fans could enjoy seeing his development under Bruce at St James’ Park next season if they are able to secure a loan for the centre-back, which is why they must act swiftly to get this over the line.

AND in other news, Newcastle could land dream midfield signing with swoop for £100k-p/w “special talent”…

An update has emerged regarding Leeds’ reported interest in Torino midfielder Sasa Lukic.

What’s the talk?

According to Tutto Mercato Web, the Whites are interested in a deal to sign the 24-year-old this summer. Leeds are keen on the Serbian, as are Russian giants Spartak Moscow, and could make a move for him before the end of the transfer window.

The midfielder recently commented on speculation over his future, saying: “I don’t read the newspapers much. It’s normal for a player to be the subject of rumors (about his future) but I don’t think about that.

“I am a Toro player and I plan to do well this season. It’s my fifth year (at the club) and I feel like home.

“Every year I try to do the best I can: last year I got off to a good start, then Covid stopped me for a few weeks and I couldn’t go back like before. But I am working hard. I hope to have a good season, myself and the whole team.”

Fans would be fuming

Leeds chief Victor Orta has to avoid making a costly blunder with Lukic this month. He must avoid lashing out a big fee on the Serbian as it could represent a blunder in the transfer market given his form throughout his career in Serie A.

There are a couple of reasons why this could work for Leeds. For starters, his versatility has seen him play as a holding, central and attacking midfield player for Torino in Italy. This shows that he is capable of adapting to several different roles, which could come in handy for Marcelo Bielsa should injuries or suspensions arise.

Lukic also has room to improve at the age of 24. This means that he is not the finished article and could have more development left in him, which Bielsa could potentially unlock through his coaching. These two reasons are why he could be a decent addition if the price is minimal.

However, there has been nothing to suggest that this will be a loan deal or one where Torino are happy to let him go on the cheap, especially when there is interest from multiple clubs, which could spark a bidding war. If Leeds do need to shell out a sizeable fee for him, then they must avoid it completely.

Fans would be frustrated to see the club take a gamble on Lukic given his performances for Torino in recent years. Last season, he averaged a lowly WhoScored rating of 6.48 in Serie A across 32 appearances, which was still an improvement from the 6.31 he managed in 30 games the previous campaign.

This shows that his performances have been statistically poor in Italy, which is why Leeds fans might not be happy to see him join unless it’s a loan or on a very cheap deal. If he has been unable to perform consistently in Serie A, that might well also be the case in the Premier League, so  Orta must avoid a costly howler with Lukic in this transfer window.

AND in other news, Leeds handed boost over maestro who has “something special”, Bielsa will be delighted…

More than four months later, Steve Howey is still confused as to why Tottenham sacked Jose Mourinho.

Despite being less than seven days away from the Carabao Cup final, the Portuguese lost his job following some wretched form domestically.

When Mourinho was sacked, Tottenham were five points adrift of the Champions League places with just six games remaining, whilst they’d recently been embarrassingly knocked out of the Europa League by Dinamo Zagreb, which was their most likely route back into Europe’s elite competition.

Spurs ended up narrowly losing the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City with interim manager Ryan Mason in charge, which ensured their 12-year wait for a major trophy painfully continued.

Mourinho has since been replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo, who’ll not only be hoping to get Tottenham back into the Champions League, but is the man tasked with attempting to finally bring silverware to north London.

But Howey exclusively told Football FanCast that he doesn’t understand why Mourinho was moved on in the first place:

“I’m still scratching my head how you’ve got a serial manager that wins trophies in Mourinho, and you sack him on pretty much the day of the final, it’s mind-blowing.”

Nottingham Forest appear to be closing in on a deal to bring Morgan Rogers to the City Ground this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Paul Taylor, with The Athletic journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that the Manchester City winger was in attendance for Forest’s 2-1 defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.

Taylor continues by stating that the 19-year-old has been on Dane Murphy’s radar for a number of weeks, as well as mentioning the fact that the England U19 international played alongside Forest’s Brennan Johnson while on loan at Lincoln City last season.

Finally, the journalist states his belief that the signing of the England U19 international would be a major coup for the Garibaldi, if the deal is indeed progressing as it seems to be.

In his tweet, Taylor said: “Believe Morgan Rogers was at the game today… has been on the NFFC radar for a few weeks. The Manchester City man played with Brennan Johnson at Lincoln last season. He would be one heck of a signing if that one is progressing as it seems it might be.”

Music to the ears of fans

With Forest’s 2021/21 Championship campaign having not got off to the best of starts, losing both of their opening fixtures of the season, it would appear as if there is work still to be done in the summer transfer window if Chris Hughton is to have any hope of securing a top-six finish this term – something that will undoubtedly be the aim of the 62-year-old.

However, if the club were to go on and secure a deal for the highly-rated Rogers in the coming weeks, the 19-year-old would very much appear to be a signing who would significantly boost the Reds’ promotion hopes.

Indeed, over his 28 League One appearances for Lincoln last term, the £1.17m-rated Manchester City starlet bagged six goals, registered two assists and created nine big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.9 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns saw the man Michael Appleton dubbed an “outstanding” player earn a highly impressive average SofaScore match rating of 7.09, ranking him as the Imps’ second-best performer in the third tier of English football, playing a key role in his side making it all the way to the play-off final.

As such, the news that Rogers could well be on his way to the City Ground this summer should be music to the ears of Forest fans, as, along with Johnson, the youngster clearly possesses the ability to help fire Hughton’s side back towards the summit of the Championship table.

In other news: Forest transfer news confirmed on “talented” £2.5k-p/w gem, Hughton will be buzzing

Former Leicester City defender Steve Howey has told The Transfer Tavern that he trusts his old side as they target Sassuolo forward Domenico Berardi.

Berardi starred for Italy in the Euros, creating a goal in the six games he played and scoring in the penalty shootout against England in the final to help his country win the tournament.

The 27-year-old has since been linked with a move to Leicester, with Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport reporting earlier this summer that last season’s FA Cup winners had enquired about the player.

Speaking about Leicester’s interest in Berardi in an exclusive interview with TT, Howey said:

“Leicester have been excellent in the transfer market with the players that they’ve brought in.

“That is a club that does the due diligence and the homework on the players. And I think if they fancy him, then you’ve got to be a decent player. I’ve seen little bits of him in the Euros.”

Berardi is a player who would bring goals to this Leicester team with his dangerous left foot and ability to cut in from that right-hand side.

Last season, the Italy international scored an impressive 17 goals in 30 Serie A appearances as Sassuolo went on to finish in eighth.

Manchester City have reportedly been offered Cristiano Ronaldo as an alternative to Harry Kane this summer, and the veteran Juventus star could be a phenomenal addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad.

What’s the word?

According to Italian news outlet Corriere dello Sport, Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes has sensationally offered City the chance to sign the legendary forward this summer in a deal worth just £25m.

Although Ronaldo is now 36 years old, he emphasised his class at Euro 2020 this summer by winning the Golden Boot. He could be the clinical goalscorer that City are clearly lacking, with early-season performances suggesting that if they cannot bring in a striker, then they could struggle to match the heights of last term.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-manchester-city-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Manchester City transfer rumours and news!”]

Kane remains the first-choice option for City, but given that Daniel Levy has reportedly decided not to sell the England captain to City, with their £125m bid rejected, it might be time for Guardiola to consider alternatives as we near the end of the transfer window.

Would Ronaldo be a good signing?

Ronaldo has enjoyed an incredible career with Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, scoring 674 goals in total, whilst his 36 goals in all competitions for Juventus last season demonstrates that he certainly isn’t slowing down.

The Portuguese forward’s time at Old Trafford could prove to be a stumbling block in any potential move. However, if City could convince him to join, he could be a superb short-term option for the club, and would perhaps allow them to fill the gap left by Sergio Aguero before potentially taking advantage of Erling Haaland’s release clause at Borussia Dortmund next summer.

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After failing to score in their first two games of the new campaign, Guardiola clearly needs a centre-forward before the window shuts; and considering that the manager dubbed Ronaldo “incredible” back in 2020, Txiki Begiristain should definitely consider bringing him to the Etihad this summer.

In other news… Txiki heading for Man City transfer disaster with exciting youngster

Manchester United would become genuine title contenders by making a late swoop for Harry Kane, according to Steve Howey.

England captain Kane has grown frustrated by a lack of trophies at Tottenham Hotspur and publicly confirmed he wants to leave his boyhood club before the transfer window slams shut next week.

While Manchester City have been the frontrunners for Kane’s signature all summer and boss Pep Guardiola has revealed his desire to sign last season’s Premier League Golden Boot winner, arch-rivals Manchester United have also been keeping tabs on the situation and club legend Gary Neville has urged the Red Devils to leap to the front of the queue.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has already completed two big-money transfers during the window, with England international Jadon Sancho making the £73million switch from Borussia Dortmund and 2018 World Cup winner Raphael Varane joining from Real Madrid.

But former Premier League defender Howey believes the acquisition of Kane would immediately bolster Manchester United’s chances of clinching the title.

He exclusively told Football FanCast: “They would automatically become title contenders by signing Kane.

“I think they look stronger defensively after signing Varane from Real Madrid. They’re looking good in midfield, with Paul Pogba starting the season really well and Bruno Fernandes scoring goals.

“Although Solskjaer has been criticised in the past, I think he is slowly and steadily building a decent team. If they get a player of Kane’s quality, that would take them to a different level.”

While anything can happen while the transfer window remains open, it does look like no club will be signing Kane this summer, with the player recently stating that he now intends to stay at the club.

Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge insists that Everton star James Rodriguez has downed tools at the club, amid a claim by Pipe Sierra that the club will make one last attempt to offer him plus €30m for Porto star Luis Diaz.

The Colombia international joined the club last summer under the management of Carlo Ancelotti.

The Italian, of course, has departed for Real Madrid, bringing a shock end to his reign at Goodison Park.

Since the appointment of Rafael Benitez as manager, Rodriguez has not played a single minute of competitive football.

He was left out of Ancelotti’s squad for the last two games of last season and has yet to return.

He even admitted during a Twitch stream that he was not aware who Everton’s next opponents were, and Bridge believes that he has tarnished his reputation with his actions at Goodison Park.

In total, Rodriguez has made 26 appearances for the club and has scored six goals, while also providing nine assists, and Bridge believes there is an obvious reason for the playmaker not joining a Champions League club before his switch to Merseyside.

He said: “A pretty awful last few weeks. His reputation, you kind of understand, in a funny way now, with the greatest respect, why he went to Everton and he didn’t go to a Champions League club because there’s obviously something there, not just because of his love and respect for Carlo Ancelotti, but it sounds like he’s completely downed tools.

“When you reveal that you don’t know who your team is playing next, it’s just completely unacceptable.

“You don’t get away with it with any fans, but Everton fans are good supporters and they’re not going to appreciate that.”

According to Roker Report, Sunderland are closing in on the signing of Ron-Thorben Hoffmann on loan from Bayern Munich.

The Lowdown: Sunderland busy

The Black Cats have made the most of this transfer window, bringing in no less than seven new players with ten others departing (Transfermarkt), successfully rebuilding the squad who fell just short of promotion last time out.

In the final few hours of the window, they may end up doing some more business.

The Latest: Hoffmann on the radar

As per this latest claim from Roker Report, Sunderland are looking to capture the services of Hoffmann on a temporary basis.

The Stadium of Light outfit will be looking to sign him on loan with an option buy.

The report details that the ‘towering’ 6 foot 4 youngster has become a target after talks were halted with Vito Mannone.

The Verdict: Clever target

Capturing 22-year-old Hoffmann could be a fantastic piece of business for Sunderland. At the moment, Lee Johnson only has Lee Burge in terms of senior goalkeepers with experience, although Anthony Patterson has been promoted to the senior squad.

Although without an appearance for 30-time Bundesliga champions Bayern’s senior outfit, he has played 49 times for their second side. Even if he was signed to play a back-up role at first, it could be a clever piece of business from the north-east side.

In other news, Sunderland fans were livid with this former player’s comments.

Juventus are willing to sell Weston McKennie to Tottenham Hotspur in January after breaching safety protocols whilst on international duty.

The Lowdown: Spurs keen on USA international

During the transfer window, it was reported that Spurs had held talks with the Italian side about signing McKennie for around £40million.

However, the move never happened and McKennie stayed at Juventus, where he has only started one league game this season,  in which he was dragged off at half-time and replaced by Alvaro Morata.

The Italian club are said to be furious with the midfielder for violating Covid protocols whilst away on international duty with the United States.

The Latest: What next?

According to a report by the Daily Mail, Juventus still consider the American an important player for Max Allegri’s squad, but his personality is not suitable for them.

As per outlets in Italy, via the Mail’s report, Spurs will now get the chance to rival Aston Villa for his services with a starting price of £25million, 37.5 per cent cheaper than the £40m reported earlier in the summer when Fabio Paratici held talks with his former side.

McKennie was previously in trouble for hosting a party during lockdown on the eve of a derby against Torino and has now hindered his relationship with the club even more.

The Verdict: Second chance for Paratici

Tottenham reporter Alasdair Gold has spoken in the past about Paratici’s never-ending phone calls, spending ’95 per cent’ of a pre-season clash against Colchester wheeling and dealing, and the Managing Director has already been in contact with Juventus.

Whilst Paratici didn’t manage to conclude a deal to bring the former Schalke midfielder in, the reported 37.5 per cent slash on the fee quoted in the summer will surely be very tempting, and perhaps he will be on the phone to Turin again before long.

The future of Tanguy Ndombele could have an influence on whether McKennie arrives at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as it frees up the wages to pay McKennie’s wages – he currently earns £2.5million annually.

In other news, Spurs defender rejected move to Serie A and moved elsewhere. Find out more here.