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According to The Sun, Crystal Palace are one of four Premier League clubs keeping a close eye on Liverpool’s Harry Wilson with a view to a swoop this summer.

The 22-year-old has been on fire during his temporary spell with Derby this season and has been a crucial part of the Rams’ hugely successful campaign. Regardless of whether Frank Lampard’s side achieve promotion at Wembley Stadium on Monday, Premier League football in 2019/20 is at Wilson’s fingertips.

What’s the word?

Well, The Sun reports that the Eagles may have to compete with Bournemouth, Wolves and bitter rivals Brighton for the winger’s services – a selection of suitors that suggests he has had a phenomenal season in the Championship – while Derby are also keen to keep him at Pride Park if they secure promotion.

Liverpool will hold out for £25m if any of the aforementioned clubs want to sign him permanently, although they will reportedly be open to another loan move as well, with the player unlikely to find a way into the Reds’ first team.

Losing Wilson next year would be a devastating blow to Derby, but not nearly as devastating as the exit Palace may suffer this summer – star man Wilfried Zaha could be allowed to leave and, if the Ivorian does indeed head out the door, the Eagles will need to get a new winger in. While Wilson doesn’t have the twinkle toes of Zaha, he does have the outrageous, long-range shooting of Andros Townsend.

Wonderful Wilson

The Welshman scored plenty of wonderful efforts from distance in 2018/19 , including a spectacular free-kick that beat David De Gea when the Rams knocked out Manchester United in the FA Cup’s third round.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

The number seven chalked up 15 strikes and six assists in 48 games across all competitions, averaging out at 0.44 goal contributions per game – a solid output for a player who still has plenty of room to improve.

It’s unclear as to whether Palace would be willing to cough up the £25m required to bring Wilson to Selhurst Park permanently but assuming he will not be a like-for-like swap for Zaha, who plays on the opposite side to the Welshman, then Townsend will have a job to hold onto his right wing berth – both are left-footed and are lethal when allowed to cut inside.

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to debate whether or not Salomon Rondon would be a good signing, after the Newcastle forward tore them apart on Saturday evening.

The Venezuelan international played a huge role in Christian Atsu’s goal by making life hard for Dejan Lovren, and then managed to grab an equaliser to make it 2-2 with a thumping volley into the bottom corner, impressively with his weaker left foot.

Has Salamon Rondon had a better season than Bobby Firmino? Matt from The Magpie Channel discusses in the video below…

The strike was Rondon’s 10th Premier League goal of the season, whilst he has also recorded an eye-catching seven assists for the Magpies since signing on loan from West Brom – 17 goal involvements for a club who spent the season battling relegation is very good indeed.

After watching him tear them apart and even give Virgil van Dijk a headache, some Liverpool fans reckon the 29-year-old would be a handy signing.

However, others are against the idea of bringing him to Anfield, as seen by the mixed responses on Twitter…

It seems like only yesterday when Arsenal were the front-runners for Ivan Perisic.

The January transfer window saw the Inter Milan winger be linked constantly with a move to north London, and three months later the Croatian international has now been linked with a move West Ham.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport via the Sun, the Hammers are willing to meet the £35 million price tag Inter want for their 30-year-old winger, who is still being courted by Arsenal as well as Tottenham.

West Ham are braced for a big summer, with David Gold & David Sullivan likely to bolster the attack with the likes of Andy Carroll likely to leave the club this window, but Perisic isn’t the player the Hammers need.

The Croatian would no doubt be a big-name signing, and surprising one if that, but Perisic is simply just not what West Ham need this summer in terms of recruitment. The winger is no doubt a Premier League quality player, but he isn’t what Hammers should be targeting in this transfer window.

At 30, Perisic is heading into the winding-down years of his career, and in a league as fast as the Premier League the former Wolfsburg attacker will find it difficult to keep up with the speed of English football.

As well as age, Perisic’s nature to play on the left side of the wing means that star-man Felipe Anderson will have to be shifted around to accommodate the reported £35 million man, which could result in the Brazilian international being frustrated with playing out of position.

Perisic might seem like a good signing on paper, but with strikers leaving and fans preferring to see Anderson start on the left, the winger just doesn’t make sense for the Hammers as a summer signing.

West Ham fans, would you take Perisic as a summer signing? Let us know!

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Having failed to sign a single player during the last two transfer windows, there’s plenty of work to be done at Tottenham this summer. Mauricio Pochettino’s side remain competitive when it comes to the Premier League’s top four and even had their hand in the title race earlier this season, but to sustain or even improve that level, reinforcements are clearly needed.

With that in mind, Football FanCast’s writers have attempted to answer a simple question – which position do Tottenham need to strengthen most during the summer transfer window? Read their verdicts below…

James Beavis – Attacking Midfield

“Bringing in some competition for Dele Alli. With Christian Eriksen off-colour and potentially leaving the club in the summer given his contract situation, Tottenham are lacking some real creativity through the middle. They really missed the England international when he was injured and it gives Mauricio Pochettino a big problem ahead of the upcoming transfer window. Spurs can’t rely on Alli all of the time and they need some extra quality there. In addition, doing that would reduce Harry Kane’s work rate, seeing as he wouldn’t have to continually drop deep to try and make things happen.”

Billy Meyers – Right-Back

“Right-back. 100%. Even though Tottenham have three recognised options such as Kieran Trippier, Serge Aurier and Kyle Walker-Peters in that department, none of them have shown that they can be relied on this season – it is an area that is in desperate need of reinforcing. Pochettino’s preference to see his wing-backs bomb up and down the flanks, something that is a huge feature of Spurs’ play, should mean that the full-back areas are prioritised above others, with the right hand side of defence the more problematic of the two wide berths.”

Jack Saville – Central Midfield

“It’s obvious that Pochettino is crying out for a world class central midfield player, someone who can connect the dots and take the club to the next level. Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko have been outstanding this season but collectively they form something of an underdog partnership rather than a formidable title-winning duo. Quality central midfielders are rarely prised away for anything less than a premium price, but Daniel Levy simply must splash out to give fans the marquee signing they deserve.”

Christy Malyan – The Flanks

“Pochettino seems to prefer setting up his side to clog more central positions, to the extent that the width is usually provided by the full-backs, but if Tottenham wish to get to that higher level where they’re genuinely challenging the Premier League’s best, they need a Plan B – an attacker who looks to hug the touchline and stretch defences rather than constantly drifting inwards. Only Heung-min Son really offers that amongst Spurs’ attacking options, and even he is more interested in scoring than supplying by cutting from the left. Find a proper winger and Spurs could get a lot more joy out of Fernando Llorente.”

It’s fair to say that Manchester United have been brilliant over the last few months but they need to continue that form in order to cement a top-four spot this season. Frankly, there’s nothing like a good winger to come in and light up Old Trafford, is there? 

To say it has been a rollercoaster ride for all involved with the club this season would be an understatement and, considering at one point under Jose Mourinho they were ready to write the season off completely, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has done well to restore the faith around Old Trafford.

It hasn’t been easy to do but with a number of massive victories and superb turnaround’s, the team are now looking to consider themselves as one of the best in England, once again.

With the hope for this season being that they can get into the top four and qualify for the Champions League, Man United must also consider what they will do in the summer in a bid to improve next season.

Another winger would be a sensible move but links with Jadon Sancho and Callum Hudson-Odoi should be ignored. Surely, either one of those two would be ludicrously expensive and United need to focus on a number of positions, so focusing on a previously reported target (from TMW via talkSPORT) makes so much more sense.

Indeed, Leon Bailey would definitely be an inspired choice.

Bailey, (who is valued at £31.5 million on Transfermarkt) is a winger with exceptional quality that is hoping to progress into being one of the world’s best.

At the age of 21, Bailey has the world at his feet and his footballing ability is one of the highest quality.

He was described as a “real weapon” by former Bayer Leverkusen manager Heiko Herrlich (as per i News), so it’s clear to see that he’s very highly-rated in the final third and could pose a real threat in England.

The youngster has again been impressive in-front of goal this season, scoring five times whilst setting-up a further five goals as well. For his constant efforts to be effective in-front of goal, Manchester United would probably be one of many interested teams who look at Leon Bailey as a genuine option for their team going forward.

With options ranging from Rashford to Martial, Sanchez to Bailey, United will be blessed with some of the most influential wingers around. So good, even Romelu Lukaku would struggle not to score.

We joke, of course, but just imagine that front line…

Do you agree that Leon Bailey could make a difference at Old Trafford… Let us know!

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Crystal Palace host Brighton at Selhurst Park on Saturday in the second M23 derby of the season and they will be hoping that they can record a far better performance than the one they produced last time out against their bitter rivals.

Brighton dominated the last meeting and emerged 3-1 victors despite being reduced to 10 men; Palace, rejuvenated by the January signing of Michy Batshuayi and Wilfried Zaha’s timely return to form, will be determined to ensure the result isn’t repeated this weekend.

Eagles boss Roy Hodgson shocked the fans by making five big changes to his starting XI for the Burnley clash – all of which proved effective to at least some degree – but it would be a surprise if the lineup remained the same one week later.

We look at two key changes Hodgson must make to his starting XI this Saturday…

James McArthur for Max Meyer

Hodgson’s reluctance to hand Max Meyer an extended run in the starting XI has seen the former England boss receive criticism from the Selhurst Park faithful, particularly considering the impact and impetus the German has provided when coming off the bench.

The 23-year-old is far more technically capable than the other Palace midfielders and his close control means he can work in and out of small spaces brilliantly, although that won’t be what the Eagles need on Saturday, particularly in the early stages.

It will be vital that the hosts set the tone for the clash by going straight after their opponents and getting the ball back quickly – something Meyer won’t have the legs for and he could be burnt out.

James McArthur should come back in having been rested for the visit to Turf Moor – his legs and bite in the middle of the park will be crucial – although Hodgson should have no hesitations to bring the Scotsman off for Meyer if he needs some added creation in midfield.

While Meyer will add far more to his team overall, McArthur’s work-rate will be crucial in the middle; presuming that Hodgson restores his orthodox 4-3-3 this weekend, which leads us nicely onto change number two.

Andros Townsend for Cheikhou Kouyate

The big Senegalese has been an excellent signing for the Eagles this season and a snip at less than £10m but Andros Townsend, having been rested against Burnley, should undoubtedly come back in for this clash.

The former Spurs man has been on a different level this season, chalking up four goals and three assists and establishing himself as one of the Eagles’ most important players.

The 27-year-old has very much earned the rest afforded to him last time out but should be restored in his wing role against the Seagulls.

In Batshuayi, Zaha and Townsend, Hodgson has the makings of a fantastic front three that will cause problems for every team they face, and a midfield full of workhorses will give the dangerous trio license to cause problems on the front foot.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

While 46-cap Kouyate isn’t deserving of being benched, he has not been so sensational as to oust any of Jeffrey Schlupp, Luka Milivojevic or, indeed, Townsend from the starting XI in consecutive games.

There is, however, a way off the bench if he can prove in the coming days that he should be the third man to join aforementioned midfield duo Schlupp and Milivojevic in the middle of the park instead of McArthur.

Hodgson seems to have a special liking for the 31-year-old, though.

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Crystal Palace progressed to the quarter finals of the FA Cup with their 2-0 win over League One Doncaster on Sunday, with goals from Jeffrey Schlupp and Max Meyer enough to see the Selhurst Park outfit through to the next stage of the domestic competition.

The performances of the aforementioned duo give Roy Hodgson a bit of a headache going forward and he may have to make some huge sacrifices if he is to accommodate all of his best options.

On the chalkboard

Meyer, who joined from Schalke in the summer on a free – surely to much fanfare – has been unable to earn an extended run in the starting XI and has made just 10 Premier League starts, with many of his opportunities coming in the cup competitions.

At 5-foot-7, the maestro is hardly a physical presence or a player you would associate with heading the ball but his nodded effort in the dying minutes of the first half proved decisive. Aside from that, the German constantly looked to make things happen – as he usually does when granted a start – and may have finally done enough to warrant dropping one of the Eagles’ key men.

Meanwhile, Schlupp has continued his impressive run in central-midfield and the powerful run preceding his goal-bound, left-footed drive has become a key feature of his game as Hodgson favours the Ghanaian’s pace and energy in the middle rather than on the wing, where he had previously plied his trade.

Both deserve to start

Both Schlupp and Meyer bring different dimensions to the Palace team and ones that are difficult to expend, so Hodgson may be forced into changing to a more narrow formation in order to maximise the utility of his new-found midfield depth – Luka Milivojevic is always solid, while Cheikhou Kouyate has impressed and James McArthur seems undroppable in Hodgson’s eyes.

Doing so could prove terminal for Andros Townsend, who has been excellent for the Croydon outfit this campaign. Perhaps playing Meyer in the number 10 role behind Wilfried Zaha and Michy Batshuayi is the way forward, with the regular midfield three tucking in behind in a 4-3-1-2.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

Crystal Palace supporters have been in high spirits in recent times after seeing their side get back to winning ways in the Premier League on Saturday.

Roy Hodgson’s men went into their encounter with struggling Fulham at Selhurst Park having drawn one and lost two of their last three league games, a run which saw them fall towards the division’s bottom three. But the Eagles now sit 14th in the table after a routine 2-0 success over Claudio Ranieri’s Cottagers, with goals from Luka Milivojevic and Jeffrey Schlupp inspiring the hosts to a seventh Premier League win of the season, which in turn moved them four points clear of the relegation zone.

As such, there have been many delighted Palace fans up and down the country in recent times, with supporters likely lauding a fine team effort from their side on Saturday to finally get back to winning ways in the league for the first time since January 2.

And while it was Milivojevic and Schlupp that came up with the vital contributions, it was the performance of Mamadou Sakho in the heart of the Eagles backline that epitomised everything brilliant about Palace at the weekend.

Ultimately, the 28-year-old has proven to be an inspired addition to the Palace backline following his arrival from Liverpool on a permanent deal back in the summer of 2017, what with the centre back excelling in a loan spell earlier that year to underline his importance to this Eagles side.

And the defender, but for the odd lapse in concentration, continues to prove his worth to Hodgson, and that was none-more-so evident than on Saturday as the France international produced another authoritative display to help Palace to a ninth clean sheet of the season.

The centre back may have only touched the ball on 58 occasions over the course of the 90 minutes, what with Fulham dominating possession for much of the encounter, but Sakho finished the contest with a staggering 98% pass success rate, misplacing only one of the 41 passes he attempted – for what it’s worth, no other Palace starter hit 90% on Saturday (as per WhoScored).

And having someone like that on the ball who is comfortable in possession but invariably picks a pass can only be good news in bringing calmness and a measure of control to the backline – Sakho certainly helped do that at the weekend.

Yet the former Liverpool centre back also did his bit off the ball as well to stop Fulham in their tracks, winning three of the five aerial duels he contested over the course of the 90 minutes, as well as making a joint team-high eight clearances and two interceptions to relieve pressure on the Palace defence.

Clearly then, Sakho helped deliver a performance of note both on and off the ball to help Hodgson’s side to a crucial three points on Saturday, with the £13.5 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt) the star in a great team display to underline just how much he epitomised everything brilliant about the Eagles at the weekend.

Palace and Fulham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Harry Redknapp believes that Harry Kane’s return could pull Tottenham Hotspur over the line in the race to finish in the top four, per PA Sport via FourFourTwo.

What’s the word?

The Spurs striker sustained a serious hamstring injury against Southampton on New Year’s Day and has since undergone surgery.

Manager Jose Mourinho revealed last week, though, that he is ahead of schedule in his recovery and could “help us in the last few games of the season”.

And Redknapp believes that Kane’s comeback could propel Spurs into the top four; they are currently five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea after successive defeats to the Blues and Wolves.

He said: “To have him available for the Euros is going to be very important and, for Tottenham, they’re still looking to get a top-four finish so he could help push them over the line and get where they want to be.

“It’s going to be tight there. It’s very open. Tottenham have got a good squad of players. I know they’ve got a couple of injuries at the moment but they’ve still got enough good players to really push for that fourth spot.

“It’s great to see Harry getting fit. He’s a fantastic boy, great professional and great player.”

Money talks: How much did Levy pay for each of these Spurs stars?

Got to stay in touch

Kane’s return will surely boost Spurs.

He scored 11 goals in 20 league outings prior to his injury and they have been operating without a central striker since his injury, given the lack of senior alternatives to the England skipper. Troy Parrott is an option but does not appear to be trusted by Mourinho.

Nevertheless, the question is whether Spurs can remain in touch with the top four.

They have been in poor form and also have Son Heung-Min out injured at this point; since his arm issue, Spurs haven’t won a game.

The question, then, is whether they will even be in touch with the top four when Kane returns.

They have a difficult run-in, playing the likes of Manchester United, West Ham United, Sheffield United, Arsenal, and Leicester City prior to the season’s conclusion.

If they cannot take maximum points from at least three of those games, one has to think that Kane’s return may well be too little, too late.

Meanwhile, Spurs are in a “mess”, according to this man!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

The transfer window is just around the corner, and the speculation is beginning to grow with each passing day.

One of the latest rumours is Takumi Minamino’s mooted switch to Anfield for just £7.25m. The Japan international has played twice against the Reds for current club RB Salzburg already this term, even scoring at Anfield in the first clash between the two.

Can you name the result these iconic Liverpool images belong to? Give it a go now…

From a footballing point of view, he would be a good signing. The 24-year-old has scored nine goals and made 11 assists in 21 matches so far for the Austrian team, and he showed off his impressive work-rate against Jurgen Klopp’s this midweek. For such a small fee, he would surely represent a bargain, and it is not hard to imagine him slotting into the former Borussia Dortmund manager’s starting XI.

However, from a commercial point of view, it could be an even bigger success story. Football in Asia is a huge market – in 2013, Liverpool had more social media followers in Indonesia than the whole of the UK, whilst a survey from 2011 shows that 32% of all the people who watch the Premier League come from the continent – yet it is something that Liverpool have not tapped into 100% yet, especially in Japan. A survey from last year showed that even Arsenal have a bigger following in the far-eastern country than the Reds.

There are already a number of Asian players who have played in the Premier League, and they have brought in huge commercial value for their respective clubs. Park Ji-Sung spent seven years with Manchester United and, although David Gill said that he was signed for footballing reasons first, he was quick to add just how much added value he brought off the field as well.

Heung-Min Son is another player who has been a huge commercial star for a Premier League club, this time Tottenham, as the deal they signed with South Korean company Kumho Tyre in 2016 indicates. Minamino could see Liverpool get in on the act. There has already been talks of the Reds traveling to China for a one-off match during pre-season next term, and they also toured the country two years ago. The Asian market is clearly one they are looking to grow in, and signing potential star players such as the Salzburg man will only help them do that. If he is able to perform on the pitch as well, that will be a bonus.

In other news, Liverpool fans don’t want the club to sign this superstar.