Southampton are now confident of capturing Manchester United full-back Brandon Williams on loan for the 2021/22 campaign following more talks between the clubs [Daily Mail].

The Lowdown: Southampton get busy ahead of 2021/22

Moving into 2021/22, many onlookers on the South Coast will be desperate to see how manager Ralph Hassenhuttl goes about trying to improve on his sides disappointing 15th placed finish last term.

Making inroads in regards to transfer business, they have tied up deals for Stade Brest left-back Romain Perraud alongside England winger Theo Walcott on a free transfer.

Could they now be close to a third summer signing following recent developments?

The Latest: Southampton closing in on Williams loan deal as talks progress

Currently speaking, the Saints look to be closing in on a deal to land 20-year-old Williams on a season-long loan agreement [Daily Mail].

Discussions are progressing well between the clubs which will provide encouragement to Southampton fans as they look to strengthen their full-back depth [Daily Mail].

Interestingly, the England Under-21 cap was wanted on a similar deal at St Mary’s last summer, however the Red Devils chose to keep their young asset following an impressive breakthrough year.

The Verdict: Good deal for all parties subject to completion

This could be an ideal agreement for both clubs as well as the player himself.

In need of regular first-team football, Williams would relish the opportunity to challenge for a first-team spot at Southampton, in both the right-back or left-back positions he is capable of functioning in – he and Perraud could line up on opposite flanks.

In 2020/21, the defender made 15 appearances for the Manchester giants, recording a solitary assist [Transfermarkt].

Comfortable on the ball, he averaged a commendable passing accuracy score across the campaign of 86.6%, which would be in-keeping with Hasenhuttl’s high-octane style of play [WhoScored].

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In a critical stage of his development, there is considerable scope for him to grow with experience and responsibility for Hassenhuttl’s men should he make the switch.

Once labelled as ‘absolutely outstanding’ by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, we feel he would be an ideal addition for the Saints this window [United in Focus].

In other news, Southampton fans rage at a controversial transfer update.

Club legend Steve Bull feels Wolverhampton Wanderers fans can expect to see a number of shocks this summer, with some key players possibly facing the chop under new boss Bruno Lage.

Former Benfica head coach Lage was appointed as Wolves’ new chief last month, following Nuno Espirito Santo’s decision to leave at the end of last season.

The Portuguese has moved quickly to add two promising youngsters to his squad, with 20-year-old defender Yerson Mosquera making the move from Colombian outfit Atletico Nacional and Francisco Trincão completing a season-long loan switch from Spanish giants Barcelona.

Lage is expected to be busy in the transfer window, with fears that Nuno could be looking to take some of his former charges to Tottenham Hotspur following his appointment in north London.

Bull, who is Wolves’ record top goalscorer, feels a number of players who have played a key role since the club’s Championship title win in 2018 could move on from Molineux.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “It all comes down to the new manager but I would keep all of the players, if I could, and strengthen on top of that.

“I think we’re going to see a lot of shocks. I know the manager has come in and there will still be a lot of players going out who no-one would have expected to leave.

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“There will also be players coming in who no-one expected. Hopefully, when a player signs, he needs to get his feet under the table as soon as possible.

“On that first day of training, Lage needs a full and fit squad to have a good go next year.”

Everton winger Bernard is ‘heading closer’ to leaving the club amid interest from three countries, according to the Liverpool Echo. 

The lowdown

The Toffees signed Bernard from Shakhtar Donetsk ahead of the 2018/19 season on a free transfer.

He’s gone on to make 84 appearances for the club, scoring eight goals and providing seven assists (via Transfermarkt).

Last season, he was limited to just three Premier League starts, with a further nine appearances off the bench (via WhoScored).

Bernard has only a year remaining on his contract at Goodison Park and is valued at £10.8million by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Talks over the potential departure of the 28-year-old are said to be ‘ongoing’.

A club in the United Arab Emirates are keen on the Brazilian, who also has suitors in both Greece and Russia.

The report adds that the likely move will see Everton clear one of the ‘top earners’ from their wage bill – he is rumoured to be on £120k per-week, which is over £6m per-year.

The verdict

This deal makes sense for Everton. It will be a considerable boost to their coffers, and it won’t hurt them all that much on the field given the feeble impact he made last season.

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Perhaps Bernard hoped that the change of manager at the club might yield more opportunities, but the reality is that he hasn’t done enough to be starting matches.

He’s a player who’s only shown rare glimpses, and his record for direct goal contributions is far from inspiring.

In other news, fans react to a potential incoming. 

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has delivered an update on Leeds United’s pursuit of Kristoffer Klaesson.

What’s the story?

With the new Premier League season now less than a month away, Marcelo Bielsa will no doubt be desperate for some reinforcements to be made to his first-team squad.

Reports in recent days have suggested that Valerenga shot-stopper, Klaesson, is someone who the Whites have identified as a potential replacement for Kiko Casilla, who of course departed on a season-long loan to Spanish side Elche.

Now, via Twitter, Hay has delivered an update on where things stand, saying: “Club are making progress with that one. Decent chance. Would need a work permit though.”

Fans will be excited

At only 20, Klaesson is at the opposite end of his career compared to Casilla, and would provide Leeds’ number one goalkeeper Illan Meslier with the kind of competition needed at the top level to truly thrive.

Valerenga’s sporting director has openly spoken about the fine work Victor Orta has done in trying to recruit his club’s player, saying: “The best clubs, and the best environments, work long-term with player recruitment. There, Victor is one of the brightest in the subject. Leeds arrived on the field in the summer of 2019 and have been very good. We have had a good dialogue with them.

“They obviously saw something of Kristoffer early that they liked, and have been good at updating themselves on developments.”

That knowledge that Orta is cultivating relationships with clubs behind-the-scenes in order to get a head-start on negotiations and make a good impression is something that The Athletic recently shed light on during Leeds’ signing of Junior Firpo.

It’s an indication of the kind of impressive work that the Spaniard is doing in order to get the right players into the club, and now, Hay’s update that Klaesson is closing in on a move to Elland Road is sure to have Whites fans excited.

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Not just because it will be another new signing to add to Bielsa’s ranks, but also another statement that they have got a transfer chief who appears to be very good at his job – it bodes well for the rest of the window for sure.

Meanwhile, Leeds United have opened talks for this player…

Aston Villa are not keen on letting midfielder Douglas Luiz go this summer, says Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.

Manchester City did have an option to buy back their former player but did not take it up, leaving Villa seemingly in the clear.

However, Luiz has since been linked with a move to AS Roma, while ex-Napoli coach Gianni Di Marzio recently claimed on Radio Marte (via Area Napoli) that the 23-year-old would be a good signing for his old side and could be worth up to €80m (£68m) in the future.

He is not a player Villa want to lose, though, Hatfield has told FFC. On the Brazilian, the Villa journalist said:

“I don’t think Villa are really keen to see him go. He’s obviously improved, like many of the players have, following his signing at the club.

“They always had that buy-back clause from Manchester City hanging over his head, but that’s passed now, so they don’t need to worry about that. I think they probably see Luiz as a key player.”

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Luiz appeared 33 times in the Premier League for Villa last season, so he was indeed an important player for Dean Smith.

The Brazil international also had the best passing accuracy out of Villa’s regular starters (minimum of 10 starts, via WhoScored), so the club not wanting to lose him is understandable.

Fulham have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Matt Grimes to Craven Cottage this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that both Watford and Brighton & Hove Albion have joined the race to sign the Swansea City midfielder ahead of the new season.

It was previously reported that Fulham looked close to securing a deal for the 25-year-old, with a medical at Craven Cottage having been scheduled for this week.

It is also claimed that Southampton and Newcastle United are thought to be keeping a close eye on the situation of the former England U21 international, who would be available to sign for as little as £1.5m due to having just one year remaining on his contract at the Liberty Stadium.

Silva will be gutted

Considering just how close Tony Khan appeared to be to securing the signing of Grimes this summer, should the midfielder eventually go on to seal a move elsewhere, it would undoubtedly leave Marco Silva gutted.

The 25-year-old has played a key role in Swansea City’s Championship success in recent years, and would have made a fantastic addition to the Portuguese manager’s options in the middle of the park next season.

Indeed, over his 45 Championship appearances for the Swans last term, the £6.3m-rated man scored two goals, registered three assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of one shot and making 0.8 key passes per game.

The £10k-per-week midfielder also made an average of 1.5 interceptions, 2.1 tackles, 1.3 clearances and won 5.3 duels in each league appearance.

These metrics saw the man Steve Cooper dubbed an “excellent” player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 7.04, ranking him as the club’s fifth-best performer in the English second tier.

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As such, with Grimes demonstrating that he is something of a complete midfielder, his signing would have given Silva a huge boost to his chances of going on to secure an immediate return to the Premier League with Fulham next season.

However, with Watford and Brighton now sniffing around the 25-year-old, Grimes may well be playing Premier League football a lot sooner than the Cottagers.

In other news: Khan must axe Fulham’s “fabulous” £35k-p/w flop, he’s stealing a living

Regardless of where Harry Kane’s future lies Tottenham must bring in at least one striker this window, and Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has told Transfer Tavern that Dusan Vlahovic is their number-one target.

Kane has been Spurs’ only recognised senior striker for the majority of his time in the first-team, and even when someone like Carlos Vinicius was brought in last season, he wasn’t up to the challenge.

With Tottenham in Europe once again, albeit in the third-tier and the UEFA Conference League, they’re expected to be fighting on four fronts, which means they need someone to support the England captain.

The Telegraph, who recently claimed that Nuno Espirito Santo wants to bring in Danny Ings to play with Kane, believe that the Spurs boss is now looking to sign Serbian and Fiorentina striker Vlahovic, who Serie A expert Conor Clancy told This is Futbol is “incredible”.

He scored 21 goals during his breakthrough season in Serie A last term, which saw him named as the league’s best young player.

Vlahovic is the latest Italian-based player that director of football Fabio Paratici has set his sights on and would cost Tottenham around £50m.

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Spurs have already signed goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini and young winger Bryan Gil from Sevilla, and Bridge told The Transfer Tavern that Vlahovic is their priority at present:

“I know that Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic is their number one choice at the moment, and I think it would be to play with Kane.”

Ange Postecoglou was enduring a nightmare start to life at Celtic but the Hoops’ win in midweek will have been revitalising.

The Bhoys have already been knocked out of Europe’s premier competition but the Parkhead side bounced back in perfect fashion just a few days ago.

On the chalkboard

Buoyed by the signing of Joe Hart, Celtic travelled to the Czech Republic last week with renewed confidence.

Postecoglou was brave with his team selection again and in dropping Odsonne Edouard to the bench, the Australian showed he wasn’t scared of making the big calls.

Kyogo Furuhashi, James Forrest and Liel Abada all linked up superbly well against Jablonec, eventually running out 4-2 winners.

However, one man who disappointed and has been poor so far this season is David Turnbull.

The Scot was excellent in his debut campaign at Paradise, scoring ten goals on his way to being crowned the club’s Player of the Season.

Though, in the early stages of 2021/22, he’s yet to contribute to a single goal and looks off the pace in offensive situations.

The solution

As a result, Postecoglou should look at bringing Ryan Christie back into the starting XI ahead of Turnbull.

His contract is set to expire in January and with fresh terms yet to be agreed, a move elsewhere looked to be on the table.

It was inevitable that he’d be one of the faces to leave Glasgow behind this summer but his form since the Aussie took charge has been first class.

It marks a significant revival in Christie’s career after he was branded a “laughing stock” by Frank McAvennie for his performances last term.

He played out of position on the wing with James Forrest out injured but scored 13 fewer goals last term than he’d managed in 2019/20.

Yet, despite the mass criticism he received, the £12k-per-week earner has bounced back in tremendous fashion. Christie starred against Midtjylland in the Champions League, completing four dribbles and registering a further four key passes in the first leg.

He then popped up with a vital fourth goal from the bench against Jablonec in midweek.

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The Scotland international raced into the area, got across his marker and then planted an excellent header beyond the goalkeeper.

Christie’s energy was unrelenting when he came on and Celtic could do with that type of performance when they face Dundee on Sunday afternoon.

They have won their first European game under Postecoglou; now they must find their debut win in domestic competition.

AND in other news, Celtic eye swoop for £60k-p/w beast who’s “different class”, he’s an upgrade on Bitton…

West Ham United are keen on signing Luka Jovic this month…

What’s the word?

According to Eurosport, the Irons are considering turning their attention to the Real Madrid striker, who is said to be a long-term target.

It’s claimed that Jovic is not in Carlo Ancelotti’s plans for the new season, so the La Liga giants are prepared to let him leave before the transfer deadline on August 31st.

David Moyes and co have struggled to find a new forward and are desperate to find competition for the injury-prone Michail Antonio.

However, the Hammers face competition for the 23-year-old from at least three Bundesliga sides. It remains to be seen just how much Jovic will command, with both Transfermarkt and CIES Football Observatory valuing him at £18m.

 A statement signing

Whilst the 6-foot Serbian has struggled to make much of an impact at the Bernabeu since a €60m (£50m) move in the summer of 2019, even returning to his former club Frankfurt for a loan spell last season, he would still be quite the coup for the East Londoners.

During the 2018/19 season, Jovic bagged a whopping 27 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions, via Transfermarkt, also striking up quite the partnership with Sebastien Haller, whose own exploits saw him make the switch to the London Stadium.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-the-latest-gossip-and-much-more-3” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and much more!”]

His form, particularly that year, earned glowing acclaim from teammate Filip Kostic, who described the talisman as “just unbelievable” to Bundesliga.com.

Furthermore, Jovic has been likened to Radamel Falcao, largely due to his ability to use either foot, as well as his head, to find the net. It’s perhaps why another former teammate, Kevin-Prince Boateng dubbed him a complete striker.

“He has everything to become [a world-class striker]. You see that in training. He has football in his genes, he’s a street footballer, and he has a nose for goal,” Boateng said. “He scores with his head, right or left foot. He is technically good and can shoot well with both feet. He just has everything a striker needs.”

Also lauded as “fast, robust and technically savvy” by Haller, it’s easy to see why Madrid splashed the cash on the 14-cap Serbia international and you could forgive him for not living up to the expectations and pressure that comes with playing for Los Galacticos.

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Hammers boss Moyes should absolutely consider a move for Jovic before the end of the month. Given his impressive goalscoring record and experience across Europe, he could be exactly the sort of signing that takes the club.

The self-proclaimed “fox in the box” is well worth a late punt to solve the Scot’s striker nightmare.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Antonio: West Ham must seal move for “special” £31.5m-rated goal machine…

Leicester City will be aiming to build on their Community Shield victory last weekend by picking up three points against Wolves this afternoon.

The Foxes suffered late heartbreak for the second consecutive season last term, missing out on a Champions League qualification spot on the final day following defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

However, the Midlands outfit will not be disheartened. They have continually punched above their weight under Brendan Rodgers, and their maiden FA Cup triumph in May capped an outstanding two-and-a-half years under the Northern Irishman.

However, following several astute purchases in the transfer window, Leicester will be hoping to go one better and finish in the top four next May.

Rodgers will have to cope without several first-team players in the opening weeks, though, with James Justin, Wesley Fofana, Jonny Evans and Nampalys Mendy all currently sidelined.

With that in mind, here’s how Football Fan Cast thinks the 48-year-old will line up his team at the King Power Stadium today…

New club captain Kasper Schmeichel is a certainty to start between the sticks for the Foxes, although there’s set to be a couple of fresh faces ahead of the Denmark international.

His compatriot and international teammate Jannik Vestergaard has completed his move from Southampton in time to be registered for this one, so he should make his club debut after his transfer was announced yesterday evening, partnering Caglar Soyuncu in the heart of defence.

That means the £4.5m-rated Daniel Amartey is set to drop to the bench after starting at Wembley a week ago, with Ricardo Pereira and Vestergaard’s former Saints team-mate Ryan Bertrand occupying the full-back positions.

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In midfield, the dependable trio of Wilfried Ndidi, Youri Tielemans and James Maddison will take up their usual residency in the Leicester engine room.

Up top, talismanic striker Jamie Vardy is expected to be partnered by the returning Harvey Barnes and Ayoze Perez as they look to supply the goals on the Premier League’s return. The veteran’s 15 top-flight goals last season make him too difficult to drop, despite the summer arrival of Patson Daka.

In other news… Journalist drops transfer update that’ll leave Leicester fans buzzing