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Wolves defender Romain Saiss is attracting interest from Ligue 1 outfit Rennes, according to a report from Foot Mercato.

Rennes, who finished sixth in their league, have identified the 31-year-old as a possible target. His contract expires at the end of the month, but the Molineux club have the option to extend it for a further year.

The Moroccan currently valued at £9m by Transfermarkt.

Saiss heavily involved for Wolves in 2020/21

Predominantly a centre-back, Saiss has made 174 appearances for Wolves in total. Last season, the 31-year-old played 30 times in all competitions.

Saiss averaged 2.6 successful aerial duels, 1.3 tackles, 1.9 interceptions and 4.1 clearances in the Premier League in 2020/21 (via WhoScored). However, that didn’t stop him from being a lightning rod for criticism from some quarters for a few less than spectacular performances.

Will Lage have a say on Saiss?

Wolves may gauge the opinion of incoming manager Bruno Lage before deciding what to do with Saiss. According to Tim Spiers, the club’s correspondent for The Athletic, the 45-year-old is to be officially appointed later this week, with his contract details currently being finalised.

Twitter news feed Talking Wolves relayed the report, and here’s what some supporters made of it, with a few not seeing overly dismayed at the thought of Saiss leaving.

Wolves fans respond to Saiss rumour

“Sell him!! Get a few million for him & put it towards an upgrade!!”

Credit: @SteveWiles20

“Start to get rid of the deadwood so we can keep the players like Neves”

Credit: @Ethanwwfc_

“Camavinga swap!”

Credit: @BrunoLages442

“The whole team is being sold…”

Credit: @pcaseiro

“Bye bye”

Credit: @FW90

“Please let this happen”

Credit: @stephenskippy

In other news, Wolves are said to be leading this transfer race. 

According to reports in Romania (via The Daily Record), Glasgow Rangers will prevent Ianis Hagi from representing his country at the Olympic Games in Tokyo later this year.

The Lowdown: Olympics loom

Despite a state of emergency being extended in Japan due to the pandemic (The Japan Times), the Olympics are set to go ahead as planned in the capital. With Romania having qualified for the football tournament at the event, Hagi could have been in line to travel.

From a Gers point of view, that could be an issue as the third Champions League qualifying and play-off rounds will take place at the same time.

The Latest: Gers to stop Hagi from playing

This latest update suggested the Gers have made a decision in regards to the 22-year-old.

It says Rangers will prevent Hagi from joining up with the squad as a recent FIFA directive allows to them to do just that.

The Verdict: Dilemma

From Hagi’s perspective, this could come as a huge blow. Given his criticism of Romania manager Mirel Radoi last year following the Tricolorii’s defeat against Norway (Digisport), it is clear he is passionate about his country. Hagi’s thoughts on participation at the Olympics are not clear, but it would not be a surprise if he were eager to make the trip.

On the other hand, if Rangers are unwilling to let him depart, it shows Steven Gerrard believes he has a big role to play at the start of next season.

The 55-time Scottish champions will have to get through two rounds if they want to reach the promised land of the Champions League group stages, and the former Genk man’s 14 assists across all competitions this season (Transfermarkt) illustrate his creative ability. By the looks of it, Hagi could have an important role to play.

In other news, Rangers fans are livid at this journalist’s comments.

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paul Robinson has spoken of his disappointment after rumours emerged that Marcelo Bielsa is set to sign another one-year deal at Elland Road.

The Lowdown: Bielsa staying on

The Whites are enjoying a glorious period in their history, returning to the Premier League and establishing themselves as one of the most entertaining teams in the country.

That is largely down to Bielsa’s vast influence as manager, with the Argentinian transforming the club’s fortunes in recent years.

Recent claims (via David Anderson, The Mirror) suggest the 65-year-old will stay at Leeds for another year, but he won’t be committing his future beyond that for the time being.

The Latest: Robinson frustrated by news

Speaking to MOT Leeds News, Robinson admits it is a frustrating situation, due to the same doubts surrounding Bielsa’s future returning next year:

“I’m really disappointed that it’s only one year. I’m disappointed it’s not two years.

“He usually signs one-year deals, we know that, but what it means is around Christmas or January every year we end up talking about Bielsa’s contract again.

“I’m disappointed it’s not two years. It’s obvious what he’s brought to the club, we’ve waxed lyrical about him all the time.

“When he does finally leave he can pick the corner of Elland Road he wants his statue on, he’s had that much of an impact.

“But it’s disappointing it’s only one year for me. It means we’re going to get to January no matter how well we’re doing next season and just talking about Bielsa’s future.”

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The Verdict: He has a point

In fairness, Robinson has a point, but in many ways, it is all a huge compliment to Bielsa, such is his enormous overall importance at Leeds.

Anyone of a Whites persuasion would like him to remain as manager for many years to come, bringing stability to proceedings and a bigger likelihood of future success.

Bielsa’s process has to be respected, however, and assuming he does extend his stay by a year, the hope is that the same happens next summer, too.

In other news, a huge European club are reportedly keen on signing one Leeds star this summer. Find out who it is here.

Everton have a number of areas they want to strengthen in this summer with Football FanCast revealing exclusively on Wednesday that they were in the market for a right midfielder.

However, they also have other areas they will try to strengthen during the upcoming window.

What’s the word?

Everton have their eye on defensive recruits with right-back a priority but it’s now thought that they want to sign a centre-back too.

That’s the word of Fabrizio Romano who took to Twitter to reveal the latest on Carlo Ancelotti’s transfer plans.

The transfer guru said: “Everton are planning to sign a centre-back in the summer. Araujo is highly appreciated but Barcelona will *not* sell him. No talks for Demiral, he’s not even a target.”

Ronald Araujo is currently valued at £22.5m via Transfermarkt but with Barca reluctant to let the Uruguayan go, this looks like an expensive and complex deal to complete.

Forget Koulibaly

Back in March it was reported that Ancelotti had the desire to bring an elite defender to Goodison Park.

On the surface, Kalidou Kouliably ticked all the boxes. He was potentially going to be involved in a swap deal with Napoli that saw Yerry Mina go the opposite way.

Strong, powerful and devastating in the air, defensive acquisitions won’t come much better than the Senegalese centre-half.

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That said, Araujo would be an even more impressive addition to the Everton backline.

Clearly rated very highly by those at Barcelona, he has become a real force for the Catalan giants and actually outmuscles Koulibaly in some of his best areas.

Take passing for example and the ability to play out from the back. The Napoli defender has recorded a pass success rate of 89.1% while Araujo has registered a rate of 92.1%.

That is a truly phenomenal number but the 6 foot 3 colossus is also dominant in the air. Throughout 2020/21, the Barca centre-back has won 2.2 aerial duels in La Liga. That betters Koulibaly who has only won 1.5 per game in Serie A.

Blessed with raw pace and strength, his ceiling is also particularly high. At the age of 22, he has a lot of potential and could be at the heart of Everton’s backline for a long period of time.

Described as “dominant” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, he’s been earning praise all season long from not only his manager but also his peers.

Speaking about his best qualities, Barca boss Ronald Koeman commented: “He’s physically very strong and has a great future ahead of him. Hopefully he will continue with the number four for many years.”

Fellow defender Gerard Pique added: “Araujo is a great centre-back, and will be for 10 or 15 years. He has everything. He is very young and has a very good head. Also, he is physically strong, fast and powerful, and has good ball control.”

Keep that in mind and he looks like the perfect centre-back. This would be a wonderful signing for Everton, one Ancelotti simply has to get over the line.

AND in other news, Everton could sign their very own Firmino in £13.5m beast with “brutal dynamism”…

Southampton have been linked with a move for Metz centre-back Boubakar Kouyate recently and he could be an upgrade on Jan Bednarek in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side should he make the move to St Mary’s this summer.

According to French news outlet L’Equipe (via The Pink Un), both Southampton and Norwich City are considering moves for the 24-year-old defender this summer, as they look to strengthen their squads ahead of the 2021/22 Premier League campaign.

The £4.5m-rated defender has enjoyed an excellent debut campaign with Metz having joined from Ligue 2 side Troyes last summer, so it is no surprise to see him attracting interest from the Premier League ahead of next season.

In 24 appearances in the French top-flight, Kouyate has averaged an impressive 7.10 rating from WhoScored for his performances, with one goal and no assists to his name.

If we compare him with Bednarek, who has struggled immensely in recent weeks for Southampton, there is a clear winner, which suggests that should Kouyate arrive at St Mary’s in the near future, he could oust the Poland international from the first-team.

As per WhoScored, Kouyate has averaged 2.4 tackles, 2.3 interceptions, 5.3 clearances and 3.8 aerials won per game in Ligue 1 this season.

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For comparison, Bednarek has managed just 1 tackle, 2.4 interceptions, 3.8 clearances and 2.8 aerials won per game in the Premier League this season, averaging a less impressive 6.83 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

This gives Kouyate the edge in every defensive aspect other than interceptions where Bednarek has a slight edge, which suggests that the Mali international could help solidify Southampton’s leaky defence next season.

Only relegated West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United have conceded more goals than Southampton in the English top-flight this season, which suggests that defensive additions are a must this summer, and given their respective performances, it seems clear that Kouyate would be a better option than Bednarek in Hasenhuttl’s side.

Therefore, vice-chairman Martin Semmens should definitely look at bringing the 24-year-old to the South Coast this summer, thus beating Norwich to the punch.

And, in other news… Southampton gem’s future looks bleak after Hasenhuttl admission, he’s the “weak link”

Former Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez admits his preference is to return to Premier League management, but says he wants to be part of a ‘serious project’.

Benitez said goodbye to Newcastle on the expiry of his contract in 2019 and went on to take over at Chinese Super League club Dalian Yifang.

The Champions League-winning manager left that post in January and is now considering his next move.

Plenty of Newcastle supporters want Benitez back

Speaking to Marca, 60-year-old Benitez outlined his requirements.

“I want to find a club with ambition, one either competing for titles or looking for a serious project that will lead to that later,” he said.

“My experiences with Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle have all been very enjoyable and for that reason my priority is the Premier League.

“My family are in England and it’s the most important league, but I can’t rule out leaving. As I said, if there’s a well-defined project with objectives.”

The Spaniard was linked with a return earlier in 2021, having been a hugely popular figure during his previous spell on Tyneside. In a Chronicle Live survey last month, Newcastle fans voted Benitez as the second-best alternative to Steve Bruce – those fans would be delighted if he were to return under better ownership.

Eddie Howe was the number one choice, but the former Bournemouth boss is now seemingly poised to join Celtic.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Benitez’s demand for ‘ambition’ shouldn’t be seen as tantamount to ruling out a St James’ Park comeback, especially after the the six words that ‘my priority is the Premier League’.

If there’s a change in ownership and Benitez is promised satisfactory backing, he’d probably be confident of lifting the Toon from lower mid-table to Europa League contention.

A change of ownership and a return for Benitez would probably be a dream scenario for Newcastle supporters. However, if Steve Bruce keeps them in the league this year, you’d expect Mike Ashley to stand by him.

And Newcastle may therefore miss the boat on Benitez, who could be near the top of the shortlist for clubs who find themselves with a managerial vacancy in the near future.

In other news, Mark Douglas named three players Newcastle are interested in.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who played for both Newcastle United and West Ham, believes the Hammers must win at the weekend if they are serious about qualifying for the Champions League.

David Moyes has been hit with a whole host of injuries in recent weeks with Michail Antonio, Declan Rice, Aaron Cresswell and Mark Noble all picking up knocks with the latter two going off during their 3-2 win against Leicester City last week.

The Hammers have won four of their previous five games in the Premier League, with their only defeat coming in a 1-0 defeat to Man United last month thanks to a Craig Dawson own goal.

Speaking on why West Ham must take all three points against Newcastle if they want to finish in the top four and how it’s a winnable game for both sides, Lee told FFC:

“It’s a winnable game for both teams so I don’t expect it to finish a draw, I think one of them will win.

“If West Ham want to qualify for the Champions League, with all due respect to Newcastle, they have to win this game and they are playing very well and scoring lots of goals at the minute.”

The Hammers will look to keep their position in the top four heading into next weekend’s match against Chelsea, who are currently just one point behind them in fifth.

Newcastle have given themselves some breathing space after taking four points from their previous games two games whereas Fulham have lost their previous four games and are now six points behind the Magpies.

Say the name Almen Abdi around Hillsborough Stadium and you’ll likely get back a prickly response from the Sheffield Wednesday faithful – but that is quite understandable.

The Swiss midfielder cost the Yorkshire giants a whopping £4m from Watford in 2016 and, in three seasons, racked up an abysmal 23 appearances. A shocking waste of money, to say the least.

It was such poor a signing that YorkshireLive dubbed him their ‘undisputed captain’ of the Owls’ worst 25-man squad of the last decade.

He never lived up to expectations, and now there’s another name heading down the same treacherous path – Massimo Luongo.

According to reports in his home country Australia at the time (summer 2019), the former QPR midfielder cost around £3.3m, which isn’t too much cheaper than the price paid for Abdi.

Now valued at just £1.44m by Transfermarkt, the 28-year-old has struggled to make much of an impact in the near two seasons that he’s been in south Yorkshire.

In total, Luongo has made 43 appearances for the Owls but hasn’t started a game since a 2-0 defeat to Huddersfield at the start of December and has missed 22 league outings through injury, per Transfermarkt.

He comes back and then gets injured almost instantly – even when appearing from the bench for the odd ten to 20 minutes.

This is very much the same story to that of Abdi and that should have Owls chairman Dejphon Chansiri hugely concerned as it’ll be another disastrous cross on his transfer record.

Frustratingly, when the injury-prone maestro is fit, he’s among the club’s best-performing players, but those matches come few and far between.

In 2015, the Aussie was named alongside the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on a 59-player list for the Ballon d’Or world footballer of the year award.

Just two years later, former Rs boss Ian Holloway lauded him as the best player in the Championship, via Goal.com, whilst ex-Owls boss Garry Monk – who signed Luongo in 2019 – waxed lyrical about him last season. He said:

“I think he has been one of our best performing players in terms of consistency across all the games that he has played so far. He is a great lad. He is a quiet leader,” before adding: “I think his performances have been excellent.”

Darren Moore knows all too well about the £18k-per-week dynamo, too. Echoing the aforementioned sentiments, he told reporters in his unveiling press conference: “Mass is an excellent player, we know that. He’ll be a wonderful addition with the squad.”

However, there is a long way to go before Luongo can back up just glowing praise. He must first focus on staying fit – if he can’t, then the Owls could certainly have another Abdi on their hands.

The 34-year-old has not played for another club since his exit from Hillsborough at the end of the 2018/19 season. Luongo best hope he does not follow the same path.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Palmer adamant Liam Shaw shouldn’t be playing for Sheffield Wednesday…

Southampton have reportedly been scouting Bristol City goalkeeper Daniel Bentley recently and if he were to join the Saints, he could become their next Kelvin Davis.

According to the Bristol Post, Southampton have had scouts in attendance at recent fixtures at Ashton Gate and have been keeping an eye on Bentley, as well as Antoine Semenyo, Tyreeq Bakinson and Han-Noah Massengo.

The former Southend United man has established himself as one of the top ‘keepers in the Championship during his time with Brentford and Bristol City and is currently valued at £3.6 million, which ranks him as the third-most valuable shot-stopper in the second tier, behind just David Raya and on-loan Newcastle United man Freddie Woodman.

If he were to make the move to St Mary’s this summer, he would presumably compete with Fraser Forster and Alex McCarthy for the number one spot in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s squad and if he could establish himself as first-choice, then he could enjoy a lengthy spell with the Saints.

There are definitely similarities between the deal that saw Southampton sign Davis from Sunderland in 2006 and any potential deal for Bentley.

The shot-stopper was brought in for around £1 million from Sunderland just a year after joining the Black Cats from Ipswich Town and would end up finishing his career on the South Coast, retiring in 2016 after 10 years with the club.

During that time, he would make 298 appearances for the club and was a crucial part of the side that won back-to-back promotions in League One and the Championship in 2011 and 2012.

Considering Bentley is just 27-years-old, there is no reason why he couldn’t also spend a decade with the Saints in a similar manner to Davis, and go on to become a legend with the club, albeit in the Premier League rather than the lower leagues.

Like Davis, Bentley would be joining from a Championship side and would likely arrive for a relatively low fee, so if he does make the switch to St Mary’s this summer, there seems no reason why he can’t emulate the Southampton legend.

And, in other news… Sold for £15m, now rated at £31.5m: Southampton were robbed blind with “phenomenal” beast

Leicester City will be aiming to recover from back-to-back defeats as they travel to Turf Moor to take on Sean Dyche’s Burnley on Wednesday.

The Foxes have endured a tough week having been eliminated by Slavia Prague in the UEFA Europa League before being batted aside by Arsenal at the weekend.

Defeat to the Gunners also came at a cost, with Harvey Barnes and Jonny Evans being withdrawn through injury.

So with that in mind, what starting line-up will Brendan Rodgers select against Burnley?

There are likely to be at least three changes to the Foxes side that fell to defeat against Arsenal – most of them enforced.

19-year-old left-back Luke Thomas was given a torrid time at the weekend – Nicolas Pepe routinely getting the better of him. As a result, Rodgers is likely to select more experience and have Timothy Castagne in an orthodox left-back role.

Another change in the backline could see centre-back Evans drop out and replaced by Daniel Amartey. The Northern-Irishman aggravated a calf injury and is doubtful to play.

The Foxes’ midfield will have more of a familiar look to it, with the partnership of Wilfred Ndidi and Youri Tielemans deployed once again.

Most of the sweeping changes will occur further up the pitch with Barnes set to miss out with a knee injury that looks likely to rule him out for a number of weeks. He will be replaced by Marc Albrighton on the left-flank.

The final alteration is set to be £20.7m-rated AS Roma man Cengiz Under, who is likely to take position on the right, allowing Ricardo Pereira to slot in at right-back. It would be only the Turk’s second Premier League start of the campaign.