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West Ham could land Jesse Lingard for a cut-price fee this January, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Claret and Hugh correspondent Terry Robbins claims Manchester United are prepared to sell the 31-cap England international for just £10m this winter transfer window after he rejected their offers of a new contract extension.

The 28-year-old midfielder will be free to leave the Red Devils in the summer after turning down a deal that would see him earn around £150k-per-week at Old Trafford.

The Irons were quoted a fee in the region of £20m to £30m throughout the summer but the United hierarchy are now worried that Lingard could indeed run down his contract over the next eight months.

West Ham are said to remain keen on the attacking midfielder.

A source told the website:

“Lingard is still holding all the cards but United would now rather get £10m in January than zero in July. It’s hoped an agreement can be found but United believe a number of clubs would be takers at the major discounted price.”

Bargain

Whilst the £19.8m-rated Englishman has been a long-standing target for both manager David Moyes and his assistant Stuart Pearce, new head of recruitment Rob Newman can begin his reign with a bang by launching a move for him this January.

Nikola Vlasic has struggled since returning to England this summer. He still needs plenty of time and he’ll get it at just 23, but the former Everton flop is nowhere near looking like the ideal Lingard replacement.

The United loanee bagged nine goals and provided five assists in just 16 appearances at the London Stadium but back in Manchester, he’s been restricted to only 136 minutes of action, as per Transfermarkt.

“He’s a special lad and was very good around the players,” Pearce revealed to talkSPORT back in August. “His ability shone out last year and gave us a great option in our squad.”

Lingard was not only a favourite in the dressing room but also with the Hammers faithful, so if Newman returned with a bid to try and sign him this January, then you’d imagine that many fans would absolutely love to see him return.

For just £10m, it would be an absolute bargain and it would certainly stop him from signing a pre-contract with any interested teams from abroad, too.

Newman and the Irons’ recruitment team must look to bring Lingard back to east London when the transfer window reopens for business.

AND in other news, West Ham dealt fresh injury blow to key 24-cap star, Moyes will be hugely concerned…

Leicester City will be hoping to make it three wins from a possible four in the Premier League when they welcome Manchester City to the King Power Stadium this afternoon.

A victory over Norwich City saw the Foxes bounce back from a crushing 4-1 defeat at the hands of West Ham United and give them confidence coming into this one.

Brendan Rodgers’ charges have received some huge selection boosts following the international break, with Jannik Vestergaard, Jonny Evans, Ricardo Pereira and Ryan Bertrand all making significant progress in their recoveries from injury and illness.

“Ryan Bertrand will be back and available. Jonny Evans and Jannik Vestergaard are progressing very well. We’ve had a good international break with players increasing their fitness levels,” Rodgers revealed in his press conference on Thursday.

“Hopefully, all those players should be fit and available. (Ricardo) trained today. He was out on the pitches yesterday and came through a session today and looked very good.”

On Evans and Vestergaard, the manager: “They’re not going to be 100 per cent. We only have three substitutes so there’s a strategy going into the game, so we have to be as sure as we possibly can in terms of how long the players can last. We’ll see where we’re at before we finalise the team.

With that in mind, here’s how Football FanCast expects Leicester to line up at the King Power Stadium, with four changes from the side which started against Norwich last time out…

In goal, the virtually ever-present Kasper Schmeichel will keep his place between the sticks after making a solid start to the new season, and he could be called upon on several occasions when the current champions visit.

Ahead of the Denmark international, there is expected to be a rather unfamiliar-looking backline. Bertrand should replace 20-year-old Luke Thomas at left-back, while a string of errors for club and country could result in Vestergaard coming in for the £40.5m-rated Caglar Soyuncu.

Daniel Amartey and Timothy Castagne are likely to complete the defensive unit, with Rodgers set to bring Evans and Pereira back into the starting XI over the coming weeks as the latter gives way to the Belgian on this occasion.

The engine room will be made up of the usually dependable duo of Wilfried Ndidi and Youri Tielemans, who will provide a solid base for the more attack-minded James Maddison.

Completing the lineup will be Harvey Barnes, Jamie Vardy and Ademola Lookman. The RB Leipzig loanee should replace Marc Albrighton on the right wing, providing more pace on the counterattack for the Midlands outfit.

In other news… Rodgers could beat Man City again by unleashing Leicester’s “top talent” 

West Ham boss David Moyes must bring Vladimir Coufal back into his starting XI this afternoon as the Irons look to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to a fifth straight game.

It won’t be an easy task, however, as they welcome Manchester United to the London Stadium and they’ll have plenty of firepower at their disposal, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes.

The Hammers continued their fine form in 2021/22 during the week, defeating Dinamo Zagreb in their own back garden to kickstart their Europa League group stage debut in impressive fashion.

Moyes rung the changes for the encounter, almost utilising a whole new backline, with Ryan Fredericks and Issa Diop coming back in, whilst Kurt Zouma was handed a debut.

But despite the solid outings from many of his fringe players, the Scotsman must turn back to his usual first-choice options, which means we should see a return for the industrious Vladimir Coufal at right-back.

It remains to be seen who could line-up for the Red Devils on the left but considering the options are between Sancho and Mason Greenwood, the east London outfit will know they will be in for a tricky afternoon against either.

The Czech Republic beast has continued his phenomenal form from his debut campaign last term and sits amongst Moyes’ best-performing players once again.

No other player is averaging more tackles per game (3.3) this season than Coufal, whilst he’s also averaged 1.3 interceptions and one key pass per match, via WhoScored.

According to Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, the 29-year-old was “one of the signings of the season.”

“We talk about [Tomas] Soucek, but Coufal whether it’s right wing-back or right full-back at different times, he’s just one of those players that’s 7/10 minimum every time you watch him play. He’s the type of player you’d love to play with him. A manager’s dream, never injured, he’s there week in week out,” he said on Monday Night Football (4th May, 22:24pm).

Whilst Coufal’s current teammate, the Irons club captain Mark Noble, dubbed the £18m-rated defender as a “machine” to ‘That Peter Crouch Podcast’ back in May.

If West Ham are to continue their unbeaten run, then Moyes must turn back to Coufal at right-back. He could well hold the keys to a positive result this afternoon.

AND in other news, Fewer passes than Fabianski: £27m-rated West Ham dynamo gives Moyes cause for concern against Zagreb…

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting to the news that the Scottish FA’s arbitration case against the Gers has been dropped, which is a victory for chairman Douglas Park.

The Gers have played three Premiership games so far this season, winning two and losing one (Sky Sports). For each of those matches, the 55-time Scottish champions have refused to feature the SPFL’s new title sponsor Cinch on their shirts, and for the matches at Ibrox, they have also not advertised the company on the hoardings around the pitch (The Daily Record). The Gers say there are gaps in the contract and they do not need to respect it.

The SFA was set to start an arbitration case against the Gers after a referral from the SPFL, but Douglas Park has had it thrown it out (via Glasgow Times), which is obviously very good news for Rangers.

The news was shared on Twitter by journalist Chris Jack, and it attracted plenty of attention from Gers supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with some hitting back at the SPFL and its chief executive Neil Doncaster, with whom many Light Blues supporters have had run-ins over the past couple of years.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the arbitration case being dropped

“The cabal loses, time to drain the swamp.”

Credit: @RangersBanter17

“Doncaster et al stumble from one mess to the next! How hard is it to stick to your own handbook!”

Credit: @bigjamiek2

“Sounds like the SPFL and SFA have had a mare here.”

Credit: @SGems90

“Yet again Scottish football authorities attempt to break their own rules in a conflict with Rangers.”

Credit: @chelt_lad

“So the impartial SFA sided with the SPFL in going against their own clearly stated rules? All sounds completely above board.”

Credit: @Aye_Ready72

“Surely now Doncaster is toast?”

Credit: @glasgowsportsfa

In other news, many Rangers fans were delighted with this man’s performance against Ross County

An exciting claim has emerged over West Ham’s prospective takeover bid this week…

What’s the word?

PAI Capital, the investment group behind a recent £400m offer for the East London outfit, have provided some insight into their offer and plans.

Last month, the Daily Mail first reported the interest, with sources claiming that the proposal would hand manager David Moyes with significant transfer funds, and help transform the London Stadium and the surrounding areas.

This was rejected by the Irons’ majority shareholder David Sullivan. He told The Athletic that the informal approach was “derisory” and “vague”, also suggesting that PAI Capital “had zero interest in the football side and saw it as a property move.”

Now they have broken their silence through a representative, who spoke to Hammers News.

“PAI Capital’s plan is to develop the club within a viable business model that guarantees long term to compete at the top level of English football,” they revealed.

“In case our takeover is successful, there will be a budget allocated to strengthen the squad. The scale of the follow-up investment directly depends on the price we will end up paying for the purchase of the club.

“PAI Capital has an experienced and solid team that developed a clear vision for the club going forward in case our take over is successfully completed.

“We will release more information and the vision in due course.”

Time to go, GSB?

Well, that certainly starts to rebuff the claims from Sullivan, especially with further news likely in due course.

There are a couple of key takeaway points from this statement that should leave many around the London Stadium absolutely buzzing. Firstly, it appears they are very committed to this deal and are likely to pursue it as much as they can – unlike previous takeover bids.

Secondly, whilst they still have a lot to prove, there does seem to be some footballing reasons behind the bid, especially as they would back the manager in the transfer market.

That’s yet to really happen this summer, with the Hammers only signing one senior player, which is amongst the lowest in the division.

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

GSB’s relationship with the West Ham fanbase has been rocky for several years now. Last year, fans protested against the board before games against Everton and Liverpool.

Some of the banners read: “Run like a circus – Owned by clowns” and “GSB out – Sold a dream, delivered a nightmare.”

That was a direct consequence of their relegation battle in 2019/20 but by the end of the subsequent summer, the Irons faithful were up in arms against Sullivan, David Gold and Karen Brady once again following the sale of promising starlet Grady Diangana.

Therefore, if PAI are as serious as they seem to be, then there’s reason to get excited because it’s one foot in the right direction, in terms of finally getting rid of GSB.

The two parties may be far apart in their respective valuations of the club but this is merely the beginning. You can’t help but feel there is plenty more to come in this saga – and that’s certainly a good thing.

AND in other news, Moyes could land West Ham another Antonio in 22-goal “machine” once likened to Mbappe…

Nottingham Forest have been dealt a major blow regarding the fitness of Loic Mbe Soh ahead of their upcoming EFL Cup fixture.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his post-match press conference following the Reds’ 2-1 defeat to Coventry City on Sunday, Chris Hughton revealed that he is facing something of an injury crisis in the heart of his Forest defence, with Joe Worrall having already being ruled of the fixture due to a calf injury, while his replacement in the side, Mbe Soh, was withdrawn shortly before half-time as a result of a groin strain.

And, with the club facing Bradford City in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening, it would seem as if the 20-year-old centre-back may well be watching the game alongside Worrall in the City Ground stands.

In his comments, as cited by Football League World, the Forest boss said: “Joe felt his calf [on Friday]. It’s a disappointing one for us because Joe is one who has been a regular for us.

“He’s a fit lad and a lad who over his career so far hasn’t picked up many injuries. We’ll see [how long he is out for]. We hope not, particularly with Loic going off today as well, but we’ll see how he is over the next couple of days.

“It’s a shame because I thought Loic played well. It was an opportunity for him to play a game at centre-half up against two or three very mobile forwards, and I thought he coped with it very well.

“It’s not great news for us, but it’s disappointing for him as well.”

Hughton will be gutted

With there having been something of a defensive overhaul at Nottingham Forest this summer – with Yuri Ribeiro, Tyler Blackett, Michael Dawson and Michael Hefele all leaving the club on a permanent basis – the injuries to Worrall and now Mbe Soh have left Hughton rather short at the back, with 62-year-old having only Scott McKenna and Tobias Figueiredo as viable options in the centre of defence for the visit of Bradford on Wednesday.

And, while the Carabao Cup may not be a priority for the Garibaldi boss this season – as his focus is more likely on guiding Forest back towards the top of the Championship table – Mbe Soh’s injury will nevertheless have left the manager gutted.

Indeed, before the 20-year-old was withdrawn against Coventry, he had highly impressed in the fixture, playing the ball to Brennan Johnson to create Forest’s opener, as well as making one tackle, one interception and two clearances over his 45 minutes on the pitch.

As such, the cup fixture would more than likely have seen the man Scott Mckenna dubbed “one of the best trainers” be awarded more valuable game time by Hughton, in order to continue his development as a first-team player at the City Ground.

However, with the Frenchman now looking set for a spell on the sidelines, the Forest boss will have to make do with the limited players he has in the centre of his defence, something that will undoubtedly be a blow for the Irishman.

In other news: Get him gone: Dane Murphy must ruthlessly axe “dishonest” £5k-p/w Lamouchi Forest flop

Manchester United have reportedly stepped up their efforts to secure a new central midfielder this summer with the August 31st deadline fast approaching.

What’s the story?

The Red Devils have been linked with several big names such as Saul Niguez and Eduardo Camavinga in recent weeks as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to strengthen the spine of his team.

But now, well-known journalist and transfer expert Duncan Castles has provided an update on the Old Trafford outfit’s search, claiming the club’s hierarchy have made contact with Ligue 1 outfit Monaco over Aurelien Tchouameni.

“They have had contact with Aurelien Tchouameni’s representatives at AS Monaco to find out what it would cost to bring him there,” Castles revealed on a recent installment of the Transfer Window podcast (as relayed by The Express).

Solskjaer would love him

After arriving at the Stade Louis II back in January 2020, Tchouameni has established himself as one of Ligue 1’s most promising young talents, scoring four goals and providing four assists in 52 appearances for the principality club.

However, it’s the 21-year-old’s work off the ball that really catches the eye. As per WhoScored, Tchouameni averaged a whopping 3.5 tackles per league game in 2020/21, by far the highest tally amongst his team.

The France Under-21 international also made 1.7 interceptions, the joint-highest total when compared to his teammates, and he not only dominated proceedings on the ground but in the air as well, winning 67% of his aerial duels.

Tchouameni’s domineering displays have caught the eye of several impressed onlookers, including current Monaco teammate Cesc Fabregas, who praised the youngster.

“He has the potential to be a complete midfield player,” the former Arsenal, Barcelona and Chelsea maestro wrote on Twitter.

Therefore, United manager Solskjaer would surely love to bring the £27m-rated gem to the red half of Manchester over the coming days, adding some steal and bite to his midfield options.

The likes of Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes and Donny van de Beek are more attack-minded options than the protective Tchouameni, while Scott McTominay and Fred specialise in more box-to-box roles.

By bringing Tchouameni to Old Trafford, Solskjaer could finally have the balanced engine room that’s been missing throughout his reign, potentially elevating the 20-time English champions to new heights under the Norwegian.

And, in other news…Man Utd suffer blow in pursuit of £36m-rated “conductor”, Ole will be gutted 

Former West Brom midfielder Carlton Palmer has urged Matheus Pereira to decide against making a shock move to Saudi Arabia.

According to Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur on Twitter, Al-Hilal have launched a €7 million bid for the Baggies ace despite strong interest from several Premier League sides.

Given Pereira’s impressive first season in England’s top-flight, in which he outscored the likes of Raheem Sterling, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Edinson Cavani, he would be an excellent cheap option for the likes of West Ham, Leicester and Aston Villa.

With that in mind, a move to the Middle East would surely be considered to enhance his financial situation.

Pereira currently earns £39,000-per-week at the Hawthorns, and Palmer is hopeful that the talented attacker doesn’t fall into the trap that so many in his position have done previously.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that he hopes the Brazilian doesn’t waste the prime years of his playing career:

“I can’t tell you how many players I’ve seen do this over the years, going to China, no disrespect, go to America, no disrespect, whilst they’re in the prime of their careers.

“I understand the money is obscene, but when you finish you want to be financially secure, but when you finish and you sit down, it’s not determined about how much you’ve got in the bank.”

Paul Stewart thinks that Tottenham need to replace right-back Serge Aurier, as they’re unable to rely on the Ivorian.

Aurier is heading into his fourth season in north London but has not yet been able to make the right-back spot his own – appearing in just over half of Spurs’ Premier League games.

His first two campaigns at the club he was competing with Kieran Trippier for a starting-place, but since his departure for Atletico Madrid after the Champions League final, £70,000-a-week man Aurier has been seen as Tottenham’s number one right-back.

However, due to his inconsistent form and several high-profile errors, he’s been in and out the side, and was even behind youngster and makeshift right-back Japhet Tanganga in the pecking order at one-point last season.

Aurier has already publicly spoken about wanting to return to PSG this summer, whilst Spurs have been linked with Norwich’s Max Aarons and Tariq Lamptey from Brighton as possible replacements.

And Stewart exclusively told Football FanCast that new manager Nuno Espirito Santo needs to move him on:

“For me, we need a replacement for him. He’s not a defender you can rely on week in, week out.

“Some weeks he looks unbeatable, but that’s not often enough, it’s one in 10 or 20 that you think ‘what a good player’.”

West Bromwich Albion manager Valerien Ismael is facing a nightmare transfer scenario at The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a Steve Madeley report for The Athletic, who claims that Albion are in desperate need of a new centre-forward ahead of their upcoming Championship campaign. However, without raising funds through the sale of some of the club’s current players, Ismael’s transfer kitty will not allow for a big-money addition to his attacking arsenal in the summer transfer window.

Madeley goes on to state that the most likely way of the Baggies raising money this summer would be by sanctioning the departures of both Matheus Pereira and Sam Johnstone, with it being claimed the pair would bring in over £30m – even at significantly reduced asking prices.

Finally, it is said that, in the event that the Frenchman does not cash in on either of his most valuable stars, he will have to turn his attention to out-of-favour Premier League forwards or an up-and-coming young goalscorer in the transfer market.

Nightmare scenario

Considering just how impressive both Pereira and Johnstone were for West Brom last season, it is undeniable that losing either of the two this summer would put a significant dent in the club’s hopes of securing an immediate return to the Premier League next season.

Indeed, over his 33 Premier League appearances last term, the £13.5m-rated Pereira bagged 11 goals, registered six assists and created a whopping 11 big chances for his teammates, with these returns seeing the £39k-per-week winger earning a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.18.

Meanwhile, over Johnstone’s 37 Premier League appearances, the £7.2m-rated goalkeeper kept six clean sheets and made a total of 166 saves throughout the season, with these metrics seeing the £28k-per-week shot-stopper earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03.

Unsurprisingly, these ratings saw Pereira and Johnstone rank as the Baggies’ top two performers in the Premier League last season, demonstrating their importance to the team.

However, as Madeley states, with Mbaye Diagne returning to Galatasaray following his loan spell at The Hawthorns last year, it is indeed true that Ismael is short of options in attack ahead of next season. A proven goalscorer very much appears to be a necessity if Albion wish to give themselves the best shot at promotion.

As such, it would seem as if the Frenchman is stuck between something of a rock and a hard place, with the 45-year-old having to decide whether his team’s need for goals is greater than an incredibly solid option in between the sticks or a massive creative influence from the wing – a headache it is certain will be keeping the manager up at night.

In other news: West Brom transfer news confirmed on “exciting” highly-rated gem, fan surely buzzing