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Mohamed Diame is seemingly edging ever closer to a contract extension at Newcastle United, but the midfielder reportedly wants a longer deal with the club.

What’s the story, then?

According to The Chronicle, Diame is just three Premier League appearances short of earning a new one-year extension at Newcastle.

Indeed, the midfielder has made 22 league appearances for the Magpies this term and another three will earn him an extension to his current deal.

However, according to The Chronicle, Diame would like a contract until the end of the 2020-21 campaign to reflect his importance to the team.

Diame has actually only played four minutes of Premier League football since the 2-0 home defeat to Manchester United at the start of the year due to injury.

However, with the 31-year-old now fit and available, it seems almost impossible that he will not make another three league appearances before the end of the season.

Does Diame deserve a new contract?

Undoubtedly. And Newcastle should be offering a new deal until the summer of 2021 rather than being happy with the activation of an extension.

Diame is not the most talented of footballers in the Premier League, but he can certainly cope with Rafael Benitez’s physical demands.

He is also incredibly experienced, having made 96 appearances in all competitions for Newcastle since arriving in 2016, whilst he has made 232 appearances in the Premier League during spells with Wigan Athletic, West Ham United, Hull City and Newcastle.

Diame will be 32 heading into the 2019-2020 campaign, but he certainly has a couple more seasons of Premier League football in his legs.

Sean Longstaff has earned the plaudits in recent weeks, but Diame is another important figure in the Benitez machine.

Southampton’s Premier League season has been a bit hit and miss so far, but there is an answer to their problems and his name is Armando Broja.

The Albania international is currently on loan from Chelsea for the season and has been impressive in his displays at St Mary’s Stadium, scoring five goals since joining in the summer. Add to that the fact he has scored three times for his national team too, it’s fair to say that Broja is the in-form striker at the club currently.

Despite that though, Ralph Hasenhuttl is yet to really put 100% of his faith into the 20-year-old forward.

Broja has so far started just four times in the Premier League this season, with a further seven appearances coming off the substitutes bench. In his two starts in the Carabao Cup the 6 foot 3 hitman found the target on both occasions, so why is he not starting more regularly in the league?

Hasenhuttl has opted for Che Adams as the first-choice striker this season, as they look to replace the goalscoring burden left behind by Danny Ings’ departure to Aston Villa during the summer transfer window. Ings scored 34 of the 98 Premier League goals the Saints have managed in the previous two campaigns but so far this season they have only managed to find the net on 14 occasions in 15 games.

The Scotland international has so far only managed three goals in 11 starts this season in the league, while summer signing Adam Armstrong has managed just two himself in 12 starts.

Broja is currently averaging his goals from just 1.4 shots per game on average, while Armstrong has less from almost double the number of shots at 2.7 and Adams’ 1.8 shots a match. Stylistically the player dubbed “excellent” by Micah Richards has previously been likened to Diego Costa by Chelsea fans who were impressed with his displays in pre-season.

He is strong, a willing runner, powerful and a very good finisher. Considering the Saints’ high energy style of play and his good record, it’s time for Hasenhuttl to unleash his new beast in the hunt for more goals to avoid yet another relegation battle. In the process, his battling attributes could just terrify an Arsenal team scared by the events of Goodison Park on Monday.

AND in other news, Southampton handed ElYounoussi boost.

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny (via Football Insider) has tipped West Ham to spend ‘serious money’ in the January transfer window following the major injury to Angelo Ogbonna.

The Lowdown: Ogbonna out for the season

The 33-year-old suffered a cruciate ligament rupture in the Hammers’ 3-2 win over Liverpool on the 7th of November. It is expected that the defender will be out of action for nine months – meaning his season is effectively over.

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The Italian was instrumental in West Ham’s success this season, having played the full 90 minutes in the first ten league games. He was second only to Kurt Zouma in offsides won per game, showing how perfectly the duo fit together in David Moyes’ defensive structure.

The Latest: A replacement is needed

As a result of Ogbonna’s campaign ending injury, Kenny has claimed (via Football Insider) that the Hammers will speed up their search to replace the defender permanently – instead of bringing in a loan player until the end of the season. He said:

“Ogbonna is such a vital player for them and I do think his experience will be missed.

“I think it’s just obvious to go out and replace a player who is going to be out for so long.

“He’s not the youngest player either, so maybe West Ham could accelerate the process of getting a replacement in instead of getting a loan.

“That would allow them to spend a bit of money. They won’t go cheap if they want to buy a long-term replacement.

“We will have to see what happens but if West Ham want to stay at that end of the table they need to spend serious money.”

The Verdict: A costly but well-timed replacement

Despite the statement that West Ham need to bring in a replacement for Ogbonna, Kenny also said that the Hammers “still have quality players”. Indeedn, fellow centre-backs Zouma and Craig Dawson lead the team in clearances, with 5.4 and 3.4 per game respectively.

However, Ogbonna supersedes both of them when it comes to pass success percentage, with an impressive 85.2% accuracy.

With the 33-year-old’s contract expiring in the summer, this may be the perfect time for the Hammers to ramp up their interest in a long-term replacement, and one who is effective playing the ball out from the back – as the Hammers move up in the world, more and more teams lower down the table will allow them to have the ball as much as possible.

Such a signing will be costly, but it feels like GSB and Moyes may have no other option than to take Kenny’s advice and splash “serious money”.

Liverpool have made an “approach” to sign Porto winger Luis Diaz as Jurgen Klopp looks to strengthen his side in this January transfer window.

What’s the story?

The Reds of course have seen both Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah make their way to AFCON this month, and could be without them for several games depending on their progress at the competition.

Perhaps with that in mind, the Merseyside club have targeted a new winger, and journalist Pedro Almeida has now revealed that Diaz has emerged as a potential target.

Writing on Twitter, he said: “First approach of Liverpool by Luis #Diaz from Porto. Portuguese club want €70M (£59m) by the player. Let’s see what happen.”

Fans surely excited

While Luis Diaz may not have exactly set the world alight during Porto’s two Champions League group stage games against Liverpool earlier this season – he failed to score in either fixture – he has enjoyed a very impressive league campaign overall.

The Colombia international has scored 12 goals in just 15 Portuguese top-flight games, as well as providing four assists too, showcasing a real ability to be a goal-scoring threat from out wide.

His Porto teammate Sergio Oliveira waxed lyrical about him after his goal-scoring display in the Champions League against Milan, saying: “I don’t have to answer, we know his qualities, apart from the human level he is also extraordinary on a technical level. The best for him will also be the best for us as a team.”

And, those sentiments were echoed by Marino Peixoto, a Portuguese football expert, who declared: “The rate at which Luís Diaz is churning out otherworldly performances coupled with his ability to score screamers like this on a consistent basis is genuinely frightening. Only a matter of time before somebody pays an astronomical fee for him.”

With Mane and Salah both out of contention, and quality wide options lacking outside of them too, Diaz’s arrival could give Klopp’s side a genuinely impressive winger who could fit into the duo’s roles with ease.

The Reds of course have seen some big success with South American signings, with the likes of Roberto Firmino, Fabinho, Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho among others all stamping their authority at Anfield in some shape or form.

Diaz could be the next in line to do so now that Liverpool have made their first approach for him.

Meanwhile, this Liverpool target is shades of Steven Gerrard…

Many Wolves fans have been left buzzing over some transfer news that has emerged on Joao Palhinha.

As per Record (via Sport Witness), the midfield player now has ‘one foot out’ of Sporting Lisbon with less than a week of the January transfer window to go, and the Midlands club have been named as one of his next potential destinations.

Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla are also interested in his signature, and ‘many approaches’ from agents have been made in the past few days.

Sporting are also asking for a reduced price from what they wanted in the summer, now €30m (£25m), and it is Palhinha’s ‘dream’ to play in the Premier League, suggesting that the Molineux faithful have a good chance of signing him.

The Portugal international would give Bruno Lage a headache in terms of midfield selection, as he is currently averaging more tackles, shots and dribbles per game in Liga NOS than Leander Dendoncker, Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves are in the Premier League, and he has also contributed with three goals (WhoScored).

Wolves fans on Palhinha transfer news

These WWFC supporters buzzed as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one supporter hailing it as the ‘perfect’ deal for Fosun…

“Huge yes”

Credit: @ethanlilley1877

“Just imagine him and Neves in midfield. Get it done Wolves use the money for Traore deal”

Credit: @leighwolf007

“I NEED HIM, forget Renato Sanches.”

Credit: @__Grav

“Him or Mendes and we keep Adama Europe is on”

Credit: @DaneWWFC

“Fosun open to right players/deals and this is literally a perfect example of this, c’mon Jeff”

Credit: @calwwfc_

“Jeff please just give Sporting the €30m they want for him, then hope he wants to move”

Credit: @djgreen27

In other news, find out who Tim Spiers has now backed the Wanderers to sign here!

Newcastle United have made an unsuccessful offer for Lyon’s Lucas Paqueta, according to French outlet Foot Mercato. 

The lowdown

The attacking midfielder only joined Lyon in September 2020, making an £18m switch from Serie A giants AC Milan.

His £49,000-per-week contract at the Groupama Stadium runs for another three-and-a-half years, while the 24-year-old has also racked up 28 caps for Brazil, having made his senior debut in September 2018.

The latest

The report from Foot Mercato states that ‘leaders’ at Newcastle have identified Paqueta as a target ahead of the January transfer window. They are ‘ready to splurge’ to bring the Brazilian to Tyneside, offering him a lucrative salary of €860,000 (£734,000) per month, which equates to about £184,000 per week.

However, the player’s camp have rebuffed this proposal, making clear that the player would only be willing to leave Lyon if the suitor was a step-up in quality. He is reportedly content at the club, who have qualified for the Europa League round of 16 after winning their group.

The verdict

Targeting a player of Paqueta’s calibre is an indication of Newcastle’s ambition. He has been directly involved in 11 goals (scoring seven and setting up four) in 21 appearances this season and ranks as Lyon’s highest-performing player according to WhoScored metrics.

BBC Sport’s Raj Chohan thinks he’s good enough to be Roberto Firmino’s successor at Liverpool, while Lyon team-mate Karl Toko-Ekambi hailed him as a ‘soldier’ for his determination.

It doesn’t look like the Magpies will be able to convince him to swap Europa League football for a Premier League relegation battle at this stage, but maybe the situation will change if their prospects improve.

In other news, Noel Whelan reacts to a significant blow for Newcastle

The ongoing speculation surrounding Adama Traore, his contract and a potential move away from the club has been a hot topic of conversation amongst Wolves fans.

The 25-year-old has found himself in a challenging position in Bruno Lage’s side, as he competes for a spot with both Daniel Podence and Barcelona loanee, Francisco Trincao, meaning he is not guaranteed to be in the starting line-up.

Despite being out of favour for the initial team sheet, the £43k-per-week winger has made 13 appearances for Wolverhampton Wanderers this season in all competitions and has been coming off the bench for the side often.

In his 13 appearances this season in both the Premier League and the EFL Cup, Traore has been unable to register a single goal or assist for the side, which will put him even more out of favour in Lage’s team.

Lage has spoken out in-depth about why Traore is struggling to make an impact on his team;

“I would like to see from Adama what he did in the first three games, and what I saw in the last two weeks,” said Lage

“That’s the Adama I want to see in the pitch. I want Adama to be more consistent, not just game by game, but also in the game.”

Despite his inconsistency in selection, Traore has been hailed a “fantastic talent” by ex-Premier League manager, Tim Sherwood.

“No one wants to play against him, and no one wants to play with him on occasions also but he’s so quick and powerful and he’s actually getting his head up a little bit more and delivering crosses and making chances.

“He’s a fantastic talent but he needs an arm around him all the time.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers and Jeff Shi could really capitalise on cashing in on an underperforming player who is still considered a talent, especially with links to clubs like Liverpool, which would be sure to bring in attractive offers for the Spaniard.

The club and the manager have an important decision to make going forward as this transfer window could be a real opportunity to squeeze a good price out of other clubs for the forward. Wolves are in a fantastic position to sell for an eye-catching price that may well fund Lage’s plans for other key areas of the team that need reinvestment.

Wolves will take on Norwich City away at Carrow Road this weekend, and Lage could use the opportunity against a vulnerable Norwich side, to showcase Traore’s talent to keep clubs interested in the upcoming transfer window.

Leeds United are eyeing up a late move for Noa Lang before transfer deadline day…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Belgian newspaper Het Belang van Limburg (via Sport Witness), who have mooted the Yorkshire outfit as a potential destination for the 22-year-old winger.

Although they face competition from Premier League rivals Arsenal.

The Whites were linked with a move for the Club Brugge sensation during the summer but evidently, no move came to fruition with the club instead signing Daniel James in a club-record deal.

Lang himself has even revealed that there is a “good chance” that he will depart the Belgian champions, sooner rather than later.

The initial report suggests that it’ll cost more than €25-30m (£21-25m) to secure him.

Raphinha 2.0

A new winger is probably the least of Leeds’ concerns this month but the form of James has been disappointing, if not shocking, and they will be resigned to the fact that Raphinha will not be around forever.

In fact, a move for Lang could bear some similarities to the arrival of the Brazil star, who was a relatively unknown but exciting young talent in France at the time.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-lufc-transfer-rumours-gossip-bielsa-orta-radrizzani-elland-road-updates” title=”Read the latest Leeds news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

United paid Stade Rennes around £17m for his signature and he’s made a huge impact in the year or so he’s been at Elland Road. He’s currently their top goalscorer (eight) and leading creator (2.1 key passes per game) this season.

By comparison, James has managed only two goals and one assist and is outside the top ten for average WhoScored rating in the squad.

Meanwhile, Lang has been excelling for Brugge – last season, he delivered 17 goals and 11 assists on their way to the Jupiler Pro League title. That form has continued into this season, where he has found the net eight times and laid on 11 assists, as per Transfermarkt.

It’s no wonder the Holland international has been dubbed a “phenomenon” by Belgian journalist Peter Vandenbempt and “pure class” by Filip Joos explained to Extra Time.

The 5 foot 10 dynamo is capable of operating on the other flank to Raphinha but could well become Bielsa’s next beast out wide. A new central midfielder may be the priority but Leeds should not turn their nose up at a talent as promising as the £22.5m-rated Lang.

AND in other news, “I understand..”: Insider drops worrying Leeds transfer claim, Bielsa will be fuming…

Aston Villa have shown over the past few years that they are not shy when it comes to spending significant amounts of money on new players.

The previous summer and winter transfer windows saw the Midlands club spend money on faces such as Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey, Danny Ings and Lucas Digne to help strengthen their squad and push forward in the Premier League.

Looking ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window, it seems as though the Villans could aim to bring in another familiar face to Villa Park for a substantial fee.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Mirror, Villa manager Steven Gerrard will try and launch a summer move for Liverpool defender Joe Gomez.

The Villans were linked with the £85k-per-week Englishman during the previous winter window but ended up signing Calum Chambers from Arsenal on a free transfer instead.

Gomez is a rare talent

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2015 summer transfer window from Charlton Athletic in a deal worth a reported fee of £3.5m, the centre-back has made 138 appearances for the Reds across all competitions.

In those appearances, the 24-year-old has managed to provide five assists and pick up a Premier League and Champions League title along the way.

Praised for a “mesmerising” assist for Diogo Jota during Liverpool’s recent 2-0 win over Watford in the Premier League, Gomez has also been labelled as a “rare talent” by BBC pundit Garth Crooks.

Having only started two of the six league games he’s appeared in this season, a potential move away from Anfield to a club like Villa where he may get more regular football under the management of Gerrard could be rather tempting for the Liverpool figure.

With a combined total of 195 league minutes to his name in this current campaign, the centre-back has managed to rack up a total of three tackles, four clearances and eight interceptions.

Also, taking into account how Villa have conceded nine goals in their past four league games, perhaps adding a player like Gomez could be just what Gerrard needs to make his side stronger at the back.

With Liverpool reportedly placing a £23m price tag on the defender, making a summer swoop for him should definitely be in Villa’s mind once the season comes to an end.

In other news: Klopp can axe £180k-p/w Liverpool dud with move for “tenacious” £36m-rated “monster”

A frustrating behind-the-scenes Rangers claim has emerged on Ibrox striker Rory Wilson…

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, a source has revealed that the Gers teenager could leave before even playing a minute under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

It’s understood that Brighton are in talks over a deal to sign the attacker as they look to swoop in ahead of their rivals to land him. They are said to be pushing hard to get this over the line after the striker turned down fresh terms in Glasgow.

The report claims that Rangers will only rake in £300k in development costs should he leave to join the Seagulls as he is out of contract at the end of the campaign.

Wilson is said to have met with his namesake Ross Wilson and Gio van Bronckhorst to discuss staying at Ibrox, but has decided that he wants to move on to pastures new.

Fume

This update will leave the Gers sporting director fuming as £300k is a paltry sum of money for a player with the 16-year-old’s potential.

The Scottish striker has scored 40 goals for the youth teams in Glasgow this season, whilst he has also netted seven times in six matches for his country at U17 level – scoring his latest against Georgia on Tuesday. He has been in phenomenal form for the academy and this suggests that he has the potential to make it in the first team if he is able to continue to progress.

Wilson has been showing that he is too good to be playing in the youth sides as he has been finding the net at a ridiculous rate, hence why Premier League sides are now trying to swoop him up.

The last time the Gers lost a hugely-talented prospect to an English side was when Billy Gilmour signed for Chelsea in 2017. He reportedly left for £500k with performance-related add-ons and is now valued at a whopping £10.8m by Transfermarkt – significantly more than the fee Rangers have seen for his talents.

If Wilson is able to follow in Gilmour’s footsteps and make his mark in England and at international level, then the £300k Brighton will need to pay this summer will look like a huge bargain.

This is why Rangers’ sporting director will be fuming that the Seagulls are now pushing to get a deal done and that they will only need to shell out less than half a million pounds for his signature.

AND in other news, Sold at £4m, then became a £22.5m hero: Rangers had a disaster on iconic “phenomenon”…