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Aston Villa are in the race to sign Villarreal defender Pau Torres this summer and have 'no concrete competitors' for his signature, according to journalist Rudy Galetti.

What's the latest transfer news involving Pau Torres?

According to Football Insider, Aston Villa have made an 'official move' to sign Villarreal defender Torres this summer and his current employers may be forced to cash in on his services.

The report states that Torres is out of contract at the Yellow Submarine in 2024 and it is said that Aston Villa boss Unai Emery would be keen to link up with his former player.

90min also understand that Aston Villa are monitoring Torres and detail that he has a release clause in his £63k-a-week contract at Villarreal worth around €50 million (£43 million).

Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte has also been identified as an alternative target to Torres, with Aston Villa keen to sign some high-profile names to help them balance both domestic and European football next term.

FootballTransfers have revealed that Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus are in the race to sign Torres in the off-season as they look to bolster their respective backlines.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Galetti thinks that Aston Villa could have a free run at pursuing Torres this summer due to complications within Juventus and Tottenham's interest.

Galetti said: “[Aston Villa are] On his track at the moment. There are also Tottenham and Juventus but Spurs, before finalising any market choice, have to wait for the new director. At the same time, the Bianconeri for different reason have yet to understand how all the extra issues will end up. And at the moment, they cannot make any operation on the transfer market. So, we can say that Aston Villa have no concrete competitors in this moment.”

How did Pau Torres get on in 2022/23 for Villarreal?

All things considered, Torres, who has been hailed as "sensational", enjoyed another solid season for Villarreal and it is unsurprising that several clubs are courting his services heading into the transfer window.

In 2022/23, the Spaniard made 39 appearances in all competitions for his current employers, registering a solitary strike, as per Transfermarkt.

As per WhoScored, Torres managed to make an average of 4.1 clearances per fixture in La Liga, showing his agile nature when faced with dangerous attacking situations.

FBRef illustrate that Torres is also excellent in bringing the ball out from the back and has fared well in comparison to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions in the art of progressive carries, managing 2.24 per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the first percentile for this metric.

One of his most unrecognisable strengths is his speed, which saw him clock in at 21.6 miles per hour back in 2021, which put him amongst the top 5 fastest players in the La Liga that year.

Aston Villa are a side on an upward trajectory and being able to attract someone like Torres to Villa Park will only strengthen their credentials as an established Premier League outfit moving forward.

Tottenham Hotspur are ready to snap up Leicester City midfielder James Maddison this summer, according to a recent report from The Mirror.

Will James Maddison leave Leicester?

Even prior to Leicester's relegation from the Premier League, Maddison appeared to be heading for the exit door, with The Telegraph reporting he was set to be sold regardless of the Foxes' fate, having been linked with several top clubs.

The same report details that Manchester United and Newcastle United are both interested in signing the England international, with his current club set to cash-in, given that he has just one year remaining on his contract at the King Power Stadium.

It has been made clear that the Tottenham board are keen on signing the 26-year-old, regardless of who they appoint as manager, and they have since made a "huge" push to win the race for his signature.

However, Spurs will have to fend off interest from a number of clubs if they are to land the Leicester star, as The Mirror report that several Premier League clubs are also ready to snap him up, including Arsenal and Newcastle.

The Foxes value the attacking midfielder at £50m, however, they may be forced to sell him for around £40m, given his contract situation, which means the Lilywhites may be able to sign him for a cut-price fee.

One thing that is abundantly clear is that the Englishman will be on the move this summer, with the report detailing that he will lead the Leicester exodus.

Should Tottenham sign James Maddison?

Given that a number of clubs that will be in the Champions League next season are interested in the £110k-per-week midfielder, it will be difficult for Tottenham to win the race for his signature, however he would be an excellent addition to the squad.

Hailed as an "elite baller" by members of the media, the maestro was way out in front as Leicester's best-performing player last season, averaging a 7.33 SofaScore match rating in the Premier League, courtesy of his attacking contributions.

The former Coventry City man weighed in with ten goals and nine assists in total, the highest combined figure of any player in the squad, indicating he is now ready to make the step up to a bigger club.

Maddison's potential availability for a cut-price fee is a real boost to would-be suitors, and Tottenham should undoubtedly test the waters with an opening offer soon, making this one to watch.

Lewis O’Brien is still ‘a player of interest’ to Leeds United, according to journalist Ryan Taylor, who was speaking to GiveMeSport.

The Lowdown: O’Brien linked with Leeds

The Whites have had the Huddersfield Town midfielder on their radar for some time now and have continued to be linked with a move for the 23-year-old after avoiding relegation on the final day of the season.

Reports have suggested that Leeds are one of five Premier League clubs chasing a deal for O’Brien this summer, but they are currently busy wrapping up a move for Red Bull Salzburg right-back Rasmus Kristensen.

It is thought that O’Brien, who was described as ‘solid’ by Sky Sports pundit Jobi McAnuff, has a £12m release clause in his contract.

The Latest: Taylor’s comments on O’Brien

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Taylor thinks that O’Brien is still on the radar at Elland Road, name-checking Leeds director of football Victor Orta with having a ‘clear strategy’.

The reporter stated of the 23-year-old:

“I think he will still be a player of interest to Leeds because Brenden Aaronson wasn’t anything to do with Jesse Marsch, that was a signing that Bielsa was keen for, given his running stats.

“I think in the Champions League this season, no player ran more than Aaronson, which obviously with his Murderball football, it was key for that. So, it’s clear the targets have sort of come in from upstairs, and Victor Orta has a clear strategy.”

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The Verdict: He is needed

Midfield is certainly an area in need of reinforcement after Kristensen arrives in Yorkshire, with Brenden Aaronson expected to be used as an inverted winger.

Kalvin Phillips is the only senior defensive midfielder available to Jesse Marsch, and there’s no guarantee that the 26-year-old will be at the club next season following links with a move to Manchester City. Adam Forshaw has also endured a number of injury problems in recent years, with Mateusz Klich and Jamie Shackleton the remaining options.

O’Brien lined out in seven positions in the 2021/22 season, ranging from defensive midfield to centre-forward. Also, he has never been notably injured, so even if Phillips remains at the club, the Huddersfield man could be a reliable and versatile addition.

In other news: ‘Sources…’ – Journalist drops news on ‘quality’ centre-forward target for Leeds 

Phil Hay has dropped an update on the summer transfer business of Leeds United sporting director Victor Orta.

What’s the talk?

In a recent post on Twitter, The Athletic journalist revealed that, following the £25m signing of RB Salzburg’s Brenden Aaronson, Victor Orta now has his “eyes on” the signing of a central midfielder in the summer market.

In Hay’s supporting article, the Leeds correspondent went on to state that the Spanish sporting director has identified Manchester United’s James Garner and Huddersfield Town’s Lewis O’Brien as two potential targets – with Orta said to have made an enquiry about the availability of the former and believed to hold an existing interest in the latter.

Supporters will be buzzing

Considering the fact that Leeds have not signed a new central midfielder since Adam Forshaw’s £4.5m arrival in January of 2018, coupled with continuous reports linking Kalvin Phillips with a move away from Elland Road, Hay’s claim that Orta is looking to strengthen Jesse Marsch’s options in the middle of the park this summer is sure to have left supporters buzzing.

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Indeed, both Garner and O’Brien would be incredibly exciting options for the 48-year-old manager to call upon next season.

The former highly impressed during a season-long loan spell at Nottingham Forest – playing a key role in the Reds securing Premier League football in 2022/23 by scoring four goals and registering eight assists.

The latter was meanwhile a standout performer in the Huddersfield midfield – helping his side rather unexpectedly reach the play-off final, in which they narrowly missed out on promotion following a 1-0 defeat to Forest. During the campaign, he ranked as the Terriers’ highest-rated player according to WhoScored’s match ratings.

As such, while Orta will almost certainly be considering other options in the position this summer, if Garner and O’Brien are the calibre of player the Spaniard is initially targeting, it would appear to bode extremely well for the Whites’ chances of improving upon their disappointing 2021/22 campaign next time out – a prospect that will certainly delight the Elland Road faithful.

AND in other news: Orta now plotting Leeds bid for Laudrup record-breaker, he’d be a “leader” for Marsch

Journalists Liam Kennedy and Jordan Cronin have revealed the list of players that Newcastle United might seek to move on from the club this summer.

The Lowdown: Newcastle’s 2022 revival

Exactly halfway through the season, Newcastle were 19th in the Premier League with just one win and 11 points from 19 games, staring relegation in the face.

A busy transfer window in January saw the arrivals of Bruno Guimaraes, Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Matt Targett and Chris Wood at St James’ Park. Fuelled by these new additions, the Magpies went on a sensational run of form in the first few months of 2022, remarkably ending the season in 11th place with a total of 49 points, averaging two points per game in the second half of the campaign.

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The Latest: Summer exits expected

Following the club’s success in the January transfer market, PIF will surely be looking to build upon this again in the summer. However, this time around, it is expected that a whole host of players will need to make way for the new arrivals.

Kennedy revealed in a Newcastle World Q&A that, whilst the majority of departures are to be expected, Jamal Lewis is set to be handed another chance at St James’ Park

He stated: “This list is getting quite lengthy. And I think we all know the candidates. So instead, I will list one player who I think might stay, despite it appearing as if he is heading out the exit door. Howe is keen to take a look at Jamal Lewis this summer, and depending on what happens in the market, he may well get a second chance at Newcastle.

“In my opinion, a player with all the tools to succeed, just needs a lot of decent coaching – and let’s be honest, that wasn’t forthcoming before Howe walked through the door.”

Taking a different approach, fellow journalist Cronin name-checked a few players that Eddie Howe could jettison during the summer.

He claimed: “Since Liam didn’t write the list of potential departures, I will… Yes, the most obvious are Freddie Woodman, Ciaran Clark, Federico Fernandez, Jeff Hendrick, Isaac Hayden and Dwight Gayle. I wouldn’t rule out others departing however – Miguel Almiron for example, i.e. a player you might not expect to go.”

The Verdict: Busy summer ahead

If Newcastle are to keep buying high-quality players who require substantial transfer fees, then it will be important that the club can offload some of the deadwood early in the window, so that the board have enough time to secure their transfer targets and stick within Financial Fair Play parameters.

Therefore, numerous incomings and outgoings are expected at St James’ Park this summer, as Howe looks to carry the positive momentum from 2022 so far into the forthcoming season as the Magpies potentially eye up a European finish.

In other news: Newcastle United: Journalists address Lucas Paqueta transfer links

Tottenham Hotspur will look to sign a new striker during the summer transfer window…

What’s the word?

That’s according to ever-reliable journalist Alasdair Gold of football.london, who claims that the north London outfit are keen to land Antonio Conte another option in the final third.

They are thought to be looking at natural number nines, who can either be a straight back-up or support to Harry Kane, or a versatile frontman capable of also playing out on the wing, with Steven Bergwijn likely to depart the club.

And there appears to be multiple names on sporting director Fabio Paratici’s “wishlist”.

These include Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Gabriel Jesus of Manchester City, Conte’s former Inter Milan marksman Lautaro Martinez, Napoli talisman Victor Osimhen, Real Sociedad’s Alexander Isak, Patrick Schick of Bayer Leverkusen, and Uruguay international Darwin Nunez.

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System change?

You’d imagine that very few of those names would come in and play second fiddle, especially considering they are all first choice at their current clubs and often the main man in attack.

Therefore, you could reasonable foresee a change to Conte’s system, should any of the aforementioned frontmen make the switch to N17 during the off-season.

During his time at the San Siro, where he sealed Inter’s first league title in over a decade, the 52-year-old head coach deployed a two-man frontline which saw Martinez paired up with Romelu Lukaku.

The duo scored hatfuls of goals for fun and was a large part of their success. Indeed, Lukaku delivered 24 goals and 11 assists, whilst the Argentina international found the net 17 times and also laid on a further six assists, as per WhoScored.

Therefore, the fact that the club are willing to back the manager with the addition of another big-name forward will certainly come as exciting and pleasing news to Conte.

Any one of the aforementioned targets would be a perfect complement to the “complete” centre-forward currently at his disposal, so come to the start of next season, Spurs could have a mouthwatering and lethal frontline – that should leave many fans enthusiastic about the future.

That’s for sure.

AND in other news, Spurs handed huge injury boost as Hotspur Way update emerges…

A former Glasgow Rangers manager reportedly now wants to sign Joe Aribo in the summer.

The Lowdown: Gerrard favourite

Before the appointment of Giovanni van Bronckhorst, the Nigeria international was a firm favourite under Steven Gerrard, as he barely missed a game when he was available, scoring 20 goals and supplying a further 18 assists over the last three seasons (Transfermarkt).

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The 41-year-old even went as far as to call him a ‘stunning’ player back in 2020, a testament to just how much he rates the Nigerian.

The Latest: Aribo wanted

As per The Scottish Sun, Gerrard now wants to sign Aribo for Aston Villa this summer, as they join a transfer race which also includes fellow Premier League clubs Crystal Palace and Brentford.

The Nigeria international has so far resisted offers of a new deal at Ibrox, with his current contract set to expire in 2023.

Rangers hope to drive up his price, but could agree to sell him for less than £10m.

The Verdict: Too cheap

Given that he is 25 years of age and has not yet hit his peak, selling Aribo for less than £10m would be far too low a price for the Gers to let him go.

Considering that they sold Nathan Patterson to another Premier League side in Everton for £16m in January, the Light Blues need to be looking at the same kind of figure if they are to let Aribo depart for England as well.

Described as ‘unreal’ by Villa defender Ezri Konsa, the midfielder could certainly make an impression in the Premier League, so the Gers should not let him go cheaply.

In other news, find out what potential ‘big boost’ for RFC has now emerged here!

Under Steven Gerrard, Rangers made some excellent signings that made up the backbone of the team which eventually won their first Premiership title in a decade last year.

One of these was Joe Aribo, who was incredible during the undefeated league season and has also been a key player this term as a historic run to the Europa League final has got Gers fans everywhere dreaming of continental glory.

The 25-year-old signed for Rangers in the 2019 summer transfer window on a free transfer, but the club had to pay £300k due to cross-border transfer rules. His market value currently sits at a whopping £9m, so the Gers still have the ability to make a stunning profit on the player.

With Aribo’s contract due to expire at the end of next season, Giovanni van Bronckhorst will be aiming to tie down the Nigeria international to a long-term deal in order to stave off potential Premier League interest.

His performances this season have been excellent, especially prior to the New Year, and despite Rangers falling away domestically after the winter break, the club’s European run will surely inflate fees for the likes of Aribo.

Among positional peers in Europe’s top leagues, the £45k-p/w star sits in the 99th percentile for aerial duels won (3.22) and the 97th percentile for interceptions (1.88), illustrating that his all-round game is one of the finest in the country.

His attacking abilities have also been demonstrated during the current campaign, as he has contributed eight goals and ten assists in 54 matches in all competitions so far.

Former Charlton team-mate and now Aston Villa regular Ezri Konsa previously lavished praise on Aribo, dubbing his playing style “unique”, and that comment is fair. The 25-year-old makes the Rangers team better when he plays and offers a different dynamic to Van Bronckhorst’s side.

There’s no guarantee that the 25-year-old will be in Scotland next season given the aforementioned transfer interest, but whatever happens over the summer, Rangers will be able to demand a huge fee for him. Either way, they hit the jackpot by picking up Aribo for a song three years ago.

AND in other news, “Signals from the club..”: Rangers now dealt huge blow, it’ll leave supporters gutted…

West Ham have three more Premier League fixtures left in order to secure seventh place and another tilt at European glory next season.

David Moyes will be hoping to put his team’s Europa League disappointment behind him when his side travel to Norwich today and focus on what matters, namely three more points.

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Some squad rotation will probably be required, and this gives Moyes the perfect opportunity to rejig the starting XI, with one prospective change potentially making all the difference.

Unleash Yarmolenko

Although not a Premier League regular, the 59-year-old should finally unleash “magical” right winger Andriy Yarmolenko against Norwich, as he can be a major threat.

His performances in Europe this season have proved that the Ukrainian still has the ability to cause all sorts of problems, with two goals and one assist in just eight Europa League matches, so the onus is for him to translate this form into domestic duties.

The 32-year-old signed for the Hammers from Borussia Dortmund in 2018 for a fee of £17.5m but has arguably struggled to display his talents across his four years at the east London club.

There is no doubt that he can be a nightmare to play against when he is on form, and Moyes could throw the cat among the pigeons by starting him against Norwich, particularly after only receiving piecemeal action off the bench against Arsenal and Eintracht Frankfurt in the last week.

As per FBRef, the winger ranks in the 90th percentile amongst positional peers in the big five leagues in Europe for touches in the opposition box (6.31 per 90 minutes) and the 88th percentile for non-penalty goals (0.40 per 90 minutes), so he has the ability to terrify the Canaries today.

This is despite playing just 24 matches, showing how impressive his attacking abilities have been. It would be a big decision for Moyes to start Yarmolenko, as he has yet to make a full 90-minute appearance in the Premier League this season, but it could be a wise move from the manager.

AND in other news, Forget Rice: Moyes now set for West Ham disaster on “remarkable” £125k-p/w giant

James Ward-Prowse is currently a target for Manchester United as Erik ten Hag looks to get some transfer business done early.

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Sun, who report that both Man Utd and Manchester City have made the 27 year a target ahead of next season.

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The Southampton midfielder won’t come cheap, however, with the report stating he could cost a whopping £75m while his current contract does not expire until 2026.

Man United’s next Beckham?

Man Utd are having yet another difficult season and with the news of Erik ten Hag’s appointment giving some hope to the supporters ahead of next season, the side needs a major overhaul.

Targeting proven English talent could well be a good start for the incoming boss and Ward-Prowse certainly has established himself in the Premier League.

The midfielder has made 302 appearances for the Saints and scored 43 goals, with an incredible 14 of them being direct free kicks, proving how good he is from dead-ball situations. Theo Walcott described his free-kick ability as a “good weapon to have” and few would argue against him.

He is currently only second behind United legend David Beckham in the Premier League all-time free kicks scored and there is no doubt that he could almost be a Beckham 2.0 for United and eventually overtake the former England captain in the record books.

The player offers more than just a goalscoring threat at free-kicks however, he has grabbed five assists during the campaign so far.

With Man Utd suffering from numerous injuries during the season, Ward-Prowse has featured for a total of 93.5% of Southampton’s 33 matches this season, and in all of the team’s Premier League fixtures for the previous two seasons. The new manager will want to have players who can be fit for every match and the 27-year-old certainly fits the bill.

With current teammate Oriol Romeu labelling the player as “unbelievable” recently, then ten Hag could be onto a winner by signing him as Man Utd aim to end their five-year trophy drought.

AND in other news, Ten Hag could unearth new Berbatov for MUFC by signing 152-goal “hero”