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Liverpool have been strongly linked with a move for Khephren Thuram this summer and now a new update has emerged on the club's pursuit of the player.

What's the latest on Liverpool's interest in Khephren Thuram?

According to French newspaper L'Equipe (via Sport Witness), Liverpool are prioritising a deal for the OGC Nice midfielder.

As per the report, contact with Thuram has multiplied in recents week, with the talented player keen on the move to Merseyside and the project under Jurgen Klopp.

What kind of midfielder is Khephren Thuram?

Following the exit of James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Liverpool are in definite need of a midfield rebuild this summer and with Alexis Mac Allister already confirmed, it is looking to be a transformative summer for the Reds.

Indeed, the signing of the World Cup winner is a major coup, however, it will take more than one talent to revive the midfield presence at Anfield and acquiring Thuram's services this summer could be the key component to bringing both high energy and quality to the centre of the pitch.

The 22-year-old whiz – hailed "dangerous" by teammate Aaron Ramsey – can operate as either a number eight or in a deeper defensive role, with clear strengths that would be a huge asset to Klopp next season.

As per FBref, Thuram ranks in the top 10% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for progressive carries and successful take-ons, as well as ranking in the top 30% for shot-creating actions, pass completion, touches and interceptions.

The Frenchman's versatility in positioning and ability to get around the pitch consistently would make him the perfect profile of player to unlock Mac Allister's full potential at Anfield next season.

The Argentine was renowned for his all-action partnership with midfielder Moises Caicedo at Brighton and Hove Albion and Roberto De Zerbi's arrival at the AMEX Stadium only enhanced the duo's threat pushing the Argentine into a more attacking role, where he thrived scoring ten league goals in total from his position.

Now Klopp could work on forming a very similar partnership between Thuram and the new Liverpool number ten to make the 24-year-old unplayable in his attacking role next season.

It is reported that it will cost £55m for the Reds to complete a deal for the Nice star this summer and if he could continue to develop his strengths under Klopp's guidance would be worth every penny.

With that being said, providing Mac Allister with a young and energetic partner in the centre of the pitch could make Liverpool's midfield a force to be reckoned with for many years to come and completely transform the uninspiring displays seen this season.

Celtic former manager Brendan Rodgers has been lined up for a sensational return to Parkhead and it would be 'interesting' to see if the 50-year-old could 'get things back on track' at the club following his controversial exit in 2019 to Leicester City, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What's the latest news involving Celtic and Brendan Rodgers?

According to The Daily Mail, Celtic chiefs Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay flew to Majorca by private jet to hold 'face-to-face' discussions with Rodgers over a sensational return to Parkhead as the Scottish giants hunt for a new manager to replace Ange Postecoglou.

The report states that the 50-year-old has 'reservations' about taking on the role for a second spell in charge; however, Celtic's major shareholder Dermot Desmond has thrown his support behind Rodgers and the former Leicester City coach is now said to be weighing up a move with further talks expected later this week.

As per The Daily Record, Rodgers has not dismissed the possibility of coming back to Glasgow despite initially planning to take a break from football before returning to either a Premier League club or a stint abroad.

Manchester City coach Enzo Maresca, out-of-work manager Daniel Farke, Bodo/Glimt's Kjetil Knutsen and former Alanyaspor boss Francesco Farioli have also been linked with the managerial vacancy at Celtic.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones thinks that despite the sour ending when Rodgers left Celtic for Leicester City back in 2019, the Hoops may look to 'rekindle' their relationship with their ex-manager ahead of 2023/24.

Jones told FFC: "Rodgers himself has always said he would be open-minded to this, but you think about the way it played out after he left. It wasn't pretty the way it ended and it wasn't that long ago. It'd be interesting to see how open he really was to a situation like this and if he's the man they want. He's obviously at the moment getting his head around the fact that things went sour at Leicester and he's got to find his feet again and get back into a challenge. I'm not sure, to be honest, that it's a great idea to go back and I think that if Brendan Rodgers bides his time, there are going to be some other really exciting opportunities for him, but if they can put their little trouble behind them that they did have at the end there, then, who knows? Celtic and Rodgers could look to rekindle and see if they can get things back on track again."

Would Brendan Rodgers be the right fit for Celtic?

When he was at Celtic last time, Rodgers, who was hailed as a "genius", had an unblemished domestic record and won seven domestic trophies from seven available and established himself as a serial winner in Scotland, as per Transfermarkt.

His European achievements at the Hoops can be quantified in different ways depending on what the general public deem as successful. However, he did manage to achieve qualification to the Champions League group phase twice from the qualifying route and took Celtic to a third-place finish in 2017/18 at the expense of Anderlecht on goal difference and a subsequent passage to the knockout rounds of the Europa League.

In terms of recruitment, Rodgers did make some excellent signings at Celtic, especially the likes of Moussa Dembele and Scott Sinclair in his first season at the club, who both went on to be major players in the Scottish giants' invincible treble in 2016/17.

To summarise, Rodgers being appointed as Celtic boss probably wouldn't yield the same fanfare as he did in 2016; however, he is about as safe a bet as you can get to continue delivering domestic dominance in Glasgow's east end.

While an FA Cup final triumph could well be the icing on the cake for Manchester United, even without a Wembley win it has already been a rather remarkable campaign for the Red Devils, with Erik ten Hag guiding the club to a third-place finish and securing Carabao Cup glory during his debut season at the helm.

Such a positive year hardly looked possible amid the early season defeats to the likes of Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford, with that latter, 4-0 thrashing having no doubt had supporters fearing the worst at the time.

One key factor in the turnaround in fortunes from that grim day in west London was the subsequent £70m signing of Brazilian maestro, Casemiro from Real Madrid, with the experienced ace having reportedly stated his desire to "fix" United's problems after witnessing that defeat to the Bees.

The 31-year-old has seemingly gone on to do more than just that after emerging as a "massive player" for the club, according to Ten Hag, with the former Ajax boss also hailing his marquee summer signing as the "cement" in the side earlier in the campaign.

As club legend Gary Neville stated, one issue that has come about as a result of the midfielder's standout form is the drop in standards or quality when he has been rested or suspended this season, with the treble-winner stating that the "jump in Manchester United’s quality of performance is enormous" if the £350k-per-week titan is available for selection.

With there no suitable understudy for the five-time Champions League winner in Ten Hag's squad, it is no surprise that Ten Hag is believed to be eyeing a 'younger' midfield recruit ahead of next season, in order to provide increased depth and longevity.

Amid that need to find an ideal heir to Casemiro, the Old Trafford outfit could well have already identified a dream candidate in the form of Leeds United's, Tyler Adams.

Should Man United sign Tyler Adams?

According to Football Insider, the Red Devils are interested in prising the United States international from Elland Road, with a fee of around £35m having been suggested amid the Whites' recent return to the Championship.

As per 90min, the former RB Leipzig man – who only arrived in Yorkshire on a £20m deal last summer – is all but certain to be moving elsewhere ahead of next season following that drop into the second tier, with United believed to be among those ready to pounce.

While Adams did miss the final 12 games of the season through injury, prior to that the one-time Red Bull Salzburg ace had been a colossal presence at the base of the midfield for Leeds, having been described as a "tackling machine" by pundit, Kevin Campbell.

That ball-winning quality ensured that despite the American's lengthy absence, the £55k-per-week warrior still ended the season with the joint-fourth most tackles in the division (89), equalling the tally that was achieved by Casemiro.

That likeness between the pair is also showcased by the fact that while the current Old Trafford star averaged 3.2 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game from his 28 league appearances, Adams enjoyed a remarkably similar record after averaging 3.7 tackles and 1.5 interceptions from his 24 league outings.

The pair also seem to share the ability to make an impact in an attacking sense too, as the Leeds "monster" – as described by analyst Alexi Lalas – averaged one key pass per game as a marker of his creative talent, while Casemiro also averaged one key pass per game.

Of course, Ten Hag won't be contemplating replacing the latter man any time soon, although it would undoubtedly be wise to secure some quality competition and cover in the form of his heir-apparent, Adams.

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has decided he does not want to keep Juventus loanee Denis Zakaria, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

Which Chelsea players are leaving?

Pochettino is planning a huge overhaul of his squad this summer, with The Daily Mail reporting up to 15 out-of-favour players are set to head for the exit, including Joao Felix, who is poised to return to Atletico Madrid after his loan spell.

With six players set to return from loans elsewhere, Pochettino's squad is set to become even more bloated this summer, and the new manager will have to create some space in the squad by allowing a number of players to leave.

The aforementioned report names Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Edoaurd Mendy and Callum Hudson-Odoi as the main players expected to move on, while the situation surrounding a number of other first-team players remains unclear.

Taking to Twitter, Romano has now clarified that Zakaria will move on in the summer, with Pochettino coming to the conclusion that he is surplus to requirements. The transfer guru said:

"Mauricio Pochettino has decided also on Denis Zakaria: Swiss midfielder’s set to leave Chelsea in June, he’s not part of the plans."

"Chelsea will not trigger the buy option clause, Zakaria will return at Juventus and then will assess his options."

Should Chelsea let Denis Zakaria leave?

Chelsea bolstered their midfield options during the January transfer window, bringing in Enzo Fernandez for a British-record £106.8m fee, and they have since been linked with a number of other players, including Romeo Lavia and Manuel Ugarte.

As such, the Blues have no real need to keep hold of Zakaria, particularly considering he failed to hold down a consistent place in the starting XI, often being utilised as a substitute or benched.

The Switzerland international did manage to impress at times, being lauded as "fantastic" by members of the media for his performance against Manchester City back in January, but too often he failed to make an impact on the game.

In his most recent outing, the 26-year-old was ranked as the worst-performing player on the pitch by SofaScore, failing to win any of the four duels that he contested, and that display meant he did not make another appearance during the remainder of the campaign.

It appears to be the right call from Pochettino to let Zakaria leave, and the manager's focus should now be on bringing in a top-quality replacement.

Erik ten Hag has enjoyed a productive debut season in charge of Manchester United, winning the Carabao Cup, reaching the FA Cup final and securing a Champions League spot following their midweek victory.

There is still plenty of work to be done, especially in the transfer market, as the Old Trafford side will be facing tougher opposition in Europe’s premier competition, while the Dutchman will be looking to sustain a proper Premier League title challenge.

One area that needs vast improvement is their attacking department, with only Marcus Rashford scoring more than ten goals all season, suggesting a few new forwards is a must this summer.

One player who has been linked is Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, with Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg tweeting: “Man Utd is monitoring his situation instead and confirmed. Next steps depend on the club‘s ownership.

“Bayer‘s price valuation between €70-80m. Contract until 2025. Key player for Alonso.”

An €80m (£69m) fee is extravagant; however, the Frenchman is considered statistically similar in style to Real Madrid starlet Vinicius Jr. and Ten Hag would surely love to have a player of his ability.

What is Moussa Diaby’s style of play?

The 23-year-old can operate on either wing or as a second striker, though it is on the right flank where he is most effective. The French gem likes to dribble and is a counter-attacking threat, while finishing and key passes are his main strengths, according to WhoScored.

This is similar to Vinicius Jr., who also loves to dribble and the Brazilian’s main strengths are finishing and playing key passes, suggesting the pair are alike when it comes to causing havoc for opposition defenders on the wings.

According to FBref, Vinicius Jr is the fourth-most comparable player to Diaby and considering how good the Madrid sensation has been over the previous year, it isn’t a bad comparison to make.

The Brazilian ranks in the top 1% across Europe’s big five leagues for progressive carries (6.86 per 90), successful take-ons (3.70 per 90) and touches in the opposition box (8.26 per 90), certainly proving that he is one of the finest on the continent.

Diaby isn’t quite at that level yet, but the signs are there that he could develop into a truly world-class star. The Frenchman ranks in the top 19% across the big five leagues for progressive carries (4.11 per 90), while he is within the top 38% for both successful take-ons (1.76 per 90) and touches in the attacking penalty area (4.45 per 90).

These are short of Vinicius Jr’s stats, yet due to their similar style of play, experience in a bigger league such as the English top flight could take Diaby closer to these incredible figures in due course.

He was dubbed a “demon” by journalist Alex Barker and if Ten Hag could take the winger to the next level, he could well have his very own Vinicius Jr. ready to cause defenders nightmares in the Premier League.

West Ham United are reportedly edging ever closer to announcing the signing of Rennes defender Nayef Aguerd, according to respected source ExWHUemployee.

What’s the word?

Speaking on the West Ham Way podcast, the club insider has revealed that the deal to bring the centre-back to the London Stadium is nearing completion, with the Morocco international believed to have gone as far as to pose for photos with a Hammers shirt.

While the transfer guru stated that the deal is not yet totally done, he believes that the 26-year-old is all but certain to be at the club next season (quotes via West Ham Zone): “I’ve spoken to a couple of people in the club who have all confirmed it [Aguerd signing].

“There were even photos taken of him with the shirt, so unless things have dramatically changed and this doesn’t happen, because I don’t believe it’s a done deal, but I would be surprised if he doesn’t sign. It may be even announced on the day that the kits are launched, whenever that is.”

This follows a report last week that outlined that the east Londoners were ‘holding talks’ regarding a permanent switch, while the Telegraph’s latest update suggested that the club are ‘increasingly confident’ of securing the £13m move.

Supporters buzzing

That news will no doubt be music to the ears of Irons’ supporters, with David Moyes’ side having been in desperate need of new additions to help bolster the backline, with injuries hampering their progress in 2022 as the Scotsman was at times forced to name a makeshift backline.

That included having to start full-back, Aaron Cresswell, in the heart of the defence on occasion, while throughout the campaign the club had been far too reliant on the defensive pair of Craig Dawson and Kurt Zouma, following Angelo Ogbonna’s lengthy stint out with a serious knee injury.

With Frenchman Issa Diop also heavily linked with an exit after falling out of favour in recent seasons, the need for new recruits has heightened even further, with the aforementioned Aguerd set to provide real quality and at a relative bargain price to boot.

The most recent campaign saw the £10.8m-rated gem help the Ligue outfit to a fourth-place finish, having averaged four clearances, 0.9 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per game in his 31 league starts, keeping an impressive 13 clean sheets in that time and winning 62% of his total duels.

Not just a sound defensive presence, the £8.9k-per-week ace also has the quality in possession to make him a real force to be reckoned with in the Premier League, ranking in the top 10% for attempted passes and in the top 16% for pass completion among those in his position across Europe’s five big leagues.

Such impressive form has seen him compared to Liverpool’s influential rock, Virgil van Dijk, with the pair sharing a number of statistical and stylistic similarities, as per FBref.

That comparison alone will no doubt have caught the attention of Hammers’ supporters, although the former Dijon man has also been the subject of praise for his displays in France, having been dubbed a “cerebral person” by ex-Rennes boss Julien Stephen for his footballing intelligence.

The longer-term concern will be whether he can translate that form to the English top-flight, although at present the West Ham faithful simply have good reason to be getting excited.

IN other news, “Another target…”: Ex drops big WHU summer transfer claim that supporters will love

Newcastle United are reportedly now eyeing up a shock triple raid of Leeds United.

The Lowdown: Last-day survival

The Whites managed to stay up by the skin of their teeth on Sunday as they beat Brentford 2-1 on the last day of the Premier League season.

The Magpies actually did them a favour by beating relegation rivals Burnley 2-1, which ended up sending the Clarets down instead.

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The Latest: Newcastle’s Elland Road raid

Writing in his latest piece for 90min, transfer insider Graeme Bailey has revealed that Newcastle are now eyeing up potential moves for Leeds trio Raphinha, Kalvin Phillips and Jack Harrison this summer.

They have had ‘conversations’ over Phillips in particular, while they have ‘followed’ the Brazilian’s situation and are also ‘considering’ a move for fellow winger Harrison.

The Verdict: Exciting

While they may not sign all three, Newcastle’s pursuit of this trio is certainly exciting for the Toon Army.

They all ranked in Leeds’ top 10 performers in the Premier League this term, while Raphinha and Harrison ended as their top two scorers with 11 and eight goals respectively. The three Magpies targets also managed five assists between them (WhoScored).

The Tynesiders already know of their qualities having watched them play in the top flight, and if the trio can perform so effectively for a relegation-threatened Leeds side, then they will surely thrive in Eddie Howe’s team as they aim to push into the top half and beyond from next season.

In other news, Howe is considering a bid for another Premier League gem

West Bromwich Albion ended up delivering a rather uninspiring attempt at winning promotion back to the Premier League this season.

With 46 Championship games played, the Baggies won 18, drew 15 and lost 13 in the process, leaving them with a tenth-place finish.

One disappointing factor throughout the campaign was West Brom’s attacking power, or lack thereof at times.

Having scored 52 goals all season, the Baggies racked up 18 games where they failed to find the back of the net.

To further highlight their ineffectiveness in front of goal, they ended the season with the lowest percentage for shots on target and the joint-lowest rate of goals per shot.

One figure in Steve Bruce’s squad that ended up being a rather useful attacking figure in terms of his goal contributions was midfielder Alex Mowatt.

In 34 league appearances, the Englishman scored four goals and delivered two assists, ending the campaign with more goal contributions than the likes of Matt Phillips and Grady Diangana among others.

Now that the season has come to an end and the summer transfer window is on the horizon, one figure that has been linked with a move to the Hawthorns that could form a deadly midfield duo with Mowatt is John Swift.

With 38 league appearances under his belt for Reading this season, the 26-year-old has scored 11 goals and delivered 13 assists, showing how capable he is in front of goal from midfield.

Having played four more games than Mowatt, the 26-year-old has racked up more shots and crosses than the Baggies figure.

Rather unsurprisingly, the Englishman also has a higher average for shots (2.1) and key passes per game (2.7) than any other player at his current club.

Back in 2019, one of Swift’s previous assists was described as “outrageous” by journalist Charles Watts.

His overall performances in this campaign have earned him an impressive season rating of 7.13/10 from WhoScored, making him the highest-rated player at Reading.

This would also make him the highest-rated player in West Brom’s squad as well, which shows how important he is to his side and why the Baggies are after him.

Taking all of this into account, having a midfield pairing of Mowatt and Swift in their side could definitely make West Brom a much deadlier team going forward, which is what they’ll need to be if they want to have any chance of winning promotion next season.

In other news: Bruce can finally axe “shocking” WBA dud with move for “dominating” £14k-p/w machine

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ enthralling draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday was important for a number of reasons.

Whilst the point attained was integral to meeting their ambition of making the European places in the Premier League, the way in which they ended their three game losing streak – that saw them fail to score a single goal in that period – was important in terms of their form going into next season.

As we’ve seen in the Premier League quite recently, momentum is extremely important, as Leicester City fans will tell you after witnessing their side transition a strong end to the season into a strong start to the next, eventually leading them to Premier League glory.

So Lage will want his side to continue in that vein against Manchester City and put up the same amount of fight that they showed against Tuchel’s Chelsea, who did not know what hit them when Wolves’ secret weapon Chiquinho entered the pitch.

By deploying the starlet, he could well cause problems for Pep and Co. with Chiquinho’s “explosiveness”, something noted by his former manager, Vasco Botelho da Costa.

On the chalkboard

In what was a 20-minute cameo at Stamford Bridge, he completely changed the game on its head. When he came on, his side were losing 2-0 and when the game ended, it finished 2-2.

His impact was nothing short of mesmeric and having set up both goals, he has surely earned his chance for regular minutes in Lage’s side.

The 22-year-old’s game against the Blues was reminiscent of Adama Traore’s play style. His direct approach was integral to the Old Gold’s comeback, with his 3/3 successful dribbles evidence of this.

His effort level defensively was also impressive, having won 4/5 ground duels at a success rate of 80%.

In his six Premier League appearances for Wolves, the Sporting CP youth graduate, who has been dubbed a “ridiculous talent” by Tim Spiers, now has three assists after Saturday’s game.

His performance was noted by scorer of the last-minute equaliser Conor Coady, who gave the starlet all the plaudits: “I went into the box, hoping Chiquinho would get it. I thought he was outstanding when he came on.”

As a result, there must be no other choice but for the Wolves boss to unleash his pocket rocket on City this week. What do they have to lose in doing so?

In other news: Lage can unearth Wolves’ new Jota in “magic” £2m-rated talent who has “explosiveness”

Frank Lampard was brought in at Everton to steady the ship following a tumultuous six months with Rafa Benitez, however, it hasn’t gone quite to plan and now insider Dean Jones has made a huge claim on the manager’s future.

What’s the latest?

Speaking to Football FanCast, transfer expert and journalist Jones has given his thoughts on Lampard’s future at Goodison Park come the end of the season.

He commented: “I don’t think he’ll stay if Everton go down. I’m not even sure he’ll stay if they stay up. To be honest with you. I think this is really up in the air.

“I think if they stay up, I could see Bilić getting a chance at it if they go down, I’m not sure so sure.”

Supporters will be gutted

The last thing that Everton needs right now is further upheaval in one of the most vulnerable periods of their club’s history, and if they were to suffer their first-ever Premier League relegation this season, stability at the club is essential for them to bounce back up, so supporters will surely be gutted if Lampard was to leave.

There are many areas of improvement that are needed at Goodison Park, but sacking managers hasn’t got the Toffees in a better position over the years since Farhad Moshiri arrived, with the owner sacking five permanent managers in six years so far.

Therefore, it doesn’t seem like a path the club needs to necessarily go down to turn things around no matter the situation they find themselves in at the end of the season.

Since his arrival, the 43-year-old manager has won four, drawn one and lost eight which isn’t the record the supporters would have hoped for when he was appointed. Yet, given the squad he has inherited that has been plagued with the worst injury record in the Premier League this season, if he manages the great escape from relegation it’s a huge achievement.

With that being said, it seems premature to sack a manager who has had a limited amount of time to coach the team, no opportunities to rebuild or acquire players over a full transfer window and has a squad riddled with injuries, however, it will be interesting to see where Lampard’s fate will lie should the side drop into the Championship next season.

AND in other news: Forget Holgate: Everton must unleash “composed” 18y/o tank with “plenty of potential”