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Fabio Paratici has seemingly been given a green light to secure one of Tottenham Hotspur’s mooted transfer targets.

Earlier in the summer transfer window, the north London outfit were linked with a move for Lille midfielder Renato Sanches, with French publication le10sport reporting their ‘strong interest’ in his signature.

At the time, he was thought to be available for around €30m (£26m) due to the Ligue 1 club’s financial problems.

His form at Lille last season carried into Euro 2020, where he delivered a number of eye-catching performances, so it’s no wonder Spurs were one of several clubs who were keen on him.

And now, comments from Les Dogues president Olivier Letang have opened up the door for a team like Tottenham to strike.

“I have already discussed this with him. If an offer from a big club arrives, Renato will be able to leave. We will see what will happen,” he told BFM Lille ahead of the January transfer window (via FourFourTwo).

One of Nuno’s bigger problems since arriving in N17 has been finding the right balance in midfield. They are amongst the Premier League’s least creative teams, having averaged the fourth-lowest number of shots per game (10.9) and fifth-lowest expected goals (8.80 xG).

Furthermore, who knows if Tanguy Ndombele will kick up a fuss again, whilst the form of Dele Alli has been concerning and it’s widely believed that Harry Winks will seek a temporary exit in January, so there could certainly be a place up for grabs.

In fact, a swoop for Sanches could be one of the club’s very best moves in recent times, perhaps since the arrival of Heung-min Son.

The 24-year-old, valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, has been likened to Clarence Seedorf due to his box-to-box qualities, whilst he is said to have the ‘strength of a WWE heavyweight and the nimble feet of a ballet dancer,’ as per Bundesliga.com.

Sanches won the Golden Boy award in 2016 and has also been lauded as a “machine” by the press and as a “complete athlete” by the aforementioned Lille chief.

A two-time winner of the Bundesliga and last season’s Ligue 1 champion, the young Portugal international would have to be considered quite the coup given his trophy-laden record, praise and touted potential alone.

AND in other news, Forget Son: “Phenomenal” £36m-rated Spurs dynamo has been Nuno’s big saving grace…

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Kalvin Phillips to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Telegraph, who claim that Antonio Conte is a big fan of the Leeds United defensive midfielder, with the 26-year-old believed to be on Fabio Paratici’s list of targets ahead of the upcoming transfer market.

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However, the report goes on to state that it is questionable whether Daniel Levy would be willing to offer the England international a similar salary to the one Manchester United will likely put forward to the Whites academy graduate.

Conte’s dream signing

Considering just how impressive Phillips has been for Leeds in recent years, in addition to the midfielder possessing a skill set that would appear to suit Conte’s brand of football seamlessly, it is easy to see why the 52-year-old would be keen on a deal for the deep-lying playmaker this summer.

While injury has seen the 26-year-old make just 14 Premier League appearances this season, Phillips proved last season that he is undoubtedly one of the best holding midfielders currently playing the game.

Indeed, over his 29 top-flight fixtures last term, the £45m-rated talent was the Whites’ standout performer, making an average of 1.6 interceptions, 2.6 tackles, 1.7 clearances and winning 5.3 duels – at a success rate of 52% – per fixture.

The £38k-per-week Englishman also highly impressed in a creative capacity, bagging one goal, providing two assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as completing an average of 1.2 key passes, 4.7 long balls, 41 passes and 0.7 dribbles per outing.

These returns saw the player who Nigel de Jong dubbed a “baller” and Adam Crafton labelled “stunning” average a rather remarkable SofaScore match rating of 7.21, not only ranking him as Leeds’ best performer in the league but also as the ninth-best midfielder in the division as a whole.

Indeed, with Phillips being a tough-tackling, tireless and incredibly creative defensive midfielder, it is clear to see just how well the England sensation would fit into Conte’s tactical setup at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

As such, it would appear highly advisable for Paratici to do all he can to convince Levy to stump up the 26-year-old’s £60m asking price, as Phillips would certainly be Conte’s dream signing for Spurs this summer.

AND in other news: “100%” – Fabrizio Romano drops Spurs transfer claim that will leave supporters buzzing

When faced with extreme and severe adversity, this Everton squad seem to have responded this term.

The Toffees have only won once since the back end of September but they have now claimed an impressive four points against teams in the top four of the Premier League throughout their last three fixtures.

Just hours after Marcel Brands had left the club, Rafa Benitez steered his side to a win over Arsenal and despite having a number of their key players out on Thursday, they still drew 1-1 with the European Champions.

To add to injury woes to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Yerry Mina this week, Lucas Digne was once again unavailable for selection.

Seamus Coleman, Andros Townsend and Richarlison were all absent through injury too as a particularly young side was fielded against Chelsea.

But, for the most part, they did their team justice in midweek. Jarrad Branthwaite popped up with an incredibly rare goal while fellow academy graduates Ellis Simms, Jonjoe Kenny and Anthony Gordon all got opportunities to show their true colours too.

However, it was one of their longer serving players in Mason Holgate who let his manager down.

He picked up a yellow card early in the game and even if the Merseyside outfit only conceded once to one of the best teams in the country, it was a shoddy display from the centre-half who was turned all too easily by those in Chelsea’s forward line.

The raw stats also don’t paint a very bright picture of his display on Thursday evening.

Holgate had 28 fewer touches than goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and registered a quite abysmal tally of three passes in the entire match.

Of course, a defender shouldn’t be judged entirely on his ability in possession but the fact that he was so scarcely involved should be a cause for concern.

After all, in defensive situations, he was far from convincing. The 25-year-old is now at an age where he should be starting to blossom but this performance was yet more evidence of a player who still looks like he’s in the infancy of his career.

Mistakes are too often and he is a lightweight in physical battles. At Stamford Bridge, the Englishman only won 50% of his duels and gave away two fouls as one error led to a shot on goal from the Chelsea attack.

With Mina out injured, he will simply have to improve in the coming weeks because at the moment, Benitez is left with very little choice but to keep playing him.

AND in other news, Imagine him & DCL: Benitez must seal Everton swoop for “unbelievable” 52-goal animal…

Everton have now made three signings during the first two weeks of the January transfer window, securing deals for Nathan Patterson, Vitaliy Mykolenko and Anwar El Ghazi, but will the club bring in any further reinforcements in the remainder of the month?

What’s the word?

Journalist Alan Myers has taken to his Twitter replies to reveal his thoughts on the possibility of more signings at Goodison Park during January after an Everton fan asked him whether they will see more players coming into the club after the confirmation of El Ghazi’s loan move on Thursday evening.

Myers simply responded: “Don’t know but would guess one or two”

With a right-back, a left-back and a winger secured, Rafael Benitez still has plenty of time to add more players in key positions where the Toffees have been struggling over the first half of the season.

Fans will be buzzing

Everton fans have had to endure an abysmal first half of the season, with the Merseyside club only taking five wins from 18 games so far, and many fans have made no secret of their disgruntlement at what they have experienced so far under Benitez.

The owner Farhad Moshiri and his reckless spending habits have been causing consternation at the club too, which has left them in an delicate situation regarding Financial Fair Play that’s set to hinder their ability to spend money without selling players first.

With protests having been planned, some supporters booing the manager and players at Goodison Park, as well as some leaving after conceding early in the first half of games, many Toffees fans have made it clear that they’re not happy and want change at the club.

Therefore. adding new players with fresh legs and fresh perspective could help to put the club in good stead to get results, climb the table and win over an unhappy fan base.

Benitez will be hoping that his new signings can showcase some of the improvements they can make in their clash with Norwich City at Carrow Road on Saturday, with El Ghazi available to start and Patterson and Mykolenko possibly both being settled in, having each had the best part of two weeks as Everton players.

If they can make an early impact, Myers’ suggestion that the inbound January business may not be done yet could have the Goodison Park faithful buzzing with excitement.

In other news: Benitez is eyeing this ex-Premier League beast as a possible signing

Manchester City appear to have won the race for long-term Aston Villa transfer target Julian Alvarez.

That’s according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, and a number of Villa fans have been giving their thoughts to the news on social media.

Villa have been linked with the River Plate attacker since the summer, with the player’s agent Fernando Hidalgo reportedly planning to speak to the Midlands club over a potential move. However, it is Pep Guardiola’s side who look set to announce an €18.5m (£15.43m) transfer for the 21-year-old, who scored 24 goals and registered 18 assists in 2021.

Romano revealed on Tuesday evening that an agreement has been reached with the Premier League champions, and Alvarez will pen a five-year deal at the Etihad Stadium before returning to River Plate on loan until the summer.

Villa fans react

Here is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply to Romano’s post regarding Alvarez, with many of them not exactly thrilled and some thinking it could be a mistake not landing him over the summer.

“Being violently sick right now.”

Credit: @AVFCFaithful_

“Nothing to be said, we bottled it. Now we must get Aaron Hickey in the summer before City do.”

Credit: @ZM_AVFC

“Made a big mistake signing others over him”

Credit: @Jamie_UTV

“I hope it’s because he was never going to sign for us. Otherwise, yeah. Nauseating.”

Credit: @nallivdam

“He won the Ballon D’or for us in my FIFA 21 Villa career. I thought it was a sign when we were linked to him.. clearly not”

Credit: @charliepowellm1

“We had a chance and bottled it.”

Credit: @MogarFinley

In other news: ‘Yessss’ – Many Villa fans buzzing as John Percy shares ‘amazing’ transfer news

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Liverpool fans are gearing up for another transfer saga, after Lille manager Christophe Galtier dropped a cheeky hint over the future of Nicolas Pepe.

Pepe will be one of the hottest prospects on the market this summer, as the winger has slammed in 16 goals and eight assists in 25 Ligue 1 appearances this season.

The 23 year-old has electric pace and has developed quite the eye for goal, and he has already been linked with several top clubs, most notably Arsenal, while the Reds have also been tenuously linked.

Roberto Firmino has thrown a party themed around the colour of his teeth! Watch the video below to find out what we’re talking about…

Liverpool fans are now hoping they are in the race after Galtier’s comments, as the manager said Pepe will play in red next season.

“He has to go to a club in the Champions League. In my view, he does not need an intermediary step to go to the highest possible level,” Galtier said, as reported by GFFN.

“I could see him playing for a team who plays in red that likes having wide players playing on the wing of their weaker foot.”

Of course, Liverpool play in red and use Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah on “the wing of their weaker foot” as Galtier put it, so fans are all over this one.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Antonio Conte may need to take Lucas Moura out of the team, football.london’s Alasdair Gold has claimed.

The lowdown

The Brazilian has started both matches since the 52-year-old took over from Nuno Espirito Santo last week. He scored in the 3-2 Europa Conference League win over Vitesse, but his impact was limited in Sunday’s goalless draw away to Everton.

In his 71 minutes on the pitch before being replaced by Giovani Lo Celso, he only attempted one shot, which was blocked, and created just one chance. Overall, he lost five of his nine ground duels against the Toffees (via SofaScore).

Former Spurs keeper Paul Robinson has recently hailed the application of the £80,000-per-week forward, insisting that he always gives ‘150%’.

The latest

Writing for football.london, Gold has identified a ‘problem’ with the shape used at Goodison Park, which relies on wing-backs to provide width. He said that it forces Son Heung-min and the opposite winger ‘into a congested area’ with Harry Kane.

As an alternative, the journalist suggested that Conte could switch to a front two of Son and Kane with a central playmaker in behind them.

“It would be harsh on Lucas, who is one the most determined and energetic players in the Spurs side, capable of creating attacking situations out of nothing,” Gold wrote.

“However, the Brazilian’s decision-making also lets him down during passing moves and against Everton, Tottenham’s moves sometimes floundered at his feet.”

He later added: “With Conte’s admiration for Skipp already in place and Hojbjerg being a leader in the team and a key figure, Lucas could end up being the fall guy and revert to being an impact sub and rotational starter as the games come thick and fast.”

The verdict

Could Lucas possibly find joy in another role? The Athletic’s Charlie Eccleshare suggested last week that he could potentially slot in at wing-back, just as Victor Moses did during Conte’s spell at Chelsea.

Eccleshare wrote that giving Lucas the space to ‘build up a head of steam’ could be a ‘frightening proposition’ for defenders if he doesn’t appear a perfect fit for the position. He could probably operate as part of a front two as well, given that he’s been used as a centre forward or second striker 61 times over the course of his career.

Therefore, while Gold’s reservations are understandable, there is enough to suggest that the 28-year-old might not need to be hastily jettisoned from Conte’s starting line-up.

In other news, here’s what Daniel Levy has promised to Conte

Former Aston Villa man Alan Hutton has been reacting to an update regarding Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Villa interest

Steven Gerrard is preparing for a first full season in charge at Villa Park and seemingly has his eye on a move for Phillips.

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Reports towards the end of March suggested that Villa are leading Newcastle and West Ham in the race to sign the England international and are willing to pay Leeds £60m for his services.

Villa are also prepared to pay the 26-year-old a whopping £10m a year in wages, with Phillips now in the process of changing agents.

The Latest: Hutton reacts to update

The Telegraph revealed last week that contract talks between Leeds and Phillips have stalled. Hutton, who contributes for Sky Sports News, had this to say to FI on that news and Villa’s interest, believing Leeds fans ‘won’t be happy’.

“I can’t see it, if I’m totally honest. Leeds fans won’t be happy with that.

“But in this situation at the moment, they’re eight points outside the relegation zone. There are still teams below them with games in hand.

“I think they’ve done enough and I think they will stay up. But for Kalvin Phillips, as a footballer moving forward, he’s very capable of taking a step up.

“He’s a fully-fledged international player. If he wants to keep that spot, he needs to be playing at a high level.

“Are Aston Villa at that level at this moment in time? No, they aren’t, but that’s where they’re trying to get to.

“To get to that next stage, they have to be looking at players like Kalvin Phillips to make them better. I totally understand why they’re going for him. It’ll be interesting to see if they could get over the line.”

The Verdict: Coup

Bringing Phillips to Villa Park over the coming months could be a major coup by NSWE. He was named England’s Player of the Year for 2020/21 and has starred in the Premier League for the Whites.

Leeds have struggled without their star midfielder in recent months, who had to watch on from the sideline as Villa strolled to a 3-0 win at Elland Road last month.

He may have been impressed with Villa that night, and with just two defensive midfielders on the books at Bodymoor Heath, bringing in the Leeds man could be a wise move as NSWE prepare to back Gerrard this summer.

In other news: Gerrard tells another Aston Villa star he can leave in shock Bodymoor Heath development. 

Taking to Twitter, reliable ESPN reporter Moises Llorens has shared a big update on Barcelona attacker and Tottenham Hotspur target Ousmane Dembele amid his contract stand-off.

The Lowdown: Spurs table offer…

As reported in recent months, the France international is a target for Spurs and manager Antonio Conte as Lilywhites chief Fabio Paratici takes to the 2022 free agent market.

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According to Mundo Deportivo, Tottenham’s managing director is eyeing ‘quality players at zero cost’ for his countryman at N17 – including Dembele, whose deal runs out at the end of this season.

Spurs have also allegedly made an offer to sign the 24-year-old on a pre-contract, promising ‘a lot of money’ and the guarantee of being a key player (Mundo Deportivo).

After recent claims Tottenham will ‘push hard’ for his signing this month, ESPN journalist Llorens has shared a significant update.

The Latest: Spurs gifted possible boost,,,

According to his information, sharing news late Tuesday night, Dembele is set for a crunch ‘meeting’ today amid his contract stand-off at the Camp Nou.

However, it is now apparently very unlikely that the player signs an extension, with the difference in negotiations ‘practically insurmountable’.

Indeed, the La Liga giants would apparently see Dembele penning fresh terms as a ‘miracle’ in what could be a boost for Paratici and Spurs.

The Verdict: Time to strike?

The forward looks almost certain to leave as things stand, but does that mean Spurs should continue their alleged pursuit and sink the final blow?

Lauded as ‘exciting’ and ‘almost unplayable’ at times by Premier League legend Rio Ferdinand, Dembele’s ability is clearly rated and there is a reason Barca paid an initial £97 million to sign him from Borussia Dortmund back in 2017.

However, the winger also has a troubling history of hamstring problems and could command a hefty salary – with his current wages believed to be around £210,000-per-week.

An offer around this amount or over would make him the highest paid star at Hotspur Way, even above the likes of Harry Kane, and it would arguably be a gamble to invest that much in a player prone to absences.

Coming with plus and negative points, a move for Dembele before January 31 could prove potentially fruitful but with a big element of risk.

In other news: Conte green-lights move for £220,000-per-week ‘jewel’ as he lays out transfer demand for Spurs chiefs, find out more here.

West Ham will have to spend around £11m on FC Copenhagen striker Jonas Wind if they want to sign him in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Wind linked with West Ham move

The Hammers may be flourishing in the Premier League currently but that doesn’t mean that new signings aren’t needed to take the team forward.

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David Moyes’ side have been linked with signing Wind in recent times, with the 22-year-old scoring four times in 12 caps for Denmark at senior level and reportedly impressing West Ham scouts.

Copenhagen are clearly keen to keep hold of one of their most prized assets, however, and a fresh update has emerged regarding his future.

The Latest: Hammers learn Wind asking price

According to Ekstra Bladet [via Sport Witness], West Ham ‘will probably have to go up close to DKK 90-100 million’ to sign Wind, which equates to approximately £11m.

Only Premier League clubs are thought to be able to afford that amount in January, and although a mid-season move is possible, a summer exit looks more likely.

Wind’s current Copenhagen deal expires at the end of the 2024/25 season.

The Verdict: Much-needed attacking depth

At 22, Wind is someone who could come in as a squad player at West Ham initially – he has scored 45 goals and chipped in with 25 assists in 111 appearances for Copenhagen – and eventually become a more pivotal figure over time.

He has matched Antonio’s tally of six league goals so far this season and he has 10 goals in all competitions, further highlighting his pedigree.

Moyes’s team sit fourth in the league at the moment, but in order to remain in the thick of the Champions League race, another striker could do with being signed, especially one as prolific as the Danish youngster.

That would help ease the burden on sole centre-forward Michail Antonio, especially with the Hammers battling in the Europa League as well, making for a hectic schedule in the early months of next year.

In other news, a journalist has dropped an exit rumour regarding one West Ham player. Find out who it is here.