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Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in a deal to bring Gonçalo Ramos to Molineux in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Portuguese publication Jornal de Noticias (via Sport Witness), who claim that, following the centre-forward’s impressive campaign with Portugal at the Qatar World Cup this winter, a number of clubs are now interested in a move for the 21-year-old in January – one of whom is said to be Julen Lopetegui’s outfit.

However, the report goes on to state that the likes of Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Newcastle United and Paris Saint-Germain are also tracking the Benfica striker ahead of launching a potential move of their own this winter, although the Liga Portugal side are said to be unwilling to accept an offer less than the forward’s whopping €120m (£103m) release clause.

Jiménez 2.0

Considering just how impressive Ramos has been for club and country so far this season, coupled with it being reported recently that Wolves’ long-serving number nine Raúl Jiménez could be set to leave Molineux in January, it is not difficult to understand why Lopetegui would be targeting the 21-year-old as the Mexico international’s replacement up top.

There are a number of similarities between the two attackers, with Jiménez also having joined the Old Gold from Ramos’ current club Benfica, as well as the two forwards being extremely deadly finishers in the final third, capable of dropping deep to link build-up play and being of a similar height and physical build.

Indeed, over Ramos’ 11 Liga Portugal fixtures in the current campaign, the £32m-rated talent has been in sensational form, having already bagged nine goals, registered one assist and created one big chance, in addition to taking an average of 3.3 shots – 1.5 of which have been on target – making 0.6 key passes and completing 0.4 dribbles per game.

These returns have seen the player who Raj Chohan dubbed “unreal” average a rather remarkable Sofascore match rating of 7.21, not only ranking him as Rúben Amorim’s eighth-best performer in the league but also as the joint 22nd-best player in the top flight of Portuguese football as a whole.

The £36k-per-week wonderkid also shone over his four outings at the Qatar World Cup, scoring three goals – all of which came via a sensational hat-trick in a 6-1 win over Switzerland – providing one assist and creating one big chance, as well as taking an average of 1.8 shots – 1.3 of which hit the target – and making 0.5 key passes per match.

These metrics saw the five-cap international average an astonishing Sofascore match rating of 7.22, ranking him as Portugal’s fourth-best performer in the biggest competition world football has to offer – not bad for a 21-year-old.

As such, while £103m is undoubtedly a huge amount of money to spend for a club of Wolves’ current standing, it would very much appear as if Ramos is a player worth this outlay, as the Portuguese hitman could well prove to become the Old Gold’s next Jiménez-esque talisman up top for many a year to come.

Leeds United summer departee Elia Caprile is attracting the interest of Napoli ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Mario Giuffredi, with the Italian agent revealing in a recent interview with Radio Marte (via Sport Witness) that Aurelio De Laurentiis is planning on signing the goalkeeper this winter, with the Napoli president believed to be using his connections with the Bari owner – his son Luigi De Laurentiis – to seal the 21-year-old on a cut-price deal.

This is sure to come as a huge blow to Victor Orta and Leeds United, as the Whites’ director of football was reported to have negotiated a 50% sell-on clause in the shot-stopper’s €150k (£130k) move to the Stadio San Nicola – something that will become practically worthless should Caprile indeed go on to link up with Gli Azzurri for a reduced fee.

Regarding the future of the ‘keeper, Giuffredi said: “The sporting director of Napoli, [Cristiano] Giuntoli, will not do anything in January. He will take only two players from Bari, [Walid] Cheddira and Caprile, to put in the squad next season.”

Orta mare

While it would appear highly unlikely that, should Caprile have remained at Elland Road this season, the 21-year-old would have gone on to displace the imperious Illan Meslier as Jesse Marsch’s number one, considering just how impressive the Italian has been for Bari, Orta’s decision to cash in on the goalkeeper for such a small fee is already proving to have been a shocker.

Indeed, over his 13 Serie B appearances this season, the £1.1m-rated talent has been in sensational form, helping his side keep three clean sheets and saving one penalty, as well as making an average of 2.4 saves – at a success rate of 67% – per game.

These returns have seen the 21-year-old average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.85, currently ranking him as Michele Mignani’s tenth-best performer in the second tier of Italian football.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the shot-stopper’s performances have seen the player who Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig compared to Gianluigi Buffon and dubbed both an “absolute star” and a “terminator” earn a considerable amount of praise, with agent Graziano Battistini stating of the youngster after his fantastic start to the season:

“Obviously a start like this surprised everyone a bit. Not so much me, because I’ve known him for some time and I had faith that he would respond presently in the face of this new adventure.

“I hoped that the environment Bari could give him confidence. Once this happened, Elia demonstrated all his worth and everything came as a consequence. I was aware that all this could happen. Now we just have to continue like this.”

And, with it appearing as if Serie A table-toppers Napoli could now be set to snap the Italy U21 international up in January, coupled with just how much the 21-year-old has developed since his move to Bari, Orta’s decision to part with Caprile this summer is proving to have been more and more of a mare for the director of football with each passing day.

Sunderland played their final match before the break for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar on Friday night and ended the first portion of the campaign on a high by beating Birmingham 2-1 away from home.

They do not have another Championship fixture until December and Tony Mowbray now has his first chance to have a few weeks to work with the team on the training pitch, having being thrown in at the deep end in August after Alex Neil’s departure.

However, he will not have a full squad to work with as two of his players are jetting off to Qatar to represent their countries at the tournament.

Jewison Bennette and Bailey Wright are in contention to feature at the World Cup for Costa Rica and Australia respectively with Mowbray saying this about the former:

“Jewison is a young boy who has got wonderful talent. It will be an amazing experience for him and he should go along, enjoy it and see what happens.

“There are some amazing teams in his group but try and do your country proud when you get an opportunity.”

The 18-year-old has a fantastic opportunity to showcase his talents on the world stage and he could return to the Stadium of Light as a player full of confidence heading into the second half of the campaign if he enjoys his time at the tournament.

Bennette, who journalist Josh Bunting called a “star boy”, is a promising young player with plenty of potential to grow and Mowbray could look to develop him into becoming his next Adam Armstrong for Sunderland.

The Black Cats boss worked with the current Southampton attacker at Coventry and Blackburn earlier in his career and developed him into being an attacker who regularly provided quality at the top end of the pitch.

Armstrong, who 84 goals and provided 24 assists in 200 appearances whilst working with Mowbray over the course of five seasons with the two aforementioned clubs.

Bennette has shown promise as a goalscoring winger and could be utilised in a similar role to the Englishman by playing as an inside left forward or as a striker in a front two, like the current Saints man.

In the 2022/23 campaign, the 18-year-old has scored two goals in two caps for Costa Rica.

Therefore, Mowbray, who previously dubbed the gem “electric”, could unearth his next Armstrong by helping Bennette to add consistency to his game over the course of an entire season, allowing him to rack up big goalscoring numbers for the Black Cats.

He could develop into being a lethal scorer, who can also create for his teammates, as he gains more experience and adapts to life in England but it is now down to him and the Sunderland manager to ensure that he progresses in the coming months and seasons to come.

A power cut at Elland Road couldn’t stop VAR from having a major say in Leeds United’s latest defeat as they were beaten by Premier League leaders Arsenal in a drama-filled affair in west Yorkshire.

The Gunners took the lead after a 38-minute delay in the match through Bukayo Saka, who fired home from an acute angle after Martin Odegaard slotted him in past Jesse Marsch’s hapless backline.

Patrick Bamford then could have levelled it for the home side after William Saliba was judged to have handled inside the area following a VAR check but the Englishman, who was subbed on at half-time, fired wide.

The Whites had other chances before a controversial moment in the dying moments of the match. Gabriel looked to have kicked out at Bamford, which led to the referee sending him off but it was overturned after another VAR check and actually resulted in a free-kick to the visitors instead.

Leeds, now winless in six, were made to pay after a costly error from Rodrigo. It was his audacious cross-field ball that ended up at the feet of Saka, rather than his own teammate, and the Gunners winger played a nice one-two with Odegaard before bagging the match-winner.

A moment that led to journalist Beren Cross slamming the 31-year-old for having a “shocker.”

“Arsenal score. Rodrigo with a shocker. Tries a bizarre cross-field curled pass across the width of the field to Struijk, towards his own goal, where Saka is waiting to pounce,” he tweeted.

At the other end of the pitch, the £100k-per-week Spaniard proved just as wasteful, failing to get any of his three shots on target, whilst he also lost possession of the ball six times from just 27 touches – the fewest of any Leeds starter, including goalkeeper Illan Meslier (33), which shows just how ineffective he was in leading the line.

Marsch clearly agreed as it was the £27m dud who made way for Bamford at half-time.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay also described Rodrigo’s moment of pure madness as the “most stupid” pass you’ll see, with his colleague Gunnerblog deeming it to be “insanity.”

It was clear that his confidence was shot from that point onwards as Rodrigo endured an absolute nightmare at Elland Road and given Bamford’s impact from the bench – despite missing a vital spot kick –  he will be lucky to keep his place amongst the starting XI when Leeds head to Leicester City on Thursday night.

AND in other news, Left for nothing, now worth £6m: Orta had a nightmare on Leeds’ £42k-p/w “firework”…

Former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley is a universally unpopular figure at St James’ Park as a result of his dismal spell at the helm, although one masterstroke that the businessman was able to pull off was the signing – and subsequent sale – of defender, Mathieu Debuchy.

The impressive right-back arrived amid an influx of French talent on Tyneside in the early 2010’s during Alan Pardew’s time in charge, with the Magpies finally getting their man in January 2013 having seen a bid rejected for the player the previous summer.

The 5 foot 9 ace – who had started all four of his nation’s games at Euro 2012 – appeared something of a bargain for the northeast side, as they managed to secure his services from Ligue 1 side Lille for a reported fee of just £5m.

After racking up 308 appearances in all competitions during his time at his former club, recording 35 goal contributions in that time, the experienced ace went on to quickly become a prominent figure for the Premier League side following his arrival in England.

The Fretin-born star would go on to make 46 appearances for the club in all competitions over the next 18 months, notably endearing himself to the Newcastle faithful after scoring his one and only goal in the Tyne-Wear derby clash with Sunderland in October 2013.

Such impressive displays did not go unnoticed, however, with fellow top-flight side Arsenal swooping in to make a move in the summer of 2014, after the 27-cap ace had again played a prominent role for Les Bleus at that year’s World Cup – starting four of France’s five games in the competition.

To Ashley’s credit, he was reportedly able to recoup a fee of around £12m as a result of the defender’s move to the Emirates, with that representing a sizeable profit on the Magpies’ initial investment.

Debuchy would go on to endure an injury-ravaged stint in north London, notably picking up an ankle injury just a matter of months into his time with the Gunners, before dislocating his shoulder in a clash with Stoke City in January 2015, after colliding with the advertising hoardings following a push from Marko Arnautovic.

Despite returning from that issue, the emergence of young Hector Bellerin saw him fail to regain his place in the side, eventually returning to his homeland to join Bordeaux on a loan deal in January 2016.

After making just 30 appearances in all competitions during his three-and-a-half-year stint under Arsene Wenger, the aggressive full-back ultimately joined Saint-Etienne in January 2018, with Arsenal taking a costly hit after seeing the player move on a free transfer.

The veteran gem went on to enjoy something of a resurgence at the club as he scored 12 goals and registered seven assists in 97 games over the next few seasons, with the 37-year-old currently plying his trade in the second division of French football with Valenciennes.

The ageing asset – who now typically lines up at centre-back – was only recently sent off in a defeat to Pau FC, with it having been something of a fall from grace since his impressive spell at St James’ Park.

Medical expert Ben Dinnery has been left wowed by the appointment of Jack Nayler as Everton’s new Head of Sports Science.

The Lowdown: Nayler appointed

The Goodison Park outfit confirmed last week that Nayler has been appointed as the new Head of Sports Science for the Men’s First Team.

He has extensive experience in elite-level sport and joins them after 15 months with established Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.

He also has five years of experience in the same role for reigning Scottish Premiership champions Celtic, and has also been First-Team Sports Scientist/Conditioning Coach at UEFA Champions League champions Real Madrid.

Nayler has also worked with both PSG and Chelsea, and has a Masters degree in strength and conditioning and a degree in sports and exercise science, physiology, nutrition, pedagogy, psychology, biomechanics and sports medicine.

The Latest: Dinnery wowed

Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery, who also contributes for Sky Sports, has claimed that hiring Nayler appears to be a ‘major coup’ for the Merseyside club, adding that he has an ‘impressive’ resume:

“It’s an impressive resume.

“You don’t get an opportunity to work at so many top clubs without picking up some real good habits and knowledge.

“We know that football is a results-based business. On paper, it appears to be a major coup for Everton, but the ultimate litmus test will be how the backroom staff goes on to take them to the next level.

“But, yes, it looks like a really good recruit for them. Hopefully, for supporters, he is another piece of the jigsaw to help Frank Lampard realise his Everton dream.”

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The Verdict: Inspired appointment

Given the number of high-profile clubs that Neyler has worked with, this looks to be a really inspired appointment.

His expertise in strength and conditioning will be music to the ears of the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has suffered from injury problems over the last two seasons.

It shows a step in the right direction for the Toffees, who will now look to kick on after their 1-0 at home to West Ham United in the Premier League before the international break.

Newcastle United are interested in signing Chelsea defensive midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, according to reports in Italy.

The Lowdown: Bakayoko’s Blues career

Arriving at Stamford Bridge in 2017 after a £40m deal rendered him the club’s second-most expensive signing at the time, the Frenchman has since failed to impress in west London.

The 28-year-old has made just 43 appearances for the Blues in the past five years, with only 29 of these games having been played in the Premier League.

This is due to the four loan spells he has spent away from the club, with tenures at Monaco and Napoli before two separate stints with AC Milan.

Bakayoko most recently returned to the Serie A giants on a two-year loan deal, which is set to expire next summer.

The Latest: Newcastle’s interest

According to a fresh report by Calciomercato, Italian outfit Monza are keen on signing Bakayoko this summer, but they face ‘strong’ competition from Premier League sides Newcastle and Nottingham Forest.

The former France international has fallen out of favour at the San Siro under manager Stefano Pioli, with the midfielder having failed to make a single appearance so far this season.

As a result, it is understood that Piolo wants to part ways with the 28-year-old and get his wages off the club’s books, cutting his loan spell early.

The Verdict: Surprise option?

Whilst this link appears to have come out of the blue, Bakayoko’s underlying stats illustrate why Eddie Howe may be interested in welcoming him to St James’ Park this summer.

As per FBRef, compared with positional peers across Europe over the past year, the Milan midfielder ranks in the top two percent for tackles and in the top five percent for pressures and aerials won – he is a seriously destructive presence in the middle of the park.

Previously dubbed a ‘great signing’ for Chelsea by Sky Sports chief Kaveh Solhekol, with the journalist having claimed Bakayoko was ‘incredible for Monaco’ the season prior, the Frenchman certainly had promising talent before he arrived at Stamford Bridge.

Therefore, if Newcastle can get him back playing to his previous best, this could be a good signing for Howe’s squad.

Manchester United have been handed a huge injury boost ahead of their opening Premier League fixture of the season against Brighton & Hove Albion this Sunday.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by The Telegraph, who claim that, after being ruled out of the Atletico Madrid friendly due to sickness last Saturday, Jadon Sancho is expected to be available for the visit of the Seagulls this weekend after making a quick recovery from his illness.

However, in less positive news for Erik ten Hag, Anthony Martial has now been ruled out of the Brighton fixture as a result of a hamstring injury picked up in the pre-season meeting against Diego Simeone’s side.

Ten Hag will be delighted

While Martial’s unavailability will undoubtedly be a blow for the United manager ahead of the club’s 2022/23 curtain raiser, the Frenchman’s injury amplifies how much of a boost the return of Sancho will provide for the 52-year-old Dutchman.

Indeed, prior to falling ill, the 22-year-old had been a crucial part of Ten Hag’s XI throughout pre-season, with the £67.5m-rated winger demonstrating the form which convinced United to part with £73m to secure his services last summer, scoring three goals in four pre-season fixtures.

These returns have led to claims that the England international could become an incredibly important part of the United team in their 2022/23 campaign, with Fan Nation stating their belief that the forward may well prove to be the club’s best asset next term.

Although the £350k-per-week attacker did get off to something of a slow start upon his return to England – failing to score or register an assist over his first 11 outings in the league.

As such, the news that Sancho will be available for the visit of Brighton is sure to have delighted Ten Hag, who will undoubtedly be hoping to get his Manchester United tenure off to the perfect start with a win against Graham Potter’s side this Sunday.

Celtic’s rumoured interest in signing Manchester City defensive midfielder Claudio Gomes this summer is ‘wide of the mark’, according to a significant update from the reliable Mark Hendry.

The Lowdown: Gomes linked with Hoops move

The Hoops are seemingly still looking to make midfield reinforcements ahead of the start of the new Scottish Premiership season, especially with Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton leaving earlier in the summer.

One player who has been linked with a switch to Glasgow is Gomes, who is at City currently but spent last season on loan at Barnsley, making 32 appearances in total.

The 21-year-old could again be loaned out this summer with no route into Pep Guardiola’s first team, and with his current deal only having one year left on it, a permanent exit is also possible.

The Latest: New update laughs off rumour

According to Football Scotland‘s Hendry, however, the rumours circulating in recent days are believed to be ‘wide of the mark’ and ‘not one in the offing’.

Celtic are thought to be ‘content’ with their current summer transfer business, although there are ‘one or two irons in the fire’, with Ange Postecoglou potentially eyeing up more signings.

The Verdict: Midfield addition still key

With Gomes seemingly not a transfer target for Celtic, it is important that they now look at alternative options, given their slight lack of depth in central midfield.

Admittedly, the players they have are still strong compared to almost every other Scottish Premiership team, but with Champions League football returning to Parkhead in 2022/23, more quality is key.

Aaron Mooy is a strong midfield acquisition and looks an ideal replacement for Rogic but one more certainly wouldn’t go amiss – a defensive-minded player possessing youth and energy, like Gomes, who was once tipped by Guardiola to be the heir to Fernandinho at City.

Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White is set to have “a big role” at the club next season according to journalist Paul Brown.

What’s the latest?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the reporter said:

“Gibbs-White seems to be doing really well for Wolves in pre-season.

“From what we hear, the noises coming from the club are that he’s going to have quite a big role to play for them this season.”

The update follows speculation about the player’s departure after he failed to agree on a new contract at Molineux despite being offered one.

Several clubs have been interested in signing the highly rated midfielder including Everton who had a £25m bid turned down, but he looks set to stay in the West Midlands.

Supporters will be buzzing

Supporters will be buzzing to hear that academy graduate Gibbs-White looks like he will stay at the club and be a key player for Bruno Lage’s side next season.

The 22-year-old impressed whilst on loan in the Championship at Sheffield United last season making 35 appearances and being directly involved in 20 goals.

He also created 16 big chances according to SofaScore which proves just how much of an all-rounder he is.

With his current contract due to expire next summer, many clubs have seen this transfer window as an opportunity to buy a talented youngster at a cheap price.

However, his form last season, coupled with how well he has performed for the Old Gold during pre-season, seem to have persuaded Lage that he still has a lot to offer at Molineux.

He was also named as team captain last week for Wolves’ friendly in Spain against Levante which is a further sign that the club have no plans to let him go anytime soon.

But there is still a danger that he decides not to renew and leaves on a free transfer.

The Wanderers seem willing to take that risk and will hope that because of Gibbs-White’s connection to the club where he’s been his whole career, it won’t take much to persuade him that it’s is the best place for his development in the longer term.

AND in other news: Imagine him & Neto: Lage can form “world-class” duo in Wolves bid for “fantastic” star…