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Liverpool are homing in on their priority target this summer and are now believed to have agreed on a fee with Brighton & Hove Albion for Alexis Mac Allister…

What's the latest on Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool?

That's according to Football Insider, who state that the Reds have now agreed to meet the 24-year-old's release clause and will pay roughly £60m to clinch his services.

Signing a deal worth £150k-per-week, Mac Allister will enter Anfield with license to cement a central role in manager Jurgen Klopp's plans, with James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all departing this summer.

Manchester United are among the clubs expressing an interest in the World Cup winner, but it is Liverpool who are now poised to tie up a deal in the forthcoming weeks.

How would Alexis Mac Allister perform at Liverpool?

Anfield's imperious centre has been a rock steadily abraded over the past few years, with the once unrelenting, all-conquering Liverpool midfield now an inharmonious cluster of debris.

Cohesion was somewhat restored over the latter phase of the 22/23 campaign, Klopp's men constructing a seven-match winning streak in the Premier League before a twofold of draws in the final weeks.

Even this brilliant purple patch was not enough to salvage top four, and Liverpool now await football in the Europa League for the first time in seven years; with a fortified nucleus, the Reds could yet return to the top, and the importance of Mac Allister's signing cannot be understated.

The Argentine has been on Brighton's books since departing homeland outfit Argentinos Juniors in 2019, but this season he has truly burst into prominence and has posted a return of 12 goals and three assists from 40 outings for the Seagulls, also starring for Argentina in Qatar and scoring a goal and assist apiece, with the "sumptuous" assist – as described by Gary Lineker – served on a platter for Angel Di Maria in the final against France.

A tenacious and "intelligent" midfielder, as praised by compatriot Sergio Aguero, the £50k-per-week gem's energy and exuberance suits Liverpool's system to a tee.

His high-octane approach fuses with a crisp, deceptively effective ball-playing aptitude – he has completed 87% of his passes in the Premier League this term and averaged 1.3 key passes per game – and, as such, could bring the very best out of Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson, who has been somewhat out-of-sorts of late.

The Scottish left-back was branded "horrific" by writer Dave Hendrick for a dismal spell against Tottenham Hotspur in the closing weeks of the term, while the Tactical Times also tweeted to remark that Klopp's new "back 3 doesn't suit him" as he is "the definition of a full-back."

In their late-season resurgence, the Reds have implemented a new structure in possession, Trent Alexander-Arnold's inversion into the centre contributing to the central creativity; Robertson, who thrives as a bouncing marauder on the left-flank, has been left at sea and is struggling to acclimatise.

However, with Mac Allister entering the fray, he will have a midfield partner on the left side to match his pace and ease the burden of mixing increased defensive responsibility with creative flair.

It's the start of a new chapter on Merseyside after a forgettable campaign, and Roberton, who has been exemplary for his club since signing from Hull City for a scanty £10m in 2017, a centrepiece in the illustrious success, could flourish at full throttle once more with the rekindling of the Merseyside giant's dissipated verve.

Aston Villa completed their 2022/23 campaign with a 2-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion to secure a seventh-placed finish in the Premier League table.

The Villans will now be competing in the Europa Conference League next season and Unai Emery could use the lure of European football to make improvements to his squad in the summer transfer window.

Earlier this month, the Daily Mail reported that Villa and Tottenham Hotspur are both interested in signing Leicester City forward Harvey Barnes in the coming weeks.

The Foxes were relegated to the Championship on Sunday as their 2-1 win over West Ham United was not enough to keep them up, due to Everton beating Bournemouth, and Emery could take advantage of that by swooping to sign the former England U21 international to bolster his roster.

How did Harvey Barnes perform this season?

He enjoyed a strong campaign with Leicester in spite of their struggles and eventual relegation down to the second tier and could form an exciting partnership with current Villa star Ollie Watkins.

Barnes plundered 13 goals in 34 Premier League appearances in 22/23 and this was a significant improvement on the six goals in 32 matches he managed in the previous year.

The maestro ranks in the top 6% of players in his position in the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.43) and scored his 13 goals from 8.9xG, which means the ace was efficient in front of goal as he outperformed the level of chances his teammates provided him with.

Meanwhile, Watkins was the only Villa player to find the back of the net more than six times in the division, with 15, and this suggests that the Leicester ace could provide a much-needed goal threat from out wide next term.

Barnes, who was once hailed as "exciting" by ex-boss Darren Moore, also has the potential to be a creator for the team. Since the start of last season, the 25-year-old created 13 'big chances' and registered 11 assists in the top-flight, whereas no Villa player provided more than seven assists in 22/23 or six in 21/22.

This suggests that the ex-West Brom loanee could create chances for the clinical and ruthless Watkins to continue firing into the back of the net on a regular basis.

Therefore, the pair could be a dream duo as they are both proven goalscorers in the top flight who could cause major issues for the opposition week-in-week-out, whilst Barnes could also open up opposition defences with his creativity if Emery can get the best out of the £35k-per-week whiz.

West Bromwich Albion were ultimately unsuccessful in their attempt at securing promotion back to the Premier League this season after finishing 10th in the Championship.

The Baggies ended their underwhelming campaign with 67 points on the board from 18 wins, 13 draws and 15 defeats.

One player in West Brom’s squad who didn’t end up having much of an impact throughout the season is Matt Phillips.

Having appeared in 28 league games, the 31-year-old only scored three goals and provided two assists, all of which came between August and September.

With that in mind, it’s safe to say that, despite his versatility in playing across numerous attacking positions, the Scotsman was not a reliable attacking figure for the Baggies.

Now that this dismal season has come to an end, West Brom’s focus can shift to the upcoming summer transfer window and their preparations for the 2022/23 campaign.

In terms of potential incoming transfers, one figure who has been linked with a move to The Hawthorns and could be a big upgrade on Phillips is Scott Twine.

Twine can be huge Phillips upgrade

After joining MK Dons last summer, the 22-year-old went on to have a storming debut season with the League One side. In 46 league appearances, he found the net on 20 occasions and delivered 13 assists in the process.

This shows just how consistent he can be when it comes to not only scoring goals but setting them up for his team-mates as well, which is something that West Brom needed from Phillips this season.

With Twine averaging 3.3 shots per game this season in the third tier, this is more than double the average that Phillips (1.4) managed for his side.

As a result of his impressive efforts on the pitch, the MK Dons gem ended the season as the joint-second highest-rated player in the entire league according to WhoScored, with an overall performance rating of 7.41/10.

Labelled a “terrific character” by his manager Liam Manning, Twine is reportedly valued at £3m.

Given his fairly young age and his clear attacking talent, the former Swindon Town ace certainly has what it takes to not only be a prospective solid summer signing for West Brom but also a big upgrade on the misfiring Phillips.

In other news: Bruce can unearth WBA’s next Pereira by unleashing “splendid” rarely-seen teenage prodigy

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United and their pursuit of Hugo Ekitike heading into the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Reims president Jean-Pierre Caillot has confirmed that the striker will be available for a fee in the region of €20m (£17m) ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. The Ligue 1 club’s chief has also revealed that the Magpies are still in talks with them after failing to secure a deal for the 19-year-old in the January transfer window.

He told L’Union Ardennes, via Sport Witness: “They’re (Newcastle) an ambitious club, who want to build on the long-term and who manifested their interest this winter. Since then, contacts never stopped. It’s typically the type of environment where he could continue to grow and go to the next level.

“It will need to be over €20m. Beyond that, there is a need to be reasonable.”

Instant Dan Ashworth masterclass

Newcastle confirmed the appointment of Dan Ashworth as their new sporting director earlier this week, and he can land an instant masterclass by closing a deal to sign Ekitike.

The French centre-forward has been tipped to be “the next Mbappe”, according to journalist Graeme Bailey, and he could be an excellent addition to bolster Eddie Howe’s options at the top of the pitch next season.

In the 2021/22 Ligue 1 campaign, the 19-year-old provided 10 goals and three assists in 15 starts for Reims, just under one goal contribution for every start. He found the back of the net 10 times from an expected goals rate of 8.2, which highlights his impressive finishing ability.

The youngster has shown that he can handle the pressure of playing in a major European league and he is only at the start of his career. Ekitike still has plenty of years ahead of him to develop even further and the comparisons to Mbappe – along with his statistics – illustrate his vast potential.

Given that Newcastle paid £25m to sign Chris Wood in January, £17m or so would be an excellent price for the Magpies to pay for the teenage French striker.

Wood scored five Premier League goals in 34 appearances for Burnley and the Toon combined this season, compared to Ekitike’s 10 in Ligue 1, which this suggests that Ashworth would be pulling off a coup by bringing in the Reims starlet.

Therefore, the Magpies’ new sporting director can land an instant masterclass by making the 19-year-old his first signing at the helm. He must now negotiate a deal with Reims and ensure that a move is wrapped up in time for pre-season.

AND in other news, PIF plotting NUFC bid for “tremendous” £30m “champion of the world”, he’s Ben Arfa 2.0…

Crystal Palace are interested in signing Watford winger Ismaila Sarr, according to a report from French outlet Jeunes Footeux. 

The lowdown: Wanted man

Following the Hertfordshire club’s relegation from the Premier League, it’s widely anticipated that the 24-year-old will be the subject of plentiful interest during the summer transfer window.

Having previously garnered the attention of Liverpool, the Senegal international is expected to attract offers, with mega-rich Newcastle United also being heavily linked with him in recent days.

It now appears as though Palace manager Patrick Vieira could be about to make his own intentions known in the transfer market…

The latest: Palace linked with Sarr

As per Jeunes Footeux, the Eagles are said to be ‘especially’ interested in Sarr, whilst also citing interest from Everton, an unnamed German club and indeed Newcastle.

It is claimed that Vieira ‘greatly appreciates’ the 39-cap forward, who could be available for less than €35m (£29.8m) this summer.

The report added that Watford won’t stand in the way of Sarr, who was praised by Hornets team-mate Ben Foster for his pace and his “off the cuff” style of play, if an ‘interesting’ offer is forthcoming.

The verdict: Exciting addition

While the Selhurst Park ranks are blessed with skilful wide players in the shape of Wilfried Zaha, Michael Olise and the versatile Jeffrey Schlupp, adding Sarr would be a superb piece of early summer business from Palace.

Despite Watford’s relegation and his own trouble with injuries, the Senegal star ended the 2021/22 campaign with a respectable return of five goals and two assists in 22 appearances.

Boasting impressive dribbling and finishing abilities (WhoScored), at 24 he certainly has the ability to move onto the next level, and Vieira should relish the opportunity to bring the best out of a player whose pace and penalty box prowess are evident.

In other news, this Palace stalwart may leave in the summer

Liverpool will offer Sadio Mane a new contract this summer but he won’t be offered extortionate wages, according to a fresh update on the situation.

The Lowdown: Mane saga goes on

While Mohamed Salah’s future is dominating a lot of the headlines at the moment, there is also constant speculation surrounding Mane’s.

The Senegalese sensation is out of contract at Liverpool at the end of next season, and as of yet, his representatives and the club haven’t reached an agreement over an extension.

Now, another key update has surfaced regarding Mane’s next chapter.

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The Latest: Offer incoming

According to Football Insider, a Liverpool source has informed them that a fresh contract offer will come Mane’s way at the end of the season.

It is stated that FSG won’t ‘break the bank’ to keep hold of the Senegal superstar, however, which has the potential to be a stumbling block if another club offers more.

The Verdict: Simply have to keep him

Assuming Mane wants to stay at Liverpool, giving him a new deal is an absolute no-brainer this summer, with the attacker hailed as ‘world-class’ by Jurgen Klopp.

He has scored 15 Premier League goals in 31 starts this season and is already flourishing in the new central role he has taken up since Luis Diaz arrived.

It would be a massive blow to lose Mane at this point in his career, with the Reds legend more than capable of remaining at the very top for several more years, with the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema still at their peak in their mid-30s.

In other news, Liverpool have been linked with a move for a big-name player. Find out who it is here.

James Copley has been left stunned by what he has now heard from Sunderland before their League One play-off final clash against Wycombe Wanderers next Saturday.

The Lowdown: Sold out

As per the Wearside club’s official website, they have now sold out all of their ticket allocation for the final, which equates to more than 43,960.

They have now made a request to the EFL and Wembley Stadium to further increase their ticket allocation, and a further update will be issued in due course.

The Latest: Copley stunned

Taking to Twitter, Sunderland Echo journalist Copley was stunned when he heard the news, claiming that it was an ‘outstanding effort’ by the Sunderland supporters.

He gushed: “Over 43,960 tickets sold to Sunderland fans for Saturday… request is now into the EFL for more. What an outstanding effort!”

The Verdict: Great support

Sunderland are a huge club and have a large fanbase, drawing by far the biggest average attendance in League One, but to sell almost 44,000 tickets for the play-off final, with the potential to add thousands more, really shows their great support.

Wycombe have a much smaller fanbase by comparison and would not be able to sell as many tickets, so the remaining seats left in the stadium should be given to other Sunderland supporters who are willing to make the trip to London for the final.

They should be given the opportunity to be there to see Alex Neil’s team potentially gain promotion back to the Championship, in what could hopefully be the first step towards eventually getting back in the Premier League.

In other news, find out what big decision has now been made for Saturday’s final

West Ham United will need to do all they can to claim victory against Norwich City and cement their hopes of finishing in one of the Premier League’s European spots.

The Hammers were knocked out of the Europa League on Thursday at the semi-final stage after losing 3-1 on aggregate to Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt. David Moyes’ side now face another huge battle to secure European football next season by finishing in the top seven, and it begins with a trip to Norwich.

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The Canaries are already relegated which will be a boost to West Ham’s hopes, with Wolverhampton Wanderers securing a draw yesterday and now only two points behind the East Londoners.

You can forgive Moyes for prioritising the Europa League as it would have provided the club with Champions League football and a first European trophy for over two decades.

However, with full focus now on the remainder of the league campaign, here’s Football FanCast’s predicted starting line-up for the Hammers against Norwich…

We predict that the Hammers will make three changes with the obvious move seeing goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański return between the sticks for the league encounter.

There will also be a return for Ben Johnson who will replace Vladimir Coufal at right wing-back who could be a more clinical threat offensively. When you compare both players, the Englishman comes out on top in quite a few areas.

He has a higher pass completion percentage than Coufal and also performs better when it comes to stopping dribblers with him tackling 15% more than the Czech.

Coufal moved to the London Stadium in 2020 and earns £27k-per-week. He has performed consistently well for the club, but at 29-years old and with his contract expiring next year, now is the time for the club to look ahead. After all, his side of the pitch has been described as a “problem” when he’s in the team this season.

The final change we expect Moyes to make sees Benrahma replace Lanzini in the front three. The Algerian is the third-highest scorer for the Hammers this season with nine goals, and will be hoping to reach double figures before the campaign ends.

Being a bigger threat in front of goal will give West Ham a chance to strengthen their goal difference against a weak Norwich defence who have conceded the second-most goals in the league in 2021/22.

The 26-year old has been labelled “exquisite” by former player Joe Cole and could be the difference-maker today.

IN other news: Moyes must finally unleash “magical” £17.5m West Ham monster, he’d terrify Norwich…

Wolves came from 2-0 down to secure a dramatic 2-2 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League this afternoon.

A quickfire brace in the second half from Romelu Lukaku gave the Blues a comfortable lead before Francisco Trincao halved the deficit with 11 minutes to go.

Bruno Lage’s men nicked an unlikely point through captain Conor Coady in the 97th minute to prevent a fourth consecutive defeat and prolong Chelsea’s woes at home.

The point keeps Wolves in the hunt for an unlikely European place, with the West Midlands outfit two points off seventh with three games to go.

Moreover, Lage may now have to hand more opportunities to 22-year-old January signing Chiquinho, who came off of the bench to make a stellar impact today.

Chiquinho saved the day for Wolves

The Portuguese winger played just 19 minutes against Chelsea but set up both of his side’s goals in just his seventh appearance for the Wolves first team.

Along with his assists, Chiquinho – who was previously labelled a “ridiculous talent” by The Athletic’s Tim Spiers – completed six out of seven passes at an 86% accuracy rate and completed three out of four dribbles (75% accuracy) whilst winning 71% of his duels.

While there was little defensive contribution with just one tackle, Lage would’ve brought the youngster on to make an impact in the final third, and the 22-year-old certainly did that.

Given the fact that Wolves hadn’t scored in any of their previous three matches, the Portuguese youngster’s impact was particularly impressive, with the West Midlands side seemingly headed for another defeat before he made his mark.

Having joined in January from Portuguese outfit Estoril for a minimal fee, it seemed as though it would take time for the winger to be integrated into Wolves’ plans.

However, with three under-23 appearances and now seven first-team matches, it appears as though Chiquinho is very much in the Wolves manager’s plans and could prove to be a serious bargain.

Regardless of what is in store for the winger in an Old Gold shirt in the future, he saved the day today against Chelsea.

AND in other news: Lage can finally axe “rubbish” Wolves liability by unleashing the “next Phil Foden”

Aaron Cresswell, Craig Dawson and Michail Antonio all struggled as West Ham United fell to defeat at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semi-final. 

It wasn’t to be for the Hammers as David Moyes’ side succumbed to their Bundesliga opposition in Germany having lost the first leg 2-1 in east London a week earlier.

The Irons were still in the contest despite the damaging loss at the London Stadium, but the early dismissal of Cresswell following a VAR review was too big a blow to the West Ham hopes.

Midway through the first half, Rafael Borre opened the scoring before a frustrated Moyes was sent off having watched his side fail to break down their well-organised hosts.

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Albeit a spirited display throughout, we’ve taken a deep dive into the statistics and according to Sofascore, three Hammers, in particular, struggled to perform in Germany.

Cresswell 3.0/10

Perhaps a little harsh given that the experienced defender only lasted 19 minutes at the Deutsche Bank Park, however, Moyes would’ve been counting on the 32-year-old to stand up to be counted on such a momentous occasion.

Instead, Cresswell only had 22 touches, lost 2/2 of his duels and lost possession six times before being sent off.

Antonio 6.6/10

This was another below-par performance from the out of sorts striker as the 32-year-old struggled to impact the attacking prowess of the 10-men Irons, albeit with limit service at times.

Antonio lost the ball on 17 occasions, came out second best on 11 duels and only had 34 touches despite lasting 90 minutes.

Dawson 6.7/10

So often the bedrock of West Ham’s defensive solidity, the experienced Dawson lacked the required composure in a hostile atmosphere.

The 32-year-old – whose birthday it is today – lost 4/5 aerial duels, gave away the ball 12 times and misplaced ten passes as Moyes’ men were eliminated at the final hurdle before a trip to Seville.

In other news: ‘Something special’ – Journalist says ‘massive player’ could be tempted to join West Ham, find out more here.