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Leicester City have been mentioned as a possible suitor for Manchester City striker Lukas Nmecha ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to Belgian football commentator and analyst Filip Joos, the 22-year-old is likely to depart the Etihad Stadium this summer, and he has named Leicester as a possible destination.

Nmecha spent last season on loan at Anderlecht, impressing during his time with Vincent Kompany’s side, but has been tipped to take the next step in his career and join a Premier League club over the coming months.

Rudkin must swoop

The youngster scored 21 goals and provided three assists in 41 appearances during his 12-month stint at the Lotto Park stadium.

However, Nmecha really made a name for himself by bagging the winning goal for Germany in the final of the European Under-21 Championship against Portugal.

When asked about the prospect of the youngster staying at Anderlecht next season, Joos told Sporza: “Logic dictates no. Vincent Kompany can have a positive effect, but does that help? Anderlecht will only play (Europa) Conference League next season.

“I don’t think (Manchester) City will draft Nmecha next season. Such teams want another intermediate step. Then I think of Leverkusen in Germany. Or Aston Villa or Leicester City in England. If it comes to Brentford or Southampton, Nmecha will also think twice.”

Nmecha only has one year remaining on his City contract having never played a senior game for the Cityzens, and Joos believes the pacey forward could be available for around £7 million.

After struggling during spells with Middlesbrough, Preston North End and Wolfsburg, it seems the German hitman found his feet in Belgium, drawing praise from his temporary manager following an outstanding display.

“He also works hard for the team”, said Kompany after the loan star bagged a brace in a 2-1 victory over KV Oostende.

“Of course, he still has room for improvement, but actually he is already a quite complete striker. He does not have any noticeable weaknesses. At the moment, he is already one of the best strikers in Belgium.”

With Leicester qualifying for next term’s Europa League, Brendan Rodgers will need to add reinforcements to his first-team squad in order to compete on multiple fronts.

The Midlands outfit are expected to splash out on big-money signings for the likes of Boubakary Soumare and Odsonne Edouard, so picking up Nmecha for a bargain price could be an astute purchase in the current climate.

Director of football Jon Rudkin must, therefore, swoop for the City sensation this summer to give Rodgers the tools he requires to break into the Premier League’s top four.

Leicester have seemingly ran out of gas at the end of the last two seasons, so adding strength in depth in the form of a relatively cheap player, with a goalscoring pedigree, makes a lot of sense.

And, in other news…Huge LCFC transfer update emerges on “outstanding” £34.5m ace, Rodgers will be gutted 

A big Newcastle United development has emerged over midfield gem Isaac Hayden…

What’s the latest?

The Magpies defensive midfielder has revealed that he is closing in on a return from the knee injury that has kept him out of action since December.

Hayden has not played a single Premier League match for the Toon since he suffered a blow in the 4-0 defeat to Manchester City at St. James’ Park and is now on the verge of overcoming his setback.

Although he will miss tonight’s clash with Crystal Palace and indeed the rest of the term, it’s encouraging that he’s training again.

He Tweeted: “Road to recovery nearly complete, forever smiling.”

Eddie Howe will be delighted

The Magpies head coach will surely be elated with this news as it means that the midfield enforcer will be fit heading into the 2022/23 campaign.

He will not be able to play in the remaining matches of the current season, as he is not on the club’s 25-man Premier League roster, but he will come back as an option next term.

After being left out of Howe’s squad in January, Hayden outlined his commitment to the club as he said:

“I am bitterly disappointed to have not been included in the 25-man squad for the second half of this season due to injury. Now is a time for me to reflect. I’ll be working harder than ever before to come back stronger, like I always do.

“I’ll be a supporter like everyone else and l’ll be supporting the lads and the staff as best I can for the rest of the season.”These comments show that he is desperate to remain involved at St. James’ Park and Howe will surely want to keep hold of such a positive character, as he can have an influence in the dressing room with the younger players.Hayden has buckets full of Premier League experience and can be a useful option to call upon next season, particularly with this update suggesting that he will be fit to get a full pre-season in.The ex-Arsenal man has played 118 times in the top-flight and 171 matches for the Toon in total. He can be a reliable, experienced, player for Howe to lean on when required and that is why the head coach will be buzzing with his return from injury, even if it does not have any bearing on the current campaign as they look to evade relegation to the Championship.

AND in other news, Howe can unearth his own Ginola in Newcastle’s rarely-seen 19 y/o “bright talent”…

Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that Ivan Toney was in the building and ready to sign for Celtic last summer.

Following his goalscoring exploits for Posh, the striker was a man in demand, with the Hoops one of many interested in signing him.

But Celtic failed to meet Peterborough’s asking price, and Toney joined Brentford instead.

And the 25-year-old has been in monstrous form for the Bees, scoring 30 goals in 45 Championship appearances to fire them to a top-six finish and leave him on course to win the second-tier Golden Boot.

Celtic, ended up signing West Ham flop Albian Ajeti instead, who’s scored just six times in the Scottish Premiership and has generally been a disappointing addition.

Meanwhile, talisman, Odsonne Edouard has failed to hit the heights of previous seasons, whilst Leigh Griffiths has been a bit part-player, netting just seven times.

And McAvennie told Football FanCast that it was a mistake from Celtic not signing him:

“They had him at Celtic Park. He was in at Celtic Park, that’s a fact, and they were arguing over half a million. And look at the boy now, he’s banging in goals.

“He would have done wonders for Celtic.”

Nottingham Forest will be braced for further interest in Brennan Johnson’s services this month, with Brentford keen on signing the winger, according to The Sun.

What’s the story?

Johnson has been with Forest since 2009, but has found regular game time in their senior squad tough to find of late.

The winger spent last year’s campaign on loan with League One side Lincoln City, and impressed with the Imps, as they finished fifth in the League One table, although his efforts weren’t quite enough to see them win promotion into the Championship, after a defeat to Blackpool in the play-off final.

But it appears as though his strong showings whilst out on loan haven’t gone unnoticed, with Brentford and Leeds United being named among the clubs interested in landing’s Johnson’s signature this summer.

The Sun has recently revealed that Brentford are set to make a £6million offer for Johnson, although it remains to be seen as to what Forest’s valuation of the midfielder is at this stage.

‘Direct’, ‘A lot of talent’

Johnson hasn’t had much of a chance to impress in the Forest first-team, but he has been involved in their pre-season plans, which drops a hint that he could be sticking in Chris Hughton’s side heading towards their season opener against Coventry City this weekend.

But with Brentford seemingly not giving up in their efforts to sign the 20-year-old, Forest will know that they have a real battle on their hands to keep Johnson at the City Ground for the foreseeable future.

The Bees are a team that are heading in the right direction, with Thomas Frank’s side preparing for life in the Premier League, after winning promotion last term.

Therefore, a move to Brentford might be a tempting proposition for Johnson, but he’s probably better off staying with Nottingham Forest, as they’re much more likely to be able to offer him regular game time in senior football.

With Sammy Ameobi leaving the club at the end of the 2020/21 season, Forest aren’t exactly blessed with a considerable amount of options in midfield, and Johnson will surely fancy his chances of being involved on a regular basis moving forwards into the new season.

Former Sunderland and West Brom forward Kevin Phillips has previously labelled Johnson as ‘direct’ and a player with ‘a lot of talent’, in an interview with Football Insider after hearing of Leeds United’s interest. 

“He impressed me when he played in the playoff games against Sunderland.

“Especially in that first game. He looked very direct and got the goal so he’s not afraid to get forward. He travels well with the ball and he’s only young.”

“He’s definitely got a lot of talent.”

It’s been a frustrating few seasons for Nottingham Forest, as they’ve struggled in their efforts to win promotion back into the top-flight, and they need to show their resolve and fend off any interest in their key players, and Johnson is certainly one of them as they head towards the new league campaign.

West Ham United have reportedly made an €8million (£6.8m) offer for Hatayspor forward Aaron Boupendza, according to Fanatik. 

Boupendza made 38 appearances in all competitions for Hatayspor in the 2020/21 season, and chipped in with 22 goals and one assist, as they finished sixth in the Super Lig table.

It appears as though his strong performances in front of goal didn’t go unnoticed, with West Ham reportedly now keen on finalising a deal to sign the 24-year-old.

The Hammers finished sixth in the Premier League table last term, and are evidently keen to bolster their attacking options ahead of the new league campaign with European football to contend with as well – additional strength in depth is now a necessity for David Moyes.

Championship side Middlesbrough have also been credited with interest in signing Boupendza, although it remains to be as to which club is leading the race to land his signature at this stage.

Plenty of West Ham United supporters took to social media to react to the club’s rumoured interest in signing Boupendza this summer.

Take a look at the best of the reaction from the West Ham Transfers Twitter account, below….

Hammers react

“Joke of a club.”

Credit: @norbury_wayne

“Would take Hugill at this point.”

Credit: @54fc875286444f7

“Let’s get an unknown cause they are cheaper.”

Credit: @finchy83

“Would rather go for Armstrong.”

Credit: @lal_flewers

“Doubt this is true. We’ve had seemingly 0 interest in signing a Striker since all these CB talks have taken priority.”

Credit: @Mattzini

“Need a quality striker. Who is Boupendza?”

Credit: @chris31demons

“Seems like we are down to our tier 3 striker options now.”

Credit: @deutsch_richter

“He’ll reject us in favour of a move to Dagenham and Redbridge.”

Credit: @dicaniosalegend

Aston Villa must land Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma in the summer transfer window amid Lee Hendrie’s verdict.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that Bissouma could be on his way out of the Seagulls this summer, with interested sides having to pay at least £40m to lure him away from the south coast.

And, speaking exclusively to FFC about Bissouma, former Villa ace Hendrie has suggested Dean Smith’s side should be in the conversation to sign him, and praised the midfielder for his ability.

He said: “I did a chat with myself and Paul Merson on Soccer Saturday a few weeks ago talking about Bissouma, and we highlighted what he actually does. I mean, his stats are absolutely phenomenal, the way he breaks the game up, his forward play.

“He’s got a good football brain. Like I said, when you’ve got someone who breaks the game up so well and can go join in and play, I’m inviting players like that to the football club.”

Gary Lineker loves him

Described as “very skilful”, former England striker and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker is seemingly a big fan of the powerhouse, hailing him as an “exceptional footballer” after a superb display against Everton just last month.

His teammate at Brighton, Dale Stephens, said: “He’s got the ability of perhaps a winger playing in central midfield with the way he can go past players. His feet are incredible and I’m sure he’s going to get better and better. He’s got everything you need to be a top player.”

Bissouma has previously been described as a “wonderful talent” by ex-Seagulls boss Chris Hughton, and when you look at his stats, it’s clear to see why he’s such hot property.

As per Whoscored, the Mali international averages just shy of three tackles per game in the Premier League (2.9), while he also makes 1.8 interceptions too – compare that to those in the Villa squad, and he’s simply far better, with absolutely no-one matching him in the tackling category, and only Matty Cash topping him for interceptions.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/villa-dean-smith-transfer-gossip-rumours-news-premier-league-buendia-berge-mcneil-trezeguet-villa-park” title=”Read the latest Villa transfer rumours and news!”]

With his time in the Premier League, Bissouma would offer Smith the ready-made proven option that can hit the ground running at Villa Park, and it’s exactly why the club should be looking to muscle their way into the race to sign him this summer.

Meanwhile, this Villa man stole the show vs Spurs…

A source from Newcastle United has dropped some insight on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium after news emerged of Rafael Benitez’s move to Merseyside.

The Lowdown: Benitez wanted

Liam Kennedy, who has been following the whole takeover saga closely, has claimed that Rafa Benitez is wanted by the potential owners-in-waiting to return to the North East should a deal between Mike Ashley and the KSA group be pushed through, as he helped bring them to the table in the first place.

However, the former Liverpool manager is set to be appointed at Everton, meaning that it is now very unlikely he will return to St. James’ Park.

The Latest: Consortium insight

As per Football Insider, the KSA consortium are ‘devastated’ that Benitez is set to be appointed as the new manager at Goodison Park.

A source from the Tyneside club has told the news outlet that his appointment is ‘devastating for the consortium’, after they were previously told that the Spaniard was keen on a return to the Magpies.

The Verdict: ‘Devastating’ indeed

It is certainly ‘devastating’ not just for the consortium, but for the Toon Army as well, that Benitez is set to be appointed as the new Toffees boss.

Many NUFC fans have previously called for him to come back, and so he would have certainly been a popular appointment to take over from Steve Bruce, and would have been a good way for the consortium to immediately get fans on their side.

Benitez also has a vast amount of experience in managing in the Premier League, and his overall CV is certainly very impressive, a coach who would have been perfect in taking Newcastle into a new era.

In other news, find out which Magpies ace Liam Kennedy thinks time is up for here!

Bruno Lage’s Wolverhampton Wanderers side went into Saturday afternoon’s West Midlands derby in much-improved form, as after losing their first three league games of the 2021/22 campaign, the 45-year-old’s Wolves side had picked up nine points from a possible 12 over their last four fixtures.

However, after Danny Ings opened the scoring for Aston Villa shortly after half-time and John McGinn doubled the home side’s lead on the 68-minute mark, it appeared as if Wolves’ fine run of form would be coming to an end at Villa Park.

The latter of these goals led to Lage making a double substitution with around 15 minutes to go, bringing on both Fabio Silva and Daniel Podence for Joao Moutinho and Fernando Marcal respectively – a decision which would change the game completely.

Just five passes made

With Francisco Trincao being ruled out of the game after falling ill while on international duty with Portugal, there was something of a pre-match debate as to who should come in to replace the Barcelona loanee in the Wolves starting XI – Adama Traore or Podence.

While Traore did light up the fixture on occasion due to his remarkable strength on the ball and dizzying dribbles – of which he completed six – it was undoubtedly the Portuguese’s introduction to the game which began to turn the tide for Wolves.

Indeed, despite the £22.5m-rated forward featuring for just 16 minutes, as well as making only five passes and touching the ball just 14 times, the 25-year-old nevertheless ended the game with one assist and one key pass to his name. He played an influential role in his side’s thrilling comeback, with late goals from Romain Saiss, Conor Coady and Ruben Neves securing a famous 3-2 win over Wolves’ West Midlands rivals.

As a result of his efforts, Podence earned a SofaScore match rating of 7.3 – with only Saiss and Neves receiving a higher score for Wolves on the day – while The Athletic journalist Tim Spiers claimed that the Portugal international’s introduction to the game finally saw Lage’s side showing signs of “intent” in the match.

While it is impossible to know whether or not Podence would have had the same impact if he had started ahead of Traore, it seems certain that the £60k-per-week winger will ultimately believe that his performance proved his manager wrong – a sentiment that we wouldn’t argue against.

In other news: “Huge” £51k-p/w Wolves target “able to leave” in January, he’d be a major coup for Shi

A number of Liverpool fans cannot believe Gary Neville has picked Harry Maguire over Joel Matip in a Manchester United combined XI.

The Reds take on their fiercest rivals at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, on what promises to be a great occasion.

Liverpool have been poor there in recent years, despite winning 4-2 in front of an empty stadium last season, and a big performance is required.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

United are struggling at the moment, however, and victory for Jurgen Klopp’s men would put them seven points clear of the Red Devils.

On Sky Sports‘ Monday Night Football [via Anfield Watch on Twitter], Jamie Carragher and Neville picked their combined XIs between both teams.

While they agreed on eight players, Neville opted to have Maguire alongside Virgil van Dijk, while Carragher chose the in-form Matip.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-8/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans lay into Neville

These Liverpool fans couldn’t believe the former United’s man choice, taking to Twitter to lambast him.

“My god Neville has actually gone for Maguire over Matip. Even kept a straight face”

Credit: @BackseatsmanLFC

“In the same moment Gary Neville makes great points he then 3 minutes later picks Maguire over Matip”

Credit: @rebekkarnold

“Maguire??? Lol Same guy that said Salah would be gone by Jan 2021 btw, need I say more? Matip has been our best CB so fsr this season as well”

Credit: @jianc14

“Neville putting Maguire in the combined XI is the most partisan call you’ll ever see. There’s a genuine argument that there are 5 better CBs across the 2 squads”

Credit: @pclfc8

“Gary Neville reckons Harry Maguire gets into Liverpool’s team . He wouldn’t even be the fourth choice. Not seen more nonsensical shout on Sky Sports from him for, ooh, about a month…”

Credit: @DMARTINEZ_85

“Gary Neville really put Maguire in a combined 11. Is he ok?”

Credit: @Biggies_Malls

In other news, some Liverpool fans love new footage that has emerged. Read more here.

Nottingham Forest reportedly value Brennan Johnson in the region of £8m to £10m amid interest from Brentford, according to The Athletic.

What’s the story?

Johnson has found regular game-time with Nottingham Forest’s first team hard to come by in the early stages of his professional career, playing just eight times for them, but he has caught the eye with a number of impressive showings out on loan.

The winger was loaned out to League One side Lincoln City and scored 13 goals, whilst also being on hand to provide 14 assists for his team-mates. However, his efforts still weren’t quite enough to see Michael Appleton’s side over the line in their bid for promotion, as they were beaten by Blackpool in the play-off final at Wembley.

Johnson has since returned to the City Ground and has been attracting interest from the likes of Brentford, Leeds United and Barnsley already this summer. The Bees have reportedly lodged a £3.5m bid for him, although that is well below Forest’s rumoured £8m-£10m valuation of the 20-year-old.

Forest are set to hold talks with Johnson over a new contract as they look to fend off interest from interested parties ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

It’s a statement of intent ahead of the 2021/22 season

Nottingham Forest endured a frustrating league campaign in 2020/21 and the club’s supporters must be eager to see them challenge much higher up the Championship table next season.

The Reds finished 17th in the table last season, which will have been tough to take for Chris Hughton, who has already shown that he can guide teams into the Premier League having won promotion with Brighton and Newcastle earlier in his managerial career.

Forest have a number of players who are being linked with summer moves away from the City Ground, with Joe Worrall catching the eye of Premier League side Burnley.

However, Johnson is one player who Forest are clearly keen to retain for the foreseeable future, and you can understand why as he could play an important role in their bid for promotion to the Premier League over the coming months.

With 13 goals and 14 assists to his name last season, he’ll certainly feel as though he’s more than capable of playing regularly for the Reds in the Championship, and this could be the breakthrough season that he’s been waiting for with Nottingham Forest.

Former City Ground manager Sabri Lamouchi had previously labelled Johnson as an ‘unbelievable player with the right mentality’, and it seems as though he’s starting to show glimpses of that exciting potential.

It would be a real statement of intent by Hughton’s side if they can keep hold of Johnson this summer, and it’s good to see them standing firm in their valuation of the youngster, as he’s a player who could easily be worth even more if he can hit the ground running and replicate the form he had shown in his loan spell with Lincoln.

The club’s steadfast approach in refusing to accept less than what they feel Johnson is worth, and planning contract talks to safeguard his future at the City Ground, may well have Forest fans delighted with the intent being shown in order to try and hold on to such a promising player.

In other news, Forest handed transfer boost over “incredible” 20 y/o, Hughton must be delighted