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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

As reported by Sky Sports, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has insisted that he is still planning on building the Manchester United side around Paul Pogba, amid speculation the midfielder could be leaving.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent weeks and months had suggested that Pogba could be on his way out of Old Trafford this summer after an up-and-down campaign. The France World Cup winner has seen his name linked with the likes of Real Madrid and Juventus, and his agent, Mino Raiola, confirmed the player’s desire to leave.

Could Paul Pogba be on his way out of Old Trafford? 442oons have put their unqiue spin on the matter in the video below…

However, Solskjaer has now suggested that the Frenchman continues to be a big part of his plans and revealed he could still be an important part of his line-up.

The United boss said: “Paul is a fantastic player, a fantastic human being and has always been a great professional. I’ve had a great relationship with him, I had him in the reserves a few years back.

“And I said (previously), ‘if he’s in your squad, you’d build your team around him’, and I haven’t changed that much since then, so I would say the same now.”

A risky game

Another tactical ploy to get him to stay? Solskjaer’s latest comments on his mercurial midfielder come on the back of him insisting in recent weeks that there is an “agenda” against his player and that he fully backs him.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Norwegian is seemingly adamant on retaining Pogba’s services beyond the end of the summer transfer window and the reported decision of Juventus to end their interest in the 26-year-old certainly strengthens United’s case.

But in being so unequivocally sure-fire in claiming he wants to “build” his side around Pogba, the room for anything but him wearing the Red Devils shirt come the beginning of the season is non-existent. In a sense, Solskjaer has backed United into a corner and selling him now after being so effusive in his praise of the Frenchman would be tantamount to a failure.

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Yesterday’s West Ham transfer roundup brought you an update in the pursuit of a La Liga ace, a new bid being prepared for a West Brom striker and Serie A interest in one of the club’s midfielders. Today’s edition concerns news on a Bundesliga striker, more Italian interest in Pedro Obiang and the potential exit of a wantaway forward.

Weghorst watched

According to reliable West Ham insider ExWHUemployee, the Hammers watched Wolfsburg striker Wout Weghorst last season. The 26-year-old Dutch centre-forward scored 18 goals in 36 games for Die Wölfe last term.

Bologna talks for Obiang

Journalist Alfredo Pedulla is reporting that Bologna have made contact over a potential swoop for Pedro Obiang. It had been reported that Parma were interested in the player, and now Bologna are keen on the Spaniard’s services as well.

West Ham to sell Arnautovic

West Ham are to sell wantaway striker Marko Arnautovic according to Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol. It had previously been reported that West Ham would only let the Austrian go for £40m, but Solhekol has now said that a Hammers source has told him that they allow him to leave in a “terrible deal” because the “manager, players and staff want him out”.

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Loads of Everton fans have been reacting to Tuesday’s huge club announcement, as the Toffees confirmed the signing of Andre Gomes.

Everton have completed the signing of Gomes for a fee of £22m, reports Paul Joyce of The Times.

The Portuguese international has penned a five-year deal, which will keep him at the club until he is 30.

Of course, Gomes is already a hugely popular figure on the blue half of Merseyside, having spent the 2018/19 season on loan at Goodison Park.

He scored once and provided two assists in all competitions last season, hardly a prolific return from a central midfielder, but it’s his composure on the ball and superb technical ability that really stands out.

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

And fans have noticed something showing off that skill in the club’s announcement video, which included a clip of Gomes bouncing off Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk while running with the ball.

The Dutchman was not dribbled past once all season, stats claim, but Toffees fans are loving the club’s cheeky dig at their red neighbours.

Check out some of the more observant fans’ reactions down below, who all spotted the hidden meaning behind the clip…

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According to reports from Football Insider, Leeds United are out of the running in the race to sign Harry Wilson as he has made it clear that he doesn’t want to join the Yorkshire club on loan next season.

The attacking midfielder spent the last season out on loan at Derby County, and he was instrumental in inflicting heartbreak upon the Whites at the end of last season.

What’s the story?

The 22-year-old has apparently told Liverpool that he doesn’t want to go out on loan again next season, and although Leeds have been heavily linked with a move for him, his arrival at Elland Road now looks unlikely.

The report states that the midfielder is ready to leave Anfield permanently, but the Merseyside club value their young prospect at £25m, meaning it’s incredibly unlikely that the Whites will be able to secure a permanent deal either.

Bullet dodged

Even though Wilson was one of the star performers in the Championship last season – scoring 16 goals and providing 4 assists  – Leeds may be dodging a bullet by not signing him.

Liverpool apparently want £4m from any club looking to loan him for a season, which is an extortionate amount for any player on loan, especially considering Bielsa needs both quantity and quality this summer.

Leeds’ finances in this upcoming transfer window may be limited as it has been speculated they will have to sell before they buy, and they will have to look at PL loan moves to bolster their options.

The monetary aspect isn’t the only reason the Whites should count themselves lucky that they won’t be signing Wilson.

The midfielder openly mocked the club on social media and was filmed singing songs that made fun of the Whites after Derby beat them in the play-off semi-final in May.

With the heartbreak from that defeat still lingering fresh in mind,  those acts surely wouldn’t be forgotten by the supporters or his teammates.

For those reasons, he may have never been accepted at Elland Road and it may be best for all parties that this deal is now off the table.

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Following an entire season where Arsenal fans had to witness the burly Sead Kolasinac attempt to go up and down the left flank, it comes as no surprise that the club are looking to invest in that position.

According to TEAMtalk, the Gunners, along with Liverpool, have enquired over the availability of Southampton left-back Matt Targett and the 23-year-old could be well within the north London side’s price range.

The news saw Arsenal fans take to Twitter to voice their opinions on the rumours and it certainly drew a mixed reaction.

Some Gunners supporters appreciated that with a modest budget of around £40m to spend this summer, going for someone like Targett would represent a value-for-money kind of deal and get them a proven Premier League player too.

Check out the video below to find out why Arsenal fans aren’t celebrating Spurs’ UCL final defeat as much as they’d like…

Indeed, with Arsene Wenger’s famed British core all but broken up, some felt making moves for the Englishman and Bournemouth’s Scottish winger Ryan Fraser would be very welcome.

However, others seemed to suggest Targett was not the kind of upgrade the club should be looking to get and questioned whether he was a significant improvement on Kolasinac or just another back-up for the position.

Check out some of the mixed reaction of Arsenal fans on Twitter below:

If you were to tell any Sheffield United supporter at the end of the 2015/16 campaign that their side would be preparing for a return to the Premier League just three years later, they would have understandably have been bemused.

Yet following the Blades’ decision to appoint Chris Wilder as their manager, the Yorkshire-based outfit have experienced an incredible rise to prominence which culminated in a second-place finish in the Championship earlier this month.

Having already guaranteed himself a place in the history books at United, the 51-year-old will be aiming to prolong the club’s stay in the top-flight for as long as he possibly can.

However, in order to give the Blades the best chance of competing with England’s best club sides next season, it is clear that Wilder will have to strengthen his squad over the summer.

One area that the former Northampton Town boss will be looking to improve specifically is central midfield. With Kieran Dowell returning to Everton and Paul Coutts being released by United last week, the club have been linked with a move for a powerhouse who has a proven Premier League track record.

According to Nigerian news outlet Sports247, the Blades are considering a switch for Middlesbrough midfielder John Obi Mikel when the transfer window opens in July. The 32-year-old is available on a free transfer this summer and could turn out to be a fantastic signing if he is able to replicate the form that he produced earlier on in his career.

Having made 249 top-flight appearances for Chelsea during an 11-year stint at Stamford Bridge, the £3.15m-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) could use his experience to help United to adjust to their new surroundings.

A fantastic reader of the game who is also very composed when in possession of the ball, Mikel could help the Blades stay up next season if Wilder decides to swoop for the midfielder.

What do you think Blades fans? Should Wilder go all-out to try and sign Mikel in the summer? Or is there another midfielder you think your club should target in the transfer window? Get in touch below.

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Everton kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the Europa League on Friday as they defeated Burnley 2-0 at Goodison Park, but fans remain concerned about the form of striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The result means that there remains the slim possibility that Marco Silva’s men could overhaul Wolves and finish seventh in the Premier League this season, leading to a potential European campaign next term.

A Ben Mee own goal and a Seamus Coleman strike proved the difference at Goodison Park but supporters remain worried about their forward options.

Calvert-Lewin has scored just six goals in the Premier League this season, with his last strike coming in March in a 3-2 loss to Newcastle United.

He has gone a total of seven games without a goal in the top-flight but he is trying; per WhoScored, he had four shots at goal, more than any other player, against Burnley but only hit the target once.

And several Everton fans believe that he needs upgrading this summer.

Leeds United will be desperate to return to winning ways this evening as they’re set to take on Brentford at Griffin Park in their next Championship fixture.

The Whites threw away a promising position last time out at Elland Road as Patrick Bamford’s opener was cancelled out by two goals from Wigan Athletic’s Gavin Massey in what was a day to forget for Leeds United.

Of course, securing promotion is the priority at this moment in time but Leeds should already have their eye on a couple of possible summer additions, including Hull City’s Jarrod Bowen.

Leeds were reportedly (as per Daily Mail) plotting a move for the attacker back in January but nothing developed as he ended up staying at the KCOM Stadium. But, with the Whites possibly securing promotion and Hull remaining in the Championship, it would make perfect sense for Victor Orta to go after him this summer.

He’s produced an impressive 21 goals and four assists this season which is pretty astonishing as he’s been operating out on the wing. It’s clear to see that he can score and create goals and he’s only 22-years-old, so he still has his best years ahead of him and could easily develop into a top, top player.

And, he’s even been dubbed (as per talkSport) as the ‘English Arjen Robben’, who was arguably one of the world’s best attackers in his prime, so it’s clear to see just how highly-rated he really is.

Sadly, the Elland Road faithful won’t have fond memories of the attacker as he absolutely destroyed Leeds earlier on this season, scoring two goals against Marcelo Bielsa’s side in a 2-0 win. He was unstoppable on the day and ran some of the Whites’ defenders ragged, so there’s even more incentive to move in for him.

Leeds are set to wave goodbye to Jack Harrison in the summer, while Pablo Hernandez is getting on with age and Ezgjan Alioski has been deployed at left-back in recent times, so it would make sense to bring in a winger.

Leeds United fans, would you like to see Jarrod Bowen rock up at Elland Road in the summer? Join the discussion by commenting below…

Among the many things that need fixing at Manchester United, their defence quite clearly needs a proper overhaul for them to compete with the best.

Indeed, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side doesn’t boast the world-class defensive unit their elite rivals do and need to make signings to make themselves a fearsome unit again. Far, far from it.

So, the Red Devils are planning on reinforcing their defence, especially the right-back position which has been their Achilles heel all season. According to reports from French outlet L’Equipe (via Sport Witness), United are aiming to sign Thomas Meunier from Paris Saint-Germain. Great, right? Considering he spoke to Belgian outlet DH Sports back in 2017 of his love for the Manchester giants, describing himself as a ‘big fan’.

Well, while the Belgian proved to be an exciting wing-back in the French capital, his frail defensive nature doesn’t make him much of an upgrade over their current options.

Meunier’s a decent option going forward, but considering that United are planning to sign a right-winger (possibly (as per the Sun back last month) Jadon Sancho), his contribution isn’t absolutely necessary. Granted, the PSG ace will reportedly be available for a relatively cheap figure of close to €25 million (roughly £21.6m), something which has attracted the businessman Ed Woodward.

However, the Red Devils cannot be cheap in this regard. Meunier may well have scored or assisted 3 goals in Ligue 1, but his erratic defensive nature made Thomas Tuchel prefer the young Thilo Kehrer ahead of him. Indeed, he isn’t the most stable nor the strongest defender, often getting outwitted by wingers and causing trouble with his shakiness.

United need someone assertive like Aaron Wan-Bissaka as their starting right-back and not the unconvincing Meunier. Granted, he might be a big fan of the Red Devils, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer cannot allow emotions to cloud his judgement in rebuilding United into an elite team once again.

United fans, would you accept Meunier as your starting right-back next season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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Isaac Hayden tried to leave Newcastle United last summer and again in the January transfer window for family reasons.

In January, the midfielder said that he hoped ‘a solution’ could be reached for him to depart the Magpies before the end of the month.

That never happened, though, and Hayden remains a Newcastle player, with his contract running until the end of the 2020-21 campaign.

The Englishman has not sulked, however, far from it actually. Indeed, Hayden has been in fine form for Rafael Benitez’s side in recent weeks.

It was the midfielder’s 24th birthday on Friday and as expected, Newcastle’s official Twitter account was on hand with a special message.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

That led to a number of Newcastle supporters offering their views on Hayden and the majority are keen for the 6 ft 1 ace to remain at the club this summer, if at all possible.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: