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Liverpool are keen on signing young Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Kouadio “Manu” Kone, according to a fresh update from journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Kone a highly-rated player

The Frenchman is making a name for himself in Germany currently, shining as a defensive midfielder and already becoming a regular for his current club.

Kone has chipped in with one goal and assist each in the Bundesliga this season but he is known more for his defensive work, averaging 2.1 tackles per match. He is also tidy on the ball, ranking in the 99th percentile for dribbles by midfielders, holding a stylistic likeness with Brighton’s Moises Caicedo (FBRef).

Liverpool are desperately in need of midfield reinforcements and it looks as though the Monchengladbach man could be a potential addition.

The Latest: Liverpool in the mix

Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Romano name-checked the Reds among a host of teams in contact over a move for Kone:

“Many top clubs are following French big talent Manu Kone. Been told summer is move most likely plan for player, agents and ‘Gladbach.

“FC Bayern, Newcastle, PSG and also Liverpool (Bellingham remains their n1 priority) are well informed on Kone’s situation.”

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The Verdict: One of numerous signings?

A move for Kone would certainly go some way towards easing Liverpool’s issues in the middle of the park, with the youngster someone who would add defensive nous and some serious energy.

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That being said, Jurgen Klopp arguably needs to sign multiple midfielders in January and this summer combined, completely rebuilding that area of the pitch and easing some ageing players out – Kone wouldn’t solve the problem on his own.

Whether or not a move for the youngster could happen this month remains to be seen, but he would be a long-term signing with a high ceiling, breaking into the spotlight when he won an incredible ten duels in a 5-0 victory over Bayern Munich last season.

Wolves are reportedly interested in signing Real Valladolid defender Ivan Fresneda in January, and the Spaniard’s prospective arrival at Molineux could see Julen Lopetegui finally get rid of Nelson Semedo.

According to AS, both Leeds United and Wolves have already ‘moved’ for the 18-year-old ahead of next month’s transfer window, with a frantic race expected for the signature of the highly-rated youngster.

After featuring in six games for Valladolid’s senior side, Fresneda’s release clause has risen to €30m (£26m), which means that he could be an expensive option for the Old Gold in January, but he certainly seems to have a lot of potential.

Spanish journalist Juan Arroita has certainly been impressed with what he has seen from Fresneda in his brief appearances, as he tweeted earlier this year: “Iván Fresneda has a beastly ability to take measured crosses from the right-handed lane. How good does the boy look? 17 years old…”

The teenage defender has just nine senior appearances to his name, but that has clearly been enough to convince clubs in the Premier League that he is worth the investment, as his six appearances in La Liga this season have seen him average a strong 6.74 rating from WhoScored.

According to FBRef, the youngster excels at tackling, interceptions and clearances, ranking above the 88th percentile for all three among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues. That suggests that he is solid in defence, which could make him an immediate upgrade on Semedo.

The former Barcelona man has proven himself to be a “liability at the back” (in the words of Tim Spiers) on a number of occasions during his time at Molineux, most notably in the 3-2 defeat against Brighton ahead of the World Cup break.

After losing Kaoru Mitoma for the Seagulls’ equaliser, the Portuguese full-back then hauled down the Japanese winger when he was through on goal, receiving a straight red card and costing the Old Gold any realistic chance of earning an important three points against a strong Brighton side.

Semedo has averaged a shocking 6.31 rating from WhoScored for his performances in the Premier League so far this term, and Lopetegui will surely be looking for an upgrade in January as he looks to save Wolves’ season.

In Fresneda, the Old Gold’s new manager could find a significant long-term upgrade, so it will be interesting to see if the Molineux club can win the transfer race for the youngster next month.

Newcastle United could potentially be set to receive a timely boost ahead of the return to competitive action, following an update regarding the fitness of summer signing, Alexander Isak.

What’s the word?

The 23-year-old has been absent since sustaining a thigh injury back in September, with the Sweden international having only joined the Magpies on a club-record deal during the summer window.

The former Real Sociedad man’s fitness woes have also ruled him out of the Tynesiders’ mid-season friendly fixtures in Saudi Arabia, with the 6 foot 4 marksman seemingly facing a race against time to be fit for the return of the Premier League at the end of the month.

That being said, however, injury expert Ben Dinnery – speaking to GIVEMESPORT – has offered a more positive update regarding the forward, with the one-time Borussia Dortmund starlet seemingly “on track” in his recovery at present.

He stated: “We know he’s had a couple of setbacks from that initial injury that he picked up while training with the national team.

“It was always his target to rejoin the group out on their warm-weather training camp and get some good sessions in his legs. That would put him in contention for the resumption of the Premier League. So, as it currently stands, he’s all on schedule and all on track.

“Fingers crossed that he comes through these sessions ok. Hopefully, it’ll just be a case of building up that match sharpness and fitness once those Premier League fixtures resume.”

Real lift for Howe

It would no doubt be a real welcome lift for both Newcastle supporters and manager Eddie Howe were the Swede to be in contention to feature later this month, with the club’s marquee capture having been something of a bystander to proceedings so far this term.

While the top-four hopefuls have thrived in his absence – surging to third in the table heading into the World Cup break – there may well be a sense that Isak’s return could even spark a greater improvement for the northeast side, with the youngster having already shown flashes of quality during his time in England thus far.

The 37-cap menace has two goals in just three top-flight outings for his new side to date, having notably scored on debut during the narrow defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, firing in from the angle with a ruthless finish into the roof of the net.

That outing – which also saw the towering asset see a goal disallowed following another composed strike – was lauded by talkSPORT pundit Jason Cundy, with the ex-Chelsea defender going as far as to suggest that he could well prove to be “worth £100m” in the coming years.

Such praise is an indication of just what a talent the St James’ Park outfit have on their hands, with it something of a frightening prospect as far as the rest of the division are concerned that Howe’s already rampant outfit could be strengthened even further by Isak’s return to fitness.

While the former AIK man is perhaps unlikely to be risked in the Carabao Cup meeting at home to Bournemouth on 21st December, the hope will be that he can be involved for the away trip to face Leicester City on Boxing Day.

What a lift that would surely be heading into the second half of the campaign.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly set to open talks with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg over a potential new contract. 

The Lowdown: Spurs’ recent contract extensions

The north London club have seen the likes of Son Heung-min, Hugo Lloris and Ben Davies all sign contract extensions with the Lilywhites over the past 18 months.

The club have also been reportedly looking to get Antonio Conte to pledge his future to Spurs by offering him a new deal. Now though, it appears that another player could be in line to get a new and improved contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The Latest: An improved deal for Hojbjerg

According to a recent report from Football Insider, Hojbjerg is set to be offered a pay hike as well as an extension to his current deal, which is set to expire in 2025.

The report also adds that the club are keen to tie the midfielder down to as Conte sees him as an important figure for his side.

The Verdict: A positive move for Spurs

Since joining the north London club from Southampton back in 2020, the 27-year-old, who has been described as a “colossus” for Conte’s side by journalist Andrew Gaffney, has made 122 appearances for Spurs across all competitions.

Across those appearances, the Danish international, who Gaffney also praised for his “sensational” performances for Spurs, has chipped in with nine goals and 13 assists.

This season has seen the £100k-per-week midfielder appear in all but one of Spurs’ games this season across all competitions, completing the full 90 minutes in the majority of them, which highlights just how vital he is for Conte.

With an overall performance rating of 7.07/10 from WhoScored, only three other Tottenham players have a higher rating than him, further showcasing how impressive the player has been for his side in the league this season.

Taking all of this into account, it’s easy to see why the club are looking to secure a contract extension for the former Southampton star.

Aston Villa threatened to make huge steps when they thrashed Brentford under Aaron Danks a couple of weeks ago, but they were duly brought crashing back down to earth by Newcastle United with a similar 4-0 scoreline.

With Unai Emery now at the helm, the 51-year-old has inherited a jumbled mess of players assembled by several managers.

Whilst the Spaniard will have to wait until January to wade into the transfer market himself – notably being linked with attacking talents such as Martin Terrier and Yeremy Pino – his pedigree as a multiple Europa League winner could understandably draw big names.

However, he might have a sensational offensive maestro already at Villa Park who is just waiting to be unleashed. That “special” player, as dubbed by Emery’s predecessor Steven Gerrard, is Philippe Coutinho.

The 30-year-old burst back onto the scene last season, scoring four goals and setting up another three in his first eight matches back in English football.

However, he has since scored just once more, including a completely barren run this season without a single goal contribution.

Even if his days in the Midlands are numbered, for this all-important Premier League game against Manchester United, surely Emery must recognise the weight that it holds and return the Brazilian to the starting XI.

Coutinho holds quite the history when it comes to the Red Devils, having scored against them on three separate occasions with three different clubs. It was his goal on his Villa debut which secured their comeback in this fixture last season, battling from 2-0 down to earn a point. 

When the big games arrive, the big players must play.

Having featured in some of the biggest games that world football has to offer, it could be the little magician who holds the key for Emery to securing a famous first victory on his Villa managerial debut.

Coutinho may be in poor form, but his competition for places is hardly excelling either. His SofaScore rating of 6.63 for this season, whilst far from glowing, is not that far away from Leon Bailey’s 6.72 and level with Ollie Watkins’ 6.63.

None of those are performing well, so surely the Spaniard must rely on previously-seen talents, which the former Liverpool playmaker has in abundance.

He could be the man to terrorise United once again and end Villa’s run of just one win in their last six  games.

Everton finally ended their three-match losing streak this afternoon, as the Toffees pummelled Crystal Palace at Goodison Park.

Before the game, it seemed like it would be a quiet affair between two sides that occupied areas of the table with little worry, yet from kick-off, it was clear that it would be nothing of the sort.

The Toffees came out firing, and despite having just 47% of the ball they cruised to a 3-0 win.

Whilst there were plenty of stars throughout the game, there was one standout villain for Frank Lampard who he must be considering dropping given how his replacement starred. 

Demarai Gray was the only player on the starting side that achieved a SofaScore rating of under 7.1, as he was handed just a 6.4 before being dragged off after 73 minutes.

The winger clearly had a game plan which focused on the returning Dominic Calvert-Lewin up front.

Every time he was handed the chance he would look to deliver, and yet only completed one of his eight crosses.

His England international striker would have been furious with the service.

Despite his 49 touches, he struggled to exert his influence on the game despite being arguably their shining light throughout the three disappointing results prior.

The 26-year-old was bullied by Joel Ward, who he really should have been able to trouble all game. Instead, he was unsuccessful in both of his attempted dribbles and completed just 19 passes.

Had he at least performed defensively, his disappointing day at the office could have been chalked up to misfortune.

However, with just three duels won out of his 11 – a failure rate of 88% – he was clearly not quite there today. 

What will make Gray even more worried is that, during his 17-minute cameo, Dwight McNeil managed to score a goal with one of his just 11 touches.

This performance will likely not trouble Lampard much given the all-around performance, but it is something that should it continue he will need to rectify quickly.

With a favourable run of fixtures now to play, the trickster will hope that he still has plenty of opportunities to amend for today’s display, as, if the Palace meeting was Lampard’s big test for the winger to keep his place ahead of McNeil, it is one the 26-year-old failed.

Crystal Palace are thought to be monitoring Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley ahead of a potential move.

The Lowdown: O’Riley profiled

O’Riley, dubbed a ‘silent hero’ and ‘immense’ by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, made the move to Celtic Park at the beginning of the year from MK Dons and has quickly established himself as a regular under Ange Postecoglou.

The 21-year-old, capable of playing in a variety of midfield roles, has made 32 appearances for the Scottish giants, contributing to 11 goals.

A Denmark international, O’Riley shares the same agent as Palace star Wilfried Zaha, and it looks as if the Eagles are keen on potentially securing his services.

The Latest: Palace links

As per The Sun, the Eagles are monitoring O’Riley after losing hope of signing Conor Gallagher from Chelsea.

The report even adds that Palace chief Dougie Freedman watched the midfielder in Champions League action for the Hoops on Wednesday against RB Leipzig.

The Verdict: Freedman left unimpressed?

O’Riley didn’t exactly have a performance that would have left Freedman excited, with the player being subbed after 75 minutes.

As per SofaScore, the midfielder was Celtic’s worst-rated outfield start along with Daizen Maeda, ending with a 6.4/10 match rating. He picked up a yellow card, lost seven of his 11 duels, gave possession away on nine occasions and had just 35 touches of the ball.

O’Riley has been Celtic’s fourth best-performing player in the Scottish Premiership this season, though, as per WhoScored, so it would make sense for Palace to continue to monitor his development ahead of a potential 2023 move.

Glasgow Rangers won 2-1 in today’s Premiership clash at Ibrox in what was a hard-earned three points from the Light Blues.

It didn’t take long for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side to get into their groove, scoring their first goal since beating Queen of the South 3-1 on 30 August, with Antonio Colak netting a birthday goal following some excellent play by James Tavernier to win the ball back and progress the length of the pitch to set up the Croatian.

This intensity with which Rangers began against Dundee United with slowly faded and the play became slow and predictable – it wasn’t until Colak netted again just after the break.

A Dundee United goal with half an hour remaining had the Ibrox faithful feeling slightly nervy but the home side held out and secured a crucial three points, clinching their first victory since August.

Colak was the goalscoring maestro today, but it was Rangers captain James Tavernier who once again stepped up to the plate and delivered when it mattered most.

Tavernier was Rangers’ real hero today

The 30-year-old doesn’t shy away from anything and the pressure before today’s match would have been intense. His excellent work rate to dispose Ian Harkes and run 60 yards with the ball before setting up Colak for the opening goal was described as “brilliant” by Rangers Review journalist Joshua Barrie.

Jonny McFarlane, also of the Rangers Review, gave the captain a match rating of 7 out of ten and stated that his part in the first goal “was Tavernier at his best”, and he appears to be over whatever knock has affected him in recent weeks.

The right-back received a rating of 8/10 on SofaScore – the second highest in Van Bronckhorst’s team, just behind Colak at 8.1. Tavernier took 125 touches during the match, ten more than any other Gers player.

He won 82% of his duels and made four tackles and two clearances, but it was the right-back’s attacking figures which were most impressive.

Tavernier created one big chance, made three key passes and succeeded with two of his three dribble attempts, showing that when the manager gives him free rein down the right-hand side, he almost acts like a full-blown winger rather than a defender.

This was a vital win for Van Bronckhorst and Rangers, and although it was perhaps nervier than it should have been, adding three points onto the board will be mighty important heading into the international break.

Crystal Palace have suffered a huge blow in their pursuit of a Championship star…

What’s the word?

According to The Sun journalist Tom Barclay, despite their long-term interest, it seems Ismaila Sarr might end up sticking around at Vicarage Road.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he claimed: “I think Palace like him, but I was told from the Watford end the other day that there’s a strong possibility that Sarr will stay.”

Not too long ago Aston Villa had agreed on a fee of just £25m for the winger, and despite the supposed ease of these negotiations, Palace seem set to walk away without making any bids.

Vieira must act now

Although Patrick Vieira is not short on pacey and exciting attacking talents, not adding Sarr feels somewhat hollow given how he would likely thrive alongside the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze.

For journalist Rob Blanchette to label him “young, hungry and electric”, you could not describe a Palace attacker more appropriately with the philosophy that the French manager has brought.

Despite having played in the Premier League for some poor Watford sides, and given his youth at the time of those stints, ten goals and eight assists in 50 appearances is certainly a respectable return.

He has already proven that the Championship is below his station, with his last full season in the division seeing him record 13 goals and ten assists.

Palace also have form with bringing talents from this league up to the top-flight, with Olise and Eze both having made the step up with great success, outlined in the fact they have now made 51 and 29 appearances in the division respectively.

Selhurst Park is a breeding ground for this kind of hungry talent, and with all the foundations in place to be a hit, Vieira should not wait around to secure this talent for a cut price.

Last season in the Premier League, as well as his five goals and two assists, he averaged 1.0 key passes per game and created five big chances.

For his service to be finding a higher calibre of player would surely see his numbers increase tenfold, making the £25m fee seem minuscule. Indeed, if it’s more money Watford are after in order to sanction a move then the Eagles should consider acting to hand the Hornets exactly that.

The 46-year-old must move swiftly to bring the Senegalese speedster into his side and add another exceptional talent alongside his many others. In time, Palace could have one of the most potent attacking forces in the league.

Celtic have once again seen a number of players leaving Parkhead during the current transfer window.

With just over three weeks left before deadline day arrives, there are still some players in Ange Postecoglou’s ranks who could also end up waving goodbye to Glasgow.

One man who has been linked with an exit earlier in the window that we feel should be one to follow in the footsteps of the previously mentioned players with a move away from Celtic is Christopher Jullien.

The Bhoys signed him in 2019 from French club Toulouse in a deal worth a reported £7m. Since then, the £20k-per-week centre-half has gone on to make 62 appearances for the Premiership champions across all competitions.

After being linked with a move to Schalke 04, a potential deal between the two clubs collapsed in June, leaving the defender still at Parkhead.

Bearing in mind how he only made one appearance for Celtic last season despite recovering from his knee injury in January, this suggests that he isn’t near the top of the pecking order for Postecoglou.

Also, with the Frenchman not being included in the squad for either of Celtic’s opening two league games of the season against Aberdeen and Ross County, this also shows that playing time could be rather hard to come by for him over the next few months.

Having been slammed by former Premiership striker Tam McManus for delivering a “shocker” of a performance in the past, it’s easy to see why the Hoops boss may not be completely convinced by the 29-year-old.

With the Bhoys now having the likes of Carl Starfelt, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Moritz Jenz and Stephen Welsh in the squad, it can be said that Jullien’s services aren’t needed at the club anymore.

As Celtic’s third-highest earner according to Salary Sport, getting his weekly wages off the club’s books could also open them up financially to bring in a suitable replacement or even focus on strengthening another area of the squad, should the Hoops manage to sell him.

With all that in mind, and the fact that he has spent a lot of time out through injury since his arrival in Glasgow, perhaps a move to a club where he’d be able to play regularly would be beneficial for all parties.