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Bruno Lage will be aiming to do some solid business in this summer’s transfer window, with Wolves looking to secure a European spot next season for the first time since Nuno Espirito Santo left the club.

With the Molineux side finishing the Premier League campaign in tenth position, it was a solid start to life at the helm of the club for Lage, but an improvement will be required next season.

There could well be an influx of transfer activity, with the future of Ruben Neves still uncertain following the end of the season, a replacement might well be needed.

One player that has been linked perennially with the club is Braga defender David Carmo, who could be the perfect replacement for Romain Saiss, who departed the club recently.

He can be Lage’s own Virgil van Dijk

The 22-year-old has a release clause of £34.3m and it’s likely Wolves might have to move someone on in order to fund the move.

The centre back hasn’t been short of praise in the past, with Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers stating that he has an “excellent profile” and this could mean his style will allow him to settle in with ease to life in England.

Journalist Josh Holland has compared Carmo’s ability on and off the ball to that of Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, saying: “They could be getting a defender who’s good on the ball whilst defending balls over the top, like how van Dijk does with his very good body positioning.

“That’s quite important for Wolves to get sorted.”

Both players are particularly good at bringing the ball out from the back and also have excellent passing ability.

For instance, Carmo made more forward passes and interceptions than Wolves captain Conor Coady as per Squawka.

Consequently, Lage could get a defender who might make the same sort of impact in the Premier League that van Dijk did with Liverpool.

AND in other news: Interested in..”: talkSPORT journo drops big Wolves claim that’ll delight supporters

Nottingham Forest have been handed the ideal chance to land Chelsea youngster Levi Colwill this summer, amid reports that the newly-promoted side are keen on the centre-back.

What’s the word?

The Midlands outfit have previously been named as one of the top-flight clubs who are interested in poaching the 19-year-old starlet – who spent last season on loan at Huddersfield Town – from Stamford Bridge.

Now, journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that it is looking “likely” that the Englishman will leave the Blues this summer, with Thomas Tuchel and co plotting more defensive recruits having already agreed a deal for Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly.

Writing on Twitter about the teenager’s future, the respected insider stated: “More on Chelsea. Levi Colwill, now likely to leave on a permanent deal this summer – as Tuchel and Boehly are working to sign three top centre backs.

“Chelsea and Levi Colwill will make a decision soon – as Koulibaly deal is done, Kimpembé and Aké in talks.”

Big coup

As Steve Cooper’s side prepare for a first Premier League campaign in 23 years, ironically the club partially have young Colwill to thank for that fact, with the Southampton-born ace having netted what proved to be a crucial own goal when Forest met the Terriers in the Championship play-off final.

That moment will ensure he will already have some goodwill in the bank with his potential future employers, although few should have any concerns about what that unfortunate moment says about his talent, with the £4.5m-rated colossus having been hugely impressive under Carlos Corberan last season.

Tipped to have a “fantastic career” by ex-teammate Lewis O’Brien – who could also be on his way to the City Ground – the 6 foot 2 starlet made 29 appearances in the second tier last term, 26 of which from the start, notably averaging 4.1 clearances, 1.8 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game.

The highly-rated prospect – who has been compared to former Chelsea legend and one-time Forest loanee, John Terry – also won a solid 66% of his total duels and kept 11 clean sheets, while also proving himself a handful at the other end of the pitch with two goals and an assist to his name.

Managing to pluck the £5k-per-week ace from his parent club would no doubt be a notable coup for Cooper and co, with Colwill potentially yet another exciting Blues talent who is set to blossom elsewhere.

The decision to potentially let the England U21 international depart could well be one that those at Cobham live to regret, although for Forest a potential swoop could prove a masterstroke.

AND in other news – Imagine him & Awoniyi: Cooper can form deadly duo by signing “stunning” £10m star

Tottenham Hotspur are long-term admirers of James Maddison…

What’s the word?

That’s according to transfer insider Dean Jones, who delivered the exciting claim to GIVEMESPORT this week. He said:

“It would be an amazing player for them to land just as the seasons getting underway.

“There’s no doubt they like him, they’ve liked him for a long time. I think the problem they’ve got is that James Maddison is Leicester’s best player.”

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It’s believed that Spurs will now target a playmaking talent, as per the Evening Standard, after moves for Clement Lenglet and Djed Spence took their total arrivals to six players.

Maddison could be one player that the north Londoners look to target, though he’d come at a hefty cost with his value thought to be in the region of £50m.

Big creative fix

The 25-year-old maestro has emerged as one of Leicester City’s best players over the past 18 to 24 months and he has continued to prove himself in the Premier League with consistent, creative displays.

It should come as no surprise to see Spurs target a new no.10 of sorts as they have long lacked that sort of presence in the engine room – perhaps ever since the departure of Christian Eriksen in January 2020.

Last season, the Englishman delivered a whopping 18 goals and 12 assists across 52 appearances in all competitions, taking his total for the Foxes to 87 goal contributions in 171 games, as per Transfermarkt.

A goal or assist every 141 minutes at the senior level is pretty good going and is why he would indeed be an “amazing” signing for Spurs.

It’s also why the former Norwich City man has received plenty of praise about his talent, ranging from The Times’ Henry Winter dubbing him a “special talent” to BBC Norfolk’s Rob Butler claiming that he is a “genius.”

His set-piece ability, meanwhile, is second to none in the English top-flight, which is another factor that’s surely behind Spurs’ interest.

The likes of Mason Mount, Bruno Fernandes and the Lilywhites’ very own Heung-min Son are all comparable players in terms of statistical profile, according to FBref, so that only goes to show the calibre of player that sporting direct Fabio Paratici could land.

As such, he must make Maddison his seventh signing of the summer transfer window as ultimately, it would continue Tottenham’s ambitious spending and hand manager Antonio Conte a much-needed creative talent.

AND in other news, In talks: Paratici closing in on Spurs’ 7th summer signing, it’d be an “unreal” coup…

Dharmesh Sheth has dropped an update on the future of reported West Ham United transfer target Piotr Zielinski.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Sky Sports journalist revealed that, despite earlier reports suggesting that Rob Newman had come to an agreement with SSC Napoli regarding a £30m deal for the 28-year-old, the Hammers are now unlikely to pursue a move for the Poland international this summer.

The journalist went on to state that this is due to a significant gap between the Irons’ and the Serie A side’s respective valuations of the player, in addition to the fact that Luciano Spalletti’s outfit will be playing Champions League football next season – something Zielinski does not want to give up.

Finally, Sheth claimed that, as a result of the club’s failed negotiations for the attacking midfielder, Newman will now turn his attention to other targets over the remainder of the summer transfer window.

In his tweet, the Sky Sports journalist said: “West Ham United unlikely to pursue deal for Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski. Initial talks highlighted gap in valuations. Increasingly likely he stays at Napoli – guaranteed Champions League football next season. West Ham are focusing on other targets.”

Supporters will be gutted

Considering just how exciting an addition Zielinski would have undoubtedly made to David Moyes’ options in the middle of the park next season, Sheth’s claim that West Ham are now unlikely to pursue a deal for the 28-year-old is sure to have left the London Stadium faithful gutted.

Indeed, over his 35 Serie A appearances last season, the £36m-rated talent was in sensational form for Gli Azzurri, scoring six goals, registering five assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.2 shots, making 1.4 key passes and completing 0.5 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the £104k-per-week midfielder average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as Napoli’s 13th-best player in the league last time out.

The 72-cap international also caught the eye over his seven fixtures in the Europa League in 2021/22, scoring two goals and taking an average of 1.7 shots, making 1.7 key passes and completing one dribble per outing.

These metrics saw the 28-year-old average an even more impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as Spalletti’s fourth-best performer in the European competition.

As such, it is clear to see that Zielinski would have made an exceptional addition to the likes of Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek, Flynn Downes, Manuel Lanzini and Pablo Fornals in Moyes’ midfield ranks next season, leading us to believe that Sheth’s latest update on the Hammers’ pursuit of the Pole is sure to come as a gutting blow for all involved with the club.

AND in other news: Moyes can finally axe “shocking” £20m flop as WHU plot bid for “shrewd” £16.8m target

Journalist Sripad Kilkar, who has contributed for the likes of Sportskeeda, has revealed what he has now ‘heard’ from Everton on Michy Batshuayi and Billy Gilmour.

The Lowdown: Chelsea raid?

It was reported on Friday by 90min that the Goodison Park club are weighing up moves for Chelsea trio Batshuayi, Gilmour and Ross Barkley.

They are in talks over potential deals for all three players, while they also remain keen on Armando Broja.

The Latest: Offer made

Taking to Twitter, Sripad revealed that two clubs in the Premier League have made an offer for Batshuayi, who could seal a move as early as next week.

The journalist tweeted: “I’m told Michy Batshuayi has two Premier League offers on his table and could seal a move next week if a deal is agreed with Chelsea.”

When asked by journalist Rob Pratley if the Toffees were one of those two top-flight clubs, Sripad added that he ‘heard’ that they were, as they were also ‘looking at’ Gilmour, saying: “Everton is what I heard earlier this month along as they were also looking at Billy. Trying to get confirmation on the second club.”

The Verdict: They’d be shrewd signings

Batshuayi and Gilmour would certainly be shrewd signings for Everton.

The former has a decent goal record at both club and international level, netting 14 times for Besiktas last season, while he boasts 25 goals in 45 games for the Belgium national team (Transfermarkt).

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Gilmour is a player that Frank Lampard knows very well having managed him at Chelsea, and he also handed the Scottish youngster his senior debut at just 19 years of age.

The Everton boss will believe that he can get the best out of the now 21-year-old, who could also make a real impact from midfield.

West Ham United are believed to be continuing their hunt to sign Lille midfielder Amadou Onana, despite the deal having stalled in recent weeks.

What’s the word?

According to club insider ExWHUemployee – via the West Ham Way Patreon page – Hammers boss David Moyes is believed to be pushing to reignite a move for the 20-year-old, having already placed three bids so far this summer.

The trusted source stated: “David Moyes is also expected to ask the club to speak to Lille again about Onana and try and get some progress on the player this coming week, despite the fees currently being a distance apart,” he said.

There has been little movement regarding the Belgium international’s potential switch to the London Stadium since Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth revealed in mid-July that the east Londoners had tabled a third offer of around €38m (£32m), plus add-ons.

He’d be a titan for Moyes

Despite it having all gone quiet regarding the Senegal-born gem of late, news that Moyes is keen to get the one-cap gem in the door will be of great delight to the Irons faithful, with supporters seemingly buzzing at the prospect of further major arrivals.

The Premier League outfit have already wrapped up four major deals in the window thus far in what’s been an impressive recruitment drive for the club, yet the former Everton boss appears to be demanding even further depth to his squad.

In the case of Onana, West Ham are seemingly in urgent need of new midfield additions having seen long-serving skipper Mark Noble call it quits on his playing career, while loan flop Alex Kral departed after failing to earn a permanent contract.

Boyhood fan Flynn Downes has somewhat filled the void after joining from Swansea City last month, yet further quality will surely be needed in the remaining weeks of the window, hence the push to land the Lille colossus.

At 6 foot 5, the £5.5k-per-week is a titan and a truly imposing figure who can add real steel to the club’s midfield, having caught the eye following his impressive form at Stade Pierre Mauroy in recent times.

The 2021/22 campaign saw the former Hamburg man average 1.5 tackles and 0.9 interceptions from his 32 league outings – 11 of which came from the start – while also scoring one goal and losing possession just 4.5 times per game.

Likened to Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira, the highly-rated youngster appears to have all the brute-like tools to make an impact in English football, with Moyes and co no doubt relishing the chance to get to work with him.

While he is far from the finished article at just 20, Hammers supporters would seemingly delight in seeing him grow and flourish over the coming years, with it now simply a waiting game to see if GSB can bring the midfield titan to London.

Journalist Alex Crook has claimed that Ajax forward Antony wants to sign for Manchester United, GiveMeSport report.

The Lowdown: Antony links

The Brazilian winger, dubbed ‘electric’ by football writer Karan Tejwani, has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford. However, the Red Devils haven’t made any real progress on a move for the 22-year-old yet, who broke through under Erik ten Hag at Ajax.

United are also looking at RB Salzburg’s Benjamin Sesko, but it seems as if the club haven’t given up hope of bringing Antony to Old Trafford just yet.

The Latest: Crook’s comments

Talking to GMS, Crook labelled a move to United as 50/50 at this moment in time, stating that Ten Hag is open to a move, as is the player.

Ajax, though, appear to be standing firm after already cashing in on a number of key men this summer.

“It’s 50/50 at this stage. Ten Hag is very keen. The player wants to come, but Ajax are in quite a strong position because they’ve already raised money by selling Martinez and Haller, so they don’t need to sell him on the cheap.”

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The Verdict: Dragging on

The links to Antony are starting to feel similar to the ones for Frenkie de Jong. United have had the central midfielder as a priority target all summer, but the saga with the Barcelona man feels like it will never end.

Ten Hag doesn’t have a senior right-winger heading into the new season, so a move for Antony, who has netted 27 goals during his club career and has already impressed under Ten Hag appears to be a no-brainer.

It seems as if this transfer could also prove complicated, so there may have to come a point where United end their long-term interest in both players with time ticking until the deadline.

Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz is set to sign a contract extension…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Telegraph’s chief football correspondent Jason Burt, who delivered a 12-word update to supporters on Twitter. He said:

“Douglas Luiz expected to sign a three-year deal at Aston Villa.”

It ends months of speculation surrounding the Brazilian’s future in the Midlands, having been linked with a switch to Serie A champions AC Milan and more recently, Premier League rivals Manchester United were mooted with interest.

Strike gold

This update will come as a big relief to manager Steven Gerrard as he’ll be able to keep hold of a key cog to his system in Luiz and after losing Carney Chukwuemeka to Chelsea, this is certainly a boost for the squad too.

The former Manchester City man has emerged as a reliable and consistent starter under Gerrard, since his arrival at Villa Park. He ended last season with five straight 90-minute appearances, having featured in all but four of their top-flight outings, as per Transfermarkt.

Only three other players finished the campaign with a better WhoScored average (6.77) and he was graded better than club captain John McGinn, ex-skipper Tyrone Mings and Danny Ings.

Gerrard was clearly keen to keep Luiz at the club, given his comments on the 24-year-old.

“Douglas is a fantastic player, really talented and we rate him extremely high. We want to keep all of our best players around,” he told reporters (via Birmingham World).

“We understand there will be interest in our best players as well, we don’t have a problem with that. But yes we want to keep all of our top talent around, we see Douglas as a top talent, a really wonderful footballer on his day.”
The £18m-rated star was involved from the bench in Villa’s opening day defeat to AFC Bournemouth last weekend, so he’s surely going to be in line for a instant recall to the starting lineup, given this update.
Now with Luiz set to remain a Villa player for at least the next three years, sporting director Johan Lange may have just conducted one of his best pieces of business this summer, by securing a dream extension for the box-to-box dynamo.
Gerrard and the Villa faithful will surely be elevated by this news.

AND in other news, Lange could end Aston Villa’s summer with a bang in move for “unplayable” £20m machine…

West Ham United have had a strong transfer window so far this summer, adding some real quality to their squad in the shape of Gianluca Scamacca, Nayef Aguerd and most recently Thilo Kehrer as David Moyes looks to take his team to the next level.

Finishing seventh in last season’s Premier League and reaching the Europa League semi-finals was great progress from the Irons, who were struggling before Moyes took over for his second spell in charge in the winter of 2019. In order to kick on, though, they need to add some squad depth, especially in midfield.

One player who could add the necessary quality is Club Brugge attacking midfielder Hans Vanaken. West Ham have already made one move for the player, with the Belgian champions refusing that offer, but the east London club are reportedly keen on making another bid.

Vanaken has an impressive record in his homeland, recording a remarkable 175 goal contributions (102 goals, 73 assists) during his seven-year association with Brugge.

The 29-year-old has scored the majority of his goals from an attacking midfield position, and his goalscoring ability from midfield is something that West Ham have been lacking.

Manuel Lanzini was the club’s highest scorer from midfield last term with seven goals, whereas Vanaken netted more than double that with 15 strikes, which suggests that his quality would vastly improve this area in Moyes’ squad.

West Ham could also have their next £75m-valued talent on their books if he makes the move to the London Stadium, with Vanaken being compared to Jarrod Bowen via FBRef’s similar player model.

Bowen has been valued at £75m by West Ham and the 6 foot 4 Belgian is slightly older, but if he can replicate his form in his homeland if coming to the Premier League, there might be a few teams who be interested in signing him for a significant fee.

Both players have a keen eye for goal, with Vanaken taking 2.03 shots per match last season and Bowen 2.41, and the figures that both are devoted to scoring as much as possible.

Goalscoring isn’t their only strength, as the pair contributed a total of 19 assists in their respective divisions last term (Vanaken nine, Bowen ten) while each averaged over one key pass per match (1.6 and 1.2 respectively) proving that a combination of the two players in the same team could ensure that West Ham score more often.

The “towering” Belgian – as described by journalist Henry Tomlinson – might be yet another Moyes masterstroke in this summer’s transfer market if the Hammers boss can lure him to the London Stadium between now and 1st September.

Glasgow Rangers return to Champions League action tonight as they travel to the Netherlands for the second leg of their play-off tie.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s men go into the match with the aim of securing a place in the group stage of Europe’s premier club competition.

The first leg ended in a 2-2 draw at Ibrox thanks to goals from Antonio Colak and Tom Lawrence, which that leaves the tie in the balance heading into tonight’s clash against PSV Eindhoven.

Rangers are coming off the back of a 2-2 draw in the Premiership against Hibernian, a game in which they were shown two red cards, and the manager may look to make some changes to his starting XI here.

One player that he must unleash from the start is American attacker Malik Tillman, after he was an unused substitute on Saturday.

Van Bronckhorst heaped praise on the 20-year-old earlier this month, saying: “What we wanted was him [Tillman] to bed in quickly, we watched him in the games he played last season with Germany under-21s and the American team, the minutes he played for Bayern’s first and second team.

“You could see his quality and the understanding he has with players around him, it is at a high level. You can see his performances since he came in, against Livingston and all the games after that.

“He’s becoming a very important player for us and today he scored a great goal. His overall play you can see he is a very epic talent.”

This shows how highly the manager rates him and suggests that Tillman was simply being rested against Hibernian, which is why he must now be brought back into the starting XI.

The £5k-per-week gem has taken to Glasgow like a duck to water, and he has the quality to be the match-winner for the Light Blues tonight.

He has already shown that he can step up in Europe when the pressure is on. In the second leg against Union Saint-Gilloise in the last qualifying round, Tillman scored the winning goal on aggregate with a stupendous leap to head in the goal to send the Gers through to this tie against PSV.

The Bayern Munich loanee has also looked red-hot in the Premiership, recording SofaScore ratings of 7.5 and 7.9 against Kilmarnock and St Johnstone respectively, since making the switch to Scotland.

In those two starts, he created five chances, completed eight of his eight attempted dribbles and scored one goal, which shows that he has the potential to make a huge impact in the final third. Tillman can create for others, take the ball past opposition defenders and contribute with goals of his own.

He also won 13 of his 17 ground duels in those games, which highlights the physical attributes that he brings to the team, and that trait may be useful in a tense Champions League affair.

Therefore, he has the potential to be the match-winner for the Light Blues tonight, given his quality in the attacking third, and that is why he must start in Eindhoven.