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A big Newcastle United transfer claim has emerged regarding the club’s plans for Eddie Howe’s squad.

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has revealed the positions that PIF will be targeting in the upcoming summer transfer window.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I think they’ll bring in a centre-back, a forward, like a playmaker, and a striker. They’re also looking at the goalkeeping department, and then it all depends on players going.

“If they lost a centre midfielder or they don’t manage to sign Matt Targett, then they’ll look to bring in more on top of that.”

Howe will be buzzing

The Magpies head coach will be buzzing with this claim from Downie because it shows that the club want to strengthen key areas of the starting XI.

Firstly, he will be delighted by the prospect of a playmaker coming through the door. Out of all the players who have played 20 or more Premier League matches for the club, Allan Saint-Maximin (1.5) is the only player who is providing at least one key pass per game.

This suggests that Howe is in dire need of more creativity in his squad next season as he does not have enough in his team at the moment, as evidenced by their performances in the top flight. Saint-Maximin is the only player providing his teammates with chances on a somewhat regular basis and bringing in a playmaker will, therefore, improve the volume of opportunities that are being created for the forwards to score from.

Secondly, Howe could be buzzing to add competition for Martin Dubravka between the sticks. The Slovakian has struggled in terms of sweeping up at the back as he ranks in the seventh percentile in Europe’s top five leagues for defensive actions outside the penalty area and in the second percentile for the average distance of his defensive actions – as per FBRef.

This suggests that he is rooted to his line too often and is not dealing with balls in behind his defenders as often as the majority of goalkeepers in Europe. Therefore, Howe will surely be keen to bring in a shot-stopper who can excel at that side of the game to challenge Dubravka for the number one position.

The head coach will also be buzzing to bring a centre-back to the club as the Magpies do not have a single player in that position younger than 28. He will want to add some youth to the mix to ensure that they do not end up needing to replace their entire defence in one summer as they all head into their 30s.

AND in other news, Bid planned: Howe must seal NUFC deal for £30m “monster” whose “simplicity is genius”…

Celtic are edging closer to completing a deal to bring Riley McGree to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Record, who claim that Ange Postecoglou has already wrapped up a deal to sign the Charlotte FC midfielder this month after Celtic found a resolution in their talks with the Major League Soccer side regarding a £3m move.

The report goes on to state that Birmingham City – where the 23-year-old had spent the last 14 months on loan – had hoped to extend the Australia international’s stay at St. Andrew’s further, however, the Championship side look to have been beaten to the signing of the midfielder by the Bhoys.

Finally, it is claimed that Postecoglou was personally involved in the negotiations for McGree due to his previous relationship with the player at international level, while it is also said the Hoops are hoping to get the paperwork and visa regarding the transfer in place in order for the 23-year-old to link up with the 56-year-old’s first-team squad as quickly as possible.

Postecoglou will be buzzing

Considering Postecoglou’s and McGree’s previous relationship, in addition to the midfielder’s impressive form in the second tier of English football this season, the fact that Celtic appear to have wrapped up the signing of the Charlotte FC midfielder in such quick fashion is sure to have left the Greek-Australian manager buzzing.

Indeed, over his 13 Championship outings for Birmingham in the current campaign, the £540k-rated man scored two goals, provided two assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.8 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

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The £5.7k-per-week midfielder who Tim Cahill claimed has “amazing feet” also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.3 interceptions, 1.2 tackles, 22 passes and winning 4.8 duels per fixture.

These returns saw the Australian earn a very respectable average SofaScore match rating of 7.02, ranking him as the Blues’ sixth-best player in the league so far this season.

As such, it would very much appear as if McGree will make a fantastic addition to Postecoglou’s current options in the middle of the park, with the 56-year-old’s side already looking much healthier following the earlier arrivals of Reo Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi, Daizen Maeda and Johnny Kenny this January.

In other news: Celtic make offer for 41-goal dynamo who’s a “Jota-type trickster”, he’s a big upgrade

Aston Villa have been dealt a setback in their pursuit of Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma, with the south coast club having no desperate need to sell one of their star players in order to generate funds.

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports, the 25-year-old is in no rush to leave the Amex Stadium this month, despite interest from the Seagulls’ Premier League rivals Villa. Moreover, Brighton manager Graham Potter has stated that he is “confident” Bissouma will stay at the club beyond this month.

The Malian’s focus will currently be on his country’s fortunes at the Africa Cup on Nations, with Sky stating that his future will become clearer once he has returned to the UK from international duty. However, the midfielder did admit back in September that it would be his “dream” to play for a Champions League club after Manchester United and Liverpool were linked with swoops.

Last week, The Athletic reported that a fee of around £50m will be demanded by Brighton if they are to let their midfield maestro depart after three-and-a-half years on the south coast. In that time, the 25-year-old has impressed massively, with Gary Linker labelling him “exceptional” last April.

Steven Gerrard will be gutted

Although a deal for Bissouma may be completed in the summer, Gerrard will be desperate to add a quality midfielder to his ranks, especially with Marvelous Nakamba expected to be out until April with a knee injury.

At 6 foot in height, the Malian would offer more of a physical presence in the Villa midfield, with regulars John McGinn (5 foot 10) and Douglas Luiz (5 foot 9) shorter than the Brighton beast.

Moreover, according to SofaScore, the 25-year-old has averaged a rating of 7.21/10 in the Premier League this season. That’s significantly superior to Luiz’s 6.95 and Nakamba’s 6.65, although McGinn is averaging a slightly better 7.35.

Last season, Bissouma made an impressive 104 tackles and 64 interceptions in 36 Premier League appearances, an average of 2.9 tackles and 1.8 interceptions per game. This term, the Malian has improved, averaging 3.6 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per match, whilst also posting a 71% dribble success rate and 89% passing accuracy.

As for McGinn and Luiz, the former is averaging 2.7 tackles and 0.8 interceptions per match, whilst the latter is lagging behind with 1.7 tackles and 1.1 interceptions.

It is clear as to why numerous clubs, including Villa, are circling around the Brighton midfielder and why his price tag is substantial. There is little doubt that Bissouma would improve Gerrard’s midfield, but the 41-year-old may have to be patient if he wants to bring the Malian to Villa Park, or else look elsewhere if an immediate solution is required.

As it stands, the manager may well be gutted that his team’s chances of landing the 25-year-old this month appear slim at best.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops major Villa transfer update which will have fans buzzing

Liverpool defender Joel Matip was the standout player in a heated Merseyside derby that saw his side claim a 2-0 victory over rivals Everton.

Whilst he might not grab the headlines due to a great impact from Divock Origi and a goal from Andy Robertson, he really was their stand out player defensively today.

The victory keeps Liverpool within a point of title rivals Manchester City, and on a winning run that stretches to four wins from their last five in the league.

On the other hand, it leaves Everton in the relegation zone as they face a battle to stay in the Premier League. It could be the last derby on Merseyside for a while, and it wasn’t as easy as Liverpool might have thought with Everton holding them to 0-0 in the first half.

Despite the Toffees’ best efforts, Matip remained resilient at the heart of the Reds’ backline, winning 80% of his duels including every single one of his six on the ground.

The £140k-per-week star was SofaScore’s highest-rated player out of anyone on the pitch scoring 8.2 with Robertson second with 7.8.

The 30-yeard-old has been a key part of Liverpool’s on the field success this campaign and has been Jurgen Klopp’s chosen partner to Virgil van Dijk, beating off competition from new signing Ibrahima Konate as well as Joe Gomez.

He played the full 90 minutes and also had a pass accuracy percentage of 89% which was third only to fellow defender van Dijk and midfielder Thiago. His quality is massively appreciated by Liverpool fans but less so by those outside the club.

Former Premier League player Jermaine Jenas has described Matip as “under-rated”, and we agree that he probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

Unsurprisingly when it comes to the amount of goals conceded this season, Liverpool are second only to City, having let in just 21 all campaign and a huge part of that is because of the ability of Matip.

The Reds have already won the Carabao Cup and are still in with a chance of winning every other competition. Matip has consistently proved to be a reliable player and showed again in a tough derby game just why it’s so hard to score against Liverpool’s defence.

IN other news: Sources: Liverpool agree terms to sign “special” £36m-rated ace, Klopp surely buzzing…

Celtic return to Scottish Premiership action today at Paradise in their pursuit to pull closer to the top of the table.

The Hoops are third heading into this afternoon’s encounter after Hearts moved ahead of them in the standings on Saturday, although they have two games in hand to go back into second, starting with this clash against Aberdeen.

Ange Postecoglou’s Bhoys side come into the game off the back of a 3-2 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League, and he could be tempted to make a few changes to his starting XI.

Game-changer

One player who could be thrown into the mix is young winger Liel Abada. He could come in and replace James Forrest, who endured a difficult evening against the Bundesliga outfit.

As per SofaScore, Forrest lost 75% of his duels on the pitch and failed to make a single clearance, tackle, interception or block. He also failed with his one attempted dribble and did not create a single chance for his teammates, whilst he ended the game without a shot on goal.

This suggests that he was off the pace and was unable to make a positive impact on the right wing. Therefore, it could be the ideal time for Postecoglou to axe him from the line-up and unleash Abada from the start, as the young Israel international has the quality to be a game-changer for Celtic.

The 20-year-old has averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.12 in the Premiership this season, with three goals and two assists in 11 starts. He has created a whopping nine ‘big chances’ in the league, suggesting that he deserves more than just two assists for his creative efforts.

Former Hoops player Frank McAvennie previously hailed the attacker, telling Football Insider: “He’s only 20, isn’t he? There was an element of resting him, I get that. He needs to manage that squad.

“He looks a wonderful player and when he first arrived he wanted everything. There was an early game where he took the ball off Edouard for a penalty and Edouard just went ‘no, that’s mine’.

“That was brilliant and it’s what you want to see from a young player. You can’t buy that desire and hunger. He probably didn’t expect to play as much as he has so he will be delighted.

The £2.7m-rated gem has seven goals and five assists in all competitions for the Hoops and could be a difference-maker for Postecoglou’s side against Aberdeen. He has shown with his aforementioned statistics that he is capable of creating big chances for his teammates, and his magic from the wing could be a game-changer, which is why he must start today.

AND in other news, Forget Bitton: Ange must unleash “top-class” £14k-p/w Celtic maestro vs Aberdeen…

Speaking live on Thursday during Sky Sports’ The Transfer Show, as transcribed by West Ham Zone, Kaveh Solhekol has made a claim involving the Irons and Sevilla defender Diego Carlos.

The Lowdown: West Ham in defender hunt?

Despite summer signing Kurt Zouma edging closer to a return from injury, manager David Moyes and recruitment chief Rob Newman have still been tipped to potentially sign a centre-back this month.

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At one point, it was seen as more of a major priority for the Irons due to Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna’s absences from the squad with names like Burnley’s James Tarkowski and Liverpool Nathaniel Phillips repeatedly linked.

As the January 31 deadline looms, West Ham’s search for a major mid-season signing goes on, with Solhekol now sharing what he knows after speculation arose that the Hammers may be the unnamed London side to match Newcastle United’s bid for Carlos.

The Latest: Solhekol makes live TV claim…

Making on air claim involving West Ham and the 28-year-old, Sky’s reporter has moved quickly to quash any rumours that Moyes’ men are the mystery club.

“I know for a fact it’s not West Ham United,” he said (via WHZ).

“That leaves Chelsea, Spurs, Crystal Palace and I’m not sure Crystal Palace are looking to sign a centre-back or spend £30million on a centre-back.”

The Verdict: No surprise…

The colossal Brazilian, if West Ham had tabled the bid, would arguably excite fans going by his reputation – but the player’s price tag could represent too much of a hurdle for GSB.

Lauded as a ‘beast’ and ‘revelation’ by Spanish football analyst Domagoj Kostanjšak, Carlos has averaged an impressive 3.6 clearances per 90 over his 20 Spanish top flight starts this campaign (WhoScored).

By comparison to West Ham’s current crop, only Zouma has managed more in that time (5.2) – perhaps indicating he would have been an complimentary partner in Moyes’ central defence.

Alas, with the Irons not in contention after all, it appears the Scotsman may have his sights set on other defensive targets, and perhaps ones with a cheaper price tag.

In other news: ExWHUemployee: West Ham agreement to sign ‘world class’ £17.10m striker ‘there to be done’, find out more here.

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West Ham are interested in signing Celta Vigo midfielder Stanislav Lobotka in a double transfer raid on the Spanish side, as they are also keen to take nine-goal forward Maxi Gomez from them as well, as reported exclusively by TEAMtalk.

What’s the word, then?

Much has been made of the Hammers’ pursuit for Uruguay international Gomez, with a report from Sky Sports suggesting that they are willing to meet the striker’s £43.2m release clause before loaning him back to the struggling La Liga side – Celta Vigo want to ensure they have Gomez available to aid their battle for survival.

However, the inclusion of Lobotka in this deal is a new revelation, and one that would see the east Londoners get a fantastic midfielder who has also been courted by other Premier League clubs such as Everton, Bournemouth and Leicester, according to the aforementioned TEAMtalk report.

Who should replace Marko Arnautovic if he leaves West Ham? FFC’s James Jones has the answer! Check out the video below to find out…

24-year-old Lobotka is an impressive figure in central midfield, often catching the eye with his composure, passing and dribbling skills that can get him out of tight areas, and he would be an excellent signing if West Ham do manage to get it over the line.

Who would be affected by his arrival?

If Lobotka were to arrive at the London Stadium, the Slovakian would surely immediately threaten Mark Noble’s position in the team.

The Irons’ captain has been a regular feature alongside the outstanding Declan Rice so far this season, but at 31 years of age, Manuel Pellegrini may want a younger face to fill that role, as well as a better player in general – Noble is a hero at West Ham, but he perhaps shouldn’t still be in the team week in, week out.

Another man whose future at the club would be thrown into serious doubt is Pedro Obiang. The Spanish midfielder has featured sporadically under Pellegrini so far this season, making just nine Premier League starts (as per WhoScored) – he also made the XI in the FA Cup game against AFC Wimbledon on Saturday, but struggled and was taken off at half-time in what turned out to be a 4-2 loss for the Hammers.

Following on from their convincing 5-0 win over Morecambe on Tuesday, Sunderland are back in League One action once again this weekend with another home clash against Plymouth Argyle, who are currently just two points below the Black Cats in the league table, making it a big game for Lee Johnson’s side and their promotion hopes.

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players Johnson could pick to start on Saturday afternoon, one man who played a big part in the win against Morecambe and should duly keep his place in the starting XI to face Plymouth is Leon Dajaku.

With 90 minutes under his belt against the Shrimpers in the left wing-back position, the youngster showed his manager how capable he is of playing in that role.

During the game, Dajaku had 78 touches of the ball and completed 42 of his 48 passes, with two key passes and one goal to his name. The 20-year-old also recorded five successful dribbles and won five duels, highlighting his energy to attack and win the ball back for his side.

This performance earned the German an overall match rating of 7.6/10 from SofaScore, making him Sunderland’s joint-third highest rated player on the day.

Since joining the Wearside club on a loan deal from Union Berlin back in August, Dajaku – who is currently valued at £1.62m by Transfermarkt – has scored four goals in 11 League One appearances.

With Kevin Phillips saying when the 20-year-old joined Sunderland that he must have “serious ability” having been involved with Bayern Munich’s youth ranks earlier in his career, he certainly seems to have been showing that ability at Sunderland, particularly in front of goal, making it a smart piece of summer business from the Black Cats to get him in.

Looking ahead to the Plymouth game, Johnson should definitely stick with having Dajaku in the starting XI – as well as Lynden Gooch, who also impressed in the win against Morecambe – to give Sunderland some extra attacking power, which they will need if they want to pick up all three points against Argyle and push closer to the top of the League One table.

In other news – Big relief: Sunderland handed major injury boost which will surely have Johnson buzzing 

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has name-dropped James Ward-Prowse as the kind of signing he’d love to see at Leeds United.

What’s the story?

The Southampton captain was linked with a move away from St Mary’s in the summer transfer window when reports emerged of interest from fellow Premier League side Aston Villa, but the England international stayed put.

Hay has now suggested that Ward-Prowse could be a great fit at Elland Road instead.

He said in a Q&A for The Athletic: “Ward-Prowse is a terrific player who will surely move on from Southampton eventually. The sort of player I’d like to see at Leeds. From what I’m told, Leeds don’t intend to go back for Nketiah.”

Imagine him and Kalvin Phillips

While Kalvin Phillips might currently be out injured, the prospect of seeing him line up with his England colleague in the Leeds engine room is surely mouth-watering.

Dubbed a “machine” by his teammates at Southampton, the £42m-rated Ward-Prowse had a fine season in the Premier League last year.

The £100k-per-week ace would offer something that Leeds really missed last season – goals from midfield. The Saints star managed eight goals in the Premier League, as well as chipping in with seven assists, numbers which are far better than anything that Bielsa’s current options produced (Mateusz Klich was the closest with four strikes to his name).

As per FBRef.com, Ward-Prowse’s passes in the Premier League last season progressed for more than 10,000 yards, a real indication of how he is always looking to move things forward rather than keeping things simple.

That figure ranks him 49th in the entire division for 2020/21, a pretty impressive achievement considering that most of the players above him are goalkeepers and defenders – in terms of midfielders, only Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Ashley Westwood, Rodri and Granit Xhaka exceeded the 26-year-old’s tally.

Having him alongside a deeper-lying playmaker like Phillips could see Leeds have the perfect blend of control and dynamism in midfield, with the former protecting the back four and setting up attacks, and Ward-Prowse getting further forward to offer a goal threat.

It would be a real dream midfield duo for Bielsa.

Meanwhile, Leeds could finally axe one flop by signing this Championship sensation…

Last summer’s transfer window was a particularly busy one for Southampton, who brought in the likes of Valentino Livramento, Lyanco, Romain Perraud and Adam Armstrong on permanent deals.

Armando Broja also came to St Mary’s over the summer on a loan move from Chelsea until the end of the season.

Even though the 20-year-old is currently expected to rejoin the west London club when his deal at Southampton expires, it seems as though there could be a possible change of plans in that regard.

What’s the news?

In a recent Twitter post from Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas, Southampton are “aware of interest building” in Broja from other clubs and want to sign him on a permanent basis from Chelsea.

Since arriving at St Mary’s, the Albanian has scored seven goals in 19 appearances across all competitions so far this season, showing how much of a capable and useful attacking outlet he has been for Ralph Hasenhuttl despite not getting much senior action at Stamford Bridge.

With his goalscoring efforts in mind, it’s easy to see why Southampton would want to have him on a permanent basis rather than give him back to Chelsea at the end of the season.

In terms of the 20-year-old’s future, with the Blues having the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner in their squad who can or predominantly play at centre-forward, it would be hard to see Broja getting as much game-time at Stamford Bridge next season as he has been at Southampton.

This could persuade the player to stay with the south coast club on a permanent basis rather than potentially wasting his time at Chelsea if he isn’t going to be guaranteed regular game-time under Thomas Tuchel.

Moving forward, either this month or in the summer transfer window, Southampton should definitely approach the west Londoners to see whether or not they would be willing to negotiate a suitable deal whoch would see Broja become a permanent Saints player and continue his career there. That would surely please Hasenhuttl and a lot of Southampton fans, especially if the Albanian can continue finding the net with regularity.

In other news – Imagine him & Ward-Prowse: Solak could form scary Saints duo with “dynamic” £18m-rated beast