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Aston Villa are ‘on pole’ to sign Aaron Ramsey this summer, according to Outlet Sportmediaset, via tuttomercatoweb and Birmingham Live.

And, as to be expected, a number of Villa supporters have been sharing their thoughts on the links on social media.

Villa have already signed Emiliano Buendia and Ashley Young this summer, with NSWE sensing a real opportunity to catch and leapfrog the likes of Arsenal, Everton and Tottenham with their off-field business.

Ramsey, who wants to leave Italy this summer, is one of the latest players to be linked with a move to Villa Park and isn’t in Juventus’ plans.

The Wales international, currently at Euro 2020, is thought to be on £187,000-a-week in Turin and has two years remaining on his deal.

Villa fans react

@AVFC_News shared the links to Ramsey on Twitter during Thursday, with their posts receiving plenty of interaction from Villa fans.

This is what some had to say on the rumours, with one questioning whether he could be next season’s Ross Barkley.

“This would be a fantastic signing – I really believe Ramsey would be the key to trophy success for Villa – really hope they can convince him to come.”Credit: @rlancaster1″Super player, would be a great addition.”Credit: @DavidKe24236510″Is Ramsey next season’s Barkley?”Credit: @rlancaster1″In a heartbeat”Credit: @ged_egan”Only one Aaron Ramsey in my book who already plays for us”Credit: @johnchurchley”In Deano we trust”Credit: @MartinSkel_

In other news: Vila have big-money bid turned down for English midfielder, find out more here. 

Kalvin Phillips has earned himself a lot of plaudits this season after taking to the Premier League like duck to water and he would only benefit from staying at Elland Road for another season, according to former midfielder David Norris, who played with Phillips when they were both at Leeds.

Phillips appeared to be a shoo-in for a place in Gareth Southgate’s European Championship squad this summer but a last-minute shoulder injury against West Brom has thrown his availability up in the air.

The 25-year old has proved how important he is to Marcelo Bielsa as he operates in the lone holding midfielder role which sees him shepherd the back four as well as linking attacks up quickly, and his performances have seen Pep Guardiola reportedly identify him as his number-one target this summer.

Leeds are not in a position where they have to sell after finishing in the top half in their first season back in the Premier League and Bielsa is set to stay so Norris can’t see Phillips leaving this summer, telling The Transfer Tavern exclusively:

“My initial thought was no chance because he’s been flying this season even breaking into the England team. So, I would be surprised as Leeds want to keep him, he loves Leeds because he’s been there a long time. He was even there as a kid when I was at the club so I’d like to see him stay longer.

“Obviously, Man City is a massive club but I would be worried about his game time. I’d like to see him stay and continue and if I’m thinking like a player, I would probably want to keep playing regularly and I would like to see him do a bit more with Leeds.”

There had been a lot of speculation over Bielsa’s future with even some reports suggesting that the Leeds’ hierarchy were preparing for life without him, however, it is expected that he will sign a new contract this summer.

Instead of letting the speculation get to the players’ heads, Leeds will want to see them all knuckle down over the summer and get ready for potentially gatecrashing the European party next season.

West Ham United should be in for an exciting summer as David Moyes looks to bolster his playing squad ahead of a campaign in the Europa League next season.

It’s no secret that the 58-year-old needs additions right across the pitch, most notably up front, with Michail Antonio being his only senior striker since January.

There are also a lot of question marks over the future of Jesse Lingard, a player who has played an integral part in the Irons achieving a European finish.

The east Londoners would like to sign him permanently from Manchester United in the upcoming transfer window but, according to The Sun, there has been no contact between the two clubs over making that happen just yet, and there is a fear that the Red Devils could keep hold of him.

It means that West Ham should probably start considering other options, in which West Brom sensation Matheus Pereira features, whilst they have also been linked to Norwich City’s Player of the Season Emiliano Buendia.

Earlier this month, the Sunday Mirror (2nd May, page 72) linked the Hammers to the 24-year-old maestro but, since then, The Athletic believe that both Arsenal and Aston Villa are going toe-to-toe over his signature.

David Ornstein revealed that the Canaries expect him to leave in the summer window but it will require a fee in the region of £40m to sell him. That does seem like a huge price but his performances this season have been off the charts.

On their way to the Championship title, the Argentine playmaker has provided the Norfolk club with 15 goals and 17 assists, managing a direct contribution once every 106 minutes, as per Transfermarkt.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-and-the-latest-gossip-gsb-moyes-striker-future-signings” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

By comparison, Lingard managed a goal or assist every 101 minutes since joining West Ham, although he registered just one assist in their final six matches of the season.

Moyes has had some very impressive names in the same role and he certainly hasn’t been afraid to dip into the lower divisions in English football to find the right man. For example, Tim Cahill was plucked from Millwall and quickly became one of the Scotsman’s most reliable and tenacious threats from midfield at Everton.

Only four other players have made more appearances under Moyes (277) but no man scored more than goals than the Australian talisman (68), via Transfermarkt.

In Buendia, the Hammers boss could well find himself another Cahill.

Recently lauded as a “special talent” by Norwich team-mate Ben Gibson, the 24-year-old has proven to be a source of consistency when it comes to creativity.

He averaged a whopping 3.1 key passes per game, a number which saw him top the charts across the Championship by quite some margin, and would also see him eclipse every single West Ham player by nearly double in 2020/21.

Also dubbed a “game-changer” by Norwich manager Daniel Farke, and “tenacious” and “very strong” by team-mate Max Aarons, it’s clear to see that the £20m-rated midfielder is destined for big things in the Premier League.

If Lingard proves to be out of reach, then Moyes should certainly look to repeat his successful trick with Cahill by plotting a swoop for the Canaries hotshot instead.

He would be a fine addition ahead of their Europa League campaign in the autumn.

AND in other news, West Ham could find next Antonio in explosive 23-goal “absolute predator”…

According to a report by Daily Mail correspondent Jack Gaughan, via City Xtra, the club have held post-retirement role discussions with Manchester City favourite Fernandinho and there is even a growing possibility of the midfielder extending his stay at the Etihad Stadium after recent performances.

The Brazilian has been a mainstay since signing at Eastlands back in the summer of 2013, making 347 appearances in all competitions whilst scoring 24 goals and assisting 28 others as a defensive midfielder (Transfermarkt).

He has been a pivotal member of the squad over City’s last few Premier League title triumphs under Pep Guardiola and has continued to play a role when called upon this campaign.

The 36-year-old captained City to a stunning victory over Paris-Saint Germain in their Champions League semi-final tie midweek after being handed the nod over Rodri, and his gritty performance highlighted exactly why supporters love him.

Now, Mail journalist Gaughan says there is a ‘growing possibility’ of the midfield colossus extending his contract after recent performances and the club have even held discussions with him over remaining at the club post-retirement.

Flocking to this claim, many Sky Blues have understandably erupted – find all of their best verdicts from social media down below.

Man City fans erupt over Fernandinho news

“I am on my knees, give him whatever he wants”

Credit: @amlmcfc

“YEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS”

Credit: @ManCitehzen

“VAMOSSSSSS”

Credit: @onemilli19

“Let’s gooooo”

Credit: @deyab_mcfc

“GIVE IT HIM. KEEP HIM HERE FOR A LIFETIME”

Credit: @FouldsAshley

“Sign him for another 10 years”

Credit: @itscharly19_

“Give him a 50 year contract imo”

Credit: @mohameddamiin2

In other news: Man City fans blasted this PSG ‘clown’ after what he said, find out more here.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Leicester City striker Brian Deane believes Ben Chilwell’s move to Chelsea has worked out well for all parties.

Chilwell, who came through the ranks at Leicester, departed the King Power for Stamford Bridge last summer in a £50m deal.

Since then, Leicester have gone on to win the FA Cup, beating Chilwell’s Chelsea 1-0 in the final, while the 24-year-old left-back has not always been an automatic starter under Thomas Tuchel.

In fact, the German left him on the bench during that clash at Wembley, instead opting for Marcos Alonso.

Nevertheless, Deane feels his old side, Chelsea and Chilwell will still all be pleased with the transfer. The ex-Leicester player told FFC in an exclusive interview:

“I don’t think it was a bad decision for him to go to Chelsea. I think it was a good decision for Leicester because they got a lot of money for him and they can bring somebody else in, which they have done and it’s been seamless.

“I think Chelsea have brought somebody in who they feel might be at the club for the next five or 10 years, so I think it works well for everybody. I don’t think Ben Chilwell’s got any regrets; I don’t think Leicester have any regrets.

“I just think it’s one of those that works for everybody.”

While he, of course, missed out on the FA Cup to his former side, this could still end up being an incredibly successful season for Chilwell and Chelsea, who will be aiming for Champions League glory next Saturday when they take on Manchester City.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Marlon Harewood, who scored 45 goals for Nottingham Forest, has backed Chris Hughton to guide his former club to promotion next season.

Nottingham Forest have not been in the Premier League since 1999, but they have Hughton as manager who has experience taking both Brighton and Newcastle from the Championship into the top flight.

Hughton has been able to steer Forest away from the relegation zone as they currently sit 15th and a comfortable 10 points above the drop zone with just five games left to play.

Speaking on his hopes for Nottingham Forest next season and what Chris Hughton must do to get them back pushing for the playoffs like they were last season, Harewood told FFC:

“I would love for Chris to take Forest up because they need to be back there and I think next season is their time.

“After what they’ve been through this year I think they just need to rebuild and try to get back to where they used to be.”

Forest’s problem this season has been in the final third as only Derby County, Birmingham City and Wycombe Wanderers have scored fewer than the 34 they have managed.

Next season will be a different one for Hughton as the club will lose the six players they currently have on loan, which will force a squad overhaul in the summer.

Former Sunderland loanee Adnan Januzaj is a classic case of ‘what if?’ not only for the Mackems but also for the player himself.

What if David Moyes had extracted more from the player’s game during the 2016/17 season? That campaign was a torrid one for Sunderland, a term that was marred by their relegation from the Premier League.

The Black Cats had spent ten years dining at the top table in English football but Moyes was unable to steer them to safety.

Januzaj was a player who could have benefited their cause. He signed on loan from Manchester United after a season where’d been in and around their first term. He also joined on a temporary basis after a short stint on loan at Borussia Dortmund.

On paper, the Belgium international should have done a lot more at the Stadium of Light.

He departed after Sunderland’s relegation with just one goal and three assists to his name in 28 appearances. Evidently, the young talent wasn’t living up to the hype.

Januzaj was sent off within a matter of weeks of being at the club and things didn’t get much better for him.

Speaking about the dynamic forward in January 2017, Moyes said: “I’m quite tough on Adnan.”

He then added: “He’s got individual ability but at the moment I’ve not seen him really hit the form which I’d love him to have done.”

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-sunderland-transfer-rumours-and-news-grigg-denayer-louis-dreyfus-sanderson-melamed” title=”Latest Sunderland transfer news and views!”]

Sunderland supporters rarely saw the best from a man that was valued at £6.3m when he was in the north-east as he departed with a dismal legacy.

Things never worked out for Januzaj once he returned to Manchester United but he is now thriving in Spain and excelling in Europe for Real Sociedad.

In 2019, his transfer value had increased by £7.2m to a total of £13.5m and it was clear to see why. The 26-year-old scored eight times and picked up four assists throughout 2019/20 and he has impressed this term as well.

Januzaj has been involved in four goals in 20 La Liga outings and helped his side to a first Copa del Rey trophy in 34 years.

He has helped steer Sociedad to fifth in the Spanish top-flight and to the later stages of the Europa League. In that competition, the creative attacker has managed a mighty 4.1 dribbles per game and 1.7 key passes a match.

For context, only two players in the entire competition have managed more successful take-ons this season.

It’s hardly a surprise, therefore, that he’s earned plaudits.

After registering two key passes and three dribbles against Man United in the last 16 of the Europa League back in February, Paul Scholes commented: “I never understood why it didn’t work out for him because he had such talent, but it didn’t.

“He’s gone on to good things and tonight he’s been excellent. I knew this kid had ability and he’s showing it.”

It’s a shame, therefore, that he wasn’t able to harness similar qualities at Sunderland. On his day, he is an enthralling watch. Regrettably, that was never really seen under Moyes.

AND in other news, Forget Scowen: SAFC must swoop for “technically gifted” 19 y/o whose “touch is a joke”…

Carlo Ancelotti will be vexing the international break amid claims Everton winger Alex Iwobi has tested positive for coronavirus while with the Nigeria national side.

That’s according to Complete Sports, who note that the forward will undergo a second test ahead of the Super Eagles’ 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier with Lesotho on Tuesday.

Iwobi is currently isolating and is expected to be re-tested on Monday, after being forced to miss his nation’s 1-0 win over Benin on Saturday having returned a positive result.

But the Super Eagles dispute the outcome of Iwobi’s positive test and allegedly will not accept the result until the second test is returned.

Nigeria have already qualified for the next edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, with Gernot Rohr’s side top of Group L on 11 points after going unbeaten over five games.

Benin sit second after Saturday’s defeat to the Super Eagles on seven points, while Lesotho are bottom and cannot progress.

Rohr had named Iwobi in his starting line-up for the AFCON qualifying tie with Benin, and he was replaced by Galatasaray’s former Everton attacker Henry Onyekuru.

Iwobi had not missed a single fixture for Nigeria in any competition since September 2018 when illness prevented his involvement in an AFCON qualifier with Seychelles, playing 1,828 of a possible 1,980 minutes over 22 games.

The 24-year-old will hope to return a negative test in time to face Lesotho on Tuesday for a chance at earning his 45th-cap and striking his 10th international goal or fourth assist.

Iwobi returning a second positive test and having to continue isolating will come as a blow for Everton, as boss Ancelotti begins preparing plans to face Crystal Palace at Goodison Park next Monday.

The Lagos-born attacker has been a regular aspect of Ancelotti’s side this season with 15 starts over 25 Premier League appearances from a possible 28, including opening each of the Toffees’ last three.

Ancelotti would surely be left vexing the international break should Iwobi now be unable to play a role at any stage at home to the Eagles, when he will hope to see Everton return to winning ways after defeats to Chelsea and Burnley.

The Blues now sit five points behind Thomas Tuchel’s Blues in the race for the final Champions League position, albeit with a game in hand, and trail West Ham by three points, Tottenham Hotspur by two points and Liverpool on goal difference.

Ancelotti would not be the first Premier League manager to be critical of the March international break, after Pep Guardiola joined Jurgen Klopp and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in voicing fears of players having to isolate upon their return.

“It makes no sense if the players go to the national team and then have to isolate for 10 days when they come back,” the Manchester City boss said, via quotes by BBC Sport, at the start of the month.

Ancelotti also noted that he would “prefer” to keep any player who may be impacted by Covid restrictions on Merseyside “if they have to quarantine”, and he could now find himself in that position with Iwobi.

AND in other news, Everton land a huge boost but face PL competition for a £26m star who’s “grown so much”…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie believes Trezeguet could save his old side millions if he manages to add some consistency to his game.

Trezeguet was at his best for Villa last weekend, coming off the bench to score twice and inspire Dean Smith’s men to a 3-1 win over Fulham.

Those two strikes were the Egyptian’s first goals of the Premier League season and, while Hendrie has been critical of him in the past and Gabby Agbonlahor has called him “frustrating”, the ex-Villa player feels a consistent Trezeguet could have his use yet.

On the 26-year-old, Hendrie told FFC in an exclusive interview:

“You need that consistency level if you’re going to play in the Premier League. You can’t be coming in and playing and being the hero three times a season, you need to be there on a regular occasion. And that’s the only thing I would say about Trezeguet.

“If he had that consistent run… he’s played a lot of games this season, but he hasn’t really been one of those players that’s gone and created and scored loads of goals. It’s been in flashes and sparks that we’ve seen it. So, yeah, he possibly can save the club millions.”

Villa look set to strengthen the wide positions in the summer, so Trezeguet will certainly have to up his game going forward and try to find some more consistency.

According to The Telegraph, bringing in a new winger is a priority for the Midlands club in the next transfer window. In addition to a wide man, Smith could also target a centre-forward.

With Celtic’s season now more or less done and dusted, the preparation can begin for next term at Parkhead.

It will be one of the most important in the club’s recent history as they strive to achieve parity with their biggest rivals and reclaim their dominance of Scottish football.

On the chalkboard

There aren’t many positives to take from this season. The defending has been diabolical and errors have littered their play.

They have conceded 14 more goals than Rangers and have been left to rue some poor recruitment last summer.

Though, if we are looking for salvage points from a torrid campaign, look no further than Ismaila Soro.

The Ivorian arrived in January 2020 but had to wait until the end of the year to really make his mark in a Hoops shirt. He burst onto the scene during the win over Lille in the Europa League, a match where he produced a colossal ten tackles.

For a period of time, he was irreplaceable in the Bhoys side. When Soro has started this term, Celtic have lost just twice in the league.

Though, with Neil Lennon brutally moving him back to the bench, he has now only started just once since the end of January. Soro is also struggling to appear from the substitute’s bench.

That being said, he has caught the eye when he’s featured, making 2.3 tackles per game on average this term. With that in mind, he feels like the most natural successor to Scott Brown if he winds down his contract.

A sticking point

Soro might well be viewed as the internal heir to Brown’s throne but Celtic’s recruitment team could take things in a different direction.

That’s because the Hoops have consistently been linked with a move for Crystal Palace midfielder James McCarthy. Their interest initially arose last summer and then it re-emerged in January.

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James McFadden even recently told the media that he could come in and replace Brown. On a grand total of £50k-per-week at Selhurst Park, he’d presumably have to take a considerable wage drop to move to Glasgow.

That being said, he is out of contract in the summer and available on a free transfer. Soro, however, will have every right to be fuming with the Celtic hierarchy if they sign another midfielder, especially one of McCarthy’s calibre.

Dubbed a “class player” by Roy Hodgson, the 30-year-old has 42 caps for Ireland to his name and 267 Premier League appearances under his belt.

With that in mind, he’d surely come to Paradise in a bid to start ahead of Soro. For someone who has been so impressive whenever he’s played, this would be an almighty blow to his aspirations.

The 22-year-old immediately came in and made the Bhoys look like a better defensive outfit. When he started his first game of the season in the 2-0 win over Kilmarnock in December, he helped Lennon’s men keep their first clean sheet since early October.

He has been the glue that binds this team together at stages this term. That being said, in recent months, he has been dislodged by the wise old head in Brown. Thus, if McCarthy arrives, it would only further hinder his chances of regular football at Parkhead.

Considering how impressive he’s been, this would understandably be a bitter pill to swallow.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Ajer: Celtic must unleash rarely-seen “tower” next term, he’s a big “weapon”…