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Former BBC pundit Noel Whelan has warned Manchester City not to get rid of Bernardo Silva this summer after they put a huge price tag on the midfield maestro’s head.

The Lowdown: City demand £80m for Silva

The 27-year-old first joined the Premier League champions when he arrived from Monaco back in 2017, and has gone on to become a Sky Blues fan favourite during his five years at the club, making 251 appearances to date.

The midfielder still has three years remaining on his current contract at the Etihad, and it was claimed by the Daily Mirror last week that the club will demand ‘in excess of £80m’ from Barcelona this summer, who want to bring the versatile star to La Liga.

The Latest: Whelan sends City warning

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan suggested that whilst £80m would be a good value deal for any interested clubs, he strongly believes that Silva could strike up a great partnership with new signing Erling Haaland.

“He’s been one of the most consistent players for Man City in every season since joining. He was close to leaving last summer, but what a revelation he was in the 2021-22 season.

“On his day, he’s just one of these players you can’t defend against.

“£80m doesn’t seem a bad figure from a buyer’s perspective, especially as he has another three or four years of his best football ahead of him.

“I would be really reluctant to sell him if I were Man City.

“You’ve got Erling Haaland coming in who would thrive from having his quality. What’s the point of bringing Haaland in if he’s not going to get the service?”

The Verdict: Valuable creative outlet

With Fernandinho confirmed to be leaving this summer, as well as the uncertainty surrounding the future of Ilkay Gundogan, City need to do everything that they can to keep Silva, who has been a brilliant creative outlet in the middle of the park.

This season, the 70-cap international racked up 13 goals and provided seven assists across all competitions under Pep Guardiola, as per Transfermarkt, and played a huge role in helping the Spaniard get his hands on yet another top-flight trophy.

Whether the Lisbon-born talent will still be a City player come the start of August yet remains to be seen, but we find it very difficult do disagree with Whelan’s assessment.

In other news… another Manchester City first team star could reportedly be tempted by a ‘fresh challenge’ away from the Etihad.

Former Glasgow Rangers manager Alex McLeish has delivered his assessment on the future of Nikola Katic at Ibrox. 

The lowdown: Out of favour

The 25-year-old initially flourished at the Light Blues but missed 57 games following a cruel cruciate ligament rupture midway through the 2019/20 season and was sent to Croatia in order to regain invaluable match fitness.

Having previously been an integral member of Steven Gerrard’s plans, the central defender spent the entirety of the recent campaign at Hajduk Split and played a part in a domestic cup success.

Now, as the one-cap senior international prepares to return to Glasgow, one interested observer has claimed there could be a pivotal role for the defender under Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

The latest: ‘Big headache’

Speaking to Football Insider, McLeish, who now works as a pundit for Sky Sports, has suggested Katic could solve a problem for the Gers.

The 63-year-old said: “There were times when I looked at Katic and I thought: ‘Yeah, he looks really promising’. I spoke to Richard Gough as well a while back when Katic was playing. Richard quite liked the cut of his jib. He thought he was a decent player.

“It went a wee bit topsy-turvy for him. You’d think, having played at Hadjuk Split’s level, he’s obviously playing with good technical players. Can he come back? Of course. He’s a big lad who can cope with the hurly-burly of Scottish football. If he’s had that experience and he’s over all his injuries, it seems like it’s back to normal. It’s one they’ve already got in the bank. There’s one already kind of ready-made. Is he of the level of Rangers and the levels they’ve reached with European football?

“You would think that there is something there already on the books that could perhaps save them a big headache.”

The verdict: Strength in numbers

After it was confirmed Conor Goldson would remain at the club this week, Katic’s return with regular action under his belt means that the central defensive department is almost completely taken care of entirely for next term.

The combative star, who was described as a ‘warrior’ by Gerrard, earned a stellar 7.01 Sofascore rating across 21 league outings in his homeland, winning a monstrous 6.5 duels and making 3.5 clearances on average per game whilst helping keep seven clean sheets.

Added to Goldson, Filip Helander, Calvin Bassey, James Sands and perhaps Leon Balogun, Van Bronckhorst has a wealth of centre-back options at his disposal with the return of Katic and as such the Teddy Bears can be confident of at least having an assured backline next season.

In other news: GvB rejects bid for Ianis Hagi!

Sunderland ended their four-year spell in the third tier of English football as they won in the final of the League One play-offs last month.

The Black Cats will now be competing in the Championship next season after Alex Neil guided the team to a 2-0 win over Wycombe at Wembley.

Elliot Embleton and Ross Stewart scored the goals in the final after the club beat Sheffield Wednesday over two legs in the semi-finals.

Neil and Kristjaan Speakman will now be plotting deals to improve the squad with a view to being competitive in the second tier next term.

They have already been linked with a number of players and one gem who has been touted with a return to the Stadium of Light is central defender Dion Sanderson.

Sunderland are reportedly interested in signing him from Wolves, on a temporary or permanent basis, after his loan spell in the 2020/21 campaign.

Imagine him & Bailey Wright

Journalist Josh Bunting has claimed that he would be a “perfect” signing for Neil’s style of play. He is a defender who is comfortable in possession and this means that he can build up the play for the Scot from the back.

During his time with the Black Cats, the centre-back completed 83% of his passes, 93% in his own half, and completed 75% of his dribbles as he stepped out from the backline to start attacks.

Neil can pair him with Wright to form a solid defence in the Championship as their respective qualities can complement each other. Whilst the current Wolves man has the technical ability to be a ball progressor from centre-back, the Australian enforcer is a strong defender who can get stuck in.

In the 2021/22 campaign, the ex-Bristol City gem won an impressive 65% of his duels and made 3.2 clearances per game as he showcased his strength and positioning.

That is not to say that Sanderson is not a good defender, though, as he caught the eye for the club in the past. Josh Bunting dubbed the centre-back “absolutely superb” and his statistics for Sunderland in League One back that up. In 26 third-tier outings, Sanderson averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 6.92 whilst playing for Lee Johnson.

The 22-year-old made 1.9 tackles and interceptions per game as he won 61% of his duels, showing that he – like Wright – has the quality to defend his own goal.

Now, imagine both of them lining up in Neil’s defence next season…

This is a deal the Scottish boss must get done in the coming weeks, whether that is on a permanent basis or on loan from the Premier League side.

AND in other news, Speakman plotting Sunderland swoop for “massive” 6 ft 3 colossus, Neil would love him…

Fabrizio Romano has dropped an update on the future of Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte.

What’s the latest?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Italian journalist revealed that, following Conte’s meeting with Fabio Paratici this week, it has now been confirmed that the 52-year-old will remain as Spurs’ manager heading into the 2022/23 campaign.

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In his tweet, the transfer insider said: “Spurs sources have been confident for days and it’s now decided: Antonio Conte will be Tottenham manager for the next season.”

Supporters will be buzzing

With Conte having inspired a quite remarkable turnaround at Spurs following his appointment as Nuno Espirito Santo’s successor in the Tottenham dugout last November, Romano’s update revealing that the Italian will remain in charge of the club in 2022/23 will undoubtedly have left Lilywhites supporters buzzing.

After taking over a team sitting ninth in the Premier League at the time of his arrival, Conte’s Spurs secured 17 wins and five draws over his 28 league games at the helm, picking up an impressive 56 points on his watch and securing a top-four finish on the final day of the season.

Furthermore, since the turn of the year, Tottenham’s return of 41 points from 21 games played sees them rank as the third-best team in the top flight, behind only Liverpool (51) and Manchester City (43).

As such, with a summer transfer window and a full pre-season for the 52-year-old manager to prepare this summer, it would very much appear as if this form could improve even further heading into the upcoming campaign, with the news that Conte is happy to remain in north London for at least a further year certainly being fantastic for everyone involved with the club.

AND in other news: Conte now plotting Spurs bid for “perfect” £60m target, he’s Jorginho 2.0

West Bromwich Albion are gearing up for a busy summer transfer window as Steve Bruce confirmed there would be changes ahead of next season, and now a new update on a transfer target has emerged.

What’s the latest?

According to Football League World, West Brom have opened talks will Milwall winger Jed Wallace who is set to leave his current club on a free transfer this summer.

As per the report, it claims that sources have revealed that the Baggies are confident that they can get the deal done in the near future, and the player will join the club later this summer.

Bruce will love him

Something West Brom struggled with this season is finishing their chances and adding more clinical players will surely strengthen the team ahead of next season, so there is no doubt that Bruce will love Wallace.

According to SofaScore, the 28-year-old attacker has scored six goals and contributed 12 assists, creating 14 big chances, making 2.5 key passes and taking 2.7 shots on average per game over 38 appearances in the Championship this season, proving he can be a real threat in front of goal, something West Brom desperately need.

The Baggies have confirmed that they will release their short-term attacking solution Andy Carroll at the end of his contract this summer, so identifying a new experienced and reliable attacker will be a top priority for Bruce and if the sources are to be believed it seems that Wallace could be the perfect solution that can save the club millions.

Both Romaine Sawyers and England goal-keeper Sam Johnstone will also be released by the club this summer, and as a result, Bruce will be keen to get a deal over the line for the Millwall star so he can move on to identifying signings in other areas of the squad that require his immediate attention.

Burnley, Leeds United and Besiktas are three clubs who are also reportedly interested in signing Wallace this summer, so West Brom will need to act fast and offer an attractive deal to the player to push away competition and secure his signature as soon as possible.

AND in other news: Bruce can save WBA millions by unleashing “explosive” prodigy, just imagine him & Dike…

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard wants to win the growing Premier League battle for Rangers defender Calvin Bassey.

The Lowdown: Gerrard’s relationship with Bassey

Gerrard signed the 22-year-old from Leicester City whilst he was in charge at the Scottish outfit back in 2020.

The left-sided centre-back went on to play 28 times under the Englishman, before the manager made the move to Villa in late 2021.

Bassey has since gone on to establish himself as one of Rangers’ most crucial players, having amassed 64 appearances for the club to date – 17 of which have come in the UEFA Europa League.

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The Latest: Gerrard wants Bassey at Villa

According to a late-night report from the Daily Record, following a stunning display in Wednesday’s final, Gerrard wants to reunite with Bassey at Aston Villa.

The Villans boss wants to strengthen the left side of his defence and has identified the Nigeria international as the man to do so.

Gerrard even sent a number of Villa officials to the Scottish Cup final to watch the defender face off against Hearts.

However, the former Ibrox man knows that he faces tough competition in the race for the youngster’s signature, with five Premier League teams, including Fulham, Wolves and Brentford, and a further two Serie A sides, all interested in signing the defender.

The Verdict: Bad news for Rangers

Former Hibs and Hearts midfielder Michael Stewart lauded Bassey following his display against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday, when his side cruelly lost the tie on penalties. Taking to Twitter, Stewart claimed that the 22-year-old is “absolutely unbelievable”, and that Rangers “must do everything to keep a hold of him”.

Rangers are currently grasping on to Bassey as he is still under contract until the summer of 2024. However, if a club-record bid does come in for the centre-back, then it is unlikely that the club rejects the offer, especially now with no automatic pass into the Champions League.

Therefore, news of Gerrard’s renewed interest will come as a huge blow for Rangers fans.

In other news: Rangers: Paddy Kenny issues summer transfer warning

Celtic have the chance to end to their season with one last victory this afternoon as they welcome Motherwell to Parkhead for their last Premiership match of the campaign.

The Hoops clinched the league title after their 1-1 draw against Dundee United in midweek but will still want to bow out with a win in front of their home crowd this time around.

With that in mind, here’s how we feel Ange Postecoglou could line his side up for their final game of the campaign.

In goal, having kept 19 clean sheets in 34 league appearances this term, it seems likely that Joe Hart will start once again to see if he can add another shutout to his tally.

For the back four, we predict that Postecoglou will stick with the same quadruple which started in midweek, with Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers as the two centre-backs, leaving Greg Taylor on the left and Anthony Ralston on the right.

Moving on to midfield, it seems a certainty that club captain Callum McGregor will lead his side out one more time this season.

Elsewhere throughout the tam, we think that the 56-year-old Hoops boss will make five changes in total from Wednesday night.

For the two remaining midfield places, we predict that David Turnbull will replace Matt O’Riley to see if the Scotsman can add to the five goals and five assists that he has delivered this season in the league.

Praised in the past by Alan Hutton for his “phenomenal” performances, Turnbull certainly has what it takes to secure a win for his side with his knack for scoring and creating goals.

For the final midfield position, after the club recently announced that Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton will be leaving Glasgow after today’s match, we can see Postecoglou giving the Australian his final start for the club.

This would lead to Reo Hatate coming out of the side. Having been slammed in the past for a “nasty” tackle that he committed earlier in the season by former referee Steve Conroy, the Japanese midfielder could be used as a substitute on this occasion or just given an early rest.

In attack, we think that the Celtic boss will make even more changes and completely swap out the three who started on Wednesday.

Therefore, we predict that Jota and Daizen Maeda will start on the wings on either side of Kyogo Furuhashi through the middle.

In other news: Postecoglou must axe wasteful £14.5k-p/w Celtic ace, he’s holding the team back

Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan is set to leave the club alongside Fernandinho this summer, claims the Daily Mail’s Mike Keegan.

The Lowdown: Gundogan’s City career

The Germany international signed for Man City in the summer of 2016 from Borussia Dortmund for a fee in the region of £20m.

Since then, the 31-year-old has gone on to have an illustrious career with the Sky Blues. In 252 appearances for the club, the midfielder has scored 47 goals and has produced 33 assists.

However, Gundogan has found game time to be less regular this season due to a mixture of injuries and the good form of his teammates. As a result, he has started just 20 league times during the 2021/22 campaign.

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The Latest: Gundogan set to leave

Taking to Twitter, Mike Keegan shared the shocking news that Gundogan is set to follow Fernandinho out the Etihad exit door this summer:

“EXCLUSIVE: Ilkay Gundogan is set to leave Manchester City this summer. Club say no talks until season end but understand position made clear. Situation with Guardiola first signing ‘very amicable’. Player took jet to Madrid this morning.”

The Verdict: Big loss

Described by teammate Joao Cancelo as a “phenomenal player”, the German’s presence and experience will be heavily missed in Pep Guardiola’s midfield, especially with Brazilian general Fernandinho also departing.

This is illustrated by his incredible underlying stats. As per FB Ref, Gundogan ranks in the 99th percentile for non-penalty expected goals and non-penalty expected goals plus expected assists; furthermore, he ranks in the 98th percentile for shots, touches in the attacking penalty area and progressive passes received.

With just a year left on his current contract, a whole host of European clubs will be lining up to secure the midfielder’s signature on the cheap this summer.

In other news: Manchester City: Fabrizio Romano shares details on first summer exit

Wilfried Zaha’s first-half penalty was enough to secure a 1-0 victory for Crystal Palace against ten-man Watford, which ultimately saw the Hornets relegated from the Premier League this afternoon.

Patrick Vieira’s men dominated the match, finishing with 68% possession whilst also having 15 shots on goal, and seven on target, compared to Watford’s six (one on target).

The victory also saw Palace climb into the top half of the table, although Aston Villa are just one point behind with a game in hand.

Although it wasn’t the prettiest of victories, it was another three points on the board nonetheless for the Eagles. However, another below-par display from Conor Gallagher will certainly be alarming.

Gallagher was poor for Palace again

The Chelsea loanee’s future still hangs in the balance, with it unclear as to whether or not the 22-year-old will return to south London next season, whether that be on another loan or permanently.

However, the midfielder was perhaps Palace’s worst player against Watford with a 6.6/10 match rating from Sofascore, the lowest out of any of his fellow starters.

Moreover, the Englishman lost 63% of his duels whilst also completing just 15 passes. With just 33 touches during his 63-minute spell on the pitch, Gallagher also lost the ball on 14 occasions, amounting to an average of losing possession once every 2.4 touches.

The only positive contribution was a 100% long ball accuracy, although just one was attempted.

This isn’t the first time the midfielder has been off-colour lately, with the 22-year-old averaging a Sofascore match rating of just 6.52 in his last five outings for Vieira’s side, with two of those being 6.3 and 6.2 respectively.

On the whole, Gallagher’s loan from Chelsea has been a major success, with the Englishman scoring eight goals and registering five assists in 36 appearances across all competitions.

However, Palace fans may be concerned that a recent dip in form could suggest a lack of interest in proceedings at Selhurst Park, with the midfielder perhaps assuming that he will be part of Chelsea’s plans next term.

Regardless, it was another afternoon where Vieira was let down by the 22-year-old.

AND in other news: Vieira may finally axe “inevitable” 142-goal Palace dynamo as twist emerges

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has been dealt a major injury blow as pre-Leicester City team news emerges.

The Lowdown: Spurs men absent…

The Lilywhites have had to contend without a fair few players recently as Conte aims to guide his side to a top Premier League four place and qualification for the Champions League.

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Spurs sensation Oliver Skipp, most recently ruled out for the rest of 2021/2022, joins the likes of youngster Japhet Tanganga and Republic of Ireland international Matt Doherty on the sidelines (Transfermarkt).

Having to improvise without those defensive options, it appears Conte will be without yet another player from his backline as news emerges on Sergio Reguilon.

The Latest: Conte without Reguilon…

As confirmed, the Spaniard will miss today’s clash against Leicester with a groin injury.

His absence leaves Conte with Emerson Royal and Ryan Sessegnon as the most likely starts at wing-back, while the Italian could also turn to January signing Dejan Kulusevski in a makeshift role.

The Verdict: Hammer blow…

Being without yet another option comes as a hammer blow for Spurs given their crucial chase for a coveted European qualification spot.

The riches that come with Champions League participation could help to back Conte in the summer transfer market and ultimately convince him to stay in north London amid his links to Paris-Saint Germain.

Tottenham making a top-four place is absolutely vital ahead of next year and being without Reguilon, who has been called a ‘quality’ player by ex-Leeds striker Noel Whelan, will not be the best start to May.

In other news: Spurs ready to make major bid for ‘world-beater’ who told friends he was keen to join! Find out more here.