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An update has emerged on Newcastle United’s interest in Chelsea and England playmaker Ross Barkley…

What’s the talk?

According to The Northern Echo, discussions are underway between Eddie Howe and the club’s recruitment chief Steve Nickson over potential January signings.

The report claims that the Chelsea attacking midfielder is one of the names being discussed, along with Harry Winks, Jesse Lingard and James Tarkowski.

Get it done

PIF must ensure that they can get a deal over the line for Barkley, as the England international could improve their chances of avoiding relegation this season.

The £100k-per-week beast has 230 career appearances in the Premier League and knows what it takes to perform at this level, playing for Everton, Aston Villa and Chelsea in the top flight. He has racked up 28 goals and 31 assists in that time, showing that he is capable of delivering in the final third with contributions in front of goal.

Outside of Callum Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin, no Newcastle player has more than one Premier League goal this term, which suggests that the squad could be bolstered by a goalscoring midfielder in January. Barkley has 11 goals and 11 assists in 94 games for Chelsea and could be the player to come in and provide a spark in the final third.

Indeed, his former Everton manager Roberto Martinez once compared him to ex-Premier League icons Michael Ballack and Paul Gascoigne. The Spaniard said: “I’ve never seen a young English player with his sort of mentality.

“I can see some (Michael) Ballack in him and some Gazza (Paul Gascoigne). It’s fine for us to make comparisons but he is Ross Barkley. He has great balance, is good with both feet and is developing an incredible awareness.

“You can compare him against any of the best young Brazilians, Dutch or even Spanish.”

This provides an insight into the type of player Barkley is, with his ability to create something out of nothing shown in his statistics for Chelsea. He is capable of popping up with a goal or assist from the middle of the park and that talent could help the Magpies to win games in the second half of the season in their fight against the drop.

Therefore, Howe and PIF must launch an official swoop for the 27-year-old and attempt to bring him to St James’ Park in the winter window.

AND in other news, PIF must seal dream NUFC move for “exceptional” 114-goal magician who Howe would love…

Lots of Everton fans have been left buzzing over some injury news that has emerged ahead of their game away at Norwich City in the Premier League.

As per The Athletic journalist Patrick Boyland, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison and Yerry Mina are all now back in training for the Goodison Park faithful, meaning that they could all feature against the Canaries if deemed fit enough.

All three of them rank among the Merseyside club’s ten best players so far this season, according to WhoScored, with Calvert-Lewin number one.

The striker has scored three goals in the four matches that he has played in the Premier League this term, and having him back with Richarlison will certainly give Rafa Benitez’s team more of a goal threat, while Mina provides another solid option defensively.

Everton fans on injury news

These Toffees buzzed as the injury news was shared on Twitter, with one Blues supporter even going as far as to claim that it was a ‘huge boost’:

“Good news Boyland at the back post!!!”

Credit: @EFCMatt1

“Huge boost for weekend hopefully”

Credit: @GraemeMcV

“Yesssssss”

Credit: @Foxy0580

“Cracking news this”

Credit: @Byrdsman75

“Brilliant. Start all 3 on Saturday imo”

Credit: @CBobblers1878

“Things you love to see”

Credit: @JGreenway8

In other news, find out which EFC ace’s claim has fans speculating here!

Chris Sutton has said that Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer look ‘destined’ to leave Celtic in the upcoming transfer window and has ruled out three of the club’s loans being made permanent.

Sutton was writing in his Record Sport column after the Hoops were beaten 2-0 in the Scottish Cup fourth round on Sunday. They had won the competition for four consecutive years, but defeat condemns them to a first trophyless season for more than a decade.

Celtic’s hand may be forced in case of Edouard and Ajer

Edouard, who is out of contract next summer and has reportedly been the subject of a £15m approach from Leicester City, missed a penalty in the closing stages of the game (via Daily Mail).

Centre-back Ajer also has just over a year to run on his deal and has been named as a Newcastle United transfer target in a potential £8m deal (via Daily Mail).

“You have the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer, who look destined to be on their way in the summer,” Sutton wrote in Record Sport.

“[Edouard] must have something lined up already because if you were a scout watching him yesterday, you’re certainly not putting him forward for a top club in Europe.”

Laxalt, Kenny and Elyounoussi struggle with departure in the offing

Sutton then turned his attention to the loanees, declaring that Diego Laxalt, Jonjoe Kenny and Mohamed Elyounoussi ‘will all be gone’ come the end of the season.

All three had a difficult evening on Sunday, with Laxalt beaten before Kenny turned the ball into his net for 2-0, while Elyounoussi was guilty of wasting a golden opportunity at the other end after Edouard squared the ball to him.

Prior reports had suggested that Celtic were keen on long-term deals for the AC Milan and Southampton stars in particular.

“You look at the loan players who will all be gone,” Sutton wrote.

“Diego Laxalt had a shocker but it was hardly a surprise. It was one thing getting skinned by Joe Aribo, but the lack of effort to get back in was telling.

“Jonjoe Kenny wasn’t much better on the other side and you’ve got Mohamed Elyounoussi who is also going and he wasn’t clinical enough where it mattered.”

Transfer Tavern verdict

It certainly looks as if a squad overhaul could be on the cards in Glasgow this summer, as Sutton is suggesting.

The sales of Edouard and Ajer could net Celtic £23m if the Daily Mail’s respective reports are to be believed, and while that is a healthy amount to reinvest, the Hoops have put themselves in an unenviable position by allowing the duo’s contracts to reach the final year.

In other news, could this be a goalkeeper target for Celtic?

Leeds United have been heavily linked with Red Bull Salzburg star Brenden Aaronson in 2022, and his performance on Sunday will certainly have caught Victor Orta’s eye.

This forms part of our Transfer Watch series, where we react to a performance from a current transfer target.

The Lowdown: Leeds hoping to wrap up Aaronson deal

Aaronson has been the Whites’ main target this year after the club made two bids for the USA international in the January window.

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As we know, the attacking midfielder remained in Austria with Salzburg but is still on Leeds’ radar ahead of Jesse Marsch’s first full season in charge at Elland Road.

Aaronson made 25 appearances under Marsch last season and reports have suggested that the Whites are hoping to wrap up a move for the 21-year-old this summer.

The Latest: Impressive display from Aaronson

Salzburg clinched a ninth straight Austrian Bundesliga title on Sunday following a 5-0 win over Austria Vienna. Aaronson returned to action after a six-week layoff with a knee problem and impressed, ending with a SofaScore match rating of 7.3/10.

The attacking midfielder scored a penalty and registered three key passes, one of which led to a big chance.

He only had 30 touches of the ball during his 64-minute display but he starred upon his return and even showed off his pace after the final whistle when looking to dodge a beer shower from his team-mates.

The Verdict: Sign him

Should they stay in the Premier League, Leeds should be looking to wrap up a move for Aaronson as soon as possible.

Marsch doesn’t have an out-and-out attacking midfielder to choose from at Elland Road, making the 21-year-old’s arrival even more crucial.

Described as a player with a ‘monster mentality’ by Salzburg manager Matthias Jaissle, Aaronson has now contributed to 28 goals in 61 games for the Austrian champions, and with an impressive record under Marsch already, he could slot in perfectly at Elland Road.

In other news: Leeds and Orta may agree fee for ‘quality’ target ‘this week’ after Phil Hay’s reveal

David Moyes should be happy to pay the £21.5m fee that West Ham United could have to pay in order to sign VfB Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Kicker, via Sport Witness, Stuttgart are setting the market for Kalajdzic at €20m to €25m (£17-21.5m) as his name starts to hit transfer shortlists all around Europe.

The Bundesliga outfit are open to the fact they will have to sell some of their star players at the end of the season to fund arrivals, as Sporting Director Sven Mislintat strives to take the Mercedes-Benz Arena natives to the next level.

Kalajdzic has been in sensational form under head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo this term, netting 13 goals in 24 Bundesliga games – including eight in his last seven outings – to help fire Stuttgart to eighth in the table during their first year back in Germany’s top-flight.

His efforts are said to have put West Ham’s scouts on alert whilst Moyes strives to discover the eventual heir to Sebastien Haller, having opted against replacing the Ivory Coast forward during the winter market following his £20m move to AFC Ajax.

Other unnamed Premier League clubs are also keen on Kalajdzic, who has admirers at RB Leipzig and Serie A outfit AS Roma, but the 23-year-old is refusing to be drawn on speculation on his future.

“I am not concerned with this. I can well imagine an extension of the contract,” he told Kicker.

Kalajdzic is currently not scheduled to become a free agent until the summer of 2023, with his £7,500-per-week terms still having two more years to run.

Should West Ham sign Kalajdzic?

West Ham certainly appear to be emerging as a potential landing spot for Kalajdzic should the striker prove to be one option Stuttgart cash in on this summer, after recent reports claimed he was viewed as a cheaper alternative to Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham and Slavia Prague’s Abdallah Sima.

A potential £21.5m asking price would not be overtly cheap, given the Irons passed up on paying Stade de Reims €15m (£13m) for Boulaye Dia in January, yet Kalajdzic should not be scrubbed from thinking at the London Stadium.

The Stuttgart star has been setting Germany’s top-flight alight during his first year in the Bundesliga and struck two of his recent goals against Bayer Leverkusen despite losing 5-2 away to the Champions League qualifying hopefuls.

He also netted against Eintracht Frankfurt to put a dent in the Deutsche Bank Park natives’ top-four hopes and struck the equalising effort in a 1-1 draw with Leverkusen in October, as he lives up to the billing of being “important offensively” in the eyes of Mislintat.

Dia was rightfully overlooked in the winter market despite having 12 goals in 17 Ligue 1 games to his name by January 9th, as the 24-year-old has since failed to find the back of the net in any of his subsequent 10 French top-flight outings.

After scoring on the first day of the campaign away to title-hopefuls Monaco, Dia has also failed to fire home against a top side, instead, he’s been bullying the middle of the table and bottom-half clubs.

Kalajdzic may be just as unproven in England as Dia, but he is proving in Germany that he is worth taking a punt on once the transfer market re-opens for business this summer.

AND in other news, West Ham in four-way Premier League battle for 13-goal striker who is “annoying to the defender”…

With West Bromwich Albion’s search to appoint Sam Allardyce’s successor at The Hawthorns having drawn on for an excruciatingly prolonged period, a door may have just opened that would allow the club to move for the perfect candidate.

Having been rejected by a number of their first-choice targets already this summer, a list that includes the likes of Roy Hodgson, Frank Lampard, David Wagner and Michael Appleton, as well as the club’s owner, Guochuan Lai, personally vetoing a move for Chris Wilder, it very much appears as if West Brom are running out of options in their managerial search.

However, with The Telegraph reporting on Tuesday that Scott Parker looks set to leave Craven Cottage by mutual consent in the coming days, the Baggies’ fortunes could have just made a dramatic u-turn.

Parker could be transformational

Despite having overseen a second relegation from the Premier League in the space of just three seasons, Parker’s record in the Championship should provide Lai with more than enough incentive to make an approach for the 40-year-old manager.

Indeed, over the former England international’s 46 games in charge of Fulham during the regular Championship season, the young coach guided his side to a highly impressive 23 wins, 12 draws and 11 losses, results which saw Fulham secure a fourth-place finish in the second tier standings, just two points behind Slaven Bilic’s West Brom side in the automatic promotion places.

Parker then overcame Cardiff City with a 3-2 aggregate win in the play-off semi-finals, before defeating a heavily fancied Brentford side 2-1 AET in the final – meaning the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder had achieved the feat of leading his team back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

As such, with an immediate return to the top flight very much being the primary objective for West Brom next season, Parker’s appointment would appear to dramatically boost the Baggies chances of being successful in their quest to once again be playing Premier League football at the earliest opportunity.

Furthermore, with managers such as Pep Guardiola, Marcelo Bielsa and Jurgen Klopp all singling the 40-year-old out for his impressive brand of football at Fulham, with the latter of the three stating his belief that Parker is an “exceptional” manager, not only would his appointment increase the club’s chances of promotion, it would also bring a fresh, exciting and attacking style of play to The Hawthorns – something that fans must be longing for after half a season of watching Allardyce’s West Brom.

So, it would seem Parker ticks a great deal, if not all, of the boxes that Lai is likely demanding from the Baggies’ next manager, leading us to believe that the owner should be doing all he can to lure the Fulham boss to West Bromwich this summer.

Parker is reportedly a target for potential play-off rivals Bournemouth and that is said to be his most likely destination but with nothing seemingly signed with The Cherries yet, West Brom, having also decided not to sign Wilder, should make big push to convince the former England midfielder that Albion would be the best place for him to manage.

In other news: Lai could have just made his biggest West Brom mistake to date, fans are rightly livid

Leeds United need a replacement for when Kalvin Phillips is unavailable, says former Whites midfielder David Norris.

Phillips was an essential player for Leeds last season, starting 28 games for Marcelo Bielsa’s side in the Premier League.

He is also quickly becoming a very important member of Gareth Southgate’s England team, proving that with his role in Raheem Sterling’s matchwinner against Croatia in the Three Lions’ opening Euro 2020 game.

For Norris, when Phillips is not in Leeds’ team, there is a dip. And the ex-Whites player is now calling for Bielsa to address that by signing some adequate cover.

“When he’s not played, they haven’t done as well,” Norris said in an exclusive interview with FFC. “If he was going to pick up a little bit longer term injury or be a little bit more in and out with potential injuries, a replacement is probably going to be needed.”

The above is certainly something for Bielsa to consider going into the new campaign. Fortunately, Phillips has had a good injury record over the last few years.

The England midfielder was rarely absent during his time in the Championship, making 37 appearances in Leeds’ 2019/20 title-winning season and 44 the campaign prior. It bodes well, though Bielsa can do no harm by signing a back-up.

Former Manchester United man Keith Gillespie has told Football FanCast that the club can afford to sell David de Gea this summer.

De Gea has been with United since 2011 and has gone on to make 434 appearances for the club.

However, this season, he has lost his place after a period of absence, with Dean Henderson playing in the last three top-flight games.

Henderson spent last season on loan at Sheffield United, enjoying an exceptional season, and has even won a cap for England.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has utilised the 24-year-old in various cup competitions, playing in the FA Cup, the League Cup, and the Europa League.

Gillespie believes Henderson is good enough to step into de Gea’s shoes and believes that, as a result, United can cash in on the Spain international this summer.

He has been linked with a move away, with The Sun claiming earlier this month that PSG could make a summer swoop.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, Gillespie said: “De Gea has been fantastic for the period that he’s been there, I think now would probably be a good time to cash in and let him go.

“You have got somebody waiting to come in there, somebody who’s playing now, in Henderson. He did fantastically well last year at Sheffield United. He’s biding his time and when he has had to play, he’s done really well.

“He’s a young English goalkeeper, he could force his way in and be England number one if he gets that regular starting place at Man United.”

De Gea has enjoyed a storied career at Old Trafford, winning the Premier League, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Europa League, while he has also been voted the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year four times during his United career.

He added: “David de Gea has been fantastic and I think four out of five seasons he won Man United’s Player of the Year, but that shows you how much work he had to do.

“That’s not something that would have happened under Alex Ferguson!”

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, David Norris, who made 36 appearances for Leeds United, has claimed that it appears as though Gaetano Berardi will eventually be leaving Elland Road this summer.

Berardi has been with Leeds since he signed from Sampdoria in 2014 and he has gone onto make 155 appearances for the Lilywhites, which includes 22 in their Championship-winning season.

The Switzerland international has missed much of the 2020/21 campaign after injuring his ACL against Derby County back in July, but despite that he was handed a new one-year contract in October 2020, which is due to expire next month.

Speaking on how it appears to be the end for Berardi at Leeds and how fans will be sad to see him leave this summer, Norris exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“I think it looks like it’s coming to an end, which is a shame. He came into the club when I was there and he was someone who looked like he could handle the pace and make it last at Leeds.

“I know Leeds fans love him and he loves the place so it will be a real shame, but it just looks like it is one of those things that is coming to a natural end and he’ll move on.”

The £32, 308 per week defender arrived when Leeds appeared to have no hope of making it in the Premier League back in 2014, but players like Berardi with the fight and desire to play for the badge have helped get them to where they are now.

Leeds will be looking to add more quality to their squad this summer as they will want to push on next season and achieve more than just a top-half finish.

West Ham United have received fixture confirmation for their Europa League ties, beginning with a trip to Croatia to face Dinamo Zagreb on September 16th [West Ham United FC Official].

In what will be the Hammers’ maiden bow in the group stages of the competition, they will then face Austrian side Rapid Vienna under the lights at the London Stadium on 30th September.

Progressing to the middle of the schedule, the Hammers will once again welcome fans to East London as they take on Genk on 21st October, before the return clash in Belgium on 4th November.

Rounding off the group stages, David Moyes’ side travel to Austria to face Rapid Vienna on the 25th November, before finishing their programme at home to initial opponents Dinamo Zagreb on December the 9th [West Ham United FC Official].

In light of this news, loads of West Ham United diehards took to Twitter to revel in the announcement.

West Ham United fans react:

Replying to the official West Ham United Twitter account, here is what some fans had to say about the ‘very exciting’ news:

“Good luck hammers”

Credit: @habib3514duhail

“Flights booked to Vienna”

Credit: @dilemma1979″Gitttt upppp”Credit: @iamjacobfinch”This group is SO Europa League, and I love it.”Credit: @billy_grimmel”Getting my head around this. Very exciting.”Credit: @WilderMinds04″Doesn’t feel real this”Credit: @LucasBasfordIn other news, West Ham United fans react to talks with a Croatian international. Find out more here.