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Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing up a summer move for exciting Lyon youngster Rayan Cherki during the summer transfer window.

How is Cherki doing this season?

The 19-year-old is a hugely talented young player who is already makes waves in France, becoming a key member of Lyon's attacking unit. This season, he has scored three goals and registered four assists in 25 Ligue 1 appearances, as his stock continues to rise.

Cherki is someone who is unlikely to remain at his current club for too much longer, with bigger teams possibly circling ahead of the summer window. Paris Saint-Germain are one of those sides in question and Kylian Mbappe has endorsed the teenager in the past, which highlights his potential. His current deal expires at the end of next season.

Now, it looks as though Newcastle could look to snap him up, following a new update.

Could youngster be off to Newcastle?

According to L'Equipe [via Sport Witness], the Magpies are ready to "get active" with regards to the possible signing of Cherki this summer. Eddie Howe sees him as a strong option to bring in and bolster his squad, ahead of what could be a very productive window for the club.

It is stated that the player himself would rather join PSG, however, with the lure of playing alongside Mbappe something that could be too big to ignore, so it may not be easy for Newcastle to get their man.

Cherki looks like a sublime talent – one who has been described as "incredible" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig – so the idea of him in a Magpies shirt next is mouthwatering. To already be such a key figure in a top league at such a young age says a lot about how good he is, and he should only improve in the coming years, as his all-round game matures both on and off the ball.

Newcastle could do with more squad depth moving forward, allowing Howe to rotate more effectively in the process, and Cherki could come in as a great option and someone who can become one of the first names on the team sheet over time. It is essential that competition for places gets more fierce all the time at St James' Park, allowing the Magpies to go up another gear next season and potentially even push for more of a title charge in the Premier League.

Scottish football journalist Barry Anderson says that more clubs are interested in signing Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos on a free transfer.

The Lowdown: Galatasaray contact

As per Turkish news outlet Takvim, Galatasaray have contacted the agent of Morelos over potentially signing him as a free agent this summer, as his contract at Ibrox expires at the end of the season.

Another round of talks have been scheduled over the next few weeks, as the Turkish heavyweights look to wrap up a deal.

The Latest: Other clubs interested

Taking to Twitter, Anderson has shared that a ‘couple of other teams’ other than Galatasaray are also thought to be ‘interested’ in signing Morelos, after contact was made with his representatives by the latter:

“Galatasaray keen on Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos. Contact made with his representatives about a summer move. Morelos is out of contract at Ibrox in May. Couple of other teams interested. Turkish media reporting that meetings with Galatasaray are due in the next few weeks.”

The Verdict: Not looking good…

The fact that Galatasaray have already made contact over Morelos, and other clubs are also in the race, does not look good in terms of Rangers’ hopes of keeping him beyond this season.

There were even reports of La Liga side and UEFA Europa League quarter-finalists Sevilla signing a pre-contract with him, which have turned out to be premature, but the Colombia international is sure to have no shortage of offers on the table.

Morelos has been such a key player for the Gers not just this campaign but spreading over his whole time at Ibrox, having scored 10 goals and supplied a further seven assists in total across competitions so far this season, while he boasts a total of 180 goal contributions over the course of his entire career in a Light Blues shirt (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, it will be very difficult to replace him should he leave, especially if they do not recoup a transfer fee with him going on a free.

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Arsenal are eyeing up midfield sensation Romeo Lavia ahead of a potential summer move.

What's the latest on Arsenal's transfer targets?

Mikel Arteta is clearly in hot pursuit of a central midfielder this summer, with reports that Declan Rice is the club's top target, and this follows a January window where large bids were made for Moises Caicedo.

The league leaders are now also keeping an eye on 19-year-old Lavia, who has impressed for Southampton in his 24 appearances this season.

A young option who can rotate with Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Granit Xhaka is seemingly on the wishlist, and Lavia has earned plaudits from his peers, with ex-teammate Kevin de Bruyne previously describing the Belgian as "very good".

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano revealed that whilst Arsenal are keeping an eye on the £25k-per-week star, there is nothing concrete in terms of a move just yet.

He said: "Arsenal are keeping an eye on the player.

"Arsenal are following Romeo Lavia, but at the moment, [there is] still nothing advanced. Arsenal have many options."

Why do Arsenal want a midfielder?

Three of Arsenal's main central midfielders in Xhaka, Partey and Jorginho are all aged 29 or older, and Partey's fitness record is particularly inconsistent.

Arsenal are often reliant on Partey at the base of the Arsenal midfield, with Xhaka and Martin Odegaard pushing forward. Whilst Jorginho has stepped in to great effect at times since his January arrival – including a performance against Aston Villa where he helped create the winning goal – a longer-term rotation option could be of great use.

This could explain the interest in younger talents such as Rice and Caicedo, and Lavia may be viewed as an alternative option to the pair.

However, it remains unclear if Lavia can step into Partey's shoes, even as a rotational option. Partey ranks in the top 5% of midfielders in Europe's top competitions over the past year for progressive passes, with the Ghanaian helping Arsenal build attacks from deep, while Lavia ranks in the bottom 29% in this regard, as per FBref.

Although he is still young, the experience Partey and Jorginho bring to the team may be lacking in someone as raw as Lavia. With just 26 senior appearances to his name in his career, it may be a tough task for him to step into a midfield which could potentially compete for the league title again next season.

Declan Rice, in contrast, is West Ham's captain, and has experience domestically, in Europe and on the international stage. Arsenal may have more confidence in the Englishman's ability to step in and perform when needed given the vast difference in pedigree between him and Lavia.

Aston Villa could well be plotting a summer bid to bolster their attack, as they seek to further back Unai Emery who has already impressed since joining in October.

The Spaniard entered Villa Park with the club in disrepute, floundering towards relegation under the struggling stewardship of Steven Gerrard.

Clearly out of his depth, thankfully for fans and players alike, he was put out of his misery, and since the Villans have become something of a barrier between the nine teams battling for safety and the rest of the league. They mark the safety point, and what half the sides in the division are striving to achieve.

With their place in the Premier League assured, it gives them the freedom to now look ahead at ways to progress further in the coming season.

One such name that has recently appeared is that of underperforming forward Tammy Abraham, who could be reborn with a move to the Midlands.

Would Tammy Abraham improve Aston Villa?

In a report by AS Roma Live, relayed by Sport Witness yesterday, the hulking Englishman has been touted with a romantic return to his former club where he starred in their return to the top flight.

Whilst the reported €40m (£35m) fee might seem lofty, the club does have form with spending big on those expected to transform their fortunes.

The 25-year-old recorded 25 goals in the Championship across just 37 games, where he would return to his parent club Chelsea to fire home 15 Premier League goals, silencing any scrutiny he might have received.

Even his move to Italy, which has faltered of late, showed initial promise, as his debut campaign saw him score 17 times in Serie A and a further nine as they won the Europa Conference League under Jose Mourinho’s tutelage.

Abraham even suggested that the Portuguese legend had turned him into a “monster”, teaching him how to “frighten defenders”. As a master of the dark arts, there is arguably no greater teacher to add some nastiness to someone's game than the Chelsea legend.

Finally, he could now be poised to come back to his homeland, to the club that gave him his platform for all the success he has enjoyed, to be the catalyst that truly helps them explode as a club.

Emery has already laid the foundation for success in the near future, with his experience and pragmatism sure to bear fruit sooner or later.

Should he add this 6 foot 3 finisher to his ranks too, then European football could start to become a real possibility given the quality they already boast.

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Manchester City have offered Julian Alvarez a new contract and a payrise less than a year after joining, as they see him as a big part of their plans.

How has Alvarez performed for Man City?

The Argentina striker joined from River Plate in the summer and has since won the World Cup, but is second-choice at centre-forward behind Erling Haaland.

Nevertheless, the club view him as an integral part of their plans going forward and have now offered him a new contract despite him joining less than 12 months ago.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano gave insight into the details of the contract on the table.

He said: “Now what’s going on is that Manchester City have sent a new proposal to the player.

“So on the table of Julian Alvarez and his agents, there is a fresh proposal from Manchester City to extend the contract, and especially to have a new salary.

“From what I understand, the new proposal is on the table, Manchester City have improved their bid. And now it’s on Julian Alvarez, but there is optimism on both the player’s and club’s side to get the agreement reached and done as soon as possible.

“This could be important news for Man City, for the present and future, as we had many rumours, but let me clarify that for City, Alvarez is absolutely part of the project and an important player for the team and for Pep Guardiola.”

Where can Alvarez play for Man City?

Given Haaland’s astonishing form this season, with 33 goals in 34 games, it is unlikely that Alvarez will be able to displace him from the starting XI any time soon.

Alvarez has started just six of his 19 league appearances as a result, and has either played alongside Haaland as a second striker or on the wing.

Guardiola does have the option of switching to a two-striker formation, but given that this has not happened in his tenure when the likes of Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero were battling for the same position – the duo only shared time on the pitch for as much as 45 minutes on 21 occasions – it seems unlikely that this could happen soon.

Haaland has described Alvarez as “amazing”, perhaps indicating that despite competing for the same spot, that the two can co-exist in the same side.

Alvarez may therefore have to settle for a wide role for the time being, but this prospective new contract indicates that City have no intention of letting him go, and could offer him more playing time in order to convince him to sign a deal.

Manchester United’s outlay in the transfer market since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013 has been borderline obscene.

£80m on Harry Maguire, £59.7m for Angel Di Maria and £75m spent on Romelu Lukaku represented moves which didn’t quite work out, yet they cost the Old Trafford side millions in fees and wages.

There is no doubt that poor business in the transfer market set the club back years and it only feels like now under Erik ten Hag that the Red Devils could become a force once again.

Along with the three aforementioned transfers, Jose Mourinho arguably wasted the most money by splashing out a staggering £89m to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus in the summer of 2016, and to say the move didn’t go as planned is an understatement at best.

How much did Paul Pogba cost Manchester United?

When Mourinho took over at United in 2016, he was looked upon as the manager who could bring the side out of their post-Fergie malaise and back into the big time.

Winning three trophies in 2016/2017 was certainly a solid enough start, yet that was about as good as it got for the Portuguese manager, and Pogba’s performances didn’t exactly set the fire alight either.

His first three seasons produced 31 goals, while he also registered 29 assists, yet he couldn’t lead United to any more silverware other than the three captured during his first season.

Manchester United writer Samuel Luckhurst even described him as “woeful” in April 2019 and his performances were only going to get worse after that.

His final three seasons in a United jersey saw him net just nine times while missing 75 matches due to a variety of injury issues and having splashed out £89m for his services, it's fair to say Juventus got the much better end of the deal.

Combining his transfer fee plus the wages he received at the Red Devils (£85.8m between 2016 and 2022) meant the Frenchman managed to rinse the club for an astounding £175m over those 308 weeks.

The astronomical fee proves that throwing money at players simply won't work and at the end of last term, he re-joined Juventus on a free transfer.

Ten Hag has spent a significant sum of money at United so far, however, his signings look like they have already played a key part in bringing the side back to where they belong. Signing duds like Pogba will hopefully be a thing of the past as the club continue its new era under the Dutchman.

Everton are reportedly now ‘interested’ in beating Leeds United to the signing of Tyler Adams this summer.

The Lowdown: Leeds favourites for Adams

Leeds are seemingly favourites to sign the American on loan from RB Leipzig, with the 23-year-old having played 71 times under Whites manager Jesse Marsch.

However, while it is still early in the transfer window and a deal is not done yet, other clubs may feel that they can still swoop in for his signature.

The Latest: Everton interest

Taking to Twitter, Ben Jacobs has revealed that Everton are also ‘interested’ in Adams, as are Sevilla, despite the player wanting a move to Elland Road.

The CBS Sports Golazo journalist tweeted: “Tyler Adams really wants a loan move to Leeds. He’s already spoken to Jesse Marsch, who wants another midfielder despite landing Marc Roca. Leipzig open to a deal after Xaver Schlager’s arrival. Adams needs game time ahead of the World Cup. Everton and Sevilla also interested.”

The Verdict: Worth a shot

A move to sign Adams on loan is certainly worth a shot for Everton. If it does not work out, the Merseyside club can simply send him back to Leipzig at the end of the season.

However, there is no reason why he would not be a success at Goodison Park, as the United States international will have an extra motivation to perform with the World Cup in Qatar on the horizon, as Jacobs noted.

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Dubbed an ‘elite’ number six by journalist Andrew Stern, Adams won more aerial duels per game in the Bundesliga than Andre Gomes, Tom Davies, Fabian Delph, Allan and Jean-Phillipe Gbamin managed in the Premier League last season, while he also averaged more passes at a higher success rate than the Toffees’ midfield options.

The Leipzig ace is only 23 years of age, and he could further his development under Chelsea and England midfield legend Frank Lampard if he comes to Everton.

Everton need to use their summer transfer window to add depth and quality to their squad, and now they have been linked to a new potential transfer target.

What’s the latest?

According to Italian news outlet Calciomercato, Everton have joined the race to sign Roma midfielder Jordan Veretout.

As per the report, Everton are thinking about plotting a move for Veretout and his current club would expect no less than €15m (£12.8m) to part ways with the player this summer.

Fabian Delph replacement

Frank Lampard will surely be hoping to strengthen his squad during his first full transfer window at the club and signing Veretout would be the perfect replacement and upgrade for Fabian Delph who will leave the club after his contract expires at the end of this month.

The 29-year-old midfielder who was dubbed “wonderful” by journalist Mina Rzouki has been a consistent performer for his Italian club in the Serie A this season over his 36 league appearances.

Veretout scored four goals, contributed eight assists and created nine big chances, all while making 1.6 key passes and completing 0.9 tackles on average per game.

He also won the majority of his duels (56%) and was successful in the large majority of his dribbles (74%), whilst also completing a 93% pass accuracy in his own half.

The midfielder ranked tenth for the most assists in the Serie A, and ranked sixth for assists via set plays in the entire top five European leagues, proving that he is extremely influential in creating goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates, something that would be highly valued at Everton.

Everton are in need desperate need to score more goals next season after conceding 23 more goals than they scored last season which ultimately contributed to the Toffees’ difficult relegation battle, so adding Veretout’s prolific playmaking abilities into the team would surely be a huge boost for the team’s chance creation.

That’s an area where he certainly betters Delph too, with the former Man City man failing to provide an assist last term while supplying just 0.4 key passes per match.

With that being said, Kevin Thelwell should be making a move for the midfielder as soon as possible as he could be a real asset for Lampard to deploy in the centre of the pitch next season at Goodison Park especially if he can emulate or even better his output in the Serie A in the Premier League next season.

AND in other news: Contact made: EFC in talks to sign “untouchable” £18m-rated gem, Frank will love him

Aston Villa have ‘no intention’ of parting ways with Danny Ings this summer, Sky Sports report.

The Lowdown: Exit rumours

Ings made the move to Villa Park last summer from Southampton in a deal worth £26.48m. The 29-year-old made 31 appearances in his first season as a Villa player, scoring seven times and registering six assists.

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that Steven Gerrard would be willing to part ways with Ings this summer to make room for a new marquee attacker, however, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

The Latest: Sky Sports update

Sky Sports provided a live TV update regarding Villa and Ings on Monday afternoon.

They were told ‘in the last few minutes’ that Villa have ‘no intention of selling’ Ings despite rumours of a move to Manchester United or Leeds United, adding that Gerrard sees Ings as an ‘integral part of his squad’.

The Verdict: Good news

Villa are fairly short of centre-forward options, with Ings and Ollie Watkins the two recognised strikers in the Midlands.

Keinan Davis and Cameron Archer spent the second half of last season out on loan in the Championship, so keeping hold of Ings appears to be the correct call.

Gerrard found success in a system using two centre-forwards, so bringing in another striker to challenge Ings and Watkins could be the better decision, and hopefully we will see that come to fruition ahead of Gerrard’s first full season in charge.

In other news: Villa now receive ‘official proposal’ for player with ‘unbelievable’ work rate. 

A new name has emerged in Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer plans this summer…

What’s the word?

According to Alasdair Gold of football.london, Spurs have been tracking Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta, who Premier League rivals Newcastle United tried to sign earlier this year.

It remains to be seen how much the Brazil international would command, given how much of a regular he was for the Ligue 1 outfit last season.

Transfermarkt currently value the 24-year-old star at £31.5m, whilst he is thought to be earning wages in the region of £49k-per-week at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.

AC Milan will be due 15% of any sale due to an agreement in the €20m (£18m) deal to sell him.

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Frightening midfield unit

The arrival of Paqueta in north London would be quite the coup and could allow manager Antonio Conte to form one of the better midfield departments in the English top-flight.

During the 2021/22 campaign, the Lyon star delivered a total of 11 goals and seven assists from attacking midfield across both domestic and European competitions.

As such, WhoScored graded him as L’OL’s highest-rated player (7.24), whilst as per FBref, he ranks inside the top 6% for progressive passes (9.25 per 90), top 9% for shots (3.06 per 90) and top 12% for non-penalty xG+A (0.59 per 90) of his positional peers across Europe’s top five divisions.

“I love his dribbling and blind passing, but what I love is his desire, his activity, his selflessness, his commitment,” once claimed former Premier League talisman Thierry Henry.

With similar workmanlike players such as Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp and Rodrigo Bentancur, Paqueta could fit right in to make Spurs’ engine room one to be feared every week.

Meanwhile, teammate Jerome Boateng has also waxed lyrical about the Brazilian’s exploits, declaring:

“He brings so much to our team. He’s running a lot, his skills of course, his technique, his creating chances, his passing, his fighting for the ball, he helps us a lot. And I think he has a big potential to be really a world star in football.”

As such, sporting director Fabio Paratici must look to swoop for the Lyon playmaker in the coming months. He’d be a fine addition to Conte’s squad heading into a Champions League campaign.

AND in other news, Paratici now eyeing £18m-rated Spurs bargain, could be bye-bye “horrendous” Nuno flop…