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A source from Newcastle United has dropped some promising insight on the parties involved in the potential takeover at St. James’ Park.

The Lowdown: Arbitration date set

The arbitration case between the North East club and the Premier League has been set for July, with the results of it likely to give a much clearer picture over the direction of where the proposed deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group is heading.

However, with the opening of the summer transfer window and the start of the new season on the horizon around the same time, it would be ideal for the Tyneside club to know their fate as soon as possible so they can go into it as best prepared as they can.

The Latest: Newcastle source drops insight

As per Football Insider, a Magpies source has shared that all parties involved in the bid are still committed and that there is growing hope that it will be concluded by the end of July, a very promising timeline indeed.

The Toon are privately confident that the top flight will approve the takeover after the arbitration hearing takes place, suggesting that they think that the results will go in their favour.

The Verdict: Promising for potential takeover

The voices coming out of NUFC are certainly promising with regards to the potential revival of the takeover.

However, a lot will hinge on the results of the arbitration proceedings, which despite Newcastle’s confidence, can go either way.

The Magpies will be hoping that whatever the result, they will know their fate before the new season kicks off, so that they can plan ahead with regards to player recruitment among other targets.

Nonetheless, the fact that all of the parties involved in the deal are still committed is a good sign, and if all goes well in arbitration, it is possible that the Toon Army could well see a takeover of their beloved club by the end of July.

In other news, find out what big claim Liam Kennedy has dropped on the potential takeover involving Rafa Benitez here!

Whilst Leicester’s Champions League hopes took a huge blow with their defeat to Newcastle United on Friday night, they were handed another damaging hit with an injury to a key player.

Having originally been in the line-up to face the Magpies at the King Power Stadium, Jonny Evans was withdrawn and was then spotted in the stands with crutches.

Whilst Brendan Rodgers has suggested that his medical staff will have to “see” regarding his availability going forwards, any potential absence would be a huge blow for the Foxes.

Since arriving from West Bromwich Albion three years ago, Evans has become a key figure at the King Power Stadium, and that has certainly been exemplified throughout the 2020/21 campaign.

He has made 28 appearances in the Premier League this term, helping the Foxes to record ten clean sheets as they chase down a position in the top four.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leicester-city-news%2c-transfer-rumours-and-more-abraham-demrial-maddison-rodgers-mckennie” title=”Latest Leicester City news, transfer rumours and more…”]

His underlying statistics are also eye-catching. According to WhoScored, he has contributed 0.9 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 3.3 aerials per match in the Premier League this season. Meanwhile, his 3.5 clearances per game in the league is only bettered by fellow centre-back Wesley Fofana.

Rodgers has always made clear his admiration for his fellow Northern Ireland native, labelling the 33-year-old as “top-class”.

His absence was certainly highlighted in Friday’s defeat to Newcastle. The Foxes produced an absolutely horrendous defensive showing, with a back three of Fofana, Caglar Soyuncu and Timothy Castagne struggling to keep the Magpies quiet.

Indeed, it was the first time that Leicester had conceded four goals in a Premier League game since a defeat to Bournemouth last season.

With Evans having been injured before Friday’s clash, Rodgers will certainly hope his absence is not too long, especially with the Foxes aiming to seal a place in the top four as well as having an FA Cup final on the horizon.

AND in more news, take a closer look at Caglar Soyuncu’s woeful display against Newcastle…

Former Manchester City star Michael Ball has told Football FanCast that the club are more likely to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund than Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur.

The club have been heavily linked with both strikers in recent days and weeks.

Sky Sports reports that Kane has asked Spurs to leave this summer amid interest from City, Manchester United, and Chelsea.

It would be immensely expensive to sign the England captain this summer, given that he has three years left to run on his contract.

Still, City would surely have the financial resources required to sign Kane should they want to.

However, Ball believes that a deal for Haaland is more realistic.

The Borussia Dortmund striker is just 20, while Kane will turn 28 later this year, and he has scored a staggering 39 goals in 40 games thus far this season, with 22 of those coming in 2021.

As such, Ball believes Haaland, most realistically linked with the club by Goal, would be a more realistic purchase in the coming transfer window.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “Brilliant choice to have as a manager, if your club can go ‘which one do you want’, but Man City have got the resources, but realistically, I probably see Haaland happening more than Kane.”

Many Southampton fans have been reacting to a tweet from Dan Sheldon suggesting that Jannik Vestergaard, Danny Ings and Ryan Bertrand could all leave St Mary’s this summer.

As the transfer window approaches, three of the Saints’ most important players could well be plying their trade elsewhere in a few months. Both Vestergaard (Daily Express) and Ings (Sky Sports) have been linked with a number of clubs from the Premier League, while Bertrand’s contract will expire at the end of the campaign (Transfermarkt) and there is no indication so far as to whether he will put pen to paper on a new deal before then.

Sheldon, who covers Southampton for The Athletic, wrote an article looking at who could leave the Saints in summer, and he suggested that all three of the aforementioned players could soon be out the door. He took to Twitter to share his piece, and it attracted plenty of attention from Southampton supporters.

These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the journalist’s latest piece.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the tweet from Sheldon

“I think the players will make the decision for him.”

Credit: @andydavis1978

“Bertie is stealing a living now so I’d let him go. I’d also sell Ings and Vestergard, abroad ideally. It’s clear none of them want to commit to the club.”

Credit: @mattflynn75

“Take the cash and let’s move on!!”

Credit: @kevinburnop

“At this rate we’ll be in the Championship, with our owners nothing will change”

Credit: @RaeElmesJnr

“If the price is right let all 3 go. Don’t sign Walcott, nice guy but not what we need.”

Credit: @Golacticos2

“I’m sure £50m from Ings & Vestergaard (+ whatever we can get for Forster / Stephens / Long / Sims / Hesketh / McQueen & Vokins) would be a welcome bonus for Ralph”

Credit: @jameswills86

In other news, this Southampton man is expected to leave the club in the summer.

Leeds United are thought to be keen on bringing West Brom star Matheus Pereira to Elland Road this summer.

The Lowdown: Leeds fans wanted him signed

Pereira has been part of a Baggies side who have failed to remain in the Premier League after they came up alongside the Whites last season, with their relegation back to the Championship confirmed on Sunday.

The 25-year-old has starred at The Hawthorns, though, scoring 10 times and registering five assists in 31 league appearances.

His display against Southampton last month caught the eye of some Whites supporters, who urged the club to move for the Brazilian in the upcoming window.

The Latest: Orta and co not the only ones keen

According to the Daily Express, the Whites are now in fact interested in Pereira, who is on £39,000-a-week in the Midlands.

Leicester, RB Leipzig and West Ham are also keen on Pereira’s services, with the Baggies anticipated to demand up to £30m for the attacking midfielder described as a ‘great talent’ by Michael Brown.

So much interest from top sides is perhaps no surprise given the quality the Brazilian has shown in such a poor side this term.

The Verdict: Orta should try his luck

Victor Orta, who is of course the main man when it comes to transfer dealings at Elland Road, should make a move for Pereira ahead of the 2021/22 season.

Leeds hero Pablo Hernandez looks set to move on in the summer, so Pereira could come in to seriously rival the likes of Rodrigo and Tyler Roberts in a number 10 role.

Should Pereira move to Yorkshire, that may also then allow Rodrigo to rival Patrick Bamford as a starting striker, with the Brazilian occupying a position behind the forward.

He could well come at a club-record price, but he’s managed to produce two brilliant personal seasons in England now, and could fit into Marcelo Bielsa’s attack-minded squad with ease, as he is also capable of playing on either wing.

In other news: Noel Whelan addresses Raphinha rumours, find out more here. 

According to recent reports from Italy, Glasgow Rangers attacking midfielder, Ianis Hagi, could be set to leave Ibrox this summer.

The report by Noi Biancocelesti (via Sport Witness) claims that, with it looking unlikely that Lazio will go on to make Andreas Pereira’s loan move a permanent deal at the end of the season, Simone Inzaghi’s side are considering other options for additions to their attacking midfield in the summer transfer window.

One such option is reported to be Hagi, with the Serie A side thought to have previously held an interest in the £21,000-per-week 22-year-old, prior to his permanent move to Rangers last summer.

And, it would appear that this interest is something that Lazio now appear keen on reigniting, with Noi Biancocelesti claiming that the Italian side, who did boast Champions League football this campaign, value the Romania international at around €6 million (£5 million).

Sport Witness suggest that this could prove something of a stumbling block for I Biancocelesti, as Steven Gerrard and co will likely demand a much larger fee for the midfielder.

Transfer Tavern Take

Having signed Hagi for £3.15 million last summer, in the unlikely event that Rangers do accept an offer of around £5 million for the 22-year-old in the upcoming transfer window, the club would still have turned a decent profit on the midfielder.

However, considering the fact that Hagi has proven himself a crucial part of Gerrard’s side this season, scoring seven goals and providing 12 assists over his 38 appearances in all competitions, with former Romania boss, Christoph Daum, dubbing midfielder an “excellent” talent, it is not difficult to imagine the Gers boss being uncertain about selling the midfielder for a figure of around £10 million, let alone the quoted £5 million.

In other news: this ‘superb’ £6.2k-p/w star lifted the lid on talks with the Rangers hierarchy – find out more here!

Alex Iwobi has been left ‘shocked’ at the goal that James Rodriguez scored for Everton in their 1-1 home draw with Crystal Palace on Monday evening.

The former Real Madrid star placed a neat finish into the bottom corner with his weaker right foot to give the Merseyside club the lead at Goodison Park, only former Carlo Ancelotti’s team to be pegged back late on by a goal from Michy Batshuayi.

Nonetheless, Iwobi recently gave his thoughts to the BBC on his 29-year-old teammate:

“What shocked me was his right foot finish, I didn’t know he had that in him.

“Some of the passes he plays, I don’t know how he sees it. It’s not normal.”

Rodriguez fitting in at Everton

Rodriguez is seemingly fitting in very well in the Toffees side and has shown that in decisive moments he is a player that they can count on in front of goal.

The Colombia international, who currently earns £90,000 per week with the Blues, has now scored no fewer than six goals and made a further eight assists in 22 games in total over all competitions so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt), and will surely be hoping for plenty more goal contributions as the season comes to an end.

Nonetheless, it will no doubt be good to hear for fans that he is pleasing his teammates on the pitch, and is turning out to be a very shrewd signing by EFC.

In other news, find out what big Josh King transfer claim has been dropped here!

Given Tottenham Hotspur’s defensive issues over the course of the season, it is a surprise to have not seen summer signing Joe Rodon more often.The 23-year-old has struggled for game time since his £11m move from Championship outfit Swansea City, but against Aston Villa on Sunday evening, he delivered a major statement over his credentials – right in front of Jose Mourinho.Indeed, the Welsh international has been restricted to just 11 appearances in all competitions, of which only five have been starts in the Premier League, via Transfermarkt.Rodon was also left out of their Europa League squad registration, so he really has been playing third or fourth choice at times to the likes of Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld.Individual errors at the back have been persistent, with the former two often the frequent protagonists – as ex-Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara angrily told talkSPORT last month, the pairing of Dier and Sanchez is “one of the worst” in the English top-flight and even went as far as suggesting to “get rid” of them.Thursday night’s embarrassment, which saw the duo alongside each other again, was evidently the last straw. Having leaked three goals, the Englishman was axed for the rarely-seen colossus. And he certainly made a point.With plenty to prove, Rodon was amongst Spurs’ best performers, as he helped contribute towards a clean sheet. In fact, SofaScore graded him as the best defender on the pitch with a 7.5 rating – only ‘Man of the Match’ Lucas Moura (7.9), Tanguy Ndombele (7.7) and the goalscoring Harry Kane (7.6) were rated higher.[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-spurs-news-mourinho-levy-gossip” title=”Read this week’s latest Spurs news, rumours and more!”]The 6 foot 4 monster was immensely strong in his duels, winning 75% of them, both in the air and on the ground. Only Ndombele had a better return in that sense, as per SofaScore.In addition to that, Rodon made three clearances, two interceptions, one block and one tackle – this pretty much shows how solid he was defensive. The clearances and interceptions prove he knew what to do at the right time, and could read the opposition’s gameplan well enough to thwart it, whilst the block and the tackle show he wasn’t afraid to get stuck in to stop it from happening, too.

Dan Kilpatrick at the Evening Standard was left in awe by his display, he wrote in his post-match ratings column: ‘In the right place to clear Trezeguet’s shot from danger during a good Villa spell and looked composed on his first appearance since January.’

“Composed.”

That is never normally a word you’d associate with either Dier or Sanchez, so that’s a vast improvement in itself.

It’s not the first time he’s been described that way either, Roy Keane said it on Sky Sports (via Wales Online) following his debut, whilst he has previously been lauded as a “leader.”

That only really raises further question marks as to why he’s not been playing, as the evidence above surely makes him seem like a dream for the Spurs boss right now.

Rodon couldn’t have really done much more to prove his worth to Mourinho, but he has not made that crucial statement to suggest he is the answer right now.

Unfortunately, the international break probably comes at the worst time for him, but after that dominating and resolute display, it would be a farce to see him dropped for their trip to Newcastle in two weeks time.

AND in other news, Forget Kane: £110k-p/w Spurs dynamo who had 85 touches stole the show vs Villa…

According to a report by reliable Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold, Brighton defender Lewis Dunk has admirers behind the scenes at Spurs – with the Lilywhites eyeing up possible defensive options ahead of the 2021/2022 season. 

Dunk, who has been a mainstay under Seagulls boss Graham Potter this campaign, starting 26 league matches, is apparently on the a list of targets for Spurs as Gold shares news.

Tottenham chiefs eyeing Dunk

Indeed, it is believed that the 29-year-old has admirers within the north London club, coming as Tottenham and the board sound out defensive options.

As Gold explains, Tottenham and chairman Daniel Levy are eager to sign a real leader at the back – with Brighton defender Dunk now emerging as a target.

The 6 foot 3 titan has averaged 3.1 clearances per 90 in the league this season and stands out as a composed head on mature shoulders with his 89% pass accuracy out from the back (WhoScored).

While Dunk doesn’t fit the usual age profile of Tottenham targets, Gold explains that his consistent performances in the league have marked him out – not to mention the fact he is homegrown.

Tottenham’s apparent biggest roadblock is his potential price tag considering he signed a new five-year deal for Brighton last summer – but Transfermarkt currently rate him at around £22.5 million.

Transfer Tavern take

Lauded as a ‘genius’ by former Spurs player and ex-Premier League boss Gus Poyet on Sky Sports (via football daily), there certainly are aspects of Dunk’s game to admire, but it remains to be seen whether the Lilywhites shore up this interest with a concrete move.

In other news: Tottenham could be without this ‘phenomenal’ star for Newcastle, find out more here.

Matt Ritchie may have met the end of his road at Newcastle United after Steve Bruce hit out at the winger following Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The former Scotland international was one of four players Bruce called out in his post-game media duties for their role in letting a one-goal lead fail to return all three points.

Bruce also pointed his finger at goalkeeper Martin Dubravka and defender Jamal Lewis for their roles in Wolves’ equaliser, and criticised Joelinton for his slack finishing.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s Molineux natives pulled level through Ruben Neves entering the final quarter of an hour, after Lewis was beaten easily and failed to block Pedro Neto’s cross.

Dubravka got a full hand on Neves’ header but failed to get sufficient strength behind his contact to prevent the ball from finding the net.

The Wolves midfielder had been left unchallenged in the centre of the box, as Ritchie failed to pass on instructions of a formation change after replacing the injured Emil Krafth.

“The instructions Matty didn’t get on to the team quick enough on how we were doing it,” Bruce said, via quotes by Chronicle Live. “When you look at the goal, we should have stopped the cross and when the ‘keeper looks at it, could he have done better?”

Bruce then added his thoughts on Joelinton wasting a golden chance to put Newcastle back ahead in the dying stages, after the Brazilian’s effort from 12-yards out was bundled over the bar by Romain Saiss despite having the beating of Wolves shot-stopper Rui Patricio.

“I think he should score,” the Toon boss noted. “It was a great run by [Jacob] Murphy and it was a big, big chance with, what was it, seven minutes to go? I’ve just seen it back again and it’s a big, huge opportunity that we missed.”

Bruce had brought Ritchie on in the 72nd-minute for the £45,000-per-week midfielder’s first Premier League appearance since January, having played no role in Newcastle’s past eight games.

The 31-year-old had been a regular at St. James’ Park over the festive period following a shoulder injury, starting five of eight top-flight fixtures, but fell out of favour amid negotiations with AFC Bournemouth over a potential return to the Vitality Stadium.

Bruce made clear that United would listen to offers for the £8.5m-rated outcast during the winter transfer market, as Ritchie had become “frustrated” with not playing week-in, week-out.

But Bournemouth failed to present a satisfactory offer prior to Deadline Day, so negotiations broke down and a move was called off.

With Ritchie only playing 18 of a possible 450 minutes since the window slammed shut and Bruce’s comments suggesting that he felt let down by the veteran’s lack of leadership at a crucial time, it could be curtains for the Gosport-born winger’s long-term Magpies future.

The St. James’ Park natives will surely be opposed to continue paying Ritchie a large sum each week with little to no return, so will likely look to move the midfielder on again in the off-season – despite presenting him with a new contract last March, one that runs until 2023.

AND in other news, Newcastle have joined the race for a sought-after “real talent” capable of “outstanding” displays…