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Manchester City are one of a number of clubs interested in signing Benjamin Pavard during the summer transfer window, according to a new report.

Is Pavard off in the summer?

This summer is hopefully going to be another fruitful one for City in the transfer market as they look to make their squad even more formidable by adding fresh legs. Full-back could be an area of the pitch to strengthen with Kyle Walker now in his thirties and Joao Cancelo's future up in the air after joining Bayern Munich on loan.

One player who could potentially be on the move at the end of the season is Pavard, who is currently a key figure for Bayern. The France World Cup winner has started 20 Bundesliga matches this season, as well as appearing seven times in the Champions League.

The 27-year-old is out of contract in the summer of 2024, so this year could be the last opportunity to receive a decent amount of money for his signature, meaning he could move on to pastures new this summer. It looks as though there could be a scrap to sign Pavard in the upcoming window, following a fresh update.

Could Frenchman head to Man City?

According to 90min, City are in the hunt to sign Pavard from Bayern, although they are far from alone in expressing their interest. Manchester United and Real Madrid are the other top clubs who are believed in the conversation. All three clubs are keen on "bolstering" their right-back options and they see the France international as a strong option to bring in.

He may not be the most attack-minded full-back in the game – he has only registered one assist in the league this season – but he is a defensively astute player with a wealth of experience and a winning mentality, as highlighted by his World Cup triumph back in 2018.

With Uli Hoeness lauding him as "wonderful" in the past, Pavard could be seen as a strong option to rival Walker for minutes moving forward, easing the Englishman's workload as he gets older in the process and proving to be an intelligent signing who learns the City system quickly.

Having great squad depth can be key for a team like City who are battling on maximum fronts each year, and the Bayern defender could be someone who comes in and simply does a solid job – possibly even enjoying his best years of his career at the Etihad.

Pundit and former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer believes that Hillsborough could be a possible destination for Newcastle United’s Elliot Anderson next season.

The Lowdown: Previous interest

The Owls appeared to have their eye on Anderson earlier in the year during the January transfer window, with reports suggesting that the club were keen on a loan deal for the 20-year-old, who contributed to 13 goals in 21 League Two appearances on loan at Bristol Rovers last season.

As we know, a move for Anderson failed to materialise, with the midfielder remaining at St. James’ Park under Eddie Howe, but it looks as if a loan move could be on the cards ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The Latest: Palmer’s comments

Palmer, who contributes for the BBC, was talking to Football League World about Anderson, describing his display against Nottingham Forest as ‘brilliant’. The Pundit then name-checked Sheffield Wednesday as a potential destination for the midfielder next season, labelling him as a ‘very, very talented young player’.

“Elliot Anderson was brilliant for Newcastle the other night (against Nottingham Forest). He’s a very, very talented young player but all the noise coming out of Newcastle is that he could be loaned out to a Championship club, but it will be a Championship club that play football in the right manner.

“So yes, I think Sheffield Wednesday would be in the frame to get him and he would be a very, very good acquisition should they secure promotion.”

The Verdict: Wednesday to benefit?

A loan move to the second tier could be extremely beneficial for Anderson after playing just 179 minutes of Premier League action across 12 appearances. He caught the eye prior to the international break against Nottingham Forest, with Kieran Trippier hailing his display from the bench.

“He’s a young lad, with so much potential and I really mean that. It’s crazy really how good he is. He just has to be patient. Keep working hard as he has been doing. He was unbelievable when he came on (at Forest). He has a massive future ahead of him, like I said, he just has to keep being patient.”

He appears to be a star in the making, so Darren Moore’s side could benefit from having him upon their return to the Championship, should they get over the line and out of League One in the coming months.

The Owls have just one out-and-out attacking midfielder on the books in Josh Windass, so Anderson could be a shrewd signing to add strength in depth, although the club may face plenty of interest from possible second-tier rivals.

Former Aston Villa striker Darren Bent has bemoaned Gareth Southgate's decision to leave in-form striker Ollie Watkins out of the latest England squad.

How has Ollie Watkins performed for Aston Villa?

The striker has been in sensational form recently, scoring six times in his last seven Premier League matches, while netting 10 times in all competitions this season.

The 27-year-old has been Unai Emery's trusted figure up front to the point that Danny Ings was allowed to leave in the January transfer window, and has seven England caps already to his name.

He was once described as "outstanding" by former manager Dean Smith, and his current form has been nothing short of remarkable.

However, he was omitted from the squad for England's EURO 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine, in a move that has surprised Bent.

Speaking on TalkSport, Bent claimed that Watkins' form makes him more deserving of a place than other strikers who have been called up.

He said: "Someone who I think could count himself a bit unlucky to not be in the squad is Ollie Watkins.

"He's got six goals in his last seven games. He's timed his form to perfection if he was in contention for this England squad, so to get six in your last seven and not be in there, he can count himself unlucky.

"Callum Wilson, who was brilliant in the first half of the season, he's got one goal in 2023, so that's not going for him.

"I spoke about Tammy Abraham, he's got one in the last 10. Ollie Watkins is the one where he'd go, 'hold on a second here, why am I not in the squad?'"

Should Watkins be in the squad?

Whilst Watkins is evidently in better form than Wilson and Abraham, Southgate has elected to only pick two natural centre-forwards in the shape of Harry Kane and Ivan Toney.

Marcus Rashford is also capable of playing through the middle, and if Watkins was selected, his game time may well have been limited as a result of Kane's presence.

Although Watkins has been in better goalscoring form recently, Toney's 17 strikes this season place him ahead of the Villa star, as well as having one more assist throughout the campaign as a whole.

Whilst Watkins may bemoan his luck that he failed to make the squad when in such fine form, the other options at England's disposal mean he will face an uphill battle to force his way into Southgate's plans going forward.

With Kane the unquestionable starter, whichever forward makes it in out of Toney, Watkins or Wilson will still have to settle for a bench role anyway.

Glasgow Rangers’ transfer business has been well documented throughout the previous 25 years, with plenty of money being spent in order to vastly improve the squad and progress in Europe, especially under former chairman Sir David Murray.

The club won nine league titles in a row between 1988 and 1997 and in the first few years after the millennium, Murray wanted the Ibrox side to take the next step and become a European force. Of course, millions would need to be spent to achieve this goal, and they were, just ultimately on the wrong players.

When manager Dick Advocaat splash out £6.5m on Everton defender Michael Ball back in 2001, it looked as though the Light Blues had signed a player of considerable quality. It didn’t quite work out well for the left-back unfortunately during his spell at the club.

How much did Michael Ball cost Rangers?

At the time, the deal to bring Ball to Ibrox was the second highest in the club’s history and much hype was generated upon his arrival.

He missed 18 months of football early on in his Rangers career due to knee problems suffered at Everton and this heavily impacted the trajectory of his career.

The Englishman played just nine matches during his first season at the club and missed the whole of the 2002/2003 treble winning campaign.

40 matches in 2003/2004 was his best season at the Glasgow side, although in his last few years, he had to come to a strange agreement with Murray. If Ball played one more match, Rangers would have to pay another £500k to Everton and with the Gers short on money, Ball agreed to pay per appearance.

He said: "I remember it was a match at Ibrox when the gaffer Alex McLeish said the chairman wanted to see me – that's when he put the idea to me.

"Alex asked how it went, and I was still a little bit shocked about what had just happened.

"I had agreed to pay £4000 every time I played so they could pay Everton.

"I wasn't sure if I had got it right. We had a bit of a chuckle about it and later that day I came on as a sub with a few minutes left. I remember thinking 'that's just cost me four grand'!"

All in all, he made 67 appearances for the club across five and half seasons, which works out at around £97k per game in relation to his initial transfer fee – excluding wages – and this simply wasn’t money that Rangers could afford to waste.

If he managed to keep himself fit, there is no doubt he could have enjoyed a wonderful career in Scotland, however it proved to be a massive transfer shocker by Murray.

Journalist Liam Keen has revealed that Matheus Cunha is expected to feature for Wolves at the weekend despite an injury scare.

What's the latest on Matheus Cunha?

The forward, who joined from Atletico Madrid in January, is yet to score in 11 appearances for the club, and there was concern that he could miss his side's crucial game against Leeds United on Saturday.

The striker was withdrawn with an ankle injury against Fulham, which caused him to miss Wolves' loss to Liverpool, but Cunha is expected to be in the squad as Wolves host Javi Gracia's side at Molineux.

Speaking on the Express and Star Podcast, Keen claimed that his injury is simply careful management of his previous ankle problem and that he is fit to play.

He said: "He's having to manage the injury, having to take the load off the ankle at times and just manage it.

"He should be fine. They're not expecting him to be out injured. They're expecting him to still be fine for Saturday provided, obviously. there's no issues for the rest of this week.

"So it looks worse than it is, but it's just managing the load on the ankle. He was in the squad at Newcastle, he was warming up, I saw him on the sidelines, he looked fine.

"So I would imagine, unless there's [any] issues in the rest of this week, he will be fine for the weekend against Leeds."

Has Cunha been good enough so far?

The 23-year-old joined on an initial loan with an obligation to buy for around £35m, but his lack of goals will be of some concern to Julen Lopetegui.

Wolves' strikers have gone over a year without a Premier League goal, despite the likes of Cunha and Diego Costa arriving to support Raul Jimenez up front, and it was hoped that Cunha could provide more of a threat in attack.

The Brazil international has never been prolific at any of his clubs, and failed to score for Atletico Madrid this season before his move in January.

He may be more suited to a second-striker role rather than as an out-and-out number nine, but given the hefty fee Wolves will have to pay for him in the summer, they will be hoping for a vast improvement in his end product.

Wolves have navigated themselves away from the relegation zone for now, but there is still a long way to go this season as they continue to battle the drop, and their striking problems have been one of their biggest issues in what has been an overall underwhelming season.

And despite Cunha's slow start to life at Molineux in front of goal, having him back in first-team contention can only be a boost for the Old Gold.

Chelsea are currently in pole position to sign Birmingham City forward Trevan Sanusi, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Sanusi profiled

The Blues winger has worked his way up through the academy ranks at St. Andrew’s but his future is uncertain, having turned down multiple new scholarship contract proposals.

The Midlands starlet is 15 years old but will turn 16 next month, when he is reportedly hoping to move onto pastures new, and it sounds like there are two suitors waiting to snap him up in the Premier League.

The Latest: CFC leading the race

According to Football Insider, Chelsea and Arsenal are ‘battling’ it out to secure the services of Sanusi when he’s allowed to depart.

The London giants are both ‘hot on the trail’ of the teenager, but it’s believed that Graham Potter and his side are in ‘pole position’ at this stage having pushed ‘hard’.

The SW6 outfit’s scouts have ‘closely watched’ their target in multiple matches, where he has received ‘rave reviews’.

The Verdict: One for the future

Sanusi has been hailed an ‘exciting’ player by Birmingham’s U21s manager Steve Spooner and he would be a great signing for the future of Chelsea.

The talented prospect naturally operates on the left wing but offers wonderful versatility having also operated down the right and as a centre-forward throughout his career so far.

Sanusi is also an England youth international having been capped for both the U16s and U15s sides, so has a bright future ahead of him, quite possibly at Stamford Bridge.

Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni, with the Red Devils a ‘concrete threat’ to the Serie A side.

The Lowdown: Bastoni superb for Inter

The 23-year-old is arguably one of Europe’s most exciting young defenders currently, producing a string of influential performances for Inter in recent years.

Bastoni has made 19 appearances in Serie A so far this season, averaging 1.7 tackles per game in the competition, as well as 2.5 clearances in the Champions League, as per WhoScored.

The Italian is out of contract at Inter at the end of next season, however, meaning there could be potential suitors eyeing up his signature this summer.

The Latest: United linked with move

According to Inter Live [via Sport Witness], United are a ‘concrete threat’ to Inter with regards to Bastoni, as the Serie A giants desperately try to keep hold of one of their star men.

The Red Devils could reportedly ‘go as high as’ offering the young centre-back €8million (£7m) a year at Old Trafford, which is ‘triggering a new alarm’ at the Nerazzurri.

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The Verdict: Could be an outstanding signing

Bastoni could be a magnificent signing by United, considering what a formidable defender he already is, despite having most of his career ahead of him still.

The 17-cap Italy international could be viewed as a long-term successor to Raphael Varane at the heart of United’s defence, with the Frenchman turning 30 next month and never too far away from an injury layoff.

Bastoni and Lisandro Martinez could forge a wonderful long-term centre-back partnership at Old Trafford – one that may have the potential to match great pairings of the past, from Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, to Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister.

Whether or not Inter allow one of their most prized assets to move on remains to be seen – he won the league title in 2020/21 – but the player himself may jump at the chance to join the Erik ten Hag revolution.

Aston Villa correspondent Ashley Preece has been reacting to the club’s reported talks with sporting director Antonio Cordon.

The Lowdown: Cordon for Lange?

Johan Lange is the current sporting director at Villa Park and has been since 2020. The 43-year-old has worked alongside Dean Smith, Steven Gerrard and now Unai Emery, but reports towards the end of 2022 said that his job is hanging by a thread.

Villa have now been linked with a move for Cordon and have held discussions with the sporting director after he announced he was to step down from his role at Real Betis.

The Latest: Preece reacts

Preece took to Twitter on Wednesday afternoon to share the news on Cordon. The Birmingham Live reporter described it as ‘quite a big deal’ and said Cordon is ‘the man behind Real Betis’ incredible success in recent seasons’, adding that there could be competition from Barcelona.

“Quite a big deal this as AVFC hold talks with Antonio Cordon, the man behind Real Betis’ incredible success in recent seasons, after he stepped down from his sporting director role this week. Villa face competition from Barca.”

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The Verdict: All change…

Christian Purslow is expecting an extremely busy summer at Villa in regards to incomings and outgoings, and it looks as if Cordon could help oversee those changes in place of Lange – he may have been in contact with Villa just last month in the transfer that took Alex Moreno from Real Betis to the Midlands.

As Preece mentions, Cordon signed a number of impressive players during his time at Betis, including Villa-linked Luiz Henrique, so it doesn’t come as a complete shock that Villa are in talks over a move to England, especially following speculation over Lange’s future in recent months.

According to Sky Sports injury expert Ben Dinnery, Manchester City could have an agreement in place with Gareth Southgate to make sure that right-back Kyle Walker isn’t too heavily involved whilst on duty with England this month.

The Lowdown: Walker’s injury concerns

The 32-year-old veteran sustained an ankle injury earlier in the season during the Sky Blues’ Champions League quarter-final second leg against Atletico Madrid. Pep Guardiola at one point even confirmed that the £150k-per-week star had been ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Despite these fears, the defender managed to make a comeback and was named on the bench for City’s thrilling 3-2 victory over Aston Villa on the final day of the season, which clinched the Manchester outfit the Premier League title in dramatic style.

It was then revealed by the club’s media team just last week that the Sheffield-born talent had been included in the Three Lions squad for their upcoming Nations League games.

The Latest: Dinnery’s agreement claim

Speaking during an interview with Football Insider, Dinnery revealed that he thinks Southgate will be very sensible when it comes to Walker’s game time. He told correspondent Adam Williams:

“He is a very, very fit player.

“We saw that when he returned in the Champions League semi-final. He had done very little training with the group but he put his body on the line.

“Then, after being ruled out for the season, he made a surprise inclusion on the bench for the final day. The time between then and now will certainly have helped him.

“I’m sure Gareth Southgate will have agreed with clubs that he won’t be pushing players unnecessarily. I can’t see Kyle Walker playing every minute of every game.”

The Verdict: An integral England starter

The City gem first made his England debut under Fabio Capello 11 years ago and has since gone on to become an integral part of the Wembley outfit’s starting XI, having been capped 65 times to provide eight assists across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

Walker has been equally as effective in and out of possession for Southgate’s team, where he averages 1.3 tackles and clearances apiece along with 6.5 long balls per game, via WhoScored, showing the impact he can have at both ends of the pitch.

The Three Lions are set to face Germany, Italy, and Hungary in their forthcoming fixtures over the next few weeks as they begin their preparations for the start of the World Cup in November.

In other news… a Manchester City first-team star has been told he is free to leave the club this summer.

Aston Villa are closing in on the permanent signing of goalkeeper Robin Olsen, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

What’s the word?

As per the transfer insider, the Midlands outfit appear keen to exercise the buy option in the Swede’s loan deal, with the 32-year-old having joined the club on a temporary switch from Serie A side AS Roma back in January.

Writing on Twitter about the situation regarding the 56-cap international, Romano revealed that an agreement is close: “Aston Villa are getting closer to find full agreement with AS Roma on Robin Olsen deal. Buy option clause for €3.5m expected to be triggered soon, as Aston Villa want to keep Olsen at the club. Talks in progress, the deal could be completed soon.”

The £1.8m-rated giant had spent the first half of the 2021/22 season on loan at Championship outfit Sheffield United, prior to moving to Villa Park, having also played the role of understudy to Jordan Pickford at Everton the year prior.

Supporters delighted

It may not prove to be quite as exciting as the club’s other summer business – having already snapped up Boubacar Kamara, Diego Carlos and Philippe Coutinho – yet supporters will no doubt be delighted to see the proactive attitude to Steven Gerrard’s squad rebuild, with the former Rangers boss seemingly wanting to get his transfer dealings done swiftly.

With further additions also in the pipeline, amid links to soon-to-be free agent Luis Suarez, the former England skipper appears to be receiving substantial backing in order to put his stamp on the squad, with expectations for next term now likely to have sky-rocketed.

As for Olsen, there may not be too many fireworks over a player who was technically already at the club and had made just a solitary Premier League appearance during his six-month loan stint, although he will no doubt provide quality cover to undisputed first-choice, Emi Martinez.

The 6 foot 5 stopper’s solitary top-flight outing came in that remarkable final-day defeat to eventual champions Manchester City at the Etihad, with the visitors squandering a two-goal to help hand Pep Guardiola’s men the title.

The one-time Malmo man had hardly been culpable for any of City’s excellently crafted goals – nor did he deserve to be on the receiving of an awful, post-match assault from a home supporter – with Villa’s problems this term having largely been among the defence, rather than between the sticks – shipping 54 goals in the most recent campaign.

A veteran at international level, Olsen also provides valuable experience to a dressing room that is beginning to overflow with top-class talent, with his presence in the dressing room potentially set to prove vital next term.

As for supporters, they will likely be glad to see the deal wrapped up quickly, so that the club can prioritise other areas of need.

IN other news, Gerrard can land AVFC’s next Southgate with move for “outstanding” £120k-p/w warrior