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Newcastle United could yet seal a last-minute deal to bring Conor Gallagher to St James’ Park on transfer deadline day.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Luke Edwards, who revealed in a live update on The Telegraph on Monday morning that, despite Chelsea being unwilling to loan the midfielder to a direct rival for a top-four spot in the Premier League, the Magpies will nevertheless launch a further enquiry for the 22-year-old in the coming hours.

The journalist went on to state that, while the Blues are demanding a fee in excess of £50m for the England international – which might put the youngster out of the Magpies’ price range – Eddie Howe’s side could still complete a deal at this figure prior to tonight’s deadline by bringing forward some of their summer transfer budget.

“Extraordinary”

While it is true that Gallagher has struggled to hold down a regular spot in the Chelsea XI this season – starting just nine of his 18 top-flight outings – considering the remarkable performances the midfielder turned in during a season-long loan spell at Crystal Palace last time out, the argument that Howe must launch a late bid for the 22-year-old is an easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 34 Premier League appearances in 2021/22, the £38.5m-rated talent was in fantastic attacking form, bagging eight goals, providing three assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.5 shots, making 1.1 key passes and completing 1.3 dribbles – at a success rate of 57% – per game.

The £50k-per-week midfielder also caught the eye in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 2.0 tackles, 0.9 interceptions and winning 5.9 duels – at a success rate of 47% – per match, as well as enjoying an average of 51.6 touches, finding his man with 1.4 long balls and completing 25.1 total passes – at a success rate of 81% – per fixture.

These returns saw the four-cap international who Mark Duffy dubbed “unreal” average an incredibly impressive Sofascore statistical rating of 7.08, ranking him as the Eagles’ best performer in the league last season.

Rather unsurprisingly, the 22-year-old’s performances in south London saw him come in for a considerable amount of praise, with ex-Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel stating of the midfielder last year: “His development is extraordinary and outstanding. He is one of the key players at Crystal Palace and he has made a huge step in his development.

“He was a pleasure to coach in pre-season – he has so much positive energy, so much energy in general and so much work rate to give that he can of course be a big help and a big influence.”

As such, with Jonjo Shelvey now looking set to seal a late switch to Nottingham Forest, it would appear even more essential for Howe to add another midfielder to his current options at St James’ Park, with Gallagher undoubtedly representing an extraordinary last-minute signing for Newcastle to get over the line on deadline day.

Manchester United have reportedly been ‘offered’ the chance to sign Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.

The Lowdown: Points deduction

Juve have received a 15 point deduction in the Serie A after an investigation into past transfer dealings, and will appeal the decision made on Friday.

It leaves them in ninth place in the table, and crucially 14 points off of the UEFA Champions League places, so if they lose their appeal, the Old Lady will find it very difficult to reach those positions come the end of the season.

The Latest: Vlahovic ‘offered’

Taking to Twitter, transfer expert Graeme Bailey says that United have been ‘offered’ the chance to sign Vlahovic, as they consider striking options:

“Dusan Vlahovic offered to Man Utd as club consider striking options.”

Expanding in his corresponding article for 90min, Bailey adds that Champions League football is ‘important’ to the Serbia international, and he would like to play in the competition next year.

United are looking good to qualify, given that they are in the top four at the moment, and are ‘planning’ to sign a first choice striker before next season.

Chelsea, Arsenal, PSG and Bayern Munich have also been offered Vlahovic, but Juve do not want to sell him for less than the €80m (£70m) that they paid to sign him from Fiorentina.

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The Verdict: Get it done this summer

With Wout Weghorst only on loan from Burnley, and Anthony Martial too injury-prone to lead the line regularly, the Red Devils will be focusing all of their attention on signing a new striker this summer, and Vlahovic could be their man.

Lauded as a ‘beast‘ by journalist Siavoush Fallahi, he has already scored a total of 78 senior career goals for both club and country combined by the tender age of just 22, and more importantly, could be easier to obtain given Juve’s current situation.

Incidentally, Vlahovic shares a similar playing style to Old Trafford legend Cristiano Ronaldo, and at 22, still has plenty of time to reach close to the heights of the 37-year-old.

Newcastle United have held talks with the agent of the Real Valladolid right-back Ivan Fresneda over a potential move to Tyneside.

What’s the latest?

Eddie Howe’s side have noted the right-back spot as their priority position for this month’s transfer window and have identified the La Liga youngster as an option.

This is according to the reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano who has been speaking on the House of Champions YouTube channel about the Magpies’ interest in the 18-year-old.

However, the Italian journalist did caveat his comments by saying the Toon have not yet made an approach to the Spanish outfit yet and have only sounded out the player:

“At the moment, nothing is still advanced or close to being completed. But they’re working on some potential ideas.

“For example, Ivan Fresneda is a right-back from Real Valladolid, born in 2004. One of the most talented right-backs in Europe in this moment.

“They’re following him. They’re having some conversations with his agents. Let’s see if they will decide to proceed with an official bid at the moment it’s not a direct negotiation yet.”

Investing in the future

As well as claiming the Magpies have identified Fresneda as a target for this month, Romano hailed the transfer strategy of the Newcastle owners over the previous two transfer windows.

Newcastle have spent sufficiently over the first two windows with PIF at the helm, however, they have only made one signing worth over £40m in the addition of Alexander Isak.

And although they have still made some significant signings over £30m, considering the wealth of their owners, Newcastle have approached the transfer windows with a reserved approach given the financial backing behind them.

And it seems as if this summer could be an opportunity for Howe to bring in some young players who will provide Newcastle with quality for the future.

Although Kieran Trippier has that spot at right-back nailed down, it has to be said, Newcastle could probably do with more quality from the bench to back up the England international.

Currently, Javier Manquillo is Howe’s option from the bench at right-back with Emil Krafth currently sidelined through a long-term injury picked up last year.

However, the Spaniard’s contract at Newcastle is set to run out at the end of the next campaign and Krafth has been unable to provide anywhere near the return Trippier has in front of goal during his time on Tyneside.

And although Fresneda has just eight la Liga appearances to his name, it is apparent he is one to watch for the future with Romano clearly holding hue expectations for what Fresneda could become.

Celtic’s latest Old Firm derby stalemate saw World Cup star Josip Juranovic endure a grim return to club action, with the Croatia international having produced an unusually shaky display after entering the fray early in the first half.

The 27-year-old had been called into action following an injury to usual left-back Greg Taylor inside the opening 20 minutes, although the former Legia Warsaw man looked distinctly uncomfortable in that role, having “nearly cost” his side at Ibrox, as per The Athletic’s Owen Brown.

The attacking right-back – who did feature on the left of the defence on 13 occasions last term – was no doubt culpable for Ryan Kent’s equaliser after being caught out of position in the build-up to the goal, having also been far too easily outmuscled by the lively Fashion Sakala.

The latter man had given Juranovic something of a “torching” – in the words of journalist Jonny McFarlane – as the Hoops defender was simply unable to deal with the winger’s sheer pace and directness down the flanks.

Such were his woes, former Bhoys striker Scott McDonald noted that it looked as if the £16k-per-week man was “still in Qatar”, while another former Paradise hero – Chris Sutton – stated that the 27-cap dud had been “awful” and “terrible” on the day.

Following what was “possibly one of his worst performances for Celtic” – according to Glasgow Live’s Matthew Fulton – it looks as if Juranovic could well be leaving on something of a sour note, amid rampant reports that some of Europe’s top clubs are chasing his signature.

On the basis of that latest outing, Postecoglou should have no qualms about ditching the highly-coveted asset this month, particularly with the title-winning coach already having a potential replacement within his ranks.

The former Yokohama F. Marinos boss could well turn to promising full-back Ben McPherson if the Glasgow side are to allow Juranovic to depart in the near future, with the 18-year-old currently shining in the youth ranks.

The promising Scotsman has scored once and registered one assist in 18 appearances in all competitions so far this term, having solidified his place at right-back for the club’s ‘B’ team of late.

The teenager was also part of the U19 side that defeated RB Leipzig in the UEFA Youth League earlier this season, with that exciting crop of youngsters having been lauded as “terrific” by youth boss Stephen McManus.

Such form was recently rewarded with a new contract extension, with the Scotland youth international having committed himself to the club until 2025, showcasing just how highly thought of he is by those at Paradise.

A player who has “worked tremendously hard” – according to McManus – McPherson could well be the next figure to force his way into the first-team reckoning, with the impending exit of Monday’s derby day villain, Juranovic, potentially set to open the door for a chance at senior level.

Wolves are seemingly the frontrunners to sign Matheus Cunha in January, and the Brazilian could form an excellent partnership with Adama Traore in Julen Lopetegui’s side.

Fabrizio Romano has suggested that the Atletico Madrid striker is being targeted by the Old Gold ahead of next month’s transfer window, as Lopetegui looks to overhaul a Wolves attack which has struggled immensely in recent campaigns.

So far this term, Wolves have managed just eight goals in 15 games in the Premier League, so it is no surprise that they are propping up the table ahead of the return of top-flight football just after Christmas.

Cunha has struggled for goals in recent years with RB Leipzig and Atletico, but he showed in previous spells with Hertha Berlin and Swiss outfit Sion that he can provide a consistent goal threat, hitting 23 goals and 18 assists in 72 combined appearances for those clubs.

At 23, he still has a lot of potential, and there seems no reason why he can’t live up to his former Sion boss Paolo Tramezzani’s tag as an “extraordinary” player with a fresh start at Molineux.

According to WhoScored, Cunha’s main strength lies in his dribbling, which suggests that he could cause nightmares for Premier League defenders in a similar way to Traore, should he make the move to the Black Country in January.

The Spain international was once seen as an “unstoppable” player by Darren Bent because of his pace and power but has struggled for consistency in recent seasons under Bruno Lage.

However, it seems as if Traore could become a regular once again under Loptegeui’s management, with the new boss hoping that the 26-year-old will extend his contract at Molineux, and his counterattacking threat could prove crucial in improving the Old Gold’s woeful recent form.

Wolves’ central midfield options boast just two assists between them so far this term, which suggests that Lopetegui might have to rely on wide options to be his main source of creativity at Molineux.

The prospect of Cunha and Traore running at defenders on either flank and causing problems with their pace and dribbling is surely an exciting one for the 56-year-old, so he should definitely look to bring the Atletico Madrid man to Molineux next month.

Everton’s proposed move to the Bramley-Moore Dock stadium is ‘happening quite soon’, according to pundit John Wenham.

The Lowdown: Bramley-Moore Dock latest

The Premier League side are set to move into their new home for the 2024/25 season which will have an increased capacity of 52,888, compared to Goodison Park’s 39,572.

Owner Farhad Moshiri has been told that the Toffees could face a fine in the millions should they not be able to cover all the costs to fund the project, so the 67-year-old is now seeking external investment to prevent this from happening.

The Latest: Wenham’s comments

Speaking to Football Insider, Wenham was blown away by the progress already made on Bramley-Moore Dock, but insisted that Everton need to avoid relegation whilst it’s in the process of being built. He said:

“The move to Bramley-Moore Docks is actually happening quite soon in the grand scheme of things.

“By the way, the progress being made on that is phenomenal, absolutely incredible. It looks really good already and the work they are doing, they must be working on it literally all of the time because it is flying up.

“They have to make sure they are a Premier League side when they move into it because that ground should not be in the Championship.

“But, as I say, it looks good and certainly looks to be an upgrade on Goodison Park.”

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The Verdict: Start of a new era

Everton must avoid dropping down to the Championship between now and the stadium’s completion date or else they will suffer financially, which could play a significant role in whether they receive that dreaded fine.

Frank Lampard’s side find themselves just one point above the relegation zone after securing three wins in 15 this season, form which is vital they turn around upon the return of domestic action.

Goodison Park has been the home of the Toffees ever since 1892, but Bramley Moore-Dock will signal the start of a new era on Merseyside.

Sunderland return to the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon as they take on Cardiff City in the Championship.

Tony Mowbray’s side got back to winning ways in midweek as they earned an impressive 2-0 victory at Huddersfield, and the former Blackburn Rovers manager will want to continue that momentum against the Bluebirds this weekend, in what is the Wearsiders’ final home game before the World Cup break.

Three points could see the Black Cats move into the top 10, whereas a defeat could see them slip closer towards the relegation zone, in what is a tightly-contested division.

Here is how Football FanCast expects Sunderland to line up on Saturday, with three changes from the side which started at the John Smith’s Stadium on Wednesday.

Anthony Patterson has started every game in the Championship for the Black Cats this season and he looks unlikely to lose his place after a sixth clean sheet of the season in midweek.

Similarly, it would be strange to see Mowbray deviate from the defence which won Sunderland the game on Wednesday, so Luke O’Nien, Bailey Wright, Danny Batth and Dennis Cirkin should all start.

Despite scoring the opening goal in midweek, Alex Pritchard could drop out of the side in favour of Jack Clarke, who is available again after suspension, with the 21-year-old the second-best performer in Mowbray’s side this season according to WhoScored.

The Black Cats can afford to be more adventurous at home, so Corry Evans drops out of the side in favour of the more attack-minded Dan Neil. The “young Paul Gascoigne” partners Elliot Embleton in the middle of the park, with Patrick Roberts keeping his place on the flank.

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Finally, in attack, Ellis Simms gets the nod to start up front alongside Amad Diallo, after the two combined for Sunderland’s second goal in midweek, with Leon Dajaku dropping out following a tepid display on Wednesday which saw him dubbed the team’s lowest-rated performer by Sofascore.

Everton could be plotting a move to bolster their forward ranks, with reports earlier this month suggesting that Borussia Monchengladbach marksman, Marcus Thuram, may be in line for a move.

Although the club underwent a summer of rebuilding that saw eight major deals completed, one area that still appears somewhat depleted is upfront.

Despite the acquisition of Neal Maupay appearing to have satisfied his desire for another striker, Frank Lampard still seems unhappy with the quality of his options. 

Journalist Dean Jones had made it clear in the summer just how imperative it was for the Toffees, as he claimed: “Lampard specifically wants to know a fair bit about whichever striker he ends up signing because he wants to have somebody that he knows he can get the best out of pretty early on.”

As per journalist Graeme Bailey, the Blues are now among plenty of Premier League sides who seem keen on the free-scoring Frenchman.

He was quoted as saying on the Talking Transfers podcast: “Yeah, Palace, Leicester, Everton, Fulham and Wolves. He’s doing very well this season and he’s a player that a lot of Premier League clubs have kept a close eye on, but he’s doing a good job in the Bundesliga now. He’s available on a Bosman in January, he’s 25, he’d just be a very useful signing for a lot of teams.”

It is thought that despite Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s recent return to fitness, the club cannot yet rely on him to be available for a whole season. Perhaps this added quality recruit might be the final piece in Lampard’s attacking puzzle.

He would certainly thrive with the likes of Demarai Gray, who has had cause for frustration in recent weeks as his creative exploits have gone unappreciated.

As aforementioned, the Monchengladbach man has a deal that is set to expire at the conclusion of this season, leaving him available for cheap in January or free in the summer.

The other suitors mentioned are all at a similar standing to Everton, so the Merseyside outfit will feel a certain level of confidence that should they want him, they could land the “phenomenal” figure in the near future, as described by former teammate Denis Zakaria.

The 6 foot 4 powerhouse has more than shown his quality in Germany of late, proving himself one of the better strikers in the division.

A return of eight goals with two assists in just 12 Bundesliga games is indicative of this. However, his exploits have only taken his side to 11th in the table.

His record far outperforms both of Everton’s current strikers from this season, with Maupay and Calvert-Lewin having scored just one each.

Thuram also has earned praise for his impressively quick feet to partner his hulking physique, highlighted by the fact that he ranks in the top 7% of positionally similar players across Europe’s top five leagues for dribbles completed.

He might benefit even more from the deliveries that some of the Toffees’ wingers would produce, as in their game over the weekend against Fulham, Gray was a shining light throughout an otherwise dull display.

The English wide man made three key passes and created two big chances, yet his team did not manage to score all game. 

Were Everton to tempt Thuram to Goodison Park, not only would it mark a huge coup and a success over half of the Premier League that want him too, but they would be getting a striker in red-hot form who would seldom squander the chances that Gray would provide.

For a team that has scored just 12 goals this term, they are crying out for someone to relieve the burden from Calvert-Lewin, who also possesses more quality than Maupay.

Any reservations regarding his ability to step up to a seemingly higher level in England can be put to bed with his brace against Real Madrid the season before last, where they actually would go on to reach the semi-finals of that Champions League campaign.

While there may well be fierce competition for his signature, the Toffees would be hard-pressed to find a better deal in Europe at the moment when it comes to reliable goal scorers.

Leeds United right-back Cody Drameh suffered an injury scare for the U21s against Tranmere Rovers on Tuesday evening.

The Lowdown: 5-3 win

Michael Skubala’s U21s began their EFL Trophy campaign with an entertaining 5-3 victory over League Two side Tranmere Rovers.

The Whites named an attacking side that included Sam Greenwood, Joe Gelhardt, Wilfried Gnonto, Sonny Perkins and Mateo Joseph. Gelhardt netted twice, and goals from Perkins, Joseph and Drameh sealed an impressive victory.

However, it may have come at a cost, with Drameh, who started against Brentford in the Premier League last month, suffering an injury scare.

The Latest: Tranmere ‘knock’

Leeds journalist Joe Donnohue was at Prenton Park for the game on Tuesday evening and shared news of a ‘knock’ for Drameh.

He relayed comments from Skubala, who stated that the 20-year-old was due to be assessed on Wednesday, but there is no word yet on the severity.

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The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Drameh has missed just one of Jesse Marsch’s Premier League squads this season, with the Leeds boss heaping praise on the full-back back in August.

He seems to be in the mix alongside Rasmus Kristensen and Luke Ayling at Elland Road, so it would be a shame if his injury proves to be serious, harming his long-term development and the manager’s depth.

Donnohue labelled Drameh as a ‘level above’ on Tuesday, while former Cardiff City manager Steve Morison described the defender as ‘excellent’ during his loan spell last season, so fingers crossed he can be back playing and pushing his way into the first-team once more relatively soon.

A Tottenham Hotspur career blighted by injury, Erik Lamela was always a divisive player amongst the fanbase in N17.

The final signing of the ‘magnificent seven’ bought as a result of the Gareth Bale money, the Argentinian winger failed to deliver as an attacking option throughout his eight seasons at the club.

It was a total of just 37 goals and 47 assists across a whopping 257 appearances, averaging only an 0.39 G/A per game in the Premier League, though he did tend to show up for a ‘big’ game – such as that spectacular rabona goal against arch-rivals Arsenal or the game-winning penalty he won in front of the Kop.

At the time, he arrived as the Lilywhites’ – and chairman Daniel Levy’s – biggest-ever signing at around £30m from Serie A outfit AS Roma, but he never lived up to the hype, largely due to the fact that he was always on the treatment table.

As per Transfermarkt, Lamela missed a total of 133 matches, which works out to be around 16-and-a-half games per season. Not what you want from your club-record arrival or someone brought in to fill the void left behind by Bale.

Whilst some of his questionable antics often drew criticism. One bizarre incident involving Manchester United’s Anthony Martial, which saw the winger play-acting to get the Frenchman sent off and led to Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness to slam him as “pathetic.”

It’s perhaps no wonder that one of the first bits of business sporting director Fabio Paratici did was find a new home for him as he included the 30-year-old in a swap deal for Sevilla’s Bryan Gil.

Tottenham would pay £21.6m alongside Lamela, who was earning an eye-watering £85k-per-week at Hotspur Way, but swapping an injury-prone flop for a potential star of the future just made the world of sense.

And things haven’t really improved for the 25-time Argentina international as he’s only been able to muster up 30 appearances for the LaLiga side, where he has delivered a measly nine goal contributions – one every three games in the Spanish top-flight.

Such form and obvious question marks over his age – entering the wrong side of 30 – has seen his value plummet to a disappointing €7m (£6m), as per CIES Football Observatory, who assess the transfer value of professional footballers on a scientific basis.

Therefore, despite being capable of producing moments of the spectacular, it appears that Paratici was more than right to offload him and did so at the right time. He’d have only been part of the exiled group of flops under Antonio Conte this summer and that would’ve dented the appeal in signing him.

AND in other news, Left for £0, once worth £89m: Harry Redknapp had a mare at Spurs with 383-app machine…