Newcastle United are reportedly interested in a move for Inter Milan star, Hakan Calhanoglu, as manager Eddie Howe seeks to recruit a new creative midfielder.

What’s the latest on Calhanoglu to Newcastle?

According to InterLive.it, the Magpies – as well as Premier League rivals Leeds United – have been named as possible suitors for the Turkey international this summer, with the 29-year-old facing something of an uncertain future at San Siro with just 15 months left to run on his current deal.

The report suggests that the 74-cap playmaker – who joined the Nerazzurri on a free transfer from rivals AC Milan back in 2021 – could potentially be the subject of a bid from Leeds for a fee of around €30m (£26m).

The player’s agent, Gordon Stipic, has only recently revealed that his client is in “no rush” to agree to a contract extension, potentially opening the door for the Tynesiders to pounce ahead of next season.

Could Calhanoglu be Newcastle’s Maddison alternative?

A new midfield asset has clearly been on the agenda for the St James’ Park outfit of late, having been heavily linked with a move for Leicester City sensation James Maddison in the January transfer window, after previously lodging a £50m bid for the 26-year-old over the summer.

Further reports have indicated that the Englishman will again be a top target for Howe and co come the end of the season, although champions Manchester City are also now in the mix for the player – whose own deal is set to expire in 2024.

That rival interest from the Etihad outfit may prove a spanner in the works for Howe’s plan of prising the Coventry-born gem from the King Power Stadium, hence the need to look for an alternative in the form of Calhanoglu.

The latter man has enjoyed a fruitful campaign thus far with three goals and six assists in 33 games in all competitions for the Serie A side, with that a respectable record despite not quite matching the feats of Maddison – who has 14 goals involvements in just 20 games across all fronts this season.

Clearly a player who can make an impact in the final third, Calhanoglu also mirrors the Leicester man with his ability to drive his side forward from deep, with that evidenced by the fact that he ranks in the top 20% among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries, while Maddison ranks in the top 18% in that regard.

Equally, while the latter man has been lauded by Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate as an asset who can provide “world-class” delivery, the Inter ace is also a real threat from dead-ball situations, having been noted as something of a ‘free-kick specialist’ – as per The Guardian.

The German-born ace – who has 30 goal involvements to his name in just 79 games for his current side – previously laid on 80 goals and assists in 172 games for his former employers, as well as 28 goals and 29 assists in just 115 games during his time at Leverkusen.

Undoubtedly a figure who can unpick a defence or produce a moment of magic when required, the 5 foot 10 dynamo could emerge as something of a talisman for Howe and co, having previously been described by former boss Stefano Pioli as an “exceptional guy, [who] has the qualities to become the protagonist.”

Those traits should ensure that Calhanoglu would certainly be an astute signing for Newcastle if a deal can be struck this summer, particularly should the long-running pursuit of Maddison fail to bare fruit.

Manchester United are one of several clubs potentially interested in signing Barcelona and France winger Ousmane Dembele, according to a new transfer update.

The Lowdown: Dembele on the move?

The 25-year-old is currently sidelined with a hamstring issue that has kept him out of action since the end of January, curtailing what was a strong season until that point.

Dembele’s pace and directness have been key for Barca in 2022/23 and he has registered 10 goal contributions (five goals and five assists) in 18 La Liga appearances, as well three (one goal and two assists) in the Champions League.

The £199,000-per-week star’s future is up in the air at the moment, however, with his current deal expiring in the summer of 2024 and no new extension agreed at this point.

Dembele’s persistent injury problems may be a possible reason for this – he has never started more than 22 league games in a single season in his career – and Barca could feel that this summer is a good time to cash in on him.

He has been linked with a move to the Premier League and now a fresh claim suggests that England could be his next destination once this campaign comes to an end.

The Latest: United in the mix

According to Calciomercato [via Sport Witness], Dembele is seen as an ‘attractive’ option for United, as they look to bring in significant attacking reinforcements.

They are not alone in being mentioned in the report, however, with Newcastle United and Chelsea also in the conversation, while Inter Milan and Barcelona may be unable to pay his €50million (£44.2m) release clause.

The Verdict: Top player but potential risk

Dembele is clearly a top-level footballer who has been rated extremely highly for some time now, having been signed by Barca for a whopping £135.5million back in 2017, at the age of just 20.

The four-goal France international has been compared to Neymar by Xavi, such is his quality, and he has scored 40 goals and registered 41 assists for his current club.

Dembele could be a more devastating wide option for United than Antony, who has flattered to deceive this season, assisting just twice in all competitions, and his pedigree is undeniable, having started the 2022 World Cup final.

The one risk would be both his injury record and rumoured questionable attitude, but if Erik ten Hag believes he can sort those issues, he could be a very exciting summer arrival at Old Trafford.

Leeds United saw plenty of heroes forged in their triumphant return to the Premier League in 2020, but arguably none more so than Patrick Bamford.

The wiry striker joined amidst great scrutiny from the English media, the likes of which would persist throughout his time with the Whites before he would eventually fire them into silence.

It seems that the 29-year-old's career never truly got going until he moved to Elland Road, where he became an integral spearhead at the front of Marcelo Bielsa's infamous system.

The English forward was actually one of his first signings in that summer of 2018, as he parted with £7m to tempt him from Middlesbrough. This is a figure that would only continue to rise alongside his performances.

Whilst injuries might have marred his recent campaigns, Bamford remains a great servant to the club and will likely go down in their history for his goalscoring efforts in firing them back to the big time.

How much is Patrick Bamford worth?

With a first season at the club stuttered due to various ailments, the 2019/20 campaign would see him notch 16 goals as they cruised out of the Championship, a feat that had troubled so many before them.

However, this was arguably when the media scrutiny reached its apex on the marksman. Many believed he did not have what it took to thrive in the Premier League, yet he would actually outperform his earlier tally by scoring 17 and assisting a further eight as Leeds finished ninth.

Radio presenter Matt Abbott even took to Twitter to wax lyrical about Bamford, claiming: "Absolutely stunning from Bamford. I realise folk'll moan about the fact that he hit the post, but I'm not having it – he's #LUFC personified right now".

Not only has he become a huge fan favourite, but FootballTransfers suggest that his value has soared alongside his standing in the game. They rate the apex of his expected Transfer Value at €16.8m (£14.7m), marking a 111% increase since signing.

The former Chelsea man has been a marvellous transfer for the club, serving as one of the numerous acts that Bielsa must be commended for. Whilst he has struggled of late for fitness and form, should he recapture his old ways then relegation would be far from a threat to this giant of the English game.

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.

Everton have picked up a much-needed victory at Goodison Park this afternoon in their Premier League clash with Brentford and Sean Dyche will be thrilled with the resilience his team showed throughout the performance.

The Toffees are now 15th in the league table after climbing out of the relegation zone following their 1-0 victory over the Bees, however, they are only two points clear of the bottom three and must continue to fight for more crucial points to secure safety over their remaining 11 fixtures.

Despite having far less possession of the ball (33%), Everton had more shots on target (6 v 4), more tackles won (25 v 10) and more clearances completed (26 v 11) – a testament to the outstanding defensive display that was perfectly executed to seal their sixth victory of the season.

It was a strike from Dwight McNeil in the opening minute of the clash that ultimately won the Merseysiders their first game in four, a player who has seen his game-time increase since the arrival of his former Burnley boss in January.

It has been a common theme throughout the team with another one of Dyche’s former players reprising their role as Michael Keane was once again deployed this afternoon in the back-line alongside James Tarkowski instead of Conor Coady.

However, not all the players at Goodison have been lucky enough to become one of the first names on the team sheet with Demarai Gray seemingly snubbed by the Everton boss upon his appointment.

How did Demarai Gray perform against Brentford?

Gray had been benched for two and made three appearances of under half an hour in each of the first five outings under Dyche but has finally been given the opportunity to prove himself in the latest two fixtures and has now rightfully earned his spot in front of goal.

The 26-year-old winger has been deployed in the most advanced position of Dyche’s 4-5-1 formation that saw the side draw with Nottingham Forest last week and win against Brentford today, proving his ability to adapt to a more central role in the final third.

Over his 86-minute performance, Gray – once hailed as ‘electric’ by BBC journalist Garth Crooks – won a whopping nine duels, created one big chance, made two key passes, and completed 100% of his dribble attempts, as well as winning three tackles, offering two shots on target and having a goal disallowed in the 43rd minute.

The wizard was a constant threat at the top end of the pitch and caused plenty of problems for the Bees defence to deal with, which allowed Everton’s defenders a breather whilst he was causing chaos in the opposition half.

It is clear the Everton star is shining in his new role, offering both a huge presence and lots of creativity to the attacking threat and could now be Dyche’s secret weapon in securing survival after failing to select Gray over the majority of his short tenure so far.

With that being said, it would be a no-brainer to continue to deploy Gray, and gives the Everton manager a real dilemma as to how Dominic Calvert-Lewin will fit into the team when he returns from injury, especially if the team continue to thrive.

Tottenham Hotspur's new right wing-back Pedro Porro is quickly becoming one of the most popular members of the squad inside Hotspur Way.

What has Pedro Porro done so far at Spurs?

Since landing in north London, the Spanish wing-back has had to be patient for his opportunity in the starting XI with Emerson Royal impressing in recent months.

But the 23-year-old has begun to show signs of what he could bring Tottenham having provided his first assist for the club on the weekend.

And it seems as if the defender has not been sulking behind the scenes with Alasdair Gold suggesting he has quickly become a popular member of the side at Hotspur Way.

Not only has he earned the friendship of his teammates, but it also seems he has earned their trust on the pitch – none more so than with Harry Kane:

"He's very popular within the squad already. He's a bit like Sonny [Son Heung-min] – he's kind of always got a smile on his face and that immediately kind of brings him into the squad atmosphere and everyone seems to like him.

"I guess it's been about trying to adapt, blend in, get to know the other players, become this kind of member of the squad that they can trust with the ball, and you can see that; Harry Kane especially keeps looking for him with his passes."

What can Pedro Porro bring to this Spurs side?

Throughout the campaign, Spurs have struggled on the whole with a lack of attacking intent from their options at right wing-back which saw them make changes during the winter window.

Emerson has impressed lately, however, on the whole, the Brazilian does not provide much of an attacking threat in Antonio Conte's set-up.

Over the course of the Brazilian's 31 appearances in all competitions this season, he has only been able to provide a return of just two goals and one assist.

To put that into context, Porro has only made four appearances in the Premier League and he has already matched Emerson's assists return for the campaign.

In comparison, this season, Porro has provided significantly more crosses into the penalty area as well as returning almost double the amount of shot-creating actions per 90 minutes (via FBref).

It has to be recognised Emerson could still provide Spurs with a useful option given he has proven to be sound defensively.

The Brazilian has offered just over double the number of tackles per 90 minutes in comparison to Porro this season, potentially offering Spurs an option for games they expect to be put under serious pressure.

But to have a player who is finally able to offer a real attacking threat has to be exciting for all at Spurs but most of all Kane who will be hoping for more crosses like the one for his opening goal on the weekend.

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.

Manchester United are expected to receive a new bid from Qatar on Wednesday after holding positive talks with the club last week in England.

Do the Glazers want to sell?

The Premier League giants hosted representatives of the Qatari-based bid last week in Manchester and provided them with a tour of Old Trafford as well as the Carrington training ground.

And on the back of the visit to Manchester, there is a belief that the Qatari group are expected to increase their offer having been impressed with what they saw.

There is also now a belief that the Glazers are looking to fully cut ties with the club as the Qatar bid would see them take control of the entire club.

Indeed, speaking on Sky Sports, reporter Kaveh Solhekol has shared the latest information he has received from the US on the state of play in regard to the potential sale of United:

"The latest is that Qatar's Sheikh Jassim will make his second bid for Manchester United on Wednesday. Sources in the US are telling us that the talks that Sheikh Jassim's delegation had at Old Trafford and Carrington with United executives on Thursday were extremely positive.

"Sheikh Jassim's advisors have been working over the weekend and are working today [Monday] and tomorrow on putting this new bid together.

"And it's expected that the bid will be submitted before the close of play on Wednesday evening. There is also some growing confidence among bidders that the Glazer family do actually want to sell."

Will the Qatar group take over at Man United?

This update would certainly suggest the possibility of the Qatari group taking over at Old Trafford is taking the right steps forward on the back of last week's meetings.

And what is interesting is to see the shift in stance from those in Qatar after reports from Solhekol had originally suggested they were standing pretty firm in their valuation of the club.

Whereas now, it seems they would be looking to strengthen their bid for the club on the back of their visit last week.

But whether it will be enough to see the Glazers sell is another matter given they are believed to have a high figure set of selling their shares of the club.

And given the belief is the Glazers are keen to step away from the club, it could well put the Qatari group in a prime position to take over as their bid is to take over the entire club.

In comparison, the bid of Sir Jim Ratcliffe is said to only cover the 69% that the Glazers own.

With a bid expected to land on the table by the end of play on Wednesday, it will be interesting to see how far the Qatari bidders are willing to take their interest.

Real Madrid’s hopes of retaining their La Liga title all but ended in a brutal manner as they fell to an away defeat in El Clasico, and fans were particularly unhappy at a number of their star players.

Heroes turned to villains as the Champions League holders were unable to close the gap on Barcelona, who are now 12 points at the top of the table, and Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema was particularly poor.

What happened to Benzema in El Clasico?

The striker looked way off the pace as he struggled to make an impact upfront, and the 35-year-old’s physical decline started to appear less than a year after his stellar individual campaign helped Real win their 14th European Cup.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side were out-possessed and outshot at the Camp Nou, and whilst the Italian’s tactics have started to be questioned, Benzema stood out as one of the poorest performers because of his poor attacking movement.

This was particularly noticable when exciting winger Vinicius Junior was single-handedly trying to create chances, but found himself alone in the Barcelona box. This was in stark contrast to how Barcelona’s attackers would fly forward, which ultimately led to Franck Kessie’s late winner.

Real Madrid legend Guti even highlighted this as an issue, claiming the pair of attackers were too isolated from the rest of the team, and fans were quick to lay the blame at Benzema’s physical decline.

The best of the reaction to his performance can be seen below.

Journalist Ross Gregory has claimed that Newcastle United "rate" Bristol City midfielder Alex Scott ahead of a possible summer transfer.

What's the latest on Alex Scott to Newcastle?

With the Magpies making the League Cup final this season and pushing for a spot in the Premier League top four, their growth under the new ownership has been swift.

No doubt, though, they'll want to keep on this upward trajectory and will likely aim to do so with some big spending in the summer – just like they did last time when players like Alexander Isak were signed for notable transfer fees.

With that in mind, you can expect a number of players to be linked with a move to St James' Park over the coming months. And Bristol City's Scott is one name that could come in and add some depth to the Newcastle United midfield if the latest rumours are to be believed.

Indeed, while talking about the player on NUFC Matters, Gregory explained: "I suppose that Newcastle will be looking for, like we said, some midfield reinforcements in an attacking sense – whether that's a James Maddison or whoever it may be. Alex Scott at Bristol City is another one that they rate."

How much will Alex Scott cost for Newcastle?

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has already helped drum up the hype for the 19-year-old midfielder as he called him "an unbelievable player” after his team beat Bristol City 3-0 in the FA Cup.

On top of that, it sounds as though Newcastle won't find it easy to land Scott as a number of other top English teams are likely to be in the race for his signature too.

Indeed, as per Fabrizio Romano, there is "big interest" from Premier League sides and the Robins will be asking for "at least" £20m-£25m for their key man.

With all that in mind, it's not hard to see why Eddie Howe and co may well rate the teenager, but they certainly aren't alone in that. Consequently, this could be a rather interesting saga to watch develop when the summer market opens.

However, last summer the Magpies saw a bid in the region of £50m reportedly turned down for long-term target James Madison. And if the Leicester City ace is unreachable once more, perhaps Scott could be a cheaper alternative even if they do have to outbid other interested parties.