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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.

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.

Southampton will welcome Leicester City to the south coast in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, and manager Ruben Selles will be desperate for a positive result to narrow the four-point gulf from safety.

Indeed, Saints are currently bottom of the league table after 24 matches with just 18 points, and a win could place the outfit just one point behind Leeds United in 17th, who face Chelsea away from home this weekend.

Despite winning at Stamford Bridge themselves two weeks ago – in Selles’ first outing in the dugout since Nathan Jones’ dismissal – the Hampshire-based club have lost ten of their past 12 league encounters, and further woes against the Foxes could prove to be the hammer blow that eradicates any ounce of confidence in rectifying the sombre situation.

And given that League Two outfit Grimsby Town defeated Saints on their own ground in the FA Cup fifth round a matter of days prior, the importance of a positive response has not been so profound for some time for the club.

With this in mind, this is how Football FanCast expects Southampton to field their eleven against Leicester, seeking to attain an invaluable victory…

How might Southampton line up against Leicester?

Predicted XI: (GK) Bazunu; (RB) Maitland-Niles, (CB) Bednarek, (CB) Bella-Kotchap, (LB) Perraud; (RM) Aribo, (CM) Lavia, (CM) Ward-Prowse, (LM) Elyounoussi; (ST) Sulemana, (ST) Onuachu.

Southampton’s Spanish boss could make as many as six changes to the side that were dismally felled by the Mariners in midweek.

Gavin Bazunu will deputise between the sticks once again, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles could replace Kyle Walker-Peters at right-back; Jan Bednarek and Armel Bella-Kotchap will unite in central defence once again, having kept a clean sheet at Chelsea before shipping just once against the Whites.

In midfield, the impressive Romeo Lavia will retain his robust role, while the “elite” – as dubbed by Ian Wright – captain James Ward-Prowse will return to the fold after making an impact off the bench in the FA Cup, providing two key passes and one assist in that second-half cameo.

On the wide flanks, Joe Aribo and Norwegian star Mohamed Elyounoussi will hope to bring a dynamic dimension to the fold, with the former, a £10m signing from Rangers in the summer, making his first league start of 2023.

Imposing forward and wily young winger Kamaldeen Sulemana will form an offensive partnership once more, hoping to finally break the oppositions resistance and bear fruit for their new outfit, with the “disappointing” – as branded by Jacob Tanswell – Adam Armstrong pushed back to the bench after failing to impress against Grimsby.

Newcastle United have reportedly made Fulham left-back Antonee Robinson their ‘top target’ this summer.

The Lowdown: Standout performer

Robinson has been a standout performer in a Fulham side looking to push for European qualification after just being promoted from the Championship last season.

The left-back won six of his duels in the 1-0 win away at Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, and also completed a team-high three successful dribbles, as well as three clearances, one tackle, one key pass and two accurate crosses (SofaScore).

He also impressed at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar with the USA, where ESPN journalist Luis Miguel Echegaray hailed him as ‘magnificent’.

The Latest: Top target

As per Football Insider, Newcastle have made Robinson their ‘top target’ as they look to bring in a new left-back this summer.

Magpies scouts have watched him regularly this campaign, and have given ‘rave reviews’ over his performances.

Eddie Howe wants to sign an attack-minded left-back with ‘more pace’, and Robinson fits the bill, but they will face competition from Manchester City, AC Milan and Inter Milan for his signature.

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The Verdict: Get it done

Although Dan Burn has been filling in well at left-back this term, he is primarily a out of favour, the St. James’ Park outfit should be looking for a player to come in and make the position his own.

Robinson is certainly capable of doing that, having played in every Premier League game for Fulham when he has been available, and at 25 years of age, he could be a starter in the North East for the next few years.

Incidentally, he shares the same agent as Howe, which could make a deal easier to do come the summer, providing that they can come up with the right price.

Aston Villa lost for the first time in the Premier League in 2023 as they were beaten 4-2 on their own turf by Leicester City on Saturday afternoon.

Villa had the lead early on Ollie Watkins put them 1-0 up with an excellent finish to score on the rebound from Emi Buendia’s effort that hit the crossbar.

However, Boubacar Kamara was left with his head in his hands after being dispossessed in his own box just moments later, which led to James Maddison rattling in an equaliser.

Harry Souttar’s own goal put the hosts in front again but goals from Kelechi Iheanacho, Tete and Dennis Praet ensured that Brendan Rodgers’ side picked up all three points.

Whilst Kamara was at fault for the opening goal with a sloppy concession in his own box, the real villain of the match was certainly left-back Lucas Digne.

The France international’s defending for Leicester’s second goal was particularly shocking. He allowed Iheanacho to get goal side of him from a simple crossing position, after Tyrone Mings stepped across the box, and stood still as the Nigerian international pounced on the opportunity to head past Emi Martinez.

Digne was also caught high up the pitch for Tete’s goal and left Mings isolated against the tricky Brazilian winger, which allowed the forward to run off the back of the centre-back to score the third goal for the Foxes.

In the first half, the former Everton defender lost 100% (2/2) of his individual duels and failed to make a single tackle or interception, whilst completing 81% of his attempted passes, as per Sofascore.

The 29-year-old’s woeful display in the opening 45 minutes was enough to convince Unai Emery to substitute the Frenchman as Alex Moreno came on to replace him.

Kamara, meanwhile, won nine of his 15 battles, including 100% (3/3) of his aerial duels, and made three tackles and one interception for the side, as per Sofascore.

The former Marseille gem put his early mistake behind him to compete well in the middle of the park and largely dominated the opposition in his physical contests.

Whereas, Digne should be held accountable for two of the goals that Villa conceded and also contributed very little in defence before being taken off, as the dud was dominated by Leicester’s forwards.

Therefore, the left-back was worse than Kamara as the 29-year-old dud struggled badly and did not make up for his error for Iheanacho’s goal, whilst the defensive midfielder was, at least, able to make a number of defensive contributions in an attempt to make up for his own errors.

Chelsea have been linked with a host of right-backs this season, with standout performer Reece James shackled to the medical department for large proportions of the campaign and veteran skipper Cesar Azpilicueta approaching the twilight phase of his career at Stamford Bridge.

Multiple names have indeed been touted with a move to SW6, and Kyle Walker-Peters has become the latest addition to the rumour mill, with talkSPORT’s Alex Crook stating that the Blues are set to rival Manchester United for the Southampton full-back.

The Red Devils are said to be looking to replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford, while Chelsea indeed need a player of top-class quality to bolster the right-back position given James’ recent injury woes. 

The 25-year-old has been catching the eye for the Saints since joining from Tottenham Hotspur in 2020 for £12m, after initially impressing out on loan with the south coast outfit. Meanwhile, Spurs are also keeping tabs on the player’s availability following his previous departure from the club, as per the aforementioned report. 

Southampton are currently confined to the Premier League relegation zone, having won just three of their 18 top-flight matches this season, but Walker-Peters can hold his head high after maintaining a solid level of performance amid the relative mediocrity at St Mary’s.

So far this season, the £20k-per-week defender has made 14 appearances in the league, scoring one goal, creating two big chances and averaging 0.7 key passes, 1.7 tackles and 1.4 clearances per match, as per Sofascore.

Displaying respectable numbers to his offensive game despite plying his trade for a languishing team who have scored just 15 goals in the league this term is a testament to his tenacity in seeking forward openings and always looking to improve the Saints’ fortunes.

A per FBref, the two-cap England international ranks within the top 3% of full-backs for dribbles completed, the top 11% for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 27% for rate of non-penalty goals when compared to positional peers playing across Europe’s major leagues over the past year.

Chelsea boss Graham Potter must be licking his lips at the prospect of nurturing this innate offensive talent, providing him with a vivacious alternative to the injury-plagued James and an increased attacking impetus from the full-back areas.

Hailed as “outstanding” by Danny Higginbotham in 2022, Walker-Peters ought to be slowly edging towards a move to a European-challenging outfit considering his displays in a struggling team.

With Southampton attempting to stave off the threat of relegation, Potter’s mission to secure the marauding full-back could be made a whole lot easier should the Saints indeed fall into the Championship.

West Ham United head into Saturday afternoon’s Premier League meeting against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the back of an encouraging 1-0 away win at Brentford in the FA Cup last weekend, a result which ended a run of seven domestic fixtures without a win for the Hammers.

With a 2-2 draw with Leeds United preceding last Saturday’s victory, David Moyes will certainly be hoping it becomes three games unbeaten at Molineux this afternoon – especially as the Irons have already bested Julen Lopetegui’s side once this season, defeating Wolves 2-0 at the London Stadium in October.

However, with the Old Gold looking to have turned something of a corner since the Spaniard’s appointment at the expense of former manager Bruno Lage, Moyes will be well aware that he must get his team selection absolutely spot-on if he is to give his side the best possible chance of leaving Wolverhampton with all three points in tow.

Will the 59-year-old make any changes to the side which lined up against Brentford last weekend? Here’s how we at Football FanCast think the West Ham starting XI could look, as well as the latest team and injury news.

Predicted West Ham XI: Fabianski; Johnson, Zouma, Aguerd, Cresswell; Rice, Downes; Bowen, Paqueta, Benrahma; Scamacca.

With the Evening Standard revealing in a recent article that West Ham are finally hoping to welcome Kurt Zouma back from injury this afternoon, while also suggesting that Vladimir Coufal is set to miss out once again due to a knock to his knee, we predict Moyes will make five changes to the side that started the 1-0 win over the Bees last time out.

Three of these changes come in defence, where Moyes switches from a back five to a back four, with the aforementioned Zouma coming in alongside Nayef Aguerd at centre-back – marking the first time the pair will have played together – and Aaron Cresswell taking the place of Emerson at left-back, while both Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson also drop out of the XI.

There is another alteration in midfield, with the “abysmal” – in the words of journalist Josh Bunting – Tomas Soucek having to make do with a spot on the bench after yet another disappointing showing against Brentford, while the “incredible” – in the words of Russell Martin – Flynn Downes is handed a chance to impress alongside Declan Rice in the heart of the team.

In the three behind the centre-forward, Said Benrahma is given the nod on the left after his stunning match-winner against his former club last weekend, while Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen start in the number 10 and on the right respectively.

Up top, despite a typically hard-working performance at the Gtech Community Stadium last time out, Michail Antonio is replaced by Gianluca Scamacca in leading the line, with the Italy international having already hit the back of the Wolves’ net once this season.

Liverpool transfer target and 2022 World Cup sensation Sofyan Amrabat has been favourably compared to Javier Mascherano by journalist Pete O’Rourke, with Jurgen Klopp reportedly mulling over a winter move.

What’s the word?

According to Corriere dello Sport (via the Liverpool Echo), the Reds’ German manager is striving to drive a deal over the line this winter, with Moroccan phenom Amrabat at the heart of the attention.

Fiorentina would reportedly be resigned to consider a bid in the region of €40m (£35m), and Klopp must act swiftly and test the Italian outfit’s resolve if he is to stabilise the ship and set Liverpool on course for success during the business end of the season.

According to O’Rourke, who was speaking to Football FanCast, Amrabat could even be like a former Red, with Liverpool wise to try and sign such a player as the club languish in sixth place, seven points off Manchester United in the top four.

The transfer insider said: “He can be better than Mascherano in possession which would be a big bonus for Liverpool as well and if he’s half as good as Mascherano I’m sure Liverpool fans would be more than happy to have him at Anfield.”

A monster signing on the way?

Liverpool’s desperation in the pursuit of fresh faces in midfield has become all the more apparent this term, with a stark decline in form and fluidity following a previous year that clinched a domestic double in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup and a 92-point Premier League finish.

The 26-year-old Amrabat could prove to be the glittering gem to serve as a central focal point in righting the wrongs and oozing assurance and quality from the middle, weaving a layer of undeniable excellence into the fold.

The Liverpool faithful will know all about the ball-playing mastery and defensive resilience of Mascherano, with the phenom having plied his trade at Anfield during his playing career, signing from West Ham United in an initial loan deal in 2007.

Mascherano, who was once heralded as a “phenomenon” by compatriot Pablo Zabaleta, played across five seasons for Liverpool before earning a £22m move to FC Barcelona, and his versatility as a holding midfielder and defender earned him lavish praise for his dynamism and effectiveness

A notable maestro with the ball at his feet, completing 88.5% of passes throughout his career post-2008, the Argentine took control of matches and utilised his footballing intellect to pick precise, positive passes.

Amrabat can adopt this mantle, and O’Rourke’s praise over his aptitude in possession is bolstered by the statistics; as per FBref, the “monster”, as hailed by journalist Carlo Garganese, ranks within the top 5% for pass completion and the top 3% for progressive passes when compared to midfielders over the past year.

And, as per Sofascore, his exploits with Morocco in Qatar – an 85% passing accuracy, 2.3 tackles and 1.4 clearances per outing – were a pivotal factor behind his nation’s historic surge to the semi-finals of the competition, ultimately finishing fourth.

With Liverpool indeed requiring a signing with world-class credentials to bolster the middle of the park, Amrabat might be the man; fleet-footed, pin-point, and robust, he could be Klopp’s saving grace, a monster in the middle of the park, as the battle to secure that coveted Champions League spot intensifies.

Journalist Dean Jones has now shared an exciting Man United transfer update involving Netherlands international star Cody Gakpo.

The Lowdown: Gakpo dazzles in Qatar…

Before his country’s World Cup elimination at the hands of Argentina, the 23-year-old was dazzling under former Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal.

Gakpo scored three goals in five appearances for the Netherlands in Qatar with the PSV Eindhoven ace proving why he is such a hot commodity in football right now.

The attacker also highlighted why Man United and manager Erik ten Hag are so eager to bring him to the Premier League with reporter Jones now sharing a very promising update on their pursuit.

The Latest: Jones shares exciting Gakpo to Man United update…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, the journalist claims United are hopeful of signing Gakpo in January and the player will be pushed forwards now.

He explained:

“Gakpo is going to be pushed forwards now and there is actually hope they could land him for around the £40million mark, from what I’m hearing.

“It also sounds like Rashford will be considered as a centre forward more frequently too, so that probably makes Gakpo’s versatility appealing.”

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The Verdict: Get it done…

Gakpo’s form in Qatar only brings more attention to his rising pedigree with the Dutch star also racking up an incredible nine goals and 12 assists in just 14 Eredivisie appearances so far this season.

Old Trafford chiefs have been eyeing a move for some time but it now appears the ‘sensational’ player’s possible move to Manchester is gaining more and more traction going by Jones’ latest update.

Manchester United are still closely monitoring RB Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko as a potential signing, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Sesko shining for Salzburg

In an era of young, brutish strikers such as Erling Haaland, Darwin Nunez and Victor Osimhen, Sesko is another who is making waves currently.

The 19-year-old has scored 17 goals for Salzburg to date, including four in 11 starts in the league this season, also being hailed as ‘incredible’ by journalist Maxi Angelo.

United have been linked with a move for the Slovenian ace recently and a new update suggests that their interest isn’t going away.

The Latest: Move still possible

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones claimed that the Red Devils are still weighing up a move for Sesko, seeing him as a great prospect:

“It’s definitely worth keeping an eye on. He’s got a lot of supporters within the United recruitment staff, who feel that he’s the right fit for what they’re looking for.

“I think that, ultimately, is what’s probably going to help him stay on the radar.”

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The Verdict: Massive long-term potential

United may have found some form of late but there is still a feeling that their attack is lacking some genuine magic, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho all flawed for different reasons.

Sesko is someone who could come in as a special long-term addition, possessing similar physical attributes to some of those aforementioned young strikers mentioned above.

Granted, he wouldn’t necessarily be a key man from the off, given his age, but his ceiling means United would be mad not to snap him up if the chance arises. He could move to parent club RB Leipzig for the time being, however, which could scupper the move.