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West Ham’s hopes of signing Jesse Lingard this summer have taken a huge blow, as he reportedly wants to stay at Manchester United and fight for his place in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, which is undoubtedly going to leave David Moyes gutted.

What’s the word?

After a superb loan spell with the Hammers last season, Lingard has been heavily linked with a permanent move to the London Stadium throughout the summer.

Unfortunately for Moyes and West Ham fans, The Athletic have claimed that:

“Lingard is currently minded to stay at Old Trafford and fight for his place, particularly if fresh terms are put on the table.”

Although the 28-year-old is now in the final year of his contract, the report claims that United value him at £30m, and a new contract may be offered in order to protect his transfer value, rather than potentially losing him for nothing at the end of the season.

Is this a blow to West Ham’s chances?

Whilst Lingard was in sensational form for West Ham last season, contributing nine goals and four assists in just 16 Premier League appearances for Moyes’ side, you can understand why they wouldn’t want to pay £30m for a fringe player at United who is in the final year of his contract.

The Athletic suggest that there is a possibility of United cashing in on him this summer but it seems clear that the Hammers will have to stump up any potential offer for the England international if they want to bring him to the London Stadium on a permanent deal.

Rio Ferdinand was full of praise for Lingard last season, saying:

“I’ve argued with pundit after pundit, on-air, and off-air. He could play in any top team because he’s an intelligent footballer.

“Since he’s gone in there, what he’s done is amazing.”

You can argue that West Ham wouldn’t have achieved European football for next season without the influence of Lingard, but the Hammers are taking far too long to conclude their transfer deals this summer, with Felipe Anderson’s exit the only major piece of business to date, which is hardly promising for a side expected to battle on two fronts next season.

Moyes desperately needs some more squad depth at West Ham and whilst he may be gutted that Lingard wants to stay at Old Trafford, he and the board must quickly move on in order to bring some other attacking options to the London Stadium before the transfer window shuts.

And, in other news… West Ham can sign the next Kieran Tierney with summer swoop for wonderkid

Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper Rui Patricio is close to securing a summer move away from Molineux.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), who claimed that Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma side are close to agreeing a deal of €6m (£5m) plus bonuses with Wolves for the transfer of the 33-year-old.

It is reported that the Premier League club began negotiations for Patricio by demanding a €12m (£10m) fee, which then dropped to €10m (£8.5m) before reportedly settling for half the figure they had originally wanted for the Portugal international.

Lage heading for grave mistake

Having only taken over at Wolves at the beginning of June, if the reports are indeed true that Lage is willing to allow Patricio to leave this summer, particularly for the fee mentioned by Corriere dello Sport, it seems that the former Benfica boss is already on his way to making a grave mistake at the club.

Having joined Wolves from Sporting Lisbon in a £16.2m deal back in 2018, the goalkeeper has been a near ever-present for the Premier League side, missing just two top-flight fixtures since his arrival in the Black Country.

Over these 112 Premier League fixtures, the £9m-rated stopper has kept a total of 31 clean sheets, as well as averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.60 in 2018/19, 6.83 in 2019/20 and 6.76 in 2020/21 – ratings which prove just how solid the 33-year-old has been for the club since his arrival.

Furthermore, with only John Ruddy in the Wolves squad who could realistically replace the Portugal number one if he were he to leave Molineux this summer, Lage would more than likely have to bring in a new goalkeeper in the summer transfer window, and it seems unlikely that the 45-year-old could find a stopper as talented as Patricio for the £5m Wolves would receive from his sale.

As such, all of the above would lead us to believe that the sale of the man whom Steve Bull dubbed a “world-class” goalkeeper would be a huge mistake on the part of Lage, as the manager could well find the £100,000-per-week 33-year-old an extremely difficult player to replace.

In other news: Get it done: Lage must sanction £26m Wolves summer swoop for “special” Euro 2020 beast

A number of Crystal Palace fans have been reacting on social media after reliable reporter Sam Wallace suggested a move for Nuno Espirito Santo has broken down. 

Palace’s hunt for a new boss appeared to step up a gear on Tuesday after John Percy revealed the club were in advanced talks with Nuno.

The Eagles have been linked with a number of managers in recent months, including Sean Dyche, Frank Lampard and Eddie Howe, but it appeared as if the former Wolves gaffer was Palace’s man.

However, Wallace revealed on Wednesday morning that a potential move to Selhurst Park has broken down with both parties unable to reach an agreement despite extensive negotiations.

It now seems as if it is back to the drawing board for Steve Parish and the Palace hierarchy, who are looking to replace Roy Hodgson ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

Palace fans react

It didn’t take long for these Eagles supporters to interact with Wallace’s post, with many sharing their distraught.

“Worst run club in the league”Credit: @Benteke_SZN”The most typical palace thing ever”Credit: @mattm_92″I’m going to cry.”Credit: @escobond_”we’re actually finished man”Credit: @notconnorlmaov2″Yep, that’s that then.”Credit: @cpfcjude”Oh well say goodbye to all the Portuguese flags”Credit: @samstoreycp

In other news: Many CPFC fans react to links to possible Wilfried Zaha replacement, find out more here. 

Glasgow Rangers’ Filip Helander has been urged to back up his words after the Sweden international said he had no plans to play in England.

The Lowdown: Interest from Premier League in Helander

Helander, who is currently representing his country at Euro 2020, has been linked with both Aston Villa and Leicester City in recent weeks (Aftonbladet).

However, the 28-year-old appeared to pour cold water on any suggestions he would leave the club by saying he has no plans to play south of the border (via The Daily Record).

The Latest: McAvennie sends strong warning

Speaking to Football Insider, Frank McAvennie has urged Helander to respect his word and stay at Ibrox. He said:

“It’s great to hear as a Rangers fan.

“Whether he means it or not, that’s the issue. We still have to see that. 

“Until you’re sold, you are a Rangers player and it’s rare you get a player who talks about wanting to go.

“He’s got to prove what he means now and stay, otherwise he’ll look daft.”

The Verdict: Important

While Helander has been unable to show his full ability so far with the 55-time Scottish champions as he has struggled with injuries (Transfermarkt), he has had a big impact when he has featured.

After 29 Premiership appearances, he is yet to lose a single match, while he was an important member of a defence that conceded just 13 goals in the league last term (BBC).

The Gers are said to be looking for £6m if they are to sell Helander this summer. However, there appears to be no real need to move him on and, if he stays at Ibrox, he can continue to play a role as the Gers target a Champions League run next term.

McAvennie is right though, after coming out with such a strong statement, Helander would look silly if he did end up moving on and he must have had that in mind before making the comments, which suggests that he did mean what he said.

In other news, Rangers fans were livid at this SPFL development.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Toby Alderweireld is hopeful of leaving the club this summer, according to a recent report from The Athletic. 

The lowdown: ‘Phenomenal’ servant

Alderweireld has been with Spurs since 2015, and has gone on to make 236 appearances in total for the club over the years, which includes 35 appearances in the 2020/21 season, as they finished seventh in the Premier League in a frustrating campaign for the club’s supporters

Speaking in an interview with Football Insider back in December 2020, former Leeds United forward Noel Whelan labelled the Belgium international as a ‘phenomenal player’ and the club’s best defender.

“Alderweireld is the best defender at that club. He’s a phenomenal player and it’s great to see him playing so well again.”

Alderweireld’s contract with Spurs is set to expire in the summer of 2023, but it now looks as though he won’t see out that deal.

The latest: Alderweireld makes decision on his Spurs future

The Athletic report that Alderweireld has set his sights on a summer move away from Spurs, and he’s confident that a move can be completed after the European Championships.

It’s also claimed that Tottenham are unlikely to stand in his way over a potential exit either, with a rebuild likely to be in place for newly-appointed manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

Alderweireld is currently on international duty with Belgium though, and there won’t be any move taking place in the immediate future, with Roberto Martinez’s side set to take on Italy on Friday evening in their quarter-final clash at Euro 2020.

The verdict: A frustrating update for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side

He’s likely to leave a sizeable void in the Spurs defence if his departure was confirmed this summer.

Alderweireld has been a fantastic servant to the club over the years, having signed from Atlético Madrid back in 2015, whilst they were under the management of Mauricio Pochettino.

It will be a summer of change at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium though, with newly-appointed Nuno looking to add some his own players who are better suited to his system.

At the age of 32, some Spurs supporters might argue that Alderweireld has still got something to offer them this term though, and his experience playing in a back three with Belgium would certainly suggest he can thrive under Nuno’s preferred system.

Sheffield United have been linked with a move for Jonson Clarke-Harris recently and he could prove to be Slavisa Jokanovic’s next Aleksandar Mitrovic at Bramall Lane.

According to Yorkshire Live, Sheffield United are keen on signing the Peterborough United man this summer after his superb campaign in League One this season, which helped the Posh earn promotion back to the Championship.

The former Bristol Rovers man, who joined Darren Ferguson’s side in the summer as a replacement for the outgoing Ivan Toney, would score 31 goals in 45 League One appearances, winning the Golden Boot and the Player of the Season award.

Therefore, it is no surprise to see him attracting interest ahead of the summer transfer window, especially after former Peterborough United chairman Barry Fry hinted that the London Road Stadium outfit may be forced to cash in on him.

If he were to join, then he could prove to be a real focal point in Jokanovic’s side next season in the mould of Mitrovic, who featured as a target man under his Serbian compatriot at Fulham.

During his time in charge at Craven Cottage, Mitrovic would make 33 appearances and contribute an impressive 17 goals, which helped them earn promotion to the top-flight through the playoffs.

With Ollie McBurnie looking likely to leave this summer, Sheffield United will arguably need a new target man to fill the void and play a role similar to Mitrovic at Fulham, and Clarke-Harris could be the ideal man.

His 4.9 aerials won per game would rank him second at Sheffield United this season behind only McBurnie, whilst his 2.9 shots per game in League One is comfortably more than any other Blades player.

Under Jokanovic in the 2017/18 season, Mitrovic would average 4.1 aerial duels won per game and 4.1 shots per game, which certainly suggests that the Serbian manager can have a lot of success with an effective target man who is also deadly in front of goal.

Therefore, Sheffield United should definitely consider bringing in the “brilliant” Clarke-Harris this summer, as he could be the natural goalscorer that the Blades are missing and could help kickstart the Jokanovic regime.

And, in other news… Clarke-Harris and Cairney start, Brewster axed: How SUFC’S XI could look under Jokanovic – opinion

Once the season comes to a close, there will be plenty of decisions for Nuno Santo to make at Wolves.

With plenty of players due to head back to their parent clubs at the end of their loan spells, he needs to determine whether they are good enough for a permanent move.

When it comes to Willian Jose, it feels unlikely that the Old Gold will take up their option to buy. After all, the Brazilian has found the net just once since moving from Real Sociedad.

One of the more interesting cases will be Rayan Ait-Nouri. The French youngster hasn’t had a blistering season but he came alive during the club’s late 2-1 win over Brighton on Sunday afternoon.

Nuno used this game as a look ahead to next season with a number of young players handed rare starts.

Max Kilman and Ki-Jana Hoever were back in the side while Morgan Gibbs-White even played, scoring a dramatic late winner.

Ait-Nouri has an uncertain future but on this evidence, Wolves should throw the cheque book at Angers in a bid to bring him to Molineux permanently.

He was a rampant figure down the left-hand side as he put pre-match fitness doubts to rest with a phenomenal display.

The Frenchman possessed unbelievable amounts of energy and caused openings at every avenue. He provided three key passes which was more than any player on the pitch. Ait-Nouri flew down the left on a regular basis and caused havoc for the winning goal.

He sold one Brighton player with a step-over before cutting the ball back from the byline. It pinballed around before finding its way into the path of Gibbs-White who buried the opportunity in clinical fashion.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-news-and-views-lingard-leao-jimenez-mir” title= “Read the latest Wolves news and views!”]

That semi-assist was richly deserved for Ait-Nouri but this type of display should come as no surprise especially after comments from his former manager Stephane Moulin last year.

He said: “He also made a lot of progress athletically. I also like his way of evolving, he is a modern player, able to eliminate his opponent and make assists. He creates play and danger. Now, he takes on another dimension because he begins to defend well collectively while being interesting individually.”

Those words perfectly summed up what he brought to the table on Sunday afternoon, putting in a ruthless performance that was simply too hot to handle for the Seagulls defence.

The Athletic’s Tim Spiers remarked on Twitter during the game that he was “involved in just about everything” and it’s hard to disagree with that sentiment. Ait-Nouri registered three dribbles and completed an impressive 94% of his passes.

On top of that, the left-back provided four dangerous crosses that the visitors had to snuff out.

It may have been Adama Traore who came on and made the difference with his goal but during the course of the 90 minutes, it was Ait-Nouri who provided the impetus. He deserves equal praise for his role this weekend.

AND in other news, Wolves beast who became “ridiculous” under Nuno sees his value rise by 180% in 3 years …

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit and former West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie has dropped an Irons transfer claim involving Jesse Lingard.

The Lowdown: Lingard eyed by Hammers

West Ham wanting to sign loanee Lingard on a permanent deal this summer is absolutely nothing new, with club insiders ExWHUemployee and Claret & Hugh both backing reports of their recent interest in the Englishman.

It was even claimed that GSB will ‘move heaven and earth’ to get a deal done at the end of the season, hardly surprising given his sensational spell in east London overall since joining temporarily from Man United.

The Latest: McAvennie drops Lingard claim

However, according to McAvennie, in an interview with Football Insider, it turns out West Ham won’t be moving for Lingard after all.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-rumours-and-gossip-two-electric-boogaloo-copy/” title=”West Ham updates” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Indeed, dropping a major claim, the 61-year-old has heard from his sources that the Hammers may not have the available funds now to sign on Lingard a permanent deal – especially after seeing their Champions League hopes quashed.

“I’m hearing from sources they won’t sanction a move for Lingard,” McAvennie explained.

“I hope that’s wrong, they have to go all out to get him for Manchester United.

“If the boy wants to stay, give him all the money he wants. Unfortunately, money is tight at the moment.

“For West Ham to challenge again next season, they need players like Lingard.”

The Verdict: Big blow for West Ham

The 28-year-old has been a revelation since signing for the Irons on loan in January, scoring an incredible nine goals and assisting his teammates four times in 15 Premier League starts (WhoScored).

Over that period, he is also the most threatening West Ham player by shots taken per 90 – averaging 2.6 attempts on goal every match (WhoScored).

Therefore, McAvennie’s big claim that they will no longer sanction a permanent deal comes as a truly damning blow to supporters.

Manager David Moyes will also be hoping that GSB do back him in the summer transfer market as he aims to strengthen in key areas.

In other news: West Ham fans rave over this official club announcement, find out more here.

Queens Park Rangers have been handed a boost in their attempts to bring Josh McPake to the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium this summer.

What’s been said?

In a recent interview with the Harrogate Advertiser, Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver revealed that the Rangers winger could be set to leave Steven Gerrard’s side on a temporary basis this summer, although the 19-year-old will not be returning to The EnviroVent Stadium.

It has previously been reported that QPR had sent scouts to watch the Scotland under-21 international in action for the League Two side, and are considering a move for the younger this summer.

When asked about McPake’s future, Weaver said: “He did very well for us, but I don’t envisage him returning here. I know that he won’t want to come back to Harrogate because he wants to play higher up the ladder.

“Whether that’s playing games at Rangers or going out on loan again, I’m not sure. But I know he is aiming higher than League Two.”

Warburton will be delighted

While McPake’s form was somewhat up and down with the Sulphurites last season, the Rangers loanee showed glimpses of brilliance which could well indicate that he has a very bright future in the game.

Over his 23 League Two appearances for Weaver’s side, the winger scored four goals and created two big chances for his team-mates, as well as taking an average of two shots and making 0.8 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £2,100-a-week earner accrue a modest seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.57, but the 19-year-old showed what he is truly capable of in flashes for the club.

In Harrogate’s 2-1 victory over Bradford City, McPake scored an 89th-minute winner, as well as having two shots on target and winning 10 duels, with these metrics culminating in a SofaScore match rating of 7.1.

The winger also impressed in the club’s 2-2 draw with Leyton Orient, once again scoring late on to equalise for Harrogate, in addition to having three shots on target and winning 11 duels and four fouls for his side, seeing him earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.9 – the best of any Sulphurites player on the day.

As such, with it being reported that Mark Warburton is looking for additions to the wide areas of his QPR squad this summer, McPake could well be a very astute signing in the upcoming transfer market.

With it appearing as if Rangers will not stand in the way of the man David Hopkin claimed has a “fantastic chance in football” leaving the club in the coming months, a deal seems as if it’s there to be done for the QPR manager this summer.

In other news: Get it done: Bhatia must sanction QPR swoop for “important” £8k-p/w beast this summer

Some Liverpool supporters believe that Ibrahima Konate will be a Reds player this summer, reacting to his latest social media post.

The Reds look likely to make at least one centre-back signing in the summer transfer window, following major issues in that area this season. Jurgen Klopp is currently having to make do without Virgil van Dijk. Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, all of whom are out injured for the remainder of the campaign.

[freshpress-quiz id=“350790”]

It means that Nathaniel Phillips and Ozan Kabak have become an improbable centre-back pairing, with Fabinho and Jordan Henderson also having to fill in there at times.

One of the players linked with solving Liverpool’s problems at the back is Konate, with The Athletic’s David Ornstein recently reporting that a deal looks on the cards, claiming that the Reds “are in the process of finalising a deal” for the 21-year-old.

On Saturday night, the Frenchman took to Twitter to post about RB Leipzig’s 0-0 draw with Hoffenheim the previous night, but a number of Reds supporters hijacked it by talking up his potential move to Anfield.

Liverpool fans talk up Konate move

Here are some of the best reactions from Liverpool supporters on Twitter as they were unable to contain their excitement about the increasing possibility of Konate coming to Anfield.

“Enough. Pack your bags. Merseyside awaits”

Credit: @michaelosasu

“We can’t wait”

Credit: @Rayan_LFC

“Come to pool you beautiful man”

Credit: @LFCDGSx

“Come home we’re waiting”

Credit: @footballlfc3690

“Can’t wait to see you partner VVD next season”

Credit: @ryangreeno33

“Welcome to Liverpool! YNWA”

Credit: @Boromir_FR

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly keen on signing an exciting wide player this summer. Find out who it is here.