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Armed with a war chest of money after Jack Grealish’s departure over the summer, Aston Villa still seemingly have plenty left in their cash reserves.

They signed multiple players over the summer in a bid to replace the £100m exit of their former star player but there is still work to be done in order to take the Villans to the next level.

What’s the word?

One player who has been on Dean Smith’s radar for a while is Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie.

The midfielder is valued at £22.5m via Transfermarkt and has attracted plenty of suitors in the Premier League.

Villa were keen on McKennie over a month ago and now they are considering another bite of the cherry in January.

That’s according to The Sun who suggests that they could join Tottenham and West Ham in the race for the 23-year-old.

Lange could strike gold

Johan Lange and Christian Purslow’s plan to replace Grealish over the summer was a smart one. They brought in three players; Emi Buendia, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings in a bid to replace the England international’s best qualities.

While McKennie is a different sort of threat, there are some underlying attributes that fit the bill.

A gifted box to box midfielder, he is tricky in possession of the ball and knows how to arrive late in the penalty area to score goals.

Whether it’s tackling, intercepting, acting as a supply line for his teammates or finding the net, McKennie has a lot going for him.

Last term, the Juve gem had a hand in seven Serie A goals while providing a stable foundation from a deep-lying position with 1.9 tackles per match in the Champions League a stand out statistic.

He is very much comparable to John McGinn, Villa’s current box to box maestro.

Although Smith doesn’t necessarily need a replacement, the thought of the two lining up alongside each other in central areas is an exciting one. After all, in the words of David Wagner, McKennie is an “outstanding talent.”

Also hailed as a “rock” by Andrea Pirlo, the midfielder is a player blessed with heaps of potential and has all of the required attributes to thrive in the Premier League.

He is strong, delicate in possession and can score goals. It’s easy to see why Lange could strike gold by luring him to the Midlands in January.

AND in other news, Dean Smith could seal dream Villa midfield with “absolutely phenomenal” £75k-p/w beast…

While Mike Ashley certainly hasn’t done much good at Newcastle United – the numerous fan protests are a testament to that – the one thing he did get spot-on, was his sale of Ayoze Perez.

Having signed him from Tenerife for just £1.5m, there’s no questioning that Newcastle got their money’s worth from Perez.

The Spaniard arrived as a little-known youngster back in the summer of 2014, but then Magpies boss Alan Pardew wasn’t shy in waxing lyrical about his latest recruit.

He said: “We’re delighted to confirm our first signing of the summer and very pleased to have Ayoze at Newcastle United, as a number of other clubs were chasing his signature too.

“He had a terrific season in Spain last year and is a player who we hope to develop further on Tyneside. He’s only 20 but has a very good eye for goal and that’s a great asset for any young player to have.”

Perez ended up playing 195 times for the club, scoring 48 goals and providing a further 17 assists across all competitions. He made his biggest contribution for the club during Rafa Benitez’s stint as manager, making over 100 appearances for his fellow Spaniard.

The former Newcastle boss even said: “Ayoze is a player that is keen to learn and I am telling him all the time it is about staying consistent. He has given us a lot of things. But the main thing for me is he knows that he can improve and he is keen to learn.”

In the end, following Benitez’s departure from the club, Perez also followed suit. The Magpies got some big-money for the forward though, collecting a reported £30m from fellow Premier League side Leicester, thus making them an impressive £28.5m profit.

And since his move to the Foxes, the 28-year-old hasn’t shown much to justify the price tag, playing 79 times and scoring just 11 goals, struggling to break into the side on a consistent basis – not surprising when you consider he has Jamie Vardy in front of him.

In fact, according to CIES, his market value now just stands at a measly £6m – quite the significant drop-off from what the Foxes paid for him to bring him in from St James’ Park.

Given that some Newcastle fans were up in arms over the club selling Perez, it’s now clear to see that the Magpies and Ashley played a blinder by selling him for that much.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United could have their next breakout star from the academy…

When new Celtic signing Giorgos Giakoumakis hobbled out of the warm-up ahead of Celtic’s League Cup tie last week, Ange Postecoglou was absolutely seething.

The Australian has endured some rotten injury luck since being handed the role of Hoops manager and he has already been quite to make that point.

“I don’t know what it is mate, I have definitely walked under a ladder,” he said following their victory over Raith Rovers.

He will have been cursing his luck yet again this weekend as during their 1-1 draw with Dundee United, Josip Juranovic sustained his own injury problem.

What makes this even more typical is that the Croatian was playing out of position at left-back.

Fortunately, the issue doesn’t look quite as bad as first feared according to the manager.

Postecoglou is also hopeful for Giakoumakis. He sustained a calf strain last week after initially struggling for fitness upon his arrival in Glasgow.

However, he could be back for their clash with Aberdeen next weekend. The boss commented: “If Giakoumakis gets a full week of training we’re quite hopeful for next weekend.

“We’ve just got to get through to the next international break.”

With Kyogo Furuhashi still out, having Giakoumakis back next week will be a huge boost to their chances of reviving their season.

The Hoops started brightly under the new head coach but things have fallen apart in the last few weeks with Celtic enduring their worst start to a campaign for 23 years.

Kyogo’s injury hasn’t helped and neither has the form of Albian Ajeti.

He scored three times in two matches after the Japanese striker’s injury but has now put in a number of laboured performances, making just six passes against Dundee United on Sunday.

Thus, the return of the powerful Greek striker should do wonders for their attacking prowess.

After all, he found the net on 29 occasions in all competitions last term, finishing the season with a career-best tally.

If Giakoumakis can replicate that sort of form at Parkhead, he will become an instant fan favourite. Right now, however, it feels as though anyone would be better than Ajeti. Consequently, the manager should be buzzing with the medical team’s latest update.

AND in other news, Forget McCarthy: Celtic gem who lost possession 20x cost Postecoglou this afternoon…

While Harry Kane will start the Premier League season on the books of Tottenham Hotspur, Steve Howey is confident the striker will secure a deadline day move to Manchester City.

Kane has made no secret of the fact he wants to leave his boyhood club after growing frustrated with a lack of silverware.

The England captain, who won the Premier League’s Golden Boot and Playmaker awards last season, reportedly missed the start of his pre-season program by failing to return to Hotspur Way last week.

While Kane has refuted claims he refused to return, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has confirmed his intentions to sign the frontman if Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is willing to negotiate.

Kane, 28, has scored 166 goals in 245 Premier League appearances but is yet to win any silverware while on Spurs’ books.

Although the north London club would like to retain Kane’s services, former Manchester City defender Howey believes the frontman will get his wish and head to the Etihad Stadium just before the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month.

Howey exclusively told The Transfer Tavern: “This is going to be an interesting one and I think it will go down to the wire.

“I don’t think he’ll disappear next week but it could probably be one of those deadline day transfers.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how this one pans out.”

The opening few weeks of Bruno Lage’s tenure at Wolves has been encouraging if not profitable.

The Old Gold have found life tough under the Portuguese, failing to score or pick up a single point from their first two Premier League matches.

A combined haul of 42 shots had been taken in those defeats to Leicester and Spurs as they were able to achieve everything but a goal.

Yet, against a dejected Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup, the floodgates finally opened. Wolves’ attacking unit has been untethered and set free by Lage and you can tell it’s something they relish.

As they won 4-0, they were also boosted by the returning Daniel Podence who will no doubt provide the manager with more cover in offensive areas.

Although he spurned a succession of chances, the forward found the net and looked in phenomenal touch after coming back from injury.

However, it wasn’t Podence, Fabio Silva or even Trincao who caught the eye the most; that honour has to go to the wise old head of Joao Moutinho.

Throughout last season, it was widely tipped that 2020/21 would be the veteran’s final as a regular in the starting XI.

Though, Lage has made him a key part of his plans and he’s started the new campaign with aplomb. He and Ruben Neves ran the show during the loss to Spurs last weekend but he was at his majestic and magical best when they played Forest.

Moutinho didn’t find the net or register an assist but the composure and control he brought to the middle of the park was simply a class above.

No player on the whole field touched the ball more regularly than the Portugal international who picked up possession on 128 occasions.

Furthermore, the £100k-per-week earner completed more passes (109) than anybody else at a success rate of a whopping 96%.

What made that even more impressive was his desire to be creative. Moutinho made a jaw-dropping nine key passes as Wolves ran rampant against Chris Hughton’s men.

How the 34-year-old didn’t come away with an assist is baffling. He played a delightful ball into Podence during the first half but he fluffed the chance after evading the onrushing goalkeeper.

The duo continued to have a vibrant understanding as the clash went on, but Silva was the man who eventually ended up supplying his goal.

This may have been a performance against a struggling Championship outfit but it proved why Moutinho is still so important to Wolves. It was a display that rolled back the years and gave us a timely reminder of why he’s been held in such high esteem on the continent.

AND in other news, Wolves eye move for £9.9m-rated gem with “unbelievable quality”, he may replace Traore…

Sheffield Wednesday will win the race for winger Josh Sims this summer, the club’s former midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview.

According to The News, Portsmouth made enquiries about signing the 24-year-old earlier in the transfer window but now face serious competition from Wednesday.

Sims is a free agent following his release from Portsmouth’s rivals Southampton. The Englishman spent last season out on loan at Doncaster Rovers, working under Wednesday manager Darren Moore during his time at the Keepmoat Stadium.

Because of that, Palmer believes the Owls are in the driving seat to secure Sims’ signature.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about Wednesday’s pursuit of the player, the ex-England international said:

“He’s worked for Darren before, so he’s enjoyed success under Darren. And I’m assuming as long as the financials are not too far apart in terms of what Portsmouth are prepared to offer him, I’m assuming Sheffield Wednesday will win the race for him.

“Darren Moore was always a very popular person as a player, a well-liked man and very genuine person. He’s shown that he’s also a good manager at West Brom, at Doncaster and I’m sure he’ll prove that at Sheffield Wednesday.”

Sims obviously has League One experience from that spell with Doncaster, as well as experience in the Premier League and the Championship, so the former Southampton man looks like he could be a good bit of business for Wednesday.

Leicester City have had a successful transfer window so far, bringing in several astute acquisitions, but now they must focus their attention on offloading their fringe players.

What’s the story?

The likes of Dennis Praet and Ayoze Perez have been linked with moves away from the King Power Stadium throughout the summer to no avail, yet one man is still reportedly attracting strong interest from a potential suitor.

According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle United remain keen on securing Hamza Choudhury on a loan deal before the August 31 deadline and are pushing to get the deal over the line.

Choudhury was first identified as a target by the Magpies in January, and manager Steve Bruce is determined to finally secure his transfer target over the coming weeks.

He’s not good enough

After making his first-team debut for the Midlands outfit back in 2017, the £6.3m-rated youngster was tipped to have a very successful career by many impressed onlookers.

The former England Under-21 international has gone on to make 72 appearances for his boyhood club in the subsequent four years, although he’s never made more than ten Premier League starts in a single campaign.

He was criticised by former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder and TalkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara for a heavy challenge in the Young Lions’ European Under-21 Championships opener with France in 2019.

“It’s a silly tackle in his own box. It’s a red anywhere on the pitch. They’re going to struggle now to fill that role while he’s banned,” O’Hara said, and his progress has been stunted ever since.

The likes of Wilfried Ndidi and Youri Tielemans have kept Choudhury on the bench for large spells over the last couple of campaigns, limiting him to just 22 outings in all competitions throughout 2020/21, and the arrival of Boubakary Soumare is expected to force him further down the pecking order.

With Brendan Rodgers’ charges achieving consecutive fifth-place finishes and a maiden FA Cup crown under the Northern Irish tactician’s tutelage, it’s easy to understand why the Leicester manager has been so reluctant to give Choudhury more game time.

A hugely disappointing 6.19 WhoScored rating last term showcases he’s not currently good enough to force his way into the starting XI at the King Power Stadium, meaning a temporary move away could be the best solution for all parties.

And, in other news, Leicester handed a blow in pursuit of “magical” £18m-rated gem, Rodgers will be gutted…

According to a report in the paper edition of Mundo Deportivo, via Sport Witness, Barcelona goalkeeper Neto is open to joining Tottenham this summer and the Lilywhites are ‘interested’ – coming amid strong reports of talks to sign shot stopper Pierluigi Gollini.

The Lowdown: Paratici eyeing Spurs overhaul…

It has been a hectic few days on Tottenham with the transfer market now well and truly in full flow.

The Lilywhites’ activity was delayed for long periods after the end of 2020/2021, largely due to their search for a new manager, but now managing director of football Fabio Paratici has his sights set on a major Spurs overhaul.

Spurs appear to be prioritising their defensive issues with advanced talks to sign both Gollini and centre-half Cristian Romero (Alasdair Gold).

Meanwhile, a swap deal for Bryan Gil of Sevilla, with Erik Lamela going the other way, is also in the pipeline (Sky Sports via Football Daily).

The Latest: Neto open to joining Spurs…

Despite Spurs’ negotiations for Gollini, Mundo Deportivo have come out with a claim detailing Tottenham’s interest in Catalans keeper Neto.

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The 6 foot 3 powerhouse, who started just seven La Liga matches over 20/21, is apparently eyeing an exit from the Camp Nou this summer and is now open to joining either Spurs or north London rivals Arsenal.

Tottenham reciprocate his fondness, with Mundo Deportivo claiming they are ‘interested’ in signing the Brazilian and England looks like his ‘only possible destination’.

As well as this, Spurs have already made enquiries over signing Neto, having approached Barcelona some months back and being told to pay €14 million (£12.09m).

Tottenham found the fee too expensive and looked at the possibility of taking him on loan, with the conditions slowing down any type of agreement.

The Verdict: Move on…

Coming amid news of Tottenham’s advanced talks for Gollini, this is quite the bizarre update to come from Spain.

While Neto is open to a north London move, signing Atalanta’s goalkeeping alternative arguably makes for a far better deal considering the 26-year-old’s superior amount of game time and great form since leaving Aston Villa.

Signing both players would also be a fruitless endeavour given Tottenham have a limited amount of money to spend this summer and other positions to bolster.

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘This can’t be true’, ‘No way’…Tottenham fans erupt as Harry Kane news emerges, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur could secure their ideal heir to Toby Alderweireld this summer after being linked with a move for Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic.

What’s the story?

According to The Athletic’s Tottenham reporter Charlie Eccleshare, the capital club are interested in signing the 23-year-old this summer, despite their reported pursuit of Cristian Romero.

He tweeted: “Nikola Milenkovic, who #THFC hold an interest in, would be a relatively straightforward deal. The player has one year left on his contract and is keen to play in the PL. Around €15m would do it.”

He’s a big upgrade on Eric Dier

With Alderweireld joining Qatari club Al-Duhail, new Spurs manager Nuno Espirito Santo needs to significantly strengthen his backline ahead of the upcoming campaign.

Milenkovic has established himself as one of Serie A’s most promising young centre-back’s in recent years, racking up 133 appearances for La Viola in all competitions.

His impressive performance have seen the 6 ft 5 beast likened to one of the Premier League’s greats in Manchester United legend and compatriot Nemanja Vidic, which will surely delight Spurs supporters.

“Milenkovic is better than Vidic with the ball at his feet, and he is much calmer on the field,” Mozzart journalist Dejan Stankovic told ESPN FC.

“He is the most talented centre-back Serbia have had since Vidic, and they definitely have one thing in common – both are fearless.”

While the youngster may still have some way to go in order to reach Vidic’s incredible levels on the pitch, it appears he would already offer a significant upgrade on one of Tottenham’s current options.

England international Eric Dier came in for criticism last season following a string of underwhelming displays, and Milenkovic’s underlying figures indicate he’s currently performing at a higher level than the 27-year-old.

As per WhoScored, Milenkovic managed 1.4 tackles per league game last term and 1.3 interceptions, bettering Dier’s tallies of 0.8 and 0.8, respectively.

And the Fiorentina ace showcased his ability with the ball at his feet as well, recording a passing accuracy of 86% compared to Dier’s 83.2%.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy must swoop for Milenkovic this summer, and provide Espirito Santo with adequate quality and strength in depth for the new season.

The former Wolves boss frequently played five at the back during his four-year stay at Molineux, meaning he’d likel want a couple of centre-back’s through the door this summer. And with the Serbian’s lowly £12.7m asking price, his acquisition would leave plenty of funds left over for other signings.

And, in other news…Paratici heading for Spurs disaster with £12.6m-rated sicknote, fans will be fuming 

Norwich City are set to make an improved bid for Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer, according to Scott Burns of The Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Ajer unhappy

Ajer has made it clear he would like to leave Parkhead this summer, however, the Hoops have actually rejected two generous offers for a player who has just 12 months left on his contract.

Bayer Leverkusen and Norwich have both had bids in the region of £10m turned down, with Ajer unhappy over the way his future is being handled.

The 23-year-old, who was hailed as ‘Cafu-like’ by former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner in 2019, is still wanted by the Canaries.

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The Latest: £12m bid

Burns shared a story on Ajer on Sunday evening, claiming Norwich are set to go back in with a renewed offer in the region of £12m.

The Canaries are also willing to include future add-ons included in a deal, with Ajer a long-term target for Daniel Farke’s side.

The Verdict: Sell

It seems as if Ajer is becoming increasingly unsettled in Glasgow and would welcome a move away ahead of the new campaign.

The Hoops are at risk of losing Ajer on a free transfer in January with a potential pre-contract agreement, should his situation remain the same, so it would make sense to accept a £12m offer and reinvest in defensive additions.

Ajer’s Transfermarkt valuation stands at £6.3m, so Celtic could end up receiving more than twice that figure with add-ons in a possible transfer to Carrow Road, a good deal all things considered.

In other news: Celtic man wanted by Patrick Vieira, find out who it is here.