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An update has emerged on Leeds transfer target Josip Brekalo regarding how much Wolfsburg want for the forward.

What’s the talk?

According to Calcio Mercato, the 23-year-old is available for £15m this summer. Bundesliga club Wolfsburg are open to sending him out on loan with an obligation to sign him permanently next summer for £15m (€18m), with a host of clubs interested.

Along with the Whites, Fiorentina, Atletico Madrid and Inter are also looking at the Croatian international. The report doesn’tt state whether any particular club is leading the race for his signature.

Bye-bye Costa

Leeds’ interest in Brekalo is perfectly timed, with reports suggesting that Helder Costa could be on his way out of the club this summer. Football Insider have reported that Jorge Mendes is working hard to find the Portuguese winger a new club, with La Liga said to be his preferred option, and that would leave a gap in Marcelo Bielsa’s squad in the wide areas.

It could be time to say bye-bye to Costa and dobrodošli to Brekalo. The Leeds forward struggled to make any real impact in the Premier League last season, with three goals in 22 appearances – two of which came in the second game of the campaign. He averaged a disappointing WhoScored rating of 6.32, which suggests that he was not cut out to make the step up to the top tier.

Therefore, a new winger will be needed at Elland Road, and Brekalo could be an ideal target for the club. The forward scored seven goals and set up another three in 22 Bundesliga starts for Wolfsburg in 2020/21, averaging an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.83. This suggests that he would be an upgrade on Costa, whilst he still has room to improve at the age of 23.

Goal’s Bundesliga journalist Ronan Murphy offered his thoughts on the Croatian on Twitter, saying: “The less said about his off-field antics the better, as he should leave his on-field performances do the talking. Able to unlock defences and strong cutting in to shoot, he will torment defenders everywhere.”

The Croatia maestro could torment defenders in the Premier League and excite Leeds supporters with his direct style of play, if Murphy’s analysis of his game is accurate. His 3.9 shots, key passes and dribbles combined per Bundesliga match for Wolfsburg suggest that it is an accurate description of the forward, as it shows that he likes to be constantly involved in the attacking phase of play. This is why Leeds must sanction a deal for the attacker to replace the ineffective Costa.

AND in other news, Big update emerges on £36k-p/w Leeds flop, fans will be buzzing…

Manchester City are close to signing Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish in a deal worth £100m, according to Jim White.

And, as to be expected, plenty of Villa fans have been giving their immediate thoughts to the news online.

Pep Guardiola’s side have been earmarked as the favourites to sign Grealish since March, and it appears as if a move is now edging closer.

Grealish is currently away with England at the European Championships but informed friends earlier this month he is very interested in an Etihad switch.

A £100m move, should it go through, would make the boyhood Villa fan the most expensive player in Premier League history, eclipsing Paul Pogba’s £94.5m move to Manchester United.

talkSPORT reporter White posted this on Twitter on Friday morning regarding City and Grealish.

“Close to completion – According to @talkSPORT sources, Jack Grealish close to joining @ManCity in £100m deal.”

Villa fans react

Fans of numerous clubs weighed in with their views on a possible deal, including some from Villa.

This is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply, with the majority understandably not happy.

“I feel like Villa need to set up a helpline for fans if this goes through”Credit: @ATB_Brummy”I will be fuming if this happens #AVFC have a word @Grealish_”Credit: @SJ_AV81″You what”Credit: @Junaid567″Excuse me”Credit: @chloeavfc_”@greggevans40 @PreeceObserver I’m begging”Credit: @UTVilla82″Time to fly the nest”Credit: @ZDhansey

In other news: Villa interested in another Southampton man, John Percy claims, find out more here. 

Many Everton fans have been left to buzz over a manager update on Christophe Galtier.

As per Be Foot, the now former LOSC Lille boss has a potential move to OGC Nice agreed in principle.

However, the Toffees are said to be very interested in bringing the 54-year-old to Goodison Park as the replacement for Carlo Ancelotti, who has departed for Real Madrid.

The Merseyside club would be able to offer the attraction of the Premier League over Nice, and are also better off financially.

Galtier has just come off the back of a remarkable Ligue 1 title win over PSG, and so it is not a surprise whatsoever to see him linked with plenty of manager-needy teams.

Former sporting director at Lille, Luis Campos, has claimed that Galtier has ‘all the qualities’ to coach in English football, and believes that he would be a good choice for the Blues.

Everton fans on Galtier manager update

These EFC supporters buzzed as the manager update was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim they they were ‘begging’ for his appointment:

“I’ve said this fella from day 1. He’s a head coach, and clearly a very good one. He’s had a director of football so is used to working that way. It’s a no brainer really, just surprised no one else has seen this before now”

Credit: @keepitreal_82

“Wow please @Everton if we sign Christophe Galtier I will be going on 2 weeks bender who’s joining me?”

Credit: @NSNO61878

“I’m begging”

Credit: @taylor_davies77

“I would be over the moon if we pulled this one off, he’s comfortably the best man for the job”

Credit: @dannymonnox

“This is the one”

Credit: @phil55200282

“I swear to god if we pull this off, I’ll love Marcel Brands forever”

Credit: @_AdamJM

In other news, find out what big manager update has Toffees talking here!

West Bromwich Albion are set to scrap the Director of Football position at The Hawthorns.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that a West Brom source has revealed that, following the club’s parting of ways with technical and sporting director Luke Dowling, Guochuan Lai will not look to replace the outgoing man this summer.

Instead, it is reported that the Baggies will look at appoint a more “traditional” manager this summer, with Lai hoping to find a hands-on and well-connected coach who can work closely with the club’s recruitment team, rather than this task being fulfilled by a director of football.

Big mistake

The news that the West Brom owner believes that his club does not require the services of a director of football, or indeed a sporting or technical director, certainly comes as something of a surprise, as the vast majority of top English football clubs now operate with this model, often with relative success.

Indeed, with a director of football in place, a club limits the risk of a manager making signings in the transfer market that suit their own individual style of football, rather than fitting with the club’s philosophies as a whole.

For example, should Sam Allardyce have stayed on at the West Brom this summer, without a director of football in place, the 66-year-old would have more than likely signed a number of strong, physical and defensively-minded players who are suited to playing a more direct brand of football.

While this may prove beneficial in the short term, if the club were to eventually part ways with Allardyce, and subsequently go on to appoint a new coach such as, for example, Scott Parker, a manager who likes his teams to play out from the back and being overall more attack-minded, the 40-year-old would have to almost entirely rebuild the squad in order to establish his style.

However, with a director of football in place – with the idea being the person in the role will likely outstay the incumbent manager – the signings a club makes are almost always ones who fit the individual club’s philosophies, while the DoF will also appoint a manager who tends to play in a way which suits the club’s demands.

As such, it would very much appear as if Lai’s lastest surprising decision could come back to haunt the Chinese businessman and his club, as we believe scrapping the role is yet another mistake on the part of the West Brom owner.

It looks like the chairman is looking for a short-term, quick-fix rather than planning for long-term success at Albion and that feels like a recipe for disaster.

In other news: Relief for WBA fans as Lai won’t be hiring boss who flopped massively at his last club

Bruno Lage heads into the ongoing transfer market knowing he has a tricky first summer on his hands.

Wolves haven’t been afraid to splash the cash since earning promotion to the Premier League but this would be one of the leanest windows they’ve had in recent memory.

On the chalkboard

With the Old Gold facing a summer of limited spending, Lage will have to be shrewd in the window.

Unsurprisingly, Wolves are once again targeting the arrivals of players who they can build for the future and potentially sell for a greater fee.

They’ve reportedly made a bid for Brazilian starlet Kaio Jorge but it’s one of Portugal’s brightest young talents that we want to focus on.

The entrance of a new manager won’t change the transfer policy at Molineux as they target 20-year-old forward Goncalo Ramos at Benfica.

Ramos was coming through the ranks of Benfica B when Lage was in charge of the Portuguese giants but after a breakthrough season in Liga NOS, he’s caught the eye of Wolves.

The club’s current manager, Jorge Jesus, doesn’t want to sell him according to A Bola but a high enough offer may change his mind.

Capable of playing as a centre forward or as a second striker, he could become Lage’s new Joao Felix at Wolves.

Felix was recently described as an “imposter” by Roy Keane for his performances at the ongoing European Championships but it was Lage who made him the star he is today.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-wolves-transfer-news-alena-dike-neves-barisic” title=”Real the latest Wolves transfer news!”]

The 21-year-old scored 17 times under the stewardship of the new Wolves boss, a record that’s strikingly similar to Ramos’ tally last term.

He began the campaign with Benfica B, finding the net on 11 occasions in 12 outings.

Ramos would eventually end the campaign with 15 goals after making the grade at senior level. The 20-year-old was afforded four chances to play in Portugal’s top tier, outings that provided two strikes.

It was a stellar term for the young attacker who was described as “fantastic” in a glowing appraisal from talent scout Jacek Kulig on Twiter.

Like Felix, Ramos is capable of playing just behind the striker and is a tricky individual to deal with.

His dribbling could do with some improvement with a success rate of 42% in that regard but he still amasses 1.87 take-ons per game in his career.

This would be a truly exciting signing. Ramos’ finishing is ruthless and his movement is particularly clever. He could very quickly become the new manager’s next Felix.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Silva: Lage can form menacing Wolves duo by signing “lethal” 15-goal gem…

Despite not bringing in a striker during the January transfer window, Jesse Lingard fired West Ham United to a European spot but Dean Windass can’t see him returning.

West Ham ran out of steam in the race for a Champions League spot but considering they were fighting against relegation last season, it is a monumental turnaround that David Moyes has masterminded at the London Stadium.

There have been reports that Lingard is wanting to earn £100,000 per week if he is to sign for West Ham this summer on a permanent basis, which could prove to be a stumbling block if Moyes wants to spread his transfer budget out.

It would be a huge blow for the Hammers if they couldn’t afford to bring the current £75,000 per week midfielder back to the club this summer, and that could be the unfortunate reality according to Windass who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“I can’t see him back at West Ham because listen, we all want £100,000 per week and a four-year contract. So yeah, I can see him back at Man United.

“I can’t see West Ham paying that sort of money because he might be a flash in the pan and if they give him £100,000 a week and a four-year deal but then end up in a relegation battle next year, that could ruin the club.”

It will be a huge summer for West Ham as they will undoubtedly have to bat away a lot of interest in Declan Rice, especially if he performs well at the Euros for England.

Moyes will know that he must add to his squad this summer as injuries almost derailed their season this year and with the added fixtures because of the Europa League their squad will have to increase in size.

Darren Moore’s Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Josh Windass has not received any contact regarding a summer move.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Yorkshire Live, who claim that, despite rumours suggesting that Cardiff City had contacted the Owls midfielder regarding a summer transfer, no such contact has been made with the 27-year-old.

In fact, in a recent interview with Football League World, Dean Windass, Josh’s father, claimed that the speculation surrounding his future is frustrating the £1.44 million-rated man, who would rather just concentrate on Wednesday’s fight for Championship survival.

He said: “It’s sort of annoyed him really, because it was before Saturday’s game – probably one of the biggest games of the season – and he is getting all these clubs linked that they’re going to sign him if Sheffield Wednesday go down. He’s not that sort of lad to think about that and he was focused on the job on Saturday.”

Fans will be buzzing

So far this season, Windass has been one of the few positives at Sheffield Wednesday, with the midfielder leading both the club’s scoring and assist charts, with nine and five respectively, as well as creating seven big chances and making an average of 0.8 key passes per game, seeing the 27-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.80 over his 40 Championship appearances – ranking him as the Owls’ seventh-best performer in the second tier.

As such, the news that there has been, as of yet, no approach for the £10,000-per-week star’s services ahead of the summer transfer window is likely to be delightful for both Darren Moore and fans of the club to hear, as it would very much appear as if Windass will be crucial to any success the club may have going forwards, be that in the Championship or League One.

Having said this, if Wednesday do indeed drop down to the third tier of English football following their crunch match with Derby County this Saturday, it is not a difficult scenario to imagine that a number of clubs will go on to submit a concrete offer for the player whom the former Rangers star, Colin West, dubbed “excellent.”

But, for now, it would seem that Windass if fully focused on trying to pull off what would be a great escape with Wednesday, with his success or failure likely to play a huge factor in determining whether or not his future lays at Hillsborough. That should have his manager, and the club’s fans, buzzing.

In other news: “Crazy” – Damning Sheffield Wednesday claim shows why Chansiri has got it all wrong – opinion

As West Ham United took a hammer dent in their quest to qualify for Europe at the end of the season, drawing 1-1 at Brighton and Hove Albion, many Irons supporters weren’t impressed with the performance of striker Michail Antonio.

David Moyes’ side are now one point behind fifth-placed Liverpool while playing a game more, with the Hammers’ trip to Brighton coming as a crucial match in the race for Europe (BBC).

Indeed, West Ham needed all three points to realistically keep the Champions League dream alive but ended up managing to only just snatch a draw in the last portion of the game.

Seagulls striker Danny Welbeck scored the opening goal six minutes from full time, with Moyes’ men then chasing the game. Luckily, substitute Said Benrahma was on hand to level for the Hammers with a brilliant effort, but the result overall feels more like a missed opportunity.

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Some West Ham fans on social media aimed their displeasure at ineffective forward Antonio in particular, and it’s not hard not to see why judging by his numbers. As per SofaScore, the 31-year-old failed to register a single shot on target and missed a big chance, all while giving the ball away 15 times over the 90 minutes.

Antonio has only just come back from injury but, after a brilliant display at Burnley recently, he couldn’t follow that up at the Amex Stadium.

Here’s how supporters reacted to his “shocking” performance, with one angry fan calling him a “headless chicken”.

West Ham fans blast Antonio

“Yet he persisted with an utterly useless Antonio.”

Credit: @td67coyi

“Going forward West Ham, Bowen and Antonio headless chickens, brain dead variety come on wow get rid”

Credit: @LeeRich43917655

“Antonio’s worst game of the season by my reckoning.”

Credit: @Andyndee

“Antonio is such a donkey, had to come off he was nowhere near it tonight”

Credit: @AAndyhammer92

“I’m sorry, but this has been poor. It was always on the cards. Antonio and Lingard have been shocking.”

Credit: @neil_mccarthy

“Unpopular as this is Antonio has been terrible last two games gives away the ball and his passing is well ! and looks unfit again, Why on the wing Moyes ? We don’t deserve Europe football and Lingard ain’t worth 20 million”

Credit: @Jinglis01492553

“Antonio terrible, didn’t offer enough threat, aside from possibly hitting ground staff in the stands! Cresswell awful, has 1 foot, offers nothing but the occasional assist & video reel pass! Not signing a Striker in January has completely killed our challenge for top 4!”

Credit: @WhufcSloth

“Antonio been bad today”

Credit: @SumCalled

In other news: ‘Surprised’…West Ham fans erupt over this ‘great news’, find out more here.

A number of Liverpool supporters are keen on the idea of the Reds re-signing Philippe Coutinho following a report discussing the Brazilian’s future.

Jurgen Klopp is recharging his batteries after a tough campaign, both professionally and personally, but it won’t be long until he is back to work again. The German will be eyeing up summer reinforcements alongside sporting director Michael Edwards, looking to freshen up his squad and launch a title challenge next season.

Liverpool could arguably do with another attacking player providing more competition for places, and Coutinho has been linked with a shock return to Anfield.

The Brazil international became a superstar with the Reds, with 54 goals and 45 assists in 201 appearances, before leaving for Barcelona in January 2018 and struggling to kick on ever since, having been sent out on loan for a spell by the Catalan giants.

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Liverpool fans want Coutinho back at Anfield

In truth, it is unlikely to see Coutinho back at Liverpool – he turns 29 later this month – but it is a story which has sparked excitement among some Reds fans. Here are some of the best reactions to the news on Twitter.

“It would be great if LFC gets him back “

Credit: @Tobi_Joe_

“Just bring him back imo. We are crying out for a creative midfielder”

Credit: @txnnya

“I can’t cope with another summer of Phil rumours just for him to stay on the Barca bench. I’m begging you Michael Edwards”

Credit: @Soilsum_FUT

“Please”

Credit: @Ngcebo_YNWA

“I’d love to have him back”

Credit: @LonwaboSlangwe

“Please bring him home”

Credit: @RyanKeyo

In other news, one Liverpool player has been linked with a move abroad this summer. Find out who it is here.

Eddie Howe is refusing to commit to Celtic, and there has been a further update regarding Crystal Palace’s pursuit of the former Bournemouth manager.

The 43-year-old spoke with Palace earlier this month and is on a three-man shortlist alongside Sean Dyche and Frank Lampard to take over from Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park.

A fresh report from Give Me Sport has claimed that Howe’s representatives have convinced him he can still get a job in the Premier League this summer, with agents now involved. He reached a verbal agreement with Celtic but has since had second thoughts on a move to Glasgow.

Brighton are also thought to be keeping tabs on the former Cherries boss, who has been out of work since August.

Transfer Tavern take

Hodgson’s deal is up at the end of the season, and to us, it feels as if his days at Palace are numbered.

Out of the three linked, we feel that Howe is one of the more exciting options. Steve Parish thinks Howe has a lot to offer and wants to change the mindset of the dressing room and play more a more expansive style, something he feels Howe can achieve.

With up to 12 first team players also out of contract in the summer, a Palace overhaul appears to be on the cards.

Howe successfully rebuilt Bournemouth by taking them from League Two to the Premier League in the space of six seasons, and he could well leave a similarly strong dynasty if he takes over in Croydon.

In other news: Many CPFC fans react to key update in Palace’s pursuit of Championship ace, find out more here.