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Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has already begun his work in the transfer window by making Matt Targett his first signing of the summer.

With deals agreed to bring Kilmarnock youngster Charlie McArthur and Reims striker Hugo Ekitike to St James’ Park as well, the Magpies boss seemingly isn’t finished there.

According to Brazilian news outlet Globo Esporte, Newcastle have reportedly reached out to the agent of Santos winger Angelo Gabriel as they look to enhance their squad further.

With the youngster having just signed a new contract until 2024, the Brazilian club won’t be looking to sell him right now; and with no formal offer made, it might be a while before any breakthrough in talks becomes apparent.

Having been described by his first coach Betinho as a player who “is like Neymar”, Newcastle may have found a new wonderkid.

He became the youngest-ever scorer in the Copa Libertadores in April 2021 and his rise to one of South America’s most wanted talents is similar to that of the PSG winger.

With Howe looking for more improvements to the first team, Gabriel could well be placed to take over from right-winger Jacob Murphy, with the Brazilian’s versatility being particularly impressive.

In only four matches this year, Gabriel already has two assists, with Murphy registering just two in 33 appearances last season. In terms of shots, the 17-year-old has taken 4.09 per match in the current campaign, while Murphy averaged 1.71 during the 2021/22 season.

Therefore, it’s clear to see the Santos teenager’s keen eye for goal, particularly compared to the Magpies forward.

Moving from Brazil to Europe before reaching adulthood is a big risk and the hype might be too premature, but given his statistics and success so far at Santos, it looks like Gabriel could be the next big thing and duly follow in Neymar’s footsteps.

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar, who also featured for the Brazilian club, has gone on to score more than 200 goals at a high level in Europe after moving across the Atlantic.

Howe will just be hoping it is Newcastle who manage to secure Gabriel’s signature.

AND in other news, Deal close: Keith Downie relays huge Newcastle transfer news that supporters will love

West Ham United are said to have made their first step in securing a reported defensive transfer target.

That is according to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg who claims that West Ham have made an initial enquiry for Hertha Berlin defensive star, Jordan Torunarigha.

As per the report, it is said that the 24-year-old German could be available for €5m (£4.3m) this summer.

The next Rudiger

As a left-footed German centre-back who has played his football as a left centre-back in a back three this season, Torunarigha naturally draws comparisons to new Real Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger, aside from their shared nationality and position on the pitch.

Standing at 6 foot 3 and 6 foot 2 respectively, both the £36m-rated Rudiger and Torunarigha are immaculate in the air, with the former achieving a 69.6% aerial duels win rate, whilst the latter betters that total with an average of 76.2% of aerial duels won per 90.

And the 24-year-old is also slightly better defensively speaking, having clocked up an impressive average of 3.54 interceptions and 5.78 clearances, which outdoes the new Madrid man’s average of 1.37 interceptions and 2.95 clearances per 90.

Whilst £21k-per-week Torunarigha has played the majority of his football at loan side Genk in a back-three, the aforementioned defensive stats do evidence his ability to operate in a back-two partnership – which would of course be expected of the German under the guidance of David Moyes.

In many ways, being a tall, technically capable but physically gifted specimen reminiscent of a defender from yesteryear, he is a Moyes signing, and the value for money on offer throughout this deal paints that notion in an even brighter light.

The signing also suggests an increased desire to keep possession with the implementation of a naturally left-footed centre-back.

West Ham managed an average of just 47.7% but with this signing may look to establish themselves on the ball and build patiently from the back in what could well be a tactical reshuffle for a number of teams in the Premier League this season.

In other news: Moyes plotting move for “special” £45m “baller”, he’d be a “superstar” for West Ham 

Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus has revealed that his future with the Premier League champions could be decided as early as next week as he considers the next stage of his career.

The Lowdown: Jesus linked with Arsenal

The Brazilian arrived at the Etihad Stadium in a £27m move from Palmeiras in 2016 and he has since gone on to make 236 appearances for the Sky Blues during his time in Manchester so far.

With just over 12 months remaining on his contract, a decision may need to be made this summer as to whether the 25-year-old will remain with City or move elsewhere.

It has recently been reported that top-flight rivals Arsenal are close to agreeing a deal with the forward as they look to replace the departing Alexandre Lacazette, but the Brazil international has now delivered a teasing update on his current situation.

The Latest: Jesus addresses his future

When speaking to reporters following Brazil’s recent 5-1 victory over South Korea (as quoted by Manchester Evening News), Jesus admitted that he is currently reviewing his options and is set to make a final decision on his future soon.

He said: “I’m looking to see what’s best for me and above all, for my career. From Tuesday, we’ll see what is the best.”

The Verdict: Time to move on?

When he initially joined City, the Sao Paulo native unsurprisingly found himself below Sergio Aguero in Pep Guardiola’s pecking order. However, following the Argentine’s departure last year, the 55-cap Brazil international has played a more integral role in leading the attacking line.

This season, the £91k-per-week starlet scored 13 goals and registered 12 assists across all competitions for the English champions (as per Transfermarkt) and was handed 21 top-flight starts, showing that he isn’t just a bit-part player to be used as a substitute and can do an effective job when given the opportunity.

However, with the signing of Borussia Dortmund beast Erling Haaland now confirmed, Jesus is likely to be resigned to a place on the bench next season and could struggle to get as much game-time as he enjoyed in 2021/22. Therefore, he may feel that this summer is the right time for him to leave City and start afresh in a new chapter elsewhere – maybe with the Gunners.

In other news… the Sky Blues are reportedly readying a bid for one of their long-term transfer targets

Manchester United have already had a taste of Erik Ten Hag’s wrath in terms of the changes that he could make to the squad this summer, after reports emerged that the defensive duo of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Eric Bailly are not in the Dutchman’s plans.

One other player who we feel should not be a part of the 52-year-old’s plans for the Red Devils moving forward is Fred.

Signed from Shakhtar Donetsk four years ago in a deal worth a reported £52m, the £120k-per-week Brazilian has failed to repay that hefty price tag.

With 157 appearances under his belt for the Red Devils across all competitions, the 29-year-old has only netted eight goals and delivered just 13 assists in the process.

Just over a year after he made the move to Old Trafford, the midfielder was questioned by Gary Neville over what sort of player he is, what he offers the team and why the club’s decided to pay such a big fee for him.

In fact, in a poll ran by Football FanCast, 92% of participants claimed that United paid too much money for the midfielder.

Now that Fred’s contract is set to expire in the summer of 2023, the upcoming transfer window could be the ideal time for United to cash in on the Brazil international and give Ten Hag the chance to totally refresh the midfield.

In terms of who the Red Devils could look to as a replacement for the 29-year-old misfit, one player with whom they have been linked recently and who could fit the bill is Wolves star Ruben Neves.

Having made 212 appearances for the Midlands club, the 25-year-old has scored 24 goals and delivered 12 assists along the way. With 142 Premier League games under his belt, Neves could be an ideal younger replacement for Fred with plenty of top-flight experience to his name as well.

Labelled a “maestro” by Tim Spiers, the journalist also described one of the Portugal midfielder’s goals in 2018 as “stunning.”

To compare the duo’s most recent league campaign with their respective clubs, Neves recorded more passes, shots, dribbles and crosses than the Brazilian, showing how impressive the Wolves midfielder is on the ball.

Off the ball, the Portugal international made more interceptions, won more tackles and made more successful pressures than Fred (FBRef), highlighting his all-round strengths and attributes in midfield.

With a reported price tag of £50m, signing Neves and getting rid of Fred could be the move which gets Ten Hag’s period in charge of United off to a flying start.

In other news: MUFC eyeing £50m dynamo who’s “a nightmare for defenders”, he’s better than Rashford

West Ham owners GSB are reportedly eyeing up a move for Burnley winger Maxwel Cornet as David Moyes seeks to boost his attacking ranks.

What’s the word?

The Telegraph has reported that the Hammers are keen on signing the Ivory Coast international as Moyes looks to strengthen his forward options ahead of next season.

Despite only joining the Clarets last year, the 25-year-old has a £17.5m relegation release clause in his contract; and with Burnley relegated from the Premier League following their six-year stay in the top flight, he could be set to move this summer.

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Everton are also monitoring the situation as the Irons face a battle for his signature.

Moyes would love Cornet

Moyes led West Ham to a fantastic season, securing European football for next term and coming so close to reaching a first continental final since 1976, and the turnaround in fortunes for the club has been remarkable during his second stint in charge at the London Stadium.

The 59-year-old has mainly relied on wingers for goals this term, with Jarrod Bowen (18) and Said Benrahma (11) contributing heavily. Although centre-forward Michail Antonio (13) has also been a big threat, Moyes would surely love to bolster his squad with another prolific attacker.

Cornet is valued at £12.6m and netted an impressive nine goals for Burnley as they struggled throughout the season. His pre-January form was superb, but he struggled following his return from the Africa Cup of Nations, netting only three goals since the winter tournament.

Despite this drop-off, the prospective deal represents good value for the Moyes, who will get a proven Premier League scorer at a reasonable price.

Journalist Alan Nixon described the winger as a “top talent” before he moved to England, and this statement has certainly been spot-on. At only 25 years of age, West Ham could arguably be getting the player as he is heading into his peak years.

It could well be a fruitful summer for the Hammers, especially if Moyes can bolster his squad with prolific players such as the Ivorian winger.

AND in other news, “Another target…”: Ex drops big West Ham summer transfer claim that supporters will love

Morgan Gibbs-White can become a key player for Wolves next season after returning from his loan spell, according to journalist Ryan Taylor.

The Lowdown: Gibbs-White excels away from Wolves

The 22-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements by Bruno Lage last summer, with the manager struggling to promise him regular starts at Molineux. Instead, Gibbs-White joined Sheffield United on loan for the 2021/22 campaign, as he aimed to continue his progress and enjoy regular first-team action elsewhere.

The midfielder did exactly that, scoring 12 times and registering 10 assists in 37 Championship appearances as the Blades reached the play-offs, and he will now return to Wolves this summer riding the crest of a wave.

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The Latest: Gibbs-White backed for big season

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Taylor claimed that Gibbs-White could now become a fixture in Wolves’ team from the start of the 2022/23 season and backed him to quickly move on from the disappointment of penalty shoot-out heartache for Sheffield United in the Championship play-offs.

The Daily Express journalist said:

“Morgan Gibbs-White could be a player that sort of really kick-starts his career next season. He’s had an unbelievable loan spell with Sheffield United.

“He missed a penalty in the shoot-out, but Conor Coady’s already said what a player he’s going to become.”

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The Verdict: Will he stay?

While there is great hope that Gibbs-White could become a star at Molineux – he has been described as ‘brilliant’ by ex-Blades team-mate Billy Sharp – there is also no guarantee that he will stay put at Wolves.

The youngster has been linked with a move to newly-crowned Serie A champions AC Milan, further highlighting what a gifted player he is, so he may be weighing up his options.

However, one can certainly hope that Gibbs-White will realise that Lage may now see him as a big part of his plans in the Black Country, so that he ends up committing his future to Wolves, helping to fill the midfield void which could be left by the likely departure of Ruben Neves.

In other news, Bruno Lage has been backed to bring one player to Wolves. Find out who it is here.

Transfer insider Dean Jones has provided an update on Newcastle United and the interest in Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. 

The lowdown: Magpies interested

This comes following a report from talkSPORT claiming that Newcastle are monitoring the 35-year-old Danish shot-stopper as Eddie Howe looks to improve the squad.

Heading steadfast towards the final 12 months of a deal at the King Power Stadium (Transfermarkt), Schmeichel could be seeking a new challenge in the near future.

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However, one notable journalist has suggested that it’s not only the North East club that are attentive to the stopper’s situation.

The latest: ‘Offers prepared’

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones has suggested that the 80-cap international is on numerous radars across Europe.

He explained: “His contract is starting to wind down and I think that there’s a possibility that he has offers coming in for him this summer. I think he might even have offers prepared for him right now.

“There are clubs, I’m told, in Germany and Italy that are keen on Kasper Schmeichel and they’ve got a feeling he might become available.

“We’ll have to wait and see how that plays out, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Leicester had to consider options for him in the summer.”

The verdict: Better options available

Although the pursuit of a new number ‘keeper in order to challenge and perhaps usurp Martin Dubravka is an important one, at 35, Schmeichel isn’t the ideal candidate to carry the mantle of a new era in the North East.

This season, the experienced Dane  – who was hailed as ‘world class’ by manager Brendan Rodgers in 2020 following a goalless draw against Brighton – has kept 10 clean sheets in 51 outings across all competitions, making 3.6 saves per game on average (Sofascore).

Albeit clearly still at the peak of his powers, Newcastle manager Howe would be best served to consider a younger alternative such as the heavily linked Manchester United stopper Dean Henderson.

In other news, find out which ‘world-class’ ace NUFC have now made contact over signing here!

Tottenham Hotspur transfer chief Fabio Paratici has now made an ‘important offer’ as manager Antonio Conte personally insists on one summer signing, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Conte sets sights…

The Lilywhites head coach has been after a new right-wing-back since January with serious links having emerged to a makeshift option in Adama Traore.

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Spurs, however, failed to land their man, who eventually ended up joining Barcelona – prompting the Premier League top-four chasers to regroup and draw up a list of other targets for the position.

One player who has ended up on their radar is Torino star Wilfried Singo amid his fine Serie A season and a development has now emerged courtesy of Tuttosport (via Sport Witness).

The Latest: Paratici tables ‘top bid’…

As per their sources, Paratici has tabled a ‘top bid’ to sign the Ivory Coast international – making an ‘important offer’ last week.

This comes as Conte personally ‘insists’ on his signing at Tottenham, but unfortunately for the Italian, Torino president Urbano Cairo has apparently rejected the club’s €25 million (£21m) proposal.

The Verdict: Come back again?

The 21-year-old has emerged a very shrewd target, and even though he is apparently ‘non-transferable’ from his club’s perspective as things stand, perhaps a more serious offer could tempt them into selling.

According to WhoScored, Singo ranks as one of Ivan Juric’s top-five domestic performers by average match rating and only two players have featured more by minutes – impressive stats for a fairly young and upcoming talent.

He’s an effective, attack-minded full-back also – racking up the joint-most assists for Torino in Italy (4) whilst completing the second-highest rate of take-ons per 90 out of their squad (WhoScored).

The African starlet seemingly has bags of potential and it’s little wonder Conte really wants him at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

If chairman Daniel Levy is serious about backing the manager, we believe Spurs should seriously twist Cairo’s arm with another marquee offer.

In other news: Reliable source: Tottenham agreement now ‘very likely’ as Conte closes in on ‘top signing’…find out more here.

Celtic will bring an end to their title-winning Premiership season this weekend as they take on Motherwell in front of their home fans on Saturday.

The Hoops clinched the title after their 1-1 draw against Dundee United in midweek, having been a distant second to their Glasgow arch-rivals last season.

With the title in the bag and one match left to play, it seems as though an update has emerged out of Lennoxtown over some behind-the-scenes activity which will surely have a lot of Celtic fans buzzing.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Record, Celtic are set to hold new contract talks with manager Ange Postecoglou as a reward for his debut season in charge of the Hoops.

The 56-year-old was appointed as the Parkhead club’s new manager last June on a 12-month rolling contract after initial talks with Eddie Howe broke down.

Since then, Postecoglou has taken charge of 59 games across all competitions with the Hoops, winning 41, drawing seven and losing 11.

Great news for Celtic fans

Taking into account how the Australian has taken the league title away from Rangers and brought it back to Parkhead in his first season in charge of Celtic, it’s safe to assume that many Hoops fans would be over the moon if he were to sign a new deal at the club and continue taking the team forward.

In addition to winning the league, the Bhoys did it in style under Postecoglou by scoring more goals than any other team in the top flight, along with conceding the fewest.

Back in the summer, not long after he was appointed, the former Australia manager oversaw a significant overhaul at Celtic in terms of the players who not only came in but also those who were moved out.

Now that the Hoops have won the league, it’s hard to deny that their summer business, including the decision to hire Postecoglou, was a massive success.

If the club can tie down their manager to a new deal, this can then pave the way for him to get cracking in terms of preparing for next season, when they will undoubtedly be hoping to not only retain the league title but also do well upon their return to the Champions League.

In other news: Celtic can finally replace Christie as Ange plots bid for “aggressive” 19 y/o starlet

Sunderland reportedly now risk losing Ross Stewart in the summer, as per journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Play-off hero

Stewart bagged the only goal of the game as Alex Neil’s team won 1-0 in the first leg of their play-off semi-final against Sheffield Wednesday at the Stadium of Light on Friday night.

The striker put in a very impressive performance, winning a joint player-high 13 of his duels and making three key passes, while he also recorded one successful dribble, clearance, interception and tackle (SofaScore).

The Latest: Rangers interest

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, O’Rourke has shared that Glasgow Rangers are now ‘keeping tabs’ on Stewart ahead of a potential love this summer, and it would be ‘hard’ for him to reject their advances:

“It looks like he’s obviously on their wanted list, Ross Stewart. It’s been talked about now for quite a few weeks that Rangers are keeping tabs on him.

“If Rangers do come calling, it’s going to be hard for somebody like Ross Stewart – a Scottish player – to turn down their advances.”

The Verdict: Worrying

It is certainly worrying for the Wearside club and its supporters that the Gers could come calling for Stewart.

He has been nothing short of ‘incredible‘ this season, as Black Cats legend Kevin Phillips points out, and so would be very difficult to replace.

Given the size of Rangers, and the fact that they have reached the UEFA Europa League final, with a spot in the Champions League up for grabs for the winner, it is hard to see Stewart turning them down if an offer came in, and so the board must do everything in their power to try and keep him.

In other news, find out what big dilemma SAFC now face here!