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Nottingham Forest are ‘closing in’ on the signing of Wolves centre-back Willy Boly, according to renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Boly avoids Wolves game

On Sunday, the Old Gold drew 1-1 at home to Newcastle United in the Premier League, with the Ivory Coast defender named in the matchday squad at Molineux.

However, the 31-year-old was nowhere to be seen at the stadium, and as was confirmed by Bruno Lage after the match, he hadn’t informed anyone of his decision to not attend proceedings.

It immediately threw Boly’s future into further doubt, having been strongly linked with a move to Forest.

The Latest: Forest close to completing signing

Taking to Twitter on Monday morning, Romano stated that the Reds are close to securing the signing of the 31-year-old, not long after making Renan Lodi their 18th recruit of the summer.

The Italian tweeted:

“Nottingham Forest are closing in on their 19th summer signing: talks now progressing to final stages for Willy Boly as new centre back, it’s really close.

“Forest hope to get it done in 24h to agree with Wolves and then complete medical.”

The Verdict: Strong summer addition

Boly would be an interesting signing by Forest, not necessarily coming in as a long-term addition but possessing a huge amount of experience over the years.

The centre-back has made 89 appearances in the Premier League and won 13 caps for the Ivory Coast, so he could an older head alongside a relatively youthful defence, aside from fellow 31-year-old Steve Cook.

Last season, the Ivorian averaged two successful headers, 2.5 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game in the top flight. Those figures would place him in the top four (or better) for each metric among Cooper’s squad in the early weeks of the current campaign.

Boly’s recent injury problems are a concern, which makes signing him a risk, but even if he is used wisely as a squad player rather than being named in the team every week, there is no reason why he can’t be a shrewd signing at the City Ground.

Liverpool have ‘definitely looked at’ Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge as a possible option, according to transfer insider Dean Jones. 

The lowdown: Midfield saga

Having missed out on Aurelien Tchouameni earlier in the window, the Reds appeared to curtail their pursuit of additional midfield options.

However, following injuries to Naby Keita, Thiago, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Curtis Jones in the opening weeks of the season, Jurgen Klopp admitted that the FA Cup holders could well be forced back into the market for a late swoop.

With less than 48 hours remaining in the transfer window, time is against the Anfield recruitment team, although one well-informed onlooker has suggested that there is a possible target for Liverpool to pursue…

The latest: ‘Definitely looked at’

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones – a journalist for Eurosport – claimed that 24-year-old Berge could certainly be an option for Julian Ward in the final hours of the window, seemingly also ruling out a move for Youri Tielemans.

He said: “If Liverpool do sign someone, I think it’s going to be someone that holds good value and also is probably going to be someone that they’ve had on their radar for a while.

“That makes me wonder about someone like Sander Berge. He is a player that Liverpool have definitely looked at closely in the past.

“He has had problems with injury, which is obviously a bit off-putting but, if he is available at a decent fee, I could see Liverpool suddenly doing a deal like that.

“They would say ‘this guy’s been a long-term target of ours and we feel he fits in with our style of play’, rather than going for somebody like Tielemans, who is just a trendy name at the moment.”

Jurgen is a Red! Show how happy you are about it with this awesome t-shirt! Click here to buy…

The verdict: Make it happen

Despite the aforementioned injury issues that have seen the 30-cap Norway ace miss 33 matches since arriving in England, Berge would still be a superb addition to the Liverpool ranks.

So far this season, the powerful midfielder – who was dubbed a ‘physical beast’ by football writer Sebastian Pedersen – has scored twice and provided two assists in seven appearances for the Championship table toppers.

Previously described as a ‘very interesting’ player by Klopp himself, it’s clear to see that there is admiration from Liverpool and given the current predicament, a move for the £14.4million valued Berge would be a welcome one and could emulate the deal that saw Ben Davies also arrive on Merseyside from Bramall Lane.

Everton are reportedly looking to secure a late summer move for Brighton & Hove Albion attacker Leandro Trossard.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Football Insider, the Merseyside club have set their sights on signing the Belgian, who Frank Lampard apparently sees as a potential replacement for Anthony Gordon, who has been linked with a move away from Goodison Park this summer.

Since joining the Seagulls from Genk three years ago, the 27-year-old has gone on to make 107 appearances for the south coast club across all competitions. In that time, Trossard – who is currently picking up a wage of £42.5k-per-week – has found the net 19 times and delivered 11 assists along the way.

This season has seen the attacker start all three of Brighton’s league games and currently has more shots at goal (nine) and more shot-creating actions (13) than any other player in Graham Potter’s squad.

He’d be a “magnificent” addition

To further highlight his attacking talent, he ended his previous league campaign with more goal contributions (11) than any other Brighton player, along with more shot-creating actions (91), goal-creating actions (10) and successful dribbles (59) than any of his team-mates.

This shows just how capable the Belgian is of offering a consistent attacking threat in the top flight and explains why he’d be a great addition to Lampard’s squad.

Praised by Alan Shearer for a “magnificent” goal that he scored against Brentford last September, Trossard would certainly help Everton in the final third, as they currently have the joint-lowest rate in the league for goals per shot (0.02) out of clubs to score at least one goal so far this season.

With the Toffees already bringing in a number of their summer recruits from fellow English clubs such as Conor Coady, James Tarkowski and Dwight McNeil, adding the Brighton star to that list would surely see Lampard end the club’s transfer window with a bang, especially if the Belgian can hit the ground running and help Everton to become a deadlier team in front of goal.

With Gordon’s future still in doubt, securing a deal for the Seagulls attacker could be a very smart move for the Goodison Park outfit to make.

Aston Villa have made a loan offer for Southampton defender Jan Bednarek as Steven Gerrard looks to bring in a Diego Carlos replacement before the window shuts.

What’s the news?

According to Football Insider, Villa have submitted a loan offer for the Poland international as they look to bring in another centre-back before the summer window slams shut.

They claim that the Midlands side are looking at a loan deal for the season rather than committing to a permanent move.

With £26m signing Carlos expected to be out for the season, it looks as though Bednarek would be a like-for-like replacement.

It’s a no-brainer for Johan Lange

There’s no doubt Gerrard landed a major coup when signing Carlos from Sevilla following an impressive season at Sevilla, where he won 62% of his total duels and featured in a defence which kept 13 La Liga clean sheets.

During the side’s 2-1 win over Everton, the Brazilian was stretchered off and it was later revealed that he had ruptured his Achilles tendon, shattering the plans that Gerrard had for the player at the heart of the Villa defence.

It’s now key for the manager to bring a replacement in, and Bednarek fits the bill. The 26-year-old has plenty of Premier League experience – 133 outings in total – so therefore no adjusting to the league will be necessary and he would hopefully be able to hit the ground running.

Bednarek was one of Southampton’s better performers last season, averaging a WhoScored rating of 6.81, ranking him fifth in their squad and winning an impressive 2.9 aerials per match, the most in their squad by some way.

These stats would have ranked him fifth and joint-first in the Villa squad last season and it’s clear Bednarek could slip into the heart of their defence with ease.

He even scored four goals in the league last term, with the Villa centre-backs scoring a collective total of five, so the 26-year-old can give Gerrard an unexpected goal threat, especially from set pieces.

The £20k-per-week defender would be an ideal Carlos replacement for the season and without any transfer fee involved, it appears to be extremely low risk. It really is a no-brainer for Sporting Director, Johan Lange, as he aims to give Gerrard as good a squad as possible.

Manchester City are reportedly closing in on securing a deal to sign RSC Anderlecht left-back Sergio Gomez.

What’s the news?

In a recent Twitter post, journalist and transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, had this to say on the matter.

“Excl: Sergio Gómez to Manchester City, here we go! Verbal agreement reached with Anderlecht. Fee will be more than €10m, closer to €15m – to be signed soon.”

Romano then added that Gomez “has good chances to be part of City team – otherwise, he will be loaned out to La Liga side Girona.”

Guardiola will be thrilled

In addition to seeing Oleksandr Zinchenko join Arsenal, the Citizens also missed out on signing Marc Cucurella before he eventually joined Chelsea after being linked with a move to City.

This shows why the Manchester club have been looking to bring Gomez in to strengthen their left-back position, should he end up staying at the Etihad Stadium rather than being loaned out to Girona, as Romano mentioned.

It also makes it safe to say that Pep Guardiola will be over the moon to see a new left-back brought in before the summer transfer window closes.

After spending time in Barcelona’s youth ranks, the Spaniard joined Borussia Dortmund in 2018 before making his move to Belgium last summer.

With 49 appearances to his name across all competitions last season, the 21-year-old ended up scoring seven goals and delivering 15 assists along the way.

In fact, with 34 league appearances under his belt last season, the full-back delivered more crosses (284) than any other player at the Belgian club, as well as racking up the third-highest number of interceptions (53) and the fourth-highest number of successful tackles (32).

This shows just how dangerous he can be up the pitch and how useful he can be without the ball in a defensive sense.

Lauded as a “superb” player by football talent scout, Jacek Kulig, Gomez, who could now be heading to the Etihad for a fee of €15m (£12.6m) according to Romano, certainly has the talent to be a useful member of City’s squad rather than being loaned out.

Moving forward, if the Premier League champions end up sealing a deal for the left-back, they should keep him in the senior squad and see if he can make an impact on the team and be as impressive for them as he was for Anderlecht last season. Irrespective of whether he kicks a ball for City this season, or fans have to wait until next term, Guardiola will be thrilled to further deepen his squad.

Rangers have been handed a huge lift ahead of their Premiership clash on Saturday afternoon…

What’s the word?

Speaking ahead of that fixture, as per the club’s official Twitter channel, Ibrox manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has revealed that striker Alfredo Morelos is in line to make his long-awaited return from injury this weekend.

Asked about the fitness of his squad heading into the home clash against Kilmarnock, the Dutchman stated: “The squad is looking good. The biggest change will be Alfredo will be in the squad. He’s been training really hard with the team and he’s ready to be in the squad for tomorrow and hopefully play some minutes as well.”

The Colombia international has been absent since sustaining a thigh injury in April, with that issue ultimately ruling him out of the final few weeks of last season.

Massive boost

Amid what will already be a frenzied atmosphere at Ibrox as supporters return for the first home game of the season for the Light Blues, news of the 26-year-old’s return will only add to that bubbling excitement, with the crowd surely desperate to see the former HJK Helsinki man back in action.

While there are still lingering doubts over the £11.7m-rated marksman’s future in Glasgow with less than 12 months remaining on his existing deal, for now those of a Rangers persuasion will simply be delighted to see him fit and firing again, with Van Bronckhorst’s side having sorely missed the talismanic figure of late.

Tuesday night’s Champions League defeat to Union Saint-Gilloise in particular, showcased the void that the £33k-per-week menace leaves behind when he is unavailable, with summer arrival Antonio Colak having proven to be a “waste of time” in Belgium, according to pundit Mark Hateley.

In truth, while seeing the 11-cap brute in action this weekend would be a welcome development, the onus will be to ensure that Morelos is raring to go in the second leg of their European tie in midweek, with Van Bronckhorst seemingly in need of his talisman to help overturn the two-goal deficit.

The odds are stacked against them, although if ever there were a man to pull a rabbit out of the hat for Rangers, it is ‘The Buffalo’. The 5 foot 10 titan has been prolific for the club in recent years, with his tally for the Light Blues now standing at 113 goals in 224 games in all competitions.

The belief will be that he can add to that haul against Kilmarnock this weekend if he features, gearing him up for the pivotal European encounter on Tuesday evening.

After the disappointment in Belgium earlier this week, Morelos’ return could be the welcome boost that the Ibrox faithful need.

West Ham United have suffered a body blow ahead of their opening Premier League fixture of the season against Manchester City today.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Manchester Evening News, who quoted David Moyes’ response to injury updates as the Irons manager coyly claimed: “We’ve got quite a lot of concerns but I’m not going to give you them.”

He continued by ruling out the Hammers’ new signing Gianluca Scamacca due to fitness issues, saying: “Gianluca has only just joined us and he’s a little behind so I’m not expecting him to be available this weekend. He’s not played any minutes in pre-season so it makes it very difficult to put him out so soon…”.

Moyes will be gutted

Although Scamacca is yet to play for the Hammers, both Moyes and the club’s supporters will be disappointed to see their marquee summer signing ruled out for what looks the most difficult opening game that any Premier League side could be handed.

Michail Antonio has struggled with injury problems over his West Ham career, although he managed an impressive 36 league appearances last season, scoring ten goals.

In all honesty, though, the club were very lucky that the 32-year-old did not break down and leave them without a senior striker for some time.

Although that issue is now resolved with the arrival of Scamacca, his absence will be frustrating given his proficiency in front of goal last season, when he netted 16 goals in Serie A. The Irons are unlikely to get a host of chances against title holders Manchester City, so to be without the forward for today’s clash is a huge blow for West Ham.

Also, with an expected goals (xG) of 11.13, he overperformed in front of goal by 4.87. This outlines his clinical nature and his tendency to score from positions of little opportunity.

For comparison, Antonio’s xG of 12.79 represents a 2.79 underperformance. While over a league season one might prefer the striker who gets in the right positions, for games such as this a wildcard would often be prepared in order to stand a chance.

Moyes has been vocal in his admiration for the player, claiming that the Irons had “been watching him [Scamacca] for some time and even considered going for him last January. He has a presence as a player with his size and his ability to take the ball in, retain possession.

“We see him helping in maybe a different way to what we’ve had and his youthfulness means we know there is more room for improvement. It’s very rare you can have a top striker at 23 years of age – but he is.”

The absence of this kind of presence could be felt heavily by West Ham today, and Moyes will surely be gutted to be without his Italian recruit for their all-important opening league game.

Celtic youngster Matt O’Riley is not wanted by Leicester City in the summer transfer window, according to a fresh report which has emerged.

The Lowdown: O’Riley an exciting talent

The attacking midfielder only played a small role in the Hoops’ Premiership title win last season, making 12 appearances in the top flight, half of those as a substitute.

O’Riley has been linked with a move to Leicester recently, with Brendan Rodgers potentially looking to raid his former club.

However, a new report has contradicted those rumours linking the youngster with a move to the King Power Stadium.

The Latest: Leicester not interested in O’Riley

According to 67HailHail, the Foxes will not look to bring O’Riley to the Premier League this summer, despite not yet signing a single player in the current transfer window.

The 21-year-old’s current contract expires in the summer of 2026.

The Verdict: One for the future

This is good news for Celtic, with O’Riley someone who should be regarded as a hot young prospect after joining from MK Dons in January.

Stilliyan Petrov has said that he has been ‘really impressed’ with the midfielder so far at Parkhead, and there is no reason why the Denmark under-21 international can’t continue to prosper with Ange Postecoglou at the helm.

O’Riley may need to accept that some patience is required, with more experienced players ahead of him in the Celtic pecking order, but he should be afforded more opportunities in 2022/23, having registered three goals and three assists in the Premiership last season despite not featuring regularly.

Manchester City have emerged as frontrunners to sign Lyon star Lucas Paqueta for manager Pep Guardiola this summer, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Eastlands overhaul taking shape…

The Premier League champions, after retaining their domestic crown in sensational fashion last season, are beginning to see a real summer of change with major players coming through the door and long-serving big names having departed.

Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fernandinho come as the high profile Eastlands exits of this window while the likes of Erling Haaland, Stefan Ortega, Kalvin Phillips and Julian Alvarez have put pen to paper on moves to City.

Reports have suggested there could be even more movement as the Sky Blues remain linked to even more new additions like Brighton star Marc Cucurella and Villarreal defender Pau Torres.

The Latest: Man City one of ‘most credible’ Paqueta options…

Indeed, according to L’Equipe (via GFFN), it appears City have now emerged as one of Lyon star Paqueta’s ‘most credible’ options this summer.

It is claimed that, out of all interested sides, Guardiola’s side are the ‘most advanced’ but even that isn’t particularly far and a move may depend on midfielder Bernardo Silva’s mooted potential exit.

The Verdict: Make the move?

If Bernardo does in fact end up leaving Manchester, with the Portuguese coming as arguably irreplaceable, Paqueta could be an interesting option.

The 24-year-old finished last season as one of Lyon’s best-performers by average match rating whilst making a serious contribution going forward with nine goals and six assists in Ligue 1 (WhoScored).

Back in January, Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas claimed any interested side would have to pay around €80 million (£68m) to seal a move for Paqueta but the Brazilian has no shortage of plaudits.

Newcastle United podcaster Dave Harvey, for example, has called the Lyon star ‘sensational’ and it will be interesting to see if City end up advancing before the Magpies or other suitors wade in.

Nottingham Forest have been extremely active in the summer transfer window with 11 signings already secured, and a new potential transfer target has now been revealed.

What’s the latest?

According to RMC Sport (via Sport Witness), the Reds have joined the race to sign Borussia Mönchengladbach forward Alassane Plea this summer.

As per the report, the newly-promoted Premier League club will compete with Everton, Marseille and Nice for the signature of a player who has just one year left on his contract and a reported price tag of €8m (£6.8m).

Imagine him & Lingard

Despite signing a number of new players at the City Ground, it is reported that Steve Cooper still wants another striker in the squad ahead of their return to top-flight action next month, and it looks like they’re quickly identifying players who can fill that role if the reports are true.

Plea has been a creative and reliable attacking threat for Gladbach, scoring 47 goals and delivering 28 assists over 142 appearances for the German club, with a goal contribution every 129 minutes.

Over 32 appearances in the Bundesliga last season, the 29-year-old scored nine goals, delivered six assists and created a whopping 14 big chances, making 1.8 key passes, winning 2.8 duels and taking 1.9 shots per game, showing that he is a creative force who could be a valuable asset to Cooper next season.

Plea has been the recipient of high praise, with Borussia Mönchengladbach’s former sporting director Max Eberl saying of the player when he signed for the club in 2018: “He’s a versatile, quick and clever forward who has put his talent on full display in Ligue 1.”

Cooper could even establish a formidable attacking partnership between the Frenchman and new Forest signing Jesse Lingard in the Premier League next season, which could help them massively in their pursuit to retain their top-flight status.

The prospective signing of Plea could be a major fillip for Cooper and the powers at the City Ground. If he comes to Nottingham and emulates his Bundesliga form, it would put Forest in a great position to compete among the elite of English football.

AND in other news – “Would be…”: Journalist drops huge Forest transfer update, supporters will be gutted