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Wolves may not have much left in the financial kitty this summer but that hasn’t stopped them from ramping up their efforts in the transfer market.

The Old Gold have made a bid to sign Brazilian starlet Kaio Jorge while landing James Tarkowski is also a possibility.

What’s the word?

Wolves may lose John Ruddy this summer with his contract expiring but they could also lose number one goalkeeper Rui Patricio.

He has attracted the attention of Roma and a deal is thought to be edging closer to completion.

With that in mind, Bruno Lage will need to find a new ‘keeper in order to bolster the Wolves ranks.

According to Football Insider, they are interested in signing Leicester City’s Danny Ward.

He has caught the eye for Wales at Euro 2020 and it would appear that Wolves have been left impressed by his performances.

Brilliant business

If Lage can convince Ward to move across the Midlands then it would be an astute replacement from Patricio.

They will need a capable and experienced man to replace the Portugal international, but fortunately, those are areas that Ward ticks the boxes of.

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The 28-year-old remarkably hasn’t played a game of league football since May 2017 but his displays during the ongoing European Championships have been nothing short of superb.

Ward has made a succession of top-drawer stops for his country, making 4.3 saves per 90 minutes, the third-highest number at the tournament.

On top of that, the Welshman has prevented more xG (3.77) than any other number 1 during the Euros. The next best goalkeeper is Finland’s Lukas Hradecky on 2.27.

Speaking about his form this summer, Andy King commented: “He’s been one of Wales’ outstanding players in this tournament.”

King continued: “He’s been absolutely brilliant. For someone who doesn’t play football for their club week in, week out, he’s assured in everything he’s done.

“He’s been commanding, he’s come for crosses and his distribution has been excellent.”

With that in mind, Ward is surely ready for more first-team football once the tournament has concluded.

Wolves need a new stopper and the Wales international should be searching for a better chance elsewhere.

A lack of league football isn’t always indicative of where you are as a footballer. You only need to look across the Midlands to Emi Martinez.

He only ever managed 15 league appearances for Arsenal but rocked up at Aston Villa to take the top-flight by storm. Martinez kept 15 clean sheets last term and made 142 saves, only to be bettered by Sam Johnstone and Aaron Ramsdale.

Wolves should repeat a similar trick this summer by landing Ward; he has proven to be a reliable and exceptional shot-stopper.

AND in other news, Wolves eye swoop for “exceptional” £22.5m-rated colossus, he’s perfect for Bruno Lage…

Liverpool could find their perfect heir to Gini Wijnaldum in the shape of Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn.

What’s the story?

According to the Sunday Post (as reported by the Daily Record), the Reds are keen on signing the 26-year-old after another impressive season at Villa Park.

The report claims that Dean Smith’s men would only consider bids of at least £20 million and that relatively low figure could tempt Liverpool into making a move this summer.

Edwards must swoop

Wijnaldum’s decision to depart the Anfield outfit and join French giants Paris Saint-Germain has left Jurgen Klopp desperately searching for an adequate replacement.

The likes of Saul Niguez, Florian Neuhaus and Nicolo Barella have all been linked with a move to Merseyside in recent weeks, and now a new candidate has emerged in McGinn.

While the Scotland international may not carry as much intrigue or excitement as the aforementioned stars, the former Hibernian workhorse would certainly be a valuable addition to Liverpool’s ranks.

Since arriving at Villa for just £2.5m back in 2018, McGinn has helped Dean Smith’s men win promotion back to the Premier League before helping them to an 11th placed finish last term.

He’s now thriving on the international scene as well, playing a pivotal part as Scotland held England to a draw at Wembley Stadium in Euro 2020.

McGinn’s performances with his national side have earned praise from several plaudits, including assistant manager Steven Reid, who lauded his “unbelievable character” on the eve of the tournament.

With money expected to be tight at Liverpool – and most clubs across the continent – over the coming months due to the pandemic, picking up a bargain may be more important than ever this summer.

Klopp has already added Ibrahima Konate to his ranks via a £34m deal, and the German tactician is believed to be targeting at least one attacker as well as a central midfielder.

Consequently, director of football Michael Edwards must swoop for McGinn. At just £20m, Liverpool are unlikely to find a better value for money deal, and if he performs like he has done for both club and country, the Villa ace could help The Reds regain their Premier League crown next season.

And, in other news…Edwards could find LFC’s new Salah with swoop for 17-goal gem who has lit up the EUROs 

A major update has emerged on Rangers target Jonson Clarke-Harris, it could lead to Ross Wilson striking gold for Steven Gerrard this summer.

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, financial fair play rules mean that Peterborough striker Jonson Clarke-Harris is likely to be out of reach for any club outside of the Premier League in England. Bournemouth saw a £5m bid rejected by Peterborough in January and they will not be able to reignite their interest this summer.

The report claims that Rangers are interested in signing the English centre-forward, who is contracted to Peterborough until 2024. However, it remains to be seen exactly how much Peterborough will want for their star man.

Earlier this year, Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson hailed Clarke-Harris as a “leader” and emphasised how important he is to the team. He told Peterborough Today:

“Jonson’s goals have been valuable, but he’s more than just a goalscorer.
“He is a leader, a winner and a real focal point for this team.

“He was our number one target when Ivan Toney left and we had to work hard on his fitness when he first got here, but he’s been an oustanding signing and a real pleasure to work with.”

Wilson could strike gold

Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson could strike gold for Steven Gerrard if he takes advantage of this situation by snapping Clarke-Harris up. It is difficult to improve upon a season where you managed to go unbeaten and win the league title, but Clarke-Harris could provide a level of consistent goalscoring that Rangers did not have from one player in the 2020/21 campaign.

The goals were shared out in the Scottish Premiership, with Ryan Kent, James Tavernier, Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe all on between eight and 11 league goals at the end of the season.

This suggests that there could be a gap for a prolific striker to come in and take on the burden of being a regular goalscorer for Rangers. Clarke-Harris’ incredible season for Peterborough in League One suggests that he could be the ideal target for that role. The 26-year-old found the back of the net 31 times in 45 League One matches for Peterborough, averaging a superb WhoScored rating of 7.36.

The £6.1k-per-week goal machine could, therefore, be a brilliant addition to Gerrard’s team as he could add an extra dimension at the top end of the pitch.

His goals could help elevate Rangers to the next level and allow them to go further in European competitions, whilst also attempting to maintain their dominance over Celtic from a domestic standpoint.

So, Wilson must take advantage of the lack of funds available to use by EFL clubs to pounce on Clarke-Harris whilst they can.

AND in other news, Rangers must avoid grave error with “wonderful” £18k-p/w ace after pundit’s claim – opinion

Crystal Palace are closing in on former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo as they search for Roy Hodgson’s successor.

What’s the story?

According to Sky Sports, the Eagles have held three days’ worth of talks with the 47-year-old, who is the favourite to fill the Selhurst Park vacancy.

The report claims that Espirito Santo is keen on an immediate return to management following his surprise Molineux departure, and he feels that he has a point to prove.

Fans will be buzzing

Several well-known names have been linked with replacing Hodgson in south London, including Frank Lampard, Eddie Howe and Patrick Vieira, but it seems as though the highly-rated ex-Wolves boss has jumped to the front of the queue.

Espirito Santo impressed throughout his four-year stay with the Midlands outfit, achieving promotion from the Championship, consecutive seventh-place Premier League finishes, a run to the quarter-finals of the Europa League and a place in the FA Cup semi-final.

His impressive work has earned him a healthy reputation in English football, and Palace chairman Steve Parish is evidently amongst the Portuguese manager’s admirers.

If Espirito Santo does take control of the capital club, then he’ll face a daunting first task of rebuilding large sections of the first-team squad.

Over a dozen players are approaching the end of their current contracts with the Eagles, while star man Wilfried Zaha has once again been linked with a move away from his boyhood club amid reported interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Everton.

Therefore, news that an experienced and well-respected figure has held extensive talks with the Palace hierarchy will surely have the club’s supporters buzzing.

Hodgson may have brought a sense of stability and calmness to Selhurst Park during his tenure, but the 73-year-old has hardly left the playing squad in a prosperous position.

Appointing a manager with Premier League experience, a defined playing style and a proven track record would certainly be an astute move by Parish, and the fanbase will be buzzing with this news and they will be urging the Palace chief to get this deal over the line.

And, in other news…Parish must sanction CPFC swoop for “unbelievable” £36m-rated gem who’s “Drogba-esque” 

Celtic’s interim boss John Kennedy has been urged to join Ross County if he leaves Parkhead.

Former County goalkeeper Michael Fraser told The Press and Journal that the 37-year-old would be well-suited to the managerial position at the Global Energy Stadium.

The lowdown

Kennedy took over from Neil Lennon when he resigned at the end of February, with Celtic’s title hopes having unravelled. Predominantly using a 4-4-2 diamond formation, he oversaw four victories, four draws and two defeats in total.

Celtic were 18 points adrift of Rangers when Kennedy took over and ended up 25 points behind their Glasgow rivals at the season’s end. The Gers also knocked them out of the Scottish Cup in the fourth round.

According to the Daily Record, Eddie Howe will be announced as Lennon’s long-term successor this week. He is also poised to bring backroom staff from Bournemouth with him, so it’s unclear whether there’ll be any place for Kennedy under the 43-year-old’s regime.

Ross County finished third from bottom in the Premiership this season. John Hughes kept them in the division but has not been offered a permanent deal.

The latest

If Kennedy is looking to move into management permanently rather than return to a behind-the-scenes role, Fraser says that County would be an ideal destination for him, telling The Press and Journal:

“Personally I think, John Kennedy, should he leave Celtic, would be a really good shout. He is highly thought of and it would be a good job for him to start off with.

“I am pretty sure a guy like John would like this job. He’s just a name that leapt out at me.

“Roy [Macgregor, chairman] might be looking at a more experienced manager, but going left-field John would be a good pick.

“He is highly-rated by ex-players and maybe he will want to come in and get his hands dirty by coaching them to play in the way he wants them to play.

“It’s maybe the best of the smaller clubs to achieve that because you will get support.”

The verdict

Howe may well deem Kennedy surplus to requirements at Celtic, partly as a symbolic ‘out with the old, in with the new’ move.

While Kennedy didn’t do enough in his time at the helm at Parkhead to suggest that he had credentials to be the permanent boss, he faced an unenviable task in trying to salvage the wreckage of the Hoops’ season.

Centre-back Kristoffer Ajer was also full of praise for his ‘fantastic’ coaching methods, and a club further down the Premiership would certainly be wise to give him a chance to prove his worth.

In other news, there’s an update on the future of Oliver Ntcham. 

In recent weeks, former Newcastle United and Liverpool manager, Rafa Benitez, has confirmed that he’s ready for a return to the Premier League and that is somebody Steve Bull could see ending up at Molineux.

Bruno Lage has been installed as the favourite for the Wolves job and is reportedly having talks with the hierarchy this week as they look for a swift appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo’s successor.

Benitez would bring defensively solidarity to Wolves after a season where they conceded 55 goals and having a striker like Raul Jimenez would potentially be perfect for the Spaniard having seen what he did with Salomon Rondon at Newcastle.

Whoever Wolves end up appointing, they are likely to have some form of connection to Jorge Mendes but Benitez would be a good fit in the Midlands given his experience and knowledge of the game, according to Bull who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“Rafa Benitez is an old-headed foreign manager which we could do with and I think if he came, Wolves the fans would welcome him with open arms because you saw at Newcastle what he was like up there.

“I could actually see Benitez down there at Wolves and I think he could do a good job.”

Nuno enjoyed a very successful period of time at Wolves having guided the club to a Europa League quarter-final as well as also winning three Premier League manager of the month awards.

Benitez loves to have a strong solid defensive base in his starting lineup and that is something Wolves could benefit from especially with accomplished defenders in Conor Coady, Willy Boly and Romain Saiss already at the club.

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a breakthrough over one of their mooted summer transfer targets…

What’s the word?

Earlier this month, the North London giants were linked with interest in Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma following another impressive season on the south coast.

The Times’ Duncan Castles now claims that the 24-year-old star has asked to leave the Amex Stadium at the end of the season, with the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City all inquiring about his availability.

It’s thought that the Seagulls are open to a sale as his contract is set to expire in two years time but only if their £30m evaluation is met.

Bissouma cost them only €18m (£16.5m) in the summer of 2018 but he has emerged as one of the most dynamic box-to-box midfielders in the English top-flight.

Levy’s licking his lips

If Spurs are truly interested in the Mali international, as was reported earlier in the month, then this latest development will surely have Lilywhites chairman Daniel Levy brimming with excitement.

There are some similarities to be had with this situation and that of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg at Southampton, prior to his move to Spurs.

The former Saints captain was slapped with a £35m price tag amid interest from several Premier League sides around this time last year. It was thought at the time that the 25-year-old wanted to leave to play at a higher level.

Levy, being the tough negotiating hard bargain man he is, managed to wriggle down that price to just £15m.

It’s even more impressive that they managed to ship outcast defender Kyle Walker-Peters in the other direction for £12m, meaning the total cash outlay on their new first-choice midfielder was only £3m.

An absolute steal.

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Now that Bissouma is available, Levy will surely be licking his lips over the prospects of trying to clinch him on another cut-price deal.

And so he should, as he’s one of the best midfielders outside the top six right now.

Ex-Brighton boss Chris Hughton once hailed the 6-foot monster a “wonderful talent” whilst BT Sport presenter Gary Lineker took to Twitter to wax lyrical about his ability, calling him an “exceptional footballer,” via The Athletic.

Bissouma has been compared to Yaya Toure due to his natural playing style and whilst he has some way to go to match the Ivorian’s impressive numbers in England, you can see some similarities.

As per WhoScored, the Seagulls sensation is averaging 2.8 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 1.5 dribbles per game.

This is very much akin to Mousa Dembele. A brute force that could read the game perfectly, and one that liked to travel with the ball up the pitch. Bissouma even chips in with 1.2 shots per game, so perhaps he’s unlucky to not have added more than one goal to his tally this term.

Whether he’s the next Toure or the next Dembele, he’ll only have to be half the player of either to be a hit in N17. Now that he’s willing to force an exit, Levy should be ready to win this transfer tussle with his negotiating skills.

AND in other news, Spurs must put £26m-rated “calamity” out of his misery, he’s holding them back…

Speaking exclusively to the Transfer Tavern, former West Ham striker Frank McAvennie has warned owners David Gold and David Sullivan to splash the cash this summer.

West Ham are enjoying an impressive campaign under David Moyes and despite squandering a three-goal lead in their last Premier League match against Arsenal, they remain in with a shout of achieving their joint-best ever Premier League finish of fifth.

That draw left David Moyes team fifth, just two points behind fourth-place Chelsea having emerged as surprise top four contenders, and could still get into the Champions League for the first time in their history with a strong end to the season.

But it’s not just off the pitch where things are on track for West Ham.

Since Moyes returned to east London, the Hammers’ recruitment has improved dramatically – with Tomas Soucek, Jarrod Bowen, Vladimir Coufal and Craig Dawson just some of the few success stories at the London Stadium in previous months.

There’s also been the inspired loan signing of Jesse Lingard, whose been a revelation since joining from Manchester United in January, whilst the failed likes of Felipe Anderson and Sebastien Haller have been moved on.

But despite being on the verge of qualifying for Europe for the first time in five seasons, McAvennie knows the importance of West Ham investing heavily in their squad this summer, especially with the prospect of extra games Europe.

He told the Transfer Tavern:

“I think they have got to compete. What they have got this year is what they were promised, the fans were promised this and this is the first year that this has happened.

“It’s the first year that they’ve competed for Europe in the new stadium. Every year we have been competing for relegation. This year has been a big difference, but you’ve got to build on it, I think the owners will know that.

“They’ve still got the season tickets, so they’ve still got that kind of money, but it’s been hard, the merchandise will be down, but every club is in the same boat.

“But I don’t think there’s a problem with the money, but I would imagine the owners will give money for two or three players. I think they need Lingard, a striker and another, that would do for me, as long as they keep everyone.”

According to Football Insider, Southampton are keeping tabs on midfielder Harry Winks ahead of the summer transfer window.

Southampton eye Winks

Winks, who currently plays for Tottenham, has made just 10 Premier League appearances so far this campaign (Transfermarkt), and therefore appears to no longer be a part of Jose Mourinho’s plans.

As such, the Saints are said to interested in taking him to the south coast, with Ralph Hasenhuttl seemingly on the hunt for reinforcements in the middle of the park considering they are also said to be eyeing Yangel Herrera.

Top target

Hasenhuttl and co should make Winks one of their top targets for the summer. While he has not played too much this campaign, he has managed 167 appearances for Spurs throughout his career, has considerable Champions League and Europa League experience, and also has 10 caps for England to his name.

Former Saints boss Mauricio Pochettino is a huge fan of the 25-year-old, previously comparing him to Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez (Goal.com), while former Spurs coach Russell Small said he plays like Zinedine Zidane – high praise indeed. Those comparisons may be over-the-top, but they illustrate the talent Winks possesses.

At Southampton, under the tutelage of Hasenhuttl and with a bigger role in the team, the central midfielder could go some way to fulfilling his potential. For the potential fee of between £15m and £20m, which is what Tottenham are said to be looking for, it could be an absolute bargain (The Daily Mirror).

In other news, Rangers fans are livid at this journalist’s comments.

Celtic interim boss John Kennedy is under consideration to succeed former manager Neil Lennon on a full-time basis.

That’s according to a report from Give Me Sport, who have had information revealed to them regarding the Hoops’ hunt for a new boss.

Kennedy in with a chance of Celtic job

They claim that the 37-year-old is in with a chance of landing the position permanently with Celtic looking at a ‘traditional approach’.

Celtic’s ‘traditional approach’ is thought to be based on individuals who understand the Parkhead role, with Kennedy a possible cheap option.

Kennedy has taken charge of three games as interim boss, picking up five points from a possible nine.

Transfer Tavern take

With Kennedy having no senior managerial experience prior to his role as Celtic caretaker, we feel that it would be a huge risk appointing him on a full-time basis.

It’s not as if the Hoops have become a different side under his guidance. They’ve scored twice in 270 minutes of football and failed to beat eighth-placed Dundee United.

To us, we think they need to steer clear of Kennedy when it comes to the long run.

In other news: Reliable journalist claims 43-year-old is ‘a serious candidate’ for Hoops job, find out more here.