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Wolves have been credited with an interest in Mario Vuskovic recently and the Hamburg centre-back could be the ideal man to replace Romain Saiss in Bruno Lage’s side next season.

According to Sky Germany, Wolves are keen on signing the 20-year-old after his impressive performances with the Bundesliga.2 side last season.

Despite only exercising their option to buy the defender for £2.7m in March, the German side are seemingly looking to make a quick profit on the young defender, with the report from Sky Germany claiming that they value him at around £8.6m.

Although he is only 20, Vuskovic has already amassed 76 senior appearances for Hadjuk Split and Hamburg SV, while he is also a regular in the Croatia U21 side, so could be a solid addition to Lage’s backline next season.

The Old Gold are still yet to make a signing this summer and with the season set to kick off in less than a month, supporters will be desperate for some new additions, especially after a disappointing end to last season.

Wolves’ success in the early part of the last campaign was built on a strong defence, and Saiss was a big part of that, making 31 appearances in the top-flight and averaging a strong 6.84 rating from WhoScored for his appearances.

If Lage is going to stick with playing three centre-backs again next season, then another signing is needed to support Conor Coady and Max Kilman in Wolves’ backline, and Vuskovic could represent an excellent long-term option for the Old Gold.

At 6 foot 2, he is unlikely to struggle with the physicality of the Premier League, and £8.6m could prove to be a bargain if he can adjust quickly and live up to his obvious potential.

BBC contributor and podcaster Dave Azzopardi was full of praise for the centre-back recently, suggesting he was “very highly rated” by those at Hamburg and given Wolves’ need for new signings, the Croatian should be a priority for Lage this summer, as he could slot in on the left-hand side of the defence to fill the gap left by Saiss’ departure.

And, in other news… Lage plotting game-changing Wolves bid for £22.5m-rated star, he’s “one of the best”

Leeds United would pull off a ‘massive coup’ if they managed to sign Chelsea striker Armando Broja, according to Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Broja linked with Leeds

The Whites appear to be after a new striker to complete their summer business after already bringing in six new faces. Club Brugge forward Charles De Ketelaere has been heavily linked, but it looks as if he is keen on a move to AC Milan.

Leeds are also thought to be interested in Broja, who Albania national team coach Sergio Porrini hailed as ‘devastating’.

90min name-checked the Whites, when it came to the striker’s next potential destination, with Chelsea set to command a fee in excess of £30m should they decide to sell the 20-year-old.

The Latest: O’Rourke reacts

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke was asked about Leeds and a possible swoop for Broja. He said ‘it would be a massive coup’ due to the number of clubs who are keen on the youngsyer, adding that it could be a ‘really good piece of business by Leeds’.

The journalist said:

“It would be a massive coup if they could get Broja considering the competition that’s out there for his signature right now.

“You’ve got the likes of West Ham, Newcastle, Everton, Southampton all in for Broja, so I think if Leeds were able to pull a deal off for the Albanian, I think it’d be a really good piece of business by Leeds United. He’s somebody who would provide goals for that team next season considering how well he did at Southampton.”

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The Verdict: Big money

It looks as if a move for Broja wouldn’t be cheaper than a swoop for De Ketelaere, with either of them likely to cost in the region of £30m, a fee that Leeds have never paid for a player in their history.

Broja is still just 20 years of age with 24 senior goals to his name for club and country. However, it could be a gamble to pay such a big amount for a player who has just 33 games of Premier League experience to his name.

It could be one which pays off, though, with Patrick Bamford making just seven league starts last season due to injury.

Leeds could be better off going after a proven forward and having Joe Gelhardt as the exciting attacking youngster.

Reliable journalist Gerard Romero has revealed that Newcastle United made an ‘offer’ to Raphinha ‘in recent days’.

The Lowdown: Barcelona bound?

It has been reported that FC Barcelona will use a chunk of their new war chest funded by the sale of a portion of their TV rights to take Raphinha from under the noses of Chelsea and Arsenal.

The Leeds United winger has attracted a lot of interest this window, and looks certain to leave Elland Road.

The Latest: Newcastle ‘offer’

Taking to Twitter, Romero has revealed that Barcelona and Leeds are ‘about to close the deal’ for Raphinha, adding that the Magpies recently made an ‘offer’ that was ‘turned down’ by the Brazil international:

“Barca and Leeds, about to close the deal for Raphinha. Barca offers a figure around €60m.

“Barca and Raphinha have agreed a salary of €6m net per season.

“In recent days, the player turned down an offer from Newcastle.”

The Verdict: Blow

It certainly is a blow for the St. James’ Park outfit that they now look set to miss out on Raphinha after trying to hijack the swoop for his signature.

Hailed as ‘world-class’ by former Whites goalkeeper Paul Robinson, and dubbed a ‘nightmare’ for defenders by former Premier League right-back Alan Hutton, the 25-year-old has the ability to change a game, emphasised by his team-high four man-of-the-match awards for the Peacocks in the top flight last season.

Of players to make five or more appearances in the division, Raphinha ranked as LUFC’s highest-rated performer, finishing as their top scorer with 11 goals and making a further three assists (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, there is no doubt that he would have been a phenomenal signing for Eddie Howe’s team.

Liverpool have been closely linked with a move for Marco Asensio this summer, and now a new update has emerged on the club’s pursuit of the player.

What’s the latest?

According to Spanish news outlet AS (via Paisley Gates), Liverpool are readying an offer for Marco Asensio.

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As per an AS subscription article, AC Milan are pressing to secure a deal for the Real Madrid winger, however, the Merseyside giants are now putting together a lucrative offer to secure a deal for the player this summer.

The Madrid-based outlet claim Liverpool have already offered the star £100k-per-week compared to AC Milan’s offer of £70k-per-week, with his transfer fee reported to be in the region of £34.4m.

Imagine him & Salah

Liverpool are clearly attempting to rebuild after losing Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich this summer, and now Jurgen Klopp can start building a new era and a new formidable duo of Asensio and Mohamed Salah next season at Anfield.

Asensio has remained faithful to Los Blancos despite never getting the starring role in the team since joining the club seven years ago, but his patience and hard work in the team has seen the player win three Champions Leagues, three La Liga titles and three FIFA Club World Cups.

The 26-year-old magician who was hailed “outstanding” by journalist Dermot Corrigan, has scored 49 goals and delivered 24 assists for the current European champions, with a goal contribution every 167 minutes over his 235 appearances, proving that he is a consistent attacking threat that can be relied on when called upon.

This season in his 31 La Liga appearances under Carlos Ancelotti, Asensio has scored 10 goals and created one big chance, making one key pass and taking 2.1 shots on average per game, as well as completing the majority of his dribble attempts successfully (68%).

Asensio’s goal contributions and work rate won’t be the only attributes that have made him a target for the powers at Anfield, as Klopp highly values players that can play in a range of roles in the forward line, something that the Real Madrid star can offer.

Although found mostly on the right wing, Asensio is capable of playing on both sides of the flank as well as being effective in a more central advanced midfielder role, scoring in both the right winger and attacking midfielder position on multiple occasions this season.

With that being said, there is no doubt that the Spanish player would be a great addition in Klopp’s side and would be the perfect signing to add further depth and goal-scoring opportunities next season.

AND in other news: FSG make LFC transfer decision on “world-class” £81m-rated star, Klopp will be fuming

Manchester City have been known to secure summer transfers for players from other Premier League clubs over the years.

Players such as Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez, John Stones and Kyle Walker, among others, have all made moves to the Etihad Stadium from other top-flight sides.

One other Premier League figure that the Citizens have been mentioned with in recent weeks is Chelsea right-back, Reece James.

Although, it has also been reported that Chelsea are looking to tie the defender down to a new contract, which could scupper City’s chances of securing a deal for the Englishman.

With that in mind, one other Premier League player that Pep Guardiola’s side could look to sign this summer as their own version of the Chelsea star is Brighton & Hove Albion full-back Marc Cucurella.

Having been linked with a move for the Spaniard in recent weeks, the City boss is reportedly a big fan of the left-back and would like to have him in his ranks.

Both Cucurella and James have shown during their previous Premier League campaigns just how capable they are in terms of their defensive and attacking work.

With 62 league appearances between them last season, the duo racked up a combined total of 177 crosses, 103 dribbles, 95 interceptions and 86 successful tackles.

In fact, James is included on a list of similar players to the Brighton figure according to Football Transfers.

In terms of a potential move to City this summer for Cucurella, The Athletic’s Brighton journalist Andy Naylor, said it would take an “eye-watering” offer to get the Seagulls to sell their left-back during this current period.

In fact, it has been reported that the south coast club value the defender at £50m, suggesting that it would take this sort of fee from the Citizens to get him.

Having shown how capable he is of playing in the Premier League and being a useful figure up and down the pitch, it could be very much worth the club paying what Brighton want for him.

Moving forward, if a move for James is off the cards for the current summer window, launching a move to sign Cucurella could be a smart bit of business from the Premier League champions, enabling them to continue their track record of signing other players in the division.

In other news: Man City now eyeing swoop for “unbelievable” £50m star, he can be Pep’s new “warrior”

A major update has emerged on Newcastle United’s pursuit of Charlie McArthur in the summer transfer window… 

What’s the talk?

The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath has revealed that the Magpies are on the verge of signing the youngster as Dan Ashworth closes in on his second piece of business since arriving at the club.

He has already secured the services of Matt Targett on a permanent basis and is now looking to bolster the academy set-up.

McGrath Tweeted: “Newcastle are close to completing deal for Kilmarnock centre-back Charlie McArthur. Scotland youth international seen as huge prospect but sources at his club say it is difficult to stand in way when youngster is targeted by a Premier League club.”

Eddie Howe will be buzzing

The Toon head coach will be buzzing with this news for multiple reasons.

Firstly, he will be excited by McArthur’s potential and will be looking forward to seeing him develop in the coming years.

Kilmarnock dubbed him their “rising academy star” and he has previously been linked with both Manchester City and Liverpool. This shows that he has caught the eye of both sides of the border and has done enough to convince two of the best teams in the country to take an interest in him.

The gem has captained Scotland at U17 level on ten occasions and made his debut for his club at the age of 16 – making four appearances for Kilmarnock in total to date.

These achievements show that he has made incredible progress at such a young age as he has become a leader amongst his peers for his country and he has been fast-tracked to the first team at club level.

He, therefore, is a promising young player with the scope to develop in the future and Howe will be buzzing to help him to fulfil his potential in the years to come at St. James’ Park.

The Magpies coach will also be delighted by this deal as it shows that Ashworth is thinking about the long-term as well as the here and now. He is not willing to go all out on experienced, first-team, options with no view to how the team will look in five or six years and this shows that he has a proactive approach that will help the club build for the future.

This will allow Howe to plan what he wants his side to look like in the long-term and allow him to make strategic signings with a view to progressing the club, which is why he will be buzzing with this swoop for a ‘huge prospect’.

AND in other news, NUFC can land their own Foden in deal for “explosive” £30m dynamo, he’s “dangerous”…

Midlands-based football journalist Josh Holland has made a claim involving Tottenham Hotspur and their former transfer target Adama Traore. 

The lowdown: Stuttering career

After spending the second half of the 2021/22 campaign on loan back where it all began at Barcelona, the Spain winger has reached an impasse in what was once a promising career.

Expected to return to Wolves this summer, the 26-year-old had been deemed surplus to requirements under Bruno Lage as Spurs actively pursued a move when Nuno Espirito Santo was in the Tottenham hot seat last autumn.

That interest had since appeared to have cooled from north London, although one informed onlooker believes that Tottenham could reignite their admiration for the rapid winger…

The latest: Holland on Traore

Discussing the future of Traore and Spurs-linked Ruben Neves with GiveMeSport, Holland suggested that Tottenham could foreseeably reignite their interest in the Spaniard.

He said: “I think the Traore one is a more difficult circumstance than the Neves one. I think Neves has been respectful the whole time. Traore has to the public, but we don’t know what’s happened within the changing room.

“I won’t be surprised if Tottenham swoop round for him again, or another Spanish team come in for him, but I can’t see him playing at Wolves next season.”

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The verdict: Worth the risk

Despite his ineffectiveness in front of goal, the powerful winger still possesses all of the physical attributes which make him such a threat; and if used in the right way, Antonio Conte could be adding a potential wildcard star to the Tottenham ranks.

The eight-cap Spain winger scored just once and managed only four assists in 40 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona and Wolves in 2021/22, highlighting a worrying absence of clinical end product.

Nonetheless, signing the man who Jetro Willems called a ‘beast’ and said was harder to face than Cristiano Ronaldo due to his incredible speed for anything south of his Transfermarkt valuation of £18m would remain a worthwhile move for Tottenham, as Conte and Fabio Paratici attempt to strengthen the attacking ranks in north London.

In other news: ‘Being negotiated’ – Club now want their ‘sensational’ star to join Tottenham! Find out more here

Celtic won’t be completing the signing of Benfica youngster Paulo Bernardo this summer, according to a new transfer update from his homeland.

The Lowdown: Celtic linked with Bernardo move

Ange Postecoglou will be hoping for a productive summer in the transfer window, as the Hoops look to build on last season’s Scottish Premiership triumph and build a squad capable of challenging on multiple fronts.

One player who has been linked with a move in recent days is midfielder Bernardo, who is making a name for himself at Benfica, appearing 24 times for the first team to date, dubbed a player with ‘endless’ potential.

Now, it appears as though Celtic will need to look elsewhere, however.

The Latest: Transfer off the table

According to A Bola [via Sport Witness], there is not ‘any kind of negotiation’ between Celtic and Benfica over a summer move for Bernardo, pouring cold water on the claims.

The 20-year-old is expected to remain at his current club moving forward, with the Portuguese giants seeing him as an important figure for their future, even protecting that with a €100m (£85m) release clause.

The Verdict: Move on and look elsewhere

While this is a blow, considering Bernardo’s standing as a talented young midfielder, it is no disaster to miss a target this early in the summer and Postecoglou has plenty of time to move on and look at alternatives.

Midfield is certainly an area of the pitch that needs additions this summer, with Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton moving on and leaving a sizeable void in the middle of the park.

Someone older than Bernardo would make sense however, in terms of coming in as an immediate regular with experience on par to one of those departing heroes, while David Turnbull could be ready to go up a gear, too.

In other news, Celtic have been backed to seal the signing of one player. Find out who it is here.

West Ham United are reportedly monitoring Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, ahead of a potential deal this summer.

What’s the word?

As per 90min, the Hammers have been named as one of the clubs who are ‘keeping tabs’ on the Frenchman’s situation, albeit with the Bundesliga outfit seemingly set to hold firm in their desire to keep the 22-year-old.

The report suggests that the German giants are ‘not entertaining offers’ for their young starlet – with the lack of a release clause aiding their cause – although there has been some indication that a bid of around £60m could be enough to tempt them into a sale.

That would prove to be a club-record offer for the east Londoners were they to pursue a deal, although they are also likely to face competition from Newcastle United, with the Magpies seemingly willing to break the bank with a £50m plus bid, as per the report.

Payet 2.0

That clamour for the five-cap international’s signature has undoubtedly been justified in recent seasons, with the former Paris Saint-Germain gem having registered 72 goal contributions in just 124 games in all competitions for his current club since making the switch from the Parc des Princes in 2019.

That impressive haul includes a sparkling tally of 17 goals and 14 assists in all competitions during the 2021/22 campaign, helping to fire Gerardo Seoane’s side to Champions League qualification with a solid third-place finish.

A Frenchman with a devastating ability to make the difference in the final third? Irons supporters can’t be blamed for beginning to dream of the next Dimitri Payet strolling through the door this summer at the London Stadium.

In his 18-month spell with the club, the set-piece specialist dazzled with his tricks, flicks and all-round class, pulling off the frankly unthinkable at times, including that rabona in a clash with Watford back in 2016.

The comparison between the two compatriots doesn’t simply lie in the country of their birth, however, with the duo sharing a number of statistical and stylistic similarities, according to FBref.

That is seemingly a sure sign that the youngster would be a real success in English football, with the hope he can replicate Payet’s stunning, albeit brief, impact in a claret and blue jersey, in which he registered 29 goal contributions in just 48 Premier League games, before making a swift return to Marseille on a £25m deal in January 2017.

Although the former West Ham genius may no longer quite be at his peak at the age of 35, it is still telling that the one-time talisman has been outperformed by the younger man in recent times, Diaby netting more goals (13 to 12) and registering more assists (12 – 10) in the league in the 2021/22 season.

Dubbed an “important” player by Leverkusen sporting director Simone Rolfe, it is easy to see why the German outfit are so keen to hang on to him in the upcoming window, with the “lethal” speedster – as he has been described by one journalist – continuing to make an impact on a consistent basis.

If he can produce anywhere close to the mesmerising quality that was provided by Payet during his time with the Hammers, then both David Moyes and the club’s supporters are in for a real treat.

IN other news, “Another target…”: Ex drops big WHU summer transfer claim that supporters will love

Journalist Rudy Galetti of Sport Italia TV has shared a Tottenham Hotspur transfer update on their hunt for Benfica star Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: Spurs want new striker…

After crunch talks with club chief Fabio Paratici in Italy, it is believed that Spurs and their manager Antonio Conte have a star striker on the agenda for the summer transfer window (The Telegraph).

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Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus is one of the targets as the Lilywhites set their sights on an alternative option to centre-forward mainstay Harry Kane (The Telegraph).

The Premier League giants recently announced a £150m equity increase which will apparently be used to back Conte in the next transfer market ahead of his first full season in charge of the club.

Aiming to put it to good use, Spurs are apparently in contention to sign a ‘big name’ forward in Nunez.

The Latest: Galetti shares Nunez update…

According to Galetti, the north Londoners are ‘fully’ in the race for the Benfica sensation amid their pursuit of a star striker. Nunez is apparently destined for England, with Spurs, Manchester United and Newcastle United seemingly all in the mix.

The reporter explained (via Twitter): “Darwin #Nunez will leave #Benfica in the summer – as reported in Feb – and his future will be in #EPL. #MUFC are the front-runners, #NUFC and #THFC are fully in the race.”

The Verdict: Ambitious move…

As per The Daily Star on Sunday (via Sky Sports), the 22-year-old’s club will demand a fee in excess of £100m for his services, potentially making this transfer a tough one for Spurs to pull off.

Even with chairman Daniel Levy’s significant financial windfall, the funds must be used wisely as Conte reportedly eyes a major N17 overhaul in a variety of different positions (The Telegraph).

Nunez’s phenomenal haul of 34 goals and four assists in all competitions over 2021/22 is certainly an indicator of his obvious quality, but the sky-high asking price will be a major factor in determining Tottenham’s next move.

In other news: Tottenham chiefs willing to back Conte with risky signing as they make special exception! Find out more here