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Mohamed Diame is closing in on a new contract at Newcastle United, according to Chronicle Live.

The midfielder has started 22 games this season and, per the aforementioned report, is subsequently close to triggering a clause in his contract that would see him extend his stay at St James’ Park.

As it stands, his current contract expires at the end of the season.

Diame signed a new contract at the Magpies in 2016.

Chronicle Liver report, however, that he would like to have a longer deal at the club, with his hope being that he can stay at the club until 2021.

Diame joined Newcastle three years ago and has since made 96 appearances for the club, scoring eight goals.

And fans are split on whether the retired Senegal international should be allowed to stay at the club beyond the expiration of his deal. Take a look at the best of the reaction on Twitter below.

Liverpool have been dealt a last-minute blow with Roberto Firmino a doubt for the title-deciding crunch clash against Manchester City.

What’s the news?

The Brazilian forward was not seen at Liverpool’s training ground on Friday ahead of today’s game which will be a worry for them, but Jurgen Klopp is still hoping he will have a fully fit squad available to him.

In his press conference the same day, the German manager said: “it looks like everyone’s available again”, with the other doubt being Fabinho who suffered a cut following a clash of heads in their Champions League game against Benfica midweek.

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Firmino vital to Liverpool

Bobby Firmino as he’s called has been a vital part to Liverpool’s success under Klopp, and although players such as Diogo Jota and Luis Díaz have shown they can fulfil that role, he would be a huge miss ahead of their biggest game of the season.

He has been involved in eight goals in 17 Premier League appearances for the Reds this term and has more combined goals and assists per 90 minutes compared to Jota at 0.82 to 0.73.

It’s not just a push for the title that the club need to maintain, but they are also still in the FA Cup and Champions League. A fit Firmino will be vital to any success Liverpool have this season.

Opponents City also boast an incredibly strong squad going into the fixture with Ruben Dias the only big miss for them.

With Firmino they could perhaps exploit this defensive weakness and he could link up with Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané for a ruthless front three.

Another advantage to having Firmino over the other options available is the big game experience that he has. The forward has appeared in two Champions League finals for the Reds and played a key part in their last title-winning campaign.

His experience is extremely valuable and he has been described as “elite” by former Premier League striker Ian Wright.

Just a point separates the two sides and whoever claims victory will be in pole position to lift the famous trophy in May. It promises to be a game to remember, and the potential absence of Firmino could leave City with a huge advantage.

IN other news: Liverpool now plot bid for £101m machine, he could be better than Thiago – opinion…

Rangers defender Filip Helander says he’s yet to hold talks with the club over a new contract.

The lowdown

Helander’s £14,000-per-week Rangers contract is due to expire at the end of the 2022/23 season, 14 months from now.

The centre-back’s involvement this season has been severely restricted by a knee injury he sustained back in September.

He’s only started five Scottish Premiership games and made ten appearances in total.

Helander returned to the fold last month and will compete with the likes of Connor Goldson, Leon Balogun and James Sands for a place over the course of the run-in.

He won’t play a part in what remains of the Gers’ Europa League campaign, though, after Giovanni van Bronckhorst left him out of the squad.

The defender publicly expressed his disappointment with the manager’s decision, which came shortly after his injury comeback.

The latest

Speaking to Swedish outlet Fotbollskanalen, Helander said discussions had yet to go underway, although there is still time to sort things out.

“No, we haven’t talked so far,” he said, via Rangers News. “But there’s more than a year left, we will see what happens.”

The verdict

Rangers have to be careful to avoid a Goldson repeat here.

Helander’s fellow CB is currently set to walk away from the club on a free transfer this summer when his contract expires.

If he doesn’t seem overly keen to stay, then perhaps it would be sensible to listen to offers this summer.

Indeed, senior journalist Chris Jack has warned that the upcoming window could be their last chance to cash in.

And for a club that’s taken such heavy losses in recent years – £73.8million under the current regime – it doesn’t seem like a sustainable way of doing business.

In other news, there’s a worrying fitness update for Rangers ahead of the Old Firm.

Glasgow Rangers return to action at Ibrox tonight as they look to make their way through to the last four of the Europa League.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s side are 1-0 down on aggregate heading into this evening’s fixture and will be hoping to turn things around to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition.

They head into the game off the back of a 4-0 win in the Premiership on Sunday, with Kemar Roofe’s hat-trick and Joe Aribo’s wonder strike securing all three points.

However, they will have to make at least one change to their starting XI from that match. Swedish international Filip Helander has been ruled out for the rest of the season and would be ineligible to face Braga irrespective of his fitness because he was left out of the Europa League squad.

This means that a spot has opened up at centre-back alongside Connor Goldson ahead of the clash with Braga…

Forget Balogun

Nigerian international Leon Balogun started in the first leg in Portugal but Van Bronckhorst must leave him on the bench this time out. Instead of going with the experienced battler, he must start Calvin Bassey at centre-back tonight.

In the 1-0 defeat to Braga, the 33-year-old ex-Wigan man made a direct error leading to the opposition’s only goal of the game. His failed clearance allowed Abel Ruiz to smash the ball past Allan McGregor and Bassey must now move across to centre-back, with Borna Barisic keeping his place at left-back from the weekend.

Bassey has been in fine fettle in Europe this season, averaging a SofaScore rating of 6.92 across 10 appearances in the competition. The defender has settled into a prominent role in the first-team and has coped with the step up to playing European football.

He was previously dubbed “phenomenal” by Leicester City coach Steve Beaglehole and Van Bronckhorst also claimed earlier this season that he is “full of energy” at the back, with his form living up to the praise.

In the Premiership, he has averaged a score of 6.97 over 26 starts. He has won 62% of his duels in the division and helped Rangers to keep 13 clean sheets in that time, as he has proven that he can perform to a high level on a consistent basis in the Scottish top-flight.

The 22-year-old tank has shown that he can be a reliable option for Van Bronckhorst over the course of the season, domestically and in Europe, and he must now be called upon for this gigantic clash at Ibrox tonight.

AND in other news, From £4.5m to £25m: Wilson had huge Rangers howler over “remarkable” 12-goal gem…

Celtic’s chances of reaching the final of the Scottish Cup have taken a blow with Ange Postecoglou’s Bhoys being dealt another injury setback.

Giorgos Giakoumakis limped off during their 7-0 win last weekend but they have now been rocked by further issues.

What’s the word?

David Turnbull has only just returned from a lengthy injury layoff but he’s now picked up yet another gutting blow.

Postecoglou confirmed the news this week as quotes from the Daily Record cited his absence.

The boss said: “David Turnbull, he obviously got a pretty hard knock.

“It’s only a couple of days after so we’ll see how it all settles down. I’m hoping it’s not too lengthy an absence.”

Ange will be gutted

Long absence or not, this will come as a major blow to Celtic and it will surely leave Postecoglou rather gutted as a result.

Turnbull was missing with a hamstring problem from before Christmas until the beginning of March and had made three substitute appearances in their last three outings.

However, just as he was beginning to build his fitness and form – registering an assist versus St Johnstone – he is now back on the treatment table.

The Hoops coped well without him, moving six points clear at the top of the Premiership, but this is someone who can change a game and against Rangers, that will be absolutely crucial.

So far this season, the Scot has nine goals and eight assists in all competitions, building upon a debut campaign in 2020/21 where he scored ten times and assisted eight strikes.

Furthermore, no player in the entire Celtic squad has been more creative than him per game, with the attacking midfielder registering 3.6 key passes, 0.9 more than the next best in January signing Matt O’Riley.

Whether or not he would have started this weekend is a different matter entirely but if they can’t call on his services in such a big game, it will be a crushing blow to Postecoglou’s ambitions of reaching a second final this term.

AND in other news, Ange is starting to unearth Celtic’s new Stuart Armstrong in “silky” £405k-rated gem…

A Tottenham Hotspur insider expects a big U-turn with Steven Bergwijn as he thinks that he will now remain at Spurs.

The Lowdown: Looked likely…

It was looking likely that Bergwijn was going to leave Spurs earlier in the window, and there are more recent reports claiming that he could still leave for Ajax even after his heroics against Leicester.

As per The Athletic journalist and reliable transfer expert David Ornstein, the North London club are also now working on a deal to try and sign Juventus winger Dejan Kulusevski, which could push Bergwijn further down the pecking order.

Nonetheless, a Lilywhites insider now thinks that he will stay, despite the speculation.

The Latest: Insider on Bergwijn

Speaking to Football Insider, THFC insider John Wenham, who regularly breaks news about the club on his Lilywhite Rose social media channels, has claimed that he now expects Bergwijn to stay, after initially thinking that he would go:

“These offers from Ajax have been heavily reported and I expected him to go.

“He’s another one, like Matt Doherty, who has finally realised they are already at a big club in Tottenham.

“It’s not just the goals at Leicester, I thought he was very good against Chelsea.

“His running caused two of the Chelsea players to get bookings for bringing him down.

“He looked so sharp, I’m chuffed with him. He’s turned a corner and is now a genuine option for us.

“He actually started as a striker against Chelsea which is really interesting.

“Could he still go? I don’t think there’s any chance of him leaving now.

“If there are any late-window bids I expect they will be turned down.”

The Verdict: Keep

Even if Kulusevski or another winger is brought in before the deadline, Tottenham should still be looking to keep Bergwijn.

He recently showed his credentials with two very late goals in the 3-2 win away at the King Power Stadium, and with more opportunities, can still be an asset under Antonio Conte.

He averages 1.3 shots per game in the Premier League, the joint-fourth most out of any Spurs player, which shows that he is not afraid to have a pop and is one of the few goal threats in the squad not named Harry Kane or Son Heung-min.

Nonetheless, at 24 years of age, the Netherlands international still has room for improvement, and it is simply too early in his Lilywhites career to bin him off now.

In other news, find out whose N17 exit is now in doubt here!

Rangers secured, arguably, one of their best-ever transfer deals at Ibrox back in 2017 when they signed striker Alfredo Morelos.

Having gone on to score 113 goals in 224 games, the Colombian has undoubtedly been a critical player for the Gers since his arrival.

Even though he’s only 25 and still has until the summer of 2023 before his deal with Rangers expires, it seems as though the club already have their eye on signing someone that could go on to become an ideal long-term replacement for Morelos.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from A Bola (via Daily Record) Rangers are one of the clubs keeping an eye on the development of Brazil youngster Antony Alves.

Originally from Brazilian side Joinville-SC, the 20-year-old is currently on loan with Portuguese team Arouca.

Their new Morelos?

Despite only starting four of the 17 league games he’s appeared in this season, the attacker has managed to score two goals.

The youngster has also racked up 13 crosses in total and been able to draw 15 fouls, showing how dangerous he can be going forward and what a tricky figure he can be to play against.

The Brazilian has not shirked away from his defensive duties this season either, having won 11 tackles and made seven interceptions.

In addition to this, the £180k-rated starlet has shown how versatile he can be on the pitch by playing in numerous attacking positions throughout his short career so far.

Thus, if the Gers end up selling Morelos anytime soon for the £13m fee that they would reportedly want for him, snapping up Alves as another young south American talent that has a knack for goal could be a great bit of business for them.

However, with the report claiming that FC Basel are also interested in signing the youngster, Rangers could have a challenge on their hands getting him to Ibrox.

If Ross Wilson is able to get the Brazilian to make a move to Scotland, he’ll certainly have some big shoes to fill should Morelos find himself leaving.

Having had a total of 113 shots at goal in the league this season, more than any other player in the SPFL, any player would find it hard to immediately replace Rangers’ prolific striker.

In other news: Sources: Shock Rangers transfer claim emerges that will leave Wilson excited…

Newcastle United have been handed encouragement over a potentially major deal for Sven Botman in the summer…

What’s the talk?

The Magpies target has admitted that he would be interested in joining the club, whilst also hinting that he will be on his way out of Lille at the end of the campaign.

He told Voetbal International, via TBR: “Newcastle is working on a great project and I thought it would be fun to be a part of it.

“Especially if you look at where Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain once started.”

Fabrizio Romano also quoted him as saying: “I can confirm both Newcastle and AC Milan were concrete options this winter. Both were good options for me. I assume that I will take a good step in my career next summer.”

Excitement

These comments will surely leave Eddie Howe excited ahead of the next transfer window as they suggest that a transfer could well be on the cards for the 2022/23 campaign.

It could be a major deal for the Magpies as Botman has the potential to be a sensational signing for the club in the short and long term. He is a player who has proven his quality at Ligue 1 level and could be an asset in the Premier League next season, whilst he also has scope for development and could be someone Howe looks to improve over time.

In the French top-flight this term, he has averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.15. Botman has won an outstanding 71% of his individual duels throughout the campaign so far, making 4.9 clearances and 2.0 tackles and interceptions per game.

This shows that he already has the ability and consistency required to perform at the top level. Meanwhile, no Newcastle defender has averaged a score higher than 6.77 this term, although Dan Burn managed a rating of 6.96 for Brighton prior to his deadline day switch.

At the age of 22, the Lille beast has plenty of time left ahead of him to add to his game and improve as a defender. This means that he could be an excellent investment by the club, as he could either be sold for a huge profit in the future or end up playing and excelling, in the side for many years to come.

Therefore, Howe will be excited by Botman’s comments as they open the door to a summer transfer and it could be a major deal for the Magpies based on the aforementioned benefits that he could bring. It is now down to PIF to be proactive by attempting to snap him up as quickly as possible at the end of the season.

AND in other news, “I heard a slight whisper”: Downie drops big NUFC claim on live TV, Howe surely gutted…

Aston Villa had an incredible transfer window, signing the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne in January.

Despite the market now being closed, the club remains a hot topic of conversation, with Fabrizio Romano revealing a potential summer transfer which could be a terrible move from sporting director Johan Lange.

What’s the word?

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Atletico Madrid are “seriously interested” in signing Matty Cash from Villa in the summer.

He took to Twitter to reveal more, stating: “Atletico Madrid are seriously interested in signing Matty Cash for next season. Direct contacts started in January and he’s still in Atléti list as potential new right back for Diego Simeone, highly appreciated. #Atleti”

“Cash will be in Atletico list again for sure. #AVFC”

Sky Sports reported that the La Liga club were interested in signing the right-back as they search for a replacement for Kieran Trippier, who joined Newcastle United in January.

Lange could repeat Xia’s mistakes

If Aston Villa were to sell the 24-year-old to Atletico in the summer, Lange could be set to repeat the mistakes of the past following the sale of Adama Traore six years ago.

The winger was part of a volatile Villa side who were relegated from the Premier League during his time at the club, and the Spaniard found himself constantly out of favour, which eventually led to him getting his second chance in the Premier League when he was sold to newly-promoted Middlesbrough.

Traore began to flourish under the watchful eye of Tony Pulis at Boro, going on to join Wolverhampton Wanderers, a move which has now led him to sign on loan for La Liga giants Barcelona.

Lange must not make the same mistake as former Villa owner Tony Xia by letting go of another youthful talent at the club, this time Cash, and shouldn’t be tempted by any potential offers from Atletico in the coming months.

According to One Versus One, the 24-year-old is in the top three players in the Premier League for tackles won, with 67 in his 21 appearances in the Premier League this season. In addition to his defensive nous, he has also scored one goal and provided one assist, showing that he is a valuable asset to this Villa team and illustrating that Lange must do everything he can to keep the player at the club over the summer.

Securing a top-half finish, and potentially a place in Europe, with Villa could be enough to stop Atletico from tempting Cash away from the Midlands next season, and Steven Gerrard will surely be far from happy to hear that the La Liga champions’ interest in the right-back isn’t disappearing any time soon.

In other news: One Villa player has been handed a big lifeline after the January transfer window

Everton are on the hunt for their next manager after a nightmare season so far that has left the side sitting 16th in the Premier League, just four points off the relegation zone and Moshiri has been interviewing managers over the last week to replace Rafa Benitez, with a new update emerging on the next manager to open talks for a move to Goodison Park.

What’s the word?

Popular transfer insider, Fabrizio Romano, has taken to social media to reveal that a new prospective manager is on their way to the club to interview for the highly anticipated role as the next Everton head coach.

Romano tweeted: “Vitor Pereira will be in England in the coming hours to meet with Everton board. Contract, staff and details to be discussed in order to make the final decision.”

“Key hours/days ahead to find out new Everton permanent manager.”

Fans won’t be happy

The situation that Everton have found themselves in has left fans furious, and this update on Vitor Pereira is not going to better the situation, as many have already taken to the replies of Romano’s update on Twitter to share their thoughts on the Portuguese native becoming their new manager.

One fan tweeted in response:

“Disaster, what a sad day for EFC. The final nail in the coffin.”

Another tweeted: “Since we last interviewed Pereira in 2013 he has managed 6 clubs. Doesn’t strike me as the man we need to bring stability and a long term vision.”

Despite the concern from fans, Pereira has won eight trophies during his managerial career so far, and a winning mentality is something Everton really need to be injecting into the side after just five wins from their 20 Premier League games so far, however, it’s clear where the concern comes from with Toffees fans.

The 53-year-old was sacked just before Christmas during his second stint at Fenerbahce after only winning one of the last five games he was in charge at the club, leading the side to trail 17 points behind league leaders Trabzonspor at the top of the table when he was relieved of his duties in December.

Everton are in dire need of stability and a manager who can come in and impact the club instantly to inspire a huge U-turn in the Toffees season, and rightfully, supporters don’t think that Pereira is the man who is capable of doing that job.

Farhad Moshiri and his team will interview the former Porto manager today, and the right decision will need to be made fast as Everton are in no position to continue losing games and further damaging their season. As far as we’re concerned, though, the Toffees need to be looking elsewhere.

In other news: Moshiri must sign Omar Colley