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Liverpool are reportedly lining up a move for Sampdoria winger Mikkel Damsgaard as manager Jurgen Klopp looks to replace the departed Xherdan Shaqiri.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet Il Secolo XIX (as relayed by the Liverpool ECHO), the Reds sent scouts to watch the 21-year-old in Sampdoria’s curtain-raising encounter with AC Milan.

The report claims that the Reds hoping to complete a deal for Damsgaard and are plotting a ‘decisive assault’ at the prime time to strike a deal, meaning a move to Anfield could be on the cards before the current window concludes.

Jurgen Klopp needs him

Damsgaard rose to major prominence over the summer after starring for Denmark in the European Championship, scoring two goals and providing an assist in five appearances for Kasper Hjulmand’s charges, playing a pivotal part in his nation’s run to the semi-finals of the tournament.

His standout displays have seen the youngster linked to a host of the Premier League’s top clubs in recent weeks, despite him only arriving in Serie A 12 months ago in a £6.08m deal.

The creative talent is a product of the famed Nordsjaelland academy and showed his potential for Sampdoria last term, bagging two goals and providing four assists in 35 top-flight appearances as he settled into life on Italian shores.

Damsgaard also managed 1.5 dribbles per league game, the highest tally amongst his teammates, and played a key role in Sampdoria’s shock 2-1 victory over eventual champions Inter back in January, leading to TV2’s football expert Martin Mikkelsen hailing his compatriot.

“He’s magical – what speed! He is dynamic and can go both ways. He is creative but also so mature in his decisions,” Mikkelsen claimed, and Damsgaard has gone from strength to strength ever since.

With Shaqiri joining Ligue 1 giants Lyon, Klopp now has room in his squad for an extra overseas player and should have the required funds to finance a move for the £18m-rated Scandinavian wizard.

It remains to be seen whether a formal offer for Damsgaard occurs before August 31st, but his potential arrival would address a weakness in Liverpool’s first-team squad, one that Klopp needs to address in order to give his side the best chance of fighting on multiple fronts this season.

And, in other news…Liverpool receive boost in pursuit of “incredible” 23-y/o gem, Klopp would love him 

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has delivered a Leeds United update on Rodrigo, who was the subject of late transfer interest from La Liga giants Barcelona.

What’s the story?

Speaking on The Phil Hay Show, he said: “My understanding is that Barcelona were keen on him and did have a look at him, but Barcelona have been such a mess through this window that it didn’t feel like it ever got to a point where they were serious about it.

“I mean, Leeds in no way would have let him go on loan, it would have had to have been a permanent (deal). I don’t think they want Rodrigo to go and I don’t think Rodrigo wants to go. Bielsa’s spoken a few times about trying to keep him in the building, keep him in the mix, get him into form.

“So it didn’t seem to me like that was ever going to happen. I mean, from the PR point of view, I really don’t know how that would have looked, you know, right at the end to have been doing a deal for him. But there was Spanish interest in him, without a doubt, because he is a very good player.”

Bielsa could revive Rodrigo

Even here on FFC, Rodrigo’s disappointing career thus far at Elland Road has been criticised, but Hay’s reveal that Bielsa is keen on getting him back to his best is certainly exciting news for fans.

The Spaniard has a proven pedigree at European level with the likes of Valencia and Benfica, and has competed on the biggest stage and in the biggest competitions.

Last season may just have been a period of adaptation, and while his opening day performance against United led to some Leeds fans slamming him, this campaign could well be the making of him.

He showed flashes of his quality towards the back end of last season, not least in Leeds’ 4-0 drubbing of Burnley at Turf Moor where he bagged a late, quick-fire brace after coming on as a substitute.

Whether it’s continuing to give him that role just behind Patrick Bamford, or maybe even a stint up front or out wide like he has played in previous years, Bielsa’s faith in Rodrigo is admirable, and it’s one that may excite fans who are surely keen to see him finally light up Elland Road more than 12 months after first joining them.

Meanwhile, this Leeds United transfer target is now set for contract talks…

According to print edition of the Sunday Mirror (via Fichajes.net), Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus.

The Lowdown: Spurs’ defensive issues

During the summer transfer window, Spurs spent big at the back as they brought in Cristian Romero from Atalanta – the Argentina international set them back around £42m (Sky Sports).

So far, he has not had the impact Nuno Espirito Santo will have hoped for – albeit due to circumstances mostly out of his control – so perhaps it would be no surprise to see the Lilywhites dip back into the market to find him a suitable partner in the heart of defence.

The Latest: Spurs eye de Ligt

After conceding three times in each of their last three league fixtures, it seems Tottenham are interested in signing de Ligt from Juve.

Fabio Paratici of course has plenty of connections in Turin so there is already a route in for negotiations there, but the report does mention securing a deal could be difficult given Chelsea are reportedly prepared to offer more than €100m (£85.5m).

The Verdict: Expensive

The 6 foot 2 De Ligt has been one of European football’s most promising wonderkids after breaking onto the scene at Ajax but, while his move to Juventus has not been a disaster, he has not enjoyed the success many may have anticipated.

He failed to reach 30 Serie A appearances in either of his previous two campaigns at the club (Transfermarkt) and was part of a side that was unable to win the league title last term after prevailing nine times in a row before that.

Still, he is only 22 and is clearly a centre-back with plenty of a talent, once hailed as more important than Cristiano Ronaldo for the Old Lady by Juve legend Sergio Brio, while super agent Mino Raiola claims de Ligt is ‘unstoppable’ in full flow.

The interest from Chelsea is a major obstacle – the Blues are the champions of Europe and are not afraid to splash the cash – but this could be a worthwhile long-term investment for Paratici and Daniel Levy if they can convince the youngster to ignore their London rivals.

In other news, Gary Neville takes aim at these two Tottenham performers.

Todd Cantwell has no reason to attempt to force through a move away from Norwich City, according to former Premier League striker Dean Windass.

Cantwell played a key role as the Canaries sealed an immediate return to the top flight by clinching the Championship title last season.

Despite the rise of Daniel Farke’s side, Norwich have still seen talisman Emiliano Buendia exit for Aston Villa in a club-record move.

Cantwell has been heavily linked with following the Argentinian to Villa Park following the £100million departure of Jack Grealish to Manchester City.

Villa’s interest comes after 23-year-old Cantwell scored six goals and registered eight assists in 34 appearances last season.

Cantwell also boasts Premier League experience, having missed just one fixture as Norwich suffered relegation in the 2019/20 season.

The winger has entered the final 12 months of his contract at Carrow Road but Windass is certain Cantwell will still be on Norwich’s books when the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “Why would he want to go? He’s going to play for Norwich. They’re back in the Premier League, he knows the players and he knows the manager has strengthened to compete.

“I’d be thinking I’ve had a good season in the Championship but can I do it again in the Premier League? That will be the question on every manager’s lips.

“Why would you upset the applecart? He’s going to play for Norwich every week and they’re in the Premier League.”

A move from West Brom to the Bundesliga would make sense for Matheus Pereira, journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast.

The 25-year-old Brazilian is currently attracting a lot of interest, including from Saudi Arabia.

According to Ekrem Konur, who reports on football transfers, Al-Hilal have made an attempt to sign Pereira this summer at the request of manager Leonardo Jardim.

West Ham are also thought to be keen on the Pereira’s signature as they struggle to tie up a deal for Jesse Lingard, with the Daily Express claiming that the club have now held talks with the player’s representatives.

And Hatfield believes a move there or to Germany, where Pereira played during the 2018/19 season with FC Nurnberg, is the more logical option.

“I think a move to Germany or the Premier League makes more sense,” the Express & Star reporter said. “He knows the German league; he’s been there before. If a club’s willing to spend the money on him, then it makes sense.”

If a move to a Premier League club does not materialise for whatever reason, then surely Pereira ends up in another top European league like the Bundesliga.

The former Sporting Lisbon man, who scored 11 goals in English football’s top flight last season, has too much talent to move to Saudi Arabia at this stage of his career.

Aston Villa target Julian Alvarez of River Plate would reportedly prefer a move to Europe over the United States, following a bid for his services from MLS outfit Orlando City [Birmingham Mail].

The Lowdown: Aston Villa prepare for 2021/22 Premier League campaign

Looking to build upon their 11th placed finish last term, Clarets boss Dean Smith will be extremely keen to add to the already talented pool of players at his disposal.

Prioritising quality over quantity, the 50-year-old has brought in two additions so far in the form of Emiliano Buendia and Ashley Young [Transfermarkt].

Could Villa have now moved closer to a third signing of the season following recent reports?

The Latest: Alvarez bid from Orlando City rejected; still in talks with Villa

Despite a £7.2 million bid from Orlando City being rejected by River Plate, it is said that he would not have entertained the prospective switch anyway [Birmingham Mail].

His agent is apparently still in talks with Villa over a move to the Midlands instead.

AC Milan and Eredivisie champions Ajax are also believed to be keen on bringing the 21-year-old in this summer, and he wants to move to Europe

The Verdict: Alvarez would add attacking flair to the Aston Villa fold

This news will surely be greeted with much excitement by the Villa Park hierarchy.

Capable of skipping by a man effortlessly, Alvarez would most certainly add some flair to the Villans’ arsenal.

In 2020/21, the Argentina international registered 11 goal contributions in 25 appearances; four goals and seven assists [Transfermarkt].

Posing a constant threat to defences, the youngster managed to record roughly 1.7 shots per game across the year [WhoScored].

Going into the new Premier League campaign, Aston Villa should look to sign Alvarez before other suitors take advantage, as his age and glimpses of talent show the makings of a potential bargain.

In other news, Aston Villa fans react to a Leon Bailey update.

A number of Liverpool supporters have been mocking Pep Guardiola following his response to Jurgen Klopp’s comments about Manchester City’s spending.

The Reds picked up an excellent 3-0 win away to Norwich City on Saturday evening, ensuring that their Premier League season got off to the perfect start. Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah got the goals for Liverpool as they cruised through proceedings and looked every bit title challengers.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

It has been a low-key summer at Anfield and some supporters have been left frustrated at the club’s lack of spending, with Ibrahima Konate the Reds’ only signing to date. By contrast, City recently broke the British transfer record to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for £100m.

Klopp has suggested that Liverpool don’t have the luxury of endlessly spending huge sums of money on players like their rivals do, however, which seems to have irked Guardiola.

The City manager has bitten back at Klopp’s comments [via Anfield Watch on Twitter] by defending the spending of his club’s owners and seemingly having a dig at his rival, retorting: “Some owners want to benefit, our owners don’t want any benefits. So they don’t invest in the team, while we invest what we can.

“Before there were only one or two clubs. Now there is Chelsea with [Roman] Abramovich and our club with Sheikh Mansour. They want to be buying into football. What is the problem? We have limits for Financial Fair Play and if they don’t agree [with City’s spending] they can go to court and make a statement.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-copy-4/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans react to Guardiola comments

These Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to mock Guardiola over his “defensive” stance on Klopp’s words.

“Baldy weirdo rattled already. This league is ours”

Credit: @sheepdogx3

“FRAUD”

Credit: @MrFahrenheitAtC

“It’s so funny when Pep gets super defensive about this. My dude, your owners bought everyone you want any time you want them, you win with mega stars and it’s fine so there’s no need to get defensive when someone says it”

Credit: @mockingbird2424

“Give him FSG and see if he makes the same claims”

Credit: @Etrur25

“Sounds as though the old chequebook champion is getting rattled already”

Credit: @Shaunyboy75

“It’s a real shame how obsessed with Klopp he is, it’s ruined his mind”

Credit: @tartanmarvel89

In other news, some Liverpool fans are ecstatic after an update regarding one Reds player. Find out who it is here.

Aston Villa have reportedly agreed a deal to sign West Brom youngster Finn Azaz, according to Football Insider.

What’s the story?

Azaz has caught the eye with some strong performances for West Brom’s Under-23s team in recent seasons, but spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan with Cheltenham Town.

Despite not having any experience in senior football prior to his move to the Robins, Azaz became a regular in the Cheltenham Town team, making 44 appearances as they won promotion into League One, chipping in with three goals and two assists whilst under the management of Michael Duff.

Some West Brom supporters might have hoped that they would see Azaz in their first-team in the new Championship season, with the Baggies being relegated from the Premier League last term.

But that doesn’t seem as though it’s going to happen, with Aston Villa reportedly agreeing on a deal to sign Azaz, with the move being close to completion.

It’s a tough one to take for the Baggies

This will be an irritating update for West Brom’s supporters to hear of, with Azaz looking as though he’s set to be the second Baggies youngster to be heading to their local rivals this summer.

Tim Iroegbunam is also reportedly set to sign along the dotted line at Villa Park as well, which will be tough to take for some supporters, who would have been eager to see both players potentially play a part in West Brom’s bid for promotion from the Championship this term.

Azaz came in for praise from Gloucestershire Live journalist Jonathan Palmer during the 2020/21 season, and revealed that he ‘excelled’ in the early stages of his loan with the Robins.

“Finn Azaz is operating in a ‘number 10’ role supporting two centre forwards and has excelled so far. He has plenty of tricks and flicks in his locker but has already shown progress regarding when to try things and when to keep it simple.

“His ability has shone through since pre-season and he looks a real talent based on his early competitive appearances.”

Relegation into the Championship could have been the ideal opportunity for West Brom to give some of their promising young players a chance in the senior squad, and you would have imagined that Azaz could have been one of those, especially after such a strong start to the 2020/21 season with Cheltenham Town last term.

It seems that the recurring theme of losing their best youngsters will continue to rumble on, having seen the likes of Louie Barry, Morgan Rogers and many more end up at a bigger team.

AND in other news, West Brom handed Sam Johnstone transfer boost…

Everton fans are livid after it was suggested Marcel Brands has had no say in the Toffees pursuing Rafael Benitez to become their new manager.

We are rapidly approaching the 21/22 campaign, but the Goodison Park outfit remain without a manager after previous boss Carlo Ancelotti returned to Real Madrid (Sky Sports).

The Toffees continue to search for their new boss, and it appears that Benitez is leading the race at the moment – that has not gone down too well with the fans (HITC) considering his previous allegiance to Liverpool.

Brands is Everton’s sporting director, and should therefore have had a big say in who the next boss should be. However, as per journalist Paul Joyce, Brands has been given little say in who will replace Ancelotti.

The news was shared on Twitter by @EvertonNewsFeed, and it attracted plenty of attention from the supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Benitez below

“If that’s true. He should walk away from the club on principle.”

Credit: @Noodlepig

“Shambles off a club”

Credit: @tommy6toes

“Absolutely shocking by the club.”

Credit: @NSNOcole

“If true it’s be a disgrace, and wouldn’t blame him for quitting”

Credit: @thatphillad

“If this is true, he should be walking out of the door”

Credit: @sayantan_01

“Can’t believe this……. He should be solely in charge of the appointment. We will end up losing him next . Being an Evertonian is never easy”

Credit: @AlfaLady

In other news, Everton are interested in signing this Juventus ace.

A journalist has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur could make a transfer offer for Haris Seferovic in the summer window.

The Lowdown: Kane situation unclear

The future of Harry Kane at Spurs is currently unclear, as Fabio Paratici has recently admitted that he would like to keep him after the England international captain reiterated his desire to leave (Sky Sports).

Whether the 27-year-old stays or goes, Nuno Espirito Santo’s team will surely be looking to bring in a new striker, whether that would be to replace Kane or play as a backup to him.

The Lowdown: Seferovic interest

As per Italian football journalist Rudy Galetti, the north London club are ‘interested’ in a move for Seferovic and are ‘thinking about making an offer’.

He describes the transfer saga as an ‘evolving situation’ and claims that the Benfica forward could make a move to the Premier League.

The Swiss international is currently valued at around €25m (£21.4m), and it may be a deal to watch as the window progresses.

The Verdict: Sign

Whatever happens with Kane, Tottenham should be looking to snap up a proven goalscorer in Seferovic.

The 29-year-old managed 26 goals and a further seven assists in 48 games across all competitions across the 2020/21 season (Transfermarkt) and carried that form into Euro 2020 with Switzerland.

Seferovic scored two headers against the reigning world champions and tournament favourites France in their last 16 tie, showing just how much of a beast that he can be in the air. With a 6 foot 2 frame, he should have no difficulty at all in coping with both the physical and aerial demands of the Premier League.

In other news, find out which ‘crazy’ ace has been touted a ‘dream’ signing for Spurs