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Leicester City have been linked with a move for Wolfsburg forward Josip Brekalo as Brendan Rodgers plots another assault on the Champions League qualification places.

What’s the story?

According to the Sunday Mirror (via Sportslens), the Foxes have “registered an interest” in the highly-rated 23-year-old, who would reportedly cost around £12 million.

Ligue 1 outfit Lyon and Spain’s Real Sociedad have also been credited with an interest in Brekalo, but it is understood the player would prefer a move to the Premier League this summer.

He has huge potential

The diminutive winger has established himself as one of the Bundesliga’s most exciting prospects in recent years following his arrival from boyhood club Dinamo Zagreb.

His impressive performances have caught the eye of several onlookers throughout his time in German football, including ex-Wolfsburg manager Oliver Glasner.

“I see huge potential in Josip. He continues to show that he wants to be here, and will only get better,” said Glasner.

And Brekalo enjoyed his most productive campaign to date in 2020/21, playing a pivotal part as the Wolves finished fourth in the Bundesliga standings, qualifying for Europe’s elite cup competition as a result.

In 29 top-flight appearances, the Croatia international bagged seven goals and provided three assists for his teammates, although his underlying numbers are arguably even more striking.

As per WhoScored, Brekalo had 1.6 shots per league game last term, made 1.3 key passes and completed one dribble, placing him in the top four amongst his teammates in all metrics.

Therefore, it’s easy to understand why Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers is reportedly targeting the versatile forward ahead of the upcoming campaign.

Although usually deployed on the wings, Brekalo is equally adept at playing through the middle and would offer cover and competition in a variety of positions.

Both Dennis Praet and Ayoze Perez struggled in their second seasons at the King Power Stadium, while Cengiz Under’s loan spell wasn’t made permanent following an underwhelming 12-month stint.

It’s left Rodgers searching for some attacking reinforcements, and the Wolfsburg ace may just be the perfect solution to the Foxes’ problems.

And, in other news…Bye-bye Maddison: Leicester must land “silky” £30m gem who’s a big upgrade for Rodgers 

West Ham United could find themselves another Michail Antonio this summer amid interest in one of the Championship’s hottest prospects…

What’s the word?

According to the Lancashire Telegraph, the Hammers are at the front of the queue to secure Blackburn Rovers talisman Adam Armstrong but they face competition from relegated Fulham as well as Premier League rivals Newcastle United, Norwich City and Southampton.

Despite only having one year to run on his current contract, the Championship outfit are remaining firm over their £20m valuation of the striker, whilst they are pushing to tie him down to fresh terms that would see him take a 40% sell-on clause.

The 24-year-old is currently on holiday, with his representatives holding talks with Rovers over his future.

Shades of Antonio

The Irons have had mixed success when it comes to recruiting from the lower divisions, ranging from absolute flops like Jordan Hugill to finding club legends like Michail Antonio.

A move for Armstrong would certainly edge towards the latter rather than the former.

As per Transfermarkt, the diminutive 5 foot 8 dynamo found the net a whopping 29 times in all competitions for Blackburn during the 2020/21 campaign, adding to his 17-goal tally a season earlier.

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He clearly has a knack for scoring goals and has proven that in every step up through the leagues, having enjoyed successful loan spells at Coventry and Barnsley whilst on the books at the Magpies.

During his time at the Ricoh Arena, he earned perhaps the most glowing endorsement he’ll ever receive from Hammers legend and then-teammate Joe Cole.

“Armstrong reminds me of Aguero in a way, he’s of the build and he’s hungry for goals,” he claimed. “In a lovely way, he’s selfish for goals and has the ingredients to be a top player and go on to score many more goals.”

The 24-year-old, valued at £14.4m by Transfermarkt, has also been dubbed “explosive” and “devastating” by Tony Mowbray during an interview with The Athletic back in January.

West Ham signed Antonio after a very lucrative season at Nottingham Forest, where he delivered 26 goal contributions in 46 appearances, via WhoScored, so there would certainly be further similarities if David Moyes took a punt on Armstrong.

£20m is a lot cheaper than some of the fees mooted around their other targets, namely the £40m price tag on Tammy Abraham’s head, so GSB should look to sanction a move for the Blackburn sensation this summer.

AND in other news, West Ham suffer major Jesse Lingard setback…

Michael Ball has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Manchester City could take Harry Kane to the next level.

The Premier League champions are one of three English sides reportedly interested in signing the Tottenham ace this summer.

And with City’s financial history and need for a striker following Sergio Aguero’s departure, Pep Guardiola’s team are the most likely destination for Kane, with Daniel Levy expected to demand in the region of £150m.

The 27-year-old has been one of the standout players in the Premier League this season and heading into Spurs’ final-day trip to Leicester, is the joint-top goalscorer with Mohamed Salah and top assister.

Should Kane outscore the Egyptian on Sunday, he’ll be the first player in the league’s history to top both the goals and assists charts in the same season.

It’s not just in the league where Kane has done his damage, though. He’s contributed 48 goals in 48 games for Tottenham – more than anyone else in the top-flight.

And Ball believes that should the frontman seal a move to the Etihad Stadium this summer, Kane could become even better.

He told The Transfer Tavern:

“Harry Kane walks into many teams, his ability is second to none, and his link-up with Son is fantastic.

“Imagine him putting a City shirt on, with the other players either side of him. He’s not just got one or two like when he’s at Spurs.

“At Manchester City, the players around him could bring Harry to another level.”

West Bromwich Albion are interested in a deal to bring Jack Hendry to The Hawthorns this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that the Baggies, along with clubs such as Burnley, Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Sheffield United, are keeping a very close eye on the KV Oostende centre-back ahead of a potential move in the upcoming transfer window.

It is also reported that there is significant interest in the 26-year-old from Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, with clubs thought to be willing to pay up to £10m for the Scotland international.

It is then revealed that Oostende themselves have only just secured the £2m signing of Hendry from Celtic, although the Jupiler Pro League side are believed to have informed the defender that they will be selling him to the highest bidder this summer.

Dowling must move

Considering just how impressive Hendry was during his season-long loan spell at the Belgian side last season, it is unsurprising to learn of the significant amount of interest in the centre-back’s services this summer.

Indeed, over his 30 Jupiler Pro League appearances for Alexander Blessin’s side, the 26-year-old helped his team keep six clean sheets, as well as making an average of 0.6 interceptions, one tackle, 4.1 clearances and winning 4.8 duels per game.

The £3.15m-rated man also impressed in an attacking capacity, chipping in with two goals and providing one assist, in addition to making an average of 0.2 key passes per fixture.

These metrics saw Hendry earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.01, ranking the defender as Oostende’s third-best performer in the Belgian top-flight – something that is no mean feat having only arrived at the club last summer.

As such, it would be a difficult argument to make that Hendry would not be an extremely useful addition to West Brom’s current options in the heart of defence, leading us to believe that the club’s sporting and technical director, Luke Dowling, should be doing all he can to convince the man Blessin dubbed a “natural leader” of a move to The Hawthorns this summer.

In other news: West Brom dealt transfer blow over “tenacious” £31k-p/w gem that’ll leave fans gutted

Nuno Espirito Santo ‘could become one of the candidates’ for the managerial vacancy at Tottenham Hotspur, according to football.london journalist Alasdair Gold.

The lowdown

Spurs have been without a permanent manager since sacking Jose Mourinho before the Carabao Cup final in April.

Paulo Fonseca was expecting to become the club’s new boss before they pulled the plug on talks with the 48-year-old (via BBC Sport). A move for Gennaro Gattuso following the swift end to his tenure at Fiorentina was also abandoned amid a backlash from numerous supporters.

Nuno is lining up his next challenge after leaving Wolverhampton Wanderers at the end of the season. The 47-year-old led them back into to the Premier League in 2018, since when they have secured back-to-back seventh-place finishes before slipping to 13th this year (Transfermarkt).

The latest

Gold said: “I keep getting told, and again today, from those in Italy that know Paratici, that he likes Nuno Espirito Santo and not to rule out that he could become one of the candidates.”

However, the ‘Jorge Mendes factor’ could prove to be a problem. Paratici is said to have ‘a good relationship with Nuno’s agent’, but Spurs may be reluctant to be saddled with a number of Mendes’ clients.

Gold added: “I understand that he [Mendes] and Paratici have a good relationship but there is always going to be that fear that Spurs will end up having to take on a number of his players. Italian media claimed Fiorentina and Gattuso parted ways because of exactly that.”

The verdict

Guiding Wolves to consecutive top-seven finishes on the back of promotion was some achievement from Nuno, and we shouldn’t be too quick to forget it. Yes, last season was tricky as they slumped to 13th, but in many ways it underlined the importance of injured striker Raul Jimenez to the functioning of the team, who badly missed the influence of their top scorer from the previous two campaigns.

However, Nuno wouldn’t seem a particularly exciting appointment for Tottenham. He deployed a counter-attacking system to great effect at Molineux, but adopting that style at a club like Spurs with loftier ambitions can frustrate the fanbase all too easily. Also, Levy is on record as saying that he wants a manager who will play expansive football, which may conflict with Nuno’s usual style.

In other news, Gold also dropped this intriguing claim about another candidate. 

The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has dropped an exciting transfer update on Newcastle’s pursuit of Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock.

What’s the story?

The England U21 international has been a revelation for Steve Bruce’s side since joining on loan until the end of the season back in the January transfer window, recently bagging in his sixth consecutive Premier League game by scoring the winner against Sheffield United.

Now, Edwards has claimed that Willock is ready to leave his boyhood club to make the switch to Tyneside permanent this summer, with the Magpies “increasingly confident” of his desire to join.

The report adds that a deal could even then convince Allan Saint-Maximin to stay put at St James’ Park, with Bruce confirming once again in his post-match press conference after the game against the Blades that Newcastle will explore signing Willock permanently.

Fans will be buzzing

If you needed any proof of just how much Newcastle fans have fallen in love with Willock, and how much they want him to stay, then you only have to look at the St James’ Park faithful serenading him during his post-match interview against the Blades.

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The 21-year-old has been a breath of fresh air for a Magpies side who desperately needed his fresh injection of pace and energy, and his ability to break into the box and time his runs have resulted in some match-winning contributions.

It’s exactly why Edwards’ update on Willock’s intentions of leaving Arsenal, and then the double boost it could have of convincing Saint-Maximin to stay as well, is incredibly exciting news for the club’s fans.

Meanwhile, Newcastle must land this “unplayable” star…

According to a report by club insiders Claret & Hugh, West Ham United have already held talks with representatives over potentially signing star Brentford striker Ivan Toney – with many Hammers fans flocking to give their verdicts on the big claim.

Before today’s action, Toney netted an incredible 29 goals and 10 assists in 42 Championship starts for the Bees and has marked himself out as a revelation over 2020/2021.

As a result, he has entered the West Ham fray as a striking target and the club have even reached out to the player’s agents in discussion over a possible summer move.

The 25-year-old, dubbed ‘unplayable’ by ESPN journalist David Cartlidge on Twitter for his stunning form, is now at the centre of debate from supporters on social media in response to this big C&H claim.

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While some supporters are simply excited over the thought of signing Toney, others believe that this report is too good to be true.

Find their best verdicts from Twitter down below.

West Ham fans flock to big Toney claim

“YESSSS”

Credit: @SaidMuv

“Please”

Credit: @conyard_adam

“I would absolutely love this! Class striker him proper 9 oi oi”

Credit: @bobbycrush6

“really hope this one happens”

Credit: @boleynbridges

“Lingard, Toney and Abraham would be great.”

Credit: @usukgoose

“This is bonkers! We’re gonna have a full team of strikers with all the names we’re paired with! Get a grip!! But Toney’s great and I wouldn’t say no!”

Credit: @CraigardH

“Please be true”

Credit: @whukyle

In other news: West Ham also ‘dreaming’ of this signing, find out more here.

Former Everton star Michael Ball has told Football FanCast that the club need more players like James Rodriguez if they are to be successful.

The Toffees managed to sign the Colombia international from Real Madrid last summer.

BBC Sport reported at the time that they paid around £12m to sign the playmaker and he has gone on to enjoy an excellent season for Carlo Ancelotti’s men.

James has scored six goals and laid on nine assists in 25 games in all competitions, even though he has struggled with injuries.

Ball has enjoyed watching the former Bayern Munich star play for the Toffees but he is acutely aware that he cannot be relied upon to play 38 games a season in the Premier League.

As such, he has urged Everton to try to bring in more players of the same quality as Rodriguez as they look to take the next step and potentially qualify for Europe next season.

The Toffees’ loss to Aston Villa at the weekend, a game Rodriguez missed, has left them nine points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, Ball said: “We know we can’t rely on James, who’s only been playing 60-70 minutes and he’s missed a lot of football games. So we need players like him to come to the football club if we want to start being successful.

“At the end of the day, it does cost a lot of money to bring these top quality players in.

“Yes, you’d like to bring your youth in as well but that does take time and I feel with Carlo coming to the football club, he wants to be winning yesterday, he wants players to come in straight away and to be successful.”

David Moyes is set to receive a massive boost to his summer transfer budget at West Ham United, according to one club insider…

What’s the word?

Claret & Hugh claimed that the 58-year-old could have a war chest of around £85m at his disposal ahead of the upcoming window after the Irons qualified for the Europa League on the final day of the season.

It’s thought that their sixth-placed finish has earned them in the region of £35m, which will be added to the funds Moyes retained during the January transfer window as he looks to pursue new targets this summer.

That £85m is also said to be before any income from player sales and whether the club’s ownership group GSB decide to add additional finances to the pot.

Huge boost for Moyes

This will come as sensational news to Moyes as it allows him to bolster the squad ahead of next season without having to worry about bargain hunting, as he normally has done.

The Scotsman has lead the Hammers to their highest Premier League finish since the 1998/99 campaign, when Harry Redknapp’s side ended in fifth place.

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It is no secret that the east London outfit need plenty of additions in the transfer window if they are to stand a chance at not only repeating this season’s exploits but also improving on that and subsequently challenging in Europe.

One position which will undoubtedly be resolved is centre-forward, where names like Tammy Abraham, Ivan Toney, Adam Armstrong, and Abdallah Sima have all been linked. Some of these will cost the Irons in excess of £25m, maybe £40m – especially in the Chelsea man’s case.

However, with £85m in his pocket, Moyes could well land two of these strikers to help the injury-prone Michail Antonio up top, whilst also having funds left to add strength in depth in other areas, such as central midfield and at left-back.

Those are two positions where Claret & Hugh also suggests that the West Ham boss would like cover as he plots a summer spending spree from his office at Rush Green.

All in all, the Hammers could have some serious money to spend this summer, especially if they sell some players, and this should leave Moyes absolutely buzzing as he nears a three-year contract extension.

He’s finally getting backed by the board, so surely the only way is up at the London Stadium.

AND in other news, Forget Fornals: “Brilliant” West Ham beast who won 87.5% duels was Moyes’ unsung hero vs Saints…

Marcel Brands must avoid offering Kyle John a new contract and keeping him at Everton amid doubt in the defender’s long-term Goodison Park future.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, John is one of 13 first-team and Under 23 players who are currently due to be out of contract this summer.

Everton are unlikely to retain most of those facing uncertain futures, as Director of Football Brands is striving to continue his work lowering an inflated wage bill.

The Toffees are due to part with senior quartet Yannick Bolasie, Theo Walcott, Matthew Pennington and Muhamed Besic when their contracts expire in June, and will also allow a number of academy talents to depart to lower the average age of David Unsworth’s side.

John has been a regular for the Blues’ U23s this term with 11 Premier League 2 starts, but Everton are undecided on retaining the young right-back or teammates Joseph Anderson, Con Ouzounidis and Ryan Astley.

Josh Bowler, Nathan Broadhead and goalkeeper Nico Hansen are also expected to leave when their contracts lapse, along with Dennis Adeniran and Callum Connolly who sealed loan exits in January.

John joined Everton’s academy at the age of six and was awarded a two-and-a-half-year contract in March 2019 after stepping up to Unsworth’s U23s from the U18s at 17, which is now set to expire.

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Should Everton retain John?

While John has been at Everton for the past 14-years, this summer must represent the end of their journey together as the defender with dual English and Welsh citizenship will not be expected to make a first-team career for himself at Goodison Park.

The Toffees’ coaching staff were noted last year to see John as being in the mould of the modern-day full-back and having the athleticism needed in the role, but he has not kicked on and progressed into the senior game.

While the likes of Adeniran and Connolly sealed loan exits in January during the last year of their Blues contracts, John remained at Finch Farm and has earned nine of his 11 PL2 starts for the season after the turn of the year.

The 20-year-old John has never once played for a club outside of Everton’s academy, where the Chester-born prospect is described as a “class act”, and may be blocked from progressing on the same path as Jonjoe Kenny this summer.

Everton are widely reported to be in the market for a new right-back who can become Carlo Ancelotti’s long-term heir to Seamus Coleman, and face paying £30-35m for Max Aarons, £30m for Tariq Lamptey or £17m for Diogo Dalot.

If either join, John would have little expectations of becoming a first-team player at Everton over the next few years, even if Unsworth once noted “he’s got terrific pace” and was “a bundle of energy up and down the right”.

AND in other news, Everton have eyes on a “very good” £3.5m-rated forward available on a free transfer…