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Everton’s transfer plans this summer will revolve around strengthening their options in attack, but they also appear to be in the market for a new midfielder.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side have already been linked with the likes of Sander Berge and Ainsley Maitland-Niles but one target stands tall above the other options.

That happens to be Yves Bissouma, a man who has caught the attention of plenty in the Premier League this season.

The Daily Express claimed that Everton are in the race to sign the dominant midfielder this summer, with a £40m fee being touted, but they will face competition from Arsenal and Liverpool, both of whom Fabrizio Romano suggested were keen this week.

Bissouma has been a combative force for the Seagulls over the last two years and is one of the strongest tacklers in the Premier League.

With that in mind, Everton could finally replace the effervescent Idrissa Gueye.

The Senegal powerhouse drew comparisons to N’Golo Kante during his time in the Premier League and, as a result of his performances, he earned a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Throughout the course of his career, Gueye has won 3.2 tackles per match, but he actually usurped that tally during his time at Goodison Park. During his first season with the Merseyside outfit, the midfielder won 4.1 tackles per match, a figure which increased to 4.3 by the time of his final year at the Toffees.

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No Everton player has come close to that tally this season, with Allan managing 3.3 successful challenges per game. This is precisely why Bissouma would be such a valuable addition.

Described as “exceptional” by Gary Lineker, the 24-year-old won 2.9 tackles per match in 2020/21.That falls below Allan and Gueye, but it’s his reading of the play that also stands up in comparison with the former Toffees midfielder.

In terms of interceptions, he has made 2.2 interceptions per game during his senior career – a number Bissouma comes close to replicating with 1.8 this term.

A proven Premier League talent, he would be a marvellous capture for the Toffees this summer, and one which could propel them to a place in Europe.

AND in other news, Everton eye swoop for “dangerous” 20 G/A beast, he could be their new Kanchelskis…

Alasdair Gold has dropped an update on the respective futures of Tottenham Hotspur midfielders Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso.

What’s the talk?

In a recent video posted on YouTube, the football.london journalist revealed that, with Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici planning an overhaul of the Tottenham squad this summer, the France and Argentina internationals are two players who look certain to be moved on at the end of the season.

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Regarding Spurs’ potential outgoing transfers this summer, Gold said: “Ndombele and Lo Celso have to be moved on. Whether it’s selling them or whether it’s loaning them again, those are two players who – you’d think – are not going to be at Tottenham next season.”

Time’s up

While it is true that both Ndombele and Lo Celso have enjoyed something of a renascence since their loan moves to Olympique Lyon and Villarreal respectively, it is undeniable that, considering the sheer amount of money Tottenham spent on their signings, both players have been failures in north London.

Following Ndombele’s £63m signing back in 2019, the 25-year-old struggled to live up to his hefty price tag, something which was all too evident from his performances in the first half of Tottenham’s Premier League campaign this season.

Indeed, over his nine Premier League appearances this term, the £31.5m-rated France international scored one goal, registered one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as made an average of a mere 0.1 interceptions, 1.1 tackles, 25.6 passes and won 3.6 duels per fixture.

These returns saw the £120k-per-week midfielder average a rather disastrous SofaScore match rating of a mere 6.58, ranking him as Tottenham’s third-worst player in the top flight.

Meanwhile, over Lo Celso’s own nine league outings this season, the £19.8m-rated Argentina international scored no goals, provided no assists and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as made an average of just 0.1 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 13.9 passes and won 2.7 duels per game.

These returns saw the £100k-per-week midfielder average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.72, ranking him as Conte’s sixth-worst performer in the Premier League.

And, while the 26-year-old has offered Tottenham slightly more than Ndombele in previous campaigns, it is nevertheless undeniable that Lo Celso has also failed to live up to his £55m transfer fee.

As such, while Tottenham are unlikely to recoup anywhere near their £118m outlay from the potential sales of the two players this summer, finally moving the duo on permanently would nevertheless appear an extremely wise move by Paratici – if for nothing else but to free up roughly £220k of Spurs’ weekly wage budget – as the pair’s time in north London is well and truly up.

AND in other news: Bid made: Paratici in talks for Spurs’ 1st summer signing, no one’s “identical to him”

Reliable reporter Alan Nixon provided his thoughts on Celtic’s pursuit of Manchester City man Fergal Harkin.

The Hoops were thought to be closing in on Harkin, a ‘massive’ Celtic fan, last week in a newly created director of football role.

Extensive talks took place between the Irishman and Celtic, with the club ready to defy Eddie Howe by appointing the 44-year-old.

However, a move is yet to be announced, which has led to questions being asked regarding the club’s off-field plans.

Nixon was quizzed by a Celtic supporter if the Hoops were any closer to appointing a new DoF or manager late on Thursday evening.

The Sun writer replied, suspecting a deal for Harkin is more advanced.

“Suspect director of football thing more advanced… but if I got a fiver for every time I’ve been told Harkin is coming I could pay for wee Eddie.”

Transfer Tavern take

It’s been over a week since sources told Football Insider Celtic were closing in on their man.

A reason for the delay could well be due to Dominic McKay. He arrived at Parkhead on Monday to help with a smooth transition as CEO, so we feel he could be getting his bearings before looking to finalise a deal for Harkin.

Perhaps the new Hoops chief has other ideas entirely about who the club should target to run things alongside a new manager however, which would of course explain the delay in getting Harkin through the door.

Nixon suspects it is more advanced, though, which, to us, can only be good news going forward.

In other news: Celtic’s feelings on British Super League shared in five words, find out more here. 

Liverpool remain interested in West Ham United star Jarrod Bowen, with the club still following his development at the London Stadium this season.

What’s the story?

The Athletic have claimed that, following their summer interest, the Reds have continued to monitor the winger’s progress as they contemplate making a new signing out wide.

He was superb vs Liverpool

During his time at Hull City, Bowen was labelled an “unplayable” attacker by his then-manager Grant McCann, and he lived up to that billing and more with a superb individual display in the 3-2 victory over Liverpool back in November.

He set up two goals on the day as West Ham ended the Reds’ impressive unbeaten run, and his underlying stats were equally impressive.

As per Sofascore, he provided two key passes (the joint-most of any Hammer), while he created two official big chances too – the only player to do so in the game.

That’s not to mention he led the team in the number of crosses he put in, was tied second for successful dribbles, and was fouled the second most of any player too – the kind of exciting display which had Andy Robertson tied up in knots.

The Scotland international finished the game with no shots or crosses whatsoever (the mark of someone who had been pinned back for the entire match), made no tackles or interceptions, and won just the one duel over the course of the 90 minutes.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for The Liverpool Echo, Ian Doyle gave him a four, saying: “Plenty of overlapping down the left flank but delivery first half was inconsistent and had an absolute stinker second half.”

In fact, speaking before the game in his pre-match press conference, Klopp himself said: “I like Bowen a lot. He made his way up from Hull and took not too long to show exactly what kind of player he can be in the Premier League. He made big steps.”

He has scored six goals and provided nine assists in just 22 appearances in the Premier League, while he ranks as the Hammers’ best performing player with an average WhoScored match rating of 7.27.

The £31.5m-rated star could be a superb signing for Klopp’s side.

Meanwhile, James Pearce has dropped a Liverpool transfer update…

West Ham United will be looking to continue their late-season push to qualify for a European berth when they welcome Everton to the London Stadium this afternoon.

Last time out, David Moyes’ side came from behind to defeat Burnley thanks to a brace from the returning Michail Antonio, and those three points have put them in a very strong position to feature in UEFA competition in 2021/22.

The Irons could maintain the pressure on capital rivals Chelsea and keep their opposition at bay with another victory here, so it will be interesting to see what sort of line up the 58-year-old deploys.

Here’s the XI we’re predicting, along with the latest team and injury news…

Moyes could make just three changes from the side that tasted victory on Monday night, with a pair of first-choice starters in line to return from injury.

Antonio got through the full 90 minutes unscathed and should be fine to feature once again. He could be joined in the team by returning defender Angelo Ogbonna, who missed the trip to Burnley with a hamstring problem, and Declan Rice, who could be a surprise starter having missed their last five outings.

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ExWHUemployee claimed that the 32-year-old “should be back”, whilst Moyes said he was “hoping to have” the England international available ahead of kick-off in his pre-match press conference, so that’s an encouraging sign.

Ogbonna should come straight back in for Issa Diop, with Manuel Lanzini likely to face the chop in midfield. It means we may see a back four of Aaron Cresswell, Craig Dawson, Vladimir Coufal and the Italian, in front of Lukasz Fabianski.

In midfield, Rice would be likely to join Tomas Soucek, with loan sensation Jesse Lingard and Pablo Fornals keeping their places, although we could see Said Benrahma drop to the bench despite the £18m-rated star’s impressive showing at Turf Moor.

Jarrod Bowen would be the obvious replacement for the Algerian in attack after the 24-year-old was axed against Burnley.

AND in other news, 63 mins, 0 goals in 2021: GSB played a blinder with WHU call on £13m-rated “nightmare”…

The transfer saga that is agonising for Newcastle United fans before serious talk has even started is Joe Willock, and everyone who watched him during his loan spell on Tyneside knows the Magpies have to sign him permanently – former defender Steve Howey hopes talks have already started.

Willock managed to change the way the Magpies attacked games as his ability and willingness to arrive late into the box allowed Allan Saint-Maximin to release the ball earlier and not have to dribble past as many defenders as he could to cut the ball back.

It has been widely reported that Newcastle are very much interested in bringing Willock back to St James’ Park and a fresh twist has emerged that Steve Bruce could look to offer Freddie Woodman as part of any potential deal for the midfielder.

It would be a huge blow for Bruce if he wasn’t able to bring back Willock who he clearly had a great relationship with, and if there is any chance of a deal getting done before pre-season friendlies begin, talks must already be underway and Howey certainly hopes this is the case – as he exclusively told Football FanCast:

“You would have thought that there’s already been a conversation between the clubs, Arteta and Bruce, to say this is what the fee will be as we want to offload him.”

Willock was reportedly available for £20 million this summer but with seven goals in his last seven appearances for the Magpies, it would be widely expected and acceptable if that fee had increased slightly.

At the end of the season, Mikel Arteta was asked about the future of Willock and he claimed that his future was being sorted and organised to remain at Arsenal but there remains hope on Tyneside that a deal can be done.

Leeds United have been name-checked as one of the sides interested in signing England U21 international Noni Madueke this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months had suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side have already put out feelers for the PSV star over a potential summer move.

The Daily Mail then claimed that the winger is valued at around £15m, although the Whites were likely to face competition from the likes of Leicester and AC Milan.

Now, Foot Mercato have revealed that several clubs across Europe are eyeing a potential move for the exciting winger after his impressive spell at PSV, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side one of them.

A new Raphinha

When this Premier League campaign is fully said and done, there’s no questioning that Raphinha will be right up there with the signings of the season. The Brazilian has been an absolute revelation at Elland Road, managing six goals and six assists in the top flight and bringing some real excitement to Elland Road with his tricks and fearlessness.

In Madueke, Leeds could find someone who is incredibly similar with his explosiveness, skills and a wand of a left foot.

Former England under-21 manager Aidy Boothroyd hailed his ability, saying: “He’s a powerhouse of a player, technically very good, left-footed and likes to come in off the side of the pitch, off the right and go and link.

“He’s got a goal in him, he’s very creative. He’s got a massive smile, a lovely kid. The lads have taken to him, as they would because he’s a good player, he has that respect for what he’s done at PSV.”

Meanwhile, former PSV ace Tommie van de Leegte also raved about the England teenager, declaring (via Goal): “He’s fast and has the capability to trick his opponent. He brings creativity and is very explosive in his actions. That’s what PSV needs.”

And, with suggestions that Helder Costa could be set for an exit from Elland Road too, Leeds could wave goodbye to the Portuguese ace and welcome one of England’s most exciting young talents in the process.

Meanwhile, this Leeds United transfer target would be a major upgrade…

Leeds United could find it hard to keep hold of Raphinha after his impressive form for Brazil, according to Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips.

The Lowdown: Raphinha on fire for Brazil

The 24-year-old has been fantastic for the Whites over the last year and his form earned him a call-up to Brazil’s squad during the current international break.

Raphinha made an immediate impression on his Selecao debut, registering two assists in his country’s 3-1 win away to Venezuela on Friday, showing exactly what he is capable of producing.

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The Latest: Leeds exit soon?

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips admitted that the winger’s performance will only increase the chance of him moving on from Leeds eventually, with elite clubs sure to be eyeing up a transfer. The former Sunderland striker said:

“His stock is rising, big time. To perform like that for Brazil, it doesn’t really get any better.

“We know the impact he has had on the Premier League. He has been amazing. But, to do it for Brazil is just brilliant. It puts his stock even higher.

“A performance like that has pros and cons for Leeds. On one hand you think, ‘Brilliant. He’s improving all the time.’

“But, on the other hand you fear that there will be a lot of interest from other clubs next year. They might try and nick him.

“It is great news for Leeds that he will come back buzzing and full of confidence though. Hopefully he can keep up that level of performance.”

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The Verdict: Tough to keep hold of him

Much like Kalvin Phillips, in an ideal world Raphinha would stay at Leeds for the rest of his career – he has been hailed as ‘incredible’ by Phil Hay – given how important he is to Marcelo Bielsa. He is their leading scorer this season with three goals and, as per WhoScored metrics, is their best-performing player by a distance.

In reality, the Whites may have to accept that a fresh challenge could appeal to the 24-year-old in the near future, with the Brazilian perhaps keen to play for a Champions League club or a team challenging for league titles.

Whether or not it is as early as next summer remains to be seen, but as Kevin Phillips has hinted, it is difficult to see Raphinha staying at Elland Road in the long-term if he continues to thrive for club and country.

In other news, Phil Hay has provided an update regarding Leeds’ January transfer business. Read more here.

Evening Standard journalist Jack Rosser has revealed West Ham United could be priced out of a move for central defensive targets Clement Lenglet and Nikola Milenkovic.

Hammers boss David Moyes is looking to bolster his squad with new arrivals after a club record Premier League points tally ensured the east Londoners will feature in the Europa League next season.

According to Spanish newspaper AS, Barcelona’s Lenglet is being tracked by West Ham and Everton.

While a loan move has been touted, Barcelona would prefer to sell the 26-year-old France international due to exceeding La Liga’s wage limit.

Italian media outlet Calcio Mercato have reported that West Ham have identified Fiorentina’s Milenkovic as a potential signing this summer.

The 23-year-old Serbia international made 37 appearances last season and also showed his attacking threat from set pieces by notching three goals.

However, Rosser believes Moyes may seek cheaper alternatives before the transfer window slams shut next month.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “They would be fairly expensive signings, which isn’t the market that Moyes has been shopping in at West Ham.”

Tottenham Hotspur hero Graham Roberts insists that Harry Kane will not sulk after failing to earn a move to Manchester City, and believes he will want to prove Pep Guardiola’s side wrong.

Kane announced earlier last week that he intends to stay at Spurs this summer, despite repeated links with City throughout the summer.

One report suggests that the only bid tabled by City came to £75m plus £25m in add-ons, falling short of the reported £150m asking price chairman Daniel Levy had placed on the England captain.

Hints of Kane’s stay were dropped at the weekend, as he came off the bench late on in the 1-0 win over Wolves.

He then subsequently was handed a start by Nuno Santo for the 1-0 success against newly-promoted Watford on Sunday, and despite the fact he was unable to get on the score-sheet Roberts is confident that he will spend the season scoring goals, as he looks to show City they should have paid up.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “The one thing with Harry Kane, he won’t be unhappy, because he’ll want to play, he’ll want to score goals and he’ll want to prove to Man City that they’ve mucked up.”