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A key Rangers transfer claim has been made regarding their deal for Aaron Ramsey…

What’s the talk?

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the Gers will have first refusal on bringing the Welshman back on a permanent basis at the end of the season.

As it stands, the club do not have an agreement with Juventus to extend his stay at Ibrox with Giovanni van Bronckhorst beyond the summer, with his loan deal expiring later this year.

Romano tweeted: “Aaron Ramsey deal. Rangers have officially no buy option clause included with Juventus, it’s a straight loan until June – but the Scottish club will have priority to negotiate Ramsey’s permanent signing if both sides wish.”

Elation

Rangers fans will surely be left elated by this news, as it suggests that the club will have the opportunity to sign Ramsey in the summer transfer window.

Gers legend Kris Boyd compared the Welshman’s arrival at Ibrox to that of Paul Gascoigne’s in 1995, highlighting the hype and excitement around this deal. The midfielder comes in with a huge reputation and the prospect of him staying in Glasgow on a long-term basis could excite and delight supporters.

He played a whopping 441 matches for Arsenal and Juventus combined during his time in England and Italy, racking up plentiful appearances in the Premier League and Serie A. In that time, he provided 142 goals and assists for the two European giants, showcasing his quality in the final third as he loves to get involved in attacks from a central midfield position.

This highlights the impact he could potentially have at Rangers, as he could be a major force in the middle of the park with his vast experience at the top level. He could provide a spark from midfield and score crucial goals for the Gers, if he is able to replicate his form for Juventus and Arsenal in his time at Ibrox.

His arrival could also pave the way for players of a similar ilk to make the switch to Rangers. If other players with impressive careers who are in need of a move away from their current club see Ramsey thriving in Scotland, it could tempt them to follow suit, potentially leading to more marquee signings for the Gers down the line.

Therefore, Rangers fans will be elated with the prospect of the club being able to sign the 31-year-old permanently in the summer. They may want to see him as a regular fixture in the team for seasons to come instead of just the next four months, if the Welshman proves a success for the remainder of this campaign.

AND in other news, Forget Barisic: Rangers nightmare who lost 70% duels must never start again for Van Bronckhorst…

Aston Villa were very busy during the previous summer transfer window, which saw the Midlands club sell Jack Grealish to Manchester City in a record-breaking deal worth £100m.

The Villans were also pretty active when it came to signing some new players as well, which then led to them being busy once again in the following January market.

Now that the latest Premier League season is drawing to a close in a couple of months, the focus will soon be on the next summer transfer period and what the Villans could be getting up to in it.

However, it seems as though a clue has been dropped regarding the future of one of their recent recruits.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist and transfer insider Pete O’Rourke had this to say about the upcoming summer transfer window and what it could mean for Villa striker Danny Ings, in particular.

He said: “I’m sure if Ings does get a bit unsettled, that there will be plenty of takers in the Premier League for him.” 

The striker arrived at Villa Park back in August from fellow Premier League club Southampton in a deal worth a reported fee of £25m, which was described by journalist Seb Stafford-Bloor as being “wonderfully old fashioned.”

Disaster for Villa?

Since then, the Englishman has gone on to score five goals and provide five assists in 23 Premier League appearances.

Having only started 18 of the 23 league games he’s played in for Steven Gerrard’s side and with there being some inconsistencies in the regularity of his goals, it’s easy to see why O’Rourke has discussed the possibility of the former Saints star being or becoming unsettled at the Midlands club.

With a total of 60 goals under his belt in 163 Premier League appearances throughout his career, it’s also easy to see other clubs will be wanting to have the 29-year-old in their squad if he does potentially become available in the summer.

However, if the Villans were to sell the striker in the summer after just one season at the club, it would surely be a sizeable disaster for Johan Lange and the Villa hierarchy.

After all, this year hasn’t exactly been ideal for the player in terms of his injury issues and the fact that he’s had to adapt to playing under Dean Smith at the start of the campaign followed by Gerrard after his arrival in November,

To shell out such a significant transfer fee to bring the centre-forward to the club and have him on hefty £100k-per-week wages, cutting ties with him so soon would not be a good look for them at all.

It would also surely be a big blow for the fans who are likely to be raging if Ings leaves Villa Park given the goal contributions he’s provided so far this season in addition to the possibility of him becoming a more integral and dangerous figure for the team if he gets the time to get more comfortable.

In other news: NSWE howler: Villa dodged a huge bullet over £120k-p/w flop, he’s a “shambles”

Manchester United could be set for a busy summer, with Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard all currently with their contracts set to expire at the end of the season.

One player that could, however, sign a new deal in the coming days is midfield superstar Bruno Fernandes, who signed for the club from Sporting Lisbon back in January 2020 for an initial £47m.

What’s the news?

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the Portuguese playmaker will sign a new contract at United, saying on his Twitter:

“Bruno Fernandes new deal will be completed in the coming days – talks with Luke Shaw will take place soon.”

According to Sky Sports, his new deal will be on “hugely-improved” terms – which would increase his already massive £180k-per-week wages, potentially taking him in line with the likes of Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and David de Gea, who all already earn over £300k-per-week.

With eight players currently on more wages than Fernandes at United, according to Spotrac, it’s no wonder why one of the club’s best-performing players during the disappointing last few years is wanting to be on parity with the likes of Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba – who have all been disappointing over the last couple of seasons.

Finally a positive in a season of negatives

For a number of reasons, this season will be one that United fans will want to forget as soon as possible.

However, the renewal of Fernandes’ contract is a big step towards to helping the club put the last few campaigns behind them. It will help them prepare to mount a title charge in the coming years which is something that will undoubtedly leave supporters elated.

After making 117 appearances for the club so far since transferring, he has scored an impressive 49 goals, also setting up 39 more, working out at a mind-blowing goal contribution once every 108 minutes.

This season, the 27-year-old has only scored nine goals in 42 games for club and country, setting up 12 more, but in the Premier League, the Old Trafford fan-favourite has averaged an encouraging 7.32 for the team according to SofaScore, ranking as the highest performing United player, and the 12th highest performing player in the league.

Among attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues and competitions over the last 365 days, Fernandes ranks in the top 3% for key passes per 90 (2.87), top 2% for through balls per 90 (0.51) and top 3% for assists per 90 (0.41).

Despite The Red Devils’ disappointing campaign and failure to thus far comfortably establish themselves as a Champions League outfit, the former Sampdoria and Udinese star has once again proven himself as one of the top playmakers in the world this season, and to keep him at the club beyond 2025 will be a huge step forward.

In other news: Get rid: Rangnick must wield the axe on “embarrassing” £180k-p/w MUFC dud this summer

Liverpool are interested in signing RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Christopher Nkunku and the Bundesliga club could listen to summer offers, according to a fresh update.

The Lowdown: Nkunku shining at Leipzig

The 24-year-old has matured into one of the most potent attackers in the German top flight in recent years, catching the eye with his performances for Leipzig, with now Leeds boss Jesse Marsch once saying he ‘has no weaknesses’ as a player.

Nkunku has scored 15 goals and chipped in with nine assists in the league this season, as well as scoring an incredible seven times in just six Champions League outings.

The Frenchman’s current deal expires in 2024 but Leipzig could find it difficult to keep hold of him this summer.

The Latest: Liverpool keen on move

According to ESPN, Liverpool are one of several clubs who are ‘monitoring’ Nkunku’s current situation, with Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Arsenal all mentioned in the report.

It is believed that Leipzig could be willing to sell him if their €75million (£63m) asking price is met.

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The Verdict: Long-term signing

Nkunku’s is a superb player who could be a perfect summer signing by Liverpool, coming in as an immediate key figure but also representing someone who may not peak for another few years.

At 24, he is in and and around the same age that the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz were when they joined the Reds, so he would fit into the transfer model now being carried out by Julian Ward.

Nkunku’s end product this season speaks for itself, and with midfield sometimes an area lacking guile at Anfield, he could add a sprinkling of stardust in a No.10 role, depending on how Jurgen Klopp chooses to use him.

He has also played as a forward for chunks of this season, so he could even be viewed as a replacement for Mane or Roberto Firmino, should either leave at the end of the season.

In other news, a ‘behind the scenes’ Liverpool claim has emerged regarding one player. Read more here.

West Ham United have suffered a blow in their pursuit of Leeds midfielder Kalvin Phillips after Newcastle swooped in to hijack the move.

The Lowdown: Failed January bid

Irons fans endured a disastrous January transfer window after failing to sign a single player in the mid-season market.

The Hammers boss claimed that this was not down to a lack of trying; the Daily Mail previously reported that West Ham had made a club-record £55m bid for the 26-year-old on deadline day.

Whilst it was reported that negotiations had started three weeks prior, the east London club made their move too late in the month and ultimately failed in their pursuit.

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The Latest: Newcastle hijack Phillips move

According to a fresh report by the Daily Mail, Leeds’ hopes of keeping Phillips are under threat, as Newcastle are prepared to hijack any move to east London by bumping the Yorkshireman’s salary from £25,000 per week to a staggering £120,000-a-week.

This follows Sportsmail’s claim that the Leeds player has told his club that he is willing to extend his stay with the Whites beyond his contract expiry date of 2024, despite growing interest from Newcastle, Aston Villa and West Ham.

Therefore, it appears that the Hammers may have slipped down Phillips’ pecking order, given the seemingly preferable choices of remaining at Elland Road or moving to the financially-welcoming Magpies.

The Verdict: Big blow for West Ham

This news represents a serious blunder from GSB and West Ham, who now seem set to miss out on the holding midfielder due to their lack of urgency in January.

Rising to prominence during Euro 2020 as he partnered Irons star Declan Rice in the middle of the park for England, Phillips received huge plaudits for a number of his performances during the tournament, with Arsenal legend Ian Wright hailing him as “phenomenal”.

When compared with similar players in Europe’s top five leagues, the 26-year-old ranks in the 99th percentile for pressures and the 97th percentile for blocks made (via FBRef), so his quality as a midfueld destroyer is plain to be seen.

Therefore, with Newcastle hijacking the Irons’ move for the Leeds maestro, this will come as a huge blow to the east London club.

In other news: These were West Ham’s three worst performers against Everton

Some big contract news has now emerged from Glasgow Rangers involving Alex Lowry.

The Lowdown: Lowry rejected Rangers’ opening offer

As per Football Insider, the 18-year-old knocked back an opening contract offer at Ibrox in February, and he is attracting interest from a number of clubs in England.

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The Teddy Bears are desperate for him to stay, as they seem him as a player with ‘huge potential’.

The Latest: New offer for Lowry

According to Football Insider, the Light Blues have now offered Lowry an improved contract worth £5,000 per week.

A source from Rangers has revealed that the teenager and his family are now set to have a meeting with Giovanni van Bronckhorst and officials at the club ‘this week’ as they aim to tie him down to a new deal until the summer of 2025.

The Verdict: Get it done

However much money it takes to get Lowry to sign, the Gers simply need to just get the deal done.

The youngster is clearly a player with ‘huge potential’ at the club, having already played four times for the first team this season, even scoring on his debut in the 4-0 win at home to Stirling Albion in the Scottish Cup (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, it looks as if things are heading in the right direction given the talks with the manager, and hopefully the 18-year-old will end up putting pen to paper on a new deal.

In other news, these were Rangers’ three worst performers against St Mirren

According to a report from 90min, Wolves are among the clubs interested in signing Brentford striker Ivan Toney in the summer transfer window.

The lowdown: An interesting rise to stardom

Signed by Newcastle United from Northampton Town as a youngster, Toney struggled to make the grade in the North East and after a string of loan moves was eventually sold on a permanent basis to Peterborough United in 2018.

From there, the powerful frontman made his name, scoring 49 goals in 94 appearances before making the switch to a then Championship Brentford side.

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Following on from a stunning 31 strikes and ten assists last season, helping the west London club earn promotion, Toney has made a successful start to life in the Premier League, including a dominant performance at Molineux – the Englishman scored and assisted in a 2-0 win, earning Whoscored’s Man of the Match up against the game’s lowest-rated player, Max Kilman.

The latest: Report cites major interest

As per the report from 90min, Wolves, Arsenal, West Ham, Everton and Newcastle are all keen on the 26-year-old.

It’s claimed that despite Toney wanting to sign a new deal to stay at Brentford, the Wanderers are ‘keeping a watchful’ eye on the situation.

The report also states that the were the London club to sell their talismanic frontman, they are likely to hold out for a bid in excess of £50million for the man hailed as ‘special’ by manager Thomas Frank.

The verdict: Priced out

Albeit Toney has taken to life in the top flight with impressive ease, scoring 12 times so far in the league this season, shelling out the suggested £50million plus for a man in his first elite-level campaign is not a deal worth pursuing at Molineux.

Whilst manager Bruno Lage and executive chairman Jeff Shi will almost certainly be hoping to add more senior support to Raul Jimenez during the summer transfer window, this move at this price seems farfetched.

Clearly fitting a certain profile of striker as a powerful presence, Wolves may well be in the market for a direct Jimenez understudy. To that end, when using FBref to find players with closely matching attributes to Toney, Athletic Bilbao ace Raul Garcia and Alaves’ Joselu make up the top two, as Jimenez himself is actually the third-closest likeness.

In other news, a journalist has discussed a possible shock summer exit at Wolves. Read more here.

Liverpool are in talks with various companies over a new big-money kit deal at Anfield, according to reliable journalist James Pearce.

The Lowdown: Current deal expiring

The Reds are in a superb moment currently, still battling on all fronts for what would be an unprecedented quadruple this season.

Jurgen Klopp’s men currently don a Standard Chartered-sponsored kit but their current deal is set to expire at the conclusion of the 2022/23 season.

At that point, there could be a scramble to be Liverpool’s next sponsor, especially given their recent dominance, with a fresh update from Pearce bringing positive news on that front.

The Latest: Pearce makes new claim

Taking to Twitter on Monday, Pearce confirmed that there are interested parties in becoming the Reds’ new kit sponsors, sharing an article written by The Athletic‘s David Ornstein:

“Standard Chartered’s £40m a year shirt sponsorship deal with LFC runs out at the end of next season. No guarantees at this stage they will renew. Talks with a number of companies ongoing.”

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The Verdict: Thriving on and off the pitch

There was a point when Liverpool simply didn’t have the worldwide appeal they do today, with big companies not as interested in sponsoring the club even despite the large fan base across the globe.

Jurgen Klopp has transformed the Reds as a whole, however, and they are now one of the most appealing and valuable sporting teams in the world to be a part of.

For that reason, Liverpool’s next sponsor is sure to be a big hitter, if Standard Chartered don’t renew, which can only be positive in a financial sense, in terms of signing new players and continuing the impressive training ground and stadium renovations.

In other news, one Liverpool player has been backed to leave this summer. Find out who it is here.

West Ham have it all to do if they are to reach a historic Europa League final after David Moyes’ men suffered a crushing defeat in the first leg of their semi-final clash with Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Irons got off to the worst possible start when Ansgar Knauff headed home the opener to put the Bundesliga visitors in the lead after just 48 seconds.

Michail Antonio hit back right before half-time but Die Adler cut open the Hammers’ backline to take the lead through Daichi Kamada, leaving the east Londoners needing to win in Germany next week.

It was Pablo Fornals who was caught napping for Frankfurt’s early goal and that set the tone for the rest of his display as he struggled to make any sort of mark at the London Stadium on Thursday night.

The Spaniard, usually a sphere of creativity in the final third for Moyes, did a lot of running but his end product flattered to deceive, meaning Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and the rest of the attack were feeding off scraps.

As per SofaScore, the £xxm-rated dynamo lost possession a whopping 20 times (second-most in the game) from 64 touches – once every 4.5 minutes and once every 3.2 touches.

Elsewhere, Fornals was weak in his battles, as if Knauff’s effort wasn’t enough to go by. He won only one duel, failed to make a single tackle and was dribbled past on one occasion, handing Aaron Cresswell a lot of work down that left flank, as a result.

‘Didn’t manage to grab hold of the proceedings much,’ said football.london of the 26-year-old midfielder in their post-game column, whilst the Evening Standard also graded him poorly as Dan Kilpatrick wrote: ‘Missing a spark and couldn’t unlock the visitors.’

Meanwhile, Duncan Wright – once of The Sun – claimed that Fornals “has had a shocker” as he “hardly found a pass all game” – only emphasising just how disappointing he was on the night.

It was Lanzini who turned out to be Moyes’ only withdrawn player throughout the 90 minutes but perhaps the Scotsman should’ve looked to hook the Spain international instead, given how poorly he performed.

Indeed, Fornals had a shocker against Frankfurt and he badly let his boss down, too.

AND in other news, Huge news for Moyes: West Ham insider dropped big injury update ahead of Frankfurt clash…

Manchester City’s bid to secure a maiden Champions League crown resumes on Wednesday evening, as Pep Guardiola’s side prepare themselves for a titanic tussle with 13-time European champions, Real Madrid.

The Premier League outfit head to the Spanish capital with a one-goal advantage having played out a thrilling 4-3 encounter at the Etihad last week, albeit with plenty of work still left to do against Carlo Ancelotti’s newly-crowned La Liga title winners.

A place in the showpiece alongside title rivals Liverpool is up for grabs, although the City boss will be firmly focused on the job at hand in the Bernabeu in midweek, as his side bid to reach a second successive final.

There have been accusations that the 51-year-old has a tendency to overthink in games of such magnitude – a claim he has recently refuted – although one decision that should come easily is leaving out £100m man, Jack Grealish.

The club’s record signing has proven a “major disappointment” since his move from Villa Park last summer, in the words of pundit Ally McCoist, with the fleet-footed forward yet to truly ignite in his new surroundings.

In his 20 top-flight starts this season, the 26-year-old has chipped in with a measly tally of just two goals and two assists, as well as created just four big chances – a dismal return for a player of his undoubted quality.

The Englishman himself has admitted he needs to show a greater level of selfishness in front of goal, while Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has criticised the £250k-per-week gem for keeping everything “safe and simple” as if he is “scared to lose possession and take a gamble.”

Such accusations would have been unheard of during his Aston Villa days, when the 20-cap international was a regular risk-taker, notably making the difference in the final third last term with 16 goal contributions in the league.

As it is, the £72m-rated man looks a shadow of his former self, epitomised by his limp showing in the 4-0 win over Leeds United at the weekend, in which he lost possession on 19 occasions and received an average match rating of just 6.9, as per SofaScore.

Manchester Evening News writer Stuart Brennan was even more damning with his assessment of the Birmingham born star, awarding him just a 4/10 match rating and writing of his performance that: “Still short of being a major influence on games – could start by staying on his feet more often.”

In truth, having been resigned to the bench in the last week’s win over Los Blancos, the trip to Ellan Road had offered the chance to impress – although he spectacularly failed to take that chance.

Guardiola must simply be ruthless with his team selection in Madrid and axe the summer signing from his starting XI.

IN other news, Man City now eyeing swoop for “magic” £67.5m-rated gem, he’d be Guardiola’s new KDB…