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According to The Sun, West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice is a summer target for Premier League champions Manchester City.

The report has claimed that City could expect to pay as much as £70m for the 20-year-old, who has been in impressive form for the Hammers this season.

Rice recently signed a new long-term contract with West Ham, meaning that he is contracted to the capital outfit until the summer of 2024.

As a result, the Hammers are in a very, very strong position to negotiate, should a huge bid arrive in this summer’s transfer window.

The West Ham fans have been on social media reacting to the transfer report.

And it would be fair to say that the supporters are absolutely desperate for their club to keep hold of the 6ft 1in midfielder.

Many even feel that £70m would not be enough to sign the London-born youngster.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Liverpool are expected to add to their squad depth in the attacking areas of the pitch this summer, even after signing Luis Diaz in January for £37.5m from Porto.

With Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah all currently set to be out of contract at the end of next season, it seems likely that Jurgen Klopp will be on the lookout for potential replacements, with Ismaila Sarr being the latest name linked with the Anfield club.

What’s the news?

The 24-year-oldhas become hot property once again after his agent Thierno Seydi told Afrique Sports: “It’s clear there are chances he leaves this year from Watford.”

According to Italian publication Corriere dello Sport, Liverpool have since reignited their pursuit of the Watford winger, after Goal reported earlier in the season that the Merseyside club didn’t follow up on their interest last summer.

The report added that the Reds could face competition from Serie A giants AC Milan, who are also keen on the Senegalese attacker with a price tag of £41m.

Liverpool’s future match-winner?

The 24-year-old has scored five Premier League goals in 16 appearances this season, having struggled with injuries and missing part of the campaign due to the Africa Cup of Nations, which left the likes of Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster wishing for his return.

The English veteran said of Sarr’s ability earlier this year: “It’s scary, isn’t it, really? It’s almost like everything seems to just be off the cuff. Every single time he gets the ball, even he doesn’t know what he’s going to do, but it will end up being good either way.

“Once he can start to really drill down on what he knows he can do, yeah, the world is his oyster. Honestly, like I say, the speed and the awareness, the touch, the precision, he’s got all of it. He just now needs all of it to connect and be in control of it too.”

“It’s great to have him back, he’s a game-winner, it’s as simple as that. He’ll win us games, but it puts the opposition on the backfoot as well and I think that’s the important part.”

Having scored important goals against the likes of Manchester United and Aston Villa, along with a brace in a 3-2 victory against Norwich earlier in the season, it’s understandable why Foster views the 24-year-old as a match-winner; and in a Liverpool side who create plenty of chances per game and excel with pacey attackers, Sarr could thrive.

In the 2019/20 season, he single-handedly ended the Reds’ incredible unbeaten run with the performance of his career, scoring two goals and setting up another in a shock 3-0 win over the runaway league leaders, also completing two dribbles and winning more than half of his duels.

Klopp probably still has that performance from February 2020 in the back of his mind ahead of the summer, and FSG must try to ensure that Sarr does the damage for Liverpool rather than to them by bringing him to Anfield as a long-term successor to their current attacking behemoths.

In other news: Klopp could unearth the “new Zlatan” as Liverpool make bid to sign £58.7m star

Tottenham Hotspur lead the race to sign Franck Kessie after a huge claim emerged this week…

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge, Spurs have the best chance of sealing the AC Milan midfielder at the end of his current contract this summer.

“As I say, going back to my colleague Di Marzio, he said on our transfer show last week that Tottenham will lead the way in the summer, which is exciting,” he revealed to GIVEMESPORT. “The only thing with everything in life, and it’s like presents, you want everything now.”

The north London outfit have long been linked with a move for the Ivory Coast international, who is currently away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations, thus making a switch this month a little complicated.

Kessie has turned down a new deal at the San Siro and will be free to leave the Italian giants in the summer.

Antonio Conte is said to have requested his signature during the current window but there is competition from Premier League rivals Manchester United and Liverpool, among others across Europe.

Summer bargain

Whether the Lilywhites can secure Kessie now or in the summer remains to be seen but whenever he arrives, he will be an incredible signing for the club – even more so as he won’t cost a penny in terms of a transfer fee despite being valued at €30m (£26m).

The 6-foot powerhouse is capable of contributing at both ends of the pitch with his phenomenal box-to-box qualities.

Last season, he was Milan’s second-highest goalscorer in the league as he finished on 13 goals, just a couple behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and he’s since found the net five times this campaign.

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Also per WhoScored, Kessie has averaged 1.3 tackles, 1.1 key passes and 0.9 dribbles per game in 21/22, which only goes to show his ball-winning capabilities and his evident threat inside the final third.

His playing style has been likened to that of Yaya Toure and it’s easy to see why on the above evidence, seeing as he can drive the ball forward, defend and score goals.

“I want Kessie in my team, he scores, he assists, he has personality, he has quality, he doesn’t lose the ball, he’s intelligent. I’m watching him carefully, with Roma it was devastating,” ex-Milan striker Antonio Cassano told Bobo TV (via MilanLive). “It reminds me of the Yaya Toure of the best times. He is a different player, but in terms of impact. He is holding Milan’s midfield alone.”

It’s not the first time that the bustling midfield beast has been lauded around the San Siro. His former coach Vincenzo Montella once hailed him as an “extraordinary player” with “sublime intelligence.”

Conte’s engine room may be rammed full of players right now but Kessie offers him something that very few of his current options do, not to mention the dubious futures of Tanguy Ndombele and Dele Alli, who could both depart N17 before January 31st.

If the Italian has actually requested the Ivorian’s signature, then he will surely be delighted to learn that Spurs are leading the race to sign him ahead of next season.

On the above evidence, with his encouraging statistics and lofty praise, Kessie would be a fantastic addition at Hotspur Way.

AND in other news, Forget Tanganga: £26m-rated Spurs calamity who won 33% duels proved Conte right again…

West Bromwich Albion secured the permanent signing of striker Daryl Dike on New Years Day, with the 21-year-old making his Baggies debut against QPR on Saturday.

Although the USA international’s first game for the West Midlands outfit didn’t go to plan, with Albion losing 1-0, there will be plenty of excitement regarding what the former-Orlando City man can do based on his previous spell in the Championship on loan at Barnsley last season.

Under current West Brom manager Valerien Ismael, Dike scored nine goals in 22 appearances for the South Yorkshire outfit, helping them to secure a play-off place.

The 21-year-old returned to the MLS outfit, where former Manchester United star Nani had played, with the Portuguese labelling Dike “a special boy.”

Now at The Hawthorns, the £9m-rated striker will be looking to go one better than last season and secure promotion to the Premier League. What is for sure is that if the American can replicate similar form to that of last term, the Baggies’ bid for promotion will certainly be boosted.

Ismael’s side are currently fifth in the Championship, seven points off of the automatic promotion places and in need of an extra goal source.

The Black Country club are the league’s best defenders, having conceded just 20 goals. However, they’re the second-tier’s joint-tenth top scorers with 31 goals. First place Fulham have scored more than double with 64 in one game less.

It’s a major issue that needs to be resolved immediately. In fact, the Baggies haven’t particularly had a recognised goal scorer they could rely on for a handful of seasons now, with former loanee Romelu Lukaku enjoying the most fruitful campaign since the Belgian made the temporary move to The Hawthorns from Chelsea.

The striker scored 17 goals in the 2012/13 campaign, helping Albion to an eighth-placed finish. Similarities can certainly be drawn between the two strikers.

After all, his former teammate Jordan Williams once said: “Daryl has got a rocket of a right foot. I think he’s similar to Lukaku. He hasn’t scored as many goals yet, but he can hit a ball just as hard.”

Stood at 6 foot 2, Dike is only four centimetres shorter than the Belgian, with the use of their respective physicality a major part of both players’ games.

Of course, if Dike was to evolve into a world-class talisman-like Lukaku, Albion fans would be delighted. However, it is certainly realistic to expect the American to score double digits by the end of the season.

If so, the Baggies may have an improved shot at an instant return to the Premier League.

AND in other news, West Brom eye swoop for “dominant” £5.4m-rated beast, he’s miles better than Hugill…

Everton have had a hectic January transfer window, making three signings early in the month and sacking their manager, Rafa Benitez, soon after, with all the attention firmly on the appointment of the next manager, Moshiri could be lining up a last-minute bid that could add a fourth new player to the squad.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, Everton are one of the three Premier League clubs interested in signing Armando Broja, who is currently on loan at Southampton from Chelsea.

The Toffees reportedly join Leeds United and Wolverhampton Wanderers in the race to sign the 20-year-old striker, with just four days left to go in the January transfer window.

The report claims that Southampton are keen to keep Broja with them at St Mary’s, but with many Premier League clubs now showing interest in the youngster, it could be a challenge for them to hold onto him.

Lukaku 2.0

Everton are no strangers to attracting young Chelsea talent, with the potential signing of Broja similar to the £28m club-record signing at the time of Romelu Lukaku back in 2014, when the Belgian goal machine was just 21 years old.

Lukaku was a huge success at Everton, scoring 87 goals and bagging 29 assists in just 166 appearances for the club, with a goal involvement every 120 minutes for the Toffees, so the club could be onto their next Chelsea swoop to potentially emulate the success of their former striker.

The £8.1m-rated monster who was hailed “dangerous” by his current manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, has been making his mark on the Southampton team with 21 appearances and seven goals, five of those have been scored in the Premier League.

However, goals aren’t the only attribute that Broja has been excelling in, according to One Versus One the youngster has been using his 6 foot2 stature to impose himself on opponents, making 170 aerial challenges this season so far, and ranking 8th in the Premier League for completing aerial duels, proving that he is not afraid to get stuck into the game away from just scoring goals.

There has been real upset and aggravation amongst fans with a protest staged last night at Goodison Park, so bringing in young players with bags of potential could be a move for Moshiri that could potentially settle the current outrage.

That’s especially if Broja could come in and make an instant impact in changing the fate of the Toffees nightmare season, and helping the side climb back into a safe position in the Premier League table.

In other news: David Ornstein drops major Everton manager update

Tottenham Hotspur could form a frightening frontline amid interest in Adama Traore this January…

What’s the word?

The north London outfit have once again been linked with a move for the powerful Wolverhampton Wanderers winger ahead of next month’s transfer window.

According to the Telegraph’s Matt Law, Spurs boss Antonio Conte is a huge fan of the Spain international and the club could be set to revisit their interest in signing him.

‘The speed-king was identified as a target while Nuno [Santo] was in charge during the summer, but Spurs only made an offer to take him on loan. Conte is also a fan of the player and would no doubt see a similar bid as a waste of time. He will want Levy to commit to the kind of offer that might make Wolves think,’ he wrote.

Earlier this month, it was suggested that Wolves would accept a bid as low as £18m for the 25-year-old, as per ESPN.

Imagine him and Son

Not only would Traore be a perfect fit for Conte’s wing-back system in N17 but he could give Spurs another standout option in the final third, one that would send fear into many a Premier League defence.

He’s capable of playing as a winger, more centrally as an inside-forward and at wing-back, so there is plenty of room for the Italian to fit him into the team.

Traore has long been a nuisance in the top-flight and alongside a player like Heung-min Son, Conte could have a frightening duo to play in behind Harry Kane.

As he did last season, the Wolves star leads the division for dribbles per game (4.7). Of course, his end product has always been brought into question but Kane and Son are there to take up the brunt of the goalscoring duties.

He’s still averaging 1.1 key passes per game, proving to be quite the creative option, too.

Aside from his ball-carrying ability, Traore is also built like a brick wall and his physicality is another reason why so many full-backs struggle to combat him.

Southampton forward Che Adams dubbed him a “monster” to the Premier League’s official YouTube channel, whilst Jurgen Klopp has often deemed him to be “unplayable.”

On the above evidence, sporting director Fabio Paratici must look to seal a move for Traore, especially for as little as £18m, in January.

AND in other news, Spurs can sign their next Mousa Dembele in “devastating” £26m-rated machine who won’t cost a penny…

As per Juve Live, as also relayed and translated by Sport Witness, Fabio Paratici’s stance on signing Dejan Kulusevski for Tottenham Hotspur has become even more clear.

The Lowdown: Juve gearing for sale…

Italian reporter Niccolo Ceccarini has already shared news that the Old Lady are ‘ready’ to offload the Sweden international ‘as early as January’ to fund a swoop for Fiorentina star Dusan Vlahovic (Twitter).

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This comes amid reports that he is a serious transfer target for Tottenham, with Tuttosport (via SW) recently claiming that Antonio Conte’s side are in pole position.

Another journalist in Daniele Longo, meanwhile, recently revealed that contact has been made for Kulusevski and Spurs may be boosted further by another development courtesy of Juve Live.

The Latest: Paratici would ‘gladly’ sign Kulusevski…

As per the website, relayed by SW, their managing director Paratici would ‘gladly’ sign the 21-year-old for Conte at Tottenham.

Italian sides cannot afford his minimum €30 million (£25.4m) price tag, opening the door for interested Premier League and La Liga sides to swoop.

However, north London rivals Arsenal are also genuine contenders from England’s top flight, meaning Spurs, Paratici and Conte may face stern competition.

The Verdict: Good option…

Lauded as ‘explosive’ by former Sweden striker Marcus Allback, the winger can also operate as an ‘advanced playmaker’ according to Football Talent Scout – potentially earmarking him as a possible candidate to replicate Christian Eriksen’s past influence.

It is no secret that Tottenham have missed the Dane since his 2020 departure to Inter Milan and Kulusevski could come as a fairly shrewd heir given his affordable £25.4m fee.

Over the 2019/2020 campaign, his best season in Serie A to date, the ex-Parma man averaged an impressive 2.2 key passes and 2.1 completed dribbles per 90 – emulating Eriksen’s numbers somewhat during his time at Spurs (WhoScored).

The case is there for Paratici to make a move, but only time will tell whether Spurs can win the race.

In other news: ‘Coming from Tottenham’…Journalist makes exciting transfer claim with ‘biggest offer’ on the table, find out more here.

Leeds United reporter Conor McGilligan has been reacting to a transfer update on Robin Koch.

The Lowdown: Koch to go?

The Whites defender has been in and out of the team this season, failing to nail down a regular role at the back.

The German did fill in for Kalvin Phillips in a defensive midfield role since the turn of the year but has been a substitute in Leeds’ recent upturn in form over the last three games and might not be confident of getting into the line-up for the visit to Watford on Saturday.

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According to Football Insider, the club will listen to offers for Koch in the summer, with a fee in the region of £10m-£11m thought to be enough to prompt a deal.

Leeds are thought to be planning a defensive overhaul ahead of Jesse Marsch’s first season in charge, with Koch potentially moving on from Elland Road.

The Latest: McGilligan reacts to Koch exit reports

McGilligan, who works for Leeds Live, took to Twitter in response to the update regarding Koch. He feels that the 25-year-old has ‘way more potential’ than Diego Llorente, describing a possible exit for the former as an ‘absolutely bizarre decision’.

When asked if he thought Koch should be allowed to leave, the journalist firmly replied:

“Absolutely not. Llorente goes over Koch ability wise for me, you’ve also got to look at the age of both – way more potential for Robin. Would be an absolutely bizarre decision.”

The Verdict: Leeds’ worst-rated defender…

You can see why Leeds are considering parting ways with Koch this summer in what could well be a summer shake-up at Elland Road, should Marsch steer the club to Premier League safety.

As per WhoScored, Koch has struggled this season with an average match rating of just 6.32/10, with fellow centre-backs Liam Cooper, Pascal Struijk and Llorente all outperforming the German.

He has actually been the club’s worst-rated senior performer and has also missed 38 games through injury and illness since arriving in Yorkshire, so if one of the four were to go, it wouldn’t be a shock if Koch was the man to be jettisoned, despite McGilligan’s protestations.

In other news: Leeds and Marsch handed early injury boost as ‘strong’ player may now return v Watford  

Despite boasting an impressive defensive record in the Premier League this season with just 14 goals conceded in 19 games, it seems as though Wolves are looking to the January transfer window as an opportunity to strengthen their squad at the back as they aim to secure a European place by the end of the current campaign under the guidance of Bruno Lage.

In a recent report from W Deportes, Wolves are apparently interested in signing Tigres defender Carlos Salcedo this month.

The 28-year-old joined the Mexican club from Eintracht Frankfurt back in the 2019 January transfer window after previous spells at clubs such as Deportivo Guadalajara, Fiorentina and Real Salt Lake City, winning some trophies in the process.

Since his move to Tigres, the defender has made a total of 101 appearances across all competitions, scoring seven goals along the way, showing how much of a danger he can be in front of goal as well.

Last season, Salcedo, who was dubbed as a potentially “massive” acquisition for a possible suitor this month by Rudi Schuller, ended Tigres’ league campaign as their joint-sixth highest rated player with an overall performance rating of 7.01/10 from SofaScore.

That would have made him Wolves’ fourth-highest rated player in the Premier League last season, showing how capable he could be in Lage’s side if he were to make a move to Molineux this month.

Salcedo’s latest performance for Tigres in their 1-1 draw against Santos Laguna saw him not only score his side’s goal but also make three clearances, four interceptions and one tackle, ultimately earning himself an outstanding overall match rating of 7.8/10, making him the highest-rated player on the day according to SofaScore.

With Lage reiterating the need for Wolves to sign a centre-back as soon as possible with Romain Saiss away on international duty and Willy Boly injured, Jeff Shi could solve Lage’s big issue with a move for Salcedo, who is currently valued at £4.5m according to Transfermarkt, in the coming days and weeks.

Moving forward, with Salcedo’s contract at Tigres set to expire at the end of December, this could cause the Mexican club to be more willing to sell their defender to Wolves this month rather than risk him leaving on a free transfer at the end of the year if he doesn’t put pen to paper on a new deal before then.

In other news: Fosun heading for Wolves disaster over “dynamic” £46k-p/w ace that’ll have Lage fuming – opinion

An update has emerged on Colorado Rapids forward Dantouma Toure, regarding interest from Ibrox giants Rangers.

What’s the talk?

US-based journalist Brian Sciaretta has claimed that the youngster was recently training with the Gers and is now on trial with Premier League side Arsenal.

He Tweeted: “I heard Colorado Rapids homegrown winger Dantouma Toure, 17, is doing offseason training with a bunch of European teams. Was recently at Rangers, now training with Arsenal. Born in Guinea, Toure has played for USYNT’s in the past.”

Exciting

This update will surely excite Rangers fans as it suggests that the club could be considering a swoop for the promising young forward.

The 17-year-old, who has picked up the nickname “Yaya Toure”, has shown great promise in his career so far, playing professionally in the USL Championship last year for New York Red Bulls II. He also made his MLS debut earlier this year for the Rapids, showing how much trust they have in him despite his age.

Colorado’s general manager Padraig Smith lauded the forward as a ‘difference-maker’ upon his arrival at the club as a 16-year-old. He said:

“Yaya is an exciting talent who has already shown tremendous potential through his performances in the USL Championship as a 16-year-old.

“He’s powerful and explosive on the ball and has an ability to take on defenders that allows him to be a difference-maker. We believe he has all the qualities necessary to develop into an elite player and are excited to see what the future holds for him.”

This, along with the experience he already has under his belt, highlights how exciting he is as a young forward and why Rangers fans should be delighted with the prospect of him joining the academy. He is already making strides at senior level despite being almost three years away from hitting the age of 20 and he could be a promising long-term addition to the team.

Of course, he is currently training with Arsenal and the Gers would need to convince the teenage wiz to make the switch instead of making a move elsewhere. Gio van Bronckhorst and Ross Wilson must work hard to tempt him into making a full-time switch to Ibrox if possible, as he could be a fantastic signing for the academy given the potential he has shown.

AND in other news, 64x possession lost: GVB must work his magic on £5.6k-p/w Rangers dud with 0 assists…