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James Pearce, Liverpool correspondent for The Athletic, says the club are still to yet finalise their move for RB Leipzig centre-back Ibrahima Konate.

The lowdown

Pearce’s colleague David Ornstein revealed at the end of March that the Reds were closing in on the signing of the 21-year-old defender.

Liverpool have seen their centre-back ranks decimated by injury this season, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all casualties.

Frenchman Konate has made 94 appearances for RB Leipzig and, according to The Athletic’s Tom Worville, ‘has all of the tools to become one of the best in Europe’.

Fabrizio Romano tweeted on 23 April that Liverpool have agreed the terms of Konate’s five-year contract.

He said Liverpool will pay the €35million (£30.5m) release clause and that the deal ‘is set to be completed’.

The latest

Pearce, speaking to fan channel The Redmen TV, said: “It’s still not 100% done because that conversation with Leipzig hasn’t happened yet in terms of either negotiating a fee or just straight up paying his release clause.

“I think there is a realisation that is what has to happen – I don’t really see Leipzig letting him go for anything less than that release clause.”

The verdict

Could Liverpool box clever here? Having already agreed terms with Konate, they may be able to shave some money off the fee with the club knowing they would otherwise be keeping an unhappy player.

To do that though, they may need to give Leipzig something in return.

Takumi Minamino may be the solution, as the Japanese forward is out of favour at Anfield, hence his loan to Southampton at the end of the January transfer window.

But now Jesse Marsch, who oversaw his development at RB Salzburg, is set to take over at Leipzig.

Marsch has waxed lyrical about Minamino, hailing him as a ‘very clever’ player who ‘understands how to make final plays and tactics’.

A player-plus-cash swap deal may just be feasible.

In other news, could this be Liverpool’s next target?

In recent weeks Nuno Espirito Santo has seen his name linked with the Tottenham Hotspur job despite signing a new contract at Wolves last year, and club legend Steve Bull has urged fans not to worry about the Portuguese manager’s future in an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern.

Nuno arrived at Molineux in 2017 when he left his job at FC Porto and he managed to bring silverware to Wolves in his first season when they lifted the Championship trophy with a total of 99 points.

Tottenham reportedly hold an interest in the Portuguese manager, despite him still being yet to win a major trophy during his managerial career with Wolves’ best achievement under Nuno being a seventh-place finish.

Speaking on how there was speculation over Nuno’s future earlier this season but why Wolves fans should no longer be worried, Bull exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“There’s no need for them to be worried now, absolutely not. I think at the start of the season when there was speculation about him going to Tottenham that’s when people were worried, but not now.

“I think he’s made a statement in saying he’s staying here with his new contract, and now they just need to give him some money to spend.”

Nuno has a 38.7 win percentage in the Premier League with Wolves which would have been severely affected by their poor season ss they have won just 12 games.

This will be the first season Nuno has finished anywhere other than seventh in the Premier League and this is mainly down to the lack of cutting edge in the final third with their top scorers, Ruben Neves and Pedro Neto, having scored five goals each.

Some Liverpool supporters have been left fuming after confirmation of the officials for Sunday’s crucial Premier League clash with Crystal Palace.

The Reds picked up another vital win on Wednesday night, beating Burnley 3-0 at Turf Moor and producing a commanding performance.

Jurgen Klopp’s men didn’t have things their own way throughout the 90 minutes, with the Clarets creating plenty of half chances, but goals from Roberto Firmino, Nathaniel Phillips and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got them over the line.

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The victory means Liverpool should just have to beat Palace at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, assuming Leicester City don’t annihilate Tottenham at the same time.

It has been confirmed that Andre Marriner will take charge of the much-anticipated clash, with Paul Tierney, who is from Manchester, in charge of the dreaded VAR.

It’s fair to say that the current crop of officials aren’t exactly the most popular, so the news has not been met well by a number of Liverpool fans.

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Liverpool fans unhappy with officials for Palace clash

Here are some of the best reactions on Twitter.

“We’re done”

Credit: @Brian81649303

“Equivalent of a 2 goal start for Palace”

Credit: @AndrewGoodwin87

“Advantage Palace”

Credit: @algin_tolga

“Nooo. The worst arrogant referee of all”

Credit: @FrydenlundLasse

“Oh for… Tierney is dreadful.”

Credit: @OblivionCalls

“Oh no”

Credit: @lfcjason1

In other news, some Liverpool fans are angry after a transfer rumour emerged regarding one key Reds player. Find out who it is here.

It’s the final game of the Premier League season and Tottenham Hotspur have everything to play for.

Ryan Mason’s men sit in seventh place knowing that a defeat at Leicester City this afternoon could result in the prospect of no European football next season –  if other results go against them.

However, a win would secure them a place in either the Europa League or the newly-formed Conference League.

After a shocking 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in midweek, the 29-year-old caretaker boss must look to spark a reaction ahead of kick-off, and he can do so by altering his starting XI. In truth, Spurs were crying out for some added quality in attack, with the likes of Heung-min Son, Dele Alli and Harry Kane underperforming.

Gareth Bale should’ve been the man to provide that spark but there were concerns over his fitness heading into the match, and subsequently, he did not start from the off.

It’s time to unleash him later today as he could prove to be the Lilywhites’ game-changer for one final time.

This encounter against the Foxes is huge for both teams, so it would be wise to let a four-time Champions League winner loose at the King Power Stadium.

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The 31-year-old superstar was in and out of the team under Jose Mourinho, and while he still proved to be a regular source of goals whenever he featured, it is more recently that he has thrived under Mason.

As per Transfermarkt, the Wales international has scored 14 goals and provided three assists, meaning he has averaged a direct goal contribution every 96 minutes across all competitions.

By comparison, Kane is managing a goal or assist every 81 minutes, and Son is averaging a contribution every 100 minutes, so that shows just how crucial Bale can be to Spurs right now.

Earlier this season, Mourinho lauded the Real Madrid loanee for his “remarkable” and “incredible” attitude off the pitch, and later claimed that he was “better than ever.”

Once hailed as “unplayable” by Harry Redknapp, the £18m-rated dynamo has to be starting a game of this calibre if Mason wants to end the season on a high note.

Bale could hold the key to whether or not Spurs are competing in Europe next season, in what could be his final swansong in a Lilywhites shirt before his loan deal ends.

AND in other news, Levy could rock Spurs’ squad by hiring 43 y/o “phenomenon” who he’s watched “closely”…

Tottenham Hotspur remain keen on Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Atheltic’s Jack Pitt-Brooke claims that the 51-year-old coach is still a popular choice within the Spurs hierarchy, even despite him recently signing a contract extension with the Eredivisie champions.

It’s thought that he is still within reach of the North London outfit, whilst other contenders on the shortlist include Belgium boss Roberto Martinez, ex-Leipzig guru Ralf Rangnick, and Brighton’s Graham Potter.

Football Insider even believe that the former Everton and Wigan boss has held three rounds of talks with the club, too.

Better than Martinez

The 47-year-old is someone Levy should avoid like a barge pole.

As outlined by Football FanCast in this article, it could seriously hinder their chances of keeping hold of Harry Kane as he is said to have “systemic” tactical problems and has won just 30% of matches in the Premier League.

Instead, Spurs should be making a huge plot to land ten Hag, who is cut from the same cloth as Pep Guardiola.

It’s widely thought that Levy is seeking an attack-minded head coach that has a proven record in developing young players, so there cannot be a better candidate out there than the Dutchman.

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Ten Hag is committed to a high-pressing, quick-passing and possession-based style of football, so it’s no surprise to see him favour the sort of 4-2-3-1 or  4-3-3 that we’ve seen under Mauricio Pochettino and many other modern managers.

Furthermore, he has overseen the progress of some big-money exits, ranging from Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona) to Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus), and continues to nurture Ajax’s next crop of talented stars with mega potential.

David Neres, Ryan Gravenberch and Lisandro Martinez are just three names to keep an eye on in the coming windows.

Since his arrival at the Johan Cruyff ArenA, he has steered the Dutch giants to two league titles and has also registered a phenomenal 74% win rate. For comparison, this far exceeds that of Jose Mourinho (52%) and Mauricio Pochettino (55%) during their respective spells in charge of Spurs.

Ten Hag has earned plenty of glowing endorsements throughout his managerial career, too.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp dubbed him “one of the most exciting coaching talents in world football,” whilst the aforementioned de Jong praised his “positive energy” and “great football vision” to the Guardian.

Also lauded as “remarkable,” ten Hag clearly has all the necessary tools to fit exactly what Levy is after in his next appointment.

If anyone is going to transform Spurs into an elite side once again, then it is surely the Ajax man from that list. Evidently, he plays attractive football and can develop just about any promising youngster into the next best thing.

The Spurs chairman must put all his eggs into the 51-year-old’s basket. He’s surely his dream manager.

AND in other news, Daniel Levy could transform Spurs with landmark double swoop…

Former Southampton CEO Les Reed has recently admitted that Southampton were looking at signing Wilfried Ndidi in 2016 following the departure of Victor Wanyama.

Speaking to ThisisFutbol, Reed said:

“When Wanyama went to Tottenham Hotspur, Wilfried Ndidi was someone who was on our radar.”

Wanyama joined Spurs from Southampton in the summer of 2016 after making 97 appearances for the Saints between 2013-2016, so he was a big player for the South Coast club to try and replace.

Ndidi was at Belgian side KRC Genk at the time and would’ve been available for around £15m had Southampton looked to sign him in the same summer window, as he would join Leicester City for that price in January 2017.

Since then, he has made 176 appearances for the Foxes, contributing nine goals and 11 assists, in which time he has established himself as one of the best defensive-midfielders in the Premier League.

His transfer value has shot up during his time with Leicester City, with Transfermarkt now valuing the Nigeria international at £45m, which certainly suggests that he would have been a worthwhile signing for the Saints.

This season saw the 24-year-old contribute one goal and four assists in 26 league appearances for Leicester City, which helped him average an excellent 7.25 rating from WhoScored.

This ranked him as the best performer in Brendan Rodgers’ side this season as they fell narrowly short of securing a top-four spot, which emphasises just how good a player he has become during his time in the Premier League.

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Back in 2019, Rodgers was full of praise for his midfielder, saying:

“He is an incredible player. The offensive players get the credit but he does the dirty work.”

“He has this brain for the game, where he can smell danger and always finds himself there. The timing of his challenge is very good and he’s up there with the top players at winning the ball back.”

Therefore, it seems clear that Ndidi would have been a superb addition to Southampton’s side in 2016, and Saints fans will likely be fuming that their club did not pursue him further after Wanyama’s departure given how good he’s been for the Foxes.

And, in other news… Hasenhuttl can evolve his Saints attack with swoop for “unbelievable” star

Wolves are reportedly eyeing a move for Joao Palhinha in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Wolves need Moutinho replacement

Given that Joao Moutinho is 34 years of age now, the Midlands club need to start to look for a suitbale long-term replacement for him in the middle of the park.

That could well be Palhinha, who at 25 is much younger, and would have learned off of Moutinho having played with each other at international level for Portugal.

The Latest: Wolves eye Palhinha

As per A Bola (via Sport Witness), the Molineux faithful are ‘still’ interested in signing Palhinha, given that they were close to making a bid for the defensive midfield player in last summer’s window.

The Wanderers continue to have him ‘very well referenced’, but they have been warned that his asking price has gone up to €30m (£25.8m).

Current manager at Sporting Lisbon Ruben Amorim considers Palhinha to be an ‘indispensable’ player, which is why his price tag is so high.

The Verdict: Wolves must sign Palhinha

Despite the fairly hefty price tag, WWFC should do all that they can to try and sign Palhinha, as his value will likely only continue to rise.

He was such a key player in Sporting’s title win in the 2020/21 season, winning a really remarkable 9.1 duels a game, while he also averaged 3.3 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.2 clearances per match (Sofascore).

Standing at six-feet-two-inches tall as well, Palhinha should have no trouble whatsoever in adapting to both the physical and aerial demands of the Premier League.

Nonetheless, the summer may provide the best opportunity for Wolves to go out and get their man, who looks to be a real enforcer in the middle of the park.

In other news, find out what Wanderers loved about what one player did on international duty here!

Ben Jacobs has dropped a promising claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United after news emerged involving the Premier League.

The Lowdown: KSA off watchlist

As per PA journalist Jamie Gardner, the English top flight have left the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) off of its submission for the US government’s piracy watch list for 2021.

UEFA and La Liga did include the KSA in their submissions, but given that the PL did not, Mike Ashley’s camp are thought to be left encouraged by the news.

The Latest: Jacobs reacts

Jacobs, who has been following the whole takeover saga closely, has since given his reaction to the news, claiming that it is ‘encouraging’ for the proposed deal between Ashley and the KSA group.

He also claimed that the January submission ‘could be viewed as a softened stance’, providing further encouragement for the arbitration case and potential revival of the original bid.

The Verdict: Encouraging for takeover

Given the disputes between the Premier League and the KSA over piracy, in which the latter illegally streamed games from the top flight and made them available to be watched in the Gulf country, this piece of news is certainly encouraging.

As Jacobs points out, it suggests that their stance has been softened, and thus they may be willing to cooperate with the KSA consortium if arbitration goes in the favour of the St. James’ Park faithful.

Nonetheless, the arbitration case should give a much clearer view over the direction of where the takeover may be heading, but the Toon Army will certainly now hold more hope that a deal is still possible.

In other news, find out what promising takeover insight has been shared involving Rafa Benitez here!

Tottenham Hotspur were dealt another gutting setback in their managerial search, it has emerged…

What’s the word?

According to Spanish outlet Marca, Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui rejected the opportunity to join Spurs, despite the club agreeing to pay his release clause.

The 54-year-old remains committed to the project at Andalusia-based outfit, having finished fourth in La Liga, a year after winning the Europa League.

This news effectively confirms an update from The Sunday Times’ Duncan Castles, who told his ‘The Transfer Window’ podcast a few days earlier:

“They went a long way down the line with Julien Lopetegui the Sevilla coach.

“They had agreed [on] terms with Sevilla to release him from his contract for £4m – the release clause in his contract – and also agreed [to] terms on a contract.

“Then for personal reasons related to family matters and because of changes brought about on movement of individuals because of Brexit, Lopetegui pulled out of that deal and Tottenham then went for [Paulo] Fonseca.”

Yet another gutting blow

So now it seems as if Spurs missed out on yet another name in their managerial hunt and considering the reaction to the likely appointment of Paulo Fonseca, this will come as gutting information to many of the club’s supporters.

As relayed by This is Futbol, the Portuguese coach was described as an “underwhelming” hire as well as being “absolutely bonkers” by some Spurs fans. Just a small sample size but it really does gauge the feeling of some of those in North London right now.

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Firstly, there was Julian Nagelsmann, who opted for Bayern Munich, with Brendan Rodgers another early candidate before declaring his intentions to remain at Leicester City.

Spurs also held talks over a stunning return for Mauricio Pochettino but Paris Saint-Germain remained firm, and they were very close to sealing Antonio Conte too before the Italian pulled out of negotiations over his doubts that the club could match his ambitions.

Both Marca and Castles suggest that the Lilywhites’ newly-appointed director of football Fabio Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy were willing to pay Lopetegui’s buy-out clause but now it has been revealed – just like the many names above – that the Spaniard is the latest man to reject the Spurs job, which is just another blow for the club to have dealt with during this long process.

According to the Daily Mail, Fonseca was actually the sixth choice to replace Jose Mourinho in the dugout, which is rather damning in itself and merely adds weight to the argument that he’d be a very underwhelming option.

It remains to be seen whether this will be the right move in the end but going on the above reaction and evidence, Spurs may well live to regret not being able to hire any of those other five names, including the former Spain and Real Madrid boss.

There won’t be many Spurs fans pleased to hear this latest update, and they’ll likely be gutted to hear that after missing out on Conte, yet another top coach rejected the chance to move to their club, this time for reasons that were beyond Tottenham’s control.

If Spurs do hire Fonseca, which is now looking very likely, it’s hardly the most glowing of endorsements that he was reportedly the club’s sixth choice option and he’s only getting the job as five other targets were unattainable for a variety of different reasons.

AND in other news, Forget Alli: Fonseca can revive £18m-rated Spurs “weak link” who was destroyed by Mourinho…

Speaking to TUTTOmercatoWEB, Turkish football agent Fazil Ozdemir has opened the door for Tottenham Hotspur as they allegedly eye a move for Lille defender Zeki Celik.

The Lowdown: Spurs and Celik…

Last summer, former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho was reportedly eager to sign Celik and the defender himself even opened up on the north London links – stating he had heard of Tottenham’s fondness.

Now, the Lilywhites have seemingly rekindled that interest – with numerous reports over the last fortnight detailing they are eyeing a move.

L’Equipe believe that Spurs are interested in signing the Turkey international this summer.

The Evening Standard went on to back these reports, stating Tottenham have indeed taken a liking to the player and have thus joined the race for his signature, alongside Manchester United and north London rivals Arsenal.

The Latest: Agent opens door…

Speaking to TUTTOmercatoWEB, the player’s agent has confirmed there is interest in the player from all over Europe.

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As well as this, he has opened the door for Spurs to potentially make a move, claiming they will consider a sit down with Lille if a considerable offer arrives from elsewhere.

“He has interest from the big players in Europe, it’s true,” Ozdemir explained.

“Should a great offer arrive then we would sit down with Lille to talk about it.

“He was a key player for the title win.”

The Verdict: Do it Paratici…

After Spurs confirmed the arrival of new football managing director Fabio Paratici, who will oversee the club’s sporting operations from here on in, we believe Celik should firmly be on his agenda this summer.

Winning the 2020/2021 Ligue 1 title with Lille, Celik was indeed a key player and started 28 games under Christophe Galtier.

According to WhoScored, out of Spurs’ squad, only Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (2.6) and Serge Aurier (2.9) averaged more tackles per 90 compared to Celik (2.5).

Another incentive may also be his slender price tag, with the Evening Standard believing he may only cost around £13m this summer.

Aurier is reportedly edging closer to a Spurs exit and Celik may well be his ideal heir at full-back.

In other news: ‘Have now been told’…Alasdair Gold shares transfer development coming out of Spurs, find out more here.