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Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph has dropped a claim regarding Celtic’s reported transfer interest in Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Edouard Michut.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Joseph had this to say on the matter: “Michut has played six games in Ligue 1 and is very much seen as a hot prospect at PSG, but there’s been a falling out with the hierarchy and the new manager.

“Well, not a falling out, but he’s not seen in the first-team plans, so he’s looking to move and because of that he could go for quite cheap.

“One source had told us that Celtic were looking at coming with a £2m offer, but I believe it’s probably going to take £4m-£5m for him to move, so I think that’s still one to watch.”

Celtic fans will be buzzing

After it emerged that the Bhoys were looking to secure a deal for the 19-year-old, Ange Postecoglou poured cold water on the subject by saying that the club were not in for the youngster.

However, taking into account what Joseph has now said on the matter and how highly he claims the player is rated at the French club, this should have a lot of Celtic fans excited over a potential move for the 19-year-old this summer.

Over five league appearances last season, the teenager completed 52 of the 55 passes he attempted, while also making three shot-creating actions.

From a defensive point of view, the Frenchman won two tackles and made two clearances, two blocks and 22 pressures.

This shows how well-rounded midfield a option he could be for Celtic should they end up securing a deal for him this summer.

Even though it has been confirmed by the Hoops on Tuesday afternoon that they have signed 31-year-old Aaron Mooy, securing a much younger midfielder such as Michut could be a great long-term investment for the club given his age and clear talent.

Also, having seen the likes of Ewan Henderson, Luca Connell and Kerr McInroy leave the club recently, there is certainly room for another young midfield prodigy to join the ranks at Parkhead and see if they have what it takes to break into the first team.

AND in other news – Celtic set to sign £5.9m dynamo, it could be bye-bye £20k-p/w outcast

Liverpool will be well aware of just how important pre-season can be. If they get up to scratch from the off, shaking off the cobwebs from last term’s Champions League final disappointment in the process, then starting the Premier League season with a bang is more than likely. The Reds also have a chance to earn small bragging rites before the campaign even gets underway.

Their clash against Manchester United on Tuesday 12th July represents a pre-season fixture with a little more spice than usual and the chance to claim some early psychological dominance over their rivals. For Jurgen Klopp’s side, that will mean defeating Erik ten Hag’s version of the Red Devils at the first time of asking. 

Liverpool are in action a total of five times in pre-season – not including their Community Shield battle against Manchester City. Here’s how you can watch every game.

Liverpool’s pre-season schedule

Tuesday, 12 July 2pm: Liverpool vs Manchester United 

The first game of Liverpool’s pre-season comes against Ten Hag’s United side at the Rajamangala stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The game will be free to watch on UK TV, and can be streamed on either MUTV, which requires a monthly subscription, or LFCTV. Both club websites are also streaming the game.

Friday, 15 July 1:35pm: Liverpool vs Crystal Palace 

Live on LFCTV, Liverpool take on Crystal Palace in their second game of pre-season. The game itself takes place at the Singapore National Stadium on Friday, July 15. Kick off is set for 1:35pm BST.

Thursday, 21 July 6:15pm: RB Leipzig vs Liverpool 

The third game of Liverpool’s pre-season sees the Reds travel to Germany, where they will face RB Leipzig on Thursday, 21 July. The game will kick off at 6:15pm BST, and is set to take place at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig. You can watch the game on LFCTV.

Wednesday, 27 July 7pm: Red Bull Salzburg vs Liverpool 

Continuing the Red Bull theme, Liverpool will then travel to Austria for their clash against Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday, 27 July, with the game scheduled to get underway at 7pm BST. The game will be shown on LFCTV.

Sunday, 31 July 7:30pm: Liverpool vs Strasbourg 

Coming a day after the Community Shield clash against Manchester City, Liverpool’s pre-season will end at Anfield, where they will face Strasbourg. The game is set to get underway at 7:30 BST, and takes place on Sunday, 31 July, and will be live on LFCTV.

How to watch Liverpool’s pre-season games online

For Liverpool fans who want to watch the pre-season action, LFCTV is clearly the way to go. It’s the only place to watch every game of the Reds’ preparation for the forthcoming campaign. As of right now, fans can sign up and get two weeks free to witness Klopp’s side shake off the rust and take on a number of opponents. 

A Rangers target has admitted that he could be open to a move to Ibrox this summer.

What’s the talk?

Rangers target Stephen Odey has claimed that his head could be turned by a possible transfer to Glasgow amid reports linking both Old Firm outfits with him.

When asked about a potential move to Ibrox or Celtic Park, he told Amtsavisen: “These are big clubs, and it is clear that this is something that I want to be open to. But I’m in Randers FC, and right now that’s the only thing that matters. As long as I have not been presented with anything concrete, as I said, I will not let myself be disturbed by it.”

“If the right club comes, Randers FC has no choice but to let me go. But I am happy to be in Randers FC, and that does not change the fact that there are some rumours about other clubs. For me, it’s about the preparations for the new season with the team I’m part of.”

Imagine him & Joe Aribo

If Rangers decide to make a move for Odey then they can form an exciting duo by pairing him with current attacking midfielder Joe Aribo.

Both players are Nigeria internationals and this may help them to connect instantly on the pitch – potentially playing for club and country alongside each other at the top end of the pitch.

If the Light Blues are able to keep hold of Aribo, the ex-Charlton man can line up in the number 10 position or out wide on the right of a front three. This gives him a direct line to link-up with the starting centre-forward in matches and Odey could be the man filling that role.

The £5.6k-per-week Randers FC goalscorer, who was dubbed “deadly” by former manager Fidelis Ilechukwu, managed three goals in four starts in the Europa Conference League last term, whilst also scoring seven goals in 21 starts in the Superliga. 

At the age of 24, Odey has room to grow and improve as a player and having a talented gem like Aribo to unlock the best of his abilities could accelerate his development.

In the Premiership last season, the 25-year-old created nine ‘big chances’ and produced 1.8 key passes per game – showing that he can consistently create opportunities for his teammates.

He can, therefore, provide his fellow countryman with the chances he needs to be a regular goalscorer for Rangers – forming an exciting partnership in the process.

AND in other news, Gvb plotting Rangers swoop for £1.3k-p/w gem who “rarely misses”, imagine him & Kent…

Celtic have reportedly been handed a potential boost to their chances of securing a transfer deal for Manchester City defender Ko Itakura.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from BILD (via Daily Express) the Manchester club are looking to bump up their £5m price tag for the defender this summer, which could put an end to Schalke and Borussia Monchengladbach’s pursuits of Itakura.

This could therefore give the Hoops the green light to launch a move to sign the Japanese international.

Having started his career in Japan, the 25-year-old signed for City during the 2019 January transfer window.

After two loan spells with FC Groningen, the centre-back spent last season on loan with Schalke, helping them get back to the Bundesliga.

In his 31 league appearances in 2021/22, the defender racked up the second-highest number of interceptions (38) and the third-highest number of successful tackles (31) in Schalke’s squad.

He also ended the campaign with the third-highest average of clearances per game (3.0) at the club, once again highlighting his defensive talents, in addition to being described as being “incredibly fast” by Hans Kraay Jr.

This shows that he certainly played a big part in getting the club back to Germany’s top division.

Postecoglou will be buzzing

Taking into account how the Bhoys have been linked with the City outcast since the last summer, it would surely have Ange Postecoglou buzzing if the club are finally able to get the player through the door at Parkhead this summer.

Bearing in mind how the Hoops boss has brought in several Japanese players since his arrival at the club such as Kyogo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi, this could make it easier for Itakura to settle into life at Celtic if he were to make a move there in the coming weeks.

Also, with the Hoops having made deals with the Manchester club in the past over players such as Patrick Roberts, Jason Denayer and Dedryck Boyata, this connection between the two sides could give the Hoops an advantage when it comes to potentially working out a move for Itakura.

Moving forward, if the two German clubs are out of the race to sign the centre-back this summer, then Celtic should have no doubts over launching a move to strike a deal for him.

AND in other news: Ange could land Roberts 2.0 as Celtic plot bid for £12k-p/w wizard who wowed Guardiola

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard is reportedly set to raid former club Liverpool for the signing of defender, Joe Gomez.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Star (via the Express), the Midlands side are said to be ‘pressing ahead’ with their move to bring the 25-year-old to Villa Park, having been heavily linked with a deal this summer.

The report suggests that Gerrard is a ‘huge fan’ of the England international and is readying a £30m bid in order to try and tempt the Merseyside outfit into a sale, with the player facing a ‘dilemma’ over whether to stay at Anfield or depart.

Despite falling down the pecking order under Jurgen Klopp in recent times, the Reds boss is believed to be keen to keep the former Charlton Athletic man at the club for the long-term, with two years still to run on his existing deal.

Imagine him and Ake

The 11-cap colossus has undoubtedly endured a difficult period in recent times after falling out of favour for both club and country, having once been tipped to be the Three Lions’ next Bobby Moore by pundit Garth Crooks.

Having missed almost the entirety of the 2020/21 campaign after suffering a knee injury while on international duty, the £16.2m-rated brute was then restricted to a viewing brief again last term, making just four Premier League starts – all of which came as a makeshift right-back.

With Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate ahead of him in Klopp’s centre-back pecking order, the £85k-per-week star has somewhat fallen by the wayside of late, with a departure perhaps best for all parties.

Not that Villa would be acquiring a busted flush, however, with the London-born defender having previously been instrumental in Liverpool’s title triumph in the 2019/20 campaign, notably averaging 0.8 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 2.1 clearances from his 28 league outings.

Once dubbed “one of the most underrated players in the Premier League” by John Barnes, Gomez is an undoubted talent who is simply in need of regular game time, something that the Villans would seemingly be able to offer.

He could well be joined at the club by Manchester City man Nathan Ake, with the 27-year-old believed to be of interest to Gerrard and co this summer, as the club targets a new left-sided defender.

Those two potential new arrivals could potentially form a hugely exciting and destructive defensive pairing, with Ake perhaps another in need of more action to truly showcase his impressive talent.

Even with his involvement limited under Pep Guardiola – making just 14 league outings last term – the versatile Dutchman still compares favourably to his peers across Europe’s top five leagues, ranking in the top 4% for progressive carries, as well as in the top 13% for aerial duels won.

Two players comfortable in possession but that can defend first and foremost, the duo could well provide an instant upgrade to a squad that shipped 54 top-flight goals last term – the tenth-worst record in the division.

Signing both may seem fanciful – having already brought in Diego Carlos – although with doubts over the futures of both Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa, a double swoop from NSWE could well be what is needed.

AND in other news, Lange eyeing Villa move for £30m “goalscoring machine”, he’d be their own Darwin Nunez

Wolves could reportedly make a move for Paris Saint-Germain striker Mauro Icardi this summer.

The Lowdown: Icardi out of favour at PSG

The 29-year-old has struggled to be a success at PSG, having traded Inter Milan for the Ligue 1 giants back in 2020.

Icardi made just ten starts in the league last season, with the star-studded trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe invariably preferred in attack.

The Argentine’s current PSG deal expires in the summer of 2024, but he could be on the move imminently.

The Latest: Wolves linked with surprise move

According to Calciomercato [via Sport Witness], Jorge Mendes could be a key to making a move to Wolves happen, with PSG happy to ‘get rid’ of Icardi this summer.

Wanderers ‘could be a possibility’ for the striker, given the ‘very solid relations’ that Mendes has with the club.

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The Verdict: Worth the gamble

While Icardi has been a disappointment in France, he is still a striker of undoubted pedigree, having scored 124 goals in just 219 appearances for Inter. Across his whole career, the Argentina international has racked up 204 goals for club and country.

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He is someone who could be a marquee signing for Wolves, bringing quality and unpredictability to the attack, once being hailed as ‘world-class’ and ‘almost impossible to mark’ by Giorgio Chiellini.

There would be a risk element to the signing given his dip last season, but Icardi is someone who could add much-needed goals in the final third and improve everyone around him at Molineux if he finds his best form.

Whether or not he is happy to move to a club not playing in Europe remains to be seen, but this is certainly an exciting rumour to keep an eye on this summer.

Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

What’s the news?

According to the Daily Mirror’s recent live transfer updater (17 June, 20:24), the French club “have made a formal approach” to Leeds to sign the midfielder.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-more” title=”Read the latest Leeds news, transfer rumours and more!”]

The report continued: “The French giants have contacted Leeds to see how much it will cost them to prise the England ace out of Elland Road. Leeds are desperate to keep hold of the midfield ace but know a bid in the region of £55m would be difficult to turn down.”

Marsch will be gutted

The 26-year-old has also been recently linked with a move to Premier League champions Manchester City, with a report from The Athletic claiming that both Leeds and Man City believe that an offer for the Englishman will arrive soon.

Now that PSG have also registered an apparent interest in signing the midfield star, this could further increase the chances of seeing him depart Elland Road this summer, which would surely leave Jesse Marsch gutted.

A product of Leeds’ youth system, the 26-year-old has gone on to make 234 appearances for the club across all competitions.

In addition to being a boyhood Leeds fan and helping the club get back to the Premier League after a 16-year absence, Phillips’ presence in the team over the past two seasons has also shown why there would be so many supporters gutted to potentially see him leave.

The 2020/21 season saw the Yorkshire club lose seven of the nine league games that he missed, while in the following campaign they lost 12 of the 18 league games that they played without the midfielder in their team.

This highlights just how much of a problem it could be for Marsch to take the team forward without Phillips, if the player is sold.

However, having recently secured the signing of Marc Roca, this could at least offset the blow for Leeds and their manager should the Whites end up striking a deal with City or PSG for the England international in the coming weeks.

If Leeds do end up selling the local hero before the 2022/23 campaign kicks off, the recruitment and coaching staff will need to ensure that the team is capable of carrying on without the midfielder.

In other news: Leeds now eyeing “complete” £25m “Rolls-Royce”, he’s the perfect Phillips replacement

Rangers have yet to receive an ‘official bid’ for defender Borna Barisic, according to The 4th Official.

The lowdown

Turkish outlet Fanatik reported at the weekend (via Ibrox News) that an offer had been made for the Croatian left-back.

It came from Trabzonspor, who are said to be one of the three Turkish Super Lig outfits showing an interest in the 29-year-old.

The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell is unsure whether Barisic will deem that league ‘the right challenge’ but says that the player could leave ‘if the right bid comes in’.

The latest

The 4th Official tweeted on Sunday evening: “As of right now, Rangers have not received any official bid for Borna Barisic.”

They stated via Patreon that ‘two separate sources have confirmed’ this, but it remains to be seen whether or not a concrete offer arrives for the 29-year-old in the coming days and weeks.

The verdict

Barisic is valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt and still has two years remaining on his £18,000-per-week contract, so Rangers should be able to bank a healthy sum to inflate their transfer budget.

He has played 155 games for the Gers, commendably providing 35 assists from left-back in that time, in addition to seven goals. James Tavernier, the man on the opposite side of Rangers’ defence and no slouch himself in terms of setting up goals, has called him a ‘quality’ player with an ‘unbelievable’ delivery.

However, there have also been concerns raised about Barisic, with the Croatian accused of ‘sleeping’ in a 1-1 Old Firm draw in May.

Should the 29-year-old leave Ibrox, Calvin Bassey is capable of taking over the left-back role, with John Souttar potentially slotting in alongside Connor Goldson in the heart of defence.

In other news, a football finance expert is stunned by these Rangers allegations

Former Aston Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor has made a transfer claim on the club’s interest in Luis Suarez.

The Lowdown: Suarez links

Steven Gerrard has been extremely busy ahead of his first season in charge, completing deals for Philippe Coutinho, Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos.

However, he doesn’t plan to stop there, with recent reports from The Telegraph stating that Villa are exploring a move for Suarez after the 35-year-old was released by Atletico Madrid.

Villa correspondent Gregg Evans revealed on Wednesday that the club are still ‘weighing up a move’ for Suarez.

The Latest: Agbonlahor’s comments

Agbonlahor, who contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider after hearing about Villa’s interest in a move for Suarez.

He feels that a move could materialise for the Uruguayan to provide some competition to Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings, providing Suarez doesn’t ask for a ‘crazy’ wage.

“It depends on wages.

“I don’t see Villa paying Coutinho wages on Suarez, I don’t think they would do that. If the wages aren’t crazy then I don’t see why not.

“Adding an experienced striker like Suarez for a season, why not? Gerrard knows him well, he’ll get the best out of him.

“Villa need a bit of help up front. Watkins is a top player and Ings is a top player but you need a couple more strikers in there for some competition up there.”

The Verdict: Possible?

With no transfer fee involved, there is no reason why Villa and Gerrard can’t get a deal over the line for Suarez.

However, like Coutinho agreed to, you’d expect that Suarez would have to lower his previous £263,000-a-week wage for there to be any chance of a Premier League return.

Coutinho took a 70% pay cut but is still on £125,000-a-week in the Midlands, something Villa may well be open to offering Suarez, who has scored 69 goals in 110 Premier League games.

In other news: Sky Sports: Villa and Gerrard already now prioritising a fourth target; NSWE are closing in. 

The Athletic’s Rangers correspondent Jordan Campbell has detailed the latest financial situation at Ibrox, as Giovanni van Bronckhorst prepares for his second season in charge of the Teddy Bears.

The Gers have obviously endured their fair share of financial issues in the past but Campbell suggests that they are in a good place right now and should find themselves ‘in the black’ in the near future, so long as they can earn a spot in the Champions League group stages next season.

Van Bronckhost’s side narrowly missed out on an automatic group stage place when they lost on penalties against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semi-final last month but will be hoping to replicate their strong European performances when they enter the qualifying stages at the third round next month.

Things were looking bleak for the Ibrox outfit in the wake of the pandemic as they posted £23.5m in losses but after a full season of capacity crowds, Europa League runs and player sales, they are back in a strong position.

Campbell confirmed that, if Rangers do fail at the qualifying stage, then a player may need to be sold in order to balance the books.

He writes:

“It is thought that with the money generated from the sale of Nathan Patterson to Everton (although it isn’t all up front), the compensation for Gerrard and his team joining Aston Villa and the Europa League revenue, it will see Rangers in the black for the first time in over a decade.

“That is where they need to be, but they also need to put a winning team on the park — and that means there will be movement this summer.”

Supporters will no doubt be glad to hear that their club is in a strong financial position and will be hoping that Champions League qualification allows them to be active in the summer transfer window.

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If the worst happens, then Rangers have a number of saleable assets including Ryan Kent, Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo, so there seems to be little danger of the Ibrox outfit slipping back into the red.

And, in other news… Rangers dealt transfer blow, Gerrard will be gutted