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Tottenham Hotspur are battling Manchester United for the signature of Ajax winger Antony, according to The Independent’s chief football writer Miguel Delaney. 

The lowdown

United are interested in reuniting Antony with Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, Delaney says.

He arrived in Amsterdam from native club Sao Paulo in the summer of 2020 for a fee of £14.2million. Under Ten Hag, Antony won the Eredivisie twice, as well as the 2020/21 Dutch Cup.

The 22-year-old, who has three years left on his contract, is now valued at £31.5million by Transfermarkt.

The latest

Delaney writes that Ten Hag and United ‘face competition’ from Spurs for the Brazilian attacker.

Conte would appear to be at a disadvantage without the personal connection to the player but, significantly, the club are prepared to offer Steven Bergwijn to Ajax as part of the deal.

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The verdict

Even though Antony has a prior relationship with Ten Hag, Spurs’ willingness to include Bergwijn in the deal could swing it in their favour.

That’s because Ajax clearly possess a strong interest in the former PSV Einhoven man, having seen a £17million bid rejected earlier in the summer.

The hope for Spurs, of course, is that Antony would represent an upgrade off the back of his impressive 2021/22 campaign.

The nine-times-capped international was directly involved in 22 goals (scoring 12 and setting up ten) in 32 appearances in all competitions.

Adding the ‘elegant’ playmaker (in the words of talent scout Jacek Kulig) to a squad that already includes Dejan Kulusevski would be a real statement. Conte would have an elite level of attacking depth at his disposal.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano reveals talks for a ‘star’ target.

Reliable journalist Paul Brown has now dropped some significant Everton exit news on Richarlison.

The Lowdown: Tottenham interest

As per The Daily Telegraph, Tottenham Hotspur are now targeting a move for Richarlison this summer, but would have to pay more than £50m for the Brazil international.

The outlet have also reported that Frank Lampard is targeting a move for Harry Winks as part of his rebuild at Goodison Park, and so perhaps a deal can be struck between both clubs this window.

The Latest: Brown update

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Brown has said that the Merseyside club would rather take the money on its own for Richarlison should they wish to sell him, rather than accepting any kind of player swap deals like they could potentially do with Spurs and Winks:

“My understanding is that from Everton’s point of view, they would rather keep the two things separate and that any deal for Richarlison would be just for money. That might change.”

The Verdict: Keep

The Toffees should be looking to keep Richarlison if possible, regardless of what kind of prices are offered to them from Tottenham or any other club.

The 25-year-old remains one of their key players, having been their top scorer and highest-rated performer in 2021/22 (WhoScored), and so would be very difficult to replace.

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He was their saviour at the end of last season, as he scored six goals and made a further two assists in his last ten games in the Premier League, including a goal in the 3-2 win at home to Crystal Palace which secured their top-flight status (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, the Blues could well be dragged into another relegation battle if he departs.

In other news, find out who EFC have now made ‘contacts’ over signing here!

A transfer tease has emerged over the future of Newcastle United target Christian Eriksen as the summer window gets underway… 

What’s the talk?

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that the Magpies target will be deciding on his next club in the imminent future.

He Tweeted: “Brentford have submitted a serious, important personal terms offer to Christian Eriksen – but the player is considering his options with many clubs interested. Eriksen will make his decision on the future club in the coming days.”

Jacque Talbot recently reported that Newcastle boss Eddie Howe was set for talks with the Denmark international over a move to St. James’ Park, with the club ready to challenge the Bees for his signature.

Supporters will be nervous

Toon supporters will now be nervously awaiting the player’s decision as they will surely be keen to see him playing in black and white next season.

He is a proven Premier League performer who would come in and provide Howe’s team with a massive lift in terms of creativity.

The 30-year-old made an astounding return to England in January, months on from suffering a cardiac arrest in the European Championships, and was sublime for Brentford.

In 11 top-flight outings, Eriksen scored one goal and provided four assists as he created an eye-catching 2.8 chances per match. This shows that he was creating openings for his teammates at a phenomenal rate, given that Allan Saint-Maximin only managed half of that return (1.4 per game) for the Magpies.

At his best, the Dane was regarded as one of the best in the world with ex-Bournemouth midfielder Harry Arter saying: “He is an unbelievable player — a world-class player — he deserves all the credit he gets in the Premier League and international-wise.

“We’re going to have to stop him from trying to do what he does, but it is important not to just concentrate on him. To concentrate on ourselves is probably the most important thing and then try to take care of them.”

The 30-year-old has played in eight separate Premier League seasons and has not averaged a SofaScore rating lower than 6.84 in the six campaigns they have data available for.

In 236 outings in the English top-flight, Eriksen has plundered 52 goals and 71 assists for Tottenham and Brentford combined. He knows exactly what it takes to make a big impact in the division and that is why he would be an excellent signing for the Toon.

Therefore, Newcastle supporters will now be nervous as they wait to hear who the midfielder has decided to join ahead of next season.

AND in other news, NUFC can find their own Paqueta in deal for “glorious” £64m gem with “no weaknesses”…

As per London World and journalist Rahman Osman, there has been an update on Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of former star playmaker Christian Eriksen.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye move…

Spurs head coach Antonio Conte and transfer chief Fabio Paratici, after their summit in Italy, have already been very busy before the summer market has even opened.

Both Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster have arrived at Hotspur Way on Bosman deals with the Lilywhites already sealing two signings ahead of Conte’s first full Premier League season in charge.

The north Londoners are reportedly eyeing another potential free agent swoop for ex-favourite Eriksen, but it won’t be easy, with the Brentford ace attracting plenty of interest.

The Latest: Tottenham ‘hot on his heels’…

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Sharing an update, London World explain that Tottenham are ‘hot on his heels’ amid the competition with Conte ‘looking to build a side that can compete both in Europe and the Champions League’.

As Paratici and co attempt to sign Eriksen, the report also explains that Brentford supporters ‘are really on the edge’ given their love for the 30-year-old and would love to have him for another season.

The Verdict: Time to pounce…

Finishing 2021/2022 as the Bees’ best-performing player by average match rating, Denmark’s international legend also managed the most key passes per 90 for them in the final third (WhoScored).

Described as ‘amazing’ by Conte himself, it’ clear the £158,000-per-week star still has what it takes to be a real asset for the Italian at Spurs.

On a possible Bosman deal, a move for Eriksen really feels like a low-risk one and no-brainer for Paratici.

In other news: ‘Better and better’ – Insider claims Tottenham could make announcement ‘in the coming days’…find out more here.

Rangers boss Gio van Bronckhorst is set for a busy few months working alongside Ross Wilson in his first summer transfer window in charge of the Glasgow giants.

The Dutchman joined after the end of last summer’s market and was backed in the January window as Aaron Ramsey, Amad Diallo, James Sands and Mateusz Zukowski all came in.

One of the first pieces of business he may need to worry about is the possible departure of defender Calvin Bassey.

Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor has backed the Nigeria international to reunite with his former manager Steven Gerrard. He recently told GIVEMESPORT: “Bassey is clearly highly rated by Villa. I think that deal will happen; I can see it happening. Obviously, [Diego] Carlos coming in might change the picture, but it’s clear Villa rate him highly, and for me, it’s just a no-brainer.

“The way he played in the Europa League, he looks like a player that’s just naturally ready to step up and perform.”

Unearth Bassey 2.0

If the defender does end up at Villa, Rangers could unearth Bassey 2.0 in a deal for left-back Matthew Sorinola, who was touted with a move to Ibrox last year.

Like the current Gers man, who came through the ranks at Leicester, he is eligible to play for England or Nigeria at international level and can come in as a full-back option for van Bronckhorst, which is why the club must now return for his services and agree a deal.

He spent the 2020/21 campaign in the first team at MK Dons in League One and caught the eye with a string of impressive displays.

In 34 appearances, he registered four assists and created an eye-catching eight ‘big chances’ as he showcased his ability to provide an attacking threat from left wing-back.

This shows that he has the ability to burst forward down the left flank in attack, which is something Gers fans have been able to watch with their own English/Nigerian defender this year as Bassey registered three assists in the Premiership.

Former Dons manager Russell Martin once took the time to hail the gem’s talent, saying: “He’s technically right up there with anyone in the squad – he wants to play. I love his calmness too – for a young lad, he’s so composed.

“He defended really well. People may question his size but when you’re as brave as he is to play with the ball and get in people’s faces and shut them down, he has so much ability and potential.”

At the age of 21, he has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop and he can join with a view to him improving over time, rather than being expected to be the finished article straight away.

Rangers have already enjoyed success in bringing Bassey over as a young left-back from an English club in a similar deal and they can now repeat that trick by signing Sorinola, albeit he would be arriving from Belgian side Royale Union Saint Gilloise after joining them from MK Dons.

Van Bronckhorst can take his time with Sorinola and help him to fulfil his potential and become a first-team regular at Ibrox, with the gem potentially following in Bassey’s footsteps at left-back.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Weston: Rangers can form deadly future duo in deal for highly-rated teen…

Wolverhampton Wanderers have their sights set on a swoop for Vitoria Guimaraes’ young midfield duo, Andre Almeida and Guilherme Guedes.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report from Portuguese outlet Zero Zero who claims that negotiations are underway between Wolves and Vitoria SC.

As per the report, Wolves have long been tracking Almeida with the intention of moving for the 21-year-old in what will be a package deal, that would also see the 19-year-old known as Gui included.

It is said that a sum of between €10m (£8.5m) and €15m (£12.8m) could be enough to secure the duo in a package deal, with the fee expected to be closer to the latter mentioned €15m (£12.8m).

As of yet, no official agreement has been made.

Neves & Moutinho replacements?

With the uncertainty surrounding a certain Wolves duo in Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho, the Vitoria SC youngsters could help to fill the rather large void that the pair would leave.

Though, with Moutinho at least in talks with Wolves over a possible extension, and only one of the Vitoria SC duo ready to go straight into the first team, it’s more like a mix and match package.

Almeida, having featured 31 times for the Liga Portugal side is a player who could quickly be integrated within the Old Gold first team.

His average of 2.4 successful dribbles per 90 are better than Moutinho and Neves’ averages combined – with the Wolves pair’s 0.5 and 0.9 respective averages totalling 1.4 successful dribbles per game. Almeida’s average is actually around that of a winger, with his average this season also beating the likes of Daniel Podence, who has registered 2.1.

It’s a severely underrated but important metric in the centre of midfield, with Lage’s side lacking a central option that can consistently progress the ball. Almeida would allow them to be more direct in the attacking transition and allow them to build on the measly total of 41 big chances created – a metric that ranks the side as the fourth worst for BCC.

Gui, having made just five appearances in Liga Portugal will need a longer amount of time to establish himself in Lage’s side, but with Lage already negotiating a deal for the Portuguese starlets, you can see where his head is at amidst his rebuild this summer.

In other news: Tim Spiers drops behind-scenes Wolves update that’ll worry supporters at Molineux 

Tottenham Hotspur are among the clubs interested in signing Everton forward Richarlison, according to a report from the Daily Mail. 

The lowdown: Survival hero

The Brazil international ended the 2021/22 season on a high as his goals against Crystal Palace and Chelsea helped the Merseyside club secure their Premier League status.

An Olympic Goal medalist with Brazil, Richarlison has enjoyed a steady upwards career trajectory since arriving at Watford before making a £50million switch to Everton (BBC).

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Having taken his tally to 53 goals in 153 outings for his current employers, another move could now be in the offing as the Lilywhites watch on…

The latest: Spurs interested

As per the Daily Mail, Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are all keen on the 34-cap Brazil ace.

It’s claimed that Richarlison has an ‘uncertain future’ at Everton and the club are ‘bracing themselves’ for bids in the upcoming summer transfer window.

The report also states that Spurs are among the suitors ‘monitoring developments closely’ as Antonio Conte looks to the man recently hailed as possessing ‘huge talent’ by Frank Lampard to bolster the striking department at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The verdict: Make it happen

After the news this week that Conte and transfer chief Fabio Paratici would be handed a £150milion boost to the transfer war chest from ENIC this summer after qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, the calibre of targets can naturally go up a level.

Therefore, spending big on Richarlison – who holds a market value of £45million and a contract until 2024 (Transfermarkt) – should be no issue for Spurs.

During 2021/22, the hardworking Brazilian scored 11 times and provided five assists in 33 appearances across all competitions, winning an impressive 7.1 duels and taking 2.4 shots per game and earning a 7.02 average Sofascore rating in the process.

Richarlison has previously admitted a desire to compete amongst the elite of Europe and a switch to north London to support Harry Kane and Son Heung-min makes an abundance of sense for all parties.

In other news… Harry Kane appears to have made a huge decision regarding his future at Spurs

Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly decided to do a U-turn and not chase the signature of Juventus forward Paulo Dybala this summer, report Football.London.

The Lowdown: Dybala confirms Juventus exit

The 28-year-old first joined the Italian giants from Palermo back in 2015, but after making 292 senior appearances in that time, the striker recently confirmed that he would be leaving the Serie A outfit following the conclusion of the current season after a seven-year spell in Turin.

The Lilywhites previously attempted to bring Dybala to the Premier League in 2019 when former manager Mauricio Pochettino was in charge, but failed to get a deal over the line in time due to image rights issues.

As the 32-cap international will be available on a free transfer during the upcoming window, he has been strongly linked with a move to Spurs once again, but after a fresh update, it would appear as though that’s off the table.

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The Latest: Spurs end interest

In a huge update published by Football.London, the reliable Alasdair Gold reports that Tottenham are ‘not considering’ entering the race for Dybala as a result of Fabio Paratici not being ‘wholly convinced’ that their old target is the ‘right fit’.

The source further states that the director of football was a member of the hierarchy who tried to move Dybala on during his time working at Juventus, so it seems like Paratici has never been a big fan of the player.

The Verdict: A missed opportunity

Taking up the option not to pursue the £222k-per-week star, especially as someone who’s about to become a free agent, is surely a missed opportunity to seal an absolute bargain at N17.

The Argentine, labelled a ‘world class’ superstar by former Spurs man Paul Robinson, has made 21 goal contributions in just 38 outings across all competitions for Massimiliano Allegri’s side this season, as per Transfermarkt, and it’s hard to see why Antonio Conte wouldn’t want this type of prolific player in his starting XI.

Dybala would be the perfect candidate to provide some serious goalscoring competition for Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, but it looks as though the club have already made up their minds and will no doubt now be starting the hunt to find their new deputy for Kane.

In other news… a Spurs insider has dropped a huge transfer twist surrounding a first-team colossus.

Sunderland have secured a spot in the League One play-off finals next weekend at Wembley Stadium against Wycombe Wanderers and keeping their relentless team together next season no matter the outcome should be a priority for Alex Neil.

The Black Cats manager who was appointed in February has unlocked a formula to get the side back to their winning ways taking nine victories, seven draws and just one loss from his 17 games in charge at the Stadium of Light, leading them to the position they are in now with one game standing in the way of promotion back to Championship for the first time in four seasons.

Although the Scotsman has made a huge difference since his arrival, the players in the team have really turned it up a notch and worked hard to earn their chance to climb up the Football League.

One player who has been effective since his arrival at the club in January is Tottenham Hotspur loanee Jack Clarke, with the right winger scoring one goal and contributing three assists over the last 17 appearances for Sunderland.

The £4.5m-rated gem who was hailed as “absolutely outstanding” by Sunderland Echo journalist Phil Smith, has been a creative force during his time in the North East with five big chances created, making 1.6 key passes, 1.2 tackles and 1.5 shots on average per game, winning the majority of his ground duels and proving successful in 66% of his dribbles.

With that being said, Neil could turn him into the next Aiden McGeady, another wizard on the wing, if he can secure a deal to extend the youngster’s time at Sunderland, with a deal potentially there for the taking ahead of his return to North London.

Spurs insider John Wenham who has confirmed that the Lilywhites will offer the 21-year-old winger a new contract when his current one expires at the end of this month, and will be offered back out on loan.

Wenham told Football Insider:

“So I think what will happen is he will return to us and sign a new one-year extension and he will go out on loan again.”

“I also don’t think Sunderland will be able to afford him outright but he could re-join them next season if they go up.”

Ultimately, the Sunderland manager will be working to make sure his squad is ready to take their golden opportunity to rise back into the second tier right now, however, he will need to address Clarke’s situation quickly this summer as Spurs could offer him out to other clubs if they extend his contract in the next few weeks.

AND in other news: Neil set for 1st SAFC disaster as he plots move for “difficult” flop, he isn’t needed

Adam Jones has now shared a double injury boost for Everton ahead of their game away at Watford in the Premier League tonight.

The Lowdown: Team News

Taking to Twitter, The Liverpool Echo journalist Jones has shared that while Yerry Mina is unavailable for the match due to injury, Vitaliy Mykolenko is fit.

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There are no other fresh concerns as the Goodison Park faithful look to take all three points away from the Hornets and put themselves further clear of the relegation zone, but there is some more good news ahead of the final couple of matches…

The Latest: Injury updates

Jones also shared injury updates on Donny van de Beek and Ben Godfrey from Frank Lampard as he spoke to the media in his pre-game press conference:

“We’re hoping Donny will be ready for next week’s games, Ben Godfrey is similar.”

The Verdict: Double boost

While the pair may not be available against Watford, it is certainly a boost that they could be ready to play in the Merseyside club’s remaining fixtures.

Brentford at home on Sunday afternoon may come too soon for both players, but they could well make a return against Crystal Palace, and then away at Arsenal on the final day.

Godfrey ranks highly among his teammates in terms of average tackles, clearances and blocks per match in the top flight this season, while no current Toffees player with five or more appearances has averaged more passes at a higher success rate than van de Beek (WhoScored).

Nonetheless, having both available could be key in the Blues getting the points that they need in order to stay up.

In other news, find out big in-house EFC development has now emerged here!