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Wolves centre-back Conor Coady is set to complete a permanent move from Molineux to Everton this summer.

The Lowdown: Coady out on loan

The 29-year-old has been a stalwart for Wanderers down the years, making a total of 317 appearances and helping them get back into the Premier League.

Last summer, Coady traded Wolves for Everton, however, joining on loan and becoming a key man for them this season, starting 21 league matches.

The Englishman is out of contract at Molineux at the end of the 2024/25 campaign but it looks as though he could be moving on well before that date.

The Latest: Deal close

According to Football Insider, Everton will trigger the £4.5million buy option in his loan deal at Goodison Park, joining the club permanently this summer.

Sean Dyche is believed to be a ‘big admirer’ of the Wolves man and fully intends to retain his services moving forward, while the player himself is also happy back in his childhood city.

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The Verdict: Right time to sell

In truth, this comes as no great surprise, with Coady’s departure last summer a clear indication that he didn’t see his long-term future at Molineux.

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While the idea of the centre-back returning to Wolves isn’t necessarily bad, he does turn 30 this Saturday and he is costing Everton £55,000 a week.

Wolves cannot afford to match that amount if he was to want a new deal, especially for a player of his age, so Julen Lopetegui would be wiser to look at younger defensive options this summer.

Coady will certainly be remembered as a great servant for the Old Gold, being hailed as one of the ‘best guys’ in football by Bruno Lage, but now is a natural time to part ways.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Mason Mount this summer and a new update has now emerged on the club’s pursuit of the player.

What’s the latest on Liverpool’s interest in Mason Mount?

According to talkSPORT’s transfer insider Alex Crook, Liverpool are increasingly confident that they will be able to sign the Chelsea midfielder.

As per the report, Crook claims that Mount’s new contract talks have hit a standstill and sources close to the player have suggested that a move to Anfield is highly likely.

It is also stated that Jurgen Klopp wants to improve his midfield options and has identified as the England international as an ideal target for the summer.

Imagine him & Jude Bellingham

It is no secret that Liverpool are an extremely strong contender to also complete a deal for Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Jude Bellingham this summer with numerous reports linking the midfielder with a move to Merseyside.

As a result, if FSG could pull off the signing of the England midfield duo of Mount and his compatriot, it could be the much-needed youth revolution Liverpool are desperate for in the centre of the pitch.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita, and James Milner will all be out of contract this summer and as the business end of the season unfolds it is looking less likely that any of the aforementioned will remain, paving the way for fresh perspectives to join the successful club.

Mount – who has a reported price tag of £40m – is no stranger to Bellingham with the pair playing key roles in Gareth Southgate’s England squad over the last few years and now they could use their experience together at international level to form a formidable partnership at Anfield.

Over 23 Premier League appearances, the 24-year-old has scored three goals, registered two assists and successfully completed 54% of his dribbles, as well as averaging 1.3 key passes, 1.4 tackles, 1.4 shots on goal, and 3.6 duels won per game.

Bellingham, meanwhile, has contributed with four goals and four assists in 21 Bundesliga outings this term – making 1.1 key passes and 2.7 tackles per game – and this highlights his box-to-box talent in midfield.

The Blues star has earned high praise for his impact in the national team, with Rio Ferdinand hailing the Chelsea academy graduate on his Vibe With Five YouTube channel:

“Mount is a mad player. On and off the ball, that’s what I love about him. He gives you both sides of the game.”

“Young players watching the game, if you watch Mount, he’s efficient with it, and he can bang, but it’s the work ethic and the positions he takes up defensively.”

Jurgen Klopp could utilise Mount’s versatility in the advanced midfield role by combining it with Bellingham’s huge potential to succeed club captain Jordan Henderson in the eight role and together could revolutionise the playmaking threat Liverpool pose to their opponents.

With that being said, the signing of Mount would without doubt be a major coup for the Reds, giving the Liverpool boss a Champions League-winning young player who has bags of Premier League experience to help the side reignite their chase for trophies next season.

Arsenal fans have been left wowed by some footage of Gabriel Jesus in training ahead of their UEFA Europa League first leg clash away at Sporting.

The Lowdown: In team training

Jesus has been spotted getting fully stuck in to team training after months out injured, ahead of Arsenal’s game against Sporting in the Europa League.

Mikel Arteta confirmed in his pre-game press conference that although the club will try not to rush him back, he has travelled with the squad to Lisbon, and could play a part this evening.

The Latest: Arsenal fans wowed

Taking to Twitter after footage of Jesus was shared, Arsenal fans were wowed by how sharp Jesus looks as he continues to step up his recovery:

“Ooooooooo MY 9 LOOKS HUNGRY. Can’t wait for his return.” – @Ajp08Three

“I can’t wait man, we’ve only just started.” – @Jahvon_CEO

“Tears in my eyes man.” – @JayAndreas___

“Huge news for us!” – @MGC3065

“I’m alive” – @SbuTheGooner_

“Beautiful scenes PL isn’t ready.” – @OnyangoOnyach

The Verdict: Big boost

The return of Jesus to the squad this evening, even if he does not feature, is a big boost for the Gunners for the rest of the season.

He ranks as their second-best average performer in the Premier League with five goals and five assists before his injury (WhoScored), and with both Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah out injured as well, options in the forward line are light at the moment.

Nonetheless, Arteta will not want to rush Jesus back, and instead wait for him to be fully fit before introducing him into the staring line-up again.

Crystal Palace are thought to be interested in a move for Middlesborough forward Chuba Akpom, according to talkSPORT.

The Lowdown: Fine form

Akpom made the move to the Riverside Stadium in 2020 and has been enjoying a fine season in front of goal in the Championship.

The 27-year-old is the top scorer in the second tier, netting 21 goals in 28 games, four more than any other player. Hailed as a ‘fantastic’ striker by former Boro caretaker boss Leo Percovich, Akpom is out of contract in the summer, and it looks as if a move to the Premier League could be on the cards.

The Latest: Palace interest

TalkSPORT reporter Alex Crook provided an update on Akpom’s future in the last 48 hours.

He stated that Palace, along with Everton and Leeds, are ‘waiting to pounce’ for Akpom if Boro’s promotion push falls short.

The Verdict: Makes sense

Patrick Vieira’s side have struggled for goals this season and are yet to net more than one top-flight goal in a game in 2023. They have bagged just 21 times in 25 league games, fewer than bottom side Bournemouth, so a move for a new forward would make sense.

Akpom has been impressing in the second tier so could be a shrewd target, especially if he becomes a free agent over the coming months.

Palace’s top scorer, Wilfried Zaha,  is also out of contract in the summer, and should he depart for nothing Palace will need to bring in more than one attacker ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Liverpool have struggled to maintain their high expectations this season and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on a potential summer transfer target.

What's the latest on Liverpool's interest in Micky van de Ven?

According to BILD's head of football Christian Falk (via Caught Offside), Liverpool are one of the many European clubs interested in signing VfL Wolfsburg centre-back Micky van de Ven.

As per the report, the Reds are joined by Manchester City, Arsenal, AC Milan, Juventus and Barcelona in their interest in the Bundesliga ace with Wolfsburg expecting offers of around €30m (£26.5m) in the summer.

Could Van de Ven be Van Dijk's rightful heir?

There is no doubt that a refresh is desperately needed at Anfield as the once-successful squad has started to turn stale with several players reaching the latter stages of their careers.

Jordan Henderson, Mohammed Salah, James Milner, Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara and Virgil van Dijk are all well into their 30s at this point and are not likely to be part of the long-term future at Anfield.

As a result, the signing of Van de Ven could be a great opportunity to bring in a left-sided centre-back who can become the natural successor to his fellow Dutchman.

Over 25 Bundesliga appearances, the 21-year-old "giant" – who journalist Ronan Murphy claimed is "flourishing" – has excelled offensively and defensively.

Indeed, the youngster has scored one goal, delivered one assist and successfully completed 68% of his dribbles, proving himself to be a forward-thinking centre-back.

Furthermore, he has registered 3.4 clearances, 1.4 tackles and won 3.5 duels per game.

With the Netherlands U21's ace in the back line, it is no wonder that Wolfsburg have the fourth-best defensive record in the German top-flight with only seven league games lost and ten clean sheets so far when the youngster has featured.

Not only that, Van de Ven has outperformed the Liverpool titan, van Dijk, in several attributes this season including tackles and interceptions (54 v 39), clearances (90 v 87), blocks (8 v 6), ball recoveries (139 v 114), shot-creating actions per 90 (0.72 v 0.60) and dribblers tackled (74.2% v 50%), proving that he could be a valuable asset and great prospect for the future.

With that being said, the signing of Van de Ven could be a great opportunity for Klopp to add quality depth to the defence in his squad and ultimately develop a worthy successor to one of his most important players in the squad.

Chelsea manager Graham Potter will be spending much of the international break considering how to get the best out of his side in the hope that they can secure an unlikely top-four finish with a strong run of form at the end of the season.

If the English manager is serious about improving his squad, he should consider ditching Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic, as he has been disappointing throughout the season so far.

Should Chelsea drop Kovacic?

Since signing from Real Madrid, initially on loan in 2018, the midfielder has gone on to make 211 appearances, in which he has contributed a disappointing six goals and 14 assists.

The 28-year-old has never been able to nail down a week-in, week-out starting role in Chelsea's side, with his 23 starts in the 2019/20 Premier League campaign the most of his career at Stamford Bridge.

A succession of minor injury problems have certainly played their part, as well as the multitude of midfield options available to the Blues, but there is an argument that the £100k-per-week earner simply hasn't lived up to his potential, and his disappointing form and age suggest that he could fall victim to Todd Boehly's youthful revolution at Chelsea.

This season has certainly been his worst at the west London side, as he has managed just one goal and one assist in 19 Premier League appearances, with WhoScored awarding him a shocking 6.49 average rating for his performances.

Kovacic is ranked as the 23rd-best performer in Potter's squad so far this campaign, which is nowhere near good enough for a player of his ability, as well as someone who has taken the captain's armband on more than one occasion in a Chelsea shirt.

Despite his role as an all-action midfielder, the Croatia international fails to rank in the top ten squad members at Chelsea for shots, key passes, dribbles and pass success rate so it is no surprise that he is rated so poorly by WhoScored.

The 28-year-old was once a valued member of Thomas Tuchel's squad and the German manager sang his praises back in 2022, saying:

"Even at Real Madrid, I was aware of his talent, and I felt there was a next step coming. I'm very happy that he's my player and plays a lot this season. He is crucial to us on the pitch and off the pitch in the way he behaves."

Unfortunately, that 'next step' hasn't materialised for Kovacic as his performances have clearly regressed this season and Potter must surely consider ditching the former Real Madrid man after the international break if he wants to push Chelsea to the next level.

Liverpool have taken an embarrassing 4-1 defeat in their Premier League clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium this afternoon and Jurgen Klopp will surely be extremely frustrated with the performance that his team put on in the second half of the game.

The Reds squandered their opportunity to put pressure on their competitors for the final Champions League spot inside the top four and could go ten points adrift of fourth if Tottenham Hotspur can beat Everton at Goodison Park on Monday evening.

Despite Mohamed Salah scoring the opener in the 17th minute, Liverpool failed to dominate possession (31%), had fewer shots on goal (4 v 17), fewer big chances created (0 v 4) and far fewer accurate passes completed (276 v 687).

Indeed, in the first half both teams looked comfortable and capable of taking something from the game, however, defending their early lead was too challenging to succeed with Julian Alvarez finding the back of the net to secure an equaliser just 10 minutes later.

Liverpool's well-known struggles were quickly laid bare in the second half with the side looking completely uninspired and despite many players having two weeks off during the international break looked exhausted, which Man City took full advantage of to net another three before the final whistle.

One player who had a rare nightmare in Manchester this afternoon was left-back Andrew Robertson, who despite usually being clinical in his position was severely punished for his lapses in judgement and concentration by his opponents.

How did Andy Robertson get on vs Manchester City?

The Scotland captain had an outstanding international break, recording two assists for his national team – one against Cyprus and then again against Spain – which makes Robertson's performance against Man City even more frustrating.

Over his 70-minute performance, the £100k-per-week gem – dubbed "poor" today by journalist James Nalton – completed just 15 accurate passes, lost possession 13 times and was dribbled past twice, as well as losing four duels and failed in 100% of his cross attempts, before being replaced by Kostas Tsimikas.

Not only that, the Liverpool left-back was the worst-rated player on the entire pitch – as per SofaScore – proving further that it will be a display the Scotsman will be desperate to forget.

Robertson's poor effort was just a drop in the ocean compared to the overall performance put on by the entire team this afternoon but will be a huge cause for concern for the Anfield faithful when considering how well he played over the Euro qualifiers.

With that being said, the manager, supporters and team will be hoping Robertson's drop-off against Man City was merely a one-off as a meeting with Chelsea is coming up on Tuesday and a clash with Arsenal follows on Sunday next week.

Manchester City are one of a number of clubs interested in signing Benjamin Pavard during the summer transfer window, according to a new report.

Is Pavard off in the summer?

This summer is hopefully going to be another fruitful one for City in the transfer market as they look to make their squad even more formidable by adding fresh legs. Full-back could be an area of the pitch to strengthen with Kyle Walker now in his thirties and Joao Cancelo's future up in the air after joining Bayern Munich on loan.

One player who could potentially be on the move at the end of the season is Pavard, who is currently a key figure for Bayern. The France World Cup winner has started 20 Bundesliga matches this season, as well as appearing seven times in the Champions League.

The 27-year-old is out of contract in the summer of 2024, so this year could be the last opportunity to receive a decent amount of money for his signature, meaning he could move on to pastures new this summer. It looks as though there could be a scrap to sign Pavard in the upcoming window, following a fresh update.

Could Frenchman head to Man City?

According to 90min, City are in the hunt to sign Pavard from Bayern, although they are far from alone in expressing their interest. Manchester United and Real Madrid are the other top clubs who are believed in the conversation. All three clubs are keen on "bolstering" their right-back options and they see the France international as a strong option to bring in.

He may not be the most attack-minded full-back in the game – he has only registered one assist in the league this season – but he is a defensively astute player with a wealth of experience and a winning mentality, as highlighted by his World Cup triumph back in 2018.

With Uli Hoeness lauding him as "wonderful" in the past, Pavard could be seen as a strong option to rival Walker for minutes moving forward, easing the Englishman's workload as he gets older in the process and proving to be an intelligent signing who learns the City system quickly.

Having great squad depth can be key for a team like City who are battling on maximum fronts each year, and the Bayern defender could be someone who comes in and simply does a solid job – possibly even enjoying his best years of his career at the Etihad.

Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani wants to sell his club shares for €500m (£443m) in order to buy Inter Milan, according to a new Elland Road takeover update.

What's happening with Leeds' ownership?

The Whites are experiencing another tough season in the Premier League, with Javi Gracia's side battling to remain in the top flight for a second year in a row. Last term, they survived by the skin of their teeth, sealed by a victory away to Brentford on the final day, but the hope is that they manage to pull clear earlier this time around.

While there has been plenty of drama on the pitch in 2022/23, it is also a key period away from the action, with constant speculation surrounding the future ownership at Elland Road. It looks as though it is a matter of time until 49ers Enterprises become the majority shareholders at Leeds, which would be the start of an exciting new era at the club.

For that to happen, however, Radrizzani needs to sell up, having become the owner back in 2017 and helping guide the Whites back into the Premier League. Now, a big update has emerged regarding the current situation.

Could Radrizzani sell up soon?

According to Tuttosport [via Sport Witness], Radrizzani is aiming to make £443m from the sale of his Leeds shares, which would then allow him to become the new owner of Inter Milan. Various bidders for the Serie A club are believed to be "bouncing around" and the Whites chief is one of them.

While he plans to sell his 56% share of Leeds to 49ers Enterprises, that will ultimately be dependent on whether or not they remain in the Premier League this season, with relegation having the potential to scupper things hugely. It is claimed that Radrizzani needs to show a "willingness" to build a consortium who can buy Inter, and while no formal approach has been made to the club, there does appear to be movement behind the scenes.

Assuming Leeds do stay up in the coming weeks, this could be a big moment in the club's recent history, with Radrizzani undoubtedly a positive owner down the years, but the 49ers group capable of taking them to another level financially – they are worth approximately $5.1bn. It would hopefully allow more funds to be available for new signings, while Elland Road could potentially be redeveloped, too, allowing them to compete more with rivals when it comes to offering the most modern facilities possible.

Michael Beale will be hoping Glasgow Rangers bounce back from their Old Firm defeat last weekend as their underwhelming season continues today at Ibrox.

St Mirren are the visitors and with the Premiership title race pretty much over after the recent defeat to Celtic, its time Beale makes a few changes and unleashes players who are in urgent need of some game time.

Speaking in his pre match press conference, Beale confirmed that there will be six players missing for the St Mirren tie, saying:

"A few missing for the weekend.

"Connor Goldson is still unavailable. Ridvan, Colak, Wright, Jack, and Kent are also unavailable for the weekend.”

This could be a blessing in disguise for the Englishman as he will now be forced to maybe start a few players who otherwise wouldn’t have gotten a look in due to these injuries.

One player who could benefit from the absence of Kent will be that of Fashion Sakala, who has had to make do with appearances off the bench recently due to the form of Todd Cantwell, but he can take full advantage this afternoon.

Will Fashion Sakala start for Rangers against St Mirren?

The Zambian forward has turned a corner under Beale’s reign, having barely featured under Giovanni van Bronckhorst during the first few months of the season.

He has scored six goals and grabbed seven assists since mid-December and even though the majority of these displays came from a spot on the right wing, his finest performance this season was on the left-hand side, tearing apart a Hibernian side who quite simply didn’t know what to do with him.

The 26-year-old received a Sofascore rating of 9.6/10 for that performance which included a goal, two assists, seven key passes and four successful dribble attempts, terrorising the Hibs backline.

There was plenty of praise for the £8.3k-per-week sensation from pundits James McFadden and Steven Thomson following the match, with the former dubbing him a “constant threat” while former Gers striker Thomson stated that he had been “immense” against the Easter Road outfit.

His unpredictability is arguably his greatest strength, confusing defenders as they never know if he will try to take a shot, dribble past them or use his pace to cut inside and tee up a chance for someone else.

Against the Buddies earlier this season, Sakala scored and registered an assist, so could it be time for him to run riot against the Paisley side once again?

Only time will tell.