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According to Portuguese outlet A Bola (via Sport Witness), Southampton have made contact to sign Nuno Tavares and are still in with a chance of securing the services of the left-back.

The Lowdown: Tavares appeared close to Napoli move

Tavares, who currently plays for Benfica in the Portuguese top flight, appeared to be closing in on a move to Serie A outfit Napoli.

The fee is said to be €15m (£12.9m) but, while the two clubs are coming to terms on an agreement, the negotiations have not been particularly easy.

The Latest: Saints still in the hunt

This latest report has revealed that the Saints are still in the hunt to sign the 21-year-old.

Napoli remain in pole position for his signature, but Southampton have contacted Benfica and remain in with a shout.

The Verdict: Exciting talent

Benfica have earned a reputation of churning out top talents in recent years, and Tavares is another exciting player. Even at his tender age, he has made 41 appearances for his club, scoring once and providing seven assists (Transfermarkt). Indeed, his performances have even attracted interest from Manchester United in the past (Gazzetta dello Sport via talkSPORT).

With Ryan Bertrand leaving St Mary’s this summer (southamptonfc.com), Ralph Hasenhuttl needs to bring in a new player for the left side of his defence. In Tavares, he would be signing someone who has many years left ahead of him for a relatively competitive fee, and it would seem a real coup if they can gazump European regulars Napoli to sign him.

In other news, Southampton eye this England international.

Former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that Wilfried Zaha’s situation at Crystal Palace will not affect the club’s manager search.

Goal recently reported that Zaha is attracting strong interest from Everton and Tottenham as the 28-year-old winger considers his future.

Zaha once again proved to be Palace’s talisman this season, scoring 11 goals in the Premier League campaign that has just gone.

Losing a player of his quality will no doubt make the Eagles a much weaker side, and replacing him will probably be no easy task. Still, Palmer does not believe that will detract managers from the Palace job.

When asked by FFC if losing Zaha makes the vacancy for the Selhurst Park dugout less attractive, the ex-Leeds United star said:

“No, not really. You’ve got to expect at a club like Crystal Palace, no disrespect to them, you’re going to produce players like Wilfried Zaha… you know that the player is not going to stay.

“They must have had discussions with Wilfried time and time again about, ‘Stay for this time and we’ll allow you to go then at that time.’ ”

Even if Zaha does end up staying in south London this summer, Roy Hodgson’s successor still has a momentous rebuild job on his hands.

Palace have 15 players who will soon be out of contract, while striker Michy Batshuayi is also set to return to parent club Chelsea.

Former Everton star Michael Ball says that the next manager has to get along with Marcel Brands if he is to be a success at Goodison Park.

The Toffees are on the hunt for a new boss since the departure of Carlo Ancelotti, who shockingly left his job to join Real Madrid after Zinedine Zidane left his role at the Santiago Bernabeu.

It is unclear who will be chosen to come in and replace the Italian but ex-Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo appeared to be the frontrunner prior to developments seeing him touted as the top target for Crystal Palace, though there is also said to be interest in David Moyes, who is under contract at West Ham United.

Brands is staying at Goodison Park as the club’s Director of Football, and he is leading the chase for Ancelotti’s successor.

As a result, Ball believes that whoever comes into the club must agree to work alongside the Dutchman, and give him the power to strengthen the squad, instead of disagreeing over pursuits of players et al.

He also believes that owner Farhad Moshiri cannot be at the forefront of the chase for a new boss, given his track record of mistakes in the market.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Ball said: “It’s a huge decision for Moshiri and he’s got it wrong quite a few times. He’s spent a lot of money so I understand why he wants his input but you’re paying a guy there, Marcel Brands, to have a relationship with the manager, you want them to be on the same page.

“You don’t want them to be hammer and tongs, you know, ‘this is my player, this is my player’ and have two or three people on recruitment, which we have in the past, and it hasn’t worked.”

Manchester United are ahead of Eredivisie champions Ajax in the race to sign FC Nordsjaelland forward Kamaldeen Sulemana.

What’s the story?

According to Football Insider, the Red Devils are expected to outbid the Dutch giants following recent talks after sending a delegation to Denmark in order to thrash out a deal for the 19-year-old sensation.

Sulemana has enjoyed a fabulous campaign with Nordsjaelland, bagging 10 goals and providing eight assists in just 29 appearances for the SuperLiga outfit, attracting the attention of some of the continent’s biggest clubs.

The new Rashford

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have made solid, if relatively steady, progress this season. A second-place finish in the Premier League table is secured with a game to spare, and Wednesday’s Europa League final will offer the perfect opportunity to end the club’s longest trophy drought in over 30 years.

However, a 12-point gap to Premier League winners Manchester City and a group stage exit in the Champions League outlines the work that is still be done to restore the Old Trafford outfit to their former glory.

While the starting XI have continually impressed throughout the current campaign, Solskjaer has often found his options limited when looking to the bench. The likes of Dan James, Donny van de Beek and Alex Telles have failed to grasp their opportunity when given a chance from the off, and the 20-time English champions are, therefore, keen to bolster their ranks over the summer.

Sulemana appears to fit the bill, and the similarities to Marcus Rashford in the pair’s style of play are clear for all to see. The Ghana international is a pacey forward who’s comfortable playing on either flank or through the middle.

The teenager has an extensive array of skills and tricks in his locker and is renowned for his directness and eye for goal, all key features of Rashford’s game. While James has made improvements this season and continues to work hard, it’s clear that Sulemana has more to offer than the Welshman.

If United want to secure his services, though, they’ll have to continue to fend of Ajax’s advances. The Amsterdam outfit’s sporting director Marc Overmars has been scouting the winger, while manager Erik ten Haag openly praised the Nordsjaelland man, stating: “He is an attractive player who is technically skilled and goes on an adventure and has a lot of speed.”

The Football Insider report claims Ajax have submitted a £12m offer for Sulemana, while his current employers are holding out for a £15m fee, a price United are expected to get closer to.

It could be a pivotal transfer window for Solskjaer as he attempts to real in United’s noisy neighbours, and securing some much-needed backup for Rashford out wide could significantly boost their title aspirations for 2021/22.

And, in other news…United headed for huge mistake over £58.5-rated disaster, Solskjaer must stay clear 

Peterborough United Director of Football has told Football FanCast that he doubts West Ham manager David Moyes will spend £40m on Tammy Abraham.

The Chelsea striker is reportedly available this summer, with the Blues willing to cash in should they receive a big bid.

The Daily Telegraph has reported that he would cost around £40m, and there is said to be interest from both West Ham and Leicester City.

Abraham has scored 12 goals in all competitions this season but he has struggled for minutes at times, particularly under the management of Thomas Tuchel.

Indeed, he was not even included in the squad for the FA Cup final against Leicester, a game the Blues lost 1-0.

Fry, though, wonders just how much Moyes will have to spend this summer and, as such, doubts whether he would be willing to splurge on one player.

The Irons are currently seventh in the Premier League and are not guaranteed qualification for Europe this season despite flirting with the top four throughout the campaign.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, Fry said: “If the manager wants him, I can see them trying to back the manager.

“It depends what sort of kitty Moyes has got. If he’s got, say, £60 million to spend I don’t think he’ll spend £40 million on one player.”

St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson has recently admitted that he wants to take Rangers youngster Glenn Middleton back on loan next season but, after a lack of playing time with The Saints this season, Ross Wilson and Steven Gerrard should reject any approach which would see him return to McDiarmid Park next term.

The highly-rated winger joined Davidson’s side on loan in January but has been limited to only six appearances in the Premiership since then, totalling just 151 minutes of action.

Before the season split, all of Middleton’s appearances for St Johnstone had been brief cameos from the bench, but he earned himself a start in the first game after the international break against Aberdeen, having scored the winning goal against Ross County to earn his team a place in the top six.

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As a result, Davidson is clearly keen to bring him back to the club on loan next season, as he recently admitted: “Glenn has had to be patient but he’s come off the bench against Ross County and scored the goal that got us into the top six. That’s some achievement.

“He’s worked really hard from the day he arrived and the more I get him involved, the better he’ll be. He’s great about the place, he wants to learn and has a really positive attitude. So we’ll be looking to have a conversation with Rangers about next season. I think Glenn is at the stage in his career where he now needs sustained game time.”

However, there is clearly no guarantee of first team football for Middleton at McDiarmid Park; and given that he has contributed five goals and five assists in 29 appearances for Rangers so far in his career, he has shown that he could be considered by Steven Gerrard for a place in the champions’ first team squad next season.

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If the Ibrox outfit decide to send him out on loan again next term, they should find somewhere that is willing to give Middleton regular first team football, as unfortunately his lack of starting appearances in Davidson’s side means that it has been something of a disastrous loan spell in Perth, and he deserves more scope to show what he can do in 2021/22.

In other news… Gerrard could sign his dream Helander heir at Rangers in 26 y/o beast

Former Manchester United man Keith Gillespie has urged Donny van de Beek to leave the club this summer, telling Football FanCast that he simply hasn’t been given a chance at Old Trafford.

United spent £35m to extricate the Netherlands international from Ajax, where he had become something of a star.

In total, he made 175 appearances for the Dutch club, scoring 41 goals, and he played a key role in their progression to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018, when they were beaten by Tottenham Hotspur.

Since then, he has made just two starts in the Premier League, and has only completed the 90 minutes once, in the 3-2 win over Southampton in November.

He has finished the 90 minutes three times in all competitions, also doing so against Watford in the FA Cup, Brighton and Hove Albion in the EFL Cup, and Istanbul Basaksehir in the Champions League.

Gillespie does not think he has been given the opportunity to become a star at United, and has urged him to move on and find a club where he can play regularly, though he believes there will be suitors queuing around the block to snap him up.

He told FFC: “If they have to cut their losses and let him move on, I’m sure there’s plenty of clubs out there who would love Donny van de Beek, so I don’t think it’s going to be a problem in terms of clubs coming in for him, but I think he probably just needs to leave.

“It’s been very unfair on him because from the very off he hasn’t been given a chance.

“He gets the odd game here and there but it’s very difficult to get up to speed when you play one game and then you’re out for five and then you maybe come on for 30 minutes, that’s the way it’s been for him all season.”

David Moyes should adhere to Frank McAvennie’s advice after he backed Said Benrahma as the surprise answer to West Ham United’s Declan Rice woes.

The Hammers confirmed earlier this week that Rice sustained a lateral knee ligament injury while representing England during the March international break.

He now faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines, which reports have suggested could be as long as four to six weeks providing surgery is not required.

Rice having to have his knee operated on could see the 22-year-old be ruled out for the rest of the season, which would jeopardise his place in Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad for this summer’s European Championships.

Moyes opted to recall Mark Noble against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday night for only the Irons captain’s fifth Premier League start of the term, but McAvennie fears his former side having to rely on the 33-year-old long-term.

“To play Noble for six weeks could set us back, no disrespect to him, but he’s just not got the energy or the legs that the younger guys have,” McAvennie exclusively told FootballFanCast.

“David has got to find energy in the middle. If Rice is caught out and [Tomas] Soucek is up beside him, the two of them have got energy to get back, but Noble can’t.

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“But if [Ben] Johnson or whoever he wants to put in – Benrahma, and may have to play him a bit deeper, but he’s still got the energy to get up and down. [Jesse] Lingard, I don’t think he’ll bring him that far back.

“It’s a strange one and it’s going to be a headache for David Moyes.”

Monday’s 3-2 win over Wolves was the first Premier League game that Rice has sat out since May 2019, with the £60,000-per-week star opening West Ham’s previous 68 consecutive fixtures.

Noble fared reasonably well in the holding midfield role beside Soucek by keeping things simple, with his leadership the key factor behind his performance having offered a calm head whilst Nuno Espirito Santo’s side threatened a three-goal comeback.

But the Molineux outfit have struggled for consistent form all season and now sit 14th in table, while Sunday’s clash with top-four rivals Leicester City will be expected to cause West Ham a much tougher test in the fight for Champions League qualification.

Moyes could look to weather the inevitable storm by adhering to McAvennie’s advice, and unleashing Benrahma in the engine room beside Soucek and Noble despite the Algerian never playing deeper than an attacking midfield role throughout his career.

The Hammers boss has previously praised Benrahma – who fell to the bench at Molineux and has not started back-to-back Premier League games since February 6 – for his defensive work rate, as his contributions had caught Moyes by surprise.

“I’ve had a bit of a laugh with him [Benrahma] because I’m saying to him: ‘I didn’t realise I’d signed a really hard-working midfield player who runs and closes down, and does all the defensive duties,’” Moyes said, via quotes by The Guardian, in February.

“I said: ‘I thought we got someone for assists and goal making.’ They’re the bits which I think he’s probably needed to improve. The other part has been excellent. I want team players here – I don’t want individuals – but Said’s been great for the team.”

Moyes can now look to unleash Benrahma’s defensive capabilities to their full potential by fielding the 25-year-old in a deeper role at home to Leicester on Sunday, and see if he can be the answer to West Ham’s Rice headache.

AND in other news, West Ham land major boost in race to sign “complete” £11m-rated target for free…

Manchester City and Pep Guardiola could be set to receive a huge boost in the coming weeks, after it was revealed that Raheem Sterling is in talks over a new deal with the Citizens.

According to Fabrizio Romano, following the announcement that Kevin De Bruyne had signed a new deal with the club, the Citizens’ next priority is to negotiate new deals with both Sterling and Gabriel Jesus.

The Englishman’s current contract with City is set to expire in 2023, so any extension to that will perhaps see Sterling spend the rest of his career at the top with the Citizens, as he continues to impress following his move from Liverpool.

Since signing from the Merseyside outfit in the summer of 2015, the exciting winger has gone on to make 283 appearances for City, in which he has contributed a superb 113 goals and 86 assists.

Whilst this season has seen him lose his guaranteed starting spot in the starting eleven, he still has 13 goals and 11 assists to his name in all competitions, so is clearly still a hugely important part of Guardiola’s squad.

His recent form, and finishing, has certainly come under scrutiny but his average rating of 7.24/1o in the Premier League so far this season ranks him as City’s fifth-best performer in the top-flight.

There is no doubting that the 26-year-old, who reportedly earns £300k per week, is on a disappointing run of form, with no goals for City in any of his last seven appearances, but it is surely a matter of time before he gets his confidence back and starts finding the net on a more regular basis.

Guardiola is certainly a big fan of the former QPR youngster and was full of praise for him earlier in the season, saying:

“We’ve seen him play on the right, off the left, and as a false nine – you can rely on Raheem every time he steps on the pitch in terms of goals and assists. That’s a remarkable thing. He started as a flair player, now all of a sudden, Raheem gets you those numbers.”

Therefore, it will undoubtedly be a huge boost for City if they can get Sterling to commit to a new deal at the club and perhaps once the negotiations are dealt with, he will quickly get back to his best.

And, in other news… Forget Mendes: Txiki should seal City swoop for 26 y/o dubbed “one of the best”

Manchester City have been linked with a move for Southampton striker Danny Ings recently but the Citizens would be better off avoiding the 28-year-old and focusing their efforts on Borussia Dortmund sensation Erling Haaland.

According to Sky Sports, City are eyeing the former Liverpool man as a more ‘attainable’ option than the Norway international, and see Ings as a potential replacement for Sergio Aguero, who is looking increasingly likely to depart in the summer when his contract at the Etihad is set to expire.

Ings enjoyed a superb season with Southampton in the 2019/20 campaign, hitting 22 top-flight goals and finishing as the joint-second top scorer in the division but he has been unable to match those figures in a struggling Southampton side so far this season.

Although his season has been impacted by a number of short-term injury problems, the England international has just eight top-flight goals for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, although the breakdown in his contract talks may well be impacting his form.

His contract at St Mary’s is set to expire at the end of next season, which potentially opens the door for Man City to bring him in on a cut-price deal ahead of next season, whilst Ings has also admitted that he would love to join a Champions League side.

However, his injury-hit spell on Liverpool, where he would manage just 25 appearances, should be a warning to City that a move for the 28-year-old could backfire if he spends more time on the sidelines than on the pitch.

Although Eddie Howe dubbed Ings an “outstanding player” last season, there seem to be few benefits, other than financial reasons, why City should target Ings ahead of Haaland this summer, as whilst the Southampton man is a proven Premier League goalscorer, he will turn 29 this summer, whereas the Dortmund star is just 20 and has the potential to be one of the best players of his generation.

Ings would also add to City’s English quota, but there seems very little to suggest that he would be an adequate replacement for Aguero, who will undoubtedly go down as a club legend at City due to his remarkable goal-scoring record.

The Argentinian has had plenty of his own injury issues, of course, but the club would be making a huge mistake if they were to axe him this summer in favour of Ings and if they do want to find a replacement for the former Atletico Madrid man, they should go all-out for a world-class forward.

And, in other news… No goals or assists in March: £63m-rated Man City ace let his standards drop this month