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Rangers have been handed a big boost as a behind-the-scenes update has emerged on Alfredo Morelos…

What’s the latest?

The Daily Record have reported on the striker’s recovery and shared an image of him working out at the Gers training ground, taken from footage posted by the player himself on his Instagram story on Tuesday.

Instead of going away on holiday or spending downtime with his family after the end of the 2021/22 campaign last month, Morelos is continuing to work hard to make sure he is fit in time for the start of next season.

He has been out of action since March with a thigh injury, with a Rangers statement at the time of the news reading:

“Our medical team are pleased with the outcome of the operation and his rehabilitation programme is underway.

“He will return to training with the First Team squad during pre-season.”

Supporters will be excited

The Ibrox supporters will surely be excited by the image, and the footage from his account, as it shows that he is willing to put in the hard work over the summer break to put himself in the best possible condition for the 2022/23 campaign.

He could have jetted away to a sunny location and eased up on his recovery for a few weeks. Instead, he is at the training ground and putting the hours in to make sure that he is back on schedule and available for selection come the start of pre-season – as initially mapped out by the club.

The fans will love this decision from the Colombian and it will hopefully be a big boost to the club by speeding up his comeback. Morelos is a crucial player for the Light Blues and having him fit for competitive action in July is an exciting prospect.

In the 2021/22 campaign, he caught the eye domestically and in Europe as he consistently delivered at the top end of the pitch.

In the Premiership, he averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.32 as he scored 11 goals and provided seven assists for Steven Gerrard and van Bronckhorst combined. He also scored four goals in eight Europa League starts as he averaged a rating of 7.12.

He has proven that he can have a significant impact on games with his ability to score and create goals and this is why the supporters will be excited for his return, which may be sped up by his willingness to work during the off-season.

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

Everton have recently been linked with a move for Crystal Palace midfielder Luka Milivojevic, with the Serbian reportedly set to leave the Eagles this summer.

What’s the word?

According to Spor Time journalist Gerasimos Manolidis, the 31-year-old won’t be returning to Olympiacos, where he featured before his move to south London in January 2017, and is likely to depart Selhurst Park before next season.

Manolidis suggests that both Everton and Fulham are taking an interest in the Palace captain, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, which suggests that the Eagles may look to cash in on him this summer.

Worse than Klaassen?

Milivojevic was once a key player in the Crystal Palace side and won plaudits for his ability from set pieces, while he managed an impressive 12 goals and two assists for the Eagles in their 2018/19 Premier League campaign.

However, his performances have dropped in recent years, as suggested by his declining WhoScored ratings, and the 2021/22 campaign saw him make just 15 top-flight appearances under Patrick Vieira, in which he failed to score or set up a goal and averaged a disappointing 6.44 rating from WhoScored.

With the Frenchman having overseen a youthful transformation at Selhurst Park this season, it seems unlikely that he will re-integrate Milivojevic into his starting 11 next term, and Everton could take advantage by bringing the midfielder to Goodison Park.

However, the Serbian’s displays last season and in 2020/21, when he averaged a 6.55 rating from WhoScored for his performances, suggest that he wouldn’t be an astute addition to Frank Lampard’s squad.

In fact, it could be argued that he would prove to be an even worse signing than Davy Klaassen, who struggled throughout his spell on Merseyside, having joined from Ajax in 2017 in a £23.6m deal.

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The Dutchman would go on to make just 16 first-team appearances for Everton, in which he contributed no goals and just one assist. However, he has since returned to Ajax and been a success, hitting nine goals for the Dutch giants on their way to the Eredivisie title this season.

The Toffees were able to recuperate around half of the fee that they paid for Klaassen, but given Milivojevic’s age, it seems as if he would have very little resale value if he does make the move to Merseyside.

Lampard already boasts more mobile midfield options such as Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure, with the Serbian’s lack of speed a real concern, as was pointed out by journalist Jack Collins in 2020.

He said: “He’s good at dead balls, but I think that Palace fans have started to turn on Luka Milivojevic a little bit, because he’s actually really slow, slows the game down a lot, commits quite a lot of fouls and basically, is only in for his dead-ball ability at times.”

Although Milivojevic boasts Premier League experience, his declining WhoScored ratings suggest that he looks to be well past his best; and if he does join Everton this summer, then it would not be a surprise if his signing proved to be even more of a disaster than the 2017 misadventure with Klaassen.

In other news… Everton in prime position to sign £19.8m-rated titan, he won’t cost a penny

Liverpool have reportedly maintained a long-term interest in Raphinha and now a new update has emerged on the club’s intentions to ramp up their interest in the player this summer.

What’s the latest?

According to Spanish news outlet Sport (via Daily Star), Liverpool have now submitted a £60m bid for Leeds United star Raphinha.

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As per the report, Jurgen Klopp seems keen to add more depth to his attack this summer and wants Raphinha to be a direct replacement for Sadio Mane.

The Brazilian and his agent Deco have, however, rejected all bids that have been offered so far the report goes on to state, and the winger is holding out for his favoured move to Barcelona.

Imagine him & Nunez

Liverpool have officially completed the club record-breaking signing of their second incoming transfer of the season with Darwin Nunez sealing a deal, keeping the Uruguayan striker at Anfield until 2028.

If the Reds manager can convince Raphinha to join Nunez this summer he could form a formidable attacking partnership between the pair that will ignite the next chapter of Liverpool’s famous front-line.

The Leeds winger has caught the attention of some of the biggest clubs in Europe with La Liga giants Barcelona in hot pursuit of the exciting talent following impressive performances with the West Yorkshire club.

The Brazilian who was hailed “world-class” by Paul Robinson has scored 17 goals and delivered 12 assists for his Premier League club over the last two seasons with a goal contribution every 184 minutes.

This season Raphinha was Leeds’ top goal scorer, in his 35 Premier League appearances he scored 11 goals and created ten big chances, making 1.9 key passes, 1.5 tackles on average per game and winning 5.2 duels on average per game.

Teammate Illan Meslier even dubbed the 25-year-old a “storm” in an interview:

“All the time he can make skills and shoot. Sometimes Raphinha is a storm. He’s amazing, unbelievable.”

Klopp has already acquired a new goal machine in Nunez but if the reports are true about the bid submitted for Raphinha he is clearly looking for a direct replacement to fill the gap Sadio Mane will leave in the team due to his imminent move to Bayern Munich this summer.

With that being said, FSG will need to offer something very attractive to the Leeds forward in an attempt to distract him from a move to Spain and secure a deal to convince him to make the short move across the north to Merseyside instead.

AND in other news: Liverpool have “genuine” interest in signing “wonderful” £42m gem, imagine him & Nunez

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph has revealed that Celtic are ‘closely monitoring’ Manchester City defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis ahead of a potential move to the Scottish Premiership this summer.

The Lowdown: Harwood-Bellis profiled

As per the Premier League club’s official website, the 20-year-old is an academy graduate of the Sky Blues after first joining at the age of just six. He’s worked his way up through the ranks, having been part of the U18s squad before being handed his senior first-team debut in 2020 in the 3-0 Carabao Cup victory over Preston North End.

The £6.3m-rated centre-back spent the second half of last season out on loan in the English second tier with Stoke City, and having impressed during his spell with the Potters, appears to have caught the eye of multiple potential suitors, including the Hoops.

The Latest: Celtic ‘closely monitoring’ Harwood-Bellis

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Joseph revealed that Celtic still want to add another centre-back to their ranks, despite securing Cameron Carter-Vickers, and says that Harwood-Bellis could be the man. He said:

“I think after getting Carter-Vickers, Celtic would like to add another centre-back, because I’d imagine they feel Jullien may leave, or may need to take time before he gets back to first-team level. Taylor Harwood-Bellis is someone who they’re closely monitoring.”

The Verdict: An exciting prospect

Even though Harwood-Bellis is still at a very young age, he looks to be an exciting prospect and already has plenty of experience under his belt, making him a player that would slot nicely into Ange Postecoglou’s defence.

Standing at 6 foot 2, not only does the Stockport-born talent have the physicality required to jump into the senior game full pelt, but he also uses his presence smartly, having averaged 3.5 clearances and 1.9 interceptions per game for Stoke last term, via WhoScored.

The City starlet is additionally a regular feature in England’s U21s side, having captained the Three Lions in their recent European Championship Qualifiers, showing that he has natural leadership qualities, an attribute that would be the perfect addition to the Bhoys’ starting XI or squad.

In other news… Celtic could now be planning a loan-to-buy deal to sign one of their transfer targets.

Glasgow Rangers have reportedly now made a bid to try and bring Antonio Colak to Ibrox this summer.

The Lowdown: Broke Gers hearts…

Colak is a striker who will be familiar to Gers supporters, as he was the player who scored two goals at Ibrox for Malmo in the UEFA Champions League qualifier last season, sending the Swedish side through and breaking Gers hearts in the process.

Back at Greek club PAOK after his loan spell in Sweden, the six-foot-two colossus scored three goals and made a further two assists in 23 matches for them last term (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Bid rejected

Taking to Twitter, Greek football journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos has revealed that the Light Blues have now made a bid for Colak, although it has been rejected:

“Rangers have bid rejected for PAOK forward Antonio Colak.”

The Verdict: Avoid

Even though Colak showed what he is capable of against the Teddy Bears last campaign, his numbers have not been consistent enough to warrant a big move, especially given that they already have Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe as striker options.

At 28 years of age, 35 strikes between them in all competitions.

Nonetheless, there is still plenty of time left in this window to move onto other targets, with Erik Botheim and Stephen Odey thought to be options for Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Transfer insider Dean Jones has claimed Manchester United could now move for two alternative targets should their priorities not arrive this summer. 

The lowdown: Pursuit of midfielders

So far this summer the Red Devils have been heavily linked with a move for Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong and Brentford’s soon-to-be free agent Christian Eriksen.

However, due to the Dane’s lengthy decision-making process and an impasse over negotiations for De Jong, neither move has materialised and both are in danger of falling by the wayside.

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Should that be the case, one journalist in the know has suggested that United could then attempt to make moves for two previous targets…

The latest: ‘Let’s not rule out…’

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones claimed that United could return for Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans or Wolves stalwart Ruben Neves as alternative options.

He said: “United’s issue is if they don’t land these two, then it looks like whatever else happens is a fallback option. It’s not as good as what they wanted. But let’s not rule out Tielemans, Ruben Neves, these players that they’ve been linked to for a long time.”

The verdict: Smart planning

Although landing the preferred duo would be the ideal scenario, United don’t find themselves in a position to forgo signing players this summer in order to strengthen the squad and especially the midfield department.

Having already allowed Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata to leave Old Trafford, additions are essential if Erik ten Hag is going to stand a chance of competing in the upper echelons next season.

Valued at a combined £85.5million (Transfermarkt), signing either Tielemans or Neves – who is represented by the same agency as Cristiano Ronaldo – would be an affordable venture for the Red Devils and they would arrive with proven Premier League quality.

According to Football Scotland, Jack MacIver is set to undergo a trial at Sunderland, with the view of the club offering him a professional deal at the end of it.

The Lowdown: An uncertain future

The 19-year-old worked his way up through the ranks as part of Aberdeen’s reserves, but has failed to make any senior appearances during his time in the Scottish Premiership.

The midfielder has most recently been out training with Sheffield Wednesday, but the Owls have decided against making a permanent move for his services.

His contract at the Pittodrie Stadium expired at the end of May, making him a free agent, and it looks as though the Black Cats want to give him a chance to prove his worth ahead of the new season in the Championship.

The Latest: MacIver set for Sunderland trial

As part of a live transfer blog, Football Scotland revealed that MacIver is ‘set for a trial’ with Sunderland.

The source stated that the maestro had been ‘training’ with Wednesday, but will now ‘go to the Black Cats’ training ground’ and get to work, with the aim being to ‘win a deal’.

The Verdict: U23s prospect

Sunderland are clearly interested in seeing what MacIver is capable of, but with the Owls turning down the chance to retain his services, this does cause a little bit of concern.

It feels likely that the Stadium of Light outfit will be plotting to integrate the teenager into their U23s side given his lack of experience at first-team level, so it’s certainly not an upgrade to the first-team ranks.

There’s no doubt that Alex Neil always keeps a close eye on the club’s exciting young talents however, and with the right amount of progress, MacIver could potentially go on to become one of the fresh faces who forces his way into the senior starting XI in years to come.

Manchester United target Lisandro Martinez ‘will have his hopes pinned’ on a move to Old Trafford.

That’s according to the head of Dutch publication De Telegraaf’s sports section, Marcel van der Kraan (via Sport Witness), who is expecting ‘big developments’ very soon.

The lowdown

Fabrizio Romano reported on Friday night that United ‘are preparing a bid’ for the Ajax defender. Martinez is ‘very high in Erik ten Hag’s list’, but it’s an ‘open’ race, with Arsenal in the running too.

It will be United’s next priority after they seal a deal for Feyenoord defender Tyrell Malacia.

The 24-year-old is predominantly a centre-back but he can also play as a defensive midfielder or a full-back.

The latest

Van der Kraan says that Martinez is eager to reunite with his former manager Ten Hag in Manchester.

And he adds that the Argentine should be available for between £38.8million and £43million, unless a bidding war breaks out.

“Martinez is very high on Erik ten Hag’s wishlist, so I expect big developments in the 24 or 48 hours.

“Martinez will also have his hopes pinned on United, who are an absolute top club for him.

“Ajax will really cash out for Martinez and go to €45-50m, but that is the advantage if two clubs bid, as we saw with Lyon and Manchester United [for Malacia], then it suddenly goes higher.”

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The verdict

This is an indication that United’s pulling power remains, even with the club failing to qualify for the Champions League.

Frenkie de Jong hasn’t seemed overly enthusiastic about the prospect of joining the club, previously insisting that he’s happy at Barcelona, but it appears that Martinez dreams of playing for the 20-times English champions.

Similar in profile to Manchester City’s Ruben Dias, he’s been nicknamed ‘The Argentine Butcher’ and says that he ‘always goes into battle full of struggle’.

And he combines that spirit with real quality, winning the Player of the Year award for Eredivisie champions Ajax.

Nottingham Forest have made offers to sign Huddersfield Town duo Lewis O’Brien and Harry Toffolo, according to a report from The Athletic. 

The lowdown: Summer influx

The Reds have been proactive in the transfer window following promotion to the Premier League, adding no fewer than six players to Steve Cooper’s squad already at a total cost of £62.1million.

Neco Williams became the latest capture for the Midlands club, arriving on a four-year deal from Liverpool having spent 15 years on Merseyside, where he was nurtured through the academy system.

Not content with the business already achieved, a fresh report has emerged claiming that Forest have already moved onto their next two targets and offers are even on the table…

The latest: EFL duo eyed

As per The Athletic, Forest have ‘made bids’ for Huddersfield duo O’Brien and Toffolo.

It’s claimed that the City Ground club are attempting to nab the pair for a combined £10-12million, although the Championship outfit want that as a standalone fee for midfielder O’Brien – who was described as possessing ‘Premier League class’ by journalist Leon Wobschall.

The report states that ‘talks are ongoing’ with Huddersfield unwilling to stand in the way of the ambitions of their two stars, after they were pipped by Cooper’s side in the playoff final in May.

The verdict: Stand firm

Signing both players for the mooted combined fee would be a superb piece of business from the Reds hierarchy, however, the club should be reticent to pay much more, particularly for Toffolo – who is in the final 12 months of a deal – as Forest have already added talented left-back Omar Richards to the ranks this summer and Williams can also operate in the position.

But, bringing in O’Brien to boost the boss’ midfield options after loanee James Garner returned to parent club Manchester United would be a smart move from the hierarchy, with the department currently lacking in top-level ready frontline choices.

Last season, the 23-year-old Englishman – who is on £8,000 per week at present (Salary Sport) – earned a 7.00 Sofascore rating across 43 league appearances, scoring three goals and registering three assists whilst making the Team of the Week on three occasions.

Although increased wages and indeed transfer fees go with the territory of becoming a top-flight club, recruitment chief George Syrianos must stand firm on what they believe to be a fair price for their targets and that goes for O’Brien and Toffolo alike.

West Ham transfer target Jesse Lingard will reportedly make a final decision on his future in the next week, with a preference towards the Premier League.

What’s the word?

That’s according to David Ornstein, who took to Twitter to update Irons fans about the 29-year-old’s future.

Sharing a corresponding article for The Athletic, he outlined: “Jesse Lingard will make decision on future next week. 29yo wants to be in a club no later than Fri 22 July. Not moving to #MLS but considering Saudi in £10m-per-year deal. Preference is PL (3 offers on the table) but Saudi a firm option.”

West Ham had already shown an interest in Lingard, having reportedly made him a contract offer towards the end of June.

Moyes will be buzzing

David Moyes pulled a rabbit out of the hat when he signed Lingard in January 2021, revitalising the player’s career in the process.

This revelation that the former Manchester United man is keen on staying in the Premier League will delight the Hammers boss, who would surely be more than happy to add this tricky attacker to his already growing list of forwards.

In his 16 games for West Ham on loan last year, Lingard racked up a remarkable haul of 14 goal contributions, helping to propel the Irons to a sixth-place finish. It seemed that he would stick around in east London, but he opted to fight for his place in the Manchester United team and was forced to sit and watch on from the sidelines for the most part last season.

Another stint at the London Stadium could be exactly what the 29-year-old needs, and a full season of his early 2021 form would surely see the Hammers secure European football again next year.

In 2020/21, he boasted a 7.19 average SofaScore rating and took himself to the brink of England’s Euro 2020 squad, playing high-quality football again with a smile on his face.

Moyes was full of praise for the England international, stating that the loanee had “made a big difference” to his side during his time at the London Stadium.

Now that the opportunity once again presents itself to reunite Lingard with West Ham, it seems a no-brainer for both parties to get the deal done and see how it can benefit everyone involved.

AND in other news – “West Ham have…”: Fabrizio Romano reveals huge transfer update that supporters will love