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A transfer update has emerged that may help Rangers to bring back one of their Ibrox loanees from the 2021/22 campaign… 

What’s the talk?

Journalist Fredrik A. Filtvedt has revealed that Amad Diallo may go back out on loan next season.

The attacker is not going to settle for a reserve role and would be willing to seal another temporary move away from Old Trafford, like the one he just had at Ibrox.

Filtvedt Tweeted: “Amad Diallo naturally wants playing time and is open for another loan. Has been in dialogue with Ten Hag, but nothing decided yet.”

Rangers’ own Riyad Mahrez

Ross Wilson can now land Rangers their own version of the Manchester City wizard by bringing the Ivorian back for a second spell, now that they know he would be interested in another loan spell away from his parent club.

England international Luke Shaw once compared him to the Algeria international – who scored 11 goals in 15 Premier League starts last term – as he hailed Amad’s talents, saying:

“He’s a wonderful talent and already a wonderful player so I’m sure fans are looking forward to seeing him on the pitch.

“It was interesting because Harry (Maguire) said to me the other day that he reminds him of Mahrez when he was at Leicester. Really quick, skilful, agility, can turn really quick, got great skills and I would agree with Harry – he does remind me of Mahrez.”

However, he was unable to showcase these qualities to the best of his abilities as he was trying to adapt to the rigours of Scottish football after joining midway through the campaign.

The £28k-per-week magician, who is a left-footed right-winger like Mahrez, managed three goals and zero assists in ten Premiership outings, with two of his strikes coming in his last three matches.

He only produced one goal contribution in his first seven league games but his end to the campaign suggests that he was starting to get to grips with the division. Along with his two goals in the last three matches, he created five chances and completed eight dribbles.

This shows that he was offering a threat in transition and was able to provide quality in both his finishing and his passing in the final third.

Now, imagine what he could do next season with this experience and a full pre-season behind him.

He can develop into Rangers’ own version of Mahrez – scoring and creating goals on his left foot from out wide – as Shaw and Maguire hinted at and that is why Wilson must pursue another loan move for the youngster.

AND in other news, Offer made: Major Rangers transfer development emerges that’ll leave Gvb buzzing…

Manchester United are interested in signing Derby County youngster Malcolm Ebiowei, according to reputable journalist Fabrizio Romano. 

The lowdown: Rising star

Despite the turmoil on and off the pitch as Derby were relegated from the Championship last season, Ebiowei continued an impressive rise to stardom during 2021/22.

The 18-year-old England and Netherlands youth international, who had been on the books at Arsenal, West Ham and Rangers before settling in the East Midlands, has caught the attention of multiple Premier League clubs with his performances.

It now appears as though only two leading candidates remain to sign the talented young forward…

The latest: ‘Leading the race’

Taking to Twitter, Romano has confirmed that United and Crystal Palace are the frontrunners to land the teenage starlet.

The transfer expert stated: “Manchester United and Crystal Palace are leading the race to sign Derby County’s Malcolm Ebiowei, talented striker born in 2003. #MUFC AS Monaco asked for him too but he’s expected to stay in Premier League – Man Utd and Palace are leading the race. #CPFC”

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The verdict: Rooney factor could swing it

Currently under the tutelage of Red Devils legend Wayne Rooney at Derby, Ebiowei – who was hailed for his ‘incredible’ attitude by the former United striker – scored once and provided two assists in 16 Championship outings last term.

Perhaps more impressively, the versatile teenager netted seven times and registered one assist in just seven Under-18 Premier League appearances before becoming a first-team regular at Pride Park.

It may be a transfer with a long-term outlook rather than an immediate impact, but should Rooney and newly-appointed Derby coach Steve McClaren give Erik ten Hag the thumbs-up on the youngster, then the United hierarchy must ensure that Ebiowei is Old Trafford-bound this summer.

In other news – Fabrizio Romano: Man Utd and Ten Hag are now in ‘new’ talks for ‘huge talent’ as well as De Jong

Aston Villa have shown aggression in their recruitment ideology ahead of the summer transfer window, and they can look to continue in the same vein with another of Steven Gerrard’s former team-mates after Philippe Coutinho.

What’s the word?

As per Football Insider, Villa have been urged to secure the capture of Luis Suarez by the club’s former midfielder Frank McAvennie.

Sharing his thoughts on the potential transfer, the 62-year-old said: “It would be good for the boys who are there, to train with him and have him around.

“For Watkins and Ings, having him around would be wonderful. It’s paying his wages, isn’t it? He’s at that age where you could probably get him on a reduced wage because he won’t play every game.

“Villa will still be able to give him a good wage. He won’t get that anywhere else so it’s whether he wants to come back and grind in the Premier League again.”

It was reported by The Athletic earlier this month that Gerrard and co were considering the 35-year-old, who is said to be in regular contact with the Villa manager, a former team-mate of his at Liverpool.

Suarez is available on a free transfer, with his contract at Atletico Madrid set to expire at the end of the month.

 Gerrard must pounce

The four signings which have been made thus far serve as a real statement of intent by Villa, with their ambition of breaking into the top six of the Premier League possibly being realised in the foreseeable future, given the calibre of signings they have made.

The acquisition of the £263k-per-week Suarez would serve as the cherry on top for Gerrard, and as intimated by McAvennie, his presence alone would be a massive boost for the squad.

Suarez, who has been dubbed a “stallion” by NBC Sports’ Justin Karp, is far from finished, even at the age of 35. He has proven that he still has penalty box potency, having notched 11 goals for Atletico in 35 La Liga appearances this season and 13 goals in total, making him the club’s joint-highest scorer for the campaign.

He would not only be the ideal mentor for Ings and Watkins, he could also help to inject a winning mentality within the squad, along with offering some quality depth in attack. That is something that Villa supporters will surely love to see in the Midlands.

Gerrard should seek to wrap up this prospective deal as quickly as possible.

In other news: Villa now keen on signing £60m “destroyer”, it would be an “immense” statement by Lange 

Rangers’ hopes of signing Joe Rothwell look to be over, with the latest reports suggesting that he is set to join Nottingham Forest on a free transfer.

What’s the word?

Rangers have regularly been linked with the Englishman in the past few weeks, once it became apparent that he wouldn’t extend his stay at Ewood Park and would leave the club on a Bosman transfer.

The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell recently suggested that Rangers will look to bring in free transfer signings this summer and the Blackburn Rovers midfielder would have made a lot of sense for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side, considering his strong form for Blackburn in the Championship last season.

However, Football Scotland journalist Mark McDougall has now suggested that Rothwell is on the brink of joining Forest following their recent promotion to the Premier League.

Gutting news

Rothwell enjoyed an excellent campaign for the Lancashire side, contributing three goals and 10 assists in 41 Championship appearances, averaging an impressive 6.95 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

The Teddy Bears have found a lot of success in signing free agents from English sides in recent seasons, with the likes of John Lundstram, Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey having all established themselves as key figures at Ibrox after signing for nothing.

With Aaron Ramsey unlikely to return to Rangers next season given his current wage at Juventus, and Aribo attracting interest from elsewhere, depth in central midfield is something that van Bronckhorst will surely be keen to add this summer.

Tony Mowbray was full of praise for the 27-year-old last season, saying:

“Joe Rothwell’s threat is there for everybody to see when he plays like he did today. When he bursts past the first challenge and runs into space there’s nobody catching him.”

Only James Tavernier would register more assists than Rothwell in the Rangers squad last season, so the former Oxford United man could have added some creativity in midfield.

Unfortunately, it seems as if he has his sights set on a move to the City Ground, and Rangers supporters will surely be disappointed that their side could not convince Rothwell to make the move north.

And, in other news… Rangers eyeing move for Brazilian sensation

Liverpool are reportedly willing to pay the €50m (£42.5m) release clause to sign Barcelona midfielder Gavi this summer.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Sport, the Merseyside club are the biggest threat in terms of the La Liga giants being able to keep hold of their midfield star.

After joining Barcelona’s youth system from Real Betis in 2015, the 17-year-old has gone on to work his way through the ranks and get into the first team at Camp Nou.

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The teenager already has 46 senior appearances under his belt, in which he has scored two goals and provided six assists.

This shows how highly he is rated at the Catalan club and why they would be so keen to keep hold of him for the future.

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Fans would be delighted

To further highlight how important he has been for Xavi’s side, only three other outfield players at the club have racked up more minutes in La Liga this season that the youngster.

Also, only Ousmane Dembele (16) has contributed more goal-creating actions in the 2021/22 campaign than Gavi (13), showing just how much of an attacking threat he can be for his team.

The teenage talent has shown what a solid player he can be without the ball too, as only Sergio Busquets and Ronald Araujo have made more tackles where Barcelona have won the ball back than him.

In addition, only Busquets has racked up more successful pressures than Gavi, which could be a big clue as to why Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp are reportedly willing to pay such a hefty fee for the 17-year-old given their penchant for suffocating teams with their press.

Taking into account how Liverpool have a track record when it comes to sign teenage talents such as Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho, it seems likely that the Reds would be looking at adding a player like Gavi to their ranks.

With all this in mind, it would be safe to assume that if Liverpool are able to entice one of Barcelona’s top young prospects away from Camp Nou and bring him to Anfield, this would surely have lots of Kopites buzzing given the potential and talent that the Spanish gem has already shown.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano delivers big Liverpool transfer update that’ll disappoint supporters

An update has emerged regarding Glasgow giants Rangers and their plans to bring a new number nine to Ibrox in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, Ross Wilson is plotting a swoop for Zak Lovelace ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

The report claims that the Gers are chasing a deal for the young Millwall centre-forward and may be able to seal a transfer for a fee in the region of £200k. He has been offered professional terms by the English Championship club and will be able to move to Scotland for that nominal fee if he rejects their efforts.

Millwall will be able to rake in £1m for his services if any English clubs come in for his services, whilst Rangers are able to snap him up for a reduced valuation due to being outside of England.

Gio van Bronckhorst would love him

The Ibrox head coach would love to bring the striker to Glasgow in the coming months, as he would be a strong addition to the Rangers youth setup.

Lovelace has played five Championship matches for the Lions to date, despite only turning 16 in January, and he has been called up by England at under-16 level.

This shows how highly-rated he is within The Den, as his club have decided that he is ready to play professional football – at a high standard – at the age of 15 and 16.

Millwall manager Gary Rowett previously lauded the teenager’s attitude after he made his senior debut, saying: “I thought it was going to be one of those moments where the ball isn’t out of play and there’s a 15-year-old stood on the sidelines ready to make his debut. I was actually quite thankful they had a shot that missed, just because it allowed us to get him on. He had a big, big smile on his face and was desperate to get out there.

“We could have taken the easy route and put a senior player on there because we had Smudge [Matt Smith] left on the bench. But I just felt it was a game where we needed a bit of mobility at the end to stop them getting out.

“Young Zak makes a 50-yard sprint to try and stop them. He showed great appetite. He’s going to have a big career ahead of him, I’m sure.”

These comments from Lovelace’s manager suggest that he is doing all the right things in training and on the pitch when given an opportunity to play.

He has convinced an experienced coach to throw him into a pressured environment at such a young age, which suggests that he has the potential to develop into a fine player in the future, as he is already catching the eye for a team in the second tier in England at the age of just 16.

Therefore, Van Bronckhorst would surely love to have him at Ibrox, as he can work with the youngster in the years to come and help him to blossom into a first-team regular for the Glasgow giants.

AND in other news, Rangers can finally replace Defoe in deal for lethal 29 G/A gem who “never gives up”…

Tottenham Hotspur insider John Wenham has said that he believes defender Joe Rodon does now have a future at the club after a ‘telling’ development in recent weeks.

The Lowdown: Expected to leave

A Lilywhites source told Football Insider just last month that the 24-year-old had been informed by the club that he was free to leave this summer. The Welshman was also reportedly keen on a move away from north London back in January following interest from the likes of Premier League rivals Newcastle and Brighton.

However, the centre-back has been brought on as a substitution in Spurs’ last two games after previously failing to make any top-flight appearances under Antonio Conte, signalling that his luck might just be about to change.

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The Latest: Twist in the tale

Wenham claimed that even though these outings have only amounted to nine minutes of action, it is a hugely positive development for Rodon and one that could mean Antonio Conte now wants to include him in his plans for next season.

He told Football Insider: “I think it is really telling that Conte has brought Rodon on in his last two games.

“He did not have to do that, make no mistake about it. I said a few weeks ago that maybe there was a way back for him.

“Obviously he hadn’t played at all under Conte so it was clear to see where he is in the pecking order.

“I think him coming on in these games has been Conte telling him that he might have a future here.

“He definitely wants Rodon to feel a part of this squad because, as I day, he did not need to bring him on in either of those games.”

The Verdict: Rodon’s pre-season chance

Despite not being handed hardly any game time at Spurs, Rodon has become an integral part of Robert Page’s Wales international squad, where he’s been capped 24 times since making his debut three years ago and drawn praise as ‘flawless’ and ‘special’ from journalist Ian Mitchelmore.

The 5 foot 11 youngster has been in great form when performing for his country on the world stage, averaging an outstanding 6.3 clearances, 1.3 interceptions, and 1.3 blocks per game at Euro 2020, via WhoScored, showing his defensive capabilities are more than passable.

If Conte does view Rodon as part of his long-term vision at Tottenham, he should maybe start giving him more of a chance to prove himself, with pre-season being the perfect opportunity for the talented prospect to show just what he’s capable of ahead of the start of the new campaign.

In other news… a BBC pundit has hinted at Conte’s number one ‘underlying problem’ at Spurs.

Liverpool have taken their Premier League title challenge with Manchester City down to the last day of the season after taking all three points from St Mary’s last night.

Jurgen Klopp made the decision to rest key players like Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold for their penultimate league game after a tough 120 minute FA Cup Final on Sunday against Chelsea where the club picked up their second trophy of the season.

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Luckily for the German coach his decision to rest players paid off. Although the game was tight between the two teams, Liverpool pulled through and prevailed in their efforts winning 2-1.

Despite the tight scoreline, the Kopites dominated in every area of the game with 71% possession, 20 more shots, over twice as many accurate passes and winning more duels than Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side on Tuesday evening.

The goal-scoring started with Southampton taking an early lead when Nathan Redmond found the back of the net in the 13th minute of the game, but it wasn’t enough to hold off Liverpool’s FA Cup and Carabao Cup top scorer Taki Minamino who delivered a defiant response by equalising in the 27th minute.

In the second half, the hosts struggled to contain their visitors and Joel Matip managed to put one past Alex McCarthy in the 67th minute to kill the game and ruin Manchester City’s Premier League title party and take their title chances all the way to the final day of the season.

One player who didn’t get on the scoresheet but remained resilient and put on a solid performance to become Klopp’s unsung hero in the game was James Milner.

According to SofaScore, the 36-year-old midfielder was supreme in possession, making 123 touches, 86 passes, six key passes and successfully delivering 100% of his long balls.

The former £150k-per-week England international was also superb from a defensive point of view, winning 80% of his duels whilst making four tackles, one interception and producing a clearance, proving that he was a huge presence in the centre of the pitch.

With those kinds of statistics in mind, it’s hardly a surprise that writer Taj Ali took to Twitter to describe the veteran as a “beast.”

The Liverpool vice-captain is currently negotiating a new deal with the club after Jurgen Klopp reportedly wants to keep the former Man City star at the club for next season, and spoke out on Klopp and his current contract situation recently in an interview with Alan Shearer for The Athletic:

“He’s one of the very best managers in the world and if he wants me here for another year, it would be silly not to play, wouldn’t it?”

The Merseyside giants will have to hope Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa can steal the game from Man City on Sunday if they have any chance of winning the league but Klopp’s side have done their job in making sure they can stay involved with the challenge which is all the manager can ask from his side ahead of their Champions League final clash with Real Madrid at the end of the month.

AND in other news: Liverpool eyeing bid for “complete” £36m-rated colossus, he’s even better than Fabinho…

Karl Darlow is reportedly now ‘set to leave’ Newcastle United once the summer transfer window opens.

The Lowdown: Out of favour

Darlow has been out of favour at St James’ Park this season, having played just eight times in the Premier League and not featuring since November (Transfermarkt).

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Last term, he made 26 appearances in total, and even kept number one Martin Dubravka on the bench after some impressive performances.

Former Tottenham Hotspur and England international goalkeeper Paul Robinson even went as far as to dub him ‘exceptional‘, but it seems as if Dubravka is firmly the number one under Eddie Howe.

The Latest: To leave

Taking to Twitter, Tyneside journalist Scott Wilson has revealed that Darlow is now ‘set to leave’ the Magpies in the summer, with Middlesbrough ‘ready to move’ for his signature:

“Boro will listen to offers for Joe Lumley and Luke Daniels this summer – and are ready to move for NUFC goalkeeper Karl Darlow. Darlow set to leave St James’ this summer in search of regular football…”

The Verdict: Move on

It is clear that Darlow is not a starter in Howe’s eyes, and at 31 years of age, it is now time to move him on.

He has been a good servant to the North East club over the years, and his performances in the last campaign that helped them stay up will not be forgotten, but going into the new era, it does not make much sense to stay put, for player or club.

The Toon may even look for a new goalkeeper to replace Dubravka as number one, which would place him further down the pecking order.

In other news, find out which ‘absolute beast’ NUFC are now preparing an ‘offer’ for here!

Transfer insider Dean Jones has made a claim regarding the futures of Aston Villa defenders Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings, GiveMeSport report.

The Lowdown: Summer shake-up?

Steven Gerrard is preparing for a first full season in charge at Villa Park and looks set to be backed by owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens in the transfer window.

Reports last month suggested that Gerrard will be backed financially ahead of a ‘huge’ overhaul.

Villa are apparently likely to spend more than £150m over the coming months and are happy to break their transfer record once again, 12 months on from a £34.56m move for Emiliano Buendia.

The Latest: Jones’ claim

Talking to GMS about Konsa and Mings, Jones believes the pair could both depart the Midlands this summer, adding that ‘it’s not impossible’ Gerrard could bring in decent value replacements.

“They both could leave. I think that that’s plausible. And it’s not impossible that they could find two replacements at a decent value.”

“Mings and Konsa, for where Steven Gerrard is heading with this side, I think it’s plausible that they would be open to offers for both players.”

The Verdict: Interesting…

Konsa and Mings have been regulars under both Dean Smith and Gerrard this season, so it would be a shock if both moved on over the coming months.

If they do depart, Gerrard would be left with just Calum Chambers and Kortney Hause as senior options, so you could argue that three could be required.

Stefan de Vrij, Filip Helander, Victor Nelsson, Joe Gomez and Duje Caleta-Car are just some of the centre-backs who have been linked with a move to Villa, so it could prove to be a busy summer when it comes to defensive incomings and outgoings.

In other news: Villa now edging closer to summer move for ‘clinical’ ace as Gerrard gets his way.