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Manchester City have been linked with a move for Romelu Lukaku in recent months, as they look to add a world-class striker to their ranks ahead of next season, but it seems as if the Citizens’ hopes of signing the Belgian international have suffered a blow, after it was reported that Inter are not willing to sell him this summer.

According to reports from Italy, Inter won’t sell the 27-year-old striker this summer despite the interest being shown in him by both Manchester City and Barcelona.

Pep Guardiola’s side are clearly in the market for a new frontman, especially if Sergio Aguero departs on the expiry of his contract at the end of the season, and after Borussia Dortmund’s astronomical asking price for Erling Haaland was revealed recently, Lukaku perhaps could have re-emerged as a potential option for City this summer.

The former Chelsea and Manchester United man has been in phenomenal form for Inter so far this season, with 19 goals and eight assists to his name in just 26 Serie A appearances, resulting in a superb 7.56 average rating.

The Belgian striker has seen his value soar during his time in Italy, as he is now rated at £81 million by Transfermarkt, after leaving United for £74 million in 2019.

Guardiola is a big fan of the striker, despite his indifferent form during his time at United, and was full of praise for him in 2018, saying:

“He’s fast, going to the channels, he helps to keep the ball and helps to make the movement for the other guys. He’s top. He’s a world-class player.”

Lukaku certainly would have added a physical presence up front for Man City, which is something they have lacked in recent seasons, so it is undoubtedly a blow for Guardiola’s side that Inter seemingly won’t allow him to leave this summer when you consider his superb record since joining Antonio Conte’s side.

And, in other news… Pep could be set for huge Man City boost with “incredible” £90m-rated gem

Liverpool have to make a move to bring Danny Ings back to Anfield if they want to challenge for the Premier League title once again next season.

The Southampton striker, who is rated at £18m, has said that his favourite environment in football is the “crazy” atmosphere of Anfield on a Champions League evening.

This comes after reports suggesting that the three-time England forward is not yet committing to a new contract with Southampton because he wants to play in Europe’s premier competition.

Liverpool should grant him that wish by bringing him back to the club, a move that has already been granted approval Rob Lee in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

Since departing Merseyside, Ings has become one of the most lethal forwards in the Premier League, boasting 42 goals in 92 Saints’ appearances.

He would certainly improve the current forward options at Jurgen Klopp’s disposal with regular forward Roberto Firmino having netted just 34 goals in that time and Divock Origi scoring just 14 of his own in all competitions.

Despite the apparent differences to Firmino, Ings would be able to slot seamlessly into the Reds’ starting XI thanks to the hard work that he puts in on the pitch.

Jurgen Klopp has already said that the 28-year-old former Burnley frontman is a “wonderful” player so a move would not be a gamble by any stretch of the imagination.

Considering that Ings is out of contract in the summer of 2022 and rated at just £18m, a deal might not actually be too costly either.

With Liverpool having sold Ings to Southampton for just £20m three years ago, a fee of a similar amount would represent excellent value for the Reds given that they’ll be signing a player who has improved exponentially since leaving Anfield.

AND in more news, find out why Jurgen Klopp must restore Diogo Jota to the Liverpool lineup for Sunday’s clash against Fulham…

Celtic will continue to monitor Airdrie winger Thomas Robert over the coming months after he impressed on trial in recent weeks.

That’s according to an exclusive report from Football Insider, who claim that the Hoops are yet to offer the 20-year-old a deal, or hold talks with the League One side over a potential transfer.

Celtic’s reasons for Robert stall

The Frenchman is out of contract at the end of the season after being watched by Nick Hammond back in December, so could end up joining the club for a nominal fee.

Football Insider claim that Celtic have decided to hold off on tying up a deal for Robert due to the club’s ongoing search for a director of football, as well as a new manager.

There have been reports of a mass overhaul at the club this summer, and it seems the club have decided to halt transfer activity while they sift through the impending chaos.

Transfer Tavern take

It seems as if Robert impressed at Lennoxtown, but holding off on a potential transfer until off-field positions are filled seems to be a sensible decision.

Liam Shaw’s summer move was officially announced on Wednesday, however, that deal was reportedly secured during Neil Lennon’s tenure in the Celtic Park hotseat.

Lennon’s long-term successor and the new director of football may well end up giving the green light to a deal for Robert, who has been involved in six goals this season. However, holding off for now appears to be the correct decision.

David Sullivan should be all over a bargain deal to sign Watford defender Craig Dawson permanently as West Ham United strive to clear a path for Jesse Lingard’s arrival.

What’s the word?

According to talkSPORT, the Irons could explore activating their option to purchase Dawson after seemingly winning the race to sign Lingard on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window.

Lingard is said to be keen on leaving Old Trafford this month after being cast into the wilderness by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, which sparked a number of Premier League and European clubs to monitor his situation.

West Ham are ready to finalise their deal for Lingard to move to the London Stadium ahead of Monday’s deadline, in an initial six-month agreement that could feature an option to buy the £9m-rated maestro at the end of the season.

The Irons must first clear a hurdle before their deal for Lingard can be ratified, as Premier League rules dictate clubs can only have two domestic loan signings and David Moyes’ side currently have Dawson and Brentford-owned playmaker Said Benrahma.

It has been speculated that West Ham are ready to move forward their £20m obligation to buy Benrahma in the summer to the January transfer window, though talkSPORT claim that Dawson’s situation is the most likely option to be resolved this month.

Reports at the time of Dawson’s move to east London during the final week of the last transfer window claimed the Hammers took hold of a £2m option to purchase the centre-half, having failed with a £30m bid for Burnley defender James Tarkowski.

Should West Ham purchase Dawson?

Dawson’s move to West Ham was met with a lot of pessimism from corners of the fanbase at the time of his unveiling, and had to wait a long while to make his debut with Moyes not fielding the 30-year-old until his side’s 0-0 draw with Southampton last month.

Moyes even opted against naming Dawson on the bench over the first seven available Premier League games before seating the Rochdale-born enforcer in the dugout through until matchday 16.

But Dawson has been a rock at the back for West Ham since stepping foot onto the field, to help the east London outfit go five-games unbeaten in the Premier League and win their last four to now sit fourth in the standings after beating Crystal Palace on Tuesday night.

Rarely does he put a foot wrong beside Angelo Ogbonna, either, with Dawson’s efforts at Everton shackling England international Dominic Calvert-Lewin and again locking down Christian Benteke this week with the Belgian silenced in the air.

Dawson even struck his first top-flight goal in claret and blue at Selhurst Park to help seal the turnaround after Wilfried Zaha’s early opener, to demonstrate yet another aspect of how he has made a genuine difference at West Ham after the Irons conceded twice to Brighton and three at Chelsea last month.

If West Ham are to sign Lingard and thus need to free a loan slot, Sullivan should absolutely be jumping at Dawson’s £2m clause and locking up the no-nonsense centre-half Moyes feels is “sensational”.

That fee would also allow West Ham to spend on a striker to replace Sebastien Haller, with the Irons yet to add depth behind Michail Antonio this month.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Pundit drops verdict on West Ham’s links to £7m-rated striker.

Matty Longstaff must step up for Steve Bruce following claims Newcastle United’s Deadline Day deal for Hamza Choudhury collapsed due to the Toon’s strained relationship with Watford.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Choudhury had agreed to join the Magpies on loan until the end of the season from Leicester City, but saw the move fall through at the eleventh hour due to the St. James’ Park outfit’s “dreadful” rapport with the Hornets.

Newcastle had made progress in their efforts to acquire Choudhury after the Foxes struck a deal with Watford for Nathaniel Chalobah to head to the King Power Stadium, though no moves could occur unless the Championship side also had a replacement on the way.

One target Watford had hoped to acquire is thought to have been Longstaff, however the Vicarage Road outfit saw their approach turned down by both Newcastle and the midfielder, per the Daily Mail.

The Magpies refused to part with Longstaff as his age means he does not occupy a squad slot in Bruce’s 25-man Premier League plans, and believe the 20-year-old can play a role in the second half of the season.

Longstaff has only started four top-flight fixtures this term and has not been seen on the field since United lost 3-0 at Arsenal on January 18, with Bruce opting to leave the Toon product on the bench four times before omitting him entirely against Southampton at the weekend.

Time to step up

Bruce has told Longstaff and his older brother, Sean, that they must be prepared to fight for their places in the Newcastle starting line-up after struggling to establish themselves in recent weeks and months.

“We have had too many disappointing performances (in general) as a team which has led to different changes,” Bruce said, via quotes by Chronicle Live. “Play well and the team picks itself.

“After Everton, the team stayed the same. They [the Longstaffs] have to roll up their sleeves and be prepared for competition for places, which is only natural.”

Matty Longstaff enjoyed a strong run in the side following a recall on Boxing Day to start four of United’s five top-flight fixtures, but struggled to prevent a run of defeats and draws to see his place come under increasing threat with the potential addition of Choudhury.

Yet the Leicester man’s move falling through left the door slightly ajar for Longstaff, who can now seize on that opportunity with both hands after Jeff Hendrick was shown two yellow cards in Saturday’s win over Southampton.

Bruce tasked Hendrick with anchoring the engine room after being forced to drop Isaac Hayden into the backline, only to be let down by the 29-year-old seeing red after a needless shirt pull on Takumi Minamino while already on a booking.

Choudhury would, arguably, have been in the central slot beside Jonjo Shelvey and Arsenal loanee Joe Willock if he had been signed, or would have at least been selected now that Hendrick is suspended.

Like Longstaff, Choudhury has struggled for game time this season – starting only three of five Premier League appearances – but has averaged more than double the number of successful tackles a game as the Toon product (1.4 to 0.6), per WhoScored.

Choudhury also offers more clearances (1.0 to 0.4) and a higher number of accurate passes a game (37.6 to 27.8), to suggest Bruce would have struggled to overlook the Foxes outcast for his ability to help protect the backline but also keep Newcastle on the ball.

Longstaff now has the chance to turn the picture in his favour, and must step up for Bruce when United visit top-four hopefuls Chelsea next time out.

AND in other news, a serious injury blow for Newcastle may allow a £25k-p/w outcast to earn himself a new contract…

Glasgow Rangers beat Premiership rivals Hibernian to go 19 points clear of arch-rivals Celtic at the top of the table with Neil Lennon’s side playing later on Saturday.

Ianis Hagi’s goal in the first half proved to be enough to extend their lead at the summit of the Scottish Premiership, although Hibs had their chances to bring the game level, but failed to stop Rangers from winning 12 games in a row.

The ball was worked to Kemar Roofe who carried it forwards and skipped away from Hibs defenders before Hagi finished off a fine team move to give the Gers a deserved lead.

And it was Hagi who ran the show as he outshone both Roofe and James Tavernier, having dragged a shot wide shortly before he found the back of the net.

The 22-year-old got himself on the scoresheet, but that was merely the icing on the cake in what was a masterful performance from the young Romania international.

As per SofaScore, Hagi received a high rating of 7.3 out of ten for his efforts – he won five out of his seven ground duels (71%), took three shots overall, including one shot on target, and was fouled twice, which suggests he was a real handful for Jack Ross’ Hibs.

He also took 50 touches of the ball, provided 27 out of his 33 passes (82%), completed one out of his two dribble attempts successfully and made two tackles and one interception as well.

Hagi, who earns wages worth £23,000-per-week at the Govan-based Glaswegian giants, has now scored three goals and supplied seven assists in the Premiership so far this season, via WhoScored, while he is averaging 2.1 shots and 1.3 key passes per game.

With Jordan Jones waiting in the wings after completing his seven-game ban for breaching COVID-19 regulations, Hagi will have handed Gerrard a huge selection headache with his dominant display during the win at home to Hibs as he ensured Rangers maintained their 100% domestic record at Ibrox this season.

He can’t ignore Hagi any longer after his latest showing, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson must sanction Rangers swoop for Peterborough winger Dembele…

Leeds United have been linked with a move for Barcelona outcast Riqui Puig as the end of the January transfer window draws near, according to Leeds Live. The 21-year-old has fallen drastically down the pecking order at the Camp Nou, with Ronald Koeman favouring other midfielders over the rising talent.

Puig is out of contract in the summer, which means that Victor Orta will be able to work his magic on negotiating pre-contract terms with the Spaniard.

Would Puig suit Leeds?

Despite the fact the youngster has featured just four times in Barcelona’s last ten fixtures, he has shown great promise from the engine room. In his most recent appearance against Real Sociedad, Puig played just 30 minutes but maintained a 92% passing rate and completed 100% of his dribbles, as per Sofascore.

The Spanish youth international completed the same amount of dribbles as Antoine Griezmann in the win over their La Liga rivals. This goes someway to highlight just how good Puig is with the ball at his feet and he has ability to pick out the right pass almost every time.

Leeds would really benefit from signing another creative midfielder. In their most recent loss against Brighton, the Whites’ engine room was pretty stagnant as they struggled to threaten the opposition’s backline. According to Sofascore, no midfielder managed to complete more than 79% accurate passes and a combined three successful crosses were recorded from all four midfield starters.

The demand for goals lies heavily on Patrick Bamford, who is way out in front as Leeds’ top scorer with ten goals. This is seven more than the player with the next highest, who is Mateusz Klich with three, according to BBC Sport.

For a team still buzzing off the back of their Championship-winning season, this dip in form must be damaging for morale. Orta must roll up his sleeves and recruit some smart new options in the transfer window and Puig should be seriously considered.

At just 21-years-old, he has a lot to learn but also also, a lot to give. He will also be free to sign so long as Leeds can make him a decent contract offer, one worth more than his current £25,000 per week deal, which shouldn’t be a problem considering summer signing Rodrigo earns a hefty £120,000 per week.

Puig would flourish at Leeds, a side in a position to give him regular minutes to really showcase his worth.

In other news, Signing Elkan Baggott is no-brainer for Radrizzani…

David Sullivan can end David Moyes’ search for a new striker at West Ham United by signing rumoured target Chelsea outcast Olivier Giroud in the winter market.

What’s the word?

According to Calciomercato, the Irons are beginning to trail in the race to sign Giroud this winter with Inter Milan moving into pole position to sign the France international.

Tottenham Hotspur, Inter Miami and Paris Saint-Germain are also understood to be keen on the 34-year-old, who came off the bench to seal Chelsea’s progression through to the knockout stages of the Champions League with the winning strike away to Stade Rennais on Tuesday night.

Blues boss Frank Lampard stated after the UEFA affair that Giroud’s impact as a late substitute proved why he is keen to keep the striker at Stamford Bridge, after the former Arsenal hitman hinted that he is worried over his lack of game time.

“Yes, it does, and I’ve felt it first-hand, last year it was him or Tammy fighting for the number nine spot. Tammy had a great first half of the season, and then Oli in restart was fantastic,” Lampard said, via quotes by talkSPORT.

“And the things behind the scenes, everybody kind of feels from the outside what a great professional he is and how highly regarded he is by his teammates and myself. He’s getting better with age, if anything, in terms of how he looks after himself.”

Giroud earned his sole start of the current campaign in Chelsea’s Carabao Cup defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in September, while recording 76 of his total 178 minutes for the season after sporadic cameos across all competitions.

GSB can end Moyes’ search

With Moyes seemingly on the lookout for offensive weapons with reports linking West Ham with interest in Giroud and Olympique Lyonnais’ frustrated Moussa Dembele, GSB can end the Scottish coach’s search by landing the Chelsea outcast after he conceded he may have to secure a January move.

Giroud is proving himself to be far from at the end of his career by continually scoring when it counts the most, while netting six of his eight Premier League goals for last season in nine games played after the restart.

Those efforts included the winners against Aston Villa and Norwich City, the opener at Crystal Palace and a second in victory over Wolves, yet failed to prevent Giroud from falling down Lampard’s pecking order with the arrival of Timo Werner.

Former Arsenal full-back Gael Clichy still believes the striker can become an essential aspect of any side, too, having told Stadium Astro how the 105-cap international needs to leave Stamford Bridge for a team where he will be given the opportunities to play.

“Give him time and he will actually score goals – he will show that kind of profile in the team and within the group is essential. You want players that can create something, but you also want somebody who can hold the ball and score goals,” the ex-Arsenal full-back said.

“If you look at where he is in terms of goalscorers for France. He is seven goals behind [Thierry] Henry. And this is enough for everyone saying that he shouldn’t be there. If the manager of the national team is saying he needs game time to go to the Euros, then you need to go and you need to find a place for you can play.”

GSB can easily use Giroud’s outcast status to show how the London Stadium is the place for him, despite the striker being deemed “too good for West Ham” by Adrian Clarke in 2017 when the Hammers considered offering him a route away from the Emirates Stadium.

AND in other news, a “commanding figure” could be set to leave West Ham in the January window.

Steve Parish can deliver Crystal Palace their next Patrick van Aanholt in Marseille defender Jordan Amavi.

What’s the word?

According to L’Equipe, Marseille are worried about Amavi’s future at the Orange Velodrome as he is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.

The 26-year-old uncapped former France international has been linked with a possible move to Selhurst Park as the Eagles are tracking a number of potential replacements for Patrick van Aanholt, with his contract set to run out in the summer.

Palace prioritised several other positions in the off-season as Parish sought to bolster Roy Hodgson’s arsenal of attacking options in the summer after Alexander Sorloth left the club for RB Leipzig.

With the winter transfer window fast approaching, Marseille coach Andre Villas-Boas is believed to be concerned that the club are running out of time to sell one of their valuable assets before his contract expires, which is something that Parish could look to exploit.

Perfect PVA replacement

If Parish can get a deal over the line in January, Hodgson could see the Eagles land their next Van Aanholt, with the former Aston Villa starlet once described as a “terrific” talent after he signed a five-year deal at Villa Park.

Amavi spent two years at Aston Villa before joining Marseille in 2017, helping the Olympians reach the Europa League final a year later.

It goes without saying that he has become one of the top players in Europe in his position, with Villas-Boas recently heaping praise on the 26-year-old in an interview with La Provence.

The former Chelsea boss said: “Amavi is one of the players who has improved the most. He has a great frame of mind.”

His ability to break up attacks, combined with his ability to dribble past players as well as being a strong threat in the air, is something that sets him apart from the rest of his competitors, as Marcos Alonso has often been criticised for his lack of pace.

Valued at £9m via Transfermarkt, in eight appearances in Ligue 1, the left-back has scored one goal so far this season, whilst he is averaging 1.4 tackles, 3.3 interceptions and 2.9 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

In contrast, even Van Aanholt has only mustered 1.3 tackles, 0.5 interceptions and 0.8 clearances on average per game in the Premier League this season so far, as per WhoScored.

Suffice it to say the young Frenchman would be an upgrade on the 30-year-old, who didn’t cover himself in glory against Newcastle United last month, and is arguably entering the twilight of his career.

AND in other news, Parish masterclass: Crystal Palace struck gold by signing Eberechi Eze from Queens Park Rangers…

West Ham United must come out on top in the emerging Premier League tussle for Silkeborg defender Frederik Alves, now noted to be a possible transfer target for Leeds.

What’s the word?

According to BT, Leeds are now in contention to sign Alves in the upcoming January market, reviving efforts to land the 20-year-old after seeing an offer rejected this summer.

It had been expected that Alves would be moving to the London Stadium come the turn of the year after Bold claimed the Denmark U21 international was close to agreeing on a deal, following successful negotiations between the two sides.

West Ham were said to have struck an agreement at 10million Danish Krone (£1.2m), after Silkeborg confirmed they expected to announce a rise in their financial results to that sum through negotiations to sell Alves in January.

The sale was noted to be contingent on individual reservations but expected to be finalised before the end of 2020, after Alves agreed on personal terms earlier this month.

Leeds may now scupper West Ham’s plans to sign Alves, who BT claim was also the subject of several rejected bids from Russian side FK Rostov this summer and is a potential target for Dinamo Zagreb plus clubs in Germany and Austria’s top divisions.

Alves has started all seven of Silkeborg’s NordicBet Liga fixtures thus far this term, in which the Danish second-division side have kept three clean sheets and taken five wins.

GSB must beat Leeds

During their failed efforts to sign Alves this summer, Rostov are thought to have submitted a top offer worth €1m (£903k) but could not come to an agreement as the NordicBet Liga side did not wish to part with the 20-year-old who is under contract through to 2024.

Silkeborg rate Alves highly, with former Southampton striker Kent Madsen – now a director at Silkeborg – telling BT in July: “There is quite a lot of interest in Alves, and you can understand that.

“Especially in the second half of the Superligaen season, he has just been getting better and better. He is a player that we believe can benefit from further development with us. We really want to keep him and also have a long agreement with him.”

Alves started 21 of his 22 Superligaen appearances last season but could not help Silkeborg avoid relegation as they sat rooted to the bottom of the table throughout the campaign, but impressed his potential suitors with an average 6.0 clearances, 5.5 duels won (2.7 ground, 2.8 aerial), 2.5 interceptions, 1.8 tackles and 77.2 touches a game, per SofaScore.

The promising Danish talent also completed 92% of his passes in Silkeborg’s half of the pitch for 40.7 accurate attempts a game, while offering 3.1 long balls, 0.3 key balls and only being dribbled past 0.5 times a match.

Alves still has much room for development and needs to taste football at a higher level than the Danish top-flight, but his record shows a player worth courting – especially at a bargain fee of close to £1m – and one West Ham could regret allowing Leeds to sign.

AND in other news, West Ham frustrated a rival club with one of their summer deals and could spark greater anger by reviving efforts to sign a 6 ft 1 ace.